Note: This list consists of the best games released in 2017 that I played. There are several games that came out in 2017 that I did not have a chance to play, and therefore could not qualify for this list (including titles such as "Divinity: Original Sin II"). I've also decided to exclude games that are incomplete (such as Early Access games like "Dead Cells" and "Pit People" or incomplete episodic games such as "Pillars of Earth").
If
I had to give an award for the biggest surprise of 2017, it may be this one.
Not necessarily because I thought it was going to be bad, but because it was so
much more than I thought it would be. "What Remains of Edith Finch"
is a narrative driven exploration game; you play as Edith Finch, who returns to
her childhood home as a teenager. You explore the house, learning of your
relatives, while the Finch curse (which has claimed the lives of many family
members) looms overhead. If I had to choose a specific genre for this game,
it's one that makes the eyes of many a gamer’s roll into the back of their
head; "What Remains of Edith Finch" is a walking simulator. The
majority of the game is you just walking throughout the house while a narrator
tells the story. What this game does better than most of the genre though is
that it actually includes gameplay. Whenever you learn of your relatives you
often get a little section of varied gameplay to break up the monotony. It adds
a lot to a game that already has a strong narrative telling a beautiful story.
I do believe there is a place in games for walking simulators, despite what
others may say; and it you ask me "What Remains of Edith Finch" has
set a new standard for what the genre can, and should be.
In
all honesty, I'm not a big fan of horror games; the only one in recent years
that I really loved was 2015's "Until Dawn." It was a stroke of
genius, playing off the horror films of the 1980s; it was fun, scary, and
creative. While there have been a few since then that I've heard good things
about, it wasn't until this game that I felt the need to pick up a horror
title. "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" is the latest installment in the
ground breaking "Resident Evil" Franchise. What started out as
survival horror in the 90s would turn into an action horror series in the mid
2000s; but with RE7 the franchise gets back to its roots. You play as Ethan
Winters, who has traveled to rural Louisiana in search of his wife who has been
missing for three years after you receive a message from her. But once he
arrives at the backwoods home off an old plantation, he comes face to face with
some sort of mutated family that is making it their mission in life that he
never leaves that house. RE7 is one of the most genuinely terrifying games I've
ever played. From the opening moments, I was scared. Unlike previous
installments in the series, this game takes place in a first person
perspective. Because of this and what feels like a relatively small FOV, every
time you turn a corner you're scared, you never know what's coming. Coupled
with an intriguing story and exceptional ambiance, I really was scared. My only
complaint is that the game relied a little too much on the combat, which is
often very weak. Throw in a couple anticlimactic, but frustrating boss
fights, and you take a lot away from such a great game. Even so, if you can
make it through this game without your heart racing, you are braver than me.
Every
year, there's always an indie title or two that manage to really take the video
game world by storm; and this past year that game was "Cuphead."
Beginning development back in 2010, this was a game many questioned whether or
not it would ever come out; considering how long ago it was announced, and how
long the studio has been showing it off while simultaneously pushing back the
release day. "Cuphead" is a 2D action platformer, very much similar
to old-school games such as "Contra." You play Cuphead, a young boy
who loses a game of chance to the devil and is forced to go collect the souls
promised to the devil in order to keep years. A fascinating little title,
"Cuphead" is simple but manages to really shine. While the gameplay
is solid and nothing really that special, what gained notoriety would be the art.
Drawn to look like cartoons from the 1940s, this game has some of the most
unique aesthetics I've ever seen. Accompanied by a great soundtrack, fantastic
boss fights, solid combat, and difficulty that will make you want to pull your
hair out (while fun for me, it won't be for everyone) and "Cuphead"
has to be the indie darling of 2017.
Over
the past few years, Supergiant Games has gained a reputation as one of the best
development studios in the world right now. Noted for the beautiful art styles
and scores they bring to their games, as well as a variety of other unique
mechanics, they've gained a strong following and critical acclaim. And their
latest title is far different from anything they have put out so far.
"Pyre" takes place in a strange, Middle Eastern inspired land. You
play as a faceless character picked up by a traveling band of nomads. They
bring you into their group because of a unique skill you posses, the ability to
read (which is outlawed). So you set out traveling the world with your new
group of companions in the hope of finding a better tomorrow. Supergiant's
previous two games were action based; but this one, not so much. When
progressing through the story it is basically a virtual novel. You and your
companions talk, you chose from a select amount of dialog on occasion, and then
you move on. The interactive part of the game comes from these rituals you must
perform. Basically it's like basketball. It's 3v3 where you must get the ball
into your opponent’s bonfire to weaken them. While simple on the surface, it's some
of the most fun I had in a game in 2017. "Pyre" is another impressive
notch in the belt of Supergiant, and really cements them as one of the
industry's best studios.
"Wolfenstein: The New Order" was a surprisingly great game released back in 2014. Coming out of nowhere, it was unanimously praised as one of the best FPS campaigns in the past few years. The game gained a following, so a sequel was sure to come, and this year we received "Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus." TNC picks up shortly after the events of its predecessor. BJ Blazkowicz survived his injuries and is saved by his fellow rebels. In a world ruled by Nazis, his group is one of the last true resistance groups. Unsure of what's to come, but knowing that he has children on the way, Blazkowicz sets out to finish off the Third Reich once and for all. Now, to be honest, TNC is not as good as its predecessor. It has more than a few issues: various technical issues, some bad level design, it gets preachy time to time, and a few of the major protagonists aren't the most likable in the cast. But the biggest issue is that it doesn't feel as fresh as its predecessor. The New Order was a great surprise, while the New Colossus is more of the same. That being said, it's still great. Memorable characters, several cool levels, top notch gun play, an interesting alternate history story, and just being absurdly fun. "Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus" is a hell of a ride start to finish.
Making
a video game is a big investment. It costs millions of dollars, tens of
thousands of man hours, and years of development time. So when a studio sets
out to make one, they need to be sure and get a publisher on board to help
distribute and market the game. So when Guerrilla Games, a Dutch based company known only
for an above average first person shooter, went to Sony and pitched a new IP
that involved a female protagonist in the post-apocalypse hunting robot
dinosaurs with a bow, they must have been really confident. "Horizon Zero
Dawn" takes place many years in the future when mankind is holding on to
whatever life they have left, residing in a primitive state devoid of modern
technology. Living alongside them is some sort of race of robot animals that
take many shapes and forms. You play Aloy, an outcast who attempts to join a
nearby village; but after members of the village are attacked she sets out to
stop the group responsible. And along the way she gets wrapped up in a plot
that will change human history. HZD was a surprise hit early in 2017, being met
with critical praise and strong sales. Noted for its design, combat, story,
lead character, and some of the best technical graphics we've ever seen on a
home console, it took the industry by storm and has become one of the PS4's
best selling exclusives. With an ending that suggests a sequel is on its way,
we haven't seen the last of this new franchise yet.
If
you ask me, the most influential video game franchise of the last decade would have to be the
"Souls" series. The first installment was "Demon's Souls"
in 2009, but the franchise began to hit its stride with "Dark Souls"
in 2011. Since its introduction, countless games have emulated it; the term
"souls-like" label has even been coined. While this term is thrown around
often, only a few games really met the criteria regarding combat, difficulty,
play style, and mechanics. While many have tried this style outside of the
"Souls" franchise, in my opinion only one has succeeded.
"Nioh" is a third person, hack-and-slash action RPG from Japanese
developer Team Nija. You play a legendary Western samurai during feudal Japan,
fighting various demons and other enemies. The story of this game is confusing
to say the least, but you don't play it for the story. This is the only game to
really get the "Souls" formula correct. The combat is fast and
frantic, it's extraordinarily difficult, and there are layers on top of layers
of mechanics that need to be mastered. "Nioh" is not for everyone,
and is one of the hardest games I've ever played; but if you give it a chance
you'll be rewarded with one of the year's best.
I
can already hear the sounds of fury coming from those seeing that this game is
only number four on this list. In my defense, there are good reasons why. I'll
get to what makes this game great in a minute, but let me talk about what annoyed
me. This game had some mechanics and overall direction I was not a fan of.
First would be that every weapon in the game has degradation, so the more you
use it the more likely it is to break. This isn't a fun mechanic; it's annoying
to be in the middle of a fight only to have your weapon break and having to
pause the combat while you switch to a new one. I'm also not a fan of how
"leveling up" in this game works. To level up either your help or
stamina you must collect certain items from shrines scattered throughout the
map (shrines are puzzle based challenges). Now the problem is to level up, you
need to beat several of these shrines; so to get your health up just a few more
hearts will require an annoying amount of work. It would have been better to require
only one shrine to level up, but for it to be a bigger affair. Instead of it
being one of many you must complete, finding and finishing a shrine could have
been a big deal. I understand the choice to use many shrines, each shrine
focuses on different puzzle solving mechanics, there is a gradual increase in
difficulty the further you get from the starting area, and completed shrines can
be fast travel points. I just would have preferred for completing a shrine to
be a more notable thing and a bigger individual challenge. And my last real
complaint would have to be your mobility around the map. Yes you can get a
horse to move more quickly, or jump off a high ledge then glide for periods of
time, but most of the game you'll just be running. The issue is that it's
connected to your stamina, so you can only run for a few seconds, then walk
while your stamina regenerates, then run again. It's annoying, and getting from
point A to B is made more difficult than I feel is needed. And the only way to get your stamina up is
to complete shrines which can be a pain. The game is very large, and compared
to other open world games it feels more tedious to travel across the map. This
game could have been perfect, but there are some annoying mechanics that hold
it back. That being said, it's still great. The art, music, world design,
story, combat, and just about everything else is top notch. If you have a
Switch or a Wii U, flaws and all, "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the
Wild" is one of the best games you can buy.
Most
of the time, when a sequel for a game is announced it makes sense why It was; the
original was successful, the fans wanted it, or some other logical reason. So
when it was announced that the 2010 action RPG "Nier" was getting a
sequel, many scratched their heads. "Nier" didn't sell particularly
well, receive glowing reviews, or even have that big of a cult following; so
why "Nier?" As more was shown it began to make a bit more since.
"Nier: Automota" was more of a spiritual successor, taking place in
the same world but thousands of years later and having almost nothing to do
with its predecessor. At first I wasn't interested, but when I found out the
exceptional Platinum Games was developing the title I became intrigued.
"Nier: Automota" takes place thousands of years in the future when
humans have left the earth and all that remains are various machines. You play
as 2B, a highly advanced combat robot tasked with fighting the machines on
behalf of humanity. And the story that follows gets to crazy to talk about.
Upon its release N:A was met with wide acclaim for its combat, art, characters,
and multiple endings that are unlocked after beating the game through once
(some of the endings involve you playing as other characters seen in the
story). N:A is a creative, inventive, and fun as hell game that did
surprisingly well commercially and critically. It's one of the best action
games I've played in years, and certainly one of the best games we've seen in
2017.
I've
got to say, the Switch had a pretty great first year when it comes to games.
"Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "Xenoblade
Chronicles," "Splatoon 2," and the re-release of "Mario
Kart 8;" but if you ask me the clear standout for the Switch's best
exclusive this year was "Super Mario Odyssey." This game starts off
like many of its predecessors, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach. Mario does his
best to stop his nemesis, but Bowser is victorious and Mario is cast off into
some far off land and loses his trademark hat. When he awakes Mario is greeted
by Cappy, a hat like ghost in the Cap Kingdom. Cappy tells Mario that like
Peach, his sister has been taken by Bowser, and that he wants to help Mario
save them. Mario agrees, and Cappy tags along by replacing his hat and lending
his unique powers. Now the two set off to find their loved ones on a flying
ship called the Odyssey. As ridiculous as that plot sounds, don't let it turn
you off from this game; there's a reason it's so high on this list. "Super
Mario Odyssey" is an absolute treat; it is Mario at its best. Stellar
level design, beautiful worlds, tons of stuff to explore and collect, tons of
new gameplay mechanics, and a sense of nostalgia that reminded me of playing
"Super Mario 64" when I was younger. My only criticisms would be that
the game has a tendency to rely a bit too much on nostalgia (most notably the
2D sections that can be clever, but don't bring a whole lot to the game), and
the control scheme (with some moves tied to motion controls, and unless you
hold the Joy-Cons in separate hands, my least favorite way of playing the
Switch, feel very awkward with every other control scheme). Minor complaints
aside, I had a blast with "Super Mario Odyssey." If you plan on
picking up a Switch any time soon, this would be the first game I recommend you
buying.
Okay,
so this one is technically cheating since it was originally released in 2016.
"Persona 5" first launched in Japan in September of last year, and
didn't make its way to the rest of the world until this past April. When I do
my list of the best movies of the year, I'm very strict regarding when a movie
is released and if it qualifies for that list. But that's because movies coming
out in different countries in different years is very common; while in video
games, that's much more rare now-a-days. So for this I'm making an exception
since it was EASILY the best game I played this year. Also, it's my list so
f*ck it I can do what I want. "Persona 5" is the latest installment
in the ground breaking JRPG franchise. You play nameless, mostly silent
protagonist who moves from a small town to the big city after being falsely
accused of assault by a powerful politician. Shortly after arriving you feel
something is very wrong with the city, and are brought into a strange web of
conspiracies you cannot explain. You learn that you have the ability to enter
the minds of people, referred to as their castles. So you decide to use this
power to steal the hearts of criminals and make them change their ways. You
found a group known as the Phantom Thieves with some of your friends in the
hopes of making the world a better place. Not only is "Persona 5" the
best game I played in 2017, it’s one of the best games I have ever played. The
only noticeable complaints I can think of is that the game takes a few hours to
give you your freedom, and that the English voice acting isn't anything
special. Other than that, it's pretty damn close to perfect; the turn based
combat, music, art style, visuals, design, style, story, characters, writing,
and just about everything else are truly phenomenal. What always looked like a
promising game turned into the must have exclusive for any PS4 owner, and
certainly the best game that I played in 2017.
