#also fun fact on my latest character ive been playing for like 3 or 4 days and ive already killed 5 or 6 horses because i am bad at | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

preciousmetals0 · 5 years

Text

Aurora-Coke Rumors: All Smoke and No Toke

Aurora-Coke Rumors: All Smoke and No Toke:

Share a Coke With Aurora Cannabis?

Are you well rested from the holiday break?

I hope so, because I have a doozy of a conspiracy theory in the cannabis sector for you today. It involves the most widely held stock on Robinhood and the world’s largest soft drink maker.

Before we get to the speculation, let’s start with the facts.

On Monday, Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE: ACB) announced that Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Cam Battley was leaving the company. Battley was considered the face of Aurora, so his leaving hit investor sentiment hard.

What’s more, analysts at Jefferies downgraded Aurora to hold from buy on the news. “It is clear to us that the market is lacking conviction in Aurora, and this update will do little to help that,” the ratings firm said in a note to clients.

ACB plunged 8% on Monday as a result.

Now for the speculation. A gentleman by the name of “Gabor the Blind Guy” posted a video to YouTube earlier this week where he tries to open a new childproof lid his father designed for Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO). According to Gabor, this childproof lid is for a new cannabidiol (CBD) drink that Coke is releasing in Canada.

Coke childproof lids? Coke CBD drinks?

There’s nothing in the news about any of this … save for one article over at TheCannabisStock.com.

Anyone else remember the last company Coke was talking with to produce CBD drinks?

That’s right: Aurora Cannabis.

The Takeaway:

Don’t go looking on YouTube for the video — it’s gone.

In fact, Gabor’s entire YouTube account is gone. So are his Facebook and Twitter accounts. I’m thinking someone accidentally broke a nondisclosure agreement here. Oops.

But this is the digital information age. Nothing is ever truly gone. In fact, you can find a mirror of the video here (while it lasts).

Now, I don’t need to tell you that Aurora could really use a boost … and a deal with Coke would be a major coup for the cannabis company. Aurora just rolled out its Cannabis 2.0 products in Canada, including a long list of edibles, vapes and drinks. A Coke-backed Cannabis 2.0 drink could send ACB to the moon.

What’s more, what if CCO Battley only moved out of Aurora (and into an Aurora subsidiary) to make way for a Coke representative ahead of a CBD drink deal?

The possibilities are tantalizing, aren’t they?

For an expert’s take on the situation, I reached out to Banyan Hill’s resident pot stocks guru, Anthony Planas. Here’s what he had to say:

I saw it on Reddit. I think it’s BS.

Clearly not the take we anticipated, but it’s a stark reminder that any potential tie-up between Aurora and Coke is purely speculation at this point.

Thank you, Anthony, for bringing us all back to earth on this one.

As it turns out, Anthony was right. Just before Great Stuff hit the presses, Coke issued a statement: “As we have stated many times, we have no plans to enter the CBD market.” Bummer.

Remember, the cannabis sector is quite volatile right at the moment. You need an expert to help guide you through the rumors and speculation. To that end, Anthony and Real Wealth Strategist editor Matt Badiali have come up with five pot stocks you “must own” right now … before more states legalize.

Click here to find out more!

Good: Tesla Smokes $420

It was bound to happen … and when it did, CEO Elon Musk was just itching to make a joke.

On Monday, Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) hit $420 per share. The milestone prompted Musk to tweet out: “Whoa … the stock is so high lol.”

All jokes aside, Tesla is smoking right now. The shares are up a whopping 1,600% since their initial public offering, with optimism over the new Chinese Gigafactory driving bullish sentiment right through that burning Walmart roof.

Analysts are even jumping on board, albeit reluctantly. Today, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives lifted his price target on TSLA to $370 from $270, citing strong demand for the Model 3. While Ives gave a nod to “massive short covering” for Tesla’s recent resurgence, he also pointed out “underlying fundamental improvement” at the company. After all, Tesla turned a surprise profit last quarter.

But the short squeeze story can’t be ignored. Tesla shorts have … well … lost their shorts by betting against the company. And there’s more to come. ShortSqueeze.com reports that 27.5 million TSLA shares remain sold short after a 4% decline in the latest reporting period.

Those remaining 27.5 million shares still account for about 20.5% of Tesla’s total float (or shares available for public trading). With TSLA still climbing, how much longer can these remaining bears hold out before they’re forced to buy as well?

Better: Riveting Competition

When Tesla unveiled its new Cybertruck, the internet had a field day making fun of the “truck’s” odd design features. Not since the Pontiac Aztek have we seen a vehicle so, well … ugly.

With so few true competitors, it looked like energy-conscious truck enthusiasts (yes, they do exist) were stuck driving a truck designed by a six-year-old. That is, until Rivian secured a massive amount of funding.

Rivian is an electric vehicle startup that’s drawn considerable interest from backers as of late, especially after Tesla’s Cybertruck made its debut. Rivian’s trucks and SUVs look more like traditional vehicles than anything Tesla makes, providing a level of confidence to key backers.

So much so that the company announced it raked in $1.3 billion in funding in its latest investment drive — its largest to date. Big names are lining up behind Rivian, including Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN).

Rivian is expected to start delivering trucks and SUVs next year. Are we witnessing the emergence of a true competitor in the electric vehicle market?

Best: Breaking Records

I honestly don’t know why more people don’t shop online during the holiday season … or at any point during the year, for that matter. It’s like y’all didn’t get the memo: You don’t have to fight hordes of people to buy things anymore.

This year, online shopping saw more converts than ever. According to data from Mastercard, e-commerce sales surged to a record high, rising 18.8% from 2018 to account for 14.6% of total retail sales in the U.S.

Naturally, the big winner here is Amazon. The e-commerce giant said this past holiday shopping season was “record-breaking.” The company reported 5 million new Prime subscriptions (free trial and paid). What’s more, traffic at Amazon pickup points was up 60% year over year.

Here’s the surprising thing: Amazon stock is actually down more than 6% in the past six months. The shares lag the S&P 500 Index by about 8% for the past 12 months.

So, what gives? Amazon’s spending spree, that’s what. After the company posted its first profit drop in two years back in October, investors have been reluctant to push AMZN higher.

That’s a mistake. Amazon has proven time and time again that it knows how to invest in itself. This latest spending round was on one-day shipping and content for Prime TV. These investments will pay for themselves. We’ll see proof of that in Amazon’s holiday quarter earnings report.

Before I sign off and try to steal another Hawaiian roll — the King’s Hawaiian ones are OK, but homemade rolls help me feast like an emperor — it’s time for a helping of Reader Feedback.

But Great Stuff, you didn’t even ask us for any feedback this week!

No, but “readers gonna read” … and write in.

And I’m grateful for all the feedback and comments you send in.

This week, y’all got personal with the questions. The holidays bring out all kinds of folks. (Especially out on the roads by me … jeez, how many of you really went last-minute with the shopping?)

So, I thought it’d be a wholesome, festive Kodak moment to respond to some of your questions about the great stuff behind Great Stuff.

Brian E. asked:

When and why did you get into trading? I’m trying to convince my son to turn off Counter-Strike and start investing. Any advice?

Well, Brian, at least it’s Counter-Strike and not Fortnite. I don’t have the … umm … poetic license here at Great Stuff to tell you how I truly feel about Fortnite.

As a lifelong video game fan, I initially saw trading as yet another type of “game” to master. It was a challenge. With the right knowledge, I too could win this game played by billionaires.

Yes, I was young and naïve, but I never shrank from that challenge. To this day, I continue to search for that edge — that “cheat code,” if you will — that will help me (and now you) make it big.

Gwenn M. wanted to know:

Your movie references are all over the place (in the best way)! Any one favorite?

As you know, Gwenn, I have an affinity for ’80s movies — everything from Top Gun and E.T. to Indiana Jones and anything made by the great John Hughes. I also have a big weak spot for Monty Python and dry British humor.

But my real favorite, the pièce de résistance, is Star Wars. The Empire Strikes Back was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. It was a masterpiece. So, for better or for worse, Great Stuff readers get more Star Wars memes than any other.

I have spoken.

Short and sweet, Suze said:

Do you have a quote you live by?

Suze, there are, in fact, three quotes that I live by … one for investing in the market and two for life.

For the market, I live by the words of John Maynard Keynes: “Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.”

For life, my favorite is by Robin William’s character, John Keating, in Dead Poets Society: “But only in their dreams can men be truly free. ‘Twas always thus, and always thus will be.”

But equally important is one my grandfather told me jokingly decades ago: “Don’t sweat the petty things, and don’t pet the sweaty things.”

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those quotes.

And on that note, you can look forward to more meme-fueled festivities tomorrow.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

0 notes

goldira01 · 5 years

Link

Share a Coke With Aurora Cannabis?

Are you well rested from the holiday break?

I hope so, because I have a doozy of a conspiracy theory in the cannabis sector for you today. It involves the most widely held stock on Robinhood and the world’s largest soft drink maker.

Before we get to the speculation, let’s start with the facts.

ACB plunged 8% on Monday as a result.

Coke childproof lids? Coke CBD drinks?

There’s nothing in the news about any of this … save for one article over at TheCannabisStock.com.

Anyone else remember the last company Coke was talking with to produce CBD drinks?

That’s right: Aurora Cannabis.

The Takeaway:

Don’t go looking on YouTube for the video — it’s gone.

In fact, Gabor’s entire YouTube account is gone. So are his Facebook and Twitter accounts. I’m thinking someone accidentally broke a nondisclosure agreement here. Oops.

But this is the digital information age. Nothing is ever truly gone. In fact, you can find a mirror of the video here (while it lasts).

What’s more, what if CCO Battley only moved out of Aurora (and into an Aurora subsidiary) to make way for a Coke representative ahead of a CBD drink deal?

The possibilities are tantalizing, aren’t they?

For an expert’s take on the situation, I reached out to Banyan Hill’s resident pot stocks guru, Anthony Planas. Here’s what he had to say:

I saw it on Reddit. I think it’s BS.

Clearly not the take we anticipated, but it’s a stark reminder that any potential tie-up between Aurora and Coke is purely speculation at this point.

Thank you, Anthony, for bringing us all back to earth on this one.

As it turns out, Anthony was right. Just before Great Stuff hit the presses, Coke issued a statement: “As we have stated many times, we have no plans to enter the CBD market.” Bummer.

Click here to find out more!

Good: Tesla Smokes $420

It was bound to happen … and when it did, CEO Elon Musk was just itching to make a joke.

On Monday, Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) hit $420 per share. The milestone prompted Musk to tweet out: “Whoa … the stock is so high lol.”

Better: Riveting Competition

When Tesla unveiled its new Cybertruck, the internet had a field day making fun of the “truck’s” odd design features. Not since the Pontiac Aztek have we seen a vehicle so, well … ugly.

Rivian is expected to start delivering trucks and SUVs next year. Are we witnessing the emergence of a true competitor in the electric vehicle market?

Best: Breaking Records

Here’s the surprising thing: Amazon stock is actually down more than 6% in the past six months. The shares lag the S&P 500 Index by about 8% for the past 12 months.

So, what gives? Amazon’s spending spree, that’s what. After the company posted its first profit drop in two years back in October, investors have been reluctant to push AMZN higher.

Before I sign off and try to steal another Hawaiian roll — the King’s Hawaiian ones are OK, but homemade rolls help me feast like an emperor — it’s time for a helping of Reader Feedback.

But Great Stuff, you didn’t even ask us for any feedback this week!

No, but “readers gonna read” … and write in.

And I’m grateful for all the feedback and comments you send in.

This week, y’all got personal with the questions. The holidays bring out all kinds of folks. (Especially out on the roads by me … jeez, how many of you really went last-minute with the shopping?)

So, I thought it’d be a wholesome, festive Kodak moment to respond to some of your questions about the great stuff behind Great Stuff.

Brian E. asked:

When and why did you get into trading? I’m trying to convince my son to turn off Counter-Strike and start investing. Any advice?

Well, Brian, at least it’s Counter-Strike and not Fortnite. I don’t have the … umm … poetic license here at Great Stuff to tell you how I truly feel about Fortnite.

As a lifelong video game fan, I initially saw trading as yet another type of “game” to master. It was a challenge. With the right knowledge, I too could win this game played by billionaires.

Gwenn M. wanted to know:

Your movie references are all over the place (in the best way)! Any one favorite?

I have spoken.

Short and sweet, Suze said:

Do you have a quote you live by?

Suze, there are, in fact, three quotes that I live by … one for investing in the market and two for life.

For the market, I live by the words of John Maynard Keynes: “Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.”

For life, my favorite is by Robin William’s character, John Keating, in Dead Poets Society: “But only in their dreams can men be truly free. ‘Twas always thus, and always thus will be.”

But equally important is one my grandfather told me jokingly decades ago: “Don’t sweat the petty things, and don’t pet the sweaty things.”

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of those quotes.

And on that note, you can look forward to more meme-fueled festivities tomorrow.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Great Stuff Managing Editor, Banyan Hill Publishing

#Timor Invest

0 notes

recentanimenews · 8 years

Text

FEATURE: Crunchyroll Favorites 2016, Part Two: Video Games!

From returning classics to the Wii U breathing its last (well, last-ish) to a multiplayer-only shooter absolutely taking over everyone's lives, 2016 was a wild year for video games. Continuing from yesterday's feature, Part Two features CR's staff and contributing writers sharing their favorite gaming experiences of 2016--let's get started!

NATE MING (@NateMing)

Overwatch- Not only is Overwatch a fast, bright, and fun multiplayer shooter, but it's made people who otherwise wouldn't play shooters into fans on its style alone. Playing out like an action-packed Saturday morning cartoon, Overwatch's wonderfully diverse and larger-than-life cast has inspired people who don't even play the game, making it go beyond its already-considerable reach as "just" a game.

Dark Souls III- For me, Dark Souls is the game series that best represents life itself: nothing is easy, everything can come crashing down with one bad decision, but every victory is absolutely worth all the pain. Dark Souls III was like coming back home, only home wants to tear you apart and leave nothing left. Every gorgeous new area, every fearsome new enemy, every horrifying discovery--Dark Souls III is a hell of a ride.

Street Fighter V- Yeah yeah, no Arcade Mode, I get it. For the people who wanted to step into the arena and see what they were made of (I'm not made of much, by the way), Street Fighter V dialed back the execution-heavy insanity of Street Fighter IV, making the game more accessible to a new audience by making it about matchups and playing the person instead of worrying how tight your quarter-circles were. For all its missteps on the single-player front, SFV made Street Fighter honest again.

DOOM- In the years since Modern Warfare, it felt like shooters had become too clinical--headshot jousting and drop-shotting had taken away the thing that initially drew me to first-person gameplay decades ago: their rough, literally-in-your-face nature. DOOM drops all pretense with its mandate: RIP AND TEAR. Each fight leaves you nowhere to hide and no time to catch your breath, expecting finesse, knowledge of your terrain, using the right tool for the job, and pure killing efficiency.

Titanfall 2- Almost on the other side of the coin, Titanfall 2 demands a sense of fluidity and keeping an almost constant state of three-dimensional movement--you're never fighting on a straight line, and it's not about who makes the first move, but who survives the last. Add in the sheer fun of large-scale Titan clashes and you already have a near-perfect game--the excellent Iron Giant and Big Hero 6-like single-player campaign is just icing on the cake.

Hitman- My favorite stealth series returns to its roots, going episodic and giving you huge playgrounds to stalk. The variety of levels leaves you with plenty of options on how to approach targets, and are already designed so well that Agent 47's base kit is all you really need to take them out. I was worried about the series after Absolution--consider Hitman's sins absolved.

Mother Russia Bleeds- Peter and I played through this whole game on stream, and it was one of the best co-op experiences I've had in a long while. Mother Russia Bleeds is rough, difficult, and downright nasty, and it never, ever lets up on you--this is the kind of gaming experience I live for. A twisted sense of humor and a thumping soundtrack only add to one of the year's coolest, meanest games.

Gears of War 4- I still hold to the belief that Gears of War 3 is a damn-near-perfect shooter, and while the latest game stumbles in some areas, it's still a total blast. A lighter tone, faster gunplay, and some insane setpieces make this feel more like a cover-based Contra, and I couldn't be happier. Even my favorite co-op game type--Horde Mode--gets a major overhaul that really brings teams together.

That Dragon, Cancer- Media doesn't always have to be fun. If there are sad movies, there certainly can be sad games, and going on this interactive journey of a father's loss is one of the most difficult things I've ever had to willingly go through. Watching Joel--just a boy--steadily grow weaker, and feeling the hopelessness and despair of his parents, and finally coming to terms with it all, is a gaming experience unlike any other for me, and it was 100% worth it.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero- WayForward's adorable hair-whipping, transforming, belly-dancing genie came back with another fast-paced, this time much-more-risque adventure. Probably the most tastefully horny platformer I've yet played, Half-Genie Hero had plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in addition to its high-energy platforming and Metroid-like backtracking.

JOSEPH LUSTER (@Moldilox)

Final Fantasy XV- I can't think of another recent game that had me so skeptical prior to its release, only to have it thoroughly entertain me and kill pretty much all the time I had left. FFXV isn't just a great Final Fantasy game, it's a fantastic role-playing game that really puts an emphasis on the role-playing. From the moment Noctis and his hott boiz put gas in the tank I refused to fast travel, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

7th Dragon III Code: VFD- If you told me I'd be including THIS on my list of top games of 2016 I'd probably have to stop and ask you what the hell 7th Dragon is. The latest installment of Sega's series launched in Japan in 2015, but didn't make its way to the west until summer of 2016. While we covered it on Crunchyroll News quite a bit leading up to its release, I never thought I'd actually bother playing it. Turns out I would have missed out on one of the most low-key enjoyable dungeon-crawlers of the year. Do yourself a favor and fire this one up on your 3DS once you're done clearing that nasty backlog.

The Last Guardian- I don't know what to tell you if you didn't expect a Fumito Ueda game to feature a hard-to-control boy and a stubborn NPC. Time will tell how The Last Guardian measures up against Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, but I was thoroughly moved throughout the 8 to 10 hours I spent with Trico. Sure, the cat-bird beast in question will occasionally have you screaming at the screen, but no one builds worlds and develops molasses-thick atmosphere quite like Ueda and co.

BRITTANY VINCENT (@MolotovCupcake)

Final Fantasy XV- As a lifelong Final Fantasy fan I wasn’t entirely sure I would love this entry, but I came away so appreciative of the new battle system, the “road trip” narrative, and the characters themselves. I greedily lapped up the expansion media like Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV and everything that went with it because I just couldn’t get enough of this world. From Cindy to Noctis to the familiar Final Fantasy mainstays peppered throughout, I lost count of everything that made me smile throughout my journey through Eos. I can’t wait to see what the future of Final Fantasy holds.

World of Final Fantasy- If Final Fantasy XV was all about delivering the most polished narrative it could with all the fixings, World of Final Fantasy was a massive love letter in the vein of Pokemon that combined the best of both worlds. Hardcore fans could appreciate the nuances and cameos of games prior, and newcomers were able to bask in the hilarious writing and heartfelt story. It’s a world I would happily live in, especially when you get to frolic with so many heart-rendingly-cute characters so much of the time.

Amplitude- The fact that one of my favorite entries in the PlayStation 2’s library was given new life shook me to its core. I’m still annoyed I can’t purchase the banging’ soundtrack, but Harmonix’s updated Amplitude was rebooted with a story, ridiculously awesome new tunes, and graphics that really punched up the synaesthesia factor. It’s like I never stopped playing the original game and just saw the difficulty ramp up a little.

PETER FOBIAN (@PeterFobian)

The Witcher III: Heart of Stone and Blood and Wine- Irrefutably the best game to come out of 2015, The Witcher III is returning to my list to also take the top spot for 2016. CD Projekt RED has released two major story expansions, Heart of Stone and Blood and Wine which over double the length of the game while providing access to huge new locations with all the narrative depth and density of Novigrad. These two expansions are everything that DLC could and should have been, actual enhancements to a game that provide content above and beyond getting what we paid for on the original pricetag.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End- This game felt like a movie, packed with small moments like novel mishaps and character interactions that were both humorous and organically contributed to the narrative. The action sequences were tremendous, from some immensely dynamic car chases to absolutely insane escapes from crumbling structures. The world is beautiful and composed of diverse environments possessing fine detail and impressive verticality. Then there’s Nadine fights, which felt like a battle simply to survive rather than defeat a boss.

Hitman- Releasing Hitman as an episodic title turned out to be a perfect formula for a title that is composed of a series of sandboxes missions encouraging an individualized approach. Each new area had a strong concept and an orchestrated feeling that really communicated that Square had been able to unhurriedly direct their entire attention toward its development. For the fans this meant either buying a season pass or buying the levels piecemeal. The episodic metaplot and special events like hunting down Gary Busey or the bandits from Home Alone are just icing on the cake.

Dark Souls III- The twisted takes on the environments from the original Dark Souls were a really satisfying return to the series origin (not counting Demon Souls and earlier titles). I don’t know if there is a way to really perfect Dark Souls gameplay, but Dark Souls 3 managed to introduce even more variety while keeping that immensely simple and streamlined feel. The NPC storylines were maybe my favorite part of the title and the best they’ve ever been, the quests with Irina of Carim and Anri of Astora will probably be how I remember the franchise for the rest of my life.

Titanfall 2- The three-dimensional movement is so clean and intuitive it makes me feel like I was born to fly. The inclusion of titans as stand-in for killstreak rewards is one of the best ideas in modern competitive FPS, giving you a powerful tool that can still be defeated with good counterplay. It didn’t need it, but man did they create an awesome single player campaign with some epic environments and boss fights that give the setting some new dimension.

The Last Guardian- I’m a bit torn about this one. I found the emotional narrative of The Last Guardian to be an immensely satisfying experience, elaborating upon the player's relationship with Agro in Shadow of the Colossus while raising the stakes by portraying both partners as adolescents. My only major problem is the game just didn’t feel connected to the rest of the continuity the way SotC did, even if the ending was a nice moment as a standalone. For all that, the game probably got me more involved that many other titles I’ve played this year.

INSIDE- Perfectly walking the line between forcing you to remain intellectually engaged to figure out puzzles without ever feeling lost by their difficulty, each delivering that “aha!” moment without the accompanying frustration. It has a bunch of novel ideas and manages to find a few different ways of using each of them so the game’s mechanics never feel stale. I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt as uncomfortable playing a game as maybe the last 20 minutes of INSIDE and it was great. Still not sure what the hell is going on in that world, but it was definitely an experience.

Mother Russia Bleeds- Using a side-scrolling Streets of Rage style in lieu of Hotline Miami’s top-down perspective, Mother Russia Bleeds has all the dark themes and brutality of its spiritual predecessor. This game is bad acid trip turned multiple homicide with an amazing soundtrack. A highly refined brawler with some boss fights that are memorable both for their difficulty and because of how absolutely gruesome they all are. Also, in keeping with with Hotline Miami traditions, the soundtrack is worthy of its own vinyl.

Hyper Light Drifter- No game has succeeded in making me feel as profoundly alone as I did playing through Hyper Light Drifter. The haunting synth soundtrack, unspeaking protagonist, and unique visuals all work in concert to create this intensely pure emotional experience. The overall world structure and gameplay had the feel and sense of discovery as A Link to the Past, running with a lean number of highly flexible gameplay options.

Furi- This game came out of nowhere for me and I’m happy to have happened upon it. It does what I most love about indies by taking a good component found in many AAA titles and condensing it down into its purest form. Furi is a series of intense duels against the residents of a floating prison that looks and feels like it was created by Moebius. The game taps into multiple genres to accommodate some insane forms of combat and just feels like a pure experience.

KARA DENNISON (@RubyCosmos)

Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright: Spirit of Justice- I started playing the Ace Attorney series during a long hospital stay many years ago, and I was hooked immediately. I didn't think anything would wow me as much as Dual Destinies did, but Spirit of Justice is really something special, in terms of both plotting and art. The sprites are gorgeous... like sinfully so. And it's getting increasingly cinematic, with the case formats bending to the plot. Also, if you play it and want some serious nostalgia, do yourself a favor and buy the DLC case.

Five Night's at Freddy's: Sister Location- Prior to 2016 I was terrified of anything FNaF because I am a jumpscare loser. But thanks to let's plays, brave friends, and far lower anxiety than previous years, I've been able to engage with the franchise. Considering I'm a sucker for childhood nightmare fuel, the games are already tailor made for me. And this in particular -- a new spin on the old formula -- was fascinating. The lore has my head spinning and I need to know more.

World of Warcraft: Legion- WoW expansions are getting a bit like Star Trek movies, aren't they? Where they alternate good and bad? I was interested enough in Warlords of Draenor, but it didn't quite ping all the buttons I thought it would. Then along comes Legion, with demon hunters and artifact weapons and class halls. The storytelling is becoming progressively more cinematic, the DH's are SO fun for a tank like me, and everything is just looking cooler and cooler. I'm a loner on MMOs, and this got me caring so much about endgame that I did a dungeon with a bunch of strangers just because I was that invested in the plot.

EVAN MINTO (@VamptVo)

Overwatch- I tried the Overwatch demo on a whim, and fell in love pretty quickly. I’m very bad at it (as is the case for most games), but what makes it such a rewarding experience is the wealth of play styles it presents, from a twitchy traditional FPS character to a melee-centric tank to a passive healer. On top of the fun of playing these mechanics against each other in team-based match-ups, Overwatch also has a giddy, cartoonish visual style and a diverse cast of vibrant, memorable characters representing all sorts of countries, body types, and yes, sexual orientations. I’ll be playing this one for years to come, along with the rest of the world.

1979 Revolution: Black Friday- The Iranian Revolution is a relatively recent historical event, but its implications for the Middle East and the world were massive. I’m surprised it took so long to get a video game about it! 1979 Revolution uses the mechanics and even the visual style of Telltale’s critically acclaimed adventure games to tell the story of a photojournalist caught between a brewing revolution and his own loyalist family. The game is full of documents and historical notes to read, but its elegance lies in its ability to showcase political ideologies through moments that feel like urgent personal struggles rather than distant historical details.

Oxenfree- Ever since I first played the Telltale Walking Dead series, I’ve been on the hunt for great story-based adventure games. Oxenfree doesn’t just copy Telltale, though. Instead, it’s a side-scrolling adventure game with some platforming and puzzle elements, centered around a group of teenagers who find themselves trapped on a haunted island. The navigation and puzzle-solving is dead simple, but genuinely funny, likable characters, timed dialogue choices with real impact, and an atmospheric, occasionally psychedelic visual style more than make up for it.

Firewatch- Probably the greatest video game about walking around in a Wyoming national park ever made, Firewatch is a fantastic example of indie games’ potential to create really unique experiences. You play as a fire lookout, communicating via radio with your boss in a far-off tower via timed dialogue choices, but Firewatch isn’t really about changing things via your choices as much as it’s about spending an extended period of time with a character and a location. And boy oh boy, is that location beautiful! The devs at Campo Santo create a world that feels alive, with dying sunlight playing across painterly mountain backdrops and trees that disappear day by day as a wildfire burns across the forest. And then there’s the story itself, which uses the lonely environment to present a sinister mystery. “Walking simulators” ain’t so bad after all.

Fire Emblem: Fates- I absolutely loved Fire Emblem: Awakening, but I still haven’t even finished my first run through Fates (Birthright). Still, it has a lot of the elements I loved about Awakening: a cast of likable warriors, simple RTS mechanics that get more complex with time, and web of statistics and relationships to manage both on and off the battlefield. Birthright’s somewhat boring level design knocked this one a couple places down my list, so maybe one day I’ll finish and move on to Conquest!

SAM WOLFE (@_Samtaro)

A lot of great games hit the scene in 2016. We saw the releases of long awaited games like Final Fantasy XV and The Last Guardian, as well as the release of breakout hits like Overwatch. I, however, didn’t play any of these games because Hearthstone released three expansions this year, and unfortunately for you, Nate has given me a platform to gush about them on.

Whispers of the Old Gods (Hearthstone Expansion)- Whispers of the Old Gods was the first set released in Hearthstone’s “Year of the Kraken,” where the standard format got its foundation. As the mechanized minions of Goblins vs. Gnomes were swept into the wild, corrupted versions of our favorite minions took center stage, and with them, their ancient Old God masters. One of the best promotions for this set was that everyone who logged in received C’thun, an iconic creature from Warcraft lore, for free. This was a great move, as it gave beginners a powerful creature with a fun mechanic right from the start.

One Night in Karazhan (Hearthstone Expansion)- Things took a turn for the funky with the release of One Night in Karazhan, the fourth Hearthstone adventure. Set in a reimagined 70’s version of the magus Medivh’s tower, the set brought balance to the game with several new cards, all served in a stylish disco package, and introduced some very creative creatures (a silverware golem? That’s hilarious!). A special shout out should go to Prince Malchezaar, a card that shuffles 5 random legendary cards into your deck, allowing new players to try out some powerful cards that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

The Mean Streets of Gadgetzan (Hearthstone Expansion)- The most recent expansion, The Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, took us to the Goblin city on the coast of the same name, where three factions are fighting for control: the Grimy Goons, The Jade Lotus, and The Kabal. With each faction having a unique mechanic, as well as introducing multi-class cards, the meta was once again turned on its head, and two months out people are still waiting for the dust to settle. While every faction has something to offer, I have to put my lot in with the Kabal; Raza the Chained is one of the craziest cards I’ve seen, and he gets along great with our old friend Reno Jackson.

NICK CREAMER (@B0bduh)

Overwatch- This game loomed large for me this year--in fact, I’m pretty sure I played more hours of Overwatch than all my others put together. I’ve always been a fan of asymmetrical cooperative/competitive games, with Left 4 Dead standing as one of my all-time favorites, and Overwatch’s diverse gallery of heroes has made for an endlessly entertaining experience. From its attractive aesthetic to its competition-ready depth, Overwatch offers a steady curve of delights as you slowly gain familiarity with its intricate working parts. Here’s to finally hitting diamond in season three…

DOOM- I’m honestly not that big of a shooter fan, at least relative to other genres - if I were doing this list last year, I’d be gushing about Undertale. But the shooters were good this year, and so I gotta hand it to DOOM. This year’s rebirth of the franchise embraced and elevated everything that made the originals fun, bringing back not just the monsters and weapons, but the gameplay feel of constant movement, intimate encounters, and steady mastery of each level’s winding maze. DOOM wasn’t beloved just because it got there first, and this year’s remodel demonstrated there’s still a lot to love in the game’s classic formula.

The Witness- After a year as tumultuous as this, it was almost hard to believe that The Witness actually came out this year. But yes, The Witness finally arrived, and yes, it was wonderful. Jonathan Blow characterized his work on The Witness as attempting to capture and iterate on that elusive “a-ha” moment of personal revelation and discovery. While I wouldn’t say every segment of the game succeeded, the overall product was a consistently rewarding and just fundamentally beautiful getaway, a spiritual successor to Myst that tempered its fiendishly difficult puzzles with a consistently inviting atmosphere.

----------

And that's a wrap for Part Two of our three-part series! Be sure to check out Part One if you missed it, and tune in at the same time tomorrow for PART THREE: EVERYTHING ELSE, featuring movies, music, food, and more! And if you're still in the mood for past CR Favorites, check out the previous years' features here:

Crunchyroll Favorites 2015 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2014 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2013 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2012 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll News' Best of 2011 Part One Part Two

What were your favorite video games of 2016? Remember, this is a FAVORITES list, not a BEST OF list, so there's no wrong answers--sound off in the comments and share your favorites with us!

-------

Nate Ming is the Features and Reviews Editor for Crunchyroll News, creator of the long-running Fanart Friday column, and the Customer Support Lead for Crunchyroll. You can follow him on Twitter at @NateMing.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

0 notes