Top 5 games I played in 2017

Another year, another yearly game list. Despite it being one heck of a year for releases, there's a lot of them I didn't play. I have a 'completed' list you can easily find, but just to give you an idea, here are some of the games I didn't buy/play in 2017;

Yakuza Kiwami

Uncharted: Lost Legacy

Danganronpa 3

Shadow of War

Metroid: Samus Returns

South Park: TFBW

AC: Origins

Wolfenstein II

Cuphead

Prey

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Nier: Automata

I also didn't play anything released in December, nor any games exclusive to the Switch (as I don't own one). I imagine I'll get around to most of them in the upcoming year. Without any further ado, here are my picks from what I played in 2017...

List items

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  1. Persona 5

  Easily the best game I played this year. I think it lives up what people come to expect after Persona 4. The social links (renamed Confidants) continue to be one of the main draws. The power of modern consoles allowed them to have a lot more fun with the dungeons. They were very imaginative. It also has a great cast of characters and a fitting soundtrack. My only real complaint is that a certain aspect of the storyline is very predictable, but it was still enjoyable.

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  2. Resident Evil 7 biohazard

  Really like the way they've reinvented the series. I would have happily played more of the old formula, but I think the switch has worked out well. It feels fresh, although a lot of the old mechanics remain to keep it recognisable as a 'Resident Evil' game. I'd love to try it in VR one day.

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  3. Yakuza 0

  It's not for everyone (mainly due to the long cinematics), but I had a good time with it. The combat was at the right level for me to enjoy it (I'm often frustrated by complex combos). As with any Yakuza game, there was plenty of side-activities to do. It was also interesting to discover the backstories of two of the series' well-known characters.

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  4. Mafia III

  The only game in the list that saw a release before 2017. I'd heard some good things about Mafia III, so I decided to check it out. It was definitely worth it. It felt pretty unique because of the setting and the high presence of racism through the story (which seemed to be handled respectfully). The gameplay was also enjoyable, although it sometimes dragged a bit because of needing to completing multiple tasks to take out mob bosses. If you haven't played it, it might be worth checking out.

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  5. Mass Effect: Andromeda

  While Andromeda was critically panned around release, I managed to get a lot of enjoyment from it. It might be far from perfect, but I don't think it's as bad as some people made it out to be. There's plenty to do and I enjoyed interacting with the crew members. I also liked the storyline. As long as you don't go in expecting Mass Effect 2, you should be able to have some fun with it.