2016 Overview

Hello all!

Welcome to the closest thing I do to a award show. The rules of this list are as such;

1. The games that appear are ones I have played this year.
2. They are in no particular order.
3. The games in question don’t have to have been released this year, merely played by me.

So without further ado lets get on with it!

Pony Island

2015 ended and within days Pony Island appeared. This game, this game broke my brain. Even though I finished the game the day I bought it I went back in to delve deeper into the rabbit hole. Each time I came back with something new and surprising. Despite the silly name and basic graphics a greater beast lurks within.

Blues and Bullets

Though I’ve only played the first episode so far I can’t wait to see what else A Crowd of Monsters has in store.
I think the thing that really appeals to me is the time period of which the game is set. I’m just a sucker for the film noire feel this game has going on and the Sin City-esq splashes of colour really make it stand out. Sadly not all the episodes are out yet so I‘ll have to be patient and wait til all the episodes are out as I want to really drink in the experience.

Shadow Warrior (2013)

Who wants some Wang? Apparently I do and I’d like some more and I don’t care how that sounds!
What can I say? I’m a child. I loved all the stupid jokes that this game spouted. This game does have a lot more going for it than dick jokes though, the melee combat definitely being one of them. It was visceral, exciting and made me eschew from the guns in favour of the katana.

Star Realms

A free to play game that isn’t a steaming pile? What devilry is this? But its true. While the actual card game is superior simply due to the ability to physically play with another person this game is a damned close second.
The game itself is wonderfully deep and yet quick to play. Also you have to love the fact that if you buy an expansion on Steam it will be available for free on any other system you play it on.

Gone Home

This game got a lot of flak when it was first released, mainly due to people not understanding what it was. But I loved it, it was a short and sweet story about a family going through some strife from the eyes of a stranger who wasn’t a stranger. There are few games in the world that can get you to really ‘feel’ that the world they exist in is real. That is what Gone Home did for me, perhaps it that was due to my own experiences that aren’t too dissimilar but the mere fact that it brought that back for me means a lot.

Mad Max

Who knew that movie tie in games didn’t have to be crap? I thought it was a law or something. I’ve always had something of a love affair with the universe of Mad Max and this game didn’t disappoint me.
I never thought I’d call a virtual desert pretty but this game definitely has a world that makes me want to explore every corner of it.
Plus you get to suplex people… how can you not like that?

Jotun

I’ll be honest, it was a toss up between this game and Titan Souls. Jotun won out mostly due to its beautiful art style. This game is light swim through Norse mythology and its one I thoroughly enjoyed… except that final boss. Fuck that guy.

Tales from the Borderlands

I’m not sure if this game is an

indictment of Gearbox or a display of how good at creating stories Telltale are. Either way the Telltale formula and the Borderlands universe really seem to go well together.
Everything from the somewhat despicable characters to the art style makes playing this series a absolute pleasure. Here’s to hoping a second season comes soon!