4 – Tom Clancy’s The Division (PS4, X1, PC)
Summary: Tactical squad combat set in a dystopian New York.
***REVIEW***
After terrorists successfully attacked America with a biological attack, New York has descended into chaos with most of the population being wiped out. The Division is a bio-terrorist response team who is sent to clean up the mess. What makes Tom Clancy’s The Division stand out is the multiplayer squad shooter mechanics with that hint of RPG goodness. Sporting full character customization and various perks to create the fighter that suits your play style it satisfies that RPG itch. The Dark Zone is a PVP area where you can kill other players and steal their gear, the downside being they can do the same to you, and it makes for some tense encounters when you remove the basic element of human trust. Ubisoft has committed to a long support cycle for The Division so you’ll be playing for some time to come.
3 – Doom (PS4, X1, PC)
Summary: Unleash hell upon hell itself with your trusty BFG.
***REVIEW***
The original DOOM released in 1993 and it reinvented the FPS wheel. The most current reprisal of the franchise once again pushes the boundaries of shooters and delivers adrenaline-pumping action against hellish looking minions. Why do we love DOOM so much? Exemplary gunplay mixed with ferocious, fast-paced storytelling and the weaponry to make it rain gore. DOOM is a worthy entry into the top three of our top 20 games of 2016 so far.
2 – Overwatch (PS4, X1, PC)
Summary: Multiplayer shooter with a plethora of characters to use with different abilities.
***REVIEW***
Blizzard Entertainment proved that they aren’t just great at MMOÂ and RTS games but can also dominate the FPS genre too. Overwatch is a multiplayer arena shooter where you choose from 21 different characters that fit into four roles and each has unique powers to alter the course of the match. It has become so popular that Overwatch reeled in over 10 million players since its launch in May.
1 – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4)
Summary: Nathan Drake concludes the Uncharted franchise with an epic finale.
***REVIEW***
One thing is for sure, Naughty Dog knows how to end a series. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End comes hard on all fronts; the graphics are spectacular, the story is engaging, and it has some of the top voice actors in the industry. I could go on but when a game is this well rounded and sells 2.7 million copies in its first week of sales it kind of speaks for itself. Naughty Dog’s epic finale to the Uncharted franchise is well deserving of the coveted number one slot in the top 20 games of 2016 so far.
We’re just past the half way point of 2016 and so far the year has been bountiful with great games and that’s not even the meat of it. Later this year we can look forward to Skyrim: Special Edition, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Pokemon Sun/Moon and Dishonored 2, just to name a few. We’ll return with a final top 20 games of 2016 at the end of the year.