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T he Year That Was
W
ow. What a year. I have a theory
that there is a flood of amazing
games about every four years.
(Check out the games of 2004, 2008,
and 2012 to see what I mean.) On that
front, 2016 didn’t disappoint and my
theory continues to hold true. If there
was a device that played games, it had
an amazing game to play in 2016.
However, there is one disturbing trend
that I can’t quite sort out in my head.
ANDY McNAMARA For all the amazing titles that came out
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF this year, many that would have been
[email protected] shoo-ins to be megahits in the past
didn’t sell as well as expected. We have
Read my column or many indications that games like Call
comment on this letter at of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Titanfall 2,
gameinformer.com/mag and Dishonored 2 didn’t do as well as
or follow @GI_AndyMc anticipated. To me, that’s a real shame.
These are amazing games, and hope-
fully after you check out our Top 50 of
2016 you will go back and give them
a shot.
It’s hard to parse all the data since
the video game industry does such
a poor job of reporting digital sales,
which increasingly play a bigger role in
the overall revenues that games gen-
erate. We will never know how many
copies Titanfall 2 sold unless EA tells
us in an earnings report months after
the release, but we know within 24
hours how much money a movie gener-
ated. I hope the video game industry
addresses this problem someday, but
I’m not going to hold my breath.
There will always be winners, losers,
er and outside influences that a developer
witt can’t control that can make a great
T
n game fall short. For instance, this past
o
er year we had more games as services
m
or that offer almost unlimited play and
nf constant content updates competing
ei
m with the new releases as well. But the
a
@g games industry needs variety, and I
w for one love the escape a great triple-
o
oll A game experience brings. I try to do
d f everything I can to support the games
n
est, a thMata dyebleiv ewrh saitn ghuulrat r2 e0x1p6e mrieonsct ewsa. s that
eat there were just too many great games
gr
d to play. I sure hope that isn’t the case,
n
a because I’m not sure I want to live in a
est world with anything less.
at
or the l Enjoy the issue. 32 Top 50 Games of 2016
aily f This past year was fantastic for video
m d Cheers, game releases, making the culling of this
co list particularly difficult. The year brought us new virtual-
mer. reality platforms, mid-generation console upgrades, the
or launch of multiple long-awaited games, and proved that
nf
ei the shooter genre still has plenty of room for innovation.
m
a Our annual argument was a fierce one, but we eventually
g
sit arrived at a list most were happy with.
vi
2
games index
Absolver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Batman: The Telltale Series . . . . . . 46
Battle Chef Brigade. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Battlefield 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Blade & Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
1 0PlayStation Overload Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. . . . . . 53
PSX 2016 featured 1 4Digital Intimacy CCihvriolinzaotsi.o n. .V .I .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3529
surprise announcements The taboo topic of sex has always struggled in the inter- Clash Royale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
and opportunities to play active medium. We look back on how it has been handled Dark Souls III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
impressive new games. throughout the years. Darkest Dungeon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Dauntless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Dead Rising 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 82
Death Stranding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Death’s Gambit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Destiny: Rise of Iron . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Dishonored 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 54
Division, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Doom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Dragon Ball Fusions . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Dragon Quest Builders . . . . . . . . . . 51
Dreadnought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Eternal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
2 0Gamer: A New Far Cry Primal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
FIFA 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Breed Of Cosplay Final Fantasy XV . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 84
Dressing up a Shiba Inu in 2 4The Best Tabletop Games Of 2016 Fire Emblem Fates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Overwatch cosplay is as Board games aren’t video games, but fans of both share Firewatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
adorable as you expect it a healthy overlap. That’s why we wanted to share our favorites For Honor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Forza Horizon 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
to be. from 2016. FutureGrind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Gears of War 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Hyper Light Drifter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Killing Floor 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8
Final Chapter Prologue . . . . . . . . . 91
Knack 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Last Guardian, The . . . . . . . . . . 55, 86
Last of Us Part II, The. . . . . . . . . . . 73
Legend of Zelda:
Breath of the Wild, The. . . . . . . . . 70
Let It Die. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Madden NFL 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6 2For Honor Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. . . . . . . 67
3 0Opinion: Virtual Reality Is Still Looking For Its We went hands on Mass Effect Andromeda . . . . . . . . . 66
Software Savior with the near-final version MLB The Show 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
NBA 2K17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Virtual reality is undeniably impressive technology, but it contin- of Ubisoft’s period-hop- Nier: Automata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
ues to lack a destination experience that drives adoption. ping action brawler. Nex Machina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Nidhogg 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
No Man’s Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Orwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Overcooked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
04 Feedback Overwatch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Owlboy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney –
12 Impulse: The Games Spirit of Justice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Of PSX 2016 Picross 3D Round 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Planet Coaster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Plants vs. Zombies:
21 The Good, The Bad,
Garden Warfare 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
And The Ugly 6 4Death Stranding 7 3The Last Of Us Pokémon Sun & Moon. . . . . . . . . . . 54
Hideo Kojima’s new Part II Pokémon Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
22 Afterwords: game is confusing, but Joel and Ellie are return- Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 . . . . . . . 49
Salt and Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Watch Dogs 2 we’ve squeezed as many ing for a new chap- Sonic Mania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
details as possible out of ter in Naughty Dog’s Stardew Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
23 Afterwords: the latest update. American wasteland. Steep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Street Fighter V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Dishonored 2
Super Mario Maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Super Mario Run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
26 Gear: Google Pixel XL Superhot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Superhot VR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
28 Gear: Oculus Tales of Berseria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Titanfall 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Touch Review
Total War: Warhammer . . . . . . . . . . 44
Turing Test, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
31 Timeline Uncharted: The Lost Legacy . . . . . . 72
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End . . . . . . . 40
62 Previews Vane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
8 6The Last Guardian Walking Dead:
80 Reviews After being in 8 4Final Fantasy XV AP aNrtesw I F&r oIIn, tTiehre –. .T .i e. s. .T .h .a t. .B .i n. d. . . 89
development for nearly a At times we Watch Dogs 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,54
96 Game Over:
decade, we finally have the doubted it would ever Witcher 3: Wild Hunt –
Top 50 Games Of 2016 verdict on Fumito Ueda’s release, but we’ve finally Blood and Wine, The. . . . . . . . . . . 44
Witness, The. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
By The Numbers newest journey. played Final Fantasy XV.
World of Warcraft: Legion. . . . . . . . 48
XCOM 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3 contents
k
c
a
b
d
e
e
BioWare’s newest sci-fi adventure received plenty of attention
f
this month, while other readers shared some of their favorite
games and biggest gripes from 2016.
M ass Appeal importantly the world’s impression many remakes and remasters of other
My very first issue of G.I. was the Mass on you. Combat is a tool that helps to games, all fans can imagine is a new
Effect 3 issue. I was a huge fan of the facilitate this interaction, but it’s not the epic side-scrolling Metroid game that
first two games, so I was desperately core of an RPG. The shift more toward harks back to a bygone era. Sales
on the hunt for any information on shooters means a shift further away could be epic, with 3DS/Wii U/Switch
the upcoming conclusion to the tril- from RPG games. I do hope my con- support. Should I address this mes-
ogy. Since then, I have completed cern is unfounded as I loved the Mass sage to you, or N intendo i tself?
undergraduate and graduate school, Effect trilogy. Kevin Molloy
started a new career, and even moved Wayne Gobel Rhode Island
a couple times. In those years, Game via email
Informer has always been there, We’re guessing Nintendo has
whether it be my favorite weekly pod- We wouldn’t worry too much, received that suggestion once or
cast for five-plus years running, the Wayne. While Mass Effect’s combat twice before, Kevin, and telling us
newest episode of Replay, or the latest mechanics are continuing to is just preaching to the choir. A new
game reviews. This month’s coverage improve and expand, storytelling is system always offers new hope,
of Mass Effect: Andromeda has been still at the heart of the series. One of but you’re probably better off just
amazing, and it’s been fun to come full the reasons our coverage has been playing Axiom Verge at this point.
circle. So thanks to Game Informer and so focused on gameplay is because It’s as close to classic Metroid as
the hard-working folks at BioWare. If BioWare doesn’t want to divulge you’re going to get.
it had not been for that Mass Effect 3 too much about the story for fear of
cover, I would’ve missed out on years spoilers. Based on what we know
of entertainment and laughs all shared about the premise and characters
through G.I. and its community! so far, we’re hopeful Andromeda
Marty C. can deliver the same meaningful
Springfield, IL choices and relationships, while
also packing in plenty of action. For
I just want to say I was really looking more on Mass Effect Andromeda,
forward to Mass Effect: Andromeda. check out our hub at gameinformer.
However, reading the recent article com/Andromeda.
on it really saddened me. It sounds
like Mass Effect is moving more into Super Moretroid
Call of Duty territory and further away If Nintendo doesn’t get its act together
from the RPG genre. In RPGs the key and make a 2D Metroid game soon,
Contact Us element is story; it is your character’s then I may just have to acknowledge
[email protected] impression on the world and more that it won’t ever happen. After so
4
Short Answers
To Readers’
Burning
Questions:
“Why does the new Call
of Duty feel exactly like
the previous one?”
The Snub That Wasn’t
Because you acci-
Your magazine has been my pri- dentally bought last
mary source of information for which year’s game?
games to get for quite a long time.
However, I’ve chosen to not renew “Do you think Project
my subscription. There’s an amaz- Sonic 2017 will be a
ing game out there called Terraria, good game?”
but you’d never know it if you’re a
magazine subscriber. You guys have With a name like that,
given this game zero love and that how couldn’t it be?
is, quite frankly, bullsh--. I’ve been
Y ou Get It Or You Don’t gaming since the NES, and Terraria is “Which Overwatch
the game I love more than any other. character would you like
When did people start thinking that their opinion of a game Ever. At the time of this writing, I’ve to get an origin story
has anything to do with your reviews? Even if y’all didn’t logged 448 hours into this game. I paid video next?”
have a scale to rate games on, a review is an opinion about $7 for it five years ago. The develop-
Is “all of the above”
a game. Everyone has one. Readers act like the Call of ers have released one major update an option?
Duty: Infinite Warfare cover ruined their lives and the 10 a year since then, for free. I see you
guys reviewed Starbound, which is a
Overwatch got is an act of treason. This to me is one of the
blatant rip off of Terraria, but no men-
many things wrong with the world today. As I see it, Game Worst Opening
tion of Terraria. I’d like to believe that
Informer has taken the job of informing us about games and the reason Terraria receives no love To A Feedback
gameplay, new technology, and everything else related to in print is not because you guys get Letter :
gaming to the best of your knowledge and opinions. Thank paid for reviews and the devs refuse to “Hey Ed, This is just my
y’all for the entertainment and knowledge. pay you. But maybe that’s naivety on Abe Simpson vent on
my part. I see you guys push a bunch
Jessie Bowen the current gen sate
of games with microtransactions and
via email of gaming.”
the same tired Call of Duty every year,
but not a single mention of how great
Titanfall 2 is garbage. Hell, Infinite Warfare was a LOT better this game is. I just can’t support this Question
than Titanfall 2. Battlefield 1 was no doubt game of the year. snub, and therefore I can’t support the Of The Month:
A lot better than your 10/10 for Overwatch. I’m also tired of magazine anymore.
Johnny Perez What game are you most
you guys giving Call of Duty more than a 9 every year. I think
via email looking forward to in
Infinite Warfare was good, but you guys give them such a 2017 and why?
high rating every year. It’s fairly obvious you get paid for a lot
We totally understand your frustra-
of your reviews. tion, Johnny. We love Terraria too –
Raymond Thomann which is why we devoted a full-page
via email preview to it in issue 221, gave the
game an 8 in our excerpted review
in issue 242 and featured it in our
Finally, somebody who gets it: People who disagree with us
survival game round-up in issue
are one of the things that’s wrong with the world today. See
252. So we totally get why you can’t
how much happier readers are when they realize that? subscribe anymore…wait, what
was the problem?
y (Left) Andy moderated
PSX’s The Last of Us Part
II panel this year, which
p
featured Naughty Dog’s Neil
Druckmann and the actors
s behind Ellie and Joel, Ashley
Johnson and Troy Baker.
(Right) Also at PSX, Suriel
and Reiner caught up with
i Limited Run’s Douglas
g Bogart, who helps preserve
downloadable games with
limited releases on physical
discs. Keep up the good
work, Doug!
PHOTOS FROM THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY
feedback 5
On Your Mind S end Reinforcements! myself included, enjoy playing. In Ode To Joy
I am a huge fan of Titanfall, and have conclusion, we need more stuff. Dishonored 2 is the Thief game we’ve
been ever since the first one came Jonah Engle been waiting for – Stephen Russell
out. Now that Titanfall 2 is out, I have via email (a.k.a. Garrett) even voices Corvo,
been playing it nonstop and have no less. Finally, we have a new Thief
enjoyed every second of it. However, Respawn has stated its intent to game that’s good! Not to mention
I fear for its future – like the first continue supporting Titanfall 2. the stunningly gorgeous art direc-
Titanfall, Titanfall 2 lacks content. And unlike most games, the tion, deeply engrossing mechanics
That’s a problem for people like me additional content will be free. and gameplay, and fantastically nos-
who want to play this game for a Hopefully that will keep play- talgic old-school sensibilities. Whew!
long time. If Respawn Entertainment ers entertained, and pique the Just had to get that off my chest. As
does not add things like more titans, interest of additional gamers; you w ere.
weapons, and abilities, it will spell Respawn certainly deserves Adam Fister
the end of a game that many people, the success. via email
Gears of War 4 does not disappoint.
The Coalition was given an already
impressive combat system to work
with and made it even better. Not
only am I running over barriers with
ease, but I’m grabbing my enemy
and bringing them over to me for a
brutal execution! The Coalition took
an amazing series and put a twist
on it. You can recognize and feel
it’s Gears of War, but at the same
time it’s unique. It comes together
so beautifully.
Emily Reece
The Joke’s On Us
via email
In issue 284, we asked readers to amuse us with their
best video game-related joke. The results were unani- There’s nothing better than excit-
Andromeda mous: You should all keep your day jobs. Here are the edly gushing about a new favorite
Excitement game! 2016 made a lot of gamers
least-groan-worthy responses, including a joke about
happy, and it’s the season for
Game of the Mario’s pants that was submitted by three separate read-
sharing and celebrating that hap-
Year Chatter ers…for some reason. piness. You can see which titles
Nintendo Switch the G.I. staff loved the most in our
Questions Question: What material are Mario’s overalls made out of? Top 50 Games of 2016 feature,
Answer: “Denim-denim-denim.” Aaaand I’ll see myself out... starting on page 32.
4K/VR Skepticism
Sam Shellhammer (and Balta Bueno and Bob Stoute)
Horrible,
Horrible Jokes
Question: Why does the Titan need an optometrist?
Answer: Because Titans can’t Blink.
Stone Kruger
Question: What did Zelda tell Link when he couldn’t open the
dungeon door?
Answer: “TRI-FORCE!”
Marcos E. Mendez
(Left) Sony’s Annette
Gonzalez, Epic’s Nick
Chester, and independent
PR rep Joy Fox were all
smiles at PSX, mainly
because we pulled out our
camera and said “cheese.”
(Right) PR guru Tara
Bruno, Square Enix’s Riley
Brennan, CHAIR’s Laura
and Donald Mustard, and
Bethesda’s Matt Frary fell
for the same trick!
(continued on page 8)
6 feedback
Fantasy Violence
Mild Blood
Mild Language
Simulated Gambling © 2004, 2015, 2017 ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO/SQUARE ENIX All Rights Reserved.
© SUGIYAMA KOBO DRAGON QUEST, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo
Suggestive Themes are registered trademarks or trademarks of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
Use of Alcohol JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING is a registered trademark or trademark of Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Nintendo 3DS is a trademark of Nintendo. © 2017 Nintendo.
1
y WINNER
1 Neko Pataky
r
Move over Noctis: There’s a new brooding boy band
e star with magnificent hair in town.
l
l
a
2 Haji Abdullah
Based on his facial expression, it appears we caught
g
Ryu in the “dou” phase of a Hadouken.
3 Lizette Lee Coreano
That love beam goes both ways, Bulbasaur.
4 Amanda Lin
BioShock is one of those games that really makes you
ink. We mean think. Think about ink.
» Submit your art for a chance to win our monthly prize. Please include your name and return address. Entries become the property of Game Informer and cannot be returned.
Send to: Game Informer Reader Art Contest, 724 First Street North, 3rd Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55401 | Email to: [email protected]
(Left) And now for
something completely
different: Bungie’s
Genevieve Waldman earned
herself a new admirer
during a trip to Africa.
(Right) This month we
said goodbye to the illest
interns in G.I. history: Ian
Boudreau, Kevin Slackie,
and Michael Leri.
8 feedback
