Nick - The Boss

Our Review This title's not going to be for everyone, but even though it's been out for quite some time now, I still pop in pretty regularly. Well, almost daily for my login rewards, but also just to put a few levels on my primary unit every weekend or two. I've done just about everything the game has to offer, but I enjoy it enough that I keep coming back to it.

Our Review This one is something of a sentimental pick for me, because while it is not my favorite release of the Uncharted games, it was a satisfying conclusion to an absolute favorite video game series of mine. It's one of those few games that I went back to for more (and it, like Grand Kingdom was featured in Beeps and Beers from me this year).

Our Review This guy just barely made the cut this year with such a late release, but I am very comfortable with this game's buddy approach to storytelling. It won't go down as my favorite Final Fantasy title of all time, but great production values and plenty of fun systems had me spending a lot of time with this one.

Our Review This one narrowly beats out Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence - Ascension for me. Objectively speaking, Nobunaga is the better game, with a little more polish and some nice quality of life features missing from Romance. But this is my personal list, and I have always had a personal preference towards the characters and setting of the Romance series, so it gets the nod here.

Our Review Just narrowly edging out BlazBlue: Central Fiction for my fighter of the year (and dominating the overly rushed Street Fighter V), Guilty Gear offers incredibly slick graphics and gameplay making it best-in-class for the genre this year.

Bravely Second: End Layer - Our Review

My favorite reason for using the 3DS this year

Forza Horizon 3

I'm not even a big racing fan, but this one was a blast

NBA 2K 17 - Our Review

Probably my favorite sports game this year, but some early bugs knocked it down a few pegs for me

Civilization VI

Another Beeps and Beers companion of mine, but I wish the AI was better

Xenoblade Chronicles X - Our Review

One of the only reasons I used my Wii U this year

Chris - The Sidekick

An amazing entry into the pokemon series, a series I'd fallen off on due to the general formula always staying the same across the games. However, I'd been hearing how much friends were enjoying the game, and how it added a lot of new mechanics, and changed up the formula. Overall, the new generation of Pokemon games have really hit the mark, with an overall polished experience, a new formula for world exploration, instead of gyms, and an amazing story, compared to any past pokemon game, with good surprises, and proper character development. In the end, it was a solid entry into the series, and I highly recommend looking into it.

Our Review This game was very early into the year, but nonetheless remains alive, and easily something to come back to. I wrote up a review when the game came out, and I still enjoy the game just as much as I did back then. With an expansion pack recently coming out - offering a new landscape, some interesting bosses, and new weaponry, spells, and armor, and adding in a PvP arena - there's still more you can do, and there's one more DLC slated to be released early into 2017, so look out for that.

Our Review (PC) Corpse party's a generally ill-known series, but nevertheless something great if you're into horror games, but don't mind slower gameplay for more plot. The plot remains the same as the original, with some added chapters to fill in gaps left by the plot, but in the end, it's still tried-and-true for the series, and offers a great experience. There are 4 exclusive extra chapters available in the 3DS remake of the game, that give even fans of the past remakes something to look forward to other than a prettier experience. There's full art in the 3DS edition, so you can see the gruesome pictures drawn up by the team, and immerse yourself even more into the world. All considered, the 3DS version of the original Corpse Party is easily the definitive version, and something to add to your collection if you're the kind of person that would enjoy the genre.

Overwatch is a game that everyone's heard about, and probably a game that a lot of people are sick of hearing about. I don't play it much more, a lot of the novelty has worn off, but I still managed to rack up over 70 hours into the game before I stopped. For me, the game was amazingly fun when I first started playing, but some things have shaped the game in a negative way. The ever-increasing amount of balance changes that end up weakening existing characters and creating unbalance for a lot of different levels of play hasn't been the greatest. It's something that was bound to happen, and while I don't dislike constant balance updates (Read: League of Legends) there's something to be said when a game that originally was all about just having fun, instead of catering to the competitive side of things, which honestly, Overwatch shouldn't be about. The competitive scene balances a lot of the game, but unlike something such as League, CS:GO, DotA, or any other similar title, the competitive just isn't anywhere near the same level, and doesn't redeem the fact that characters most people liked, that weren't/were issues at levels lower than the top, got balanced into unhealthy ways, and different core identities, than were originally intended, because of the competitive side of things. All in all, it is still a great game, and definitely deserves the spot on this list due to its success, but I can't play it anymore because it's just not what it was supposed to be, even with all the constant content updates, which are amazing on Blizzard's part.

They really did well on this one. Watch Dogs got a lot of flack when it was released because of so much that wasn't what it was hyped to be. From graphics downgrades to gameplay being more finnicky than expected, and numerous bugs and server issues, it felt more like a GTA clone than a game where hacking is important, and that just wasn't great. That said, it was still a fun game, but compared to what it should have been? Not great. Watch Dogs 2 has tried to rectify that, and honestly, I feel they, for the most part, succeeded. There are still issues, in that gunplay is something I feel shouldn't even be in the game for the hero, or at least not lethal. But I digress, hacking has had a significant step up from the last game, both in usefulness and usability. You can quick-tap to hack so many objects in the world, you can set up traps for enemies, you can ride scissor lifts and forklifts to get to new locations, scout out areas with a 3D-printed drone, and generally just do more. There's a lot more to do in this iteration of the game, and I definitely feel like it's worth checking out.

Hamza - The Design Guru

Not having a powerful enough PC (as of yet) means I often miss out on the graphically-demanding AAA games and have to wait a long time until I can upgrade my computer to even remotely have a chance to run them at playable frame-rates. All is not lost, however, as I always have the ever-reliable indie market to fall back on. Championed by the legendary Devolver Digital, this game is a brutal beat 'em up that is sure to win over fans of Double Dragon and Streets of Rage. If you like your action hardcore and music so loud it practically rebounds off the walls, then look no further than Mother Russia Bleeds.

I'm quite ashamed to admit that until a few weeks prior to uploading this list, I had absolutely not heard of Devil Daggers. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it initially came out at the start of the year, with newer versions added along the way. Anyway, now that I have hastily put in a good 4+ hours into it, I can safely say I have not played a more distilled, pure, naked form of addictive gameplay in a long while. For the uninitiated, Devil Daggers is all about survival - in the most brutal, stark definition of it. You see, the game only has one achievement, and that is to survive for at-least 500 seconds.

Don't get fooled though - it is amongst the most challenging achievements available. With graphics that harken back to the first-person shooters of the 90's, there is much to love (and treasure) about this game, and then some. Without a shadow of a doubt, Devil Daggers is my 2016 GOTY!

I'm going to keep this one simple: if you love a wide and wacky range of weapons from this to that, then do yourself a favor and add Shadow Warrior 2 to your wish list. The surprisingly deep amount of weapon customizing is commendable, but it's the addition of magic and special attributes that you can attach to your weapon of choice that is the real kicker here. And yea, the rest of the game is great, too!

I first read about this game in a magazine way, way back in 2009. I remember totally falling in love with the screenshots, they were so beautiful and cute. The hand-painted graphics, lush environments, the cuteness of the titular characters; all indicated that A Boy & His Blob is a must-play for those who love getting their hearts melted while solving neatly laid out puzzles. The only problem: the game remained Wii-exlusive until the beginning of this year, when it was ported to the PC by the ever-dependable Wayforward Technologies. Seeing how the game is an accessible and lovable treat to the eyes, ears, and the heart, I'd say the 7 years wait was totally worth it.

This was a bona-fide surprise discovery of the year for me. I'd never heard of the company ACE Team before in my life and now thanks to this game I cannot seem to get enough of their games, each wonderfully surreal than the last. This game is a lovely loveletter to the campy B-movie scene of the 1950's, with eye-pleasing aesthetics that borrow from that time period. Though the gameplay gets a bit repetitive after a few hours, it's not enough to completely bog down the experience, with the excellent narration and tongue-in-cheek presentation keeping things fresh and humorous just enough for the player to go that extra "five minutes". You should definitely play it!

P.Y. - The Coder

Our Review I normally save the best for last but this year? The King is at the top of the pile!

Dragon Quest Builders was my absolute favorite title of the year. Taking a what if scenario, Builders follows the events of what would have happened to the world if the Hero decided to side with the Evil Dragonlord instead of slay him to free the lands from his malevolence. Given an open sandbox it's up to you to restore the light to the world in order to pave the path for the future Hero that will hopefully do the job right this time.

I spent countless hours and stopped paying attention to the clock after having put sixty or so hours in two or three weeks. Hell the first day of release was a good twelve of those hours. Building towns, saving people, creating new items and recipes, and generally having fun either tearing something down or building something up before going into epic boss battles and then diving back in to do challenges, I was hooked. The first dragon you go up against in full set of armour was awesome! Then there was the next one… in your underwear… not as awesome but you had a stick! It was exhilarating for different reasons.

Our Review The Little Acre has just come out and honestly it deserves a space on this list regardless of how late to the game it was. It was a brilliant work of art and it had me hooked from the beginning to the end.

I'm still learning the ropes on what makes a good Point and Click Adventure as I've honestly only started experiencing this style in the past few years. You can keep looking at me that way if you want to but no, no I have not yet played Monkey Island. The Little Acre however has a perfect balance of story, characters and their interactions with the world that mostly come through puzzles. Some of these were obvious, while others had to make you wonder exactly how the hell you were going to get dressed without getting out of bed all the while not waking up the sleeping monster AND getting the dog to do your dirty work.

Our Review Dancing Dragon Games have really hit gold with Echoes of Aetheria. Actually not only have they hit gold but the two that follow are all Indie RPGs created with an RPG Maker. That's how much these three titles meant to me this year and the runner ups while I loved, didn't mark me as much.

I had already had a chance to play Skyborn (DDG's previous title) and was shocked when I loaded up EoA to see that the battles were an entirely custom system designed from the ground up with three rows and five columns in which your characters could move around. The story was good but the systems that it used in order to tell the tale were amazing including sieges that had enemies come from several avenues and had to be dispatched before they could get to their destinations.

Our Review Tales Across Time is Critical Games' second title following 8-Bit Adventures which was its own level of interesting. A good interesting. While it isn't overly long, it focuses more on a narrative experience of three individuals separated by time but with something that they unfortunately all have in common.

Not many games can cause me to have shivers but this is definitely one of them. Had it been any longer I'm not sure the outcome would have been the same as the concepts would have been marred by fluff. Instead of fluff, Tales Across Time only takes a couple hours but it is time very well spent with three completely different storylines, fleshed out characters, interesting battle mechanics and one of the creepiest bad guys that I've had the pleasure of running away from. I know they are working on an 8-Bit Adventures 2 but I would really like to see more like this.

Our Review In a way this is best for last because… wow. Ara Fell really showed what could be done with and RPG Maker and quoting Stegosoft games once again, they "brought RPG Maker 2003 kicking and screaming out of retirement!". I'm very glad that they did.

Ara Fell blew me away. Honestly anyone who says that "oh it was just made with an RPG Maker" has a lot to learn with titles such as these. One of the first items starting off is that the world while not open, does not feel restricted. Exploring places that you should not even be in yet (due to level differences) is possible if you look hard enough. Walking around, crawling, jumping, and other abilities that follow exist in order to better explore the world. Combat is fun and a little different than usual with twists of its own. If you need an RPG to get away from the AAA levels, this is definitely one to look into.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2 - Our Review

Class VII are back and after finishing the first and jumping straight into the second it was clear to see that Trails of Cold Steel 2 was only one one of the best games that I played on my Vita, but also an improvement upon the original which was already great.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend - Our Review

I'm a fan of Musou titles but Arslan for me was one of the best as it runs more with a story than it does with combat. There's still a fair amount of combat but all of it feels like it actually matters and is not simply filler between cutscenes because your actions are what lead the events from one point to the next.

Dark Souls III - Our Review

Love it, hate it, run away screaming in the night, Dark Souls 3 was awesome and one of my favorite of the series. Seriously try to go back and play Demons Souls… good luck. Holy Hell it's hard after playing this. It's not everyone that will love this newest entry but for me it was the best one yet and I quite enjoyed the Bloodborne smoothness of dodging added into what makes Dark Souls, Dark Souls.

Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir - Our Review

From cult classic on the PS2 to hit on the PS4. Best part? It contains the original if you feel like taking a trip back down memory lane. Honestly? Play the new one. Leifthrasir is more than just a HD port, it's a full blown remake of the game with new systems in place in order to provide a smoother experience. The story is the same but the supporting elements make it much easier to re-experience this magical tale.

I am Setsuna - Our Review

I am Setsuna is an homage to the great Chrono Trigger. Those from the white expanses known as Canada, where it snows three quarters of the damned year (another two feet yesterday), will feel at home as the arctic wastelands are all that you are going to see. Thankfully there are bright colours to permeate the snow as well as an incredible piano arrangement that supports the title from start to finish. I do hope that more is done with this series as it was a pleasure to sit through.

Richard - The Obsurist

Our Review Odin sphere: while it may technically be a remaster, boy was it done properly. It wasn't just a fancy graphic update, but the gameplay was smoothed out and it just felt so much cleaner than its original. Odin sphere was a great game to begin with, and the remaster reminded people why.

Our Review Monster hunter generations: always been a huge fan, with 500+ hours clocked on each installment. Needless to say, the latest monster hunter is going to be on this list for me. Besides, with the new styles introduced, my friend who mains a hunting horn is now officially called "the flying tuba", and nothing will make me stop laughing whenever I see him in action.

Cyber sleuth: this was the digimon game I didn't know I needed. The characters were hilarious and entertaining, the gameplay was solid, and I loved making a team out of all my old TV favourite digimon.

Our Review Salt and Sanctuary: always enjoyed the demon/dark souls games, and always loved 2D side scrollers. Salt and Sanctuary was a wonderful combination of both of these, with what I would consider a much better multiplayer system.

Our Review Vs. Sega Hard girls: probably my favourite neptunia game so far, it was great to see IF in the spotlight. Combat felt refreshed, the quest system was interesting, the new field map commands were cool, and Neptune's role had me falling off my couch laughing way too hard.