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16th Dec 2016

The 7 biggest gaming surprises in 2016

JOE

Brought to you by Microsoft #fromMsftwithlove.

New console announcements, old console announcements, Pokemon madness and the odd breakout hit kept gamers talking in 2016.

Here are just a few gaming surprises that caught the public imagination in the last 12 months.

The Xbox One S is launched

The release of the XBox One S was big news and it instantly went to the top many gamers’ Christmas lists.

Fans welcomed updates like a shiny new controller, HDR and 4K capabilities, and a 40% slimmer design. It even brought back the classic white shell.

It also included an unadvertised boost to some older games’ visuals, proving you can teach an old game new tricks.

Pokemon Go

The success of Pokemon Go surprised everyone in 2016. This game added location-based gameplay and an AR twist to the famous concept.

Overnight, it became socially acceptable for adults to roam around the place with smartphones and give little squeaks of joy whenever they bagged a Charizard or a Lapras.

Even the Gardaí got in on the action.

Rapper beats Street Fighter champ

Daigo Umehara is one of the world’s best professional fighting game players. The guy’s got a Guinness World Record for being the most successful player in Street Fighter tournaments.

So gaming fans freaked out when he was beaten in a Street Fighter V exhibition match by rapper Luis Fiasco, who has no known Guinness World Records.

Conspiracy theories were flying after the match but this was the equivalent of Ronaldo being outscored by a Sunday League player.

Project Scorpio

Microsoft dropped a bomb at E3 when they announced that they’d be launching the most powerful console ever in 2017. “Project Scorpio” will offer true 4k gaming, 6 teraflops of power, 320 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 CPU cores.

This is going to be an absolute beast of a gaming console. It will also be compatible with Xbox One S games and accessories. We can’t wait!

AI defeats puny human

18-time international Go champion Lee Se-dol was added to the list of great champions that have been bested by machines back in March.

Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo defeated Lee 3-1 at the notoriously complex board game.

I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

Comeback consoles

NES

They just don’t make nostalgia like they used to. Retro gaming was given a shot in the arm by the news that the NES Classic console and Commodore 64 would be making a comeback.

It was probably of little interest to the Millennial market but this was like a second (and third) coming for gamers of a certain vintage.

Superhot

This indie FPS won fans over with its unique game mechanic, in which time doesn’t move unless your character is in motion.

The gaming equivalent of The Matrix’s “bullet time” intrigued gamers and it was one of 2016’s unexpected hits.

Kanye is making a game

Because of course he is. The announcement that Kanye West is making a video game was definitely a surprise.

The trailer for ‘Only One’ shows his late mother ascending into heaven, complete with a flying horse.

Not much else is known about the game but we’re looking forward to see Yeezy promote it in the way that only he can.

The Xbox One S is certain to be a major hit this Christmas, especially with the great value bundle offers that are available. Microsoft have a history of bringing the family together at Christmas, whether it’s playing games at home or online.

Speaking of surprises, Microsoft recently surprised arctic researcher Andres Alexander with a Surface Pro 4 so he could have a Skype chat with his family in Germany.

It’s a heartwarming video from the frozen north and a reminder that technology can bring people together in amazing ways. 

Brought to you by Microsoft #fromMsftwithlove.

Topics:

Gaming,Sponsored