GOTY 2016

For me, this was a bit of a lackluster year. A lot of great games, but nothing monumental - I don't think I'd count anything from this year among my all-time favourites.

Runners Up:

• Layers of Fear
• Abzu
• AM2R
• 1993 Space Machine
• Doorways: Holy Mountains of Flesh
• Infested
• Devil Daggers
• That Dragon, Cancer
• Lovely Planet Arcade
• Pony Island

List items

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  1. The Witness

  Despite being at the top of my list, I still have a bunch of issues with this game. Particularly some puzzles being frustrating rather than fun. Also, I thought the 'story'/logs/dialogue/etc... didn't add much to the experience. Having said that, some puzzles were fantastic, and I really enjoyed the environments. The game's definitely worth checking out if you love puzzle games.

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  2. Doom

  A fun and well-made FPS - for the most part (there's one really horrible level that involves an excessive amount of platforming). The game also has some great extras - a whole bunch of puzzle levels within the SnapMap mode, photo mode, Arcade Mode, and earning the achievement for beating the first level on Ultra-Nightmare.

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  3. Zero Time Dilemma

  A good end to the series, despite one part of the story just not making sense.

• 

  4. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

  It's what you'd expect from a follow-up to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I very much appreciated the way it made you feel like a maligned part of society - especially the disdain you received when boarding a train carriage reserved for 'naturals'.

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  5. XCOM 2

  It got its hooks in me again. I couldn't help but get attached to several of my soldiers. I had a bunch of issues with the ending, from glitches to the story to just how long-winded the last mission is.

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  6. Firewatch

  Voice acting that really sells the main characters. Also, lovely visual design. Turt Reynolds for character of the year.

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  7. Inside

  I thought Limbo was ehhh. But this improves of that game many-fold. I'm glad I decided to give Inside a shot.

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  8. Dishonored 2

  One really phenomenal level was balanced out by one really aggravating glitch that can make a pacifist playthrough impossible. Overall, a good follow-up to the original Dishonored.

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  9. Owlboy

  First off, the pixel art in this game is absolutely peerless. The game has some really lovely things in it, but also some very unfun gameplay moments.

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  10. The Banner Saga 2

  A nice continuation of the first game. Some good changes, some not-so-much. I look forward to playing the next installment.