2018 is now in the books and what a year it was! The red hot Battle Royal sub-genre grew even bigger as a more mainstream option to PUBG prevailed. In fact, you could almost say that while PUBG was the EverQuest of Battle Royals, Fortnite was the World of Warcraft. For overall genres based on the number of hit games, shooters definitely led the way in 2018. Overall, newer games did better than the usual suspects so let’s get to the awards!

New Game of the Year:

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Yes, most of the big new games of 2018 were sequels of major game franchises. The best of the lot for PC fans is Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey while console gamers have a gem with Red Dead Redemption 2.

Runners-Up:

Red Dead Redemption 2, Slay the Spire, Call of Duty Black Ops 4

Best Gaming Value:

Arma 3

Developing into the mothership for a lot of creative shooters, Arma 3 boasts one of the best player communities for creating good content. In fact, some creations have gone on to be popular games in their own right.

Runners-Up:

Divinity:Original Sin 2, Borderlands 2

Most Innovative Online Game:

Deep Rock GalacticDRG is something of an unlikely sleeper hit. If you described the game as dwarves in space blowing stuff up in mines you would likely not get a lot of interest. In fact, there already is an indie space dwarf game and it hasn’t exactly set the world on fire.

Runners-Up:

Kenshi, Slay the Spire

Best Online Shooter

Rainbow Six SiegePossibly the most competitive category minus the last one, shooters have hit the competitive and Rainbow Six Siege is big part of that. Despite some player grumblings, this game is still one of the most sold and played games on Steam.

Runners-Up:

Fortnite, CS:GO, PUBG

Most Anticipated Game for 2019:

Shenmue 3Shenmue 3 is one of the most anticipated games of the decade or longer much less the year. The highly ambitious and beautiful franchise took an incredibly long hiatus after Sega left the console biz after the demise of the Sega Dreamcast. Like the Dreamcast, Shenmue was popular and well received but did not last long. This installment, breathes much needed life back into the old franchise.

Runners-Up:

Anthem, The Division 2

Best Indie Game:

Dusk

Dusk takes an old formula for FPS games of the 1990’s and modernizes it without too many bells and whistles. It also just released towards the end of the year, but has already amassed quite a following with both sales and glowing reviews. If enjoyed old shooters such as Doom, Hexen, Redneck Rampage, and Quake then you should love to play Dusk on much newer devices in 2019.

Runners-Up:

AQ3D, Rimworld, Stardew Valley

Hidden Gem of the Year:

Slay the SpireWhat began as a late buy in last year’s Steam Summer Sale became one of my favorite games in years. Despite being a card driven rogue like game, this game can be deceptively addictive once you start playing. The game has low requirements and it is a breeze to get started. Instead of having one character and focusing on them only, Slay the Spire is about you using multiple characters to make it to the top of the spire.

Runners-Up:

Dusk, Deep Rock Galactic

Best Action Game:

WarframeWarframe has developed into one of the most popular shooters and free games in the world. You can always find it near the top on Steam’s rankings and that will not likely change anytime soon.

Runners-Up:

Rocket League, World of Tanks, Borderlands 2

Loot Lord:

AQ3DYes, this award is due in part to GameOgre working with AQ3D on items in the shop and forum meetups, but this game and its developer are more than just that. This is one free MMORPG that is constantly working on updates and player friendly Events. Of course, the most obvious of these is the Beat the Ogreman Event last year, but there was also a pirate one where Ogreman the player became a pirate with two pistols!

Runners-Up:

World of Warcraft, CS:GO

Not Dead Yet:

PUBGDespite starting the year on fire with over 3 million players, PUBG quickly found themselves going the other way as Fortnite quickly replaced them as the leading battle royal. In fact, Fortnite even achieved great mainstream success by being mention on many news outlets. Thus, all the outraged players from being banned etc seem to be suggesting that PUBG could even die before the year was out. However, that did not occur as PUBG not only stopped the sliding, but actually improved to close out the year.

Runners-Up:

Pro Wrestling X, The Division, World of Warcraft

Best Free Online RPG

Path of Exile is not exactly new (officially released in 2013), but it has developed into one of the most popular online RPGs today. Well before its release, PoE was featured in our giveaway section but was mainly considered to be just a Diablo clone back then. Now, however, is a much different story. The game is now also available on consoles and continues to grow better.

Runners-Up:

AQ3D, RuneScape

Best MMORPG

Monster Hunter: World

This may be one of the first years that World of Warcraft has not at least won this award. This is due to the fact that Monster Hunter: World had a better year and is now one of the most popular MMORPGs in the world. Also, the game is not hampered by a monthly fee. Instead, you just have to buy the game and it is best to catch it in a big sale like on Black Friday if possible.

Runners-Up:

Black Desert Online, WoW, RuneScape

GameOgre.com’s Online Game Of The Year For 2018

Fortnite

What we have this year and last year for awards is something like Everquest and World of Warcraft in MMORPGs. PUBG (like Everquest) was there first in Battle Royals and focused on the hardcore players while achieving great success in a hot new niche of online gaming. However, Fortnite (like World of Warcraft) followed this initial success and even improved on it substantially by focusing more on the mainstream. In fact, Fortnite even increased its mainstream appeal even further by being free. As a result, Fortnite reigns as the 2018 Online Game of the Year!

Runners-Up:

Minecraft, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Rocket League

The post 2018 GameOgre.com’s Online Game Awards appeared first on GameOgre.

Whether you’re eager to head back to the track on your mobile device or computer, we have the ultimate games to help you burn some time and rubber!

How to get started: 

iOS:

Open App Store.

Search or tap the game you wish to download for free.

Tap ‘Get’ on your free game.

Tap Install when the icon switches.

Enter your Password or use Touch ID when prompted.

Wait for the download to finish.

Enjoy!

Android:

Open Play Store.

Search or tap the game you wish to download for free.

Click ‘Install’.

Open game.

Enjoy!

Flash games:

No installation required other than Flash Player, head to the necessary URL and begin your tyre-shredding madness!

PC Games:

See the game website for installation instructions.

Free Mobile Games

Asphalt 8: Airborne (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Tizen, PC)

Experience a breathtaking ride through the sunny streets and dark underground of Munich in limited-time events, multiplayer, and all-new special events!

Need for Speed No Limits (Android, iOS)

Race for dominance in the first white-knuckle edition of Need for Speed made just for mobile. Build your dream ride with an unbelievable range of cars and customizations. Launch yourself between chaos and control as you hit the loud pedal and roll into underground car culture. Win races, up your rep, then kick into more races, more customizations, and more cars. Make your choices and never look back. Tonight we ride!

DRIVELINE: Rally, Asphalt and Off-Road Racing (Android, iOS)

Three most popular racing modes in one game for real racers. It doesn’t matter which mode you are good at, with Driveline, you can burn asphalt, blow dust with rally engines or jump over bumpy roads with 4X4 vehicles.

Real Racing 3 (Android, iOS, Blackberry, Shield Portable)

Real Racing 3 is the award-winning franchise that sets a new standard for mobile racing games – you have to play it to believe it. Stunning visuals and gameplay make this one of the most impressive free games out there.

CSR Racing 2 (Android, iOS)

Setting a new standard in visuals, CSR2 delivers hyper-real drag racing to the palms of your hands. Compete against live players across the world with your custom built supercars including LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Koenigsegg One:1 and many more.

Car X Drift Racing (Android, iOS)

CarX Drift Racing gives you the chance to immerse yourself in the real world of drifting. Unite with friends, tune your car and burn some rubber!

Hot Wheels: Race Off (Android, iOS)

Everything you love about Hot Wheels brought to life in an awesome racing game:

– RACE 25+ Hot Wheels cars across 50+ insane physics racing tracks

– BLAST OFF of boosters, loops, and jumps to stunt on the iconic Hot Wheels orange track

– UPGRADE AND BUILD YOUR COLLECTION of Hot Wheels cars

– CHALLENGE YOUR FRIENDS and the world in competitive multiplayer mode

Hill Climb Racing 2 (Android, iOS)

From the Creators of the Original Hill Climb Racing Comes Hill Climb Racing 2! It’s Bigger, It’s Better And It’s Much Much Funner!?

Traffic Racer (Android, iOS)

Traffic Racer is a milestone in the genre of endless arcade racing. Drive your car through highway traffic, earn cash, upgrade your car and buy new ones. Try to be one of the fastest drivers in the global leaderboards.

Angry Birds Go! (Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry)

Feel the rush as you fling those freewheeling birds and piggies down the twisting track in a thrilling race to the finish line!

SBK16 Official Mobile Game (Android, iOS)

Experience the thrill of handling a 200 HP beast, speeding through the most challenging race tracks in the world: Aprilia, Kawasaki, Honda, Ducati, MV Agusta, BMW or Yamaha… the choice is yours!

Compete against reigning Champion Jonathan Rea and other real SBK riders, climb the leaderboards, challenge your friends or measure your riding skills in the new Test Ride mode to earn yourself a game-changing reward.

Traffic Rider (Android, iOS)

Another masterpiece from the creators of Traffic Racer. This time, you are behind the wheels of a motorbike in a much more detailed gaming experience, but also retaining the old school fun and simplicity.

ReCharge RC (Android, iOS)

Drift your way into ReCharge RC! Featuring limitless vehicle customization, online track sharing with an ever growing catalog, global online leaderboards for every track, even the ones you create, and asynchronous multiplayer allowing you to race the ghost of every leaderboard entry! Enjoy realistic physics that blur the lines between arcade and simulation and allow rookies and veterans alike to experience the joy that is RC racing!

Trials Frontier (Android, iOS)

Experience the ultimate SKILL-BASED RACING GAME on your smartphone and tablet!

Ride your bike on unfairly addictive tracks while you perform slick wheelies, crazy jumps, and flips mid-air!

Real Drift (Android, iOS)

Get ready to drive high performance cars (turbo or naturally aspirated) and make them drift at high speed in tracks designed specifically for drift racing.

Improve your racing and drifting skills and earn virtual money to tune and customize your car.

Race to battle the world record of the leaderboard or just for fun in the freeride mode.

Gigabit Off-Road (Android, iOS)

Cruise huge open-worlds while earning money completing tough challenges, races, and gathering collectibles. Upgrade your trucks with thousands of combinations of parts, suspensions, tires, wheels, and colors.

Real Moto (Android, iOS)

Real Moto lays out the detailed tracks and realistically designed Super Sports Motorbike in awesome 3D graphics to provide unsurpassed visual quality.

MMX Hill Dash (Android, iOS)

The most crazy, addictive & FUN physics based racing game ever made. MMX Hill Dash is the explosive follow up to massively successful MMX Racing. Download and play today.

Pixel Car Racer (Android, iOS)

Pixel Car Racer is the first of its kind, a retro style arcade racer, featuring a RPG sandbox experience. Build your dream garage with limitless car customization! Take your ride to the streets and race your way to the top.

Racing Rivals (Android, iOS)

Think you have the skills to handle legendary cars from the Fast & Furious franchise? Compete with infamous classics from Dom’s Charger R/T to Letty’s C2 Corvette from The Fate of the Furious, the newest chapter in the Fast & Furious saga.

Free Flash Games

Drift Hunters

City Rider

King of Drift

Offroad Truck Driver

Top Speed Sport Cars

Buggy Rider

Port Car Parking

 Free PC Games

Live For Speed

LFS is a serious racing simulator. No arcade modes, no steering aids – YOU have to do the driving. It is therefore highly recommended to drive the sim with a steering wheel.

Track Mania: Nations Forever

A free game in the truest sense of the word, TrackMania Nations Forever lets you drive at mind-blowing speeds on fun and spectacular tracks in solo and multiplayer modes.

Raceroom Racing Experience

RaceRoom is the premier free-to-play racing simulation on PC and home to official race series like DTM, WTCC, and ADAC GT Masters. Enter RaceRoom and enter the world of a professional race car driver.

Rigs of Rods

Rigs of Rods, is a realistic driving simulator that gives you the possibility of driving all kinds of vehicles within a virtual environment: trucks, cars, planes and boats. That means you can drive, fly or sail in total freedom in an open environment.

Our Recommendations: 

Real Racing 3 (Android, iOS)

This game sets the standard with what mobile gaming is capable of these days as EA bring you unrivalled graphics along with fantastic gameplay. We really do believe that this is the closest you can get to the on-track feel in your pocket right now.

CarX Drift Racing (Android, iOS)

It may take you a while to get good at this game, but we can assure you that once you do, you won’t want to put it down! We absolutely love drifting and this is the ultimate way to burn tyres on the go.

Offroad Truck Driver (Flash)

This game is a great time burner whether you’re at home or at work with some spare time. Nothing is more convenient than loading a flash game and stepping into the action as you deliver goods in your truck in the most challenging conditions.

Drift Hunters (Flash)

Not another drift game?! Yep, we’re afraid so, it’s just too good to leave off the list and the perfect opportunity to practice your oversteer control before you head home to your gaming rig!

Live For Speed (PC)

We recommend that this is played with a steering wheel and pedals, but don’t let that put you off. This fantastic simulator is up there with the likes of Assetto Corsa and will cost you absolutely nothing! This is a particularly popular game with the modding and drifting communities.

Rigs of Rods (PC)

This game features quite possibly the most realistic crash and damage physics we have ever witnessed in a game. If you like having fun and crashing into things in a safe and controlled environment, we definitely recommend giving this a try!

Of course, these are purely recommendations. You can play a selection of free flash games at SmartDrivingGames – also make sure to check your phone’s App Store frequently for new releases.

The post 31 Best Free Driving Games appeared first on GameOgre.

1. Sonny Series

• So you wake up in a ship and you’re suddenly a zombie without any memory of what happened. Of course, the first thing you want to find is answers. Answers to questions like who you are, where you came from, or where you were supposed to be going anyway (unless you’re too far off the zombification process and think “braaaains”, but in Sonny’s case, you still good and part of you is still human). You take control of half human half zombie Sonny, who is also looking for answers to find out more about what happened to him. Will he ever get the knowledge he seeks or will he succumb to all the challenges along the way? Play the games, and I highly suggest playing the first game before the second as the second game is a direct sequel (the events start a few minutes after the first game ends) to get a better grip of the game and story.

2. The Splitting Series

• The setting of the Splitting series of games takes place in a world where there are people without shadows. In our world, that just probably means that they’re under shade or in the dark where light can’t reach them, but in the game world, it means that the shadow may be wandering in another world, a world that can only be reached through a mirror. This game tells a story of a whole different world inside a mirror, a world filled with weird stuff that you would need to manipulate, as this world is also connected to the real world in some weird, physical way. This game is a fun-filled Role Playing Game with a lot of puzzles and weirdness, making it a must play for those RPG loves, and the great story is a real huge plus, too.

3. Dynamon’s World Series

• It’s always been a dream for a lot of people to train some kind of monster to become their pet and guardian, and Pokemon has made this dream a bit of a reality (at least, in a game world), but since then, there hasn’t been too much else that gives you a shot at becoming a world class monster trainer. Enter Dynamons World, a game filled with adorable little monsters that you can tame and turn to pets to play with and fight with. You play as just an ordinary little boy who starts your journey as a trainer, but later learns that there’s something big an evil group is plotting up. Your goal is to catch and train Dynamons and use them to stop the plot against world domination. If that wasn’t RPG enough for you, I don’t know what would be!

4. Murloc Series

• The World of Warcraft MMORPG has been one of the most wildly famous games available for PC since the early 2000s, and is still playable with a huge playerbase today. One day, a guy just thought, what if I made one of the more unpopular characters a game where they were the main characters? This is when the Murloc, a race of fish-like creatures from the World of Warcraft got their break with the RPG titled Murloc. You play as Murc, a regular Murloc given a few errands to help with celebration preparations but will later find out that there is something afoot, and you will be the one to save your race from total extinction. The game plays like a regular Turn Based RPG, and all encounters can be avoided as you will see the monster before you battle it, and leaving and re-entering the area will give you a 50% chance of the monster not being there, not a good idea to avoid all fights though as you gain experience and items (like a regular RPG) through fighting and grinding. Murloc is such a great game that people demanded a sequel, and we now have Murloc 2. I highly suggest playing both games for those that love RPG games and Warcraft lore.

5. Arcuz

• Arcuz is another example of using a well-loved formula from a different game (in this case, from the Legend of Zelda games), put in a little uniqueness of your own, and you’ve got yourself a great game with solid gameplay, mechanics, and story. The game starts you off with its story, which tells about the land of Sakara being a rich land especially the village Arcuz, but because of demons and monsters, a dark age was set upon the land. Heroes came in and quelled the evil a few hundred years ago and the village has found peace, but the evil is starting up again, and it’s your turn to be the hero to save the land. The game has a great battle system, playing with the likes of the Zelda series’ action oriented battles. The game also offers a lot of quests to complete and items to collect, giving you more to do than just follow the story. Grinding is also a thing in this game, unlike the game it copied from. Enemies will give you experience points which will level up your character, giving you points to level up your skills and stats. Arcuz is a great game to play if you love RPGs, especially the likes of the Zelda games, but is also a good game for those starting with the RPG genre.

The post 5 Best RPG Browser Games/Series appeared first on GameOgre.

The year end awards are here again! 2017 will go down as a year that introduced some very popular games and a new hot gaming niche. Surprisingly, one of the best new games actually has a retro twist. MOBAs were still hot in 2017, but were outdone by a seemingly overnight juggernaut that has already sent other game makers to make similar games. In fact, the game is so hot, it has not gone on sale yet, because it doesn’t need to.

New Game of the Year:

Player Unknown Battlegrounds

The game that set online gaming on its ear in 2017. Not only did it take players away from other online games, PUBG also brought the Battle Royale genre to the forefront of gaming. Both Steam and Twitch have been besieged by the popularity of this game.

Runners-Up:

Cuphead, Slay the Spire, Fire Pro Wrestling World

Best Gaming Value:

Fire Pro Wrestling World

Wrestling has never really had a PC game that captured the potential of the platform the way that FPWW quickly has. Where the console games have silly created wrestler limits like 100 slots, Fire Pro has none. In fact, I have downloaded over 1000 myself. You also can make any type of wrestling promotion that you want.

Runners-Up:

Garry’s Mod, Tabletop Simulator

Most Innovative Online Game:

Overwatch

The big game last year continued to improve in some areas as it continued to dominate its particular niche. The only game that really hurt its momentum is the big game this year, but they are very different games overall. As a cartoon style MOBA shooter with over-the-top characters, Overwatch has no real competition.

Runners-Up:

Clone Drone in the Danger Zone, Kenshi, MyWorld

Best Online Shooter

Player Unknown Battlegrounds

Like last year, the winner of this award also won New Game of the Year. However, the broad Shooter genre continues to expand and into spin-off subgenres like MMO Shooters and Battle Royales. In fact, the PUBG-led Battle Royal genre has emerged as the hottest new gaming niche since MOBAs. Will the next year be more of the same?

Runners-Up:

Counterstrike Global Offensive, Overwatch, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Most Anticipated Game for 2018:

Extinction

Just take a look at that screenshot. What is there not to love about a giant ogre holding a massive spiked club? Heck, he even looks a little blue! its like the developers read my mind and made a game from that! Enough said.

Runners-Up:

Anthem, Monster Hunter: World, Vampyr

Best Simulation:

Planet Coaster

There have been other roller coaster and theme park games that were more in depth and featured better overall gameplay, but Planet Coaster has mastered all the bells and whistles of the here and now. The resulting package works fantastic with screenshots and videos as beautiful eye candy. You need a heavy duty system just to run it, but it feels more like a real theme park from a visual point of view than the classic games.

Runners-Up:

Invisible Inc, Kerbal Space Program

Best Indie Game:

Cuphead

What is old is new again. Cuphead takes the graphics from almost ancient cartoons by today’s standards and adds insane difficulty to create a very unique indie game that has been an overnight success. The storyline, music, and retro graphics have created an instant classic game that will likely spawn many sequels and clones for years to come.

Runners-Up:

AQ3D, Rimworld, Stardew Valley

Hidden Gem of the Year:

Age of Barbarian

Age of Barbarian is a very unique game that has a great retro feel. You won’t find it on any list of blockbusters or in many other awards because its not really for mainstream. The game is basically a Conan book come to life. That is right, this game is for adults only due to violence and the very skimpy outfits of the two heroes. Actually, this was the hardest game to get a screenshot for because of that and the considerable gore. Anybody old enough who likes old sword and sorcerer B movies should check it out just to have not politically correct fun.

Runners-Up:

Slime Rancher, Brawlhalla, Scrap Mechanic

Best Action Game:

Bayonetta

Innovative brawler with personality galore, Bayonetta finally arrived on the PC in 2017. Like Age of Barbarian, the game is nowhere near politically correct and proud of it. The main character is like a dominatrix with amazing combos by using her hair. You will find many hours of action as the game boasts remarkably high replay value.

Runners-Up:

Rocket League, World of Tanks, Warframe

Best Sandbox Game:

Minecraft

The old sandbox king continues to roll on despite countless clones and emerging niches like Survival. Minecraft remains one of the most played games in the world under the Microsoft banner.

Runners-Up:

Trove, The Long Dark, Ark, Rust

Best MOBA

League of Legends

The better question here is when another game will knock LoL from this award. Like two other games (Minecraft and World of Warcraft), it will be extremely hard to remove this category juggernaut. The only difference this year is that another game finally came along and knocked League of Legends from the top overall award.

Runners-Up:

DotA 2, Battlerite, Heroes of the Storm,

Best Free Online RPG

AQ3D

AQ3D remains a favorite on GameOgre due to their great staff and player base. This is one game that really pays attention to their online community. Besides distributing codes with all kinds of goodies, AQ3D has made four items for GameOgre and even hosted a surprise Event for us.

Runners-Up:

Neverwinter, RuneScape

Best MMORPG

World of WarCraft

After being gone from WoW for many years, I made an impromptu return in 2017. Although somewhat disappointed over no longer having my previous characters, the game has improved over the years. Due to all the expansions, you can now start new characters at very high levels without having to start from scratch. Furthermore, starting these characters was a blast as the new content is a blast to play.

Runners-Up:

Black Desert Online, Guild Wars 2, RuneScape

GameOgre.com’s Online Game Of The Year For 2017

Player Unknown Battlegrounds

As said in previous years, it will take a genre leading monster hit to claim this spot from stalwarts like LoL and WoW. Well, that is exactly what happened in 2017 as PUBG came along and broke all type of records for concurrent play on Steam and continues to grow! All this comes in despite of a very serious backlash on Steam due to player bans on an online only game that is around $30 and hasn’t gone on sale yet. The game is so popular that it does not need to go on sale! However, don’t expect the game to be reviewed well by players due to its popularity. Like John Cena in pro wrestling, the game gets as many boos as it does cheers but reactions are severe either way. Nevertheless, PUBG will still need considerable more time on top before it becomes an enduring dynasty like the three undisputed kings of online games: World Of Warcraft, Minecraft, and League of Legends.

Runners-Up:

Minecraft, Overwatch, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Rocket League

The post 2017 GameOgre.com’s Online Game Awards appeared first on GameOgre.

Now sites like Amazon and New Egg have options galore when it comes to gaming PCs. In fact, some can be found for $500 and less. However, $500 to $1000 is certainly more viable when it comes to PC Gaming. The usual suspects that you will find in this category include Cyberpower PC, iBuyPower, and, to a lesser extent, Alienware. Take note that all three can be seen within the pages of PC Gamer. Nevertheless, Cyberpower PC stands out in the price range as it offers several models on Amazon that are well-reviewed and even harder to keep in stock.

Gaming PCs by these companies offer standard storage of 1 terabyte, Windows 10, fair processors and normally good graphics cards.  Some are even Virtual Reality (VR) Ready. The best one I have seen so far sells for $699 (usually $720) is the CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR GXiVR8020A Gaming Desktop – Intel i5-6402P Quad Core 2.8GHz. The graphics card, AMD RX 480 4GB, certainly helps sell this model as you will be hard pressed to find more bang for the buck than that particular graphics card.

The one downside to the Cyberpower PCs and other gaming models is the lack of wireless. Not surprisingly, reviewers seem to point that out at every turn. The one exception, however, is the model mentioned above. Anything under that price in Gaming PCs will not be so fortunate. Of course, those that can build PCs can likely beat these models and add whatever they wish. The other possibility is to get a pre-built PC for as cheap as possible and then add from there. For example, I was able to take advantage of a sale and get a non gaming PC for just $330 at Best Buy last weekend. The clincher was that it has wireless and the same graphics card that I was about to try on my big rig.

The post Best Gaming PCs appeared first on GameOgre.

2016 was another great year for online gaming as the industry continues to expand while also evolving along the way. Indie games continue to push the envelope with innovations despite some games being made by just one person. Platforms also continue to change as the PC continues to give up portions of the online gaming pie to consoles and mobile. MMORPGs are also not what they once were as E-sport focused genres like MOBAs and online shooters are reigning supreme on livestreaming venues such as Twitch. With this in mind, let’s get onto the 2016 Online Game Awards!

New Game of the Year:

Overwatch

Overwatch by Blizzard has quickly carved out a nice niche for itself and looks remarkably like a future category killer in Online Shooters. This team-based multiplayer shooter is not cheap on the PC, PS4, or Xbox One which kind of goes against the grain of other popular online games. The good thing is that Overwatch has no monthly fee like World of Warcraft, but you will probably have to buy it for more than Counterstrike: Global Offensive, League of Legends (which is free) and Minecraft combined. However, that did not stop the game from being one of the most popular games in the world. Similar games like Battleborn paled in comparison to the new behemoth from Blizzard.

Runners-Up:

Stardew Valley, Planet Coaster, RimWorld, Paladins, Battlerite

Best Gaming Value:

Counter Strike Global Offensive

Although Counter Strike Global Offensive has been around for many years, that has not stopped the game from being the most popular shooter in the world. The game also comes at a very cheap price of just $15. With it, the game has a sizable trading community and, of course, a prime position in eSports.  If that were not enough, the game also has been known to go on sale for as much as 50% off. However, this summer marked a change in that as not only was the game excluded from the vaunted Steam Summer Sale, but Steam has said that the game could also no longer be gifted.

Runners-Up:

Brawlhalla, Garry’s Mod, Tabletop Simulator

Most Innovative Online Game

StarDew Valley

Innovation from a large developer is nice but often times rare. Well, what about when it comes from just one person? Yes, Star Dew Valley is far from the first farm or community game, but I have yet to see a game with all the elements so well done together. Of course, SDV is one of the few games to feature the community prominently in a single player game. Of course, the game has been popular ever since it was released in early 2016.

Runners-Up:

RimWorld, Gang Beasts, Factorio

Best Online Shooter

Overwatch

As mentioned above, Overwatch has developed into a category killer of sorts. Although it is not as popular as CS:GO yet, Overwatch is redefining the multiplayer shooting genre with MOBA elements. The game is a hero-based shooter with teamwork. Oddly enough, some of the aspects and concepts came from a failed MMO project by Blizzard known as Titan. Team Fortress 2 was also an inspiration for the game.

Runners-Up:

Counterstrike Global Offensive, Paladins, Arma 3

Most Anticipated Game for 2017:

For Honor

Hack and slash never looked so good as can be seen by the screeshot above. Throw in such vaunted classes as knights, vikings, and samurai and you have something epic before the game is even released.  To my knowledge, there has not been a movie with knights, vikings, and samurai much less a game where you fight each other. Talk about a fun concept!

Runners-Up:

Shenmue 3, Quake Champions, Prey (reboot)

Best Simulation:

American Truck Simulator

Not all truck games are worth a try, much less worthy to be bought at full retail, but American Truck Simulators stands far above the rest at the top of the heap. Everything from the beautiful backdrops to the game play depth, to the truck themselves screams quality. What is better than driving a big rig through California, Nevada, and Arizona while listening to some classic tunes? Simulation or or not, this game can be very relaxing on the open highway.

Runners-Up:

Spin Tires, Factorio, Farming Simulator 17

Best Indie Game:

Brawlhalla

Brawlhalla thrived in some areas where bigger and more popular games failed to grasp. It has probably the game we livestreamed the most in 2016 for a few different reasons. Brawlhalla is a free online fighting game on Steam that is a small download, does not require a hefty PC, and has a wide assortment of game modes. To top it off, gameplay is very simple and easy to grasp in the same vein as Super Smash Brothers of Nintendo fame.

Runners-Up:

Terraria, Rimworld, Stardew Valley

Hidden Gem of the Year:

RimWorld

Ever hear of an old game known as Dwarf Fortress. Look it up to see what popular games it inspired that made this year’s awards. Obviously, RimWorld is one of those games. What sets this game apart from others besides it rather hefty price tags (look at the price of the Pirate King Pack), is its intelligent AI storyteller that drives the game. You start with three survivors from a shipwreck and then the story builds from there. All in all, expect one of the deeper games of all time.

Runners-Up:

Slime Rancher, Brawlhalla, Scrap Mechanic

Best Action Game:

Rocket League

Were you expecting a shooter? Not this year. Rocket League is not the easiest game in the world to categorize, but its hard to think of the game without thinking of action. Whether chasing down the ball, blowing up a rival by boosting through it or rocketing through the air, you are seemingly in a constant state of motion. The replays after scoring perfectly complement all of that action to give you a quick breather before going right back to it.

Runners-Up:

Chivalry, World of Tanks, Warframe

Best Sandbox Game:

Minecraft

Although it has won before many times, Minecraft still wins this award for 2016. How can you go against the second most bought game of all time? Yes, all the different platforms do get confusing, but the game continues to chug along as the reigning king of sandbox games. Even the top survival sandbox games like Ark and Rust can not challenge this king yet.

Runners-Up:

Trove, Roblox, Ark, Rust

Best MOBA

League of Legends

Like Minecraft just above, this award should come as no surprise either. There were not really many surprises in the genre either. Well, until BattleRite showed up anyway. The MOBA billed as a team-based brawler might not have toppled League of Legends in any category, Battlerite did breath fresh air into the entire genre with short and intense PvP battles. Basically, it functions like a lean and mean League of Legends and could make great headway in 2017.

Runners-Up:

DotA 2, Battlerite, Heroes of the Storm,

Best Free Online RPG

AQ3D

AQ3D is a rather unique game in the industry today. Although very new, AQ3D has an undeniable old school charm that most other games today simply do not have. Yes, there bugs and the graphics will not amaze players, but the game sports humor and an RPG feel from the very beginning. Not only does GameOgre has codes for the game, but we also have our own cape with our logo and I was lucky enough to get a grand tour of the game. That is me in the screenshot above with the unicorn helmet next to the head honcho for the game. Look for a lot of fun innovations in this game in 2017.

Runners-Up:

Neverwinter, RuneScape

Best MMORPG

World of WarCraft

Since nearly all MMORPGs are now free in one way or another, we have decided to combine MMORPGs and Free MMORPGs into one category this year. We will be doing the same thing on GameOgre.com’s Forums soon as well. World of Warcraft continues to lead all MMORPGs in most stats after all these years, but subscriber numbers pale in comparison to the Blizzard Juggernaut’s best days. Actually, they are less than half of what they were then and continue to fall. The most recent Final Fantasy MMOs and then, of course, Guild Wars 2 remain the other bright spots in an industry that has seen much better days.

Runners-Up:

Elder Scrolls Online, Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV

GameOgre.com’s Online Game Of The Year For 2016

League of Legends

The 2016 Online Game Awards ends with the big daddy of all online games as the winner of the last two MMO Showdowns on GameOgre. Although newer games like Overwatch and Rocket League carve out nice niches for themselves, League of Legends remains the most popular online game in the world. MOBAs also remain the hottest overall category although online shooters are gaining ground with more quality entries. In fact, MOBA elements can be seen in both Overwatch and Rocket League. Therefore, don’t be shocked if the next overall king comes from either the MOBA genre or an offshoot of it. That game would also have to be the standard for Esports as well as one of the most watched games on Twitch.

Runners-Up:

Minecraft, Overwatch, Rocket League, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone

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The real quality free games can be found mostly on Steam these days. The platform is safe with no viruses, obviously reaches a great deal of players, and the game can be located in your Steam library instead of hidden on your hard drive or forgotten on a USB. The lucky free games even develop a sizable community. You will find the best of these games listed below.

Free Steam Games:

One Troll Army  – Great game that was made free when players beat the developers over Twitch.

Brawlhalla – Actually bought a founder’s pack for the game before it was open to all players. Still, Brawlhalla has been one of the most fun and enduring games during our Ogre Game Times.

AdventureQuest 3D – This one free MMORPG that GameOgre knows well. We not only have a couple of giveaways for the game, but we also have a GameOgre cape and have taken a tour of the game. If you see Ogreman with a blue name in the game that is me. The name color likely came from the tour as well as most of my gear like the unicorn head helmet.

Heroes & Generals – One of the more popular MMO games on Steam despite lackluster reviews. GameOgre has had successful giveaways and a review contest for this game.

World of Tanks Blitz – Free to play MMO that is currently the only way to experience this gigantic game franchise from Wargaming on Steam.

There you have the first five free Steam games that will be listed in this series. Look for more of these on a regular basis.

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In total, all the software in this bundle is worth $315. That is well above all the game bundles including the Humble Monthlies. Actually, that is at least a double over most game bundles. The software itself is crucial as well since your productivity should increase after using the software the best helps you. For example, anybody who uses multiple monitors will love Display Fusion to the point that the one program is worth it to buy the whole bundle including the top tier all by itself based on simply price. Display Fusion costs $30 while the entire bundle costs only $15.

Here is each program with description and price info. Also, will specify if for one year or just a one-time purchase. Keep in mind that the prices are on the websites of the software themselves and the total cost was made by Humble Bundle. A few were on sale.

Humble Lifehacker Software

Pay $1 or More

Breevy (One Time) $34.95 – Helps expand your text. You can abbreviate long words and phrases.

Fences (One Time) $9.99 – Automatically organize your desktop.

Deskscapes (One Time) $9.99 – Customize your wallpapers.

Directory Opus Light 12 Light (One Time) Roughly $38 – A replacement for Windows Explorer.

Pay More Than The Average

LastPass Premium (One Year) $12 – Securely remembers your passwords.

CyberGhost VPN (One Year) $69.96  – Allows you to surf anonymously.

Display Fusion (One Time) $29.99 – Allows you to run multiple monitors.

Pay $15 or More

Acronis True Image 2017 (One Year) $49.99 – Back up your PC, mobile device, or even Facebook account.

Bit Defender Antivirus Plus 2017 (One Year) $44.99 – Antivirus protection.

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The tiers in this bundle are also very affordable. There is only one game out of seven overall in the top tier. That said, there is not a big reason to get the top tier unless you want that one game. For over $8 less, I bought the rest of the bundle at the average of around $3.82. That average is now currently at $4.36 so buying it not long after it opened was the best way to go.

The top tier game is called Unbox and can be bought in the bundle for $12 or on Steam for $15.99. That is still a good discount for the game, but it does rocket the price of the bundle up. It is up to you whether you think that one game is worth it or not. However, it should be noted that all the games together are worth $115 so even buying the top tier offers a substantial amount of bang for your buck.

Humble Gems Bundle Tiers

For $1 or more:

Technobabylon – 96% rating on Steam. A cyberpunk adventure game that rejuvenates the once popular setting.

Odallus: The Dark Call – 93% rating on Steam. Action-adventure game that will harken players back to the days of Castlevania.

Chroma Squad – 95% rating on Steam. Tactical RPG that takes a humorous approach.

For the average price or more:

Spaera (Early Access) – 100% rating on Steam. Head-to-head puzzle game.

Westerado: Double Barreled – 93% rating on Steam. Western style premium version of a free game.

Assault Android Cactus – 96% rating on Steam. Arcade style twin stick shooter.

For $12 or more:

Unbox – 93% rating on Steam. 90s style 3D platformer.

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Groupees appeals to me because they do several things differently from other sites such as have unlockables based on sales, include music in a major way, low starting prices, offer presales, and have community chat on every page. Bundle buyers are rewarded directly the better a bundles does because content is unlockable after certain sales milestones. For example, the current Be Mine Bundle has three unlockable items at 2,000 bundles, 3250 bundles, and 4000 bundles. So far, the first two have already been achieved.

While music is hard to come across in most bundles, that is not the case at Groupees. By music, I am not talking about a song or two, but albums and soundtracks. Granted, the music is not by superstars or likely anybody you have ever heard of, but that does not mean it is not good. The first one I heard called Bad Ass Inc was so good I wanted to hear more. Now, I have quite a few different albums likely at about the same cost as a few popular singles.

Speaking of cost, you will not find lower starting prices than Groupees. Case in point, my very first bundle there cost a whopping 50 cents. The aforementioned song was in it along with a few games. Some of the next ones were presales. What is a presale? That is where you can buy the bundle at a cheaper price than when it launches including different tiers or build a bundles. The Be Mine 28 was bought on a presale at $2 and is now $3.75.

Lastly, like ours here on the forum, chat plays a major role in the community. Instead of just buying the games and going, people actually socialize and talk about the bundles. Sometimes complaints arise while other times customers predict the content of the bundles. All-in-all, Groupees provides entertainment and great deals to its community.

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