Better late than never, right?

Last year, due to my increasingly busy work schedule and my first holiday in 5 years, saw me review a meagre 42 games. Still in that bunch are all of the big hits of last year, some ones I had been looking forward to and, of course, one so-bad-it’s-bad title I played to remind me of how good we have it. Yet again I found myself struggling to crown a winner this year although this time around there were no less than 6 titles that could have easily taken it away. As always here’s the list of last year’s games in chronological order so you can refresh your memory if you so see fit.

First off I’ll award this year’s wooden spoon to The Technomancer from consistently B-grade developer Spiders. They’re a developer that has ambitions of being one of the top RPG developers like Bethesda or Bioware but unfortunately they just don’t have the resources to do so. Every one of their games is packed with all the features you’d expect of a larger RPG but, unfortunately, none of them work properly or integrate well. So what you end up with is a mish-mash of mechanics that are loosely coupled together, never quite reaching the level to which the game aspires to. Honestly all they need to do is narrow their focus and get a few core things right to make the next step up. However that never seems to happen and they continue to aspire to greatness they simply can’t yet achieve. Still The Technomancer was their best game yet, but that was a low bar to jump over.

This year I want to give honourable mentions to 3 titles that are fantastic games in their own right but didn’t make the top 3. Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of those rare sequels that manages to surpass its predecessor. It also managed to set up its sequels without ruining the plot of the current instalment, something which is almost never done well. Uncharted 4 was the conclusion that the franchise needed and was done so well that few could argue there was a better way to send off Nathan Drake. Whilst it might be sad to say goodbye to the franchise, at least in this form, it will long stand as one of the must-have titles for the PlayStation platform. Lastly Firewatch, whilst not sharing the same high score as the rest of the honorable mentions, was by far one of the most engrossing experiences to come out of 2016. If you haven’t yet taken the time to play it I very much recommend you do as its 3 hour play time just rushes by.

So without further ado my Game of the Year for 2016 is:

Blizzard’s Overwatch, rising from the ruins of the failed next-gen MMORPG Titan, is yet another testament to the venerable developer’s prowess when it comes to game development. I had been involved in the closed beta for some time before it launched and was still thoroughly excited to play it again on launch. The nearly 100 hours I’ve spent in game after then is a testament to just how well crafted Blizzard’s new team based shooter is. Combine that with the world building that Blizzard has continued to do long after its initial launch and you have a game that’s engrossing both from a mechanical and story telling perspective. Whilst my views on it may have soured since then (most likely due to the pressures that come from ranked play) there’s really no disputing that, at the time, it was head and shoulders above every other game I played last year.

Titanfall 2 comes in at a very close second as I’ve put in just as many hours into it as I did Overwatch. With the Call of Duty instalment lacking somewhat this year it was great to see Titanfall 2 step up into its place, providing the fast paced run and gun action that I enjoy. Considering how flat the original Titanfall fell after its first few weeks it was great to see the community stay stable for months after launch in the sequel. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, the low time to kill meaning that the skill gap isn’t as big as it is in other shooters, but for spammy rushers like myself it’s just the right blend of balls to the wall action and mech based combat.

Lastly Inside, the spiritual successor to Limbo, comes in at third. For Playdead it was a pivotal moment, one that would either cement them as the king of the genre they helped create or see them cede it to others. Suffice to say Inside managed to improve on the Limbo formula in almost all regards, modernising the idea in just the right ways. It’s short play time, speculative story and carefully crafted visuals all combine together into a seamless experience that few other developers would be able to replicate. If you played Limbo or any of its numerous clones then it’s well worth spending the afternoon playing through Inside.

We’re already in the thick of 2017’s releases and I’m already impressed at the calibre of AAA titles that have come out this year. I’m going to have to make a concerted effort to keep up the 1 game per week cadence, something which I’m already unfortunately behind on. However it’s looking like another solid year for us gamers, one that I’m very much looking forward to.

Onwards and upwards, dear readers!

Games, Review

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About the Author

David Klemke

David is an avid gamer and technology enthusiast in Australia. He got his first taste for both of those passions when his father, a radio engineer from the University of Melbourne, gave him an old DOS box to play games on.

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