Jason Hidalgo

jhidalgo@rgj.com

Technobubble covers games, gadgets, technology and all things geek. Follow Technobubble poobah Jason Hidalgo’s shenanigans on Twitter @jasonhidalgo

Apparently, complaining about reviewing games is like griping about all the folks you have to fend off with a stick because you’re just too darn attractive.

You get no sympathy for it. Nada. Like, none whatsoever.

So the next time you’re stressing out from staying up late till 3 a.m. while reviewing your third game of the week, just keep in mind that nobody wants to hear your sob story, ‘mkay? Just keep it to yourself. You know, kind of like how you don’t tell anybody that you actually like one or two Justin Bieber songs. Now that's a secret you’ll take with you to the grave.

On that note, it’s time for our annual Big Video Game List to cap off the end of the year. There certainly were are a lot of memorable games this year and I especially had a hard time figuring out my top five. Yup, first-world problem, I know. So go ahead and warm up those gaming thumbs as I go through my list of top games for this year.

Don’t see a game you really, really like listed? No need to be salty like a pretzel, my friend. If it's as good as you think it is, there’s a chance I simply didn’t have an opportunity to play it.

Game of the Year

I’ll admit, I was hemming and hawing and switching games in and out of the top spot for a good while. Ultimately, however, I decided to give this year’s GOTY honors to “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.” The third time was definitely the charm for the Witcher franchise, which ticked off all the requisite boxes for the action RPG genre and then some. Large open world? Check. Beautiful visuals? Check. Thoughtful storytelling? Check. Admittedly, combat isn’t perfect but is much improved from the previous game. It doesn’t hurt that the makers of the game put in extras that don’t feel like a shameless money grab. Put all of that together and it’s no surprise this game earned a lot of goodwill and should top many folks’ game of the year lists.

Rest of the Top 5

2. Fallout 4: In some respects, picking my second-best game was tougher than picking the top one. I really, really liked all the remaining games in my top five almost equally. In the end, I gave it to Fallout 4 thanks to the great job it does across the board. For starters, the production values are solid while the gameplay feels just right with tight shooting mechanics. Add an expansive open world that truly encourages exploration and doesn’t feel tacked on and you’ve got one of my top games of the year.

3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain: If this is Hideo Kojima’s swan song with Konami, then the guy is leaving with a bang. The Phantom Pain delivers great visuals, rock-solid gameplay and the most expansive Metal Gear world to date. It also ties up many of the series’ loose ends, book-ending the Metal Gear story nicely. The open world exploration and side quests aren’t as dialed down as Witcher and Fallout, though, so I’ve got it in third place.

4. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate: Between the Japanese version of Monster Hunter 4 and the localized 4U game, this is my most played game of the year hands down. In addition to Monster Hunter’s trademark controls, which is arguably the deepest in the action game genre, MH4U adds one of the biggest game-changing mechanics in the series so far via monster mounting. The new monsters also are a hoot and the two new weapons are a blast to use. In short, say hello to my 3DS game of the year.

5. Xenoblade Chronicles X: As someone who played the original Xenogears for PlayStation, I have a soft spot for the Xeno series of games. X continues the tradition with its unique sci-fi look, plethora of content and a large and beautiful open world filled with amazing creatures both big and small. Did I mention you can also use large robots? There’s really no other game like it, which is a big reason that I like it.

Next 10

6. Rise of the Tomb Raider: The rebooted Lara Croft is back older and wiser in this follow up, which also thankfully features more actual tombs. I mean, it’s not like the game is called Valley Raider or something. The game also checks off a lot of boxes with a solid story, visuals, exploration, combat and progression. You go, girl.

7. Super Mario Maker: If you’ve ever panned games by claiming you could do better, here’s your chance to back up them fightin’ words. Mario Maker lets you design your own Mario levels and share them with the rest of the world. The ability to design 8-bit, 16-bit and modern New Super Mario-style levels is also a plus.

8. Bloodborne: As someone who’s been rating Monster Hunter and Souls games highly before it was the fashionable thing to do, any new entry in the technical action genre is always welcome. FromSoftware’s latest new IP sports a faster pace as well as a risk vs. reward system that lets you either recover lost health or wipe out spectacularly. Button mashers need not apply.

9. Batman: Arkham Knight: Rocksteady’s latest take on the Dark Knight mythos comes with a large helping of Batmobile action on top of the polished open sandbox mechanics of previous entries. It isn’t quite as sexy as its predecessors but it’s still darn good. I recommend getting it on consoles, however, as the PC version is as messed up as Joker’s head.

10. Splatoon: Who would've guessed that Nintendo would come up with my most enjoyed shooter of the year? Say what you will about the company and its place in the console race but it continues to do a bang up job with exclusives. This game featuring adorable squid people redefines the third-person shooter genre with new ink-based mechanics, lots of vibrant color and a healthy dose of charm. It’s like a shooter and platformer rolled into one.

11. Yakuza 5: This game got a perfect score from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu when it came out three years ago and there’s a good reason why. Its meaty story involving five protagonists combined with tons of content thanks to its well-designed open world makes for a great gaming spectacle despite the game’s age. It’s almost akin to a virtual tour of Japan, with a big dose of underworld shenanigans of course.

12. Forza Motorsport 6: Turn 10 redeems its somewhat lackluster first entry on the Xbox One with a beefier entry that features rain and night racing and a more grounded approach to microtransactions that doesn’t punch you in the face. The racing is also solid and the livery editor continues to be the best in the genre.

13. Heroes of the Storm: No, I don’t think this game is a 6.5. As much grief as this game gets from some in the DOTA and League of Legends community, I quite like how Heroes of the Storm sets itself apart by providing a different, more streamlined experience. I mean, if I wanted to play a DOTA or League of Legends-style game, then I’d play DOTA or League of Legends. Extra points for a responsive dev team that listens to its players.

14. Just Cause 3: There’s over-the-top action. Then there’s Just Cause 3. Think of the most ridiculous scenes in Mission Impossible, The Expendables, Fast and the Furious and any Michael Bay film then, turn those up to 11. Seriously. It’s like Grand Theft Auto meets an exploitation film. I mean, any game that lets you ride missiles and shake off all sorts of explosive mayhem as another day on the job definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously.

15. Tales from the Borderlands (TIE): Yeah, I know it’s a cop-out but I really like these two games. In the case of Tales From the Borderlands, a stellar story that is at times touching and also laugh-out-loud hilarious earns it a spot in my fine 15 this year. If you like point-and-click adventures, this is one of the best for the genre. Ever.

15. Life Is Strange (TIE): If you think your high school life had a lot of drama, wait till you put yourself in Max Caulfield’s shoes, whose life changes after gaining the ability to rewind time. Then again, with great powers come great consequences and Max soon finds out that being a time wizard ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Thirsty for more gaming goodness? Here’s a listing of other games of note by genre.

Action

Mad Max: Say hello to Just Cause’s apocalyptic cousin from the same studio. Granted, it’s not quite as over the top but it’s still pretty out there, with crazy car battles and B-movie style encounters.

Tembo the Badass Elephant: What happens when you combine classic side-scrolling Sonic with Rambo. A badass elephant that’s what. Get this if you like old-school action platformers.

Transformers Devastation: This love letter to G1 Transformers fans is helmed by Platinum of Bayonetta fame. It’s not as deep as Bayonetta but it’s still solid fun.

Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the First Sin: Like your medieval-style action games to be deliberate and technical? This game does all that and thrown in a large open sandbox to explore.

Legend of Zelda Tri-Force Heroes: Rustle up two other buddies locally or online to tackle dungeon puzzles and bosses while farming materials for epic gear in this multiplayer homage to the old top-down Zelda games.

Adventure

The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask 3D: I’m normally averse to including remakes and remasters in my main top lists. Otherwise, Majora’s Mask would’ve been in my top 15 for sure. The game continues to deserve kudos the second or even third time around because it’s that good. Controls continue to be top notch and the three-day cycle layered with the world’s impending doom makes this not only one of the most unique Zelda games but arguably the darkest one to boot.

Yoshi’s Woolly World: Look up the words “charming” and “adorable” in the dictionary and you’ll see this platforming game featuring yarn Yoshis. It’ll make you want to hug something and call it George like that Looney Tunes monster from Mars.

Elite Dangerous: Poke, prod and battle across a virtual representation of the Milky Way in this space sim. You can operate on the up and up as a tradesman or loot and plunder other players as a dirty, old pirate. It’s all up to you.

Broken Age: This Kickstarted ode to classic point-and-click adventure games starts out with a stellar first half, though admittedly loses a bit of steam in the second half. It’s still a nice representation of the genre, though, thanks to charming design and an interesting story.

A King’s Quest Knight to Remember: Talk about a blast from the past. Relive a king’s journey from adventurer to royalty in the first chapter of this Dragon’s Lair-style adventure game.

Fighting

Mortal Kombat X: This series typically gets most of its attention from its brutal gameplay, which is certainly available by the bucketful in Mortal Kombat X. What I found notable with X, however, is its fleshed out campaign and story, which is usually almost non-existent in many fighting games. The core gameplay is good, too.

BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma Extend: Do you miss the heyday of 2D fighters? BlazBlue harkens back to a time when reserving your place in line with quarters at the local arcade was a thing. If you like classic Capcom and SNK fighters, this game is for you.

Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax: This one’s another 2D fighter but with characters from popular Japanese light novels and anime. Do names such as Asuna, Kirito and Shakugan no Shana excite you? Then you’re the target audience for this.

Saint Seiya Soldier's Soul: If you like 2D-style cel shading but prefer your fighters in 3D, this fighter featuring the Knights of the Zodiac will be right up your alley.

J-Stars Victory Vs+: Another 3D battler based on popular Japanese characters, this time from the Jump Comics. This one’s more of an arena battler.

Horror & Survival

Alien Isolation: To quote Elmer Fudd, “be vewy, vewy quiet.” After the massive disappointment that was the Colonial Marines shooter, Alien Isolation puts the space horror franchise back on track by going the suspense thriller route where you have a big bad alien stalking your helpless self.

Fatal Frame Maiden of Black Water: Combine The Ring and Jaws and throw in a “suicide forest” for good measure and you’ve got this game. The excellent Wii U tablet controls for your weapon against ghosts, the Camera Obscura, sets it apart from other games in the genre.

The Evil Within: Some folks have mixed reactions for this game from Resident Evil’s creator but I heartily recommend “The Assignment” and “The Consequence” DLCs. Those chapters mostly have you unarmed and should have been how the main game had played in the first place.

Resident Evil Revelations 2: If you prefer your survival games to be more action-oriented, this second installment in the Resident Evil’s “Revelations” series should suit your tastes better.

Kids & Family

Disney Infinity 3.0: Disney sees last year’s Marvel-themed release and raises it with Star Wars, just in time for the new movie to come out. Somebody at Disney is an excellent planner. Then again, any game that lets me play as Yoda is A-OK in my book.

Skylanders Superchargers: Arkham Knight ain’t the only game that’s adding vehicles. Leadfoots will enjoy this year’s rendition of Skylanders which adds characters and cars to the mix. Nintendo system owners also get to play with either Donkey Kong or Bowser.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse: This Wii U game takes the concept of Canvas Curse and polishes it for the big screen, complete with a unique look that emulates clay. Unlike your typical Kirby platformer, this one is definitely designed with stylus and touchscreen gameplay in mind.

Yo-Kai Watch: This thing is insanely popular in Japan. I mean Justin Bieber has nothing on the popularity of Yo-Kai Watch, which lets you find and befriend ghosts and spooks and use them in battle.

Minecraft Story Mode: The popular blocky franchise gets the point-and-click adventure treatment in this game, which features a band of friends searching for a legendary group of heroes.

LEGO Dimensions: LEGO gets in on the toy-based video game action popularized by Skylanders with this mashup of popular characters such as Batman, Ninjago and and all their blocky friends.

Party & Casual

Guitar Hero Live: It’s baaaack. The guitar game returns after a long hiatus with a new controller and visuals to boot. This refresh of the franchise simulates the look of a real crown and adds interactive bandmates to the mix.

Persona Dancing All Night: I never thought I’d see the day when someone releases a rhythm game that features a full-fledged Persona story. And I love it.

Mario Party: Nintendo’s flagship party game is back with amiibo functionality. The amiibo part honestly could be a bit more fleshed out but if you like Mario Party games, then this is for you.

Hatsune Miku Project Mirai DX: Japan’s popular virtual idol and her friends return with sugary J-Pop electronic music and a unique rhythm mechanic. You can even do some wardrobe picking and interior decorating. I am not kidding.

Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer: Speaking of interior decorating, that’s something you can do in this offshoot of Nintendo’s charming life simulator. If only it would let you plunk Tom Nook with a slingshot...

Role Playing

Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward: I love this game, which feels more like Final Fantasy to me than the last numbered releases in the main series. The Heavensward expansion adds new areas, flying mounts, new classes and a bunch of new content to the mix. In my opinion, it’s arguably the best MMORPG out there right now.

Tales of Zestiria: The latest entry in the Tales series features the same anime-style look fans have come to expect while also adding more open areas and character fusions to the mix.

Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold Fafnir Knight: A remake of the original game, Fafnir Knight is a classic-style dungeon crawler that looks simple but is surprisingly deep and addicting. With its multitude of classes and challenging bosses and monsters, it’s perfect for old school RPG fans.

Stella Glow: I didn’t have high expectations for this game at first but it turned out to be a wonderful surprise. Although it doesn’t bring anything new to the genre, it is a polished take on the old JRPG formula featuring an interesting story and good mechanics. Get it if you love classic JRPGs.

Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker: Besides having the longest title of all the games in this list, this take on the classic game features that familiar SMT formula fans know and love.

Shooters

Destiny The Taken King: Good luck. Oh wait, wrong Taken reference. Destiny finally gets closer to its original promise with this well-done expansion of the MMO-style shooter, which beefs up the story and adds some neat new classes and toys. Now add proper matchmaking for raids, Bungie.

Star Wars Battlefront: This take on George Lucas universe features excellent online multiplayer with more modes than a Sarlac can gobble. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a campaign but online lovers will eat it up.

Call of Duty Black Ops 3: The king of shooters returns with a futuristic story for the campaign and an improved zombies mode with, gasp, a plot. Online multiplayer also gets new classes, which is supplemented by increased movement and verticality on the field.

Wolfenstein The Old Blood: I love the new Wolfenstein shooter. There’s just something about its alternate Nazi world that makes for compelling visuals and storytelling. The Old Blood gives fans of the last Wolfenstein game more to chew on and shoot in BJ’s quest to take down the Reich.

Battlefield Hardline: Say hello to Battlefield, cops and robbers style. Hardline trades the military front with the urban battlefield for a change of pace and also adds modes such as Hot Wire to the traditional 64-player online skirmishes.

Sports & Driving

Pro Evolution Soccer 2016: The beautiful game is back this year with PES 2016 building on last year’s success to present a serious challenge to competitor FIFA 16. PES makes up for its fewer licenses with great mechanics that feel less arcadey than its rival.

NBA 2K16: The best virtual basketball game out there adds a dash of Spike Lee to its story mode, which chronicles the rise of a high school basketball phenom to NBA stardom.

FIFA 16: EA’s take on international football continues to be the big dog on the pitch though it’ll need to bust out some serious moves to stave off PES. One notable addition is its inclusion of women’s soccer.

Project Cars: Looking for an alternative to Forza and Gran Turismo? Project cars is a beautiful-looking game that adds more sim elements to the mix as well as weather effects.