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Your Top games of 2016; It's that time of year again!
Topic Started: Dec 13 2016, 06:26 PM (657 Views)
Choco Nath
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T O P N E P
For the past couple of years now I've made a nice little thread where we can all come and talk about out favourite games from the past year.

If you're curious about the previous years you can find them here:
2014
2015

You can list as many or as little as you like I've managed to come up with 10 this year but feel free to post less or more if you have them.

But before then I want to talk about 2 games I gave honourable mentions to last year as I never got round to playing them:

Undertale
It's ok, nothing else to say honestly. I just didn't find it to be the masterpiece everyone claimed it was. I will say I did enjoy my time with the game but I can say I enjoyed my top 10 of 2016 more.

Metal Gear Solid 5
Spoiler: click to toggle





So on with my top 10 of 2016

10. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness

This game was kind of a mixed bag for me which why it gets the number 10 spot. Overall the narrative and the characters were 1000% better than the rubbish found in Star Ocean: The Last Hope Nappy Time With Edgey, the combat, however, wasn't. The fun gameplay that made the previous game fun to get through, had been changed up for something that felt like a step back in comparison. Overall I found the game enjoyable but with the other JRPGs on this list I can't really recommend it, but I felt it was still worth a mention.

9. Pokemon Sun and Moon

As of writing this, I do need to play more of Sun and Moon, however, the games pretty much more of the same when it comes to Pokemon. I put it down this low as the opening kinda dragged on a bit too long, do we really need 3 hours to show how to heal a Pokemon, battle Pokemon and catch a Pokemon? I get the game is aimed at kids but a simple 'Are you familiar with the world of Pokemon?' would have been a welcome addition.

8. Uncharted 4

One Pretty solid game from start to finish, personally I feel like this was a fitting end to the series, and let Nate go out on a high. Naughty Dog have always delivered when it comes to the games they've put out and Uncharted 4 is no exception,

7. Megadimension Neptunia V II

I'll just be honest Megadimension Neptunia V II is a fun game. Might not be the best on this list and some of the visual novel scenes can drag on at times, but at the same time, it's very self-aware of that. At this point the team behind these games has a clear formula they're sticking to, which is why they can pump these games out at the rate they do. The best way to describe this game, is junk food, you know it's not really the best thing out there but you know you'll end up enjoying it all the same.

6. Dark Souls 3


Another solid game from FromSoftware. I still kind of prefer Bloodborne but Dark Souls 3 was a treat to play through fro start to finish, it's worth checking out even if you've not played the previous 2 games like me.


5. Overwatch
Never really paid much attention to this game until I played the open beta and a good thing I did. This is a fantastic game. I thought I would never enjoy a shooter let alone an online multiplayer shooter again until Overwatch came along.

4. Gravity Rush: Remastered

I might be cheating adding a remaster to the list but Gravity Rush is a game that deserves your attention. An often looked over classic as it was released on the system time forgot, that Sony handheld with Persona 4: Golden, the name of the system escapes me, though (as well as Sony). The game itself is one of the best open world superhero games there. The way the game uses gravity to navigate the open world and weave it effortlessly into combat amazed me at times. And with the sequel only a few weeks away now, if you can pick this up cheap over Christmas it will be well worth the money

3. Titanfall 2

Just want to say this first, I've not touched this games multiplayer. The game earns this spot with the single player alone! And what a fantastic single player campaign this is, I know a lot of people might feel Doom was a better game (they're wrong by the way) but Titanfall 2 might even be one of the best single play shooters period. A game defiantly worth checking out if you get the chance.

2. Final Fantasy XV

This game is pretty amazing and was so close to being my number 1 but a certain chapter let it down, good thing that's getting patched. There's not much else to say about this game it looks great, the gameplay is really fun and unlike Final Fantasy XIII it has characters you actually end up caring about! A nice return to form for the series.

1. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

Let's get this out of the way first. Yes, a Digimon game came out and is better than the Pokemon game that came out in the same year! Cyber Sleuth is nothing but a great game, I had a blast from start to finish. Cyber Sleuth, unlike Pokemon, took a more adult tone in its story telling and took quite a bit of inspiration from the more recent Persona games in terms of the gameplay and even story. If you were ever into Digimon as a kid it's worth checking out as I have no doubt you'll have as much fun with the game as I did
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Karthulu
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Yeah, I'm a fan.
I've only really played three games from the 2016 batch, weird. But I've got a lot to say about those three games!

3. Madden NFL 17

2. Overwatch

Wall of text. Prepare your shit.
1. Dark Souls 3
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Feanon
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Outer Heaven
I mostly replayed old games (Persona 3 FES, more 100% OJ), but I'll include a couple games that came out in 2015 that I didn't have time for til this year. And a couple from this year, I'm lazy at explanations.

1. Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold (2015)
- Story mode was much better than Untold 1, Classic mode was great, lots of improvements, EOV when. NO MORE GAMES
2. Pokemon Sun
- A much needed new outlook on Pokemon, finished my pokedex and working on the battle tree.
3. Ace Attorney: SoJ
- In a pattern here, much better than Dual Destinies, it's Phoenix Wright, you know what you're getting.
4. Stella Glow (late 2015)
- A somewhat obscure Fire Emblem/FFT lite fusion with multiple endings. Easy but entertaining, Sakuya was best witch.
(semi-joking Honorable Mention: Swapdoodle: The Return of Nikki)

yes they're all 3DS games, I <3 3DS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Gallerian
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There weren't too many new releases I played this year as I mainly focused on Smash Bros and Skyrim, as per usual. Though, there were a couple of games that I did play this year that I can say with certainty that I enjoyed.

Star Fox Zero
Now I understand the game has glaring problems, like forcing you to use motion control, and it being just a remake of the same Star Fox 64. I understand why there are people that don't like it. However, I faced that learning curve with the motion controls and played it through to the end. And I had a fucking blast doing so. The game it came with was an obvious afterthought, but what came with the core game was fun enough to have me almost 100% it.

Dark Souls 3
I've always been a fan of the Souls Series, playing and beating them all since the predecessor, Demon's Souls. The gameplay is as solid as ever, and the difficulty was definitely upped when compared to Dark Souls 1, and the easier Dark Souls 2. The PvP is great, the covenants are easy to switch from, and the multiple endings make me want to play through New Game+ and so on.

DOOM
This game is obviously pandering to the nostalgia people had of Classic Doom, but it did it in the best way possible. They could have EASILY phoned it in and made some super-gritty reboot. Nope, they tickled our heartstrings and gave us a solid, fun game. It has its flaws, but it's flaws I'm easily willing to look past.

Overwatch
An class-based arena game that I had constant fun with every single time I played it. It has variety with the characters, they're memorable, and the game itself isn't just so... COLORFUL. It really makes the world feel alive and vibrant, which I absolutely love.

Dragonball Xenoverse 2
I love Dragonball Xenoverse 2. Though this is mainly the inner DBZ fanboy. Creating your character and reliving the series from start to finish is always exhilarating. Sure, the story is almost a blatant rehash of Xenoverse 1, but the gameplay is very refined, the hub world is a lot bigger, and the character creation has been improved some.

I would include stuff like FFXV, but I haven't played them yet, and I only list stuff I actually played.
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Captain Rodriguez
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I'll do what Dunkey does and just talk about games I played this year regardless of release date. I'm also including some stuff from the end of 2015 because some of it spilled over into the beginning of this year. In no particular order:

Fallout 4


American McGee's Alice/Alice Madness Returns


Sonic Generations


Tales of Symphonia


Twilight Princess HD


Fire Emblem Fates (All Three Routes)


Undertale


Xenoblade Chronicles X


Bravely Second


Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition


VA-11 HALL-A


Overwatch


WWE 2K17


I think that's every game I played this year, except for my annual run of OoT 3D and my multiple 100% runs of Majora's Mask 3D. Both those games are good, you should play them.
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Thaciscokidd
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Hero Rance would like to battle
Honorable Mentions:

I am Setsuna: Bought it on a whim and boy was I suprised. It was a good game. I enjoyed the Chrono Trigger callback but it was a little too short for my taste.

Final Fantasy 15: Best single player main story release since 10. The characters pop out at you and it isn't a hallway simulator! With DLC on the horizon its too early to tell for me.

Dishonorable mention:

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE: YOU COULD OF BEEN THE CHOSE ONE! TO BRING BALANCE TO SRPGS NOT SOME WEIRD PERSONA IDOL THING! People getting pissy over censorship didn't help you either.




10. Pokemon Sun and Moon:
Best Pokemon game to date. Cured me of my Gen Wunneritst. The start was a bit slow for my taste but once you get past that the game is nothing but fun. They gave the side characters a bunch of personality so you just wouldn't beat them and them forget them. One of the few games this year that I really want to see DLC for to expand on them but sadly probably wont get until the next game of gen 7.

9. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2:
Yes its almost a clone of XV1 but this is a clone done right. They fixed most of the bugs that plagued the original and gave us some interesting Parallel quest(86 being my personal favorite). Dropping transformation in cut scenes bugged me but hey if they continue to fix stuff like this XV 3 should be near perfect!

8. Fire Emblem Fates:
Where to start with this one. The hype was warranted for this game. It was fun, most of the games characters where loveable except Takumi. Never Takumi...... In the sadly slowly dying genre of SRPG, this and last years Stella Glow were bright spots. As much as it pains me to say it maybe the increased publicity might be the downfall of this game. Stuff that flew in past games(mostly for staying east) are being brought to the forefront and bringing problems with the censorship cats, namely the Soleil drama that I still don't get why people were mad about. Hopefully this black eye can heal and we get another Fire Emblem game in the near future, with a romanceable Lyndis please.

7. Bravely Second:
I was weary of this game but glad that I broke down and bought it. They fixed Agnes making her a sort of stronger character and not some one dimensional girl being lead around by the best fairy in gaming showing her growth in the time before this game. I'm a real fan of the class system in rpgs and this game shows it off in its total glory. The Main characters in this game are for the most part loveable. The Bravely line of games continues to grow on me but the ending leaves more questions than answers and with the new mobile game in beta my hopes for a third game release on a handheld console is slowly dwindling.

6. Project X Zone 2:
This game is way better than PxZ1 in pacing. They kept the comedy from the first one and brought in some new series to liven up the mix. The Nintendo inclusions of Chrom and Lucina was a great surprised and hope for the future, but you miss some of the people that were excluded from the title like Frank West and Hsien-Ko. While the pacing is still great it is still possible to get a little tired of the gameplay and Kos-Mos continues to be Overpowered as hell in these crossovers.

5. Super Robot Wars Moon Dwellers:
First English(use this term lightly) official SRW release since the last days of the Game Boy Advanced. I enjoyed it greatly, moreso the SEA engrish release for the questionable translations that they used for some of the text that is just laughable. While I was happy my boy Touya showed up with his power puff girls the power creep is taking its grasp on the series with arguably the strongest OG mech on the seeable horizon has me a little scared for the future of OG games. And PLZ DONT KILL ARIEL!

4. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse:
The Sin Megami series of games have a allure that the persona franchise will never EVER reach. The way it tied in to SMT IV's Neutral route made me glad about having played and finished said route right before the game came out. The dark overtone of this game made me weary about anything good that happened in the story. Bringing back old favorites like Flynn, Isabeau, and Nozomi and parrying them with new characters like Asahi, Toki, and Gaston to give a sort of insider look at what has gone down since the end of SMT: IV proper was a master stroke. Went into this game hoping that I wasn't glorified DLC and came out loving this installment and wanting more from this universe.

3. NBA 2k17:
Nothing to really say that hasn't been said about sports games in the past. The single player campaign was an improvement from last year but the true power of this game is in the online play. My team of old men from San Antonio did me well and I had truckloads of fun online weather It was a onesided blowout or a intense game. 2k is gonna get this perfect very soon if they continue to tweak like they have.

2. Digimon Story: Cyber sleuth:
Bought this game last year when it dropped for Japan and loved it. Bought it again this year when it dropped in the west and feeling didn't change. The story is amazing and acutally got me to play a 2nd playthru as a selectable feMC for the first time in ages just to see if she fist fought a dude. And she totally did! Got to build a team of my favorite mons and pit them against online foes and had a blast. And seemed serious out of the gate unlike Pokemon's innocent aura that you knew that everything would be OK in the end. Great game, cant wait to try out Next Order next month to see if the tradition keeps up.

1. Gundam Breakers 3:
This game..... I love it 100%. The single player campaign is fun(Misa might be my new top gundam girl and shes not even canon) but the true fun lies in the online multiplayer. The creativity, homages, and monstrosities that people made put a big smile on my face. The hours I spent doing tic tacs on sliders just trying to get that right look is almost the same as the hours I've spent making some of my favorite Gunpla's IRL. They captured the essence of model building and gave it a stage to showcase it. It pains me that most of the west wont get to see this gem of a game.
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slashkamei
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Learning to make a good caw since 2k13
I might as well do mine as well, the higher up the list it lower it ranked

Dragon Quest Heroes: The World's Tree Woe and the Blight Below
Insanely long title aside, I've really been enjoying this game, I've always been a fan of Dynasty Warrior based games and this one's been really fun. It really does a good job of making the game feel like a more active Dragon Quest game, from the monsters, sound effects and even the characters all from past DQ games. Even the two lead characters have interesting personalities and no one really steals the show, they just kinda go together well. With that being said, the story is kinda forgettable and only being able to bring four characters with you, first two being the lead characters, its hard to enjoy all the DQ characters that show up as they don't level up with your group.

Sentinels of the Multiverse: The Video Game
If you are a fan of card games and comic books, then this is for you, a co-op card game pitting a team of 3 to 5 heroes against a Villain, its really fun to play though the reason it ranks lower on my list is the fact I haven't been able to play it as much as I'd like to as of late.

Dragonball Xenoverse 2
A vast improvement over Xenoverse 1 with much needed fixes and the like, yet still has some issues in combat with some Supers and Ultimates just being close to worthless and some just straight up not working. While the introduction of racial transformations is neat and all...some just kinda fall short, the Human's Flying Numbus and turning into a palate swapped Kid Buu stand out. The story is also kinda meh which is why it falls so low on this list with a few issues with how they handled The Time Patroller from the first game. Granted with a lot of the game's flaws still showing up, it does some things right, the ranking system for one thing is great and just being able to fly around the huge hub world is always fun. Battles have been really enjoyable too with super armor now gone for the enemies and no super Bullshit story missions this time.

Rant about the end of the game, kinda spoilers


Pokemon Sun/Moon
Shocker, I know, while the game does take a little while to get started, there is a LOT I really like about this game, from its locations, the characters, the music, everything. Also the fact this game really kicks up in difficulty near the End Game makes each battle a real joy. While I do wish we could have more in terms of clothing options, (Where is my black belt outfit damnit!?) I don't doubt I'll keep playing this over and over thanks to the PokeBank. now shut up and get in the god damn bag

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth
My first PS4 game and I am SO glad I picked this up, the game play is very fun, even though I wasn't 100% sold on the way the Digi-Farm worked, since I was used to the DS game's version. A lot of the characters...aside from a certain someone Nokia is worst girl, fight me they were kinda enjoyable, granted a few twists in the game you could kinda see coming if you paid attention. Also this game loves to be a REAL jerk about some of its End Game side quests for the stronger digimon, though that makes being able to finally defeat them that much better.

Final Fantasy 15
While I'm still early in the story, this game has been quite the ride so far, with enjoyable characters, action packed, if not frantic battles, amazing locations and graphics and a rather interesting story line. WAY better than 13 has ever been and will ever be. Also when is King's Knight for Android damnit?
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Soundwave
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Huh...only two NEW games I played this year were Danganronpa 1 and 2. I spent the rest of time studying, working, replaying older games or playing Blizzard games.

EDIT: The Walking Dead: Michonne was apparently this year too, so I played that. I also started STEINS;GATE and The Walking Dead Season 3 unlocks in an hour so I guess that'll fit in 2016 too!
Edited by Soundwave, Dec 20 2016, 12:11 PM.
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NCR_Ranger

Stardew Valley and Starbound were the only 2016 games I played, and Stardew Valley would be number one of number ones for sure.

Non-2016 game I got around to playing and liked:

Monkey Island 1 and 2
Shovel Knight
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Psychonauts
Valkyria Chronicles
Shadowrun: Hong Kong
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AaronTheBaron
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Yo, it's me. It's me. It's A.T.B.
5) Madden NFL '17 - Yeah it's a sports game. But I like sports games. And while it'll never fill the hole in my heart left by NCAA Football not existing, Madden '17 did a lot of things that I'm thankful for. Namely, the ability to easily skip to the offseason at any time (I always just end up skipping to the first offseason when I start a franchise, and doing it week by week was a pain) and the ability to only play offense. Overall it's Madden, but I enjoy Madden, so it gets a spot.

4) Street Fighter 5 - I suck at Fighting Games, but due to being exposed to them more by YouTube, I decided to pick up SFV when I got a PS4. And I love playing it. Just the way the fighting plays appeals to me, but I can't really say why it's this one that I got attached too. There might be better fighters out there, but this is the one that I actually enjoyed picking up and trying to learn basics of. By the way, go Nash.

3) Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest - While it wasn't as good as Awakening, Fire Emblem Fates is a pretty good game. And I think Conquest is a better overall story experience, as well as a more challenging and rewarding one. The ability to play the perspective of the "villains" and seeing the good that is on the "bad" side intrigues me, and the classic Fire Emblem combat drove me enough to play this game. I haven't fully beaten it, but what I've played I've liked. Just was another 3DS game that got a bit more in my way.

2) Pokemon Moon - This was a game Pokemon needed. With the huge anniversary, launch of Pokemon go, and overall celebration of Pokemon that was this year, there needed to be a main series game released. And there wasn't just one released, but to me one of the absolute best games the Pokemon series has ever had. Ditching all the old cliches and tropes of Pokemon, what Pokemon Moon became was a completely new and fresh experience. The locations are absolutely gorgeous even on the 3DS (being Hawaii helps with the looks department). The music is everything you expect from Pokemon and more. The characters are entertaining and interesting to interact with and see grow. The villainous team is Team Skull and they are amazing. EVERYTHING about this game just seems right to me. With Pokemon becoming 20 years old, this game was desperately needed, and even though it's one of the most difficult main series games IMO (ie not of a competitive battler who tried to have a first team of all new pokemon), it's something that kept me engaged and going back. Pokemon is never going to die, and games like Moon will help make sure that it never does.

Honorable Mention: Xenoblade Chronicles X. So technically I started this game last year when it came out (got it along with the last Shulk amiibo at a local gamestop, go me!). And I've played it slowly throughout the year, and still haven't fully finished it. But I love XCX. It's not as good as the first to me, but then again the only other contender for that throne for me is Chrono Trigger, but it's really good. While it lacks in the character department that the first had, it makes up for in a world. And holy cow, the world is amazingly beautiful. The planet you explore is just gorgeous to look at to where you can spend a lot of time just exploring and be satisfied. The combat also is the Xenoblade Affair that I like, though this time with giant mechs. Also, sidequests are where this game shines. While some are still boring and drab fetch quests, there are so many interesting sidequests in this game when you actually interact with characters. From trading cards to murder mysteries to asking a sniper victim to be shot again, there's a ton of interesting activities in the world. Also, the music won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's really fun to me. Just expect to hear "I CAN'T HEAR YOU, I CAN'T SEE YOU" enough times to drive you mad.

Honorable Mention: So it wasn't a 2016 release, but I have to give special shoutout to Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. When I picked up a PS4 I picked up this game with it, and I love it. The best application of an Arkham combat system outside of Batman, and probably better than some of those too. A great experience that shows us one story that can occur (albeit with some liberties taken) in the realm of Tolkien. If you like the Tolkien world and haven't played it, pick it up. If only the ending wasn't complete sequel bait. But then again, if the ending for this was sequel bait, it has nothing on...

1) Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Human Revolution is one of my absolute favorite games of all time. And when I went into the world of Mankind Divided, I instantly picked up why I loved it. Even with the executive meddling of Square Enix forcing one game into two with terrible microtransactions, I can't find too much fault with Mankind Divided as an experience save for the length and the ending. Eidos Montreal has done something absolutely incredible with the Deus Ex games. The levels are open and sprawling, open to multiple different playstyles. The characters are interesting with Adam Jensen once again stepping in as the hardened badass protagonist who may not have asked for this, but is now thrust into the spotlight as a center in the Augmented movement. The combat is free to explore opportunities for not just shooting but also stealth and hacking and every combination of them. And even better than the first game, Eidos Montreal created an interesting and intriguing world, all centered around one premise. Make the player feel like a second class citizen. No spoilers on the reason why, but the augmented being hated upon makes the world, in a sad way, feel much more interesting than just a normal standard city. From the way subway cars are subsectioned off between Naturals and Augs, to your teammates' jabs at your accessories, to the way the cops harass you and will shoot you on sight if you violate curfew. Heck the game made a ghetto interesting to walk through, by putting you in the seat of the one that is most likely to get hurt by being in the ghetto. This is a world that is vibrant and feels like an interesting one, even if you don't want to live in it. And it opens up many interesting options for stealthing your way through the city when you need to, or if you want to go full on psycho and murder everyone and everything you can. Deus Ex Mankind Divided is a cyberpunk junkie's game, and even with a short run time and bad ending, it is a game that is absolutely worth the time and investment. If you liked Human Revolution, you've probably already played this. But if not, step back into Adam's shoes, and see how the world looks at you in them. Just, damn you Square Enix for mandating this be two games.

Oh also, Michael McCann NEEDS to get the job if they ever remake Blade Runner. Cause holy cow his music. SO GOOD.
Edited by AaronTheBaron, Dec 20 2016, 09:46 PM.
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TrueDarkAce
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Catchphrase
Might as well do this.

Honorable Mentions/Games I Played that Didn't Come Out This Year


Honorable Meh-ntion


11. Dragonball Z Xenoverse 2

10. Animal Crossing New Leaf: Welcome Amiibo

9. God Eater Resurrection

8. Project X Zone 2

7. King of Fighters 14

6. Samurai Warriors 4 Empires

5. Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse

4. Fire Emblem Fates

3. Digimon Stories: Cyber Sleuth

2. Hyrule Warriors Legends

1. Final Fantasy XV
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