What I Played in 2016

I played a lot of video games in 2016! I managed to make it to my goal of finishing 12 games (and counting!) and I did make my way through a few worth talking about. 

Baldur’s Gate

Yes, I know this game originally came out in 1998. I actually played it back then, too! I thought I had finished it when I was a kid, but the further into the Enhanced Edition I got, the more obvious it became that I never got much past the first few chapters. That made the experience of finally completing it even more fun, and I’m glad I finally got around to it. It is an older game, even with the Enhanced Edition, so the combat is outdated and the graphics aren’t much to look at, but the story is still strong and the experience overall was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to getting into Baldur’s Gate II, too!

The Witcher

I have this weird condition where, whenever at all possible or plausible, I really, really want to experience all of the pieces of a trilogy, even when it’s not at all advisable. (The condition may be called, being human.) Resultantly, I decided I wanted to take a stab at the original Witcher so that I could fully experience its world before diving into the much-lauded third instalment. And I did! It was not really worth it. The Witcher is janky, ugly, cringingly misogynistic, and the story is convoluted, nonsensical, and not entirely satisfying. It did have a few neat ideas – I actually really liked its combat, with the clicking combos that required some timing – but overall I have to recommend you skip it. That being said, I have already started the Witcher 2, and it’s much better – smoother, prettier, and at least Triss is wearing clothes – so I’m excited to polish it off and finally move on to 3. By the time I get to it, they’ll probably be releasing the fourth instalment.

Portal 2
Another game I should have finished a long, long time ago, but my copy has some weird glitch where I'd routinely get booted back to Chapter 3 after getting most of the way through Chapter 7 or 8. On the bright side, this did mean I got to enjoy the line "How are you holding up? Because I'm a potato." many times, which did brighten the experience. Still, I finally made it to the end game, laughed a lot, and am glad that I got to finish it! 

To The Moon

A short and sweet little game about memories, grief, and what kinds of experiences stay with us, To The Moon is more of a visual novel than a game – aside from a few simple puzzles and a lot of clicking, there’s no actual gameplay to be had. Still, it was a fun story, and the ending made me curious about the next game.

XCOM

Another case of “I want to play the sequel, so I’ll start at the beginning” – though in this case from the rebooted start. Much as I might like to play the originals, I have no intention of going all the way back to those old beasts. XCOM was probably my favourite game this year, and I had a lot of fun playing it. I love a good RTS, and the resource management angle is even more robust and more fun than in most games I’ve played before.   My only real complaint about XCOM is simply that it was too short. I’ve been eyeing XCOM 2 for months already, waiting for a price drop, and it hasn’t quite 

come down to where I’m hoping, so I guess I get to live with the excitement a little longer!

Transistor

By the same studio who made Bastion, Supergiant Games, Transistor is vibrant, beautiful, and compelling. Its combat mechanic is unique and fascinating, and the environment, music and atmosphere are fantastic. Everything about the game design is unusual and interesting, and I had a good time with it. It’s a pretty short game, and on sale for less than $5 right now, so you should give it a try if you’d like! I’m excited to see what they put out next.

Until Dawn
Until Dawn is the game that finally lets you make all the decisions in a horror movie, and see how you'd stack up. Decisions carry through, but not always, and the setting is tense and creepy enough that I got a few good scares in. I had a blast playing it - with a group of people so we could decide together - and while mechanically it isn't super challenging, the story is exciting and scary enough to keep me interested. I still want to do another playthrough or two to see more of the endings!

Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright

Fire Emblem is always a blast, and Birthright was a lot of fun. Hard, as expected, and the story was a little hand-wavy, but building a base, levelling my squad, and marrying off all my characters scratched all my Fire Emblem itches. I still have Conquest to play through, but Permadeath makes every encounter a challenge, so that’s going to be slow going for a while!

Uncharted 4

Gorgeous, well-constructed, and a lot of fun, Uncharted 4 was the perfect game to unwind with. The new/improved stealth mechanics tweaked the way I played just enough to make it feel all-new, and the incredible animations and environments were wonderful to look at. And while I’m a little sad Nate’s story is over, I can’t wait for the planned stand-alone DLC with Chloe. 

Other Games I Finished This Year

Gone Home
Uncharted

Uncharted 2

Uncharted 3