The Video Game Critic

So what did you think of 2016 in video gaming?

Pokemon Go was a sensation.
Nintendo was hardly around at all.
Starfox Zero came up short.
Classic NES Mini generates lots of excitement, but low supply leaves holiday shoppers spending elsewhere.

There were slim models of the XboxOne and PS4.
Project Morpheus saw release as PS4 VR headset, and there is a 4k PS as the Neo was released as the PS4 Pro.
Valve and Oculus also released VR headsets.

Disney kills off Disney Infinity.
MS brought in PC and XboxOne cross play.
Uncharted 4 and Overwatch got lots of talk.
Mighty No 9 disappointed.
Steam swimming in shovelware it seems.
Final Fantasy XV is out. Doom also made a successful comeback.
Battlefield 1 made WWI a new setting.
Titanfall 2 had a great single person campaign.
No Mans Sky was a big story, but more on what it wasn't than what it was.

How was your year in gaming? Do you think it was a good year? What about next year?

I've realised I always seem to play older games. I've played lots more PS3 than PS4 this year.

So New Years resolution is to play some more modern games along with my retro as I feel I keep missing all the latest stuff.

In fact I don't think I've played a single 2016 release.

This year foiled me more thant last year I would say.

So last year the games that were going to pull me in were Arkham Knight, Metal Gear V, and Star Wars Battlefront. I was cautious to dive in to the next-gen market, and I am glad I was. Arkham and Star Wars fell short, and MGS V was released on PS3.

This year was going to be Star Fox, Zelda, and No Man's Sky. Star Fox took a dump really fast, Zelda was pushed back for the umpteenth time, and No Mans Sky doesnt really need any more discussion. So, again, I was left with no reason to upgrade my consoles. Lets not forget that they upgraded to the PS4 Pro now and killed the production of the WiiU, so I am even more glad I didnt buy in to the next-gen gamble.

Sad year in gaming if you ask me.

I don't own a Xbox One, PS4 or Wii U and I only played three games that were released this year: Zero Escape: Time Dilemma (3DS), Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS) and Chase: Cold Case Investigations (3DS eShop). All those games were good, but not groundbreaking. For the most, I bought a Wii mini and played a lot of (very cheap) old Wii-games, especially the excellent Mario Galaxy 1&2.

Overall, I think it wasn't a very interesting year for gaming, without major titles that did something new (just a lot of sequels/series). I think this year and next year will be crucial for Nintendo, with the success of their mobile titles (Pokemon GO and Super Mario Run) and the Nintendo Switch.

I own a wii u and 3ds, but I haven't played them much this year. I don't recall doing a lot of gaming from the recent systems. I bought yakuza 4 and also tony hawk 5 for ps3. Played each a bit, but was more into retro games. My most played game on ps3 was probably Sonic's ultimate genesis collection.

I think I played a bit of the Metroid blast ball demo, but overall I haven't played nor was really excited for anything this year.

Next year, I might get the switch after I see it in action, and see reviews and stuff. I kind bought the Wii U on a whim and it didn't get a ton of playtime.

I don't own any of the new systems, so my gaming life has been older retro games on systems I have, older computer games, (The various Shadowrun Returns games all got 2nd/3rd playthroughs, and I'm the furthest I've ever been in Wizardry 8) and MOBAs.

I will say this is officially the year I've gotten over the MOBA format. Things that are so team oriented seem to breed a lot of angst and stress in a video game situation. And unless you're genuinely good (like, really good) it seems nearly impossible to actually level up in ranked games, whether it is something like League of Legends or Heroes of the Storm, if you have just one person on your team that's a troll, (and that seems to happen A LOT.) then winning becomes very difficult, and as such, raising your rank to the level where you are playing almost exclusively with equally skilled players seems like an impossibility.

But hey, SC2 has a super fun co-op mode that's just you and a buddy doing objectives, so that is awesome.

If I get my computer upgraded this upcoming year, I'm giving Doom 4 a shot. That has absolutely piqued my interest.

Alucard1191 wrote: I will say this is officially the year I've gotten over the MOBA format.

Fun Fact - While Herzog Zwei is often cited as a MOBA precursor, the idea of two player controlled generals leading a force of AI soldiers through lanes of a forest goes back to tbe Odyssey 2 game, War of Nerves. (shameless O2 plug)

I have never understood a lot about MOBAs. Its basically one map? I guess I should watch some videos because the appeal seems more limited then their popularity suggests.

There was The Last Guardian, too. I didn't care much about it, but it seemed to make a few waves.

MOBA ?

Alucard1191 wrote:
If I get my computer upgraded this upcoming year, I'm giving Doom 4 a shot. That has absolutely piqued my interest.

Doom is heavily discounted on Steam right now if you want to pre-emptively buy.