I'll keep the intro quick, 2017 flew by and I didn't get to nearly all the games I expected at the start of the year based on what I was tracking. I also bought a PS4 and Switch this year, which seems like ages ago. I feel bad for the PS4 because the Switch is one of the best things ever and I vastly prefer playing things on it.

With that said, here's a look at a bunch of notables that I didn't have a chance to sink into, either at all or not nearly enough:

NOTABLES NOT PLAYED (or enough of)

Night in the Woods - I've bought and installed it in the last couple days, so I'll get to this one shortly

Pyre - Same situation, just purchased and installed. Looking forward to the story, but I wasn't too hot on the fantasy sports when I tried it.

Wolfenstein 2 - Will hopefully play this in 2018.

Nier Automata - As soon as this goes on sale on PSN again I'll get this. I went back and forth on actually playing this one so many times over the year that I should have taken the plunge a long time ago. I know the story plays into exactly what piques my interest, and I'm anxious to get into it.

Yakuza 0 - I bought this on release and got to around chapter 6. I loved my time with it, but I went on vacation and it completely ruined my routine of playing it so I'll need to rectify that soon.

Rocket League - Easily my favorite game ever. Bought on Switch as well, still my go to if I ever have downtime and want to have fun. I just didn't play it as much as other years until the holidays. With the themed events they've been doing (The Halloween and Winter events have been great!) it has put new life into playing the game regularly.

At some point I'll give Horizon a shot as well, as it was one of the reasons I bought a PS4 this year. I just have no idea when.

JUST OUTSIDE

Splasher - This is probably the most pleasant surprise of the year for me. No one played it, and it's a shame because it's an excellent 2d platformer with emphasis on speedrunning. The controls are tight, and it plays with a few different mechanics well. Well worth checking out (it's on Switch now!)

Elite Dangerous - Space is cool. I got sucked into this for a chunk of time and enjoyed it for the most part. The loop is good, but the loop can get stale in my opinion. I didn't find exploring that fun, so I needed to constantly be on top of setting goals/objectives for myself otherwise it'd get boring. It's the most fun I've had just landing a ship in a game though.

Steamworld Dig 2 - Totally solid for what it is and well worth playing. No one thing stands out for me, it's just a well produced game in all aspects. Flew through it in a few days.

Cat Quest - Speaking of flew through, this was a quick romp through a cute world that generally put a smile on my face. It's way better than I expected it to be.

Gorogoa - It's gorgeous, and I don't remember another puzzle game doing what it does. Absolutely check it out if you're interested in puzzle games at all, because it's unique and beautiful.

THE LIST OF TEN

10. Dark Souls 3

This is when everything in the series I had played thus far went from me being a scared chump, to everything clicking, and I took it to the asshole enemies. It's probably down to having been exposed to the nuances of these games, understanding exactly what to expect, and how to react that it felt so good this time. It's my favorite of the series, and yes I did try Bloodborne, albeit later this year after. Interested in seeing what the team does after.

9. Splatoon 2

I think this was the game I was the most excited for this year. I was able to buy a Switch a couple weeks before it released, and Splatoon was the one game on the Wii U I wish I got a chance to play. The core of Splatoon is fantastic fun, but my oh my did so many things about it actively make me want to stop playing. To the point where I eventually did.

I did return recently given the big update and still think it's fun, but they need to change the infrastructure of how matchmaking and friend integration works if there's a 3rd. How it is in 2, specifically only being able to group with friends if you have a party of 4, ruined Splatfests for me.

Yet despite all that it made 9 on the list. I can put up with a lot of BS if the core gameplay is solid, and the fresh style helps too.

8. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

I started playing this early in the year, as a result of working at Ubisoft at the time and getting a copy. I did get into it, but only briefly. I went on vacation and it prematurely ended that excitement that was building for it and I never really got back to it. Until November! Back at Ubisoft again, I got a friend of mine into it and we've been steadily playing it since.

This game offers something wholly unique to the multiplayer shooter space, and it's quite addicting. Getting kills is extremely satisfying, and there's so many options at your disposal that no two games feel the same. Hopefully the next year of content is solid as well.

7. Tekken 7

7, Tekken 7. What a heckin' good time. I don't have a huge history in fighting games. This one came into my life while I was at my last job, and I stayed after work to try it out with a coworker of mine. We ended up going through all of the characters and had a blast. Then we got more and more people in the office to play with us. The fanfare grew within our team over the following weeks, so much so that we held our own tournament off site. We eventually saw the Tekken World Tour in San Francisco a couple months ago. Adding slowmo for 50/50 last hits was a stroke of genius. It has the best loading screen of any game. It's just fantastic, even if Jack-7 sucks.

6. Motorsport Manager

I've been waiting for a Formula 1 management game to come out for years. I like racing, I like management games. I like nice UI, and designing cars. I like the micromanagement of races. It gives you a real sense of accomplishment when you've gone into a weekend with a bad car but managed to squeak out much needed points to satisfy sponsor goals because you conserved your engine and passed others in the pits. Yet there are times when you've spent a ton of money for upgrades on parts, only to have a driver crash out in the first few laps. I've got 100 hours in it, and I should probably get back to it at some point.

5. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

The biggest surprise of the year for me. I was not a fan of the Rabbids before this game, but this game actually accomplished making them not only tolerable, but likeable. There's so much charm packed into the generally small scope, and there's a few moments that were genuinely great. I fell off of XCOM 2 super quickly, but I love that style of gameplay still, and this game delivered on it wholeheartedly. I'm looking forward to seeing what the team in Milan does next.

4. Nioh

I played Nioh almost immediately after finishing Dark Souls 3. I thought I was making a mistake in delving into another game so similar in style right away. Thankfully it didn't matter, because Nioh has some of the most satisfying combat I've ever experienced. It gives the player what I have wanted out of these brutally difficult action games by rewarding you for staying on the attack. The ki pulse system is brilliant. I do think the loot UI/inventory management needs work, and some environments are bland, but again I value gameplay over everything and it's some of the most satisfying combat there is. I want a sequel real bad!

3. What Remains of Edith Finch

Over the last few years I've gotten into these types of experiences in a big way, so I don't say this lightly that this may be my favorite one. The difference between this versus other walking sim/short story games are how it presents different gameplay vignettes. Each feels distinct from each other, and a few are truly special. For me the majority of the stories it tells worked for me, and a few left me thinking about it for weeks after completion. The more I thought about this game, the higher up my list it went. It very nearly came 2nd. However...

2. Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is the the game that has put a smile on my face the most this year. To give some backstory, I did not grow up with Nintendo, let alone 3D platformers. It took me a bit of time to get used to traversing with Mario, because I'd die in the oddest, most embarrassing ways. So I welcome the fact that lives aren't an issue. I took it as the game allowing me to experiment and explore each corner of each world to see what was hidden. I also love just how weird it gets. There's so much variety in the different objects and creatures you can take over, that I didn't know what to expect from each world. Like Mario + Rabbids, there's a few sequences that stuck with me and I've been trying to recommend it to friends who don't play platformers either since finishing it. It's an absolute gem.

1. PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS

Like Jeff, I've been waiting for a good Battle Royale game since I watched the film for the first time. For me that was around 2003 or 2004. I always thought that having a massive scale battle which featured survival, and tense moments would be a blast.

Last year I gave props to H1Z1's King of the Kill for creating a Battle Royale mode that mostly worked. It was still buggy, and bad in ways. I didn't know just how bad until I played PUBG for the first time. I stated in my 2016 list that if a more stable, polished version of Battle Royale came out I'd be playing it as regularly as Rocket League. Well, as of right now I have over 300 hours in this game, and I took a break for a couple months waiting for the new map and 1.0 release.

Getting a chicken dinner for the first time was one of the most rewarding feelings of elation and joy, that I was determined to have my next fix. As I won more the satisfaction didn't go away. I've only just started getting back into it since the 1.0 release but I see myself playing this game for quite some time.

I look forward to seeing how the game industry adapts to this new monstrous success, and I'm certainly open to a super polished version from another developer to come out and see what a big budget release can do. One that models the book/film in closer detail could be very interesting.

Cheers!

-KnifeySpoony