Five reasons gamers won’t forget 2016 

It was meant to be the year of virtual reality but 2016 proved to be about a whole lot more.

While VR inevitably did take centre stage with surprising grace, the past 366 days have also seen the unprecedented success of a mobile game through augmented reality, a continued fascination with our gaming past and another stellar year for more mainstream forms of gaming.

  1. VR Finally Becomes a Reality 

After many years of build up, virtually reality finally hit the consumer market in 2016. From the more powerful Oculus Rift and HTC Vive to more accessible PlayStation VR, the technology became a reality for many gamers and one that largely didn’t disappoint.

All three main systems have been received very warmly and without the nausea many were expecting. While the games themselves are still finding their feet, they too have impressed in parts. Whether it was becoming the caped crusader in Batman VR or being scared on a whole new level via a variety of horror games; virtual reality is something many are embracing and getting genuinely excited about moving forward. Let’s just hope the price tag goes down rather than up.  

  1. Pokémon Go

Having long dominated the gaming landscape, the phenomenon of Pokémon reached whole new levels this past year courtesy of mobile game Pokémon Go.

While people were preparing themselves for VR, this mobile hit made use of AR (augmented reality) with users urged to catch Pokémon within the real world. A game that brought people together, encouraged physical activity and made morning commutes a whole lot more rewarding; Pokémon Go swept the world like few games ever have.

Not without its faults, the game proved the accessibility of mobile gaming, the sheer power of the medium and how gaming itself is becoming more and more mainstream.

  1. Retro Consoles and Remasters

The release of the NES Classics Mini console this year was met with an insane level of enthusiasm and one that saw them sellout ridiculously quickly. While their low pricing undoubtedly helped sales, the whole affair has highlighted just how eager many gamers are to return to their gaming pasts.

A year packed full of remasters also enabled further trips down memory lane for many gamers with Bioshock, Dead Rising and Skyrim just a few games given the remaster treatment. To top this all off, Xbox’s commitment to backwards compatibility has also seen many 360 classics taken for another spin.

  1. Console Upgrades

Both PlayStation and Xbox have continued to push the power of their respective consoles this year. The release of the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One S have given console gamers a welcome and completely optional mid-generation upgrade to further reduce the gap between console and PC gaming.

Next year Microsoft hope to all but end the gap with the Xbox Scorpio aiming to create an unrivalled gaming experience. 2016 however was a year that consoles firmly reminded gamers of their significance and ability to keep up with the evolving gaming landscape.

  1. A Golden Generation of Games Continues

Unsurprisingly as gaming itself matures and grows, the games themselves have only gotten better. This past year gamers were treated to an overwhelming quantity of quality content that made picking what game to play all the harder.

From another Blizzard hit in Overwatch, an epic end to Nathan Drake’s journey in Uncharted 4, a rare racing game set in Australia via Forza Horizon 3, a WWI game done right thanks to Battlefield 1 and some truly incredible indie games; 2016 was the year that just kept on giving.

Something I really cherished this past year was the sheer variety of the games on offer. While the past few months have brought with them the mandatory shooters, 2016 was a balanced year of online and single player experiences across many different gaming genres.

So that was the spectacular gaming year that was. Hopefully 2017 can be just as good!

 

Posted in Blog, Games