Top 8 Video Games of 2016

2016 was a bit of a mixed bag. For those paying attention to the world at large, this year has a certain reputation for being fairly miserable, but at least we were able to find solace in video games. That’s one of the magical powers this medium has, in both an ability to entertain and inform, creating adventures for us to get lost in while also invoking emotions and thought. This year delivered some of the best examples of both aspects and many more, so here are the Top 8 games we played this year!

 

Final Fantasy XV

We did it. We were able to collectively, as a society, wait the 10 years it took to play Final Fantasy XV, even though over 40 other Final Fantasy games came out in the meantime. Still, the next meaty mainline single-player entry into the storied franchise means a lot for both fans of the series and Square Enix, who spent an absurd amount of time, money and resources ensuring this game wasn’t a flop. What they ended up with is one of the most impressive games in the franchise that learns the lessons classic open world RPGs have been teaching for years. One part adventure, another combat clinic, FFXV dares to challenge what it means to be a Final Fantasy game and is all the better for it.

 

Titanfall 2

Expectations were high for the team at Respawn after putting out one of the freshest shooters of this generation on the Xbox One a few years ago. How would going multi-console, bulding a single-player campaign and tweaking the near-perfect multiplayer end up feeling on the other end? Turns out, pretty damn good. Titanfall 2's campaign has some of the best moments of the year, and the multiplayer is just as fast and furious as ever. Respawn proved that they are not just one trick ponies and the hopes for their untitled Star Wars project have now hit a galactic high.

 

Watch Dogs 2

Unlike Titanfall, the first Watch Dogs was a bad game. But its sequel was just as anticipated, for some as a morbid curiosity and others a genuine hope, as the first game promised some amazing things that just never turned up. Luckily, Ubisoft got the message and took their time, delivering a sequel that eclipses the initial offering in every single way. From the faithfully recreated San Francisco Bay Area to the host of gadgets and tech at your disposal, it has never been as fun to be a hacker in a video game as it is in Watch Dogs 2. Sure, some of the story beats got a little too dramatic for their own sake, but the moment-to-moment gameplay was as innovative as any game on the market and got the feeling of an organically open world better than all of them.

 

Superhot

Superhot is, in a word, masterful. The premise is simple: time doesn’t move until you do. Enemies shoot bullets at you that hang frozen in air, giving you time to think about your next move, and the one after that, and the next one, until you’ve decoded this violence puzzle and know exactly where to move, shoot and duck to avoid the onrush of gunfire and put down your oppressors. Few games find a simple premise and perfect it, and Superhot got there with brilliant level design, stylish graphics and an addictive gameplay hook that had players racing to beat their own times and become one with time. This is one of the most memorable games of the decade.

 

Doom

Nobody saw this coming. From the failed sequels to the lack of press coverage right before launch, this year’s Doom reboot seemed like it was in big trouble. Who wants to play a silent meathead protagonist that just shoots in a world of immersive storytelling and RPG mechanics? Turns out, just about everyone. Doom figured out something few franchises do, which are the essential elements of a Doom game. Run fast, shoot plenty and keep moving before you become demon chowder. Developers at id got all of those things right by eliminating cover and health regeneration, forcing players to pick up health packs and engage their foes in order to execute “glory kills” that would refill health and ammo. The game managed to be a throwback while redefining the modern FPS genre all at the same time.

 

The Witness

The Witness is an acquired taste. The follow-up to Jonathan Blow’s Braid makes you question the nature of your reality even more than that time-bending puzzler, but the payoff is so much more than a narrative resolution. The Witness starts you off on a desert island (although there are more biomes than that) filled with about 800 puzzles. All follow the same basic logic of getting from point A to point B, but new twists and turns in the logic keep each puzzle feeling fresh and diverse. Beyond the basic nuts and bolts of each puzzle is the overall feeling of discovery, something no other game this year came close to matching. When you get around to uncovering the secrets the island has for you to find, the game grows from a puzzle game to a lesson in self-discovery and beyond.

 

Overwatch

If Game of the Year was determined purely by hours played, Overwatch would be the de facto winner. Blizzard’s first foray into the first-person shooter genre is a resounding success, blending competitive balance with iconic characters and exquisite maps. The shooting feels as good as possible across the dozens of playable heroes, but no one pick or team composition is the best. The structured game modes, the tournaments, and, of course, the loot boxes kept this one as addictive as any game in 2016. While Battlefield, Call of Duty and Titanfall were fighting for most realistic and bombastic shooter, Overwatch cleverly carved its own lane by refining multiplayer combat to the best it’s been since Team Fortress 2. 

 

Hitman

IO Interactive took a huge risk when they announced that their Hitman reboot was going to be episodic. While the Telltale games have sort of proven that the format works, applying that every-month content drip concept to a fully featured stealth assassination game seemed risky. Would there be enough content in each level? Would the developers manage to keep the drip consistent? Would it feel like a real Hitman game and wipe away the bad taste that Hitman: Absolution left in the mouths of most fans?

Turns out, all of the above could be answered with a resounding "yes." It’s impossible to sum up what makes this game so great in such a short span, as everything from the gameplay mechanics to the level of freedom and exploration are not only best in the series, but best in class. There has never been a Hitman game that lived up to the potential of the game’s underlying concepts until now. Just one look at the litany of insane challenges and objectives, from destroying a virus in an underground lair to pretending to be a scarecrow before using a 3D-printed face to escape from a terrorist training ground, should show how amazing and insane this game is. It's refined enough to make newcomers feel welcome while deep enough for veterans to feel fulfilled, and is the best game of 2016.

 

See what else made it into our Top 8 by visiting its official page.

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