What were you favorite games that you played this year? They don't have to be games released this year (though they certainly can be!), just games you played for the first time this year. Here are my 3 picks...and I'm not going to count The Last of Us Remastered for the purposes of this thread.
1. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - As I just started playing this on PS4 for my thesis, I was quickly reminded how much FUN this game is and how well designed it is on basically all aspects. It definitely takes inspiration from Assassin's Creed and the Arkham games, but the combat and stealthing work well. Add in the original Nemesis system, and it stays interesting throughout. I originally played it on Steam, but given how my thesis is designed, I will have to revisit it there - which is fine, as I have DLC still untouched. Even if you're not into Middle-Earth and all its lore, it's fairly approachable. And just plain fun. This is one I can actually see myself revisiting every once in a while as with the Nemesis system, there is nothing out there quite like it.
2. Spec Ops: The Line - I like and respect this one for a wholly different set of reasons than Shadow of Mordor. Mainly, what it is trying to do to the player and at least in my case, succeeded. One that all I can really say is "just play it," and work through the seeming mundanity to really understand what it is trying to do.
3. Far Cry 3 - this was a solid contender for number 1 up until I played Specs Ops and Shadow of Mordor. Still, though, this game was also an incredibly fun romp. Plus one of the absolute best villains in my recent memory with Vaas. All the mechanics worked well, and it wears its literature influences on its sleeve.
I'm sure I can think of others given time, but those are definitely my top 3 picks.