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The Best Games of 2016 (So Far)
The Best So Far
It's only halfway through the year and we've already gotten a multitude of amazing new games. Contained in this feature are games that we’ve found to be exemplary enough to considered some of the best of this year so far. If all pans out by the end of 2016, a number of these games could potentially become candidates for this year's Game of the Year awards. Click ahead to see what we’ve chosen.
Which games do you think will be good enough to be included in our candidates of this year's Game of the Year awards? Let us know in the comments below.
Dark Souls 3
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 8
"This is the third in a series of dark fantasy role-playing games known for their brutal difficulty and unforgiving nature. It gives minimal direction and little room for error. As with its predecessors, playing Dark Souls III means accepting two extremes: recurring defeat, and the reward of breaking through it. This is a game that recognizes the value of perseverance, tearing you down before it pulls you back up, reinforcing the spots where it broke you, preparing you for that next valley just down the road." Read the full review.
Monster Hunter Generations
Written by: Justin Haywald | Score: 8
"After dozens of hours I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of this adventure--there are other weapons and Hunter Art combinations I want to try, and of course, there are many more monsters to hunt. With Monster Hunter you get out what you put into the game, and Monster Hunter Generations is a game that compels me to put in more of my time." Read the full review.
Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation
Written by: Alexa Ray Correia | Score: 9
"Between the seemingly endless romance opportunities and the ever-evolving challenges of its missions, Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation is an incredible accomplishment in marriage of storytelling and gameplay. Its challenges are rewarding, and its story is wonderfully told, with high emotional points that deliver in big ways come the ending. To borrow the cliche, there is a never a dull moment, between building and honing your army and the intimate moments between characters. With everyone Revelation places at your disposal, you really feel as though you are accomplishing something, amassing troops to stop a war, truly creating something meaningful with the siblings and friends who fight beside you. It's a beautiful game." Read the full review.
Offworld Trading Company
Written by: Daniel Starkey | Score: 9
"It's a bit chilling to think that in Offworld you're playing out the same obsessive pursuit of capitalism that led to the fall of its finctional Earth--an event hinted at in tutorial dialogue--yet it's so recklessly entertaining and biting with its satire that I couldn’t help but get lost. When combined with truly deep and intricate strategic options, Offworld is a revelation. It's almost unparalleled in the genre. Each and every game is thrilling. Every moment is a challenge. And the brutality of the free market ensures that you can never rest on your laurels, less you be quashed by the invisible hand." Read the full review.
Furi
Written by: Peter Brown | Score: 8
"Furi lures you in with a cool lead character and a powerful soundtrack--qualities that are easy to appreciate--but its the journey to become a better fighter that defines the experience. Its disparate components are potent and leave an unforgettable impression that you won't soon forget. Furi will make you sweat under pressure, scream in frustration, but it will also give you the drive to get better; to become a boss of your own. Once you do, there's almost no feeling like it." Read the full review.
Inside
Written by: Alex Newhouse | Score: 8
"This is a beautiful, haunting, and memorable game, a worthy follow-up to Limbo. Its puzzles, although rarely difficult, are engaging complements to the story. The real achievement of this game, though, is the way that it crafts its narrative: detailed environments convey the bizarre world that you travel through; introspective moments are filled with minimalist sound design and just the barest touches of music; and the things you must do to complete your journey force you to confront the realities of humanity, freedom, and existence. The puzzles might not bring you back to play it again, but the opportunity to learn more about the world alone is enough motivation to return to Inside's dystopia." Read the full review.
XCOM 2
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 9
"So time keeps ticking in XCOM 2, and the best we can do is make the right choices when we have the chance. XCOM 2 imparts the weight of those decisions, and that's what makes it extraordinary. It's mathematical, emotional, and thoughtful all at once. It's exhilarating, even in the face of failure. It's compelling, even though we often lose. Victory is the goal, but that's just an afterthought here--it's the complex journey that counts." Read the full review.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 10
"As its final moments make clear, this is a story about storytelling--the importance we lend our idols, legends, and myths. How we pass down the ones that inspire us. How an old photo of three friends sitting on a pile of gold can unleash a flood of memories. Uncharted 4 is a challenge to the medium. In its writing, in its design, in its understanding of what makes games unique, Uncharted 4 is something to aspire to. It's a shining example. And we'll be talking about it for years to come." Read the full review.
The Banner Saga 2
Written by: Edmond Tran | Score: 8
"The Banner Saga 2’s wonderful balance of systems and their effectiveness in heightening the ongoing narrative can still be appreciated if you aren’t familiar with what came before--but much more so if you are. Like the original game, The Banner Saga 2 leaves you holding your breath, completely invested in the world, its inhabitants, and their struggles, anxiously eager for more." Read the full review.
Oxenfree
Written by: Alexa Ray Corriea | Score: 8
"Oxenfree is more than a ghost story with a Freaks and Geeks-like coating. It's a tale of coping with loss, broken relationships, and the inflexibility with which teenagers deal with sudden change, all layered under an alarming paranormal encounter. I left Oxenfree feeling hollow and strained, emotionally spent yet excited to play again and uncover more of the mystery. It doesn't hammer you with platitudes about friendship and loss, but hands you a knot to untangle that rewards you at every success with an emotional gut punch. It doesn't ask you any big questions, and certainly isn't easy in relenting its answers; Oxenfree just is what it is, a big little game about the all-too-human inability to let go of what hurts us." Read the full review.
Darkest Dungeon
Written by: Daniel Starkey | Score: 9
"Darkest Dungeon plays the long game. It builds you up for a grand bout that will test everything you've learned, as well as your ability to plan several in-game weeks out. The pay-off for this constant offensive comes in short bursts--just enough to keep you going, just enough to keep you hopeful for the next excursion. It's an extraordinary cycle that bears a special teacher--rewarding your cleverness and punishing your foolishness. It transfixes and binds you to this grand journey, dotted with failures and successes. And because you endured, because you thought your way through it, the final victory against the unimaginable evil you face at the bottom of the Darkest Dungeon is personally valuable." Read the full review.
Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
Written by: Cassidee Moser | Score: 8
"Ratchet & Clank is every bit as dynamic and fun as the 2002 original. It’s endearing and entertaining, a veritable power fantasy fueled by rockets and carried by specialty gadgets. Re-introducing a classic franchise to a new generation is a difficult task indeed, but Ratchet & Clank is a shining example of how it can be done." Read the full review.
Far Cry Primal
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 8
"When [Far Cry Primal] uses the Stone Age setting to elevate the combat and reinforce the brutality of nature, it thrives. It fosters a give-and-take relationship with the wilderness, granting you the means to survive, but also the threats you have to overcome. That focus on primitive times can become a hindrance at certain points, with limited tools and repetitive combat, but in the end, Far Cry Primal stays true to its callous setting, fleshing out every layer of the captivating world it creates." Read the full review.
Tom Clancy's The Division
Written by: Scott Butterworth | Score: 8
"Still, no matter how frustrated I grew with the game's semi-indestructible enemies or its repetitive leveling structure, I absolutely could not stop playing. The world was too engrossing, the loot was too enticing, and the campaign was too gripping for me to simply walk away. I stopped caring about the game's flaws after the first few hours and proceeded to lose myself in obsessive stat optimization and cooperative gun battles. The problems (and frustration) never disappeared, but I was more than happy to play through the pain." Read the full review.
Superhot
Written by: Peter Brown | Score: 8
"After my first hour with Superhot, I wasn't convinced that it would be as interesting as I initially hoped it would. I thought that I understood it all, but I was so wrong. While the core gameplay didn't evolve drastically, the story that drives it did, taking me along for a ride that I never saw coming. In doing so, it opened my eyes to possibilities within the game that I never considered. Superhot is a clever game with deep, hidden elements that require committed and thorough examination." Read the full review.
Doom
Written by: Peter Brown | Score: 8
"The new Doom is louder and faster than the old model. Its battles ask more of you, and its heavy-metal soundtrack causes your body to quiver from turbulent surges of adrenaline. From the outset two things are made immediately clear: you were born to kill demons, and you'll do anything it takes. You will wrench countless jaws from their joints and eviscerate the swollen flesh of your enemies between bouts of furious gunfire. These powerful moments carry what, at its core, is a simple game. The cadence of Doom's campaign is unwavering to the point of predictability as you make multiple round-trips between Mars and the depths of hell." Read the full review.
The Flame in the Flood
Written by: Edmond Tran | Score: 8
"The Flame in the Flood encourages you to put long-term goals aside and live in the moment, to make choices and overcome short-term problems with risky but satisfying spontaneity. Despite the awkward menu system, it’s an absorbing game that lets you experience a journey in the present, and fully appreciate the sights, sounds, and joys of floating down the river in its alluring world." Read the full review.
The Witness
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 9
"The Witness makes few attempts at handholding, opting instead to convey its mechanics in subtle, cryptic ways as you struggle to make sense of it all. But when you do persist, frustration gives way to gratification. This is what makes The Witness special. Unlike many puzzle games, it doesn't just make you feel intelligent--it begins on the assumption that you are intelligent. It trusts that you are a perceptive human being, capable of patience and critical thinking, and it rewards you for using both." Read the full review.
Total War: Warhammer
Written by: Daniel Starkey | Score: 9
"When you're in the middle of a siege and you're coordinating an assault with a friend, Total War: Warhammer approaches perfection. You’ll be tested on all fronts and asked to manage complex battles with broad, nuanced outcomes. Every system and piece feeds into others, and your choices make all the difference. It's a triumph of real-time strategy design, and the best the Total War series has ever been." Read the full review.
Pokken Tournament
Written by: Tamoor Hussain | Score: 9
"Nintendo’s Wii U provides a paucity of fighting games, but Pokken Tournament has redeemed that drought by being one of the best on any platform. Frequently magnificent to look at, delicately designed, and rewarding for players across all skill levels, it’s the Pokemon fighting game deserving of a 20-year wait." Read the full review.
Hyper Light Drifter
Written by: Kevin VanOrd | Score: 9
"Hyper Light Drifter's setting is so beautiful, so haunting, that I long to know all I can about it. I wish to hear the stories its citizens tell of the world it once was, and the one it might become. I want to hear the music that they sing, and see the places they have been. As stunning as it is, Hyper Light Drifter's greatest triumph isn't in the story that it tells, but in the stories that it doesn't. I don't know this place's entire history, but its desolate elegance inspires me to fill in the gaps myself. Such is the power of artistry this rich and thoughtful." Read the full review.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Written by: Alexa Ray Correia | Score: 8
"Tokyo Mirage Sessions #Fe is gorgeous, fun, and a smart collaboration all around. Backtracking through dungeons and running up against tedious bosses can bring the momentum down, but overall the game is something worth exploring. After a few dozen hours the semi-ludicrous story and systems set in front of you feel so comfortable together that this mashup of developer Atlus' most popular franchise and Intelligent Systems' beloved strategy RPG seems like it was destined to be." Read the full review.
Overwatch
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 9
"Overwatch is an exercise in refined chaos. There are multitudes of layers hiding beneath the hectic surface, and they emerge, one after another, the more you play. This is a shooter that knows how to surprise, one that unfolds at a frantic pace, one that takes a handful of great ideas, and combines them into something spectacular." Read the full review.
Devil Daggers
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 8
"Most of the time, though, Devil Daggers finds elegance in its simplicity. By stripping the pomp of many modern shooters, it reveals the complexity beneath, molding the fundamentals into something exhilarating, something always worth one more try." Read the full review.
Videoball
Written by: Jason D'Aprile | Score: 8
"With its distinctively clean retro stylings and deceptively simple set up, Videoball may blindside you with the pace and depth of its gameplay. It's reminiscent of arcade classics, and is easily one of the best multiplayer experiences of the year. It bridges the gap between the hardcore shooter-loving players and those interested in sports who want something different. It may be low-tech, but Videoball's simple elegance deserves high marks." Read the full review.
More...
It's only halfway through the year and we've already gotten a multitude of amazing new games. Contained in this feature are games that we’ve found to be exemplary enough to considered some of the best of this year so far. If all pans out by the end of 2016, a number of these games could potentially become candidates for this year's Game of the Year awards. Click ahead to see what we’ve chosen.
Which games do you think will be good enough to be included in our candidates of this year's Game of the Year awards? Let us know in the comments below.
Dark Souls 3
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 8
"This is the third in a series of dark fantasy role-playing games known for their brutal difficulty and unforgiving nature. It gives minimal direction and little room for error. As with its predecessors, playing Dark Souls III means accepting two extremes: recurring defeat, and the reward of breaking through it. This is a game that recognizes the value of perseverance, tearing you down before it pulls you back up, reinforcing the spots where it broke you, preparing you for that next valley just down the road." Read the full review.
Monster Hunter Generations
Written by: Justin Haywald | Score: 8
"After dozens of hours I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of this adventure--there are other weapons and Hunter Art combinations I want to try, and of course, there are many more monsters to hunt. With Monster Hunter you get out what you put into the game, and Monster Hunter Generations is a game that compels me to put in more of my time." Read the full review.
Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation
Written by: Alexa Ray Correia | Score: 9
"Between the seemingly endless romance opportunities and the ever-evolving challenges of its missions, Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation is an incredible accomplishment in marriage of storytelling and gameplay. Its challenges are rewarding, and its story is wonderfully told, with high emotional points that deliver in big ways come the ending. To borrow the cliche, there is a never a dull moment, between building and honing your army and the intimate moments between characters. With everyone Revelation places at your disposal, you really feel as though you are accomplishing something, amassing troops to stop a war, truly creating something meaningful with the siblings and friends who fight beside you. It's a beautiful game." Read the full review.
Offworld Trading Company
Written by: Daniel Starkey | Score: 9
"It's a bit chilling to think that in Offworld you're playing out the same obsessive pursuit of capitalism that led to the fall of its finctional Earth--an event hinted at in tutorial dialogue--yet it's so recklessly entertaining and biting with its satire that I couldn’t help but get lost. When combined with truly deep and intricate strategic options, Offworld is a revelation. It's almost unparalleled in the genre. Each and every game is thrilling. Every moment is a challenge. And the brutality of the free market ensures that you can never rest on your laurels, less you be quashed by the invisible hand." Read the full review.
Furi
Written by: Peter Brown | Score: 8
"Furi lures you in with a cool lead character and a powerful soundtrack--qualities that are easy to appreciate--but its the journey to become a better fighter that defines the experience. Its disparate components are potent and leave an unforgettable impression that you won't soon forget. Furi will make you sweat under pressure, scream in frustration, but it will also give you the drive to get better; to become a boss of your own. Once you do, there's almost no feeling like it." Read the full review.
Inside
Written by: Alex Newhouse | Score: 8
"This is a beautiful, haunting, and memorable game, a worthy follow-up to Limbo. Its puzzles, although rarely difficult, are engaging complements to the story. The real achievement of this game, though, is the way that it crafts its narrative: detailed environments convey the bizarre world that you travel through; introspective moments are filled with minimalist sound design and just the barest touches of music; and the things you must do to complete your journey force you to confront the realities of humanity, freedom, and existence. The puzzles might not bring you back to play it again, but the opportunity to learn more about the world alone is enough motivation to return to Inside's dystopia." Read the full review.
XCOM 2
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 9
"So time keeps ticking in XCOM 2, and the best we can do is make the right choices when we have the chance. XCOM 2 imparts the weight of those decisions, and that's what makes it extraordinary. It's mathematical, emotional, and thoughtful all at once. It's exhilarating, even in the face of failure. It's compelling, even though we often lose. Victory is the goal, but that's just an afterthought here--it's the complex journey that counts." Read the full review.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 10
"As its final moments make clear, this is a story about storytelling--the importance we lend our idols, legends, and myths. How we pass down the ones that inspire us. How an old photo of three friends sitting on a pile of gold can unleash a flood of memories. Uncharted 4 is a challenge to the medium. In its writing, in its design, in its understanding of what makes games unique, Uncharted 4 is something to aspire to. It's a shining example. And we'll be talking about it for years to come." Read the full review.
The Banner Saga 2
Written by: Edmond Tran | Score: 8
"The Banner Saga 2’s wonderful balance of systems and their effectiveness in heightening the ongoing narrative can still be appreciated if you aren’t familiar with what came before--but much more so if you are. Like the original game, The Banner Saga 2 leaves you holding your breath, completely invested in the world, its inhabitants, and their struggles, anxiously eager for more." Read the full review.
Oxenfree
Written by: Alexa Ray Corriea | Score: 8
"Oxenfree is more than a ghost story with a Freaks and Geeks-like coating. It's a tale of coping with loss, broken relationships, and the inflexibility with which teenagers deal with sudden change, all layered under an alarming paranormal encounter. I left Oxenfree feeling hollow and strained, emotionally spent yet excited to play again and uncover more of the mystery. It doesn't hammer you with platitudes about friendship and loss, but hands you a knot to untangle that rewards you at every success with an emotional gut punch. It doesn't ask you any big questions, and certainly isn't easy in relenting its answers; Oxenfree just is what it is, a big little game about the all-too-human inability to let go of what hurts us." Read the full review.
Darkest Dungeon
Written by: Daniel Starkey | Score: 9
"Darkest Dungeon plays the long game. It builds you up for a grand bout that will test everything you've learned, as well as your ability to plan several in-game weeks out. The pay-off for this constant offensive comes in short bursts--just enough to keep you going, just enough to keep you hopeful for the next excursion. It's an extraordinary cycle that bears a special teacher--rewarding your cleverness and punishing your foolishness. It transfixes and binds you to this grand journey, dotted with failures and successes. And because you endured, because you thought your way through it, the final victory against the unimaginable evil you face at the bottom of the Darkest Dungeon is personally valuable." Read the full review.
Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
Written by: Cassidee Moser | Score: 8
"Ratchet & Clank is every bit as dynamic and fun as the 2002 original. It’s endearing and entertaining, a veritable power fantasy fueled by rockets and carried by specialty gadgets. Re-introducing a classic franchise to a new generation is a difficult task indeed, but Ratchet & Clank is a shining example of how it can be done." Read the full review.
Far Cry Primal
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 8
"When [Far Cry Primal] uses the Stone Age setting to elevate the combat and reinforce the brutality of nature, it thrives. It fosters a give-and-take relationship with the wilderness, granting you the means to survive, but also the threats you have to overcome. That focus on primitive times can become a hindrance at certain points, with limited tools and repetitive combat, but in the end, Far Cry Primal stays true to its callous setting, fleshing out every layer of the captivating world it creates." Read the full review.
Tom Clancy's The Division
Written by: Scott Butterworth | Score: 8
"Still, no matter how frustrated I grew with the game's semi-indestructible enemies or its repetitive leveling structure, I absolutely could not stop playing. The world was too engrossing, the loot was too enticing, and the campaign was too gripping for me to simply walk away. I stopped caring about the game's flaws after the first few hours and proceeded to lose myself in obsessive stat optimization and cooperative gun battles. The problems (and frustration) never disappeared, but I was more than happy to play through the pain." Read the full review.
Superhot
Written by: Peter Brown | Score: 8
"After my first hour with Superhot, I wasn't convinced that it would be as interesting as I initially hoped it would. I thought that I understood it all, but I was so wrong. While the core gameplay didn't evolve drastically, the story that drives it did, taking me along for a ride that I never saw coming. In doing so, it opened my eyes to possibilities within the game that I never considered. Superhot is a clever game with deep, hidden elements that require committed and thorough examination." Read the full review.
Doom
Written by: Peter Brown | Score: 8
"The new Doom is louder and faster than the old model. Its battles ask more of you, and its heavy-metal soundtrack causes your body to quiver from turbulent surges of adrenaline. From the outset two things are made immediately clear: you were born to kill demons, and you'll do anything it takes. You will wrench countless jaws from their joints and eviscerate the swollen flesh of your enemies between bouts of furious gunfire. These powerful moments carry what, at its core, is a simple game. The cadence of Doom's campaign is unwavering to the point of predictability as you make multiple round-trips between Mars and the depths of hell." Read the full review.
The Flame in the Flood
Written by: Edmond Tran | Score: 8
"The Flame in the Flood encourages you to put long-term goals aside and live in the moment, to make choices and overcome short-term problems with risky but satisfying spontaneity. Despite the awkward menu system, it’s an absorbing game that lets you experience a journey in the present, and fully appreciate the sights, sounds, and joys of floating down the river in its alluring world." Read the full review.
The Witness
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 9
"The Witness makes few attempts at handholding, opting instead to convey its mechanics in subtle, cryptic ways as you struggle to make sense of it all. But when you do persist, frustration gives way to gratification. This is what makes The Witness special. Unlike many puzzle games, it doesn't just make you feel intelligent--it begins on the assumption that you are intelligent. It trusts that you are a perceptive human being, capable of patience and critical thinking, and it rewards you for using both." Read the full review.
Total War: Warhammer
Written by: Daniel Starkey | Score: 9
"When you're in the middle of a siege and you're coordinating an assault with a friend, Total War: Warhammer approaches perfection. You’ll be tested on all fronts and asked to manage complex battles with broad, nuanced outcomes. Every system and piece feeds into others, and your choices make all the difference. It's a triumph of real-time strategy design, and the best the Total War series has ever been." Read the full review.
Pokken Tournament
Written by: Tamoor Hussain | Score: 9
"Nintendo’s Wii U provides a paucity of fighting games, but Pokken Tournament has redeemed that drought by being one of the best on any platform. Frequently magnificent to look at, delicately designed, and rewarding for players across all skill levels, it’s the Pokemon fighting game deserving of a 20-year wait." Read the full review.
Hyper Light Drifter
Written by: Kevin VanOrd | Score: 9
"Hyper Light Drifter's setting is so beautiful, so haunting, that I long to know all I can about it. I wish to hear the stories its citizens tell of the world it once was, and the one it might become. I want to hear the music that they sing, and see the places they have been. As stunning as it is, Hyper Light Drifter's greatest triumph isn't in the story that it tells, but in the stories that it doesn't. I don't know this place's entire history, but its desolate elegance inspires me to fill in the gaps myself. Such is the power of artistry this rich and thoughtful." Read the full review.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Written by: Alexa Ray Correia | Score: 8
"Tokyo Mirage Sessions #Fe is gorgeous, fun, and a smart collaboration all around. Backtracking through dungeons and running up against tedious bosses can bring the momentum down, but overall the game is something worth exploring. After a few dozen hours the semi-ludicrous story and systems set in front of you feel so comfortable together that this mashup of developer Atlus' most popular franchise and Intelligent Systems' beloved strategy RPG seems like it was destined to be." Read the full review.
Overwatch
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 9
"Overwatch is an exercise in refined chaos. There are multitudes of layers hiding beneath the hectic surface, and they emerge, one after another, the more you play. This is a shooter that knows how to surprise, one that unfolds at a frantic pace, one that takes a handful of great ideas, and combines them into something spectacular." Read the full review.
Devil Daggers
Written by: Mike Mahardy | Score: 8
"Most of the time, though, Devil Daggers finds elegance in its simplicity. By stripping the pomp of many modern shooters, it reveals the complexity beneath, molding the fundamentals into something exhilarating, something always worth one more try." Read the full review.
Videoball
Written by: Jason D'Aprile | Score: 8
"With its distinctively clean retro stylings and deceptively simple set up, Videoball may blindside you with the pace and depth of its gameplay. It's reminiscent of arcade classics, and is easily one of the best multiplayer experiences of the year. It bridges the gap between the hardcore shooter-loving players and those interested in sports who want something different. It may be low-tech, but Videoball's simple elegance deserves high marks." Read the full review.
More...