Honorable Mention: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Sony made a lot of moves in 2016 when it came to developing and publishing games. Thanks to the release of PlayStation VR, the publisher was allowed to branch out and offer new types of experiences that really helped to set it apart. They also delivered some of the best triple-A experiences of the entire year, all while juggling several new hardware releases and expanding on services offered to players.
While the company put out titles such as The Tomorrow Children, Alienation, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, and Heavy Rain Remastered, all of the attention was on Sony’s bigger games of the year: Uncharted 4, The Last Guardian, and Ratchet & Clank. These three exclusive titles proved to be top-notch experiences that each offered something entirely different from one another, showcasing the variety of titles that Sony publishes.
Ratchet & Clank was a family friendly game that was not only fun for children, but fun period. This remake of the original release from the PS2 brought a Pixar quality to the adventure as well as some new content that helped the game standout next to juggernauts such as Dark Souls III. The Last Guardian showed that the nearly decade-long wait for Fumito Ueda’s followup to Shadow of the Colossus would not be in vain. It was a beautiful adventure that put companionship at the forefront as you befriended a massive beast.
Then there was Uncharted 4, showing that there is nothing that Naughty Dog can’t do. Closing a massive, fan-loved series is no small task. Yet the story that saw an older, wiser Nathan Drake in a much more grounded adventure is not one to be overlooked. It added another masterpiece feather to Sony’s publishing cap and is easily one of the best games of 2016.
Sony continued what it does best this year by delivering a diverse lineup of amazing games. If the games in the pipeline are any indication, it looks like 2017 will be the same.
