2016 was a year full of video game surprises. Beloved franchises took exciting turns, new games wowed us with their brilliance, and we got our first real taste of the wonders of VR.
As the year draws to a close, join us in celebrating some of the epic moments that made 2016 an awesome year for gamers. Be warned, though: major spoilers ahead!
Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham VR let you don the Dark Knight’s suit piece-by-piece, from his infamous cowl to a host of awesome gadgets. Yet it's the moment after the suit is assembled, when you see yourself reflected in a mirror as the Batman himself, that made us feel like our six-year-old self’s dreams had come true. Arkham VR makes you feel like Batman. And it feels awesome. — Jonathon Dornbush
Battlefield 1’s multiplayer is full of bold, bombastic moments. But without fail, every time a behemoth zeppelin finally gives into the barrage of artillery fire and bursts into flames, you can’t help but stop and watch in awe. It’s an incredible analogy for The Great War itself: this seemingly unstoppable force finally comes crashing down in a symphony of terrible sounds, irreparably changing the landscape below it, and taking the lives of everyone caught in the blast. — Brandin Tyrrel
Going into the future is nothing new for the Call of Duty franchise, but Infinite Warfare is the first to truly reach the depths of space. Jackal space battles and asteroid grappling quickly become a common occurrence. But the first time you go from ground to space without ever entering a single loading screen is a campaign-defining moment you shouldn’t miss. — Mark Medina
While the original Dishonored was full of beautiful architecture, the shifting walls of Clockwork Mansion takes things to a whole new level. Simply pulling one of the many levers littering the hallways causes staircases to protract as floors break away and walls do flip-flops, transforming the landscape around you. It felt like the kind of spectacle most games would have saved for a finale, easily making it one of the year's most memorable moments. — Vince Ingenito
Last levels usually serve as the ultimate rehash of everything you've learned, but Gears of War 4's final mission drops you into a shiny new mech and lets you obliterate hordes of Swarm in style. What's better is that you get to stomp through buildings and brutally execute a Swarmak. — Miranda Sanchez
Inside’s world is confusing, hostile, and terrifyingly beautiful, but not even these things could have prepared us for where it all leads. Breaking into the tank and fusing with the blob inside is exactly the kind of awe-inspiring climax that a game as fantastic as Inside deserved. The frantic chaos and oddly mesmerizing horror of the ensuing sequence is one that we won’t forget anytime soon. — Chloi Rad
The Last Guardian is peppered with awe-inspiring moments of sheer beauty, but the standout comes a few hours into the game. As a bridge crumbles beneath you, you make a desperate leap towards Trico, only to quickly realize that the gap is too far to clear. But as you begin to plummet to what you assume is your demise, your birddog companion does something extraordinary, cementing him as one of the most special characters of 2016. — Marty Sliva
Every Overwatch player has fond memories of their very first Play of the Game. Sure, the picks can sometimes be a bit odd, but that instant you see your name in big yellow letters slide across the screen is electric. Knowing that a dozen players are watching your exploits, that Overwatch deemed your play the best of the match, is something really special, and the quick hit of validation that’s almost always followed immediately by another match. — Brandin Tyrrel
In downtowns and on main streets throughout the world, it seemed like everyone was playing Pokemon Go, and that led to conversations, collaborations, and even competitions with complete strangers. Random people yelling at you was suddenly a good thing as people shared their progress or gathered a crowd to track down that Dratini in the park. No game this year gave us an experience quite like it. — Kallie Plagge
Rez Infinite captures everything that made the original game such a unique masterpiece, and the phenomenal Area X adds to that brilliantly. This final stage breaks the shackles of the game’s on-rails mechanic, and allows you to fly freely around a massive, gorgeous, trippy space. It’s special when you play through Area X on your television, but downright transcendent on PSVR. — Marty Sliva
Titanfall 2’s incredibly smart time-warping level has you popping back and forth between timelines to move past the locked doors and collapsing hallways of an industrial complex. But the addition of unique enemies in their own timelines means you’re constantly juggling between the two. The result is a frantic, adrenaline-pumping mechanic that is made even more powerful by the fact it’s only ever used for a short time, making it one of the most unforgettable sequences of the year. — Brandin Tyrrel
One of Uncharted 4’s most memorable set pieces is one you inadvertently destroy: a beautiful, massive clock tower. As you direct Nathan Drake back down after a riveting, puzzle-driven ascent, the tower begins to collapse all around you. The resulting sequence is a thrilling series of death-defying leaps and lucky landings that is as enjoyable to play through as it is to marvel at. Every gear you climbed, every clock face you scurried across transforms from a once-relatively stable platform to a death trap falling in your wake. — Jonathon Dornbush
Legion is one of World of Warcraft’s greatest expansions, so it's only fitting that it kicked off with such a bang. The opening Broken Shore scenario was thematically engaging, mechanically fun and technically impressive. During the event twenty players battle through waves of demonic defenses to establish a foothold in the Broken Isles. Things get much more interesting when it's revealed that twenty other players from the enemy faction are simultaneously working their way up the beach. The groups' paths eventually converge, and each take turns facing off against Krosus, WOW's first multi-faction raid boss. — James Duggan
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