Continuing on with our Game of the Year 2016 coverage, it's worth noting that making a Top 5 list for any given year is difficult. This year was especially difficult, as some of the games mentioned in this 'Honorable Mentions' list were actually on my Top 5 for a considerable amount of time before being bumped by other titles.
There's no exact science when choosing which games are 'Top 5' caliber. Instead of looking at things objectively and going down a list checking off boxes of features, choosing finalists for Game of the Year awards is more of a "gut instinct" that is largely based on feel, making the list more dynamic than it would be otherwise.
After much (much) deliberation, here are the games that should be noted for their excellence, but didn't quite make the cut for the Top 5 of 2016.
DARK SOULS 3 ----------
Ask any fan of my Twitch stream, and they'll tell you: I'm not very good at Dark Souls games. The reliance on memorization, pin-point accurate command of your character, and various amounts of sheer luck was off-putting at best, and completely enraging at worst, I never felt like I got "better" at a Dark Souls game. That is, until Dark Souls 3.
While the first two games felt a little too esoteric, Dark Souls 3 did just enough hand-holding for me to build confidence and get my bravery up enough to take chances. Dark Souls has always been a series about making split-second decisions that will either reward you with glorious victory, or crush you with ugly defeat. The extra little bit of leeway Dark Souls 3 gives you as a player was welcome for me, and I strongly feel that it's the best place for a newcomer for this series to start.
Now, I've experienced Bloodborne, and feel that the controls in that title are a little more tight than they are here in Dark Souls 3, but I became such a fan of the ambiance of DS3 that I constantly came back for more. The way the embers clashed with the snow around me worked incredibly well and felt like I place I've never experienced before. There was the constant feel of dread, but also a sense of progression in being less afraid of what's around you, becoming empowered by your knowledge of your own abilities.
It may not be the best Souls-esque game (arguably Bloodborne takes that crown), and it may not even be the best installment of Dark Souls proper (the original seems to have that under lock), but Dark Souls 3 is the first time in the series where I found the appeal that escaped me for so long.
I finally got it. I understood.
HOMEWORLD: DESERTS OF KHARAK ----------
If not for the game-breaking bugs and lack of support from the developer, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak would have been a lock for my Top 5 this year. Homeworld 1 and 2 are some of my favorite games ever made, so when this prequel was announced, I felt there was a lot to live up to.
The mechanics of Deserts of Kharak work really well even though they're presented on a 2d plane, as opposed to Homeworld's full 360 degrees of space strategy. Making the setting a desert could have made the campaign incredibly boring, but it reminded me of the vastness of space from the original games in the series. It has desolation, isolation, clashing conflict, and a sense of overcoming obstacles far bigger than your timid settlement should be able to handle.
Where the game hit in all the areas that I feel are important (campaign, storytelling, soundtrack, unit control), it suffered greatly from technical problems. While I never personally encountered the notorious game-breaking bugs that others have, it seems to be such a prevalent issue that it simply can't be ignored. I had my fair share of stuttering frames and severe screen tearing, but nothing as drastic as invincible enemies or entire save deletion.
If you're in the mood for a well-told RTS campaign with various shocks and surprises that holds an actual sense of weight to it, you could do far worse that Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. Just pray that you get through Chapter 4 unscathed, or that the developers release a patch to smash those glaring bugs. Homeworld's legacy deserves only the best.
BATTLEFIELD 1 ----------
Good lord, is this game pretty. Battlefield has been a series that has delivered quality thrill-rides throughout the decades, and at one point in time was the master of the "water-cooler moment". I still remember doing crazy bombing runs with friends on Ventrilo servers and tossing out medkits at capacity in Battlefield 1942, loving the sci-fi concepts in Battlefield 2142, and really enjoying the current-day mayhem that Battlefield 3 and 4 brought about.
While Battlefield 1 doesn't quite match those "holy shit" moments of titles that preceded it, it made some wise decisions in regards to its campaign and setting. When announced, people were divisive about the World War 1 setting, claiming it was too violent and personal to make a video game about. Upon release, the mix of multiple-narrative stories for the campaign and tonally deliberate multiplayer put many people (myself included) at ease.
This wasn't "Press X To Pay Respects", it was a more personal look at the Great War. Trench fighting feels anxious and horrifying, seeing units on horseback sprinting into certain doom, and hearing the pings of bullets fly right next to your face is truly affecting. This is the most intense multiplayer Battlefield has ever been, and rightfully so.
Telling stories of multiple servicemen in the campaign was a great idea, as it lets you experience multiple gameplay types without feeling incredibly jarring. One moment you can be a forest-bound infantry fighter who doesn't have nerves of steel, while next you're a wise-cracking ace fighter pilot doing things fitting for a scoundrel.
Battlefield 1 gives variety, and treats its source material with the proper weight. Yes, it's video game-y, but under the surface you can sense a great deal of respect that the developers were committed to showcasing.
HYPER LIGHT DRIFTER ----------
Telling stories through video games is hard. Telling video game stories without narration is even harder. Telling non-narrated video game stories that have a sense of mystery and discovery is downright improbable. Hyper Light Drifter, though, does this and does it well.
I think if I gave an award for 'most personality', Hyper Light Drifter would win in a clean sweep. The distorted reality around you, the subversive sense of something being wrong, and the feel of melancholy charm are overflowing in Hyper Light Drifter, and never once clash with each other.
The game can be punishing. One wrong move here or there could mean the difference between life and death. Thankfully, the checkpoint system is spot-on, and the latest patch upping the frames per second to 60 really helps the ebb and flow of the game as a whole. Now, I'm not normally a "60 frames per second or your game isn't worth my time" person, but the jump from 30 fps to 60 fps made Hyper Light Drifter soar.
Everything feels more precise, the gorgeous pixel art and animation have room to breath, and the entire package goes from something that was already solid, to something that is memorable long after you beat it.
Which I haven't. I haven't come close to beating it.
I'm bad at video games.
FINAL FANTASY XV ----------
What a long, strange journey it's been.
Let it be known up front: Finaly Fantasy XV is a messy, messy game. While there are pieces of evidence in this game of the development hell it went through, somehow Square Enix managed to pull a few aces from its sleeve that left quite an impression on me. Final Fantasy XV is a game of connections and disconnects, and the strength of the game for you will rely heavily on what you find most important in a game.
The battle system, overall story, and setting never came together for me. I felt that the story Square was trying to tell did NOT work with the setting they offered, and even if I pull enough mental gymnastics to warrant the setting, it still wouldn't be as effective as its potential let on. The mini-games are fun in a mindless way, but somehow stay engaging enough for repeat visits. The battle system is fluid, dynamic, and always at odds with itself. I had a much greater experience in battles the moment I enabled the 'Wait' mode, which slowed combat down considerably, once again playing at odds with its true purpose. The camera can be clunky, but also allow for truly beautiful moments of experiencing the grandeur around you in the world.
The one thing that Square Enix hit out of the park were the four main characters. These characters felt like actual people, a feat I'd never think Square Enix was capable of. Instead of hitting various tropes (Gladio is the 'big dumb lovable oaf', Ignis is 'the intelligent introvert', Prompto is the 'fun loving, annoying buddy', and Noctis is the 'brooding lead with daddy issues'), these four characters actually reach well past their own limits, and feel like people you may know in your own life. Each character has emotional resonance, fluidity with their personality, and react accordingly to how real people would react in similar situations. They are distinct, memorable, subtle, and eye-opening.
The weight of the entire experience is reliant on the dynamic between these four characters, and I'm happy to say that not only does it deliver, it defies expectations. These are the best, most well-rounded characters Square Enix have ever made, and I actually put their subtlety and nuance up there with the best writing I've seen in video games.
This is nowhere near the best Final Fantasy game, because the rest of the game flounders. If the main characters were handled the way you would think a Final Fantasy character should react or the way you're used to Japanese role-playing game characters reacting, the game would be up there with Final Fantasy XIII as the biggest trainwreck the series had ever seen. The quality of those four don't just save the game from crashing and burning, it makes it a must-play experience.
It's a shame the game itself is at odds with these stellar characters, but the game is about connections and disconnects. The connection of the four leads far outweighs the disconnect from the rest of the game.
The people shine, even if the game tries its hardest to do anything but.
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Game of the Year coverage will wrap-up with the upcoming "Top 5 Games of 2016" video, and if you missed it, be sure to check out the "Games I Missed" article on the site.
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