VG247 Games of the Year Awards, half 5: The Outliers We Should Probably Disqualify But Didn’t

Every 12 months the VG247 workers attempt to sneak one thing into these lists that positively shouldn’t depend. This 12 months, we tiredly allow them to get away with it.

“Look, no, to qualify for a sport of the 12 months award, proper, it’s received to be a sport,” we instructed them, patiently. “A correct sport, not a little bit of DLC. And it’s received to have come out in that precise 12 months. Why is this straightforward premise so troublesome so that you can grok? It’s not like there weren’t stacks of terrific games released in 2016.”

But as soon as once more when deadline rolled round (or, to be extra correct, a number of days later after a string of strongly worded emails, textual content messages and IMs), three of the 15 video games we elected to provide our gongs to technically didn’t even depend. At the far finish of the 12 months as soon as grows bored with herding cats, and so we roped all of them up and caught them within the fifth and remaining episode of this collection as The Outliers We Should Probably Disqualify But Didn’t.

There can be no extra VG247 Games of the Year: these are the ultimate nods. Return to earlier entries to peruse our picks and imbibe our faultless reasoning, or don’t: we’re not your masters.

The Witcher three: Blood and Wine

Stubbornly insisted upon by: Steph

Yes, I do know The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine is technically an growth pack, nevertheless it’s giant sufficient to be thought-about a complete sport. Even those that voted it Best RPG at The Game Awards 2016 agree. I’ve performed all three Witcher titles, loved every immensely, and was crammed with a bittersweet lump within the pit of my abdomen when it was introduced Witcher three could be the final hurrah for Geralt. But he deserves to retire – from video video games – and CD Projekt did a fantastic job making certain this with Blood and Wine.

The whole sport is breathtakingly pretty, however the remaining growth was eye-candy of one of the best kind.

It is attractive, supplies you with three relatively fascinating endings relying on the trail you selected, and it’s simply rattling attractive. I stated that already, didn’t I? Well, it bears repeating. Don’t get me improper, the whole sport is breathtakingly pretty, however the remaining growth was eye-candy of one of the best kind.

I beloved the assorted side-quests, my favourite being the one with psychedelic tea (I received’t give it away), and the ending I acquired? Well, it was relatively becoming for a Witcher who deserves to stay the remainder of his days in peace. Hopefully. I plan to return in some unspecified time in the future and select different choices in the principle quest chain to get a brand new ending, only for kicks. I’m not able to be executed with Geralt simply but, in spite of everything.

If you’ve but to play The Witcher three, do your self a favor: carve out loads of alone time, give it a go, and be sure you obtain all the additional content material. It’s completely value it. Especially Blood and Wine.

Final Fantasy: Record Keeper

Grimly clung to by: Alex

Here’s one thing a bit completely different, then. This is a cell sport, and one that really didn’t launch this 12 months – however Record Keeper, a Final Fantasy spin-off from DeNA (the corporate that’s additionally partnered with Nintendo on their cell video games) has the excellence of being the one online game this 12 months I’ve performed each single day. Can’t miss these login bonuses!

It provides a really achieved mobile-friendly model of the Active Time Battle system with an attractive degree of depth. High-end raid-style encounters are rock stable and require severe thought.

So, right here’s what Record Keeper is: You works in a library that chronicles the data of assorted battles all through time and the universe – the occasions of the basic Final Fantasy video games. It’s staffed by scholarly Moogles. Baddies mess up the library and it’s as much as you to revive the data. You do this by hopping into the worlds of basic FF video games, recruiting their heroes and combating basic encounters from their adventures.

It’s an fascinating sport for lots of causes. It’s filled with fan service, however strips again the plot components of FF and provides a really achieved mobile-friendly model of the Active Time Battle system with an attractive degree of depth. High-end raid-style encounters are rock stable and require severe thought.

On high of that you simply get to see encounters from FF7-14 redrawn in lovely FF6-style sprite work and compose groups made up of any mixture of heroes. Want Cloud, Lightning, Quistis, Rydia and Arc – Why not?

A relentless stream of recent content material arrives with new limited-time occasions each 10 days or so, plus bigger dungeon updates that add step by step unfurling variations of every Final Fantasy’s story. It’s a sport that makes use of gacha-style random attracts to steadiness the sport out, however I’ve by no means felt cheated or pressured to spend actual cash – which is spectacular. The free updates proceed to impress too – new encounters, new enemies, even on-line multiplayer raids.

Record Keeper is neglected, however I’ll hold logging in every single day. It’s a fantastic journey, de-stress or before-bed sport.

Destiny: Rise of Iron

Exasperatingly nominated by: Brenna

I spent quite a lot of time enjoying different video video games this 12 months however even earlier than the launch of a serious growth Destiny was my mainstay, my go-to, my first and finest and probably solely love. I even play PvP now, a revelation that makes my close to and pricey give me side-eye and start informal inquiries into the state of my well being as of late.

I want there have been extra hours in my day so I may very well be a correct hardcore Guardian like the massive children.

Rise of Iron, which can’t be separated from The Dawning and no matter else Bungie has deliberate to maintain us locked to its loot cycle, is a extremely unusual beast. Clearly, the core crew is engaged on Destiny 2. Clearly, this growth wasn’t within the grasp plan. Clearly, Bungie is actually hoping to keep away from the content material drought downside engendered by the startlingly locust-like nature of its most fervent gamers throughout the strictures of a pipeline that was by no means outfitted for this daring new future.

The result’s this growth, awkwardly grafted on like a second pores and skin: ill-fitting, shallow, pointless – however surprisingly engaging? There is a lot new stuff to get! I wish to get all of the stuff! There’s a Record Book constructed proper into it! And they gave us one other Record Book with the primary main occasion! And now there’s much more stuff to get! I wish to get all that stuff too!

I acknowledge that is downside, and I needs to be higher than this, but in addition: at its core Destiny maintains a fantastically fluid motion loop few different video games method, and I’m nonetheless so in love with this silly, badly-conveyed, under-leveraged science fiction universe. I want there have been extra hours in my day so I may very well be a correct hardcore Guardian like the massive children.

With this remaining spherical of dishonest, VG247’s Game of the Year Awards come to an finish. You can browse our different picks via the sidebar above.