This is mainly to help myself keep track of the things I've been playing this year. While I expect a majority of these games will have come out in 2017, I'll be digging through my backlog as well.
*The dates included next to the entries are the date I beat the game.
1/4/17
A really gorgeous and well scored game, the music really fits well. While I didn't love the games story, I enjoyed it's humor and some of the places it went.
1/5/17
I now understand why people are into Burnout, debating on getting that Elite license...but I'm really not into the some of those events. Makes me want to try the previous in the franchise.
1/5/17
"SUPERHOT is the most innovative shooter I've played in years!"
1/22/17
Surprised how much I ended up enjoying this one. Normally, I'm a sucker for most Pokémon games but after X & Y and Omega & Alpha I was feeling pretty burned out (I feel that the sixth gen is probably the weakest), not to mention I wasn't feeling the new Pokémon at first. But I've come around on pretty much all of it. Some great new designs and takes on old pokes. Also a surprisingly touching story for Pokémon. #ProPopplio
1/26/17
Phew, finally finished it. Can easily say that this game has some of the best designed levels/areas with such gems as The Clockwork Mansion and A Crack in the Slab. It's a shame that the main plot of the game is so "meh" because it has one of the most intriguing worlds in any game. Gonna need a breather after sneaking around with Emily, but I can't wait to do a murder everything run with Corvo.
1/28/17
Gosh, what a story. What starts as something quite tropey and basic goes in some surprising and intense places, all handled exceptionally well. It's a bummer that while mechanically the game feels good to control, it becomes quite repetitive and samey.
1/29/17
Had some pretty low expectations on this one, how good could another "early" batman story be? Let me guess, his parents die? Kidding aside, Telltale's take on some tired Batman traditions was not only refreshing but quite compelling. That, along with some different takes on characters leads to one of the better Batman stories I've experienced in some time. Only gripes are how some choices play out and the ending falling a little flat for me.
2/18/17
2/18/17
2/19/17
2/21/17
3/15/17
3/18/17
3/25/17
Really glad I finally got around to this one, I'd watched enough people play this game last year that I had to give it a chance. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. The game gives you so many tools and opportunities that tackling the situation of "murder x person" is not only rewarding but really allowed myself to be more creative in my own play. That is initially though, I felt by the last two episodes, Colorado and Hokkaido, the levels themselves didn't feel as open or maybe more linear. Not to saying those two things are bad, and in all reality if I was being more critical of some earlier episodes that may have similar issues, but they made it appear as if they had more. One final note is how funny this game really is. Throwing any object at someone's head, overhearing some cheesy dialogue, the animations for the specific assassinations, etc.
3/26/17
4/1/17
4/4/17
4/10/17
4/29/17
Man, Yacht Club is seriously making some of the best 2-D platformers around. This being the second expansion to Shovel Knight, it controls like a completely different platformer, but still feels like a dream. The air dash itself is such a great move and the re-imagining of all previous levels feels different enough, while complimenting all of Specter Knights repertoire. Unsurprisingly, it also has a quite touching story that's just as good, if not better than the original Shovel Knight. I'm so excited to see where Yacht Club takes the final expansion, and even further to where they go after Shovel Knight.
5/13/17
5/23/17
With the sequel coming out, I wanted to finally go back and finish the story for the first game. I also wanted to go back and remember how this game felt, since I heard from friends and reviewers that many of the returning characters felt the same. So from the start, the story here is great, as everyone has already said, NetherRealm is the only study do story modes right in fighting games. (As an aside, I played this on PS4, and oh boy did this game run rough.) Sadly though, this reminded me of how I'm not a huge fan of NetherRealm's games. I know they're really well made but I personally just don't love the way the they feel. Maybe I'll pick up the sequel eventually to play with some friends, but as of right now, I'm fine waiting.
5/21/17
Ending E. I don't mean to hyperbolize here but this is not only one of the best moments of this year, but one of my favorite moments in any game. You've probably heard enough people talk about this game, but you really shouldn't sleep on it. Yes, this is not the best Platinum game in terms of combat, but I'd still argue there's enough going on with the weapon variety and your skill set that it's still quite enjoyable. And if you're not feeling the combat at all, the easy mode really let's you enjoy this games story without a hitch, which is the real standout here. The places the story goes, while not being wholly new, are thought provoking and handle themes and ideas with such care. I don't want to say too much about them because I think they should be experienced. Not too mention the soundtrack, oh man, if you get a chance, just lay down and have a listen. I'm sorry for gushing a bit here, but this is such a standout game that him more than I anticipated.
6/11/17
6/21/17
6/27/17
6/28/17
7/1/17
7/18/17
7/29/17
9/20/17
9/23/17
10/10/17
10/17/17
10/17/17
11/14/17
11/18/17
11/20/17
11/29/17
12/7/17
12/9/17
12/13/17
12/25/17
