
While the “arcade cabinet built by Satan” premise isn’t anything new, Pony Island not only breaks the fourth wall, it has no fourth wall in the first place, featuring an engrossing story that could only be told in a video game.

Launching on January 4th, Pony Island was one of the first games on Steam in 2016, and it’s a testament to Pony Island’s quality that it’s managed to stand out in my memory for the rest of the year. Playdead outdid themselves when developing INSIDE, an incredible puzzle-platformer and easily one of the best games of 2016. Inventive puzzles are set up to challenge players while not being so difficult that they become frustrating. Your descent into the dark and dreary world is draped in the dour sounds that surround you, while a wonderful use of music adds emphasis at just the right points. Every moment spent playing INSIDE is as tense and intriguing as the last. Creating such a dynamic and powerful story without the use of any dialogue sets the game apart from many other games in the genre and the industry. Playdead’s incredible use of visuals brings the grim and eerie world that is INSIDE to life in a way that you don’t typically see in gaming, or in other mediums at that. The studio has reached even more acclaim thanks to the release of its second game, INSIDE. In 2010, Playdead Studios was put on the map when it released the highly praised puzzle platformer, LIMBO. If you are a simulation fan, it should already be in your library, and it certainly makes our list of 2016’s top ten games. There truly is unlimited potential for Planet Coaster. The support for this game is absolutely staggering, both from the community and from the developers themselves. I’ve even been to a virtual Six Flags Over Texas, with the real one being less than an hour away for comparison. Some have taken it to a whole other level, recreating Disneyland attractions like Space Mountain and Tinkerbell’s Castle, a recreation of Minas-Tirith from The Lord of the Rings, Hogwarts castle from Harry Potter, and even thematic rides like one based on the hit game Firewatch. Since the game launched on November 17th, 2016, fans have built 339,234 new objects, themes, and more (and that’s not a typo). It innovates and iterates on nearly every aspect, from pathing and scenery to coasters and crowds. Planet Coaster is an absolute triumph for fans of the coaster building genre. A mature and humble story with an astonishingly pretty world, Firewatch deservedly makes our top-ten list for 2016.


Each variation of Henry and Delilah’s witty exchanges feel genuine and cringingly dorky. Some of the greatest voice-acting performances are featured in Campo Santo’s premiere title, and all of it is delivered seamlessly and effectively through the game’s branching dialogue systems. While Henry is a likeable and pitiful grump, Delilah easily steals the show as one of the most charming and believable characters in video games. The game’s central plot relies on conventions like mystery and suspense, but its soul is in its setting and its characters. Though the tasks of a Wyoming fire lookout may sound mundane on paper, every scouting hike and delivery pickup is a welcome excuse to explore this quaint, beautifully rendered world. Henry’s retreat to the Shoshone National Forest serves as an escape for both the player and Firewatch’s anti-hero. Campo Santo offers players a breath of fresh air through a curmudgeonly middle-aged man as he flees the unfaceable truths of his life. Here is our list of 2016’s top ten video games:įirewatch is a game about escape. In accordance with annual tradition, Gaming Trend’s editors and contributors recently sat down and discussed at length this year’s most spectacular experiences, and we finally decided on a list of titles that we feel best reflects the year’s excellence in gaming.

Titles like Mafia 3, Oxenfree, The Last Guardian, and Firewatch excelled in video game storytelling, while games like Hitman, Thumper, Superhot, and Overwatch delivered memorable and electrifying gameplay. Most notably, this year saw a robust and diverse array of high-quality games. It was also a significant year for the modern shooter (with at least nine major releases for the genre) and for games nearly ten years in the making, like The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy XV, and Owl Boy. Virtual reality made its commercial debut, Nintendo broke into the mobile space, and the entire world briefly embraced its inner gamer during the summer of Pokemon GO. 2016 was a seminal year for the world of video games.
