The boxed-in demo disc might have 17 things to play with, but these are short 15-minute experiences. nothing has pulled me back to play repeatedly as much as recent non-VR titles like Overwatch or Forza Horizon 3." Aside from Rez, Arkham Asylum was a fun way to spend a couple of hours, but that's where the game ended. As Devindra put it in his review, "as great as some of the games are. Yes, my pick for the year was a PSVR-compatible game, but the start of VR on the PlayStation was more whimper than roar. Augmented reality, people! Loser: Other PSVR games Non-gamers' most talked-about game was addictive and fun, and points to the future of mobile gaming. Which is obviously the best way to play it.) (Oh, and I got to play it in a suit made of tiny vibrators. When games are ported this well, it's hard to see how virtual reality could fail. It clicks so well that it became, for me, the best example that bridges how we play games now and how we could play them in VR. When I tested it out at the Tokyo Game Show, I explained how it felt like it was made for VR, with its "hacker" wireframe designs and the on-rails, revolving-view gameplay. Engadget has talked at length about the immersive power of virtual reality, and here's a fine example of what it can do for existing games. So it's not new, but Rez fits so well with PSVR, and is one of the rare full-meat games available at launch. It's a testament to how well Rez Infinite still plays - and how PlayStation VR augments it - that it was my favorite game of 2016. The original Rez launched on the Dreamcast and was a critical hit. Mat Smith wants to play all games in a vibrating suit. So, to wrap up our week of winners, ten Engadget editors picked their favorite games of 2016 (and a few titles that didn't quite hit the mark).Įnjoy, and remember: Other opinions are also valid. I've pretty much known what my game of the year was likely to be since a 30-minute gameplay session at E3, but hearing about one person's favorite game is never particularly interesting. Not to be outdone, Sony launched PlayStation VR for its many PS4s, and Microsoft teased Project Scorpio, a new Xbox that will be VR ready.īut it's the end of the year, and I'm rambling. After some not very consumer-friendly early products, both HTC and Oculus released their mass-market headsets, the Vive and the Rift, for gaming PCs. Although the jury will remain out until its release in March, it's definitely an excitingly different machine. Oh, and we also had our first look at Nintendo's new system, the Switch. We got a smaller PlayStation 4 and the (kinda) 4K-capable PlayStation 4 Pro. Microsoft released a smaller, (kinda) faster Xbox with UHD Blu-ray support in the Xbox One S. Hell, The Last Guardian finally happened!
Best games of 2016 series#
Long-running series Battlefield and Pokémon both recaptured fans' hearts in a big way, Uncharted had a well-received send-off, Blizzard nailed another genre. A moment of silence, if you will, for what you could've been playing this Christmas:ĭespite the many, many delays, 2016 has actually been a pretty great year, at least when it comes to gaming. And I haven't even mentioned Mass Effect. Horizon Zero Dawn? You guessed it.Īt times the delays felt personally tailored to rob me of what little joy was left in this miserable year.
![best games of 2016 best games of 2016](https://www.gtplanet.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/GFK-Chart-sales-UK-638x505.jpg)
Cuphead, the delightful bullet-hell platformer with hand-drawn animations? 2017.
![best games of 2016 best games of 2016](https://media.wired.com/photos/59268ae68d4ebc5ab806aa59/master/pass/Best-Game2016-HP.jpg)
Tacoma, FullBright's first game since the excellent Gone Home? 2017. Three of my most anticipated games at the start of the year - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Persona V and Hideki Kamiya's new RPG Scalebound - all got pushed into 2017.
![best games of 2016 best games of 2016](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Flaz884h0YY/maxresdefault.jpg)
And, God, the delays have come thick and fast. Perhaps that's why I've been reacting to game delays with all the composure of a YouTube commenter. Whether passing the minutes on a mindless clicker or puzzle game, losing myself for hours in grand strategies and sport sims or taking a long weekend to head out on a fantastic adventure, gaming has helped me. Of course, they're always a form of escapism, but in 2016 they've had to function as a kind of digital cocoon. Natural disasters, mass shootings and political events have left me buffeted by wave after wave of anxiety.īecause of this never-ending cycle of unease, video games have been more important to me this year. The sheer scale of 2016's failings allows for such blanket statements. No matter your political persuasion, social status or country of residence, you'll have felt disquieted by events at some point this year. The year is nearly over, and I don't think I'm alone in saying that I'm ready to leave behind the dark, twisted fantasy that is 2016.