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The Games That Were: 2017

The year two thousand and seventeen will be remembered as one of the most amazing years in video games releases. For my part, I had the good fortune to play at least 37 different games that released in 2017. I actually did play more games than that, but they were from past years (got a lot of time in Hitman early this year) or were so forgettable as to not make it on the list (sorry Piczle Lines DX).

After sorting through the list of 37 games, I came to the astounding conclusion that a whopping 30 of them were actually good. Naturally, if a game isn't very good, I'm not likely to even start playing it, but there are always a few that slip through the cracks. But still, for there to be this many good ones in one year is shocking.

I'm going to go ahead and include my full list of the 37 games I played this year and the ranking I've placed them in based on my personal opinion. The ranking was pretty straightforward--I applied science! (In other words I just asked myself which game I liked better between each and every game starting from the bottom of the list and moving up.) As I said above, I think everything all the way down to 30 is a good game that I would recommend at least trying out.

With that full list out of the way, I want to expand briefly on my top ten games and why I felt they belonged where they do on my list.

List items

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a revelation. A masterwork of game design. It is incredible that this can be said of a Zelda game, but here we are.
Over the years, Zelda had become formulaic and, despite being the originator of many foundational ideas in action RPGs, was beginning to feel bereft of truly inspirational gameplay. There were still excellent new games in the series with minor adjustments on the standard gameplay loop (A Link Between Worlds with its borrowing of tools comes to mind), but they all generally followed the same formula.
Thus, Breath of the Wild felt all the more like a breath of fresh air. Gone is the gated content, dungeon-delving, and acquisition of tools to essentially unlock new areas. In their place is a greater openness than I think I've seen in any game I've ever played. You can put 100 hours into the game before facing Ganon if you want to but you're also free to jump off the starting plateau and face him within an hour of starting up the game.
For Nintendo to have delivered so well on the promise behind the seemingly tongue-in-cheek "See that mountain? You can climb it!" hook is fantastic. But it goes beyond just that. The game is designed from the ground up to constantly give you sight lines to new and interesting places that you actually want to visit.
While Breath of the Wild is generally light on narrative plot, stories instead grow organically out of the gameplay. The best games allow you to tell a story about what you did in them that can engage people who haven't even played them before, and Zelda delivers that kind of experience better than any game I've ever played.
I think back on the time early on in my first playthrough of the game when I saw a cliff hanging over the ocean far in the distance and decided I had to go there just to see what I could see. I called my horse, who I had only recently tamed, and rode up a path on the mountainside. At the top, I reached a flat, grassy plateau. I was avoiding the bokoblins riding around the area when I heard dramatic piano music start up and noticed a red laser beam pointed at my chest. I turned to see my first live Guardian right there on the hillside, looking right at me!
I rode as fast as I could and managed to avoid its first shot, which exploded into the ground, sending up dirt and catching the grass on fire. I was heading to that cliff and I wasn't about to let an ancient spider tank thing with a laser beam stop me. The laser was focusing on me again as I pounded away from the Guardian, struggling to get far enough away for it to stop pursuing. The second shot missed... but the third one threw me from my horse to the ground.
I had a scrap of health left. I had no idea where I was. It started to rain. I turned to face the Guardian. My anger at its interruption of my journey outweighed my fear. I held up my shield and ran towards it as it fired at me again.
I burned through two fairies, multiple swords and spears, every shield I had, a quiver full of arrows, and countless stores of food before I realized my defeat was inevitable. I had only one trick left up my sleeve, so I went for it! I ran zig-zag in the opposite direction of the Guardian through a stand of trees and towards the edge of the plateau. Its laser beam hit the trees and ground behind me, but it couldn't hit me as I dodged out of the way each time. One last laser beam slammed into the ground behind me as I leaped off the edge of the plateau into the great empty space beyond... and pulled out my glider.
I had survived my first fight with a Guardian. And as I glided down towards the ocean below, I saw the cliff I had set out for in the distance. But in the dark and rainy night I saw something else as well--the blue glow of a shrine on what looked to be an island in the distance. And another island past that. And I was off on my next adventure.
There are so few games that constantly create such compelling stories through gameplay mechanics alone. That, to me, is the greatest strength of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the reason it takes the number one spot on my 2017 Game of the Year list.
Played on: Nintendo Switch
2. Yakuza 0

I first moved to Japan in the summer of 2001. I was 19 years old. I spoke the broken Japanese of a second-year college student. Unlike many of my peers in school, I was not learning Japanese because of a love of anime but rather because of a love for video games. While that interest in games initially spurred me to learn the language, I became deeply interested in Japanese culture, religion, and history. But also, I found myself attracted to its underworld.
The yakuza were practically mythical creatures to me back then. Heroic gangsters who were idolized in movies I loved, and historical figures who had grown out of an oppressed lower class to dominate large swaths of Japan’s massive urban areas. My understanding of them was as largely financial criminals with hearts of gold—Japanese Robin Hoods who took from the rich and gave to the poor. I was incredibly naïve.
I spent more time in the streets of Kabukicho than I did at my Japanese language classes, but I probably learned more there as well. I saw real life yakuza and learned that they were mostly thugs pushing the sex trade. That the glamorous portrayal we see in Japanese films are glossy and fake, not unlike those of the Italian mob in the United States. I still loved yakuza films, but I had a better understanding of them and what they meant.
Given that backdrop, it is any wonder that it took me until 16 years later to even try a game in the Yakuza franchise. But I am so glad I waited, because Yakuza 0 is one of the best games I have ever played. In any other year, it would easily have been my favorite game of the year.
Yakuza 0’s greatest strength lies in the compelling and attractive cast of characters, especially the two main protagonists: Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima. In my opinion, the greatest narrative scene I saw this year was Majima’s introduction in Yakuza 0. It was flamboyant. It was over the top. It was unexpected. It was fantastic. These two characters are certainly the epitome of the fictional “heroic yakuza,” but it works because neither of them is in the good graces of the yakuza organization and they are, in fact, working against the crime bosses of their respective territories.
To add to that heroism is a hundred smaller side quests where Kiryu and Majima help people around Kamurocho and Sotenbori respectively. Very few if any of these quests felt boring or superfluous. While many open world games will give you a hundred and one mundane tasks to complete but very few inspired quests, Yakuza 0 feels absolutely stuffed with fun stories that you actually want to see and participate in.
At the end of the day, Yakuza 0 is a narrative brawler RPG, and I felt it delivered a fun, high-quality experience in those genres. The brawler gameplay is surprisingly engaging and deep. The RPG elements are vast if not relatively straightforward. And the narrative is a sordid tale of yakuza politics and dramatics that I truly enjoyed.
That said, the game is stuffed to the gills with side content ranging from board games and mah jong to playing actual 80s Sega arcade games to dancing at the night club or singing at the karaoke club with rhythm minigames. There is also meatier side content such as the real estate business, running the cabaret club, or participating in the pocket slot car races.
The fact that Yakuza 0 has so many past Yakuza games to build on benefits it, as they’ve been able to squeeze a ridiculously large amount of extra content into it. I don’t know why I spent six hours playing mah jong in Yakuza 0, but I did. And it was fun. And I learned how to play mah jong.
I loved Yakuza 0 much more than I expected to, and I’m now excited to see the next chapters in the Yakuza story. I’m even considering going back and playing through Yakuza 0 again, which is crazy given my first playthrough took over 120 hours. I just enjoyed it that much.
Played on: PS4
3. NieR:Automata

To say NieR:Automata was a surprise to me would be an understatement. It was so surprising, in fact, that I didn’t even realize I would come to adore it after putting a solid eight hours of playtime into it. At that point, as I plodded through what I would later learn is called “route A”, I found myself growing disinterested. I found the gameplay simplistic. I found many of the sidequests uninspired. While there were certainly sparks of creativity and some clever story points, I had trouble shaking the feeling I was playing an “anime” game which, if I’m honest, is a bit of a turn off for me. I ended up putting down NeiR about 8-10 hours in, prior to even finishing Route A.
Months later, I came back to NieR after hearing rumblings of how deeply it was impressing people whose opinions I respect. I had heard people say that it was one of those rare games that actually justified its early slog later on if you could push yourself through it. So, with a clear mind and no preconceived notions, I returned to 2B and 9S and pushed through the A ending of the game. If I’m honest, even that did not really sell me on this game—it was not until well into the route B playthrough that I started to fall in love with NeiR:Automata.
If I had to point to one thing that initially turned my opinion of NieR favorable, it would have to be the music. It is not just that the soundtrack is fantastic, which it is, but it is how NieR uses the music—how it alters the musical themes along with the gameplay and story. The simplest example is in the “hacking” minigame that dominates route B. When you enter the hacking minigame, the background music seamlessly transitions to an “8-bit” version and then back again when you’re done. However, not only does it transition, but it starts to mutate to reflect what’s happening in the story. In one early example, 2B is injured and the background music is altered dramatically to emphasize the dire situation she is placed in.
One thing that I think separates good games from great games is how the game uses the unique aspects of its medium to tell a story. The way NieR:Automata uses music is a prime example of taking advantage of the game medium to enhance its story.
I will also say that over time the characters grew on me far more than I expected them to. About a third of the way through the game, I realized that it had pulled a “bait and switch” on me. The characters all essentially felt like bad anime tropes at the beginning of the game—2B was cold and even mean to 9S but still seemed to like him (tsundere), 9S was a soft boy who never gave up being nice to 2B, and so forth. That certainly did change as the characters were fleshed out and given far more complex personalities that couldn’t be boiled down so easily.
The other major strength besides the music was the story. It’s a deeply complicated story that touches on themes of existentialism, artificial intelligence, and agency, and it’s dressed in this hard sci-fi dystopian future where humans are essentially extinct. While these themes are not uncommon generally, NieR told it in a deeply effective, emotional way that really impressed me.
For all these reasons, NieR:Automata was my third favorite game of 2017. What’s truly incredible to think about is that with some improvements to the combat system and some quality-of-life improvements generally, it easily could have been the best game I’d played in years. Regardless, I can’t recommend it enough.
Played on: PS4
4. Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is the third best Mario game I’ve ever played after Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. For it to be fourth on this list of games is only because this was such a good year in games.
Everything in Super Mario Odyssey is dialed-in and polished, but that’s something we have come to expect from Mario games. What separates Super Mario Odyssey and makes it such a great Mario game (and, in my opinion, the best 3D Mario game) is the diversity of experiences it has spread throughout its sandbox world. The addition of Cappy enabled the developers to give us new toys to play with in every world in the game. But at the same time, those new toys didn’t completely define any given area—it always felt like a Mario game through-and-through, just a Mario game with fun and different toys strewn throughout it.
One of my favorite things about Super Mario Odyssey is the diversity of the worlds themselves. I love to explore new and interesting environments in games, and Odyssey serves up a huge variety of worlds brimming with creativity and fun. Every nook and cranny of these worlds seems stuffed with something to interact with.
Super Mario Odyssey is a game I will come back to again and again.
Played on: Switch
5. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

I have a confession: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was my first Uncharted game. I didn’t really know what to expect going into it, but I had heard that it was a shorter, tighter experience than the other Uncharted games and I figured that would be a good way to dip my toe in the waters, so to speak.
While Lost Legacy may be shorter than other Uncharted games, I clocked in about ten hours from start to finish and found it to be the perfect length. More than just a palate cleanser between big games, I found myself engrossed by Lost Legacy. Its story was strong and I found the cinematic quality of its storytelling to be quite impressive.
The Lost Legacy is visually stunning. I used the photo mode more than I have in any other game and found myself setting up shots and sharing them online, which is something I never do. The environmental design is smart, with visual cues integrated into the world without them being invasive or appearing out of place.
The gameplay is a lot of puzzle solving mixed with half-decent stealth and cover shooting. I found it fun but nothing to write home about. Regardless, the rest of the game is so polished and enjoyable that I found myself looking forward to spending another couple hours in its world each night.
Played on: PS4
6. Assassin's Creed Origins

When it comes to Assassin’s Creed games, I expect a world full of things to do, interesting historical places to visit, silly interactions with famous characters, and tons and tons of jank. Assassin’s Creed Origins delivers on all of the positive aspects of past AC games and improves dramatically on some of the weaker elements. Most notable is the improvements to the combat system, which is now much more fleshed out and comprehensive. While it is still a far cry from the best of the best in the action genre, the active system is a welcome advancement.
Making a game from a series with a long history feel genuinely new and improved is no simple task, but they did just that with Assassin’s Creed Origins.
Played on: PS4
7. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

I was not a fan of the Wolfenstein: The New Order when it first came out. It seemed hyperviolent and dealing with themes I wasn’t into at the time. Something changed this year that made me feel very differently. I picked up The New Order and played through it just before playing The New Colossus, and I found that I enjoyed both games a great deal.
The New Colossus has some of the most amazing scenes I’ve witnessed in video games. It also builds its dystopian Nazi-dominated world in such a way that you don’t even second guess the craziness—like that there’s a Nazi castle on the planet, for example. The gunplay is fine and the stealth is functional, but the action often feels like it’s filler between the scenes. The difficulty was a common complaint which I do not share, but I do feel that the next Wolfenstein could learn a thing or two from 2016’s Doom about streamlining and empowering the player.
Played on: PS4
8. Metroid: Samus Returns

As a big Metroid fan, I was so pleased by Metroid: Samus Returns. I didn’t know what to expect from a remake of one of the weakest Metroid games from a developer with a mixed history of success. They ended up making a modern take on the classic Metroid game with a few fun new features that improved the gameplay without straying too far from its roots. My only complaint? I wish it was on the Switch instead of the 3DS!
Played on: 3DS
9. Yakuza Kiwami

It was awesome that the remake of the original Yakuza came abroad a few months after Yakuza 0. I got to see the story that started it all with the context established by Yakuza 0. Kiwami was very similar to Yakuza 0 in terms of the gameplay and minigames. It’s a leaner game focusing only on one protagonist instead of two, and it feels like it has some less mature sensibilities that might be due to its source material being the original PS2 game. Despite that, however, it’s a wonderful game and getting a full remake of a PS2 game this way is lovely.
Played on: PS4
10. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

Count Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle as “biggest surprise” of 2017. Who knew mixing XCOM-like gameplay with Mario and Rabbids would create one of the most charming and fun games of the year? I didn’t know much about the rabbids aside from their reputation as Minion-esque annoyances prior to this game, but somehow they were endearing in this particular title. From a pure gameplay perspective, Mario + Rabbids was possibly the strongest game of the year. The turn-based strategy was streamlined so well, but the game retained the challenge of XCOM-like games in spite of that. Oh, and it has one of the best soundtracks of the year from the famous Grant Kirkhope as well. Mario + Rabbids is a game I’ll certainly be coming back to over the years.
Played on: Switch