Josh's Overlooked Gems of 2016

It’s been a great year of video games. I mean, really, really great. We’ve seen exceptional releases like Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian, Doom, and Civilization 6. We’ve had our hearts broken, our faith in humanity rekindled, and even take a trip or two to hell to set things right in the world. In fact, there are a lot of great games that risk being overlooked in the bustle of the year's best lists. Here are a few that are absolutely worth checking out.

Firewatch

While my original review for Firewatch pointed out some issues I had with the game, that doesn’t change the fact that it is easily one of my favorite games of the year. The beautiful scenery, the intriguing story, and the use of the radio as your only form of communication really helped drive Henry and Delilah’s story home. It wasn’t perfect, no game truly is, but as far as overlooked gems go, this one is definitely worth your time and money.

Tyranny

Tyranny wasn’t as great a game as Pillars of Eternity. At least, not to me it wasn’t. It was still an outstanding tale set within a beautifully crafted classic RPG, though, and for that it gets my seal of approval. If you want something that’s going to twist your gut and keep you guessing, then Tyranny is a game worth checking out, especially if you love gams like Baldur’s Gate and Pillars of Eternity.

House of the Dying Sun

Created by one of our own, House of the Dying Sun is one of the greatest space-flight games I’ve ever gotten to play, and I’ve logged many an hour behind the controls of my ship, fighting off droves of the heretical enemies who were responsible for turning my life upside down. If you want a minimalistic look, with excellent flight controls, and an even more excellent virtual reality mode, then House of the Dying Sun is worth picking up and playing. It was also made by a Shacker, so there’s that too.

Josh Hawkins

Guides Editor

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.