Games of the Decade - 2016

The Civilization series is a long one dating back to 1991, and we've had so many titles since then, all having their ups and downs, their killer features and more. What we didn't expect was the amount of polish, content, and sheer wealth of options Civilization VI would arrive with at launch. Firaxis took its most valuable franchise and added more content than it's predecessor. The expansions just turned it into one of the most complex, complete and rewarding 4x experiences to date.

Just... One... More... Turn...

Okay, we'll admit: we're cheating a little bit here. Factorio has still not received a full release at the time of writing (a full release is set for September 25, 2020) but we couldn't leave this title out of our list. Why, you ask? Very simple: addictive. Factorio is one of those titles that you have a little curiosity about; you buy it, thinking you'll probably try it, not like it and refund it or just leave it as is but then you start it up and you start playing.

Two hours later... Four hours later... Six hours later.. .Before you know it, you've spent most of your day setting up a factory, trying to maximize your output and making sure your research centres are running smoothly. The infamous 'one more round' got converted to 'let me just set up one more thing' in this game. A simple concept that turns out a lot more complex when you get into it, Factorio is a beautifully addictive game where you are trying to get off a planet by building a rocket from scratch, setting up a factory - which the title may have given away - that starts at the very core, all the way from mining resources to the final stages of building the rocket.

Firewatch is a beautiful story that pulls you right in from the get-go. Henry, your character, is at a bit of a loss in life and takes a job as a firewatch lookout during the summer. Through communication with another radio tower, you meet Delilah, another lookout, who is your only actual contact during the whole game. The story that unfolds and the bond that you create with the two characters is absolutely staggering.

As Henry investigates a strange situation that unfolds during his stay there, the communication between Henry and Delilah keeps you hooked and if you are anything like us, you keep hoping that you can continuously chat with Delilah to learn more about these characters and see how their story continues. It isn't a long game but it definitely leaves behind a mark. We still have (unanswered) questions...

With quite the tumultuous end of a series due to IP loss due to Relic Entertainment closing, Blackbird Interactive was going to make the highly anticipated spiritual prequel Hardware: Shipbreakers. With the loss of the IP going to Gearbox after they purchased the IP name from Vivendi, it looked like the Homeworld name would be forgotten. Randy Pitchford (who personally bought the IP) let Blackbird Interactive use the IP name to rename their game to Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak to let the game become an official prequel.

Just as the original devs at BBI have done for Deserts of Kharak, for what they did at Relic with the Homeworld games, they made a truly epic tale filling the plot holes of the original's stories, have truly massive maps, and also incorporate the same ambitious map system and mechanics as before. With the gameplay being just as raw and brutal, it may not be set in space, but it felt like a Homeworld game through and through and one not to miss for the RTS fan.

Despite Odin Sphere made in 2007 for the PlayStation 2, the reason Leifthrasir made it to this list is that Leifthrasir is not a remaster, but it's a remake. There were cruxes that kept Odin Sphere held back from being truly special, but Vanillaware went back to their treasured game and did far more than soup up the graphics and animations.

They added new scenes, new characters, a complete revamp of the battle system, added more environments and levels, and made the combat much faster and similar to Muramasa: The Demon Blade (which is another excellent game). It's such a wonderfully styled game that it's well worth the play through and the combat system and playstyle is highly unique in the platform sidescrolling beat'em up mould, essentially redefining the genre.

What do you get when you take a tactical game akin to Commandos, add in a tonne of voice acting, use stealth as the main focus, and throw it into medieval feudal Japan? You get an engrossing game that is ferociously difficult yet satisfying in Shadow Tactics. A genre often not looked to and seen as worthwhile, with very few games being made in the same ilk, Shadow Tactics have taken the stealth tactics genre to a different level by allowing some auspicious moves in completing each mission in any way you like, but, at the same time giving you a truly rewarding feeling once you've managed to finally work out ways to get from A to B, it's certainly heart-pounding for sure, but the feeling of accomplishment afterwards is exasperating. If you have not played a game like this before then for the tactical strategy fans, you will enjoy it a lot.

We won't lie; Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is not the best game in the series (that would most definitely be Uncharted 2, of course!). Regardless, we felt like including this title, as it is a perfect story for Nathan Drake and co to explore. The stunning graphics and incredible storytelling are remarkable and will definitely have you in awe as you dive further into the story.

Our main reason for including this title, however, is because this is the perfect sendoff for Nathan Drake's story. After four crazy adventures, having this ending works perfectly well for Nathan and I think we can all agree that it could not have been a better way to put a dot after the series.

With an adorable protagonist called Yarny, Unravel told the story of the little figure as it traverses through Swedish territory, solves puzzles and telling a story in the background whilst traversing through the levels.

The beautiful graphics, gorgeous score and sounds combined with the adorable Yarny, we couldn't leave this game in the dark when it comes to our Games of the Decade-list since we absolutely adore this game and really enjoyed playing it.