This year has been a very good year for video games, with several big franchises returning for major sequels, alongside some new universes and re-imaginings.
What we might call traditional console gaming has been challenged, and not just from the rise of virtual reality, but Pokemon Go and what that has done for mobile gaming and sparking more into playing while on the move.
Regardless of how or where played, games have been a huge part of 2016’s talking points. These are the highlights.
1. Overwatch
Few new games have captured the hearts and imaginations through their cast of characters in the way Overwatch has.
The squad-based role-playing multiplayer game has thrived because of the sheer joy there is in the gameplay. That, combined with the variety of characters, different role types and great locations have made Overwatch a huge breath of fresh air in what can be an arena where things look, feel or sound the same.
It’s light, fun and stands out in all the right ways. Developer Blizzard are experts are creating universes you want to spend time in, and Overwatch is another.
2. No Man’s Sky
Alongside Pokemon Go, No Man’s Sky is perhaps the most talked about game of the year.
Before launch, the expectation – the hope – was that this was to be an open universe and exploration game unlike any other. Near infinite possibilities and indeed nearly as many worlds to discover in the process.
But shortly after launch the mood changed – many felt the game was too repetitive and lacked the variety hoped for. It was plagued by some early glitches too, and confusion in the way some of the game’s features and gameplay would unfold that left some disappointed.
The truth is this reaction occurred because No Man’s Sky became a victim of its own hype, built up beyond reality by those who counted down the months, weeks and days to play it.
No Man’s Sky is still a wonderful game, and a stunning achievement for an indie developer. It looks gorgeous, and the sense of being a tiny part of something enormous won’t be felt anywhere else.
3. Uncharted 4
A much-loved series being done justice. it was almost a relief as much as anything, but the Uncharted series means an awful lot to many PlayStation players.
For cinematics and action few games can match it this year, and the set pieces too are fantastic throughout, as is the gameplay itself.
The puzzle-solving is engaging and as a shooter it remains sharp and exciting. But the best thing is that even if you’ve never played any of the previous games in the series, you’ll still get plenty from playing A Thief’s End.
4. DOOM
Another triumphant return in 2016, but this was not a sequel but a rebirth.
DOOM is the game that lit the fuse on modern first-person shooters when it launched in 1993, now it’s back with something of a vengeance.
This is DOOM turned up to 11 – the heavy soundtrack, the increasingly hellish settings (literally) and sheer brute violence of some of the kills are eye-opening – just like the original DOOM was back in the early 90s.
Throw in the frenetic pace this game has to be played at and the great multiplayer it offers and you have a package that pays a fitting tribute to a crucial pillar of gaming history while stomping a fresh path for the franchise.
5. Batman Arkham VR
Virtual reality has had its breakthrough year in 2016, and PlayStation VR has been a vital component of that.
Within the growing library of games on offer for PSVR is something very special in Batman Arkham VR. Not only is this a game that enables users to live out many a childhood dream of actually becoming Batman, but it’s an extension of the Arkham universe that has been at the centre of the last three Batman games from Rocksteady.
The result is that players step into a world they have seen before, through their TV, but now it surrounds them. It’s powerful.
And even though Arkham VR only lasts around an hour it’s a very well put together game, driven by puzzle sequences that get you looking around and using the handheld Move controllers.
It’s early VR at its best.
6. Firewatch
Another indie title that achieved success far beyond what it would’ve hoped for, Firewatch stood out for its focus on characters and story-telling rather than action.
Set in the Wyoming wilderness in 1989, the game sees you take on the role of Henry, whose only line of communication is with a woman called Delilah at the other end of a walkie talkie.
There’s little in the way of heavy action, but heaps of mystery as you investigate two girls who have gone missing, and see your relationship with Delilah develop as events unfold around you. It’s wonderfully voiced and the burnt orange colour that dominates the scenery is a fantastic central character in itself.
7. Pokemon Go
It may not have been the most reliable game of the year, but Pokemon Go was undoubtedly the most talked about. When it launched in July the world lost its mind for a short period as streets, parks and indeed any open space that was a PokeStop became awash with players hunting down Pokemon in the augmented reality app.
In terms of tapping into the public consciousness and popular culture, no other game on this list has come anywhere near Pokemon Go – a free mobile game – and that is some achievement.
8. Battlefield 1
For some years now Battlefield has lived in the shadow of Call Of Duty, but with a change in approach and setting this year that has very much changed.
Battlefield 1 is set amid the destruction of the First World War, when old fashioned soldiering and combat collided with technology and the machinery of the early 20th century.
The rest is claustrophobic trench warfare one moment, then aerial dogfights around a Zeppelin.
The scale, combat and visuals of Battlefield 1 are what make it so fantastic, while the multiplayer is awesome too.
9. Hitman
Just because it did something different – realising in episodic chapters to offer a Netflix-esque sense of anticipation and yearning, Hitman has been a star this year.
It helps that it looks so good too, but the concept, not without its flaws, still did something a little different for games, while still offering the classic stealth format that the series has been so good at.