- 2016 just didn’t seem to be my year. For the usual reasons I couldn’t play as many titles as I’d have liked, but by and the large the ones I did felt pretty forgettable. I don’t know how much of this is just an off year, or if I’m slowly starting to get too old and crotchety for video games. Anyway, here’s hoping that 2017 has a little more to offer…
Dark Souls 3 (PC, PS4, XB1)
I hadn’t picked up a Souls game in my life until the beginning of 2016 when I tried Dark Souls II on a whim, but I came around to it for all the reasons the rest of the world adores the series. So when I finally got around the the third installment (Again, late to the party), I got a lot of what I was expecting, which was exactly what I was after. While I suppose I can understand the accusations of the title being iterative, I was still down for more, and DS3 delivers exactly what I was after. In a year where a lot of the games I played seemed to short of fun, more hacking, slashing and jolly cooperation is actually pretty refreshing.
Uncharted 4 (PS4)
While I may not have the same ardent adoration for the Uncharted series as Jared, it’s a series whose appeal I feel is pretty universal. If games were movies, Uncharted would be the Die Hard or Lethal Weapon, with it’s uncomplicated but engaging plot, enjoyable characters, lack of pretension and kickass action. I’ve never played a entry to the series that felt like it was putting on airs, even with 10-year-old Nathan lecturing on the subtle differences of Ming and Qing dynasty pottery. 4 especially is an excellent mix of everything which makes the series so enjoyable, taking plenty of time of get me reconnected with familiar characters from the series and excited about the new ones. The game isn’t afraid to present a long cutscene, but when it does it’s fun and doesn’t detract from the plot.
But when it comes time for adventure, you’ll get full servings of the series’ iconic death-defying danger as Nathan precariously navigates his way through beautiful scenery, dilapidated ruins, enthralling action pieces and mind-boggling winch puzzles that are such perfect mixes of fun and difficulty thar the hours melt away. Whether you’re climbing a cliff face over dizzying heights, escaping collapsing clock towers, or getting your ass handed to you when a seemingly steady handhold gives out and plummets you down mountain, it’s such a perfectly crafted mix of cinematic and gameplay that I loved just about every minute of it.
Downfall (PC)
I’ll admit that it’s a little odd that I’m nominating Harvester Game’s The Downfall as my game of the year. While I was huge fan of their earlier title The Cat Lady and I gave a pretty good score to this title as well, it’s definitely a game that has some issues, especially with inconsistent production values and bad voice acting. It’s also a point-and-click adventure, which generally doesn’t get my blood pulsing. But in a weird, screwed-up way the game spoke to me in a way that few titles do. After my first playthrough, when I set it down, I had to stop and think about things. And not just the game, but I started thinking about my own life and relationships, and while I’m not sure that the game really hasn’t anything terribly profound to say about either, it really stuck with me for a long time. I don’t think a title has stuck in my head for that long since The Last of Us, and that was a professionally-produced masterpiece with a AAA budget; The Downfall on the other hand was largely made by one Polish guy. So in a year where most of the titles I played were big but shallow, I really like that this one made me think, and contemplate, and wonder. I don’t know if it would do the same for you, but for me that’s good enough make it my favorite title of 2016.
