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lxm

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Favourite 2017 Games

2017 was also an amazing year for games! There were so many great experiences released this year, no matter what type you might prefer. It also saw the release of the Nintendo Switch, which is quickly approaching one of my favourite pieces of hardware.

Here's a list of my favourite release this year:

Runner-ups:

  • Steamworld Dig 2 - A more well-rounded and fleshed out follow-up to what was already a charming, wonderful game
  • Enter the Gungeon - Newly released on Switch, I’m still too early to tell how long it stays with me but definitely hits the ‘just one more run’ feeling
  • What Remains of Edith Finch - A beautiful, thoughtful story about a family, thought to be cursed. The imagination in the visuals and vignettes for the characters is incredible and it had a few moments which will remain with me for a long time.
  • Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle - This surprised everyone with how good it actually was (even if you hate Rabbids). Unfortunately it loses steam by the end and the sections in-between combat were generally a drag.
  • Has-Been Heroes - In a similar vein to Enter the Gungeon, the challenge and the strategy required to win battles feels very satisfying. It’s art style and generally low-budget feel did detract from my fondness for it though
  • Fire Emblem Heroes - I might have actually played this more than any other game this year, however despite being a great mix of approachability and in-depth mechanics, it’s still a gacha mobile game targeted at pulling money out of players through fan-service waifus.

List items

  • Despite being in Early Access for the vast majority of the year and giving a very poor first impression (even at release, it’s still a janky mess most of the time), PUBG offers a very intense and memorable experience, great both solo or with friends. Particularly as the number of players in a match dwindles, the stress of your decisions mounts as you try to figure out how you can possible finish in the top spot. When you finally do, the rush of relief and excitement is close to unmatched in games.

  • Horizon looked good from it’s announcement but the realization of how good it actually was didn’t click until it lets you loose in its incredibly gorgeous world. Good writing and characters combined with an extremely cool premise and backstory which you uncover through the course of the game really pulled me through. Complemented by some of the best open-world action combat I’ve played. Horizon stumbled in spots and some of the story elements were presented in huge info dumps, but I still loved the majority of my time with it.

  • I was very glad that I listened to initial reports that playing Wolfenstein 2 on ‘easy’ is the best way to play it. As a shooter, Wolfenstein 2 is middling, with poor alerts to important things like health and level design which leaves you wandering around in circles looking for the unmarked pathway you missed. On easy mode, however, you can blow past all that stuff so you can experience its incredible story. There were so many moments in Wolfenstein that blew me away; moments that could range from shocking, to heartbreaking to over-the-top ridiculous, without missing a step. Thinking back, the gameplay itself is forgettable but the story and moments within that story will stay with me for a long time.

  • Destiny 2 could have been my Game of All Time. I loved the first Destiny and played it throughout all of its early issues as they worked to figure out exactly what type of game it was. By the end of its life, Destiny 1 was in a great place, and the thought of them bringing that game, but enhanced with ground-up quality of life improvements onto the PC? It sounded like a match made in heaven. But along the way Destiny 2 was streamlined and paired down in such a way that a lot of the magic of the first game was lost. I still really enjoyed my time with it and it’s great to play with friends, but Destiny 2 should have been on the top of this list, and instead I’m looking ahead hoping Bungie can fix the mistakes they made.

  • I picked up Nier based on the wave of positive buzz that followed its release. I had never played the original Nier or Drakengard series but Automata sounded intriguing and I generally enjoy Platinum’s action games. Similarly to Wolfenstein 2, Nier’s gameplay left me a bit cold and for the most part it was visually underwhelming (in some spots almost resembling a hi-res PS2 game). It was in the story and moments throughout that Nier really got its hooks in, with many very touching and thought-provoking sequences that go so far beyond the initial ‘can machines be alive?’ questions it surfaces. Its complete playthrough passes through 5 different ‘endings’ and while the second playthrough felt repetitive, by the end, it was firing on all cylinders and showed how games can be completely unique in how they tell a story.

  • Prey starts with a bang and immediately pulls you into a very cool and very intriguing world. Giving you a huge amount of freedom in how you approach things, tied with deep gameplay systems and creepy atmosphere, Prey feels like a wonderful follow-up to System Shock 2. The enemy variety starts to feel stale as you progress and the final third of the game felt like a bit of a slog to get through, but for a majority of the game I was completely immersed, unravelling not only the main story, but also really interesting and intriguing side-stories of the people on that station.

  • I’ve played a lot of Resident Evil games over the years and it’s been interesting watching the series evolve and experiment with different takes on the genre. Even RE 5’s action-slanted co-op was an absolute blast (RE 6’s not so much). RE 7 uses its new perspective to great effect, bringing both jump scares and also daunting tension with every door you open or hallway you creep down. The Baker family are also great antagonists, both terrifying and also tragic and give more weight to RE 7 than just running from traditional zombies or zombie-likes.

  • I keep going back and forth on how much I like Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I love the exploration of the game. It gives you a freedom like very few games do these days and it regularly surprises you while you explore, which often makes it worth your while to check out anything unusual you see. On the other hand, I generally did not enjoy the combat and the major dungeons you complete throughout the story were frustrating and boring when they should have been cornerstones and highlights of the experience. Overall I plan to go back to it, but I was hoping that it would grab me more than it did.

  • I was completely in love with Mario Odyssey throughout the entirety of the Desert world (technically the third world you visit). It struck this amazing mix of visuals, openness and exploration as I continued to wrap my head around the types of puzzles that the game was putting in front of me. I found the remainder of the game never really hit that high again for me but I still enjoyed my playthrough of the game outside a few worlds that I actively disliked. I also lost interest quicker than I expected after finishing the game despite it’s push to get you to go back and revisit worlds with new moons to find.

  • I’m not sure I’ll ever beat Original Sin 2 (I’m currently stuck at a fight where everything is on fire and I’m fighting demon bugs that heal themselves in fire) but for almost 50 hours I was really enjoying the open-ended gameplay which reacts incredible well to being poked and prodded and worked around. It’s always a great feeling, completing a puzzle or scenario in a way that makes you think ‘there’s no way they wanted me to finish it in that way’. I hope to return to it and complete the game but even getting stuck hasn’t diminished the enjoyment I’ve had to that point.
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