It's nearing the end of the year, and that can only mean one thing: It's Game of the Year time! Before we get into the real heart of the Game of the Year content, I thought it was necessary to make a sub-sub category for games that I have missed (or didn't play enough of) this year.
These games could have very well been on the upcoming 'Honorable Mentions' article, or even the 'Top 5 of 2016' video that is currently in production, but alas, I haven't had the pleasure to experience these games enough to make that judgment.
Without further ado, the 'Games I Missed' of 2016.
DISHONORED 2
The first Dishonored game was a case of 'give and take' for me. While I loved the homages to classics like Deus Ex and Tenchu, I felt that the inclusion of Bioshock-esque "abilities" took away from the overall experience. The idea of teleporting throughout each level works, but also felt like it took options away from me as a player: If there was a situation I was stuck in, I felt I could just teleport out. Can't quite line up a proper break-in for this building? Let me teleport around it. Fighting getting a little too hairy? Teleport out.
The original game was built to use the abilities, and I think it was actually worse off for it. Maybe it's because of these feelings that I wasn't gung-ho about starting Dishonored 2. While I purchased this game a few weeks after launch, the reports of a janky PC release also kept me at bay.
I'm not necessarily thinking that these issues are the game's fault more than my previously created bias, but they made an impact on me regardless. I do look forward to playing the game in 2017, there's just wasn't enough sense of urgency to play it this year.
THE LAST GUARDIAN
To set the record straight, I enjoyed ICO, but sincerely think that Shadow of the Colossus may be one of the greatest games I've ever played. The amount of character and narrative expressed on the limited PS2 hardware is still pretty shocking, and you could tell that the project was a labor of love.
With Last Guardian being announced 8 (or 9?) years ago, my excitement was off the charts. As each passing year without a release of the game, though, my excitement started waning. After year 6 or 7, we started approaching "Duke Nukem Forever Meme" territory, knowing that if the game ever did come out, it couldn't possibly be good. Now that the game is out, and the verdicts are in, I really feel like I cheated myself for not experiencing the game before Game of the Year season.
Hearing the feedback from others, apparently Last Guardian has its faults, but its strong points make the game absolutely soar. The animal guardian that accompanies you seems to be the most advanced animal AI in a game, and I've seen players reports moments of genuine emotion when interacting with the animal. That gives me a great nostalgia flashback to my connection with Agro, the animal companion from Shadow of the Colossus.
If Last Guardian is able to emulate the emotional tone and connection of Agro, that'll be a sight to behold. If it somehow surpasses it, that's truly remarkable.
DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED
There are only a few things that are certain in this life: Death, taxes, and the fact that I'll remind everyone that my favorite game of all-time is the original Deus Ex at any given opportunity. I love the open-ended narrative, deceptively enormous set pieces, and mix of real life conspiracy theories within the fictional universe Warren Spector and his team expertly created.
I really enjoyed the series rebirth with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and think that it did a solid job of bringing back aspects that I loved about the original. I think a gap of 8 years between the last entry in the series and Deus Ex: Human Revolution did HR a LOT of favors, and I think the relative similarity between Human Revolution and Mankind Divided does Mankind Divided a disservice.
From my limited time (~5 hours), it feels too similar to really feel like its own entity, and seems like a deluxe expansion pack more-so than a fully separate experience. It has the staples of things that I love: open-ended set pieces, fun stealth mechanics, guns that shoot well, and conspiracy-fueled shenanigans. It's just a shame that the 'wow' factor that got me in Human Revolution isn't here. It all works, it all clicks, but I sort of don't care as much as I used to.
Maybe games have grown quite a bit since 2011, or maybe the cyberpunk gimmick isn't as strong as it used to be, but my limited time with Mankind Divided left me in a state of apathy. It's good, it's fine, it just isn't spectacular.
Man, I really wanted it to be spectacular. I'll go back to it at some point, my expectations dropped accordingly.
UNCHARTED 4
Uncharted 2 absolutely blew my mind the first time I played it. I mention this on Episode 12 of Brothering Around, but I sincerely thought that it had the same impact on the gaming industry that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Grand Theft Auto 3 had: There was a bar raised, a new metric to judge similar experiences in a genre.
My feelings on Uncharted 1 and 3, however, aren't quite as glowing. Those games suffered because of weird videogame "ticks", such as bullet sponge enemies and awkward camera control. My friend and fellow game writer Imran Khan recently posted up a review of Uncharted 4 in which some of my fears were realized.
While the game looks gorgeous, I think being spoiled by last year's The Witcher 3 took away a bit of the "wow" factor of the visuals. Even though I haven't played any of Uncharted 4, I feel like I know what to expect when I finally get around to it: Amazing sequences of scenery being destroyed, awesome interactions between characters, and clumsy (at best) combat.
It's a known entity, and it'll be a unique thrill-ride once I play it, but I'm very comfortable waiting for a PSN/Amazon sale for Uncharted 4. It didn't seem to have the feel of a genre-changing classic, and other games caught my attention first. Uncharted 2 was a modern marvel when it released, and I think the bar was actually raised so high, Naughty Dog hasn't reached it since.
Here's hoping when I boot up Uncharted 4 for the first time, I'm proven wrong.
OVERWATCH
Now we get to the nitty-gritty. Overwatch is a game I've played since closed beta (in which I logged about 15 hours), and is a game that I have played exactly twice since release. I'm a level 2, and the hooks of what Overwatch offers don't appeal to me in any high regard. It's on the "Games I Missed" category because in grand total I've put in less than 20 hours in Overwatch, and that's nowhere near enough time to make a true gameplay statement on a game that is so dense and focused on a high competitive learning curve.
This was originally going to be on my Honorable Mentions list, but upon finalizing my lists, Overwatch just never felt like a solid choice. It may be a mix of me not playing any since launch, or just a lack of interest after spending my time in the beta, but I feel like I've gotten everything I need to out of the game, at least for the time being.
I'm not the biggest fan of competitive shooters, or team-based games. Team-based games are great when you're playing with a group you're experienced with, but if you're trying to play with random users, then I salute you and will say positive things at your wake.
Maybe it's because I haven't found the right people to play with, maybe it's because it's in a genre I'm not fond of, or maybe it's because I'm a grumpy old man, but Overwatch never 'clicked' with me. This game is symbolic in showcasing a shift for Blizzard, who are going away from my preferred gameplay styles (Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Starcraft) into these more eSports friendly, Twitch-powered juggernauts (Hearthstone, Overwatch).
I have a sense that this will be Blizzard's equivalent of "The Black Album", Metallica's album that made them the biggest rock band in the world. "Enter Sandman" would blare on everyone's radio, and was a gateway drug for millions of younger hard rock enthusiasts. That being said, Metallica fans who enjoyed previous albums like Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning more than The Black Album had to let out a sigh and realize that there's no going back to how things used to be: The Metallica they knew and loved had officially become "that band that does that song with 'off to never-never land' in the chorus", blaring from their younger sibling's boom box.
My preferred Blizzard release of 2016 was World of Warcraft: Legion, and that's not a knock against Overwatch by any stretch of the imagination, as Legion is the best WoW has been since Wrath of the Lich King. This is a case to where I don't think Overwatch is actively poor or bad (far from it, it's the most refined and stylish take on what Team Fortress 2 set out to do), and I don't blame my peers in the video game enthusiast press for making it their #1 game of the year. Any time Blizzard is getting recognition for masterful game design, I always give a thumbs up, as I always agree.
I'm smart enough to know that Overwatch is Blizzard's triumph, and I'm glad that so many more people are able to experience the balance, fun factor, personality, and sleek polish that has made Blizzard a truly special developer for decades,
I just feel that Blizzard is heading in a direction that I don't necessarily find rewarding, and that makes my old man shriveled heart ache.
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Stay tuned for more upcoming content for Game of the Year 2016, including an Honorable Mentions article, and the grand finale: the Top 5 Games of 2016 video editorial.
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