12 2016 Video Game Gems You Totally Missed

2. The Last Guardian

Although it was part of Sony's marketing for the vast majority of the year, The Last Guardian's sales were actually lower than both Dead Rising 4 and Watch Dogs 2, so I'm going to go ahead and assume nowhere near enough people played this as they should've.

Basically, what visionary director Fumito Ueda and his team delivered is hands-down the best animal there's ever been in a game. One with a mind of its one, that'll run ahead or chase after you, learn your commands and eventually, form one of the most weirdly 'natural' bonds between player and A.I. in years.

You'll actively start talking to Trico like your own pet, and although his A.I. is largely scriptless, meaning he might not always do what you want - something cat owners will understand - over time this gradually changes until both it and your child protagonist are solving puzzles and battling enemies as one.

A far more subdued experience than you may be used to, props to Ueda for sticking to his guns and delivering the final part of 'the ICO trilogy' exactly how the fans wanted.