The 2016 PF Video Game Awards

[IMPress Polly]

It's that time of year again, so how about it, people? What 2016 video game releases would you recommend?

(I'm waiting until tomorrow to do the movie picks because I want to see Rogue One first!)

Here are my top two game picks for the year, which are recommended to all, but especially to my PF BFs @Chloe and @Green Arrow. Both of these titles are inexpensive indie computer games available for download through Steam:


1) PONY ISLAND

Here's the game's premise: You are in limbo, trapped in a malevolent and malfunctioning arcade machine devised by Satan. The devil detests having his puzzles solved and poor programming exposed, so, with the aid of the soul of the last person to play the game (who is now trapped inside), you've gotta successfully hack (as in computer hack) your way out of the fictional, corrupted arcade cabinet. The process is quite hilarious and fun! Pony Island is about making fun of poor game design, including as applied by a lot of 'classic' games, in a really smart way that constantly introduces new elements so you never get bored. It breaks the fourth wall a ton, but within a metafictional narrative structure that makes it even more entertaining than I usually find that in games.

If you haven't tried this rebellious little game (which is NOT about ponies )yet, I highly recommend it! You'll laugh almost continuously (especially if you're a hardcore enough gamer to get all the jokes) while it drains your brain. Here's a trailer that I think conveys Pony Island's tone pretty well:




2) THAT DRAGON, CANCER

On the more decidedly serious side, there's this one that's definitely bound for some awards. I agree completely with Carolyn Petit's review of this game, so I think I'll just let her do the explaining on what makes it so powerful and affecting:




MY PERSONAL SCORES FOR ALL 42 OF MY 2016 RELEASES

Pony Island: 10
That Dragon, Cancer: 10
Oxenfree: 9.7
Inside: 9.5
The Last Guardian: 9.5
Stardew Valley: 9.4
Perfect Woman: 9.1
The Witness: 9
Civilization VI: 9
Virginia: 8.9
Dishonored 2: 8.8
Firewatch: 8.7
Bound: 8.6
Azbu: 8.5
Adr1ft: 8.1
Unravel: 8.1
Hyper Light Drifter: 8
SUPERHOT: 8
Overwatch: 7.9
Watch_Dogs 2: 7.7
Song of the Deep: 7.6
Steep: 7.5
Gears of War 4: 7
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: 6.3
Battlefield 1: 5.5
XCOM 2: 5
Call of Duty: Inifinite Warfare: 4.8
ReCore: 4
Nights of Azure: 3.7
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: 3.5
Final Fantasy XV: 3.3
Quantum Break: 3
DOOM: 2.9
Mirror's Edge Catalyst: 2.5
Mafia III: 2.2
Paper Mario: Color Splash: 2
No Man's Sky: 1.8
Metroid Prime: Federation Force: 1.5
Street Fighter V: 1.2
Far Cry Primal: 1
Star Fox Zero: 0.5
Bomshell: 0

[IMPress Polly]

STOP THE PRESSES!

I'm afraid I must belatedly modify my favorites list to place this new title that I've just finished playing at the very, very tippy tippy top, even above Pony Island! If you know anything about me, then once you watch the review of Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor below, you'll understand perfectly why I consider this my new favorite game of the year. It just has "me" written all over it practically. It feels personal in very good ways. I give it roughly an 11 out of 10!