731 Best Of - 2016

8 XCOM: Enemy Within (PS3)

This is a bit of a surprise to me, but XCOM: Enemy Within is the big brother to XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Essentially it is the same game, but upgraded and expanded upon in nearly every way.

7 NomNomGalaxy (PS4)

Another great couch co-op experience, NomNomGalaxy is a very special game from the PixelJunk team that continue to make unique and special games. It’s significantly more fun with two players.

6 Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4)

This game is probably on most people’s top list this year, and for good reason. Incredibly solid experience, purely emotional, and one of the first times I really felt like I was playing a “next gen” game.

5 Overcooked (PS4)

Overcooked is an absolutely amazing couch co-op experience. Frantic and wild, but strategic and interesting. You can not win at this game without teamwork.

4 Borderlands 2 (PS4)

This year my brother and I replayed Borderlands 2. We have played through its 35-hour campaign many many times before (probably 5?), but this time was different because it was on the PS4. It was also different because we both decided to go for the Platinum trophy for it. This gave us a different perspective on the game and caused us to approach it differently.

3 Tropico 5 (PS4)

In all my time of gaming, I can’t recall every being as addicted to a game as I was to Tropico. I’m not sure what it was about it exactly that hooked me so intensely, but it did. I loved it.

2 Dishonored 2 (PS4)

This one I expected to be a no-brainer long before it was even out. I’m almost surprised it isn’t at #1. The game was such a joy to play, and probably in many ways better than the first. It improved on almost every aspect.

1 Life is Strange (PS4)

This game stole my breath away at every moment. Think about your favorite movie of all time, and then multiply that by 10, and then pretend you’re IN the movie. That was my experience with this game. There was one particular scene half way through the game that surprised me and made me gasp more than any thing ever has in any piece of media. Woah.

[ Today I Was Playing: nothing… ]

#game-opinion