Alexander Suffolk’s Top 5 Games of 2016 (so far)
- Dark Souls 3
- Overwatch
- Uncharted 4
- The Witness
- Firewatch
We still have a ton of great releases coming up in 2016, but I’m honestly wondering if any of them will be able to displace my top picks of the year so far.
“Firewatch” and “The Witness” are both indie titles that can go toe-to-toe with the best of the triple-A releases, offering some of the deepest experiences only an interactive medium can. “Firewatch” has you examine a man going through turmoil in their lives and lets you decide how he will grow as a person, while “The Witness” has you examine yourself and admire your own ingenuity and potential. It’s refreshing to have titles like these proving video games can be considered art, and are more than just endlessly killing dudes and smashing stuff.
But on the topic of killing dudes and smashing stuff, I do love me some action set pieces and sublime multiplayer matches, and I got those with “Uncharted 4” and “Overwatch.” That convoy sequence and all the grapple hook fighting in “Uncharted 4” are some of the most thrilling gameplay experiences I’ve ever had, and the fact that it did it all while look nigh photo realistic AND telling the most emotionally engaging story in the series proves that Naughty Dog is on a whole other level of game production. And as for “Overwatch?” I haven’t been this addicted to an online shooter since maybe “Halo 3.” Just when I think I’ve found my favorite character to play as, I discover a love for another and have to devote hours to master them. Even as I write this, I’m itching to boot the game back up and practice McCree’s Dead Eye ultimate attack.
Ultimately though, I know in my heart that 2016 is the year of “Dark Souls 3,” just as 2015 was the year of “Bloodborne,” and as 2014 was the year of “Dark Souls 2.” From Software just makes games like nobody else, challenging, saturated with detail and complexity. Not to mention that it’s the most badass swords and sorcery action I’ve ever done with a controller. These bring you down to the absolute lows of defeat and obstacle, and they bring you up to absolute highs of triumph and success. I doubt any upcoming game in 2016 will top the sheer joy I had at defeating the Nameless King for the first time, and for that reason alone, “Dark Souls 3” will stand at the top for me.
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