As the year winds down to a close, it is important to remember those who are close to us. Jeremy and his son, Dylan, man the podcast this week to discuss the deep things in life, like which video games are best and how Daniel really is a monster for not allowing Dylan to eat marshmallows that one time.

This episode and next week's episode are a bit out of the norm for what this podcast usually tackles, but hopefully that makes them no less enjoyable than usual. We will be back the second week of 2017 with our episode on the best games of 2016, so bear with us while we take a bit of a break from our normal shows.

Outro music: Pokémon Diamond Version 'Bullet for My Piloswine' by halc, PROTO·DOME, and WillRock (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02192)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Ubisoft created a hit with the original Assassin's Creed, but its successor, Assassin's Creed II, managed to establish a franchise that has practically become serialized with yearly releases. Set in Renaissance-era Italy, the history-rich action-adventure game places players into the role of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a fiery nobleman whose family is betrayed and killed. Ezio dedicates his life to uncovering why and obtaining vengeance as a member of the shadowy Assassin Order. The sprawling city-scapes filled with realistic NPCs captivated audiences in 2009, but does the experience hold up as technology and game design have moved ahead?

Outro music: Hitman: Codename 47 'Chained to a Barcode' by Rayagon (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01075)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Back in 2008, developer DICE took a major risk on a game called Mirror's Edge. It tackled one of the most difficult genres, the first-person platformer. At the time, many in the gaming community considered platforming from a first-person perspective to be the bane of many games and the idea of constructing an entire game around that concept seemed ridiculous. Despite that, DICE pushed ahead and made their game a reality. It starred Faith Connors, a female protagonist of color, as a Runner, one of the few people able to travel outside of an oppressive government's near omni-present surveillance. Using Faith's parkour skills, players had to traverse environments that made use of a shocking, gorgeously clean aesthetic. It was at times clumsy and disorienting, but functional and it gained a major following.

Does Mirror's Edge hold up eight years later?

Outro music: Mirror's Edge 'Clear Reflections' by Sir_NutS (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03003)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Recorded on the one year anniversary of The Best Games Period and a handful of days away from the release of The Last Guardian - we present a lengthy, in-depth look at Team ICO's Shadow of the Colossus. The 2005 PlayStation 2 title carried the spirit of ICO into a large open-world full of magic, danger, and beauty. Though not glowingly received by critics at the time, regard for the third-person adventure game seems to have grown over the years in an odd case of a game becoming better over time. Is this a case of collectively wearing rose-colored glasses or have people been slowly coming around on the tale of a man meddling with forces beyond his understanding?

Outro music: 'The Sunlit Earth' by Kow Otani 

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

The early 2000s were riddled with animal mascots and teams trying to make a name for themselves on fledgling consoles like the PlayStation 2. Over a two year period from 2001 to 2002, a triumvirate of platformers released that would expand the genre and set the trends of for the coming generation of games. Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, and Sly Cooper. Jak and Daxter spawned a collection of well regarded titles before fizzling out as Naughty Dog moved on to Uncharted. Ratchet and Clank has been going strong across multiple console generations.

Sly Cooper is a different story. Perhaps the least well remembered of the triumvirate, its trademark mixture of stealth and platforming struggled to find an audience at release. Sucker Punch went ahead and created two more games anyway before moving on to the Infamous franchise, leaving the franchise dormant after its final 2005 entry. Cooper has only recently popped back into public consciousness due to a well-crafted remaster of the trilogy in 2010 and continuation with Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time by Sanzaru Games in 2013. This heartbeat of life led to the announcement of a film back in 2014 that is now slated for release in 2017.

Can Sly Cooper be counted among one of the best games period or does it fall short? 

Outro music: Mega Man 3 'Blue Lightning' by Disco Dan (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00464)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

With the recent release of Dishonored 2, the gang takes a look at Arkane's first outing to the city-state of Dunwall. As the body-guard turned supernatural assassin, Corvo, players navigate the political turmoil left by an assassinated empress to save her daughter. The 2012 release of Dishonored was met with an overwhelmingly positive reception, but has it aged well since then? 

Outro music: Final Fantasy IX 'Não Está Sozinho' by Tomo Club (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03441)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

This week Daniel Jones flies solo in an Honorable Mention dedicated to the zen mobile game Alto's Adventure. The endless runner (endless ski-er?) utterly captivated Daniel in early 2015 and has been a game he has found difficult to put down ever since. The premier effort from studio Snowman it managed to generate some significant buzz in the mainstream press who praised its quality. Take a ride with Daniel as he takes you down the slopes of the thoroughly enchanting indie skiing odyssey.

Outro music: Chrono Trigger 'Neuga, Ziena, Zieber, Zom...' by The OC Jazz Collective and Wiesty (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03411)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

This episode is pretty self-explanatory. Go vote!

Outro music: Street Fighter II: The World Warrior 'Guile's Theme (Real American Hero Mix)' by Rayza (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00964)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

In honor of the day of all things spooky-scary we're turning to the game that took up Resident Evil 4's third-person horror mantle and mixed it with Alien and Event Horizon. Dead Space released in 2008 and garnered numerous accolades for its tense sound, tight level design, and its unique focus on dismembering monsters. Some reviewers and fans at the time crowned Dead Space as the scariest game of all time. Though that title might have since been given to other games, Dead Space still holds its share of horror. but is that enough for it to be a best game period?

Outro music: Uninvited 'The Old Mansion by the Road' by Sir_NutS, Stephen Kelly, and WillRock (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03443)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Since new consoles aren't announced every day from a major manufacturer, this week's episode focuses squarely on Nintendo's recent reveal of the Switch, their upcoming next-gen device that can be a console or handheld gaming device. Jeremy had to go save kids or something, so this discussion falls to Jack and Daniel who hold somewhat differing opinions on Nintendo's hybrid creation. Will the Switch be a success or a commercial flop? 

Outro music: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'Dance of the Kokiri' by Chris ~ Amaterasu and Doc Nano (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03438)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod