Game of the Year 2016

   Everyone knows 2016 was a terrible year for oh so many reasons, and the world of gaming is not exempt from the curse. So many of the big games of the year have been major disappointments, at least to me, just see the previous post! Even the great games of the year don't hold up to last years, MGS 5 didn't even make my list for last year but would probably have won this year. We do seem to be stuck in an alternate year good/ bad for games exchange. Last year had 2 of my favourite games of all time come out (you can figure out which ones yourself) and 2013 before it as full of modern classics. 2014 on the other hand was dragged from the doldrums by South Park, but that was the first full year of a new console generation, so it's to be expected (kinda), but this year has no excuse. I have come up with a list of some very good contenders here from this year though, but the picks were pretty obvious, hell, I have had this same list in my head since August. Still, on my post from last year I said there were no all time greats, but looking back there clearly was, perhaps all 4 of them, so maybe I'll feel the same about these a year from now, someone remind me please.

Oxenfree

   Despite what I said the year started out with a bang with Oxenfree. This game his on the 15th of January, a point of the year which is usually reserved for people playing their Christmas games and trashy downloadable games that may be able to sell a hand full more copies in the void of new games that exists at this time if the year.
   Oxenfree is a side scrawling 'walking simulator' (as has unfortunately become the name for this genre of game) with a sci fi/ paranormal twist. A group of teenagers go for a trip to a spooky island in some kind of Scooby Do esq set up, but instead of the camp councillor being dressed up as a big horse or something, it's a group of actual ghosts. Time loops help you learn more about the characters and their back story plus the radio adds an extra level of unease to the game, you'll never think of that short wave radio you use all the time the same again. This story is right up my alley, it's just a shame that there are many unnecessarily long walks and a bit less item fetching would've been nice.


Ratchet and Clank

   Now, I never played a Ratched and Clank game before. in fact, around that PS2 era I moved away from the character action plaformers. No Ratchet, No Jak, No spyro, No Sly.. I'm not going to list them all, I'll be here all day, point is after Crash I moved on for a long time.
   What a mug! This game is simply fun. Fun shooting, looting and tooting (about your mad skillz). There's a great array of weapons, One of the best sets since Timesplitters with many ways to play. As Earthworm Jim would say, it's groovy (geddit?),
   The story is great in a pixar kind of way where it's fun for all the family, plot points and jokes for young and old. In the same comparison with Pixar it looks like one of their movies, never before has a game come this close to capturing that magic. This is one I'd recommend to anyone, even if you're like me in my mid teens wanting to pretend I was too grown up to appreciate this genre like i did.


Doom

   The fact that an FPS hasn't made this list since 2013 says all I need to about my current thoughts on the genre. And even that wasn't chosen for the gameplay but for it's story, setting and quantities of pineapples in bins. Doom has pulled me back in. The genre has grown stale to me, The afformentioned Timesplitters drew me in originally (no, I didn't have an N64) and I appreciated the turn to a more serious nature with early Call of Duty games in particular but I'm so bored of the repetition now, probably why I liked Titanfall 2 so much. Don't get me wrong, some games that differ have kept me in with their story and change of gameplay like Half Life 2, The Darkness, Left for dead and the whole Bioshock series, among others. I'm supposed to be talking about Doom here aren't I?
   I had never played a Doom game before (I know, don't say it) but this really makes me feel how I did with Timespitters. It's a call back to those days. If you stand still you will die. Keep moving and  firing to succeed, just like Michael taught you. Sure, you can come up with some tactics over time with picking off certain enemies first and finding you're favourite weapons (this game too has a great selection of weapons). The story is good too, not amazing of anything but it's how the Doom slayer reacts to the tailes of evil corporations by not giving a damn, punching consoles at they tell stories to shut them up. The multiplayer is pretty lack luster but then I haven't particularly loved an FPS multiplayer in a long time due to my lack of ability at them. If only every game was Rocket League online.


Inside

   I liked Limbo, but I wasn't one of these people who thought it was the best thing since sliced brioche. It was a beautiful puzzle platformer where you fought off a giant spider in a monochrome world (Inside was made by the same team btw). It was 6 years on release since Limbo came out, and although some of that time was seemingly spent porting Limbo to every platform conceivable, A lot of it was spent thinking of placing every last pixel of this game. This is proved very early by the perfectly timed dog chase, stop moving and you'll die, don't stop running and you'll escape to safety at the exact millisecond, which makes you feel like you've timed your leap to perfection, but that's how the game makes you feel.
   Again it looks beautiful, more colours are added but it remains dark. The game tells a grim story without saying or writing a word which leaves it largely up to the player to decide what is going on. It is never totally clear what is going on but that leades to the big discussion of theories and thinking of the game long after completion as you try to wrap your head around what you've seen and come to your own conclusions.
   Although it's not the most challenging game you'll ever play, far from it in fact, it's the exact right length that it needs to be. For a budget indie game, this is one of the most perfectly sculpted games I've ever played.

   So, what will join the legendary list of The Last of us, South Park: the stick of truth and Rocket League in the annals of history? The answer, Doom. It's such a fantastic match of fun and strategy with a ridiculous protagonist and a good story if you really want to dig in. This may well be my favourite FPS of all time, it's either this or Half Life 2 (probably Half Life 2), and that is very high praise indeed.

   So, 2017 looks fantastic. Read Dead Redemption 2, Mass Effect Andromeda, Horizon, the Nintendo Switch and Sonic Mania just to mention a few of the games I'm excited for. It's set to be a good one. I'm looking to go forward with my 12 weeks of games as usual, I would like to say I'm not going to spend any money on it, but not only do Horizon and Sonic Mania come out in the following 12 weeks, I already bought a game just before I started writing this, but I'll try and hold back.