#1 - Final Fantasy XV
#2 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
#3 - The Brookhaven Experiment
#4 - The Lab
The only other 2016 release I beat was TrumPiñata, but there's no way I'm putting that atrocious cash grab in a "Top Games of 2016" list.
1. It had to come out in 2016.
2. I had to beat it.
Every year, NeoGAF has a 52 games challenge, in which you have to beat 52 new games before the start of the next year. There is also a movie and book equivalent, in which you have to read 50 new books and watch 50 new movies. These challenges provide that extra motivation to do/finish the things you already wanted to anyway and can lead you to checking out stuff you otherwise may not have (this is especially true with books).
Once again, I didn't even come close to completing the challenge, beating only one more game than I did in 2015.
Here are the 19 games I beat in 2016:
Police Trainer (Arcade)
The House of the Dead (Arcade)
Oh...Sir! (PC)
Mount Your Friends (PC)
Life is Strange (PC) - April 1
Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One) - April 16
Devil's Third (Wii U) - April 19
The Lab (HTC Vive) - April 26
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (The Nathan Drake Collection) (PS4) - May 13
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (The Nathan Drake Collection) (PS4) - May 23
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (The Nathan Drake Collection) (PS4) - May 28
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4) - June 9
The Brookhaven Experiment (HTC Vive) - July 18
TrumPiñata (HTC Vive) - July 22
Titanfall (Xbox One) - October 2
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4) - October 10
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (PS4) - October 12
Platinum Demo - Final Fantasy XV (PS4) - November 29
Final Fantasy XV (PS4 Pro) - December 12
We'll see if I fare better in 2017.
Every year, NeoGAF has a 50 books and 50 movies challenge, in which you have to read 50 new books and watch 50 new movies before the start of the next year. There is also a game equivalent, in which you have to beat 52 new video games. These challenges provide that extra motivation to do/finish the things you already wanted to anyway and can lead you to checking out stuff you otherwise may not have (this is especially true with books).
The movie challenge was the only one I completed, watching a total of 58 throughout the year of 2016.
My ratings are done on a 5-star scale (no halfsies).
★ - Hated it
★★ - Disliked it
★★★ - Liked/enjoyed/didn't actively dislike it
★★★★ - Really liked it
★★★★★ - Loved it
Here are the 58 movies I watched in 2016:
The Good Dinosaur - ★★★★★
World of Tomorrow - ★★★★★
The Revenant - ★★★★★
Triumph: The Primary Election Special 2016 - ★★★★★
Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie - ★★★★
Mortdecai - ★★★
The Martian - ★★★★★
Deadpool - ★★★★★ - February 27
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) - ★★★
RoboCop (2014) - ★★★
Project Almanac - ★★★
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - ★★★★ - March 26
Lemonade (Beyoncé) - ★★★★★ - April 24
Kingsman: The Secret Service - ★★★★★ - April 28
Lucy - ★★★ - April 29
Ant-Man - ★★★★ - May 6
Captain America: Civil War - ★★★★★ - May 6
Room - ★★★★★ - May 11
Zoolander 2 - ★★★ - May 26
X-Men: Apocalypse - ★★★ - June 7
Finding Dory - ★★★★★ - June 16
The BFG - ★★ - July 2
10 Cloverfield Lane - ★★★★★ - July 8
The Secret Life of Pets - ★★★ - July 9
Big Hero 6 - ★★★★★ - July 10
Keanu - ★★★ - July 22
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - ★★★★★ - July 23
Green Room - ★★★★★ - July 23
Paper Towns - ★★★★★ - July 23
Batman: The Killing Joke - ★★ - July 24
Triple 9 - ★★★★ - July 24
Hardcore Henry - ★★★ - July 26
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition - ★★★★★ - July 28
Star Trek Beyond - ★★★ - August 1
Suicide Squad - ★★ - August 4
Sicario - ★★★★★ - August 10
John Wick - ★★★★ - August 10
Black Mass - ★★★★ - August 11
Pete's Dragon - ★★★★ - August 17
Karolyi - ★★★★ - August 18
Whiplash - ★★★★★ - August 25
The Fundamentals of Caring - ★★★★ - August 26
Enemy - ★★★ - August 27
The Nice Guys - ★★★★★ - August 28
Triumph: Summer Election Special 2016 - ★★★★★ - August 30
Don't Think Twice - ★★★★ - September 9
Zootopia - ★★★★★ - September 10
Shin Godzilla - ★★★★ - October 12
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back - ★★ - October 26
The Wicker Man - ★★ - November 1st
Doctor Strange - ★★★★★ - November 3rd
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV - ★★★ - November 14
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - ★★★★ - November 20
Me Before You - ★★★ - November 22
Sausage Party - ★★★ - December 13
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call - ★★★ - December 16
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - ★★★★ - December 21
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates - ★★★ - December 31
And though it isn't part of the challenge, I decided to also keep track of the television I watched:
Marvel's Jessica Jones (Season 1)
iZombie (Season 2)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Seasons 2 and 3)
Saturday Night Live (Season 41)
Broad City (Seasons 1-3)
You're the Worst (Seasons 1 and 2)
Seinfeld (Whole Series)
The Walking Dead (Seasons 4-6)
Stranger Things (Season 1)
Futurama (Season 10)
Love (Season 1)
The Get Down (Part 1)
Daredevil (Season 2)
Black Mirror (Season 3)
Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV (Whole Series)
Comedy Bang! Bang! (Season 3)
South Park (Season 20)
Westworld (Season 1)
Baskets (Season 1)
I should be able to complete the movie challenge again this year, though I will give more time to reading books in 2017.
Every year, NeoGAF has a 50 books and 50 movies challenge, in which you have to read 50 new books and watch 50 new movies before the start of the next year. There is also a game equivalent, in which you have to beat 52 new video games. These challenges provide that extra motivation to do/finish the things you already wanted to anyway and can lead you to checking out stuff you otherwise may not have (this is especially true with books).
I only read eight books in all of 2016, but that's double the amount I read in 2015, so I'm improving!
My ratings are done on a 5-star scale (no halfsies).
★ - Hated it
★★ - Disliked it
★★★ - Liked/enjoyed/didn't actively dislike it
★★★★ - Really liked it
★★★★★ - Loved it
Here are the eight books I read in 2016:
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy - ★★★
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson - ★★★★★ - Finished on June 18
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - ★★★★★ - Finished on June 23
Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos and Joy Ang - ★★★★ - Finished on October 28
The Dumbest Kid in Gifted Class by Dan Ryckert - ★★★★★ - Finished on December 14
You're Never Too Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day (Audiobook version, read by Felicia Day) - ★★★★★ - Finished on December 18
Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered The World by David Sheff - ★★★★★ - Finished on December 28
Yes Please by Amy Poehler (Audiobook version, read by Amy Poehler) - ★★★★★ - Finished on December 28
This year was the first time I ever listened to an audiobook. I got three free ones via a promotion with Audible and started listening to them on my 16+ hour drive to visit my mom in Kansas. It really makes memoirs (when narrated by the author) way better.
#1 - Batman: Arkham Knight
#2 - Life is Strange
#3 - Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae
#4 - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
#5 - Undertale
#6 - Halo 5: Guardians
#7 - Until Dawn
#8 - Star Wars Battlefront
#9 - Adventure Time: Magic Man's Head Games
#10 - Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
The other three 2015 releases I beat were Mortal Kombat X Mobile, Devil's Third, and Oh...Sir!. Even though The Nathan Drake Collection contains the first three Uncharted games remastered for the PlayStation 4, I didn't feel right putting any of those other three above it. I also had a great time replaying all those games right before playing Uncharted 4.
1. It had to come out in 2015.
2. I had to beat it.
#1 - Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
#2 - Nidhogg
#3 - Mount Your Friends
#4 - Destiny
I only beat four games that came out in 2014, so this is my list by default. I doubt Destiny would make any "Top" list of mine otherwise.
1. It had to come out in 2014.
2. I had to beat it.
2014 was another year where I intended to do "Best of" categories like I did in 2012, but I never actually did any. I did take some notes for potential awards and nominees a couple of years ago, however:
Best DLC: The Last of Us: Left Behind
Best Gameplay Sequence: Exploring the mall with Riley, The Last of Us: Left Behind
Best Re-Release: The Last of Us Remastered
Best Music Video: Turn Down for What by DJ Snake & Lil Jon
Man Crush: Troy Baker
#1 - The Last of Us
#2 - Grand Theft Auto V
#3 - BioShock Infinite
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Saints Row IV
Gone Home
Dead Rising 3
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
The Stanley Parable
Beyond: Two Souls
Everything after BioShock Infinite above isn't officially ordered. Below are the rest of the 2013 releases I beat until February 2016. They are also not officially ordered:
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
Gunpoint
Papers, Please
Ryse: Son of Rome
DmC Devil May Cry
Knack
Killzone: Shadow Fall
Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death
1. It had to come out in 2013.
2. I had to beat it.
Back in 2013, I had intended to do a full "Best of" blowout like I did in 2012, but I never got around to it except for a few:
Best Unlockable Achievement
Best 2012 Game
Fluffiest Booty
Favorite Concept Art
Below are the notes I took as I was planning them. I haven't edited this since, so some stuff may be missing, and some stuff maybe shouldn't be there. These are just ideas I was working on along with some nominees for the rest of the categories:
Best Ending: The Last of Us; BioShock Infinite; Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Best Ending Credits: Saints Row IV; Knack
Best Writing: The Last of Us; BioShock Infinite; Grand Theft Auto V; The Stanley Parable; Gone Home
Best Music: BioShock Infinite; The Last of Us; Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons; Gone Home
Best Graphics: The Last of Us; Grand Theft Auto V; Super Mario 3D World; Beyond: Two Souls; Dead Rising 3; Ryse: Son of Rome
Best Use of Cussing/Foul Language: The Last of Us; Grand Theft Auto V; Saints Row IV
Worst Ending: Killzone: Shadow Fall; Call of Duty: Ghosts
Best Narration: The Stanley Parable; Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
Best Male Performance: Troy Baker as Joel (The Last of Us); Nolan North as David (The Last of Us); Gerald "Slink" Johnson as Lamar Davis (Grand Theft Auto V); Steven Ogg as Trevor (Grand Theft Auto V); Ned Luke as Michael (Grand Theft Auto V)
Best Female Performance: Ashley Johnson as Ellie (The Last of Us); Courtnee Draper as Elizabeth (BioShock Infinite); Annie Wersching as Tess (The Last of Us); Sarah Grayson as Sam (Gone Home)
Best Art Direction: BioShock Infinite; Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons; The Last of Us; Papers, Please
Best Gameplay Sequence: Burying your brother in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Best Theme Song: Papers, Please
Best Non-Playable Character: Jorji (Papers, Please); Lamar Davis (Grand Theft Auto V)
Best Game of Glory to Arstotzka: Papers, Please
Best Textures: Gone Home; Killzone: Shadow Fall
Best Achievements: The Stanley Parable
Best Love Story: Gone Home
Best Use of Nudity: Papers, Please; Saints Row IV
Best Boss Battle of 2013: Bob Bargas, DmC Devil May Cry; David, The Last of Us
Best Pores: Dead Rising 3; Ryse: Son of Rome
Best Twist: Rapture, BioShock Infinite; Annie being Chuck Greene's daughter, Dead Rising 3
Best Co-op: Dead Rising 3; Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Best Late Title Card: Call of Duty: Ghosts
Game I died the most in: Knack
Best Use of Physics: Knack
Best Reflections: Knack
Man Crush - Troy Baker
Best DLC - Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep (Borderlands 2)
Every year, NeoGAF has a 52 games challenge, in which you have to beat 52 new games before the start of the next year. There is also a movie and book equivalent, in which you have to read 50 new books and watch 50 new movies. These challenges provide that extra motivation to do/finish the things you already wanted to anyway and can lead you to checking out stuff you otherwise may not have (this is especially true with books).
I didn't even come close to completing the challenge, beating only 18 games during the entirety of 2015.
My ratings are done on a 5-star scale (no halfsies). I didn't rate all the games I beat for 2015.
★ - Hated it
★★ - Disliked it
★★★ - Liked/enjoyed/didn't actively dislike it
★★★★ - Really liked it
★★★★★ - Loved it
For games, I sometimes wrote a sentence or two about my thoughts and experiences, which are included here. I also include about how many hours it took me to complete some games.
Here are the 18 games I beat in 2015:
Game 1: Knack - ~10 hours - ★★★
Longer and more challenging than I expected, Knack was an enjoyable action-platformer that felt very much like something from the creator of Crash Bandicoot.
Game 2: Depression Quest - ~3 hours - ★★★★★
A very accurate portrayal of depression that hit a bit closer than I expected, Depression Quest is an important experience that those who wish to know more about the illness should play.
Game 3: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist - ~21 hours - ★★★★★
Much better and truer to Splinter Cell than what I was initially led to believe, Blacklist is a great addition to the franchise that allows a lot customization and freedom in how to handle situations. The co-op, as always, was the best part of the experience for me. I completed all the 4E missions including the DLC with random partners.
Game 4: Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae - ~5 hours - ★★★★★
Game 5: Borderlands 2 - ~83 hours - ★★★★
I played the entirety of this game and all of its story DLC on co-op with my friend Sean. We begun on August 23rd, 2014 and just finished up everything on March 27th, 2015. An overall enjoyable game that can get tedious at times, we ended up ignoring most of the enemies near the end as we were so over-leveled by that point it didn't matter. Tiny Tina is the best.
Game 6: Ryse: Son of Rome - ~10 hours - ★★★★
Game 7: Mortal Kombat X (iOS) - ★★★
Game 8: Batman: Arkham Knight (PC) - ★★★★★
A fantastic game all around, and probably the most technically impressive I have played to date (July 25th, 2015). Really liked the story, and the writing for one character in particular was top notch. Game of the Year contender for sure. Oh, and I liked the Batmobile!
Game 9: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD (PS3) - ★★★★★
Game 10: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD (PS3) - ★★★★★
Game 11: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PC) - ★★★★★
Game 12: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PC)
Game 13: Metal Gear HD (PS3) - ★★★
Game 14: Resident Evil 5 (PC) - ★★★★★
Game 15: Until Dawn (PS4)
Game 16: Star Wars Battlefront (PS4)
Game 17: Adventure Time: Magic Man's Head Games (Gear VR)
Game 18: Nidhogg (PC)
Every year, NeoGAF has a 50 books and 50 movies challenge, in which you have to read 50 new books and watch 50 new movies before the start of the next year. There is also a game equivalent, in which you have to beat 52 new video games. These challenges provide that extra motivation to do/finish the things you already wanted to anyway and can lead you to checking out stuff you otherwise may not have (this is especially true with books).
I got pretty close to completing the challenge, but ended up eight movies short. Microsoft had an awesome sale near the end of the year where you could rent new releases for only ten cents, which helped me get a lot closer than I otherwise would have.
My ratings are done on a 5-star scale (no halfsies).
★ - Hated it
★★ - Disliked it
★★★ - Liked/enjoyed/didn't actively dislike it
★★★★ - Really liked it
★★★★★ - Loved it
I'm not very critical of most of the media I consume, so it's not often I give something less than three stars.
Here are the 42 movies I watched in 2015:
22 Jump Street - ★★★
This is the End - ★★★
Peter Pan Live! - ★★★★
Rocky - ★★★★
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - ★★★
Horns - ★★★
Wreck-It Ralph - ★★★★★
Mad Max - ★★★
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - ★★★★
Mad Mad Beyond Thunderdome - ★★★
Mad Max: Fury Road - ★★★★★
Avengers: Age of Ultron - ★★★★
Timer - ★★★
Rocky II - ★★★★★
Kung Fury - ★★★★
Nightcrawler - ★★★★
Inside Out - ★★★★★
Spirited Away - ★★★★
Rocky III - ★★★★★
Wet Hot American Summer - ★★★★
Rocky IV - ★★★
7 Days in Hell - ★★★★★
Obvious Child - ★★★★★
Song of the Sea - ★★★★★
It Follows - ★★★★
Beasts of No Nation - ★★★★★
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 - ★★★
Ex Machina - ★★★★★
Pitch Perfect 2 - ★★★
Trainwreck - ★★★★★
Spy - ★★★★★
Jurassic World - ★★★★
Terminator Genisys - ★★★
The Age of Adaline - ★★★★
Cinderella (2015) - ★★★★
Pixels - ★★★
San Andreas - ★★★★★
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - ★★★
Magic Mike XXL - ★★★★★
Tomorrowland - ★★★★
Top Five - ★★★★★
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - ★★★★★
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - ★★★★★
The Snowman - ★★★
Completing the movie challenge in 2016 is almost a sure thing, as I've already seen 40 so far. Then maybe I'll spend more time reading books!