Jason Hidalgo

Reno Gazette Journal

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

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Video games nipping at your nose.

Yes, folks, it’s that time of year again when we look back at the past year in gaming and mull over which titles proved to be most merry indeed.

As a video game reviewer, I’ve had the pleasure of playing a ton of titles yet again in 2016. Action adventure, shooters, role-playing games, rhythm titles, point-and-click — heck, I’ve even played some princess and fashion games.

The Game Vault: Technobubble Video Game Reviews

Admittedly, I am but one man so I did not get to play every game that I wanted to this year. These include some high-profile ones such as Uncharted 4 and Overwatch. A public flogging shall be scheduled forthwith.

In addition to the top titles, I am also including a Top 6 games that I missed for the year as well as Top 7 PC gaming picks by my colleague Cameron Duren. Why the top 6 and top 7? Well, why not?

On that note, let’s start with the top 25 new games that I’ve personally played in 2016. For context, past Game of the Year winners I’ve picked include The Witcher 3, Super Smash Bros., Grand Theft Auto V, Batman Arkham City and Mass Effect 2.

Top 25

25. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X: Let’s get in a groove and damage my man card as well by starting with a cute rhythm game. Featuring popular virtual idol Miku, this game boasts catchy tunes, tons of unlockables and rhythm mechanics that’ll make you feel slow, old or both at higher difficulty levels.

24. Yomawari: Night Alone: Hey, small projects deserve a nod, too. A game about fear, loss and coming to terms with death, this game does a good job of mixing charm and horror while also tapping into Japanese folklore.

23. World of Final Fantasy: Pokemon meets “Final-the-Fantasy” in this love letter to classic JRPG fans. If you like monster collection, turn-based combat and Final Fantasy-style storytelling, this one’s for you.

22. Kirby: PlanetRobobot: Nintendo’s adorable and gluttonous puffball returns for another traditional platforming adventure for all ages — this time with a robotic twist. Multiplayer modes add to the fun.

21. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice: Storytelling that’s both kooky and poignant remain a strength for the series, which also features interesting investigations and courtroom antics. In short, I have no objection to adding it to this year’s list.

20. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: Go stealth or guns a-blazing as Adam Jensen returns for another augmented action adventure. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessor “Human Revolution” but is still a solid entry to the series.

19. BlazBlue: Central Fiction: Featuring fluid and stylish one-on-one fighting that’s technical and accessible plus a long tale that makes the Lord of the Rings trilogy feel like a short story, this BlazBlue entry will entertain fighting game fans.

18. King of Fighters XIV: SNK’s crown jewel returns with a new 3D look and back-to-basics gameplay. Purists might decry the visuals but the combat will feel on-point for series fans.

17. Dragon Quest Builders: Revisit the original world of Dragon Quest with the added twist of building and crafting. It’s like Minecraft in third-person with Akira Toriyama character designs. Honestly, I actually like this more than Minecraft (ducks for cover).

16. The Last Guardian: Like Godot, it feels like we’ve been waiting forever for this action-adventure game about a boy and his giant creature companion. It’s admittedly a polarizing game with mechanical hiccups but I like its unique style and non-conventional gameplay, which is the brainchild of the same folks behind “Ico” and “Shadow of the Colossus.”

15. Gears of War 4: Dom! Drop the hammer! Gears of War returns with a new generation, new enemies and some old friends in this revival of the popular third-person cover shooter. A solid campaign plus excellent multiplayer makes this a good game for series fans.

14. Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE: Never thought I would like a JRPG with a pop idol twist and yet here we are. Then again, this game has strong Persona vibes with some Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei flavor mixed in so check it out if you like those games.

13. Battlefield 1: This World War I-based first-person shooter freshens up the genre while serving up the large-scale multiplayer and vehicle combat the series is known for. Combat with old-school tanks is especially fun.

12. Titanfall 2: I loved the gameplay of the original Titanfall and the addition of a good campaign makes the sequel finally feel complete. Changes in Titan mechanics won’t please everyone but it remains a great differentiator from other shooters.

11. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse: Don’t think of this as some throwaway side story. Apocalypse is an excellent JRPG that builds on SMTIV with its good story and solid combat plus some exploration.

10. Doom (2016): When it comes to shooters, I’m more of a campaign guy and Doom provided the most fun shooter campaign experience for me this year. Multiplayer isn’t as dialed down as the campaign but the game does a great job in bringing the classic Doom gameplay to the present while still feeling different from other shooters.

9. Dark Souls III: Prepare to die once more in this throwback to the days when games really challenged you. If you like technical action with a medieval twist, this game does not disappoint.

8. Final Fantasy XV: Say hello to the longest, most memorable bachelor party ever. This game re-imagines core concepts in the series such as magic and party composition while throwing in a new hybrid real-time and turn-based combat system. The story, however, is very modern Final Fantasy.

7. Dishonored 2: The hybrid first-person action game returns bigger and better with two characters to boot. In addition to polishing its stealth, shooting and ability-based gameplay, the game also adds a new city and new stage mechanics to help keep things fresh.

6. Fire Emblem Fates: Like three games in one, Fates’ various incarnations provide different takes on the story as well as the Fire Emblem strategy experience. Make sure you get all three versions, however, to fully enjoy the experience.

5. XCOM 2: The re-imagined strategy game gives you one more chance to take out the alien threat from Earth while doubling down on the brutal difficulty the series is known for. Just get ready for enemy spawns that border on trolling and the lack of save scumming to get a better result.

4. Pokemon Sun and Moon: Gotta update it all! The latest Pokemon skips the minor refresh of past games in the series and goes all out with a new presentation more befitting of a home console game. It’s almost like they’re getting ready for the Switch or something (hint-hint). Add new story mechanics that feature trials instead of just relying on the old gym battle formula and you’ve got a Pokemon game that actually feels new.

3. Owlboy: This homage to classic 8-bit and 16-bit gaming is a love letter to old-school gamers filled with lots of charm. Throw in some glorious pixel art, a lovable cast of characters — well, at least mostly — plus a story that tugs at your heartstrings and you’ve got a game that excels regardless of the time period.

2. Inside: This was the biggest surprise for me this year. This side-scroller is part platformer, puzzler, runner and survival game all rolled into one. It also exemplifies how you can tell a compelling and intimate story without actually using any words. Simply beautiful.

1. Monster Hunter Generations: Admittedly, I’m an unabashed fan of the Monster Hunter series and this game isn’t for everyone. Then again, I haven’t enjoyed or spent as many hours as I have with any game this year than this one. Like Dark Souls, the game features tough yet excellent mechanics while adding compelling monster battles and fun multiplayer. It also brings about the biggest gameplay changes in the history of the franchise with its various new hunting styles. Surprisingly, this is actually the first time I’ve picked a Monster Hunter title as my game of the year despite being a big fan of the series.

Top 5 remastered or reissued games

Although my main list is limited to new games, there were severable notable games that were re-released or remastered this year. Here is my top five list of these games:

Top 6 games I wish I played

Admittedly, I can’t play or obtain every game I would like to. As a result, I always end up with a list of games each year that I wish I could have played but did not get a chance to. Here’s my top list of such games for 2016.

Uncharted 4 Forza Horizon 3 Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Overwatch Stardew Valley Guilty Gear Xrd

Cameron’s Super Awesome Top 7 PC Games

Opinions are like, uh, stars in the sky. There’s a lot of ‘em. As such, I asked my colleague Cameron Duren to provide his top PC games for the year. Diversity of opinion is always nice to have, after all. On that note, here is “Cameron’s Super Awesome Top Computer Games of the Year.” At least that’s what he named the Word file he sent over. Anyway, I assume he’s not totally joking and that’s what he wanted me to name this list.

7. Tree of Savior: This is an awesome sprite based MMORPG based in a 2.5 dimension world. Admittedly, the game launched with issues involving lag and bots but the developers have been working at combating this really hard. The game has tons of character and charm as well as customization for days so I think it’s a nice free-to-play game for anyone to try.

6. Starbound: Like Terraria but set in the universe. That’s really what this game is and it’s fantastic. It’s basically a fun adventure that has you going all over the universe doing what you want, wherever you want and whenever you want. If you like Terraria or Minecraft I suggest taking a look at Starbound.

5. Overwatch: Cheers, loves. Or is that love? In case you’ve been living under a video game-free rock, Overwatch is Blizzard’s newest IP to take the world by storm. Chalk it up to memorable characters and fun combat where no match really ever feels the same. Anyway, Blizzard has knocked yet another gaming genre out of the park with Overwatch.

4. World of Warcraft: Legion: The grand old dame of MMOs apparently still has some fight left in her. This has been the most I’ve played WoW since Burning Crusade and I’m actually actively raiding again. The Legion expansion has been tremendous and Blizzard seems to finally be rolling out the content patches and support that the game needs. I still don’t think they understand how to balance Shadow Priest but I’m still having a blast.

3. Black Desert Online: Now here’s a surprise. I really couldn’t get into Black Desert when it came out earlier this year, but for the past two months it has sucked most of my life away from me. Admittedly, Black Desert is not a game for everyone. It’s very confusing and overwhelming to get into. It also has high system requirements but overall this game brings a lot of interesting things to a genre that has been purely clones of WoW and EQ for way too long.

2. Grim Dawn: I can't say enough about this game. Path of Exile and Diablo are fantastic but Grim Dawn just has that special something that I haven’t felt from similar games in a long time. After putting 300 hours into the game this year and still wanting to go back I definitely consider it an action RPG that is worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre.

1. Stardew Valley: Harvest Moon fans unite! Stardew Valley is a game that has everything a Harvest Moon fan could want and probably even more. You get your romances, your town events, combat while spelunking in a cave and, of course, farm life. This game is a must-have for any fan of the genre. Not a fan of farm games? Try it anyway. It’s a relaxing game that has so much to it that you will never run out of things to do.