First-person shooters have been a cornerstone of gaming ever since Wolfenstein 3D released in 1992. Since then the genre has seen some of the most influential and best-selling releases in all of gaming from Half-Life to Halo. Both Microsoft and Sony have tried to sell systems by using the allure of exclusive shooter franchises, so its importance really can’t be understated.
That’s why it’s been disappointing that such a key part of gaming has been in a bit of a rut lately. It’s not that shooters have been bad per se, as the yearly releases in Call of Duty and Battlefield have never been outright bad, but they lacked the ability to surprise gamers. Almost every shooter, no matter how technically sound, started to feel all too familiar. Thankfully, that has changed, as 2016 was filled with so many surprises and was the best year ever for first-person shooters. Shooters for Everyone

One of the most exciting parts of 2016 was getting to see my friends that don’t regularly play multiplayer shooters fall in love with the genre. This was largely due to the wide appeal of Overwatch, whose wide range of characters offered up a fun time for seemingly everybody. From Soldier 76’s traditional shooter layout to more unique characters like the mech-riding D.Va, my friends were able to find colorful characters that they enjoyed using.
Perhaps Overwatch‘s greatest accomplishment was getting rid of the gritty feel that most first-per...