Oh man, team-building stuff is the worst. It's one of my favorite things about working where I do that we prefer the cold employment culture of the '70s over any of the new-agey team-building stuff (for better and for worse).

It's fairly similar to Proteus in some ways. If you are looking for an exploration simulator, you'll love it. If you are looking for anything more structured or profound than that, it will disappoint.

It's worth that discounted price. I really enjoyed the game for what it was trying to do, and my 15 hours or so that I spent with it were a lovely time. I'll likely go back at some point to try out the new features too.

If you wouldn't mind elaborating, what's the extra stuff that costs money in Super Mario Run? I had understood that it lacked microtransactions after you pay the $10 (USD) to buy the game.

You can't use a legit NES controller with your RetroPie, can you? Because I have one or two in my basement that I will send you (MERRY CHRISTMAS!) if that'll make it work.

I don't know what to make of Downwell. I have it on my Android phone, but it always makes me wish I was playing it on a 3DS. That game definitely calls for a more tactile experience.

It's on the PS Online Store if you have a PSP, PS3, Vita or PS4. Funny enough, unlike most games of its era, I don't find it loses a lot by being played in HD. Something about its rough style actually pulls off the transition, if only because you aren't really expecting it to look clean anyway.

I'd second this. Symphony of the Night might have been the biggest throwback game of its era, if nothing else. There's quite a bit of polygonal stuff in there, but even those effects are somewhat reminiscent of a more advanced version of SNES SuperFX stuff.

Color Splash is soooo great. It's beaten out only by The Witness as my Game of the Year. I even liked the battle system by the end of the game, though the real stars are the writing and the soundtrack. I don't think I've ever laughed so much while playing a game.

Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder! I'm adding Owlboy to my wishlist ASAP.

Good call on this as the best visual design in 2016 games. I didn't even particularly care for the game - its reliance on pantomime to convey mildly complex plot and game systems drove me nuts - but it's easily the most beautiful game of the year. Even Paper Mario: Color Splash, which was perhaps the zenith (so far)…

Heck yes to Hardcore History. It can be tough listening, if only because Dan Carlin really gets into the nitty-gritty of the events he discusses. Even as a historian, I'm not sure anyone is doing more to make history "come alive" in the world today than Dan Carlin.

I've only completed the Paris level, so I've only watched your coverage of that one on Tumblr/Youtube, and it's magical. The bizarre glitches that occur with Agent 47's hands were the highlight, along with the body magically floating in from the sky.

I am downright shocked at how good Super Mario Run looks - I watched a live stream yesterday that was thoroughly enjoyable, and I'll certainly be picking the game up when it comes to the Android platform next year.

They always nail the details. I like Link's various sleeping animations in Skyward Sword, as he nods off if you let him sit on a bench for more than a second or two, and when using an actual bed he hurls himself into the air before landing on his back. It made me laugh every time.

If Nintendo's account systems are any indication, one suspects that you'll be obligated to purchase it three times, haha.

Pokemon Go was made by Niantic with art assets licensed from Nintendo.

The internet thing is obnoxious, though I'm quite happy it lacks micro-transactions.

I caught GameXplain's live stream, and this game actually looked shockingly entertaining! I'll pick it up when it comes to Android some time in 2017.

Thanks! I saw some others doing it and realized I had a really easy way to "Seasonalize" my own.