HONORABLE MENTION: POKEMON GO
It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Starting with a few runner ups, let’s look back at the best mobile and handheld games from this year, and our 2016 winner!
Pokemon GO was a true phenomenon this year. The combination of the nostalgia that we all associate with Pokemon with the exciting new technology that is augmented reality made this game a hit worldwide. Finding and capturing Pokemon in the real world never lost its allure, and hunting down all 150 pocket monsters proved to be an addicting challenge.
On top of the catching aspect were the battles and gyms. Taking down another trainer’s Pokemon and claiming the gym for our own team added a competitive aspect the likes of which the main Pokemon series hasn’t seen in years. The free-to-play structure of the game only made it more accessible. While there were options to buy Poke Balls and Potions, these items could also be earned in-game just as easily.
Possibly the most enjoyable part of Pokemon GO, though, was the unanticipated social aspect. Players worked together to find rare creatures, benefit from the effects of lures, and take down enemy gyms. Taking a walk and tracking down a mysterious Pokemon with friends made it more fun to simply get outside, and millions of players did in hordes.
But for all of Pokemon Go’s successes, the game was incredibly flawed at launch. The app continuously crashed and even though its performance did improve, the experience didn’t expand much beyond catching and taking gyms. It’s still one of the most unique and memorable of experiences of the year, but its flaws keep it from becoming the revolutionary title it could have been.
