What are your 2016 GOTY contenders?

[BogusMeatFactory]

Pokemon Go, really? That fad burned out quicker than Furby.

Yeah really. I just played again two hours ago. I explore a lot of unfamiliar places playing this game, and I get a lot of exercise.

I feel ya samson! I still play almost every day and it pushes me to go out and be active. Although I was walking before the game came out, I contribute my loss of over 30 pounds to it. I wouldn't consider it game of the year for me personally, but I still think it is a great game and a valid choice for some.

[Juan Aguacate]

Based on what I've played

Ronin - PS4 - Mark of the Ninja meets Kill Bill meets Gunpoint

A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV - Exactly what a SNES era FF beat 'em up should play like

Valkyria Chronicles Remastered - What else needs to be said about VC?

Drill Dozer - Don't even know how to describe this unique gem

Journey - You know the PS 3 version still gets players as well as the PS4 version? That's kind of amazing considering when the PS3 version originally released. I got the trophy for meeting 10 unique players online in the PS3 version after just two nights of play. One white robed player even showed me a bunch of crazy glitches that had us skipping stages and going outside the game's world

[PartridgeSenpai]

Pokemon Go, really? That fad burned out quicker than Furby.

Considering that the game has lost 80% of its user base and is still the highest grossing game on mobile, I'm really not surprised that there's a whole lot of people really in love with it.

I thought I'd have a fairly easy time this year picking something, but looking over my list, I've played and beaten a LOT of really awesome games this year. Here are the ones I will be considering for just "favorite game I've played this year," as I think I've played only two games that have actually come out this year (Death Road to Canada and Axiom Verge (which came out on Wii U this year, so I say it counts ;p)):

2. SNK Vs. Capcom Card Fighters Clash 2: Expanded Edition
6. Shining Force EXA
8. Mori Mori Slime 3
17. Binary Domain
22. Yoshi's Woolly World
24. Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
28. Tales of Graces f
39. Alien on the Run (which will get an honorable mention at least)
45. Spec Ops: The Line
47. Resident Evil 4 (sorry, Resi Revelations, you're good, but not this good)
53. JUMP Ultimate Stars
56. Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest
61. Youkai Watch
62/63. Legacy of Ys: Books I & II (which I am combining for the sake of convenience, as this list is already too long Xp)

A lot of stuff that really surprised me with how much I enjoyed them this year. I might have to do like some of y'all and have a separate category specifically for stuff that surprised me. I'm also thinking of making a "most begrudgingly beaten" award, because there're at least a handfull of games that I've beaten that fall into the running for that Xp

[noiseredux]

my Top 10 is done and will be published on RFGeneration on 12/16. Otherwise I'd just post here now.

Normally I'd wait til the end of the year, but I feel like I've played everything I was SUPER interested in, and everything else on my wishlist can wait for a sale in the new year.

[Exhuminator]

Well we're about halfway through December, and I don't see myself having time to finish any more big games before the end of the year. I'm pretty sure Brandish 2 would have made it onto this list, if I could only beat it in time. Nope, the rest of the month is too busy for ze Ex. Guess it's time to call my shots.

As for games I beat this year, phew.

I DONE BEAT 130 GAMES IN 2016

As for the ones that were actually released in 2016, well, not very many. Four actually:

Chase: Cold Case Investigations 3DS
Gal*Gun: Double Peace Vita
InMind VR Android
VR Fantasy Android

With those admittedly slim pickings, the best 2016-released game I finished remains...

Gal*Gun: Double Peace

Yes, it's an ecchi rail shooter. But it's also fun. So here's a STEAM trailer for the curious:

Alright, on to better things. Of the other 126 games I beat, let's take a peek at the ones I rated a 9/10:

Soul Blade PS1
Soul Calibur IV 360
Iridion II GBA
King's Field III PS1
Mario Kart 7 3DS
Beneath Apple Manor Apple II
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 360
Sorcery! 3 Android
Aquales X68000
Shadow Tower Abyss PS2
Dead or Alive 3 (arcade mode) Xbox

Now it gets harder for me to pick. Ha ha. Just kidding. The best game I played in 2016, regardless of actual release date, is...

King's Field III

1996's King's Field III, also known as King's Field II in the USA. Twenty years old and still amazing. I've rambled about this series on this forum until I'm blue in the fingers. No reason to try and convince anyone else by now. But, here's a trailer anyway:

What about honorable mentions? Alright, here's the honorable mention:

FRONT MISSION 5 - SCARS OF THE WAR

I beat this game and loved it. Why didn't I give it a 9/10 or higher then? Well, as a long time series fan, there were some quirks that irked. But it was still awesome, and a fitting send off to the true series.

And if you're curious, here's the complete list of games I've beaten in 2016*:

Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception
Ace Combat: Joint Assault
Advanced V.G. 2 (arcade mode)
Alcahest
Alisia Dragoon
Alpha Protocol
Aquales
Arc the Lad
Armored Core 2
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel
Assault Suits Valken
Asuka 120% Burning Festival Final (arcade mode)
Attack of the Friday Monsters
Axelay
Baroque
Battle Arena Toshinden (story mode)
Battle Mania 2
Battle Unit Zeoth
Beneath Apple Manor
Black Belt Challenge (arcade mode)
Bloodbones
Bloody Roar Extreme
Bloody Roar: Primal Fury (arcade mode)
Bulb Boy
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Cardinal Syn (arcade mode)
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Caverns of the Snow Witch
Chase: Cold Case Investigations
Chikyuu Kaihou Gun ZAS
Code of Princess
Crimson Shroud
Crisis Force
Dead or Alive (arcade mode)
Dead or Alive 3 (arcade mode)
Dead or Alive Ultimate (arcade mode)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut
Divine Sealing
Dragon Quest IX
Dual Blades (arcade mode)
ESWAT: City Under Siege
Earth Defense Force 2025
Echo: Secrets of the Lost Cavern
El Viento
Epoch
Everblue
Exile
Exile II: Janen no Jishou
FRAMED
Famicom Detective Club Part II
Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition (arcade mode)
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
Fuse
Gal*Gun: Double Peace
Gradius Galaxies
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault
Guilty Gear X: Advance Edition (arcade mode)
Gunman Clive
Gunman Clive 2
Hangman
InMind VR
Iridion II
Jet Impulse
King of Demons
King's Field III
King's Field III: Pilot Style
Kirby Air Ride
L.A. Noire
Lightning Warrior Raidy
Lost Kingdoms II
Makai-Mura Gaiden: The Demon Darkness
Malaya's Treasure
Mario Kart 7
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
MechWarrior 2 (Clan Wolf)
Mega Man ZX: Advent
Mercenary Force
Metal Storm
Nayuta: Endless Trails
Nemesis
Night Slave
North & South
P.N.03
Panzer Dragoon
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei
Psychic Force (arcade mode)
Psycho Dream
Return to Mysterious Island
Rusty
SD Hiryu No Ken EX (story mode)
Sakura Swim Club
Shadow Tower
Shadow Tower Abyss
Shovel Knight
Sleeping Dogs
Sleeping Dogs: NiNP DLC
SolarStriker
Sorcery! 3
Soul Blade (arcade mode)
Soul Calibur IV (arcade mode)
StarHawk
Street Fighter Alpha 3 (arcade mode)
Street Fighter Alpha: Warrior's Dreams (arcade mode)
Street Fighter EX 2 Plus (arcade mode)
Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha (arcade mode)
Street Fighter: The Movie (arcade mode)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo: Revival (arcade mode)
Sylphia
Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
Target Earth
Tekken Advance (arcade mode)
The Chou-Dangan!! Custom Sensha
The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact Maniax
The Last Crown: Midnight Horror
The Lost Crown
The Scheme
The Soukou Kihei Gun Ground
Thunder Force IV
Touki Denshou: Angel Eyes (arcade mode)
Trax
Trouble Shooter
Umihara Kawase Shun: Second Edition
VR Fantasy
Vattle Juice
Wario World
Warpath: Jurassic Park (arcade mode)
XG3: Extreme G Racing
XGRA: Extreme G Racing Association

*I might squeeze one or two shorties in before 2017 though.

[Xeogred]

PREDICTABLE EXHUM

Wow, 9's for Soul Caliber 4 and Call of Duty 4? Well I can't say you're doing this, but since CoD4 is "old" now I love how so many people are trying to fall back on it like it was this holy grail game and peak of the franchise... still a pretty average FPS campaign in my book back then and I'm sure I'd feel the same now. Was never that great. lol

Just had to rant since that's like the second time today I've seen high praise for CoD4.

I say that as someone who hit max prestige on multiplayer (prestiged 10 times). CoD4 kept me busy for like two years straight so that was nutty. But yeah even then I didn't care for the campaign. 2007... looks like FEAR came out in 2005 so I was probably more keen to that, Doom 3, Half-Life 2, etc.

[Exhuminator]

These are the mainline Call of Duty games I've beaten, and what I'd rate them:

Call of Duty 1 (PC) 9/10
Call of Duty 2 (PC) 8/10
Call of Duty 4 (360) 9/10
Call of Duty Black Ops (360) 6/10

[ElkinFencer10]

These are the mainline Call of Duty games I've beaten, and what I'd rate them:

Call of Duty 1 (PC) 9/10
Call of Duty 2 (PC) 8/10
Call of Duty 4 (360) 9/10
Call of Duty Black Ops (360) 6/10

I'd go:

Call of Duty 1 (PSN) 8/10
Call of Duty 2 (PSN) 9/10
Call of Duty 3 (Wii) 4/10
Call of Duty 4 (Wii) 7/10
Call of Duty World at War (Wii) 7/10
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) 8/10
Call of Duty Black Ops (Wii) 7/10
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (Wii) 6/10
Call of Duty Black Ops 2 (Wii U) 8/10
Call of Duty Ghosts (Wii U) 6/10
Call of Duty Advanced Warfare (PS4) 8/10
Call of Duty Black Ops 3 (10/10)
Call of Duty Infinite Warfare (9/10)

[Exhuminator]

Call of Duty 4 (Wii) 7/10

[ElkinFencer10]

Call of Duty 4 (Wii) 7/10

Eh, the campaign was identical (just lower res), and that's all I play on Call of Duty, plus I prefer motion controls to standard gamepads for FPS.