Top 5 games of 2016

Hello and welcome to another post by yours truly. Where you usually expect me to rant about my busy schedule and reviewing an obscure, indie game, I am here to tell you instead that 2016 may have been one of the worst years for all of us in a lot of other aspects BUT games. 2016 sheds some light and hope for years to come. My schedule may have been busy and this year I may have played very few games but I can at least vouch for all of you this year saw a lot of projects that were on hold for a very long time such as Final Fantasy XV and The Last Guardian. Let's not forget to mention all the upcoming ones for 2017 and years to come. I will list the five games I have played so far this year that are worthy of being top 5. Note: The games I've beaten this year may or may not have been released this year.

5th place: The Legend of Heroes: Trails In The Sky SC

I hope you realize already that JRPGs are my thing and I was overly excited to hear the second chapter of this gigantic universe of an RPG had its second chapter translated last year. Sure enough, I took my time playing it and its exactly as I left it, full of life and overly complex not to mention way more difficult than the first game which will surely leave you grinding and exploring for at least 80 hours. I also hope you realize waiting for this game has been very frustrating since the Japanese version was already out back when I first played the first chapter in 2011. So 5 years was hell for me to finally play it but things are looking up and XSeed have announced a 2017 release date for the third and final chapter of this trilogy, so fingers crossed. 

4th Place: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Yes I may have been harsh towards Mankind Divided when it first came out and described it as a DLC to the previous game. I may have said the game was less engaging and empty in its plot compared to Human Revolution. I still follow the opinion that the first game outranks it by light years however, I would never turn down an amazing sci fi experience like Deus Ex. I was really excited for it and I got exactly what I wanted and perhaps even more. The level design in Mankind Divided is notable and spectacular. I was also surprised I did a whole run of stealth throughout the campaign only to realize that the combat was a lot of fun. What I wanted more out of Mankind Divided now that I look back was perhaps a more lengthy campaign and more boss fights. Regardless of what I said, it is a solid experience worthy of being in my Top 5 of 2016.

3rd Place: Doom

I've recently reviewed Doom and I was amazed by how they've captured the exact same moments we've experienced in the Original. Doom puts you on the edge of your seat from minute one and you do not take a break fighting hordes of monsters back to back. With a kickass soundtrack and a solid, difficult experience you are sure to enjoy one hell of a ride in Doom. Truly a big surprise for me this year and revitalized my love for FPS games.

2nd Place: Dark Souls 3

Waiting for Dark Souls 3 was probably the most anticlimactic time of the year for me. I wasn't expecting much and I haven't seen any trailers for it until now. I had immediately jumped to it and adapting to it was harder than I had imagined. Bloodborne to me from our friendly neighboring From Software is still the peak of all Souls games ironically. The lead developer to the souls series had left in Dark Souls 2 so it was another fresh take on things seeing him come back for the third game. Dark Souls 3 offered a lot of surprises for me despite it being the same amount of content and difficulty one would expect out of a souls game. However, what I loved the most about it was the fact that it made me like PVP. I did not play it religiously but I can safely say it solved all issues the players have been facing since Demons Souls. Multiplayer is so smooth whether it is co op or PVP and its so exciting one could spend hours fighting endless players without feeling distracted from the main campaign. Bosses are as tough as ever and feeling overwhelmed by them is the most satisfying feeling right after the ridiculous and gigantic environments one is put through in a Dark Souls setting. I'd like to also note how far the developers have come where if I go back to Dark Souls 1 I will find it unplayable due to the low frame rate so it is great to go through Dark Souls 3 with the same pacing of Bloodborne. Dark Souls 3 is worthy of a second place on my top 5 of 2016.

1st Place: Final Fantasy XV

I have broken the rule of posting my favorite games of 2016 but this one grants an automatic exception for me because I am still not done with it. I won't be done with it because I love taking my time with all Final Fantasy entries and this one is filled with content. Despite all its flaws and its almost incomplete story, it is still very dear to my heart mostly because it made me forget about the worst time in the series and I can safely move on from that time. I gradually was afraid it would be another Final Fantasy XIII but I realized I was already 40 hours in the game with no hopes of quitting on it. With gorgeous environments and a phenomenal soundtrack and an engaging battle system, I assure you if you are an RPG fan you will love Final Fantasy XV and will have a solid experience. 

This year had way more games that I have enjoyed that have not made it in the list, but these are the games I have enjoyed the most. I have yet to catch up with The Last guardian and other games that I have missed out on. Other notable mentions this year include Rise of The Tomb Raider, Uncharted 4, and the reboot of Hitman. All games I have enjoyed but were not as investing as my top 5. Other indie mentions include Inside, check it out and let's hope for a better upcoming year with all the exciting news and announcements. I've been Ahmed Jadaa and see you on my next review.