The Gearburn Podcast #5: goodbye 2016, and thanks for the games

This year hasn’t been a great one. With the loss of many a brilliant soul, a few interesting choices in important elections, and a number of generally negative news stories for South Africa, we’re glad to see the back of it. But one shining light at least has been 2016’s games catalogue.

We’ve seen a slew of titles embracing a number of genders, tackling political issues and even addressing the age-old tradition of farming.

Some standouts worth mentioning includes the likes of Overwatch, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and No Man’s Sky (at least for some people).

Overwatch gave the world a brand new eSport that has piqued the interest of youngsters and older viewers the world over. It’s also massively accessible, which means its popularity will likely remain, or perhaps even grow) as time progresses.

2016 was a tough year for most, but it also gave us some of the most memorable games in quite some time

Then there’s Uncharted 4. While Nathan Drake couldn’t possibly get more arrogant, Naughty Dog definitely can’t get any better at telling a emotive story through a bunch of ordered pixels.

Finally, No Man’s Sky also gets a mention. The title that arrived with more hype than a Justin Bieber concert, but didn’t quite live up to expectations. Nevertheless, the latest update adds a bunch of new content to the game. And even considering the base game, its randomly generated universe is a piece of art.

But those are just three of the titles we discussed in this edition of the Gearburn Podcast.

This week, host Andy Walker, Graham van der Made and Hadlee Simons — three people who eat, drink and drool gaming — chat about their favourite and least favourite games of 2016. Oh, with a splash of 2017’s titles to come too.

If you like what you hear and would like to comment, add a suggestion or share your valued opinion with us, catch us on Twitter @gearburn. Feel free to drop a comment in the comment section below, or on our SoundCloud page.

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