Best Of 2016: Mega Ran

(In a world of bland rappers filling up mainstream airwaves with nonsensical rhymes alongside repetitious beats, there is only one Mega Ran. Known to his friends and family as Raheem Jarbo, he first assumed the name of Random but later, to distinguish himself from a world cluttered with others using the same moniker, took on a new name. It’s worked to his benefit, and having over 25 albums, collaborative efforts and mixtapes, they’ve showcased his own workhorse efforts throughout the years. But what separates ‘Ran from the rest is his videogame savvy and skills to be able to incorporate one medium into another. Where does this leave him? Clearly engrossed and engulfed in a subculture, or rather, the sub-genre “nerdcore.” We caught up with Mega Ran while on a European trek somewhere between Versailles and Paris. Mega Ran offered up his favorites, or his Best of 2016, and of course deep at heart, he’s a gamer.)
What up yall! It’s Mega Ran, Teacher. Rapper. Hero. And most importantly..gamer! 2016 has been a show and prove year of sorts for gaming, as a lot of the big titles we’ve been promised for a while have finally come out, and MOST of them delivered (ahem…No Man’s Sky tho).
So with no further delay, here’s Mega Ran’s favorite games of 2016.

1. Uncharted 4.

The game I bought a PS4 for…twice.. long story. But Uncharted is probably my favorite game series of the 2010’s, and part 4 brought the action movie aesthetic to new heights never before seen on video game screens. This game is like playing a movie, straight up. Super rewarding from beginning to end, a must by, a system seller.

Uncharted 4

2. Overwatch

A mindless, only-online – multiplayer FPS with goofy looking characters? Normally I would’ve passed, but something made me take a chance on Overwatch and I was NOT disappointed. Playability is the best word for this game. it’s so smooth, so fun and yet has so much depth. Blizzard knocked it out of the park.

Overwatch

3. Pokemon Go/Sun + Moon

This was the year of the Pokemon. The most innovative mobile game ever had EVERYBODY sneaking onto strangers lawns looking for that Snorlax, even inspiring a few songs, haha.. and then not to be outdone, the Pokemon company drops a NEW full game that improved on the old games while providing the adventure and exploration that every Poke-kid loved.

pokemon_sun_and_moon_wallpaper_by_drpokelover-da23hz4

Pokemon Go/Sun + Moon

4. Mafia III/Final Fantasy XV/Watch Dogs 2
I’m in a 3-way tie mode on my last pick because these games all came out while I was on tour, so I’m just playing through them now, and they’re all so much better than their predecessors. So props to all of the dev teams for improving on what we didn’t like in the first games. These games aren’t perfect… Mafia’s controls are wonky, FF15’s incessant side-questing is annoying and Watch Dogs 2’s dumb AI will confound you, but they’re all worth a play.