
The products are impossible to find in stock, and according to yet another report, they won’t be easy to get a hold of soon, either. Due to a combination of insanely high demand and global supply chain issues, getting your hands on just about any gaming rig is a massive challenge. Honestly, patience is the most important thing you need before embarking on a journey to buy a new gaming console.
Best video games 2016 for pc series#
Entry-Level Xbox: Microsoft Xbox Series S. Nintendo’s Finest: Nintendo Switch OLED. Best Sony PlayStation: Sony PlayStation 5. The Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 - the next-generation gaming consoles by Microsoft and Sony - hit the shelves last year with $499.99 stickers, and are pretty impossible to find at those prices today. Today, the gaming console realm runs the gamut - from basic consoles that take you down memory lane to ultra-portable rigs for gaming on-to-go to insanely powerful offerings for high-res HDR and virtual reality gaming - the list is endless.Īnd the growth seems to never stop. Gone are the days of singularly focused, basic gaming. The comforting visuals and sound effects might be draw enough for some, but as with all the great Mario titles going back to Nintendo’s ’80s-console heyday, the level design is the real star here.Video game consoles have changed so much since they were first invented. But like a much shorter, better-curated Angry Birds, each level on this runner-platformer is immaculately constructed in ways that truly reward and satisfy after dozens of play-throughs. It’s remarkable how many dozens of hours of novel experiences players could discover thanks to a few new levels, and loads of shiny, exotic gear.įor a short game with a comparatively steep price tag ($10) and some not-so-progressive politics in its story or characters, Super Mario Run has a few of strikes against it before players even settle into its novel (for a Mario game, anyway) coin-collecting groove. But when it comes to reinvigorating a solid but static IP, Rise of Iron introduced exciting new elements into Destiny’s already sprawling world of moody sci-fi mysticism. In the ever-crowded world of online competitive shooters, smartly designed games like Overwatch may have won most of 2016’s first-time converts. You’re a swimmer in a vast but sleek ocean and your only job is to relax and enjoy the sights while you get to your destination via a variety of environments, each more delightful than the last. With a score by Colorado’s own award-winning composer Austin Wintory and gorgeous, color-saturated visuals that delight at every turn, Abzu is a light and linear exploration game in the style of thatgamecompany’s Journey and Flower.
It’s not the typical subject matter in gaming - nor does That Dragon, Cancer unfold in expected ways - but it’s easy to think that anyone who has played this compact, third- and first-person exploration title was deeply affected by it (if not shattered and gently rebuilt). Tiny, Loveland-based developer Numinous Games released what will be seen in hindsight as a turning point for all video games, but for now is simply an achingly emotional, relatively niche game about a Christian family whose son has terminal brain cancer. The incredible visual polish and sturdy platforming/combat is the obvious draw here, but impeccable writing and imaginative scenarios (both plot- and gameplay-based) were an unexpected delight from the ostensible final entry in this cinematic adventure franchise. But look closer and you’ll find as much wit, nuance and fearlessness in certain AAA (or big-budget) titles as you will among indie developers - with Uncharted 4 as a prime example. It’s easy to deride the annual avalanche of sequels in gaming, which hints that the industry is as creatively bereft at the upper levels as it is experimental in the trenches. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PlayStation 4) Here are the top five games this longtime gamer and sometime-gaming critic played this year - with an equal amount of honorable mentions at the bottom.ġ. The best video games of 2016: Big, little and a few in between – The Denver Post Close Menuįor gamers, 2016 presented a rich and often maddening variety of experiences, from the first real consumer-ready virtual reality titles to increasingly slick mobile games that were every bit as worth our time and money as console entries.