As 2016 comes to an end, its time to sit back and reflect on all the fun we have had this year playing games. It’s been a wild ride, with solid titles being released almost weekly, it was borderline hard to keep up! The team covered a lot this year, and though we all didn’t get the chance to play everything, we managed to all get our hands on games that meet the Girls on Games stamp of approval. Grab yourself a glass of festive cheer and check out our 2016 Video Games of the Year!
Catherine
Game of the Year: Stardew Valley
Why: Stardew Valley is a simple yet engrossing game. The gameplay was nostalgic yet refreshing. It’s all we could talk about last winter. Stardew Valley is quite the soothing experience and it’s one of only game I played this year that I go back to on a regular basis.
2nd place: Fire Emblem Fates
3rd place: Forza Horizon 3
Stardew Valley
Leah
Game of the Year: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Why: What a way to end one of the greatest series in video games. I played this game with such mixed emotions as I was excited to see the conclusion to Nathan Drake’s story, yet sad to see the last page turn in this epic adventure.
2nd place: Pokémon Moon
3rd place: Watch Dogs 2
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Image from Sony
Alicia
Game of the Year: Stardew Valley
Why: Stardew Valley is a one man tour de force that rejuvenated (and nearly perfected) the life/farming sim genre. It built on the foundations left by classic titles like Harvest Moon and Rune Factory but took it one step further all while leaving room for this unassuming indie title to grow in the future.
2nd place: Oxenfree
3rd place: Fallout 4: Far Harbour (DLC)
Stardew Valley
Simon
Game of the Year: Overwatch
Why: Not only has Overwatch changed the game in terms of competitive arena shooters, but Blizzard is setting a new standard on how to grow your game and how to manage it into what will be, in my opinion, the premium esport in 2017.
2nd place: Dark Souls 3
3rd place: World of Warcraft: Legion
www.playoverwatch.com
Sarah
Game of the Year: Overwatch
Why: I have pretty much only played that game for the whole year XD
2nd place: Pokemon Yellow (3DS Rerelease)
3rd place: Darkest Dungeon
Tracer from Overwatch
Kathless
Game of the Year: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Why: Uncharted 4 is my game of the year because of its interesting plot and for the awesome scenery.
2nd place: Paper Mario: Color Splash
3rd place: Batman: The Telltale Series
Romantic time for Nathan and Elena from Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Image from Sony
Devin
Game of the Year: Forza Horizon 3
Why:Horizon 3 gives me everything I could ever want in a racing game: Beautiful cars both classic and modern that purr and growl their way across varying terrain, scenery and landscapes that rip the breath from my lungs, and the ability to play things my way, with plenty of customization options and the ability to challenge my friends on my terms, at my game.
The beauty is that with the Drivatar system, you never feel like you’re driving alone, even when gaming solo. You always feel like your friend is right there on your tail, sharing the experience with you. I couldn’t have asked for more.
2nd place: Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
3rd place: Oxenfree
Forza Horizon 3 on PC
Bianca
Game of the Year: Hitman
Why: I’m a fan of the Hitman series and was very excited to get my hands on this game. It instantly stood out from the previous game, Hitman Absolution, in its contract based gameplay. New content was being added monthly, new episodes, and event daily, contracts created by players. There was always something new to explore. As the new episodes were released, it built upon a narrative that I really wanted to know the ending to. It delivered on all fronts of gameplay, difficulty and new content to play. I really have nothing negative to say about this game. I’ve been playing it on a daily basis since it’s release in March 2016.
2nd place: Rise of the Tomb Raider
3rd place: Overwatch
Hitman
Kelsey
Game of the Year: Overwatch
Why: It’s amazing and sparked a new found love to FPSs
2nd place: Firewatch
3rd place: Oxenfree
Overwatch
Shauna
Game of the Year: Overwatch
Why: Hands down a game changer for me. I went from being an almost exclusively Souls PVP’er… to an FPS player. What the hell?! No other game has been able to pull me away from the Souls series like this one has. This highly competitive, team-based game has me completely hooked with no end in sight. A wonderful game with so much nuance and skill building potential that I just can’t seem to stop playing. I always want to be better for my team. There are always new heroes to master and new team compositions to explore. Blizzard also does a wonderful job listening to their users (something Fromsoft could learn from) and is constantly improving and tweaking the game experience without simply nerfing and dumbing down weapons and abilities as other games tend to do. Can’t recommend this title enough. I love Overwatch.
2nd place: Dark Souls 3
3rd place: Pokémon Sun/Moon
Overwatch
GrahfShiro
Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition
Why: Yes, a 2011 game is my game of the year. Hey, it was re-released this year, so it counts! There are few games out there that can approach the sheer scope and depth of Skyrim; heck, each of the game’s nine big cities have about one game’s worth of content, combine them and you end up with one hell of a game. Its vibrant gameworld allows you to live a virtual life, and unlike MMORPG’s Skyrim’s world is basically yours, and you can mold it through your actions. Thus not only do you feel a sense of belonging towards it, but also a sense of ownership. Now these things are also present in last year’s Fallout 4, but Skyrim is easier to connect to for me due to its conventional fantasy setting. I’m not sure how I feel about Fallout 4’s patchwork guns and armors, but I know how I feel about plate armor, dragons and two-handed swords: fantastic. A game for the ages, truly, and my GOTY for 2016.
2nd place: DOOM
3rd place: Forza Horizon 3
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Shannon
Game of the Year: Dishonored 2
Why: I didn’t play enough games this year, but out of the ones I did play this one tried some new things that I found interesting and fun. It was far from perfect, but elements of gameplay, added mechanics and varying maps made it stand out to me.
2nd place: DOOM
Dishonored 2
What were your favourite video games of 2016?! Let us know on twitter @thegirlsongames or in the comments below!