It’s that time of the year again. Mud was flung, opinions were questioned and after several rounds of totally legal brawling, we finally decided on our Game of the Year. Though 2016 may have seen more problematic launches than you could shake a cynical Brit at, it also featured tons of long awaited releases and amazing follow-ups. What deserves to sit at the top of the throne as GamingBolt’s Game of the Year? Let’s look at the nominees.

NOMINEES:

Overwatch

Overwatch is many things – a game of ultimates, a game of strategy, a game of metas, aiming, pinching, positioning, communication and much more. However, Overwatch is also a blast. It mixes 23 unique heroes that, despite their categories, can be as dangerous as you want them to be. Constant support from Blizzard, including new maps, modes, events and cosmetics, is the icing on the cake – Overwatch has stayed alive this long thanks to its amazing gameplay that keeps you coming back for more when it’s not letting you be the hero everyone deserves.

Titanfall 2

“Upping the ante” isn’t a term to take lightly. Respawn certainly didn’t with Titanfall 2. It delivered the best single-player FPS campaign in a long time. Retaining the same awesome movement and gunplay from the original, Titanfall 2 revamped its approach to abilities, Titans and map design, delivering more evenly paced action. Don’t worry – you can still be a futuristic bad-ass all throughout.

Final Fantasy 15

You’ve probably heard a thing or two about how long it took for Final Fantasy 15 to release. The final product could have used a tad more polish but as it stands, this tale of war between Prince Noctis and the Niflheim Empire is well worth the price of admission. With hours upon hours of content, gorgeous worlds to explore, memorable characters and a spell-binding soundtrack, Final Fantasy 15 marks the series’ rebirth for a new generation.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Nathan Drake wasn’t going to just walk off into the sunset and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is a fitting hurrah to the adventurer’s legends. Naughty Dog’s signature formula of platforming, exploration, puzzle solving, shooting and action-packed set-pieces still hasn’t worn thin. Debates could be made about whether Uncharted 4 is the best in the series but as one last good-bye to its iconic hero, it’s undoubtedly Game of the Year-worthy.

Watch Dogs 2

Watch Dogs 2 had a huge stigma to overcome thanks to the original. Instead of going the same route, Ubisoft decided to mix things up, introducing a more open-ended campaign with varying styles of play for missions and a new outlook. Marcus Halloway and his crew are a brighter, hipper and more enthusiastic take on the hacking underground and Watch Dogs 2 is all the better for it. Take that, Aiden Pearce.

DOOM

From the moment you awaken in your crypt to gripping that iconic shotgun for the first time, DOOM is id Software through and through. Its pulsating metal pushes you to tear apart your enemies. The Glory Kills provide the tools. The environments encourage all manner of strafing and experimentation. It’s all up to what kind of demon-killing Space Marine you want to be and there’s no digital violence enabler better than DOOM.

The Witness

Like The Talos Principle, Thelka Inc.’s The Witness philosophises eloquently but without beating you in the head with it. Instead, the narrative gently guides you from one puzzle to the next, the mysterious island opening up to scrutiny. It’s not long before you finally learn to “see”, awakening the perspective necessary to truly appreciate the world of The Witness and the experience it wants to bestow upon you.

Fire Emblem Fates

Intelligent Systems’ Fire Emblem Fates didn’t just give us more Fire Emblem – it established a veritable universe of excellent turn-based strategy RPG gameplay to get lost in.You could build your own base. Check and mate. From the beginner-friendly Birthright to the intense action of Conquest and the eventual epic battle of Revelation, Fire Emblem Fates let you customize your avatar for the first time and truly craft your destiny.

Forza Horizon 3

It’s hard to believe that Playground Games could make such a huge leap from Forza Horizon 2 to Forza Horizon 3. The entire scale of the game has been expanded as much as enlarged, providing more cars, challenges and objectives to complete than ever before. The addition of Horizon Blueprint encouraged racing according to your needs while the vast open world rewarded exploration without any pressure. Forza Horizon 3 struck that perfect balance between arcade and simulation, offering an experience that anyone could fall in love with.

WINNER

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Moving on is never easy. Everyone wants you to make a new life and look forward to the future but the past always teases you. What if you could have one last adventure? Would you risk everything for it? Would you do it for family?

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the end of Nathan Drake’s story. That’s no small task when you consider the epic adventures our main man has had. Naughty Dog didn’t need to up the ante to impress us, though visually this is the most stunning title for PS4 (and other consoles for that matter).

Uncharted 4 captures that feeling of one last amazing trip into the beyond before finally settling down into the drudgery of normal life. In the process, it teaches us that even everyday life can have its important milestones and they make the adventures all the sweeter. For its excellently crafted narrative, generation-defining visuals and superb gameplay, Uncharted 4 is our pick for Game of the Year 2016.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

The Xbox One has seen a pretty good year. We’ve been saying that every year since 2014 but the releases have just been ramping up in quality ever since. This year was no different and while the Xbox One’s line-up probably wasn’t as stellar as last year big names, there was still plenty to enjoy and more than enough reason to stick with the platform heading into 2017.

NOMINEES:

Quantum Break

Remedy Entertainment’s long-in-development third person shooter didn’t break the mold but it did successfully fuse TV-style story-telling with incredible visuals. The result was a hybrid entertainment experience done right, even if the controls could have been better. Plus, no one can deny the utter fun that could be had as a literal chrono-master. It also didn’t hurt that each of the star personalities – from Shawn Ashmore to Lance Reddick and Aiden Gillen – contributed very well to making us care about these characters.

Gears of War 4

Gears of War 4 returned to many tried and true tenets of the franchise while still progressing forward with its story-telling. The result was a comfortable cast of characters and strong narrative pacing, even if it felt a lot like set-up for later editions in the series. The classic gameplay was still intact and Horde mode served to show us how brutal wave-based PvE should be done (although its slight pay-to-win aspects were annoying).

ReCore

More of a niche favourite than outright quality performer, ReCore actually came into its own after launch. Many of the central issues were addressed, allowing players to focus on exploring this vast new world from the minds of Keiji Inafune and Joseph Staten. It may not have been Mega Man Legends 3 (though the visuals could have fooled you) but ReCore did provide some fun third person action on Xbox One and Windows 10.

Forza Horizon 3

The Horizon Festival travels to Australia and this time around, you’re the boss. This means you decide where to build new locations, which tournaments to hold (and customize) and how you’re going to expand your circle of fans. Forza Horizon 3 is a testament to the sheer quality and variety that the franchise can offer, setting itself apart from the Motorsport series in many ways. The seamless co-op, awesome range of vehicles (which are very accessible to even your average racer) and sheer fun of the activities makes it easy to pick up and nearly impossible to put down.

WINNER:

Forza Horizon 3

Something about Forza Horizon 3 struck me when the menu loaded up. The transition to beautiful Australia, the buzz building around the Horizon Festival and the sheer realism with which the continent was rendered was only the beginning of an amazing trip. Forza Horizon 3 achieves the difficult task of balancing realism and fun but doesn’t stop there. The Bucket List challenges, Showcase Events, Horizon Blueprint, challenging Drivatars…heck, even going off and exploring vast open fields with Drone Mode for a classic vehicle was fun. Forza Horizon 3 stands out as the best Xbox One game of this year and many more to come.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

If you were to just follow the bigger names in the genre, you’d think that fighting games had it rough this year- Street Fighter 5’s anticipated launch was a bit of a trainwreck, and drew attention for all the wrong reasons. But you’d be wrong, as you would be ignoring all the other great fighting games that were released this year, as well as the massive strides to improvement that Street Fighter 5 itself made. It wasn’t a banner year for fighting games, but it was a pretty good one all around regardless- and the following games helped make it so.

Street Fighter V

Sure, the launch was a bit of a mess, but the fighting game mechanics in the game even then were sublime, much to the delight of fighting game enthusiasts everywhere. That Capcom have only steadily worked on fixing the game’s problems has led to it being a far more appealing product now than you’d believe from all the bad press this game was once getting.

King of Fighters XIV

The move to 3D rendering may still rankle with a lot of fans, but in the end, none of it mattered when it came to King of Fighters 14– the game is a marvel of technical depth and nuance, and you can lose yourself to simply trying to master all of the game’s mechanical complexities for weeks and months, should you want to.

Pokken Tournament

 As great as it was unexpected, Pokken fulfils a long held dream of many series fans of seeing their Pokémon duke it out with each other in real time. The game was largely not expected to be anything special- but the special mix of Tekken with Pokémon, with a healthy dash of new mechanics by the side, made Pokken the surprise fighting game hit of the year.

Guilty Gear Xrd–REVELATOR

 A seamless transition of the series’ traditional 2D style into 3D made Guilty Gear Xrd–REVELATOR a favorite of series fans this year- but in the end, the only reason that mattered to most was the game’s staggering depth, which requires literal frame perfect responses and coordination for a player to truly thrive in a competitive environment.

Blazblue Central Fiction

 You always know what you’re signing up for with Blazblue, and that didn’t change with Central Fiction. The entire controversy about the game lacking an English dub aside, the game’s emphasis on offensive play and unique mechanics like the ‘Drive’ system made it a fan favorite in a fan favorite series to begin with.

WINNER

Guilty Gear Xrd–REVELATOR

Look, in the end, a fighting game is defined by a few things- its mechanical depth, meaningful advances it makes to its formula, the amount of content it has, and the community it has. All games on this list ended up getting some or the other of those right- but in the end, only Guilty Gear manages to get all of that down, and for that reason, it deserves to be our Fighting Game of the Year.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

Game studios come and game studios go. Some make a mark, like Looking Glass Studios, and are remembered for years past their expiry date. Others quietly close shop and are never heard from again. The few and the proud manage to hang on despite the changing times (and themselves) to stand out each year. Let’s take a look at the nominees for 2016’s developer of the year.

NOMINEES:

Square Enix

It’s easy to hate on Square Enix but the studio has made significant strides this year. Along with releasing Final Fantasy 15, which turned out to be pretty good, the development teams have been updating Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn with strong content on a consistent basis, making it one of the best MMOs out there. Add in games like World of Final Fantasy and I Am Setsuna and Square Enix hasn’t done too badly with RPG releases this year.

Blizzard Entertainment

The mega success (and fun) of Overwatch wasn’t just a launch one-off – the development team has been releasing updates like new heroes, maps, events and cosmetics. Blizzard also took to reviving World of Warcraft with the stellar Legion expansion along with a bevy of post-launch updates. The company also made significant updates to Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void, Heroes of the Storm and even Diablo 3 (which will be receiving lots of new content next year).

Naughty Dog

The long-awaited Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End made an impact and immediately won over critics with its action, sleek presentation and memorable set-pieces. As a whole, Naughty Dog has been firing on all cylinders, releasing free multiplayer updates like new maps, modes and the upcoming Survival mode. The future is certainly bright for the studio with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and The Last of Us: Part 2 planned for the future.

Intelligent Systems

Intelligent Systems has been a key player in Nintendo’s fortunes for a long time. This year was no different as it saw Fire Emblem Fates release in the West to stellar critical reception. Considering the work done on Fire Emblem Awakening in 2012-2013, this was to be expected but we got two great Fire Emblem titles – Birthright and Conquest – in the same year. And, Paper Mario: Colour Splash was also a thing that everyone didn’t hate. So there’s that.

Respawn Entertainment

Respawn Entertainment had a lot to live up to in Titanfall 2 and with the sequel, it delivered one of the greatest single-player campaigns ever and its most complete multiplayer experience yet. With the ability to unlock tons of different skins, play around with six new Titans, a variety of game modes and free maps on the way, Titanfall 2 definitely proved Respawn belongs.

Playground Games

For the third time running, Playground Games crafted an intricate, beautiful and highly involving open world racer. Forza Horizon 3 blew away our expectations, offering a range of vehicles to acquire and race along with other new features. Playground is currently working on two expansions for the game along with new cars releasing on a monthly basis.

WINNER:

Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard may lack innovation in some places but when it comes to polish and ensuring every mechanic is crafted to perfection, there are very few devs who can claim the same. Overwatch’s development team has shown a desire to listen to fans, present clear communication for its actions and offer compelling content all year round. As for World of Warcraft: Legion, it’s probably the finest expansion in years, revamping every aspect of PvP from the ground up, introducing a fun new story and lots of great quests without the meaningless grind that perpetuated Warlords of Draenor. Blizzard’s impact in 2016 can’t be denied and it’s our developer of the year as a result.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

The role of music in games is sadly underrated- even as we have had incredible game soundtracks over the year, thanks to some incredible Nintendo offerings, and titles like Persona and Final Fantasy, a whole lot of people never even stop to consider the role and importance of music in their games. But music is paramount- without music, games would be significantly less enjoyable than they are. The proof of this lies in the fact that our nominees for the best soundtrack this year also represent some of the best games of 2016.

The Last Guardian

Slow, quiet, reflective, introspective, and more focused on ambience than melody, The Last Guardian’s soundtrack is instrumental in building that game’s atmosphere- and anyone who had played the game will tell you that its atmosphere is among its greatest assets. The Last Guardian would be a lesser game without its music.

Final Fantasy 15

Is it a surprise that Final Fantasy 15 has great music? The entire Final Fantasy series is known for having soundtracks that transcend the medium itself, and Final Fantasy 15 is no exception. Whether we want to talk about its use of licensed music, or the original compositions created for it, or its deft reuse of OSTs of older Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy 15 certainly stands out as one of the best soundtracks of the year.

The Banner Saga 2

The original Banner Saga was a masterpiece of presentation, with incredible, gorgeous graphics, and a charming and beautiful as all heck soundtrack- The Banner Saga 2 is no different, and it follows, tonally, the original game’s soundtrack, while also following the more ambitious story that the sequel tells. The Banner Saga 2’s soundtrack, then, is one of the strongest aspects of a very great game.

Dark Souls 3

Orchestral, dark, brooding, eerie, haunting, atmospheric, gothic- there are so many adjectives to use to describe the Dark Souls 3 soundtrack, but none quite do it justice. The true impact of the Dark Souls soundtrack cannot be felt unless you hear the music while playing the game- that’s how indelibly married to its game it is. Perhaps that’s what makes it such a work of art, then.

DOOM

DOOM is just the embodiment of the old, 1990s style kickass mentality, and that is reflected in just about every facet of the game. From how it plays, to how it is designed, to how it looks, to yes, the music, which is basically an orgy of death metal that plays in the background as you mow down wave after wave of demons with you ridiculously overpowered weapons.

Oxenfree

Oxenfree is a game that is incredibly memorable- memorable for how it looks, memorable for its premise, and memorable, yes, for its soundtrack, that definitely stands out as far and away one of the best soundtracks in a year that is full of incredible music in games.

WINNER

Final Fantasy 15

 Does this really come as a surprise to anyone? Final Fantasy 15’s music is veritable art- from just how well it uses some older compositions to how great the new ones are, from how well selected the licensed music is, the music in this game is incredible. But more than that, perhaps, what Final Fantasy 15 excels in is in knowing when certain music pieces should and should not be played- and the effect of Final Fantasy 15’s incredible soundtrack is, as a result, truly maximized, reinforcing its status as the best gaming OST of the year.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

2016 was positively stuffed with major news, announcements, and developments in the gaming industry. Indeed, its legacy for video games will probably be that of a transitive year, as multiple major announcements this year will probably end up influencing the direction and shape of the industry for a long time to come. Which of these, however, was the biggest one of them all? Let’s find out.

The Last of Us Part 2 Announcement

 The Last of Us is one of the greatest video games ever made, so it should come as no surprise that fans wanted a sequel of it. That alone should be reason enough for the announcement of its sequel being a big deal, but probably no one expected one so soon- after all, Naughty Dog just delivered Uncharted 4 earlier this year, which came after a lengthy development cycle- who knew when their next game would come? We still don’t know when it will, but we know what it is, and what it is makes us incredible excited.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Announcement

 We knew it was coming, but that didn’t stop us from being excited when it was finally announced. Red Dead Redemption stands as one of the highest rated games of all time, and is quite possibly the most beloved game of the last generation- its sequel has the potential to become one of the biggest games of this generation, which means that its announcement definitely stands out as a pretty big deal.

Xbox Scorpio Announcement

Who expected Microsoft to announce a brand new console so soon? And such a monstrously powerful one at that? Rumblings of an upgraded Xbox had been percolating for quite a while, but the actual announcement of the Scorpio took us all by surprise, especially when we realized just how incredibly powerful the system would really be upon its launch next year.

PS4 Pro Announcement

The PS4 Pro announcement was expected- not only had Sony themselves discussed the system before its official reveal, but just about every aspect of it had been leaked before even then. That doesn’t stop the reveal for what would become the very first iterative console ever in history from being significant.

Nintendo Switch Reveal

 We knew Nintendo was working on a new system called the NX, because they had talked about it briefly once last year, and then never again. Meanwhile, fans were working themselves up into a frenzy as they waited for official news, while leaks of all kind about the system circulated all over the place. When the Switch was finally revealed, at less than a day’s notice, it took us all aback- Nintendo is looking to do something truly fresh with their new system, and this time around, it looks like they have their advertising and third party support down, too.

Xbox One Sales Victory

 Three years into the generation, Microsoft started to finally regain some ground against Sony when the Xbox One won several months straight in key territories, such as the US, UK, and Australia. While this is unlikely to make any difference to the outcome of this console war, it demonstrated that Xbox was still competitive in the market- and that alone is far more important to the health of the industry than anything else.

WINNER

Scorpio Announcement

 Look, a new console announcement trumps everything else, and while we had three of them this year, the Scorpio announcement still takes it- we knew that Nintendo were going to announce a new system, we’d known it for a year, and almost everything about the PS4 Pro had been leaked beforehand. The Scorpio completely blindsided us, and it ended up dominsting discourse around games for the rest of the year.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

One could say that virtual reality didn’t properly take off this year until the PlayStation VR released. While HTC Vive and Oculus Rift had their takers, it ultimately came down to the games on offer. Fortunately, when PlayStation VR launched in October, it brought plenty of awesome games to the forefront. Not every title was a winner but those that were made a tremendous impact in proving VR as a viable gaming medium.

NOMINEES

Battlezone VR

This isn’t your dad’s Battlezone. Battlezone VR is the universe re-imagined as a faux Tron-style warzone with compelling shooting and excellent visuals. That is, if you’re a fan of neon aesthetics and polygonal shapes (don’t worry – the developer makes it work). When it comes to VR shooters, there are few better games for beginners than Battlezone VR.

Thumper

An eclectic mix of rhythmic racer, sleek high-stakes thriller and surreal noise-filled ambiance, Thumper came out of nowhere to claim our hearts as one of the best PlayStation VR titles – and games – of this year. Subliminally addictive, the rhythmic violence of Thumper will draw you into its future-noir world like no other.

RIGS: Mechanized Combat League

Sometimes you just need a game with giant mechs engaging in combat sports to prove VR is worthwhile. RIGS: Mechanized Combat League did just that and so much more. The action is Rocket League-esque in terms of mayhem and the sports tie-ins add that extra bit of competitive adrenaline to the mix. Until the real world sees the appeal of giant mech sports, RIGS is the best possible place to experience it.

EVE: Valkyrie

For years, EVE was a simple online MMO that galvanized its dedicated, cult-like fan base to manic heights. EVE: Valkyrie brings us that universe in a different package – one of space combat. Despite concerns with the plot and campaign, Valkyrie soared high with its awesome controls and memorable dog-fights. It also didn’t hurt that the game looked and sounded great.

Rez Infinite

Many years ago, Rez released and many didn’t know what to make of it. The combination of tunes created when shooting foes thus promoting a sort of synesthesia to the entrancing electronic soundtrack made Rez a classic. More than a decade later, Rez Infinite brings the series into its most obvious evolution – virtual reality.

WINNER

Rez Infinite

Shakespeare spoke quite a lot about the “man that hath no music in himself” and it wasn’t exactly positive. But it’s hard to imagine the sort of person who wouldn’t love Rez Infinite. It’s not enough to simply play along with the music – the VR version makes you one with the music. There’s no distinction between you and the synesthesia generated. What other VR experience can lay claim to accomplishing that? Area X further innovates on the base game’s ambitions by setting you loose into space. Combined with the enhanced freedom and movement with the joyous trance it can put you into, Rez Infinite is easily the best PlayStation VR game yet in the headset’s lifespan.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

For all the brouhaha generated over graphics and music, a video game is only as immersive as the story-telling it uses to draw players in. It’s the story that introduces us to the world and its characters while taking us on grand adventures. 2016 was full of interesting stories and memorable characters but which one stood out the most? Let’s look at the nominees for best story of 2016.

NOMINEES:

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Nathan Drake’s last hurrah ended up being much more than his swan song. From the reappearance and bond with his brother Sam to life after marriage, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End explored the many complexities of a more mature Nathan Drake. The epilogue showcasing Drake’s transition into a life of adventure and family is a comforting resolution for one of gaming’s more iconic adventurers.

Mafia 3

The mixed reception to Mafia 3‘s gameplay and open world couldn’t overcome the praise for its story. A tale of revenge centered on one Lincoln Clay served as the back-drop to depict racism in the late 1960’s. Clay’s personal arc of vengeance transitioned to becoming the monster he sought to destroy and despite its repetitive side-missions, Mafia 3‘s core story delivered.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Excuse the clichés for a second and take in the humanity that is Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s story. This isn’t a tale of patriotism as much as survival and optimism. Infinite Warfare’s campaign may be predictable – kill “insert main villain’s name here” – but its characters and the freshness with which it approaches key plot points is worth noting.

Inside

Playdead is no stranger to hype and mystery – after all, it had a lot to live up to after Limbo. Inside may not be as game-changing but its presentation, story and atmosphere deserve so much more recognition. Who are you and are you really in control? Are we all simply driven by another’s imperative? In as few words as possible, Inside told an incredibly compelling tale.

Owlboy

Otus is a pacifist but far from a coward. So when sky pirates suddenly attack his village and kidnap his friends, it’s up to Otus to rescue them. Otus’s journey through the world of Owlboy is one of attention and care, balancing animated fantasy with retro-goodness. Even if Owlboy stole a dozen or so hours of your time, Otus’s story and the turns he endured would stay with you.

Gears of War 4

How do you expand on a universe while staying faithful to its roots, marching towards the future yet remembering the past? Gears of War 4 showed us how, delivering JD Fenix as a natural hero to root for while still presenting a world in peril. Despite the insistence on simply throwing the player from one way-point to another and reusing enemy factions, Gears of War 4‘s themes of family reinforced with a long overdue sense of horror made for one of the more enjoyable stories of 2016.

WINNER:

Mafia 3

During Mafia 3‘s ending, it comes time to decide who you really are. This isn’t in the “good and bad” sense either – the sum of your actions effectively comes back to haunt you – but it’s amazing how many times Mafia 3 poses that question. The arc of revenge and overwhelming anger felt by Clay is tragic and self-destructive as much as it is progressive. If Mafia 3 held up a mirror to the disgusting traits of humanity in the late 60’s, then it also served as a window into the deepest darkest depths of a man’s soul.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

Games come and games go but one genre that’s persevered through the ages – thanks in no small part to a legendary plumber – is the platformer. There’s just something about the genre that appeals to everyone, even as it challenges our timing, coordination and reflexes. Let’s take a look at the nominees for best platformer of 2016.

NOMINEES:

Ratchet and Clank

Insomniac goes back to where it all began with Ratchet and Clank. Essentially a brand new re-telling of the first game, Ratchet and Clank mixes the same action platforming we’ve come to love about the series with amazing visuals, detailed worlds and a hilariously charming plot.

Owlboy

Getting tired of the world praising Owlboy? It’s not going to end anytime soon. D-Pad Studio’s platformer combines so many fun elements – Metroid-vania exploration, platforming, shooting, memorable NPCs and so on – around such an engaging plot that it’s simply impossible to resist.

Inside

Though Inside‘s impact was pretty understated within the first two months of its release, it still stands as one of the most affecting video games ever made. The gameplay itself is rock solid, eschewing drawn out segments for a brisk pace and varied sequences. And don’t worry – there’s plenty of challenge for you Limbo veterans out there.

Unravel

Coldwood Interactive’s breakout platformer combines physics and puzzle-solving to help determine Yarny’s traversal through stages. Despite the tangled nature of the gameplay, Unravel‘s storyline keeps things simple and to the point. It’s simultaneously heart-breaking and heart-warming at points and definitely calls back to simpler times in one’s life.

Seasons After Fall

Seasons After Fall is an interesting platformer, having released under the shadow of bigger games in September. The sheer artistry of the visuals combined with the ability to change seasons at will and a generous difficulty make Seasons After Fall the other side of the surreal platforming coin from Ori and the Blind Forest. And that’s not a bad thing at all.

Kirby: Planet Robobot

Though not particularly difficult, Kirby: Planet Robobot how well the franchise innovates while staying true to the Kirby platforming formula. The puzzles themselves are interesting and present a unique 3D perspective while the robot and overall visual style make this one of the more enjoyable Kirby titles in recent memory.

WINNER:

Owlboy

How much praise is too much praise for Owlboy? Once again, it’s very well earned as Owlboy takes many of the conventions that define a platformer and twists them on their head. Otus, the game’s protagonist, isn’t your typical action platforming hero – despite his courage, he isn’t a cold-blooded fighter. Instead, Otus takes the aid of various companions to provide different functions, like shooting past obstacles, when he’s not using his unique abilities to turn the tables on foes. The Metroid-vania formula expands even further when you consider the fresh options available to you. It’s also amazing to note how despite its large world, well-paced story and memorable sequences, Owlboy comes in a great 9 to 10 hours of intricately plotted gameplay. With its visual fidelity and the sheer heart it possess throughout its running time, Owlboy feels like so much more than the length of its gameplay parts.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.

What classifies an action title as such? Is it the heart-pounding moments and adrenaline as you rack up kill after kill? Is it stealth and making the right kill? Whatever your definition may be, action as a genre played a huge role in this year’s games, from the sneaky to the cover-based. Here are the nominees for best action game of 2016.

NOMINEES:

Hitman

Many were worried that the episodic approach would spell doom but IO Interactive’s Hitman managed to overcome the odds. Returning to a more sandbox-like approach and incorporating a variety of ways to complete missions, Hitman was a return to form for the series. Sure, the inability to play offline and the overall “meh” nature of episode 5 was there but the episodes were by and large a success.

Deus Ex Mankind Divided

While not praised for its ending, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided expanded upon its initial stealth FPS/RPG premise from before, featuring a more involved and densely populated world to explore. Mission objectives offered unparalleled freedom and it certainly helps that the lethal options are improved over the first game.

Gears of War 4

Returning to what made the series great while pushing it forward was the goal for Gears of War 4. The Coalition mostly succeeded, thanks to a compelling new campaign and cast with more fluid cover-based shooting. The gameplay felt incredibly old-school but that wasn’t a bad thing especially when you throw in a revamped Horde mode and awesome set-pieces.

Quantum Break

In development for a long time, Quantum Break wasn’t your typical Remedy title (but then again, what is?). Featuring live-action TV episodes interspersed among in-game missions, Quantum Break‘s gameplay focused on time-bending and third person shooting. Its decision-making ultimately influenced the plot and as a trans-media experience, it was certainly a lot better than we thought it would be.

Dishonored 2

Say what you will about the graphics or the PC issues or how similar it is to the original but Dishonored 2 expands the initial package in so many ways. Offering two playable characters with a large yet familiar world to explore, the combination of political intrigue and high-octane stealth made Dishonored 2 stand out in a year of triple-A releases.

Dark Souls 3

Many will call this an “RPG” but we all know the truth. Dark Souls is a battle for survival where your wits, reflexes and timing will save you more often than a better weapon or higher stats. Dark Souls 3 was a return of sorts to what made the series so appealing with tons of secrets, memorable boss fights and the classic gameplay we know and love.

WINNER:

Hitman

It’s hard to point out exactly what made Hitman so great. Splitting the main story into episodes still doesn’t sit well with people but being able to overhear possible assassination methods, stealing outfits and committing murder via bathroom drowning? How about causing an entire chandelier collapse during a fashion show? Hitman took the classic sand-box of previous titles and gave us a bigger playground with more tools and challenges to play around in. Lo and behold, it made for a better game than Absolution even with some technical issues. It may be more stealth than you’re used to but as an action game, Hitman is definitely on top for 2016.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.