Brittany's Overlooked Gems of 2016

Not every game is GOTY material, but these underappreciated games still deserve your attention.

5

Wow, I played a lot of games this year. I played a lot of terrible and medicore ones too, and plenty that I don't even remember. I played a lot that I found quite lacking, and I played many that I'll probably keep going back to time and time again. 


Amplitude

I already spoke about Amplitude at length earlier in the year back in July before any of the Game of the Year festivities began, but I must reiterate how important the game actually was to me. As you may know about me, I'm a music and rhythm game connoisseur, and the fact that Harmonix was able to breathe new life into a game I enjoyed so much as a teenager was massively important to me. I love the new soundtrack. (I don't love that it's still unavailable to purchase).


World of Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy XV was one of the best gaming experiences I had all year, but that doesn't take away from how much I enjoyed this love letter to the Final Fantasy franchise. From the tiny super-deformed versions of familiar characters to the razor-sharp writing, I had more fun with this Pokemon-esque adventure than most of the other games I played this year. 


Job Simulator

Virtual reality doesn't get enough attention. Plain and simple. I didn't believe the hype at first, and I was ready to write it off as just another gimmick the entertainment industry had introduced to sell more TVs just like the 3D "revolution." This all changed once I tried out the PlayStation VR and settled in with Job Simulator. I stood up in my cubicle, threw donuts at my robot supervisor, trashed the place, and then juggled some coffee mugs, all the while giggling like a maniac. I don't think I've laughed so hard about such as simple thing before in my life. I can't wait to further explore more VR experiences in in 2017. 

Senior Editor

Fueled by horror, rainbow-sugar-pixel-rushes, and video games, Brittany is a Senior Editor at Shacknews who thrives on surrealism and ultraviolence. Follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake and check out her portfolio for more. Like a fabulous shooter once said, get psyched!

From The Chatty
  • reply
    December 28, 2016 1:00 PM

    Brittany Vincent posted a new article, Brittany's Overlooked Gems of 2016

    • reply
      December 28, 2016 9:49 PM

      Pokken Tournament definitely deserves to be on that list. Wish more people bought it. Maybe would have gotten the roster expansions then. I'd still pay for them.

      • reply
        December 28, 2016 9:51 PM

        oh yea, that game did look like it had some good potential

        • reply
          December 30, 2016 9:00 AM

          It was a lot of fun, but it felt like it squandered the potential it did have. That said, I enjoyed playing it a lot.

    • reply
      December 29, 2016 3:12 AM

      While it may not qualify because it's free, Enderal, The Shards of Order, a total conversion made with the Skyrim engine has my vote for game of the year. Too often it's referred to a just a "mod", which kind of marginalizes it in many peoples minds. It is definitely not a mod. A group of fans has produced an amazing journey with story and voice acting far beyond what what Bethesda has been offering.

Hello, Meet Lola