Blogging 2016 overview

Half of this year’s already over, but one shouldn’t break with traditions despite the highs and lows of blogging as seen in the overview of blog life in February 2017 and instead carry over the blogging 2015 overview template and take a journey back to 2016.

So this should first and foremost only serve as an all-inclusive list of articles published in 2016 which will later be discussed in more detail in the same way as the movie reviews, fan and fun videos, books, various articles as well as gaming events, game releases, game announcements and trailers, game reviews, and various gaming articles in 2015 were treated, but not necessarily in the same order.

What better way to start this overview than with listing others, like the monthly ones?

Overview of (blog) life in August 2016
Overview of (blog) life in September 2016
Overview of (blog) life in October 2016
Overview of (blog) life in November 2016
Overview of (blog) life in December 2016

There were 229 articles in total, 6 more than in 2015, with a slight increase of views and visitors compared to last year, which shows that despite some months not getting the daily blogging treatment and some time-out, the reader base was pretty loyal. Followers and subscribers also became more and more, which might have to do with more social media awareness on Facebook and Twitter (as well as Tumblr), but also with the articles themselves, especially the classic games and news articles reviews.

The amount of time spent on playing and reviewing games was reflected in these numerous articles:

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Black Mirror
Black Mirror II
Black Mirror III
The Book of Unwritten Tales
The Book of Unwritten Tales: The Critter Chronicles
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2
Clive Barker’s Undying
Deus Ex
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Heaven’s Hope
In Cold Blood
Kathy Rain
Kholat
Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet
Outlast: Whistleblower
Oxenfree
Post Mortem
Puzzle Agent
Puzzle Agent 2
Realms of the Haunting
Rune
Shadow Man
Shardlight
Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Jedi Knight – Dark Forces II
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars: Rebel Assault
Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire
Star Wars: Republic Commando
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D
Star Wars: TIE Fighter Collector’s CD-ROM
Star Wars: X-Wing Collector’s CD-ROM
Still Life
Still Life 2
Syberia
Syberia II
Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon
Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive
Tex Murphy: Overseer
Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure
Wing Commander
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom
Wing Commander: Prophecy – Gold Edition

Even more space was reserved for writing about the latest games, often with the courtesy of DRM-free GOG releases:

8-Bit Armies
8-Bit Hordes
GOG release: “140”
A Boy and His Blob
Agatha Christie – The ABC Murders
Anima: Gate of Memories
Aragami
GOG releases: “Army Men I+II+Toys in Space”
Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear
The Banner Saga 2
Batman: The Telltale Series – Ep. 1: Realm of Shadows
GOG release: “BLACKHOLE”
GOG release: “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons”
BUTCHER
Candle
Caravan
Conga Master
GOG releases: “Crysis + Crysis: Warhead”
The Curious Expedition
GOG release: “D: The Game”
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition
GOG release: “Death Road to Canada”
GOG releases: Disney’s “Aladdin”, “The Lion King”, “The Jungle Book”
Downfall: Redux
GOG release: “Downwell”
Dreamfall Chapters – Book 5: REDUX
The Dwarves
GOG release: “Epistory – Typing Chronicles”
GOG release: “Evil Islands
Fear Equation
The Final Station
The Flame in the Flood
Fossil Echo
GoNNER
Great Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Combination
Grim Dawn
Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander
Hard West: Scars of Freedom
GOG release: “Headlander”
Heaven’s Hope
Human: Fall Flat
Hybrid Wars
GOG release: “INSIDE”
Jotun
Kim
Kingdom: New Lands
Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition
Layers of Fear
Layers of Fear: Inheritance” (PC, Xbox One, PS4)
Level 22: Gary’s Misadventures
Lethis – Path of Progress
The Little Acre
Little King’s Story
GOG release: “LIMBO”
Maize
Masquerada: Songs and Shadows
Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars
GOG release: “Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault”
Meridian: Squad 22
The Metronomicon
GOG release: “Mirror’s Edge”
Mother Russia Bleeds
GOG release: Noctropolis
No Man’s Sky
Owlboy
No Pineapple Left Behind
Obduction
GOG release: “Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee”
Okhlos
The Order of the Thorne – The King’s Challenge
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
Oxenfree
Pan-Pan
GOG release: “Pharaonic”
Political Animals
Pony Island
Punch Club
Quantum Break: Timeless Collector’s Edition
Rad Rodgers: World One
GOG release: “Raiden IV: Overkill”
GOG release: “Reigns”
GOG release: “The Saboteur”
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
GOG release: “Shadow Warrior Classic Redux”
Shadow Warrior 2
Shadwen
GOG release: “Sid Meier’s Pirates!”
Silence
The Silver Case
GOG release: “Skyhill”
Space Rangers: Quest
GOG release: “SPORE Collection”
Star Vikings
Stories: The Path of Destinies
Sunless Sea: Zubmariner
SUPERHOT
Super Treasure Arena
Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire
Tales
This is the Police
Through the Woods
Titan Quest – Anniversary Edition
GOG release: “Titus the Fox: To Marrakech and Back”
GOG release: “Torchlight II”
GOG release: “Turmoil”
Tyranny
Undertale
GOG release: “Uprising: Join or Die”
GOG release: “Uprising 2: Lead and Destroy”
GOG release: “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines”
The Walking Dead: Michonne – A Telltale Miniseries
We Are The Dwarves
The Westport Independent
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – GOTY Edition
The Witness
GOG release: “Worms Armageddon”
Worms W.M.D.
Wuppo
GOG releases: “X-COM” classic series
Zenith
GOG release: “Zombasite”

GOG received other articles as well that sometimes involved free games, but also other developments in the infrastructure of the digital service:

Games in development on GOG
GOG Back to School 2016 Sale and GOG Connect additions
CONSORTIUM: The Master Edition” + Kickstarter “CONSORTIUM: The Tower”
Happy New Year with GOG and Interplay sale
GOG free game “Little Big Adventure 2” + Monstrous Fall Sale 2016
GOG free game “Neverwinter Nights: Diamond Edition” + Monstrous Winter Sale 2016
GOG free game “System Shock 2” + Summer Sale 2016
GOG Weekend Promo: Worlds Collide

Sales and bundles of games (in addition to other media) weren’t restricted to this platform only, as these articles showed:

Groupees: Build a Kiss Megabundle
Humble Audiobook Bundle: Smart Fun! Best of Public Radio
Humble Book Bundle: LEGO
Humble Book Bundle: Origami Yoda
Humble Mobile Bundle: Board Games
Humble Unreal Engine Bundle
Humble Weekly Bundle: Full Motion Video

There was only one unspecified gaming article that didn’t have anything to do with either of these companies:

In memoriam: David Bowie + free PC game “Omikron: The Nomad Soul”

Cinema played a role in 2016, even if it was only a rather minor one with a few movie reviews:

The Babadook
Candyman 1-3
Dead Snow
Dead Snow – Red vs. Dead
The Descent 1+2
Fanboys
The Family Guy Trilogy – Laugh It Up, Fuzzball
Frozen (2010)
He Never Died
It Follows
Krampus
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Lord of Illusions
Sinister + Sinister 2
The Thaw
The Thing (1982)
The Thing (2011)
30 Days of Night

There was only one fun video:

Funny videos: “10 best dry ice experiments and huge milkshake fail”

Covering music videos was another idea, but it only brought three articles to the blogging table:

Coheed and Cambria – Delirium Trigger
Coheed and Cambria – A Favor House Atlantic
FamilyJules7x – Replay: A Metal Tribute to the History of Video Games

Speaking of bringing something to the table, food (if only sweets) was a rather fun topic seen in these articles:

Baking: 3D Minecraft Fondant Birthday + Epic Minecraft Village cakes
Baking: Carbonite chocolate Han Solo + Chocolate Lego stormtrooper
Baking: Giant Ferrero Rocher sweets and cake
Baking: Giant Twix, Kit Kat and Snickers candy bars
Baking: Star Wars Millennium Falcon cake + Chocolate Chewbacca

Finally, writing about blogging is always a nice way to get back into the habit of actually picking up the motivation together with the pen or keyboard:

Blogging milestone reached: 100+ followers
Blogging milestone reached: 500 likes
A break from and a new beginning of writing

So that’s all for now, with more detailed overviews following in the coming days/weeks in between other articles. Of course all these lists aren’t simply a part of me, but of you, the readers. It’s always great to know people are interested in one’s own writing, with or without commenting, liking or sharing the blog entries. So here’s a big thanks to all of you!

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