Game of the Year 2016 Podcast

For Gaming Trend’s first podcast episode of 2017, a bunch of Gaming Trend’s editors and contributors got together to debate last year’s greatest achievements in video game culture. We discussed everything from virtual reality to mobile, from the high-octane shooters to the quaint puzzle-platformers. The process was extensive and arduous, but it yielded a list we feel justly depicts what stood out to us this past year. Check out the full list below.

Every week, Mike Pearce and Joe DeClara convene to discuss news and previews of upcoming games. Come back every week for in-depth video game talk as well as interviews with developers, journalists, and other Gaming Trend personalities. Let’s boot up!

Recorded January 7, 2017.

Best Single-Player

• Uncharted 4
• Titanfall 2
• DOOM

 

Best Narrative

• Uncharted 4
• The Last Guardian
• Firewatch

 

Best Cast

• Overwatch
• Uncharted 4
• Oxenfree

 

Best Action Games

• Dishonored 2
• Hyper Light Drifter
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

 

Best Characters

• BT-7274 (BT) in Titanfall 2
• Delilah in Firewatch
• Nathan Drake in Uncharted 4

 

Best Performances by Female Voice Actors

• Emily Rose as Elena Fisher in Uncharted 4
• Erin Yvette as Alex in Oxenfree
• Cissy Jones as Delilah in Firewatch

 

Best Performances by Male Voice Actors

• Nolan North as Nathan Drake in Uncharted 4
• Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay in Mafia 3
• Troy Baker as Sam Drake in Uncharted 4

 

Moments of the Year

• Uncharted 4: Epilogue.
• Solving your first environmental puzzle in The Witness.
• Titanfall 2: Effect and Cause.

 

Best Game on Handheld Platforms

• Pokemon Sun and Moon

 

Best Soundtracks

• DOOM
• Samorost 3
• Thumper

 

Best Graphics

• Uncharted 4
• The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine
• DOOM

 

Best Art Direction

• INSIDE
• Dishonored 2
• Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir

 

Best Puzzle Games

• The Witness
• Superhot
• Stephen’s Sausage Roll

 

Best Shooters

• Overwatch
• Battlefield 1
• Titanfall 2

 

Best RPGs

• Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth
• Final Fantasy XV
• Pokemon Sun and Moon

 

Best Strategy Games

• XCOM 2
• Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
• Civilization VI

 

Best VR Games

• Eagle Flight
• I Expect You to Die
• Superhot VR

 

Best DLC/Expansion

• The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

 

Best Multiplayer

• Overwatch

 

Biggest Surprises

• Pony Island
• DOOM
• Titanfall 2

 

Developer of the Year

• Blizzard
• Playdead
• Naughty Dog

 

Game of the Year…