Games we thought would never come out, came out.
There are always a few long-suffering games that everyone jokes about never coming out. In November, Facebook introduced Instant Games where people could play classics like Pac-Man, Minecraft and Space Invaders, as well as Zynga's Words With Friends: Frenzy in Messenger and on their news feeds. Instead of being bad, Doom is good.
Actually, let’s highlight Doom from that previous entry. While we were surprised enough that it was actually coming out, all signs were pointing to this game being a dud.
Ubisoft changes with the times.
Over the last six or seven years, Ubisoft games had become predictable as Big Ben. Every fall, a new Assassin’s Creed game. Every year or two, a new Far Cry.
Pokémon Go has a lot of issues with accessibility, progression, update timeliness, and overall design, but the one thing that makes it appealing — catching Pokémon — works so well. It's more than a game at this point; it's a cultural sensation. Whether or not developer Niantic can keep players interested in the long-term is a question for 2017; for now, Pokémon Go's widespread popularity is reason enough to number it among the best games of 2016.