2016 Gaming Awards – App Trigger Superlatives Edition
The 2016 gaming industry presented tons of oddities, cool moments, downright awful monetization tactics and barrels of laughs. We celebrate it all here.
As this is the end of the 2016 gaming year, we at App Trigger have been going over some of the best games that have been released. I’ve made my case, other editors have made their case, and we as a site have pleaded our case for what comprises a list of the best games of the year for 2016.
That said, just listing the best games that were released isn’t the best way to capture the spirit of the 2016 gaming experience. That’s why, for the second time in as many years, I will be presenting a list of superlative awards to reflect the best, worst, and oddest things that have arisen from video gaming this year.
The most important part to remember, as a reader, is that these 2016 gaming awards aren’t meant to be taken too seriously. Some picks are meant in earnest, other category titles are meant in jest.
However, we will start with some genuine upset feelings.
2016 Gaming Awards – The Annual EA Award For Bad DLC – Ark: Survival Evolved
“Early Access” remains a dirty word when it comes to Steam gaming, mostly because of developers trying to take advantage of their audience by nickel and diming them. Ark: Survival Evolved marks an…evolution…for just how low developers are willing to go.
In September, Studio Wildcard released a $20 expansion to a $40 Early Access, effectively charging a full retail price for a “complete” version of a game inherently incomplete by its Early Access nature. Yesterday, before PR damage control took over, they made it look like they were planning on adding sheep into their game in the hopes their fans, in exchange, would vote their game for the “Best Use Of A Farm Animal” Steam award.
By setting a terrible example that I hope the rest of the industry doesn’t pick up on, Ark: Survival Evolved barely beats out our runner-up.
Runner-up: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Activision (hiding Modern Warfare Remastered behind a premium edition, adding microtransactions to said game)