2017 was well a year….they say with the good comes the bad and they weren’t kidding especially with all of the controversies and not just in gaming. While this was a very different year for me personally and having missed out the last two months of gaming in order to work full time, this year was no doubt full of some gaming greatness. So what better way to end this year with my top 10 games of 2017.
Honorable Mentions:
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (MachineGames, October 27th 2017) – PS4, Xbox One and PC
- Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (Spike Chunsoft, September 26th 2017) – PS4, PSVita and PC
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games, February 28th 2017)
- .hack//G.U. Last Recode (CyberConnect2, November 3rd 2017) – PlayStation 4
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Monolith soft, December 1st 2017) – Nintendo Switch
9. Metroid: Samus Returns (MercurySteam, September 15th 2017)
While the Switch was the main focus of 2017 for Nintendo, we still saw a few releases on the Nintendo 3DS including Fire Emblem, Ever Oasis, Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon but it’s the remake of Metroid 2 that stands out against all the rest.
Metroid: Samus Returns is a remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus which was released on the original Game Boy back in 1991 and developer MercurySteam (Castlevania: Lords of Shadow) did a perfect job of not only recreating the classic Metroid feeling but added so much to this game that really makes you think and backtrack to move forward.
I spent quite a bit of time on this game my first playthrough and it felt pretty punishing, backtracking to find whatever you need to proceed or having to learn boss patterns and strategies without any help. Now this is a game I find myself going back to time and time again to challenge myself and unlock everything.
8. The Sexy Brutale (Cavalier Game Studios & Tequila Works, April 12th 2017) – PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch & PC
If you’ve never heard of The Sexy Brutale, I definitely recommend looking up the game’s trailer to really get a good look at the game since this is a game you really want to complete and experience for yourself.
An adventure puzzle game, your objective is to find a way to save various people who are being killed. How do you do that? Well by letting them be killed and going back in time to find ways to prevent the incident from happening by solving some pretty crazy and twisted puzzles and by doing so you are awarded masks that will give you new abilities and help you solve even more puzzles.
Sounds a little tedious and crazy but it’s actually pretty fun since you learn a lot more about everyone involved as you progress in what is honestly one of my favorite puzzle games of the year. I have to say I loved watching just how some of the characters actually get killed off.
7. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom, January 24th 2017) – PS4, Xbox One and PC
While Resident Evil 7 came out at the start of the year, I actually didn’t pick up the game until October since I wanted to wait for all of the games DLC to release and spend my time enjoying the entire experience.
I’ve always been a big fan of the original Resident Evil games with Resident Evil 4 being the last one I really enjoyed. RE 5 and 6 were fine but overall didn’t give me the same feeling of suspense since it shifted its focus to a 2-player experience with a blockbuster film feeling to it rather than one of horror. While I enjoyed certain aspects of the games it just wasn’t the same and when Capcom revealed they were going back to the horror element well…hence why I patiently waited so I can just go through that experience all at once and I was very pleased.
While many other games have done the horror element maybe a little better, Resident Evil 7 is everything I looked for and the VR element was a nice addition that really got me on edge while I played and for that RE7 was one of my favorite games to play this year.
6. Cuphead (StudioMDHR, September 29th 2017) -Xbox One and Windows PC
Cuphead is a game that makes you feel like you suck…..really bad and honestly I am ok with that. A brutal game that requires a combination on learning patterns, top notch reflexes, patience and most importantly a new controller or two since you will be mashing your attack button like there is no tomorrow if you plan to survive, to the next punishing boss.
I died a lot, I mean I died so much you could probably fill up the Grand Canyon with the amount of Cuphead corpses I created. But you know, I don’t mind that at all since both the platforming stages, the boss battles and even the flying stages are well done and once you actually beat each one, you have a sense of pride for completing it. That is until you see some speedrunners completely decimate the game in less than 30 minutes on Expert.
I absolutely love the visuals and music in the game, you can feel the lobe and passion that StudioMDHR put into the game and it’s definitely worth all the waiting we had to do.
5. Nier Automata (Platinum Games, February 23rd, 2017) – PS4 & Steam
There are very few words to describe Nier Automata but the first one that comes to mind is brilliant. While I’m a fan of the Drakengard series and 2010’s Nier, I was completely stunned on just how great this game was or to be precise still is.
The game’s story can get quite crazy at times as YoRHa No.2 Type B or simply known as 2B must fight almost endless wave of machines in order for the human race to return home but it’s the games amazing visuals, various gameplay styles that transitions into RPG, Beat em Up, Hack and Slash and even Bullet Hell that keeps you glued to the game plus with 26 endings. Yes, I did say 26 endings and unlocking one will affect the gameplay of another play through meaning the game will keep evolving as you start another play through.
4. Sonic Mania (PagodaWest Games & Headcannon, August 15th 2017) – PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 7 PC
I may by in the minority but I feel 2D games can still be amazing in any generation. While AAA game developers have pretty but just focused on 3D (luckily more have focused on 2.5D which I am perfectly fine with) Sonic Mania proved I was right. While the game wasn’t developed by Sega but instead actual big fans of Sonic especially in his 2D glory days what we got was the perfect love letter to the series.
Sega should really take notes seeing as this game was received extremely well by critics and fans alike compared to many of their previous releases and best of all the game only cost $20 and is worth every cent thanks to it’s almost infinite replay value.
3. Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo, October 27th 2017) – Nintendo Switch
2017 is definitely the year of Nintendo which had an spectacular year with the releases of the Nintendo Switch, excellent third party support and most importantly some great 1st party titles spaced out to give fans time to enjoy them.
Easily one of the most anticipated games for the Switch in 2017, Nintendo did an amazing job of promoting it at this years E3 and showing off what fans can expect and it didn’t disappoint. It’s easy to spend hours in each world as you explore, find every moon and spend time collecting coins to unlock plenty of the games costumes and collectibles that you won’t find any shortage of things to do even after you beat the game.
I especially loved Cappy, Mario’s new sidekick gives him the ability to reach new areas, take over enemies and posses them giving him new abilities as well as reach area’s he couldn’t alone which in itself adds so much depth to the game that no matter how old you are, you feel like a kid as you play the game….especially in those awesome 2D segments.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, March 3rd 2017) – Nintendo Switch
There is a plenty of things I both love and hate about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but I won’t deny just how amazing this game is.
This is a game that truly allows you to enjoy the game at your own pace, if all you want to do is beat the game you can do that, heck you can go straight to the final boss if you want after completing the first few tutorial stages and get the glider of course if you survive long enough to get to him as your weapons can break after using them a few times. You can explore the vast world, find shrines and Korrok Seeds, gather materials for survival, find hidden enemies, simply put there is a lot to do.
While I would have loved to have had more Guardian/dungeon sections of the game with less of a focus on having to find hundreds of shrines, I still find myself revisiting the world especially with the addition of the Champions’ Ballad DLC.
1. Persona 5 (Atlus, April 4th 2017) – PlayStation 4
For me, Persona 5 was hands down my number one game of 2017 for so many reasons. With so many great games released this year, one I keep finding myself coming back to is Persona 5 to the point I’ve already beaten the games about 2 or 3 times now.
As a long time fan of the Shin Megami Tensei series and its various Spin-offs including the Persona series, this game really took the series to a whole new level was amazing visuals, a great cast of characters, a great story and most importantly of all an amazing soundtrack that doesn’t get old. There is something about Persona 5 that stands above Persona 3 and 4 by evolving the elements each one introduced and created as you take charge of how you play and the choices of who you spend time with or activities you do will affect how you progress through the games dungeon making the slice of life elements of the game feel more rewarding than the last.
Easily a game you can come back to enjoy at your own pace, it might be long but it’s worth every moment especially if you want to capture/fuse every demon, fight the bonus bosses and pick your favorite waifu!