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| A busy year. |
Hello and welcome to Acid Game Review's 2016 "Game of the Year" awards. 2016 was a rather busy year filled lots of games getting delayed, the US Elections taking place, Great Britain leaving the EU, and many celebrity deaths, Nintendo revealed their latest home-console/handheld hybrid, the Nintendo "Switch". Odd name, but you'll probably get over it. Also, they took the world by storm when they released their hit mobile game, Pokemon GO. Additionally, two long-awaited games, The Last Guardian and Final Fantasy XV, have finally been released. Yep, it was a busy year alright. While I couldn't make a GOTY awards last year due to heavy time-constraints, I've made time and it's back again. Also, sorry if it's a bit late. There were a lot of games I wanted to cover in a small period of time, so I had to take some time. Getting back to the matter, for this year's GOTY, I've made 10 categories that I will assign the games that I think won said category. So without further delay, let's get started!
BEST STORY
Zero Time Dilemma (Spike Chunsoft)
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| Let's play one final game. |
First up, we have the "Best Story" category and Zero Time Dilemma wins this one since it's narrative kept me engaged and unsettled at the same time. It was great seeing Sigma, Phi, Akane, and Junpei back into the game. I liked newcomers Carlos and Q, but I'm still divided on Eric and Mira. There were lots of revelations and plot-twists that made the narrative interesting. While it left a few loose ends, it's still a good send-off to the cult series.
BEST ACTION
DOOM (Bethesda Softworks)
iD Software's DOOM is definitely the year's action-packed title. Full of blood, gore, and violence it provided some over-the-top action this year. The level design and weapons were great and fantastic, respectively, a well. As a fan of fast-paced action games, DOOM wins the best action category.
BEST MULTIPLAYER
Overwatch (Activision Blizzard)
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| Play of the game. |
While I'm not much of fan of multiplayer-based games, I've had a lot of good fun playing Overwatch. The colorful cast of characters were interesting to play as and experiment with and ever since its release developer Blizzard has been tirelessly supporting the game with new characters and game modes. I'm enjoying the recent Christmas-themed update as well.
BEST VISUALS
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Naughty Dog)
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| Some nice visuals we got here. |
Games are all about cutting-graphics these days, and this generation of games is no different, this year we've had a lot of great-looking games such as the likes of Overwatch, DOOM, Final Fantasy XV, and our winner, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Not only is it a satisfying conclusion to one of gaming most memorable icons, Nathan Drake, but developer Naughty Dog managed to harness the visual power of the PS4 to produce some of the best environments and character models this generation. Nathan Drake and company are looking more real than ever and Naughty Dog should be commended for their effort.
BEST SOUND
Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
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| And the Best Sound award goes to...you! |
Tetsuya Mizugutchi's Rez produced some of the best sound back in the day on the Dreamcast in 2001. The soundtrack was filled with vibrant and upbeat music created by the player as they progressed through the game. Now with Infinite, Rez sounds a million times better than before. Especially, Area X, man did it have the best track in the entire game.
BEST INDIE
Hyper Light Drifter (HeartMachine)
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| A nice little homage to games of old. |
I haven't played much indie games this year, I'm afraid. However, I did manage to play both Unravel and Hyper Light Drifter. While Unravel had a lot of charm in its own right, Hyper Light Drifter was definitely my pick for best indie game. Mysterious, faced-paced, and packing a 16-bit aesthetic, I had a lot of fun slashing enemies and being repeatedly killed by the tough bosses...
BEST FIGHTING
The King of Fighters XIV (SNK)
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| Burn to Fight. |
While could use a bit more polish in the visuals department, The King of Fighters XIV was the most fun fighting game I played all year. Compared to Street Fighter V, it was filled with content from the start and I was engaged in it. Add in the fact that there are over 50 characters to choose from and master and you could some more hours playing countless rounds. While I'm still a bit of noob in online mode, I have no problem practing and hopefully improve later on.
BEST ADVENTURE
Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios)
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| Reclaim your throne again while going on a great adventure. |
Arkane Studio's Dishonored 2 was by far the best adventure game I had played in 2016. It was great seeing Corvo and Emily back in another tale of revenge and re-claiming the throne. I had a good time exploring the sunny city of Karnaca for loot, secrets, and alternative ways to pass by enemies. And did I mention the awesome level design, because Dishonored 2 boasted some of the best levels last year.
BEST RPG
Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix)
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| A Fantasy 10 years in the making. |
Square Enix's long awaited Japanese role-playing game, Final Fantasy XV has finally been released and it managed to live up to its hype. Despite the okay story, Prince Noctis' journey along with his friends across the world of Eos was fun, memorable, and breathtaking. I had a lot of fun with the gameplay; the side-quests, while, repetitive at times, kept me engaged.
BEST REMASTER / REMAKE
Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
Remasters have become a thing as of late so I decided why not make a category where we choose which remaster released this year is the best. I'm also counting remakes here as well. For this category I've chosen Rez Infinite as the best remaster/remake of the year. I've been wanting to play this gem for years but unfortunately couldn't. Thanks to recent release of Rez Infinite, an updated port of the original game, I've had the pleasure of playing the cult hit and it's definitely one of my favorite games of all time.
And now for the grand finale, Acid Game Reviews' 2016 Game of the Year Award goes to: *Cue the drum roll*
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G A M E O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 1 6
Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix)
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| Game of the Year 2016 winner. |
For months, I've been having a hard time deciding on which games released in 2016 would be my Game of the year, but after sinking hours into Final Fantasy XV, it's clear that I found my game. As stated above, FFXV was a lot fun and leaves a positive lasting impression on the RPG genre. While I didn't manage to dish out a timely review for the game, I promise that I'll do my best to publish it in the coming weeks.
I guess that's all for this one, folks. A bit short, probably wayyy short, but not too shabby, if I say so myself. On a further note, 2016 marked Acid Game Reviews' third anniversary! August 5, 2013 was the day I posted my first-ever review (The Metal Gear Solid Collection) and since then, I moved forward. Honestly, I feel a bit embarrassed reading my early reviews since they feel a bit bare-bones and cheesy. Thankfully I've improved over the years for the better. You know, I wouldn't be as active as much if it wasn't for your support, so a big thank you to everyone. With that said, I'll meet you next time!
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