What did you most enjoy doing this year: shooting demons? Stealthily flitting your way around a city? Or perhaps you spent many aeons creating a civilisation worthy of song?
Yes, they’re all sequels or remakes, but here are five of the games our readers felt were cruelly overlooked from our roundup of 2016’s best efforts.
1) Doom
‘Doom was our number 11’, said Guardian games editor Keith Stuart, responding to howls of indignation from those calling for the inclusion of the satisfyingly rebooted demon killing shooter.
2) Civilisation VI
Steam user EdenStarGazer shows how the Civilization VI Wonder Cristo Redentor changes its look depending on the time of day. pic.twitter.com/Ug9E77EXQ0
— Civilization VI (@CivGame) November 15, 2016
The latest in the venerable history-straddling turn-based strategy and conquest series won praise from our readers, whose angry complaints against the Guardian look likely to have real life consequences many thousands of years from now.
Absolutely outrages civilization 6 isn't on the list.
I'm so outraged that I'm going to lead a small group of civilization fans into a previously uncharted corner of the earth where we'll give up our nomadic ways and found our first city. And then 4 to 6 000 years you're going to regret this slight guardian....oh how you'll regret it!!
“Civ VI should really be in there,” said another reader.
“I was worried that stacking mechanic on top of mechanic was going to turn the thing to mush but after a few games it really does work quite well.”
3) XCOM 2
And while we’re talking tactical turn-based games, here’s another that readers felt should have been in the top ten. “XCOM 2 over-delivers in almost every area, and more than that has faith in its players”, wrote Rich Stanton back in February. A brilliant concept, beautifully realised, some of you never stopped playing.
Will add to the voices lamenting the absence of XCOM2 to this list. The best strategy game of the year by some distance - challenging, constant 'meaningful choice' decision making and deeply satisfying gameplay. Sure it's got some rough edges, but a more than worthy successor to XCOM:EU.
4) Dishonored 2
Clockwork soldiers, stealthy protagonists and an excellently realised and believable universe: our reviewer was impressed, and readers praised the game for building on the promise of the original.
5) Watch Dogs 2
A vast improvement on the original, Watch Dogs 2 gave players a likeable central character and a beautifully rendered open world to explore. Keith Stuart called it a “great, albeit not all-time great” game: some of you felt it was good enough to feature in the front phalanx of 2016’s offerings.
No Mention of Watch Dogs 2 on here.
I've got to say, I havnt enjoyed a game so much for a long time. Great fun, keeps me involved with the story line and a lot of variety in side missions. Stealth and combat is clever and a big bonus is its not in clumsy first person.
Goes top of my list.
Sigh...Very well then, DOOM ought to be on the list since it successfully updates a beloved shooter from yesteryear with modern elements like upgrades and character improvements whilst simultaneously reinvigorating the FPS genre with old school past-paced action. Shooters had gone stale by endlessly repeating the formulas developed in the noughties like waiting behind cover for your health to recharge, which doesn't benefit either the pace or realism. DOOM does away with all of that. Its stroke of genius is the glory kill system, which incentivises aggression. Ironically you stand more of a chance if you get right into the thick of it, meaning battles have a blistering pace and fluidity that hasn't been seen in the FPS for years. Does that meet with your satisfaction?