Best Action games of 2016: It’s war I tell you

The action genre, especially the First-person shooter sub-genre, was one of the most prolific genres of 2016. There are so many good, great and amazing titles this year to choose from, that we literally almost started our own little war when trying to come up with the list you see below. But finally, when the smoke cleared and the wounded treated to a clod beer, a few games emerged victorious.

Here are our picks for the best action games of 2016.

Battlefield 1

Developer: DICE

Publisher: EA

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Battlefield 1 goes back in time to World War I, and by doing so moves the entire franchise forward. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes the latest entry so great. It could be the diverse campaign that explores multiple points of view in one of the most overlooked settings in video games, or it could be the tight multiplayer and offers multiple modes – each more fun than the last. Yeah, it’s probably the multiplayer. DICE has sacrificed some of the historical authenticity in favor of gameplay, and that may bother some players, but you don’t play Battlefield for the amazing experience of driving a deathtrap down a minefield, or spending days in the cold mud without food. You play it to have fun, and Battlefield 1 is the most fun Battlefield I’ve played in years.

DOOM

Developer: id Software

Publisher: Bethesda

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

We think the term “refreshingly old school” sums up the new DOOM perfectly. It manages to capture the core experience of the old DOOM games, while dragging them kicking, screaming and convulsing into the age of the modern shooter. The result is one of the best action games I’ve played in a while. Seeing all the modern iterations of the classic monsters will put a smile on the face of any fan of the franchise, and the way they splatter in glorious gory details will turn that smile into a grin. The fast-paced and extremely violent gameplay, coupled with a superb level design, make the game a satisfying challenge to overcome over and over again. To put in all in one sentence – DOOM is simply one hell of a game.

Overwatch

Developer: Blizzard

Publisher: Blizzard

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

What could be said about Overwatch that hasn’t been said before? Blizzard’s team-based shooter took the world by storm, quickly becoming the year’s most popular game and reaping awards left and right. We can pretty much guarantee you’ll find this game on any “Best Games of 2016” list, and this one is no exception. Every aspect of Overwatch is polished to near perfection, be it the maps, heroes or the balance of power. Speaking of which, the immediately lovable characters, each with its own truly unique play style, made sure that every single gamer who picked up the game could find at least one they liked. From there the road to a crippling addiction is a rather short one. It’s easy to see that Blizzard has done it again, and Overwatch will stick around way past 2016.

Shadow Warrior 2

Developer: Flying Wild Hog

Publisher: Devolver Digital

Platforms: PC

This one is near and dear to us, riding on the wings of nostalgia with an arsenal of explosives and dick jokes. Yes, Shadow Warrior 2 is crude and crass and completely politically incorrect but it’s also a hilarious romp through a beautiful world, interesting enemies and an arsenal of weapons bigger than any other game released this year. This is a first person shooter, doing the genre justice, one glorious bullet-riddled mess at a time, that we couldn’t put down until we finished it – we almost marathoned its 15 hour campaign. Shadow Warrior 2 has even added a co-op mode so you can grab your friends and get your Wangs out together – saving the world, repeatedly, in semi-randomized levels.

Titanfall 2

Developer: Respawn Entertainment

Publisher: EA

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

The original Titanfall was a good, but not great, shooter that focused on a fast multiplayer experience and nothing else. Its sequel, also known as Titanfall 2, is a serious step up for the up-and-coming franchise. Not only does it improve on the already excellent multiplayer component, but it also offers an immersive single-player campaign that shows us a little bit more of the world Respawn has built. The game’s combination of agile, freerunning pilots with a lineup of different Titans really opens up the gameplay possibilities and creates a competitive gamer’s heaven. Being released between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare didn’t do this game any good, but any fan of first-person shooters owes it to themselves to get around to playing one of 2016’s best action games.