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Over the next ten days, Hardcore Gamer will be revealing its Best of 2016 Awards leading up to our Game of the Year. Today we present you with the Best Action Game, Shooter, RPG and VR Game.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Naughty Dog once again proved they are a master of their craft with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. The sequel ups the action in almost every way. The set-pieces are bigger, the environments bigger and more vertical, and the gunplay smooth. New tools like the grappling hook work seamlessly with the bigger environments to give players more gameplay options when entangled in gun fights. Scottish ruins, mansions, jungles, pirate ships, and the lost city of Libertalia all become playgrounds for Nathan Drake as he jumps, punches, and shoots his way to victory. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is an explosion of action, clinching this award.


Titanfall 2

Titanfall 2 is the ultimate shooter package of 2016. Not only does it have a surprisingly deep campaign with some of the best level design of the year, it also includes the first game’s addictive multiplayer component. Respawn Entertainment is at their best in Titanfall 2 thanks to the tight shooting mechanics, which are fast and fluid. The momentum-based movement makes it easy to chain together wall-runs and double jumps, and remains light years ahead of the competition. Combine this with a DLC practice that rewards players with free content, and doesn’t gouge them for cash with RNG systems, and you have one fantastic shooter. The combination of a unique single player campaign, a solid evolution of the original’s excellent multiplayer, and a post-launch plan that is fair to consumers puts Titanfall 2 head and shoulders above the combination.


Dark Souls III

If the list of nominees is any indication, the Japanese Role Playing Game scene isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. While there are a number of RPGs this year that failed to live up to their reputation, or just outright fell short of something special, FromSoftware was able to produce one last Dark Souls that has everyone talking. While the first piece of post-release downloadable content leaves much to be desired, the core of Dark Souls III is nothing short of spectacular. The Japanese studio took everything they learned from Bloodborne and mixed it in with the beloved fantasy RPG formula, creating a spectacularly gratifying experience from start to finish. With a vast, interconnected world to explore, a finely woven lore to uncover, and a good selection of challenging bosses to face off against, Dark Souls III ends up being the must own RPG of 2016.


Rez Infinite

Despite the fact that all major headsets are now available, many gamers still view virtual reality as nothing more than a gimmick. All these folks simply need to give Rez Infinite a play through to immediately see the worth in this technology. Rez Infinite as a whole is an incredibly immersive on-rails shooter which somehow became remarkably better with time and its PSVR rendition. It just makes sense to have aiming handled primarily by where you look, rather than relying on slower analog stick control. Then there’s the gorgeous vector graphics which feel perfectly at home in virtual reality. Of course, once in Area X - which features particle effects instead of vectors - one can truly see the best that Rez has to offer. With explorable landscapes and jaw-dropping visuals, it’s safe to say that Rez Infinite paints a bright picture for the future of VR.