Halfway through the year, what's your top 5 GOTY? (poll is for your #1)

Whoops, I chose Resident Evil 7, but I didn't read the question correctly. I'm not actually sure where I'd place my favorite games of this year yet, and I'm just now playing Breath of the Wild. My favorite games so far though are Resident Evil 7, Outlast 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, Nioh, and Prey 2. I also liked What Remains of Edith Finch, but I'm not sure I'd add it in the top five, but it sticks with me as a fine game that I played this year so far. I am thinking Breath of the Wild will be added. There are some games on there that I still want to play kind of but didn't because... I am not actually sure I want to play them. Ghost Recon is one of them. There are some games that are available to me since my brother buys games as well but I have less interest in personally (Persona 5, Gravity Rush 2, and Nier Automata). So, I'm going to say the biggest issues of my favorite games because that's easier than talking about what's great.

Resident Evil's biggest issue is just its length. It was fine the first go as I explored everything, but the game can be really short, enough so that you get an achievement/trophy for beating it under four or five hours. Outlast 2's issue was that some moments I felt there could clearly be combat, and so going hand-in-hand, the early parts of the game (for about two hours) didn't give me a great impression. Horizon Zero Dawn was great, but my expectations were a bit higher when it comes to the story. Nioh may be my favorite game this year perhaps in hindsight so far, though it may be the one with the most issues even though most negligible. The game repeats the same levels, the same boss, and enemy types, and I didn't think they gave the player any reason to change up the way you fight. I used everything that has to do with heavy style and went through it fine.

Prey 2 was great up until the last few hours when you're already done exploring every nook and cranny of the interesting environments and all that's left is an okay main story, where they throw an abundance of enemies at you to block your way of progress. By the ending, I was kind of turned off, but the many hours before was great. I'd probably add Edith Finch in my top ten. I generally just like playing 'walking simulators' since they often break up my time playing other genres, and Edith Finch is one of, if not the best walking simulator I've played as it does more than just have you walk around. The biggest issue is just the early moments where the frame rate is a bit choppy. I don't know where Zelda lies.

I will say however about Prey 2, it may be the game I most 'forget' about by the end of the year, not in the sense that I won't remember what happened in it, only the one where I go 'oh yeah, that game came out this year.' It took up much of my time, I believe I spent fifty or so hours on it, but it's also the game that least permeates my mind.

Edit - Shoot! I totally forgot about Rime! I really liked that game.

Because of MLB The Show 17, I've only played one game to completion this year and that's Horizon: Zero Dawn. It's just such a great podcast/documentary game, and awesomely fun and entertaining, plus it has Ken Griffey, Jr. in it. I really want to go back and try the new difficulty for Horizon (and I've had Rise of the Tomb Raider and the free release of Hitman's first episode installed forever, not to mention the Witcher 3 DLC I've been slogging through for over a year, and and and...)but I just can't pry myself away.

I only own a PS4, so quite a few of the year's best or most critically acclaimed games this year haven't been available to me either.

Zelda: BotW made me feel like a 12 year old lost in a magical world of adventure, which I don't think I've experienced since vanilla WoW back in 04'. Back when I actually was 12. I've played a good majority of the games on this list, and none of them kept me lying awake in bed, trying to get to sleep but being unable to because I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Still making my way through Prey, so I won't mention that. Out of games I've finished, Everything would be at my top. The flipping land animals give a bad first impression, but it really ended up growing on me, especially when you gain more abilities and can have absurd things like this:

Also, I loved listening to the Alan Watts audio logs.

I have yet to play a bunch of stuff on the list (and I just bought my Switch so it'll be some time till I get around to playing -and finishing- Breath of the Wild) but Nier: Automata is far and away the best thing I've played this year and maybe even last. I just keep thinking about it.

But besides that I also really enjoyed:

• Horizon: Zero Dawn
• Persona 5
• Gravity Rush 2
• Everything

1. NieR: Automata
2. Persona 5
3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
4. Nioh
5. Horizon: Zero Dawn

There's a lot that I haven't played yet (RE7 and Hollow Knight), but NieR is far above everything else for me.

I'm shocked a few people voted for Mass Effect.

Whether you like the game itself or not, the state it shipped in was just indefensible.

Right now my list would roughly be

1. Zelda:BotW
2. Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valencia
3. Nier: Automata
4. Horizon: Zero Dawn
5. Yakuza 0

But that's very unsettled other than Zelda and Fire Emblem, there's just much I haven't played yet or played enough (3-5 barely any of them but what I did I really liked).

Glad to see some stuff like Night in the Woods (still have to finish it) and What Remains of Edith Finch getting some love

As of this very moment, I'm still flip-flopping on #1, so their tied for the moment, but otherwise...

• 1. Nier: Automata
• 1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• 3. Persona 5
• 4. Nioh
• 5. What Remains of Edith Finch

Zelda. I've played a fair number of others but haven't beaten them, though nothing is close to Zelda yet. Not sure anything will, not that the other games aren't good but not that good.

Night in the Woods
NieR: Automata
Battlegrounds
Persona 5

That's all I've played this year.

5. Horizon: Zero Dawn

4. Resident Evil 7

3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

2. NieR: Automata

1. Persona 5

(OK, couple things to get out of the way - I'm only on Palace 5 of Persona and I've only done Route A of NieR. I've ordered this based on the understanding that NieR only gets better from here, and I'm hoping Persona 5 stays about as good as it's been so far.)

I'm guessing that just about everything I'll play this fall lands between Horizon and the rest - I liked Horizon a lot, but to me it is not on the same level as those other four. The only thing I'm anticipating to be potentially better than RE7 is Super Mario Odyssey, and I may not even have a Switch by then.

This is a packed year - Zelda is about tied with Persona for my favourite game series, and Breath of the Wild is my third favourite entry behind The Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time. That it is "only" #3 on my list is indicative of the fact that this is a very strong year.

And I have to say that with an extra layer of polish and some significant revisions to the final stretch, RE7 could have topped this list. It's short, but incredibly varied. It manages to offer so much in such a short timespan that it never feels like it's spinning its wheels. With some better feedback during boss fights, more enemy variety, and a reworked final hour, it could have been an all time great.

Persona 5 is a slight step back from Persona 4 in terms of pacing and characters, but the gameplay, level design, style, setting, and general vibe has been improved so much it may end up being my favourite in the series, making it a Top 5 of all time game.

This sentence really takes a surprising term (I understand that "it" doesn't mean HZD for a second, but it did take me a second.)

For me so far it's Zelda and nothing else comes close. I've liked some other stuff, like Flinthook and Night in the Woods, and so far Horizon Zero Dawn seems good, if not mind blowing, but Zelda...Zelda just stands so far above the others that I don't want to provide an ordered list.

Of the games on the list, the only ones that I've gone through far enough to really have thoughts on are Breath of the Wild and Persona 5. Of the two, I can't really say which is #1 yet, as I need to spend more time on Persona 5 first.

I do own both NieR and Horizon but have spent probably less than 3 hours in each, so not enough time to really have any thoughts on them. Yakuza 0 might end up on my list just by virtue of what I've seen in Beast in the East...

1. Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2. Nioh
3. Nier Automata
4. The Surge
5. Horizon: Zero Dawn/Gravity Rush 2

I played Persona 5 last year so not a contender for GOTY this year.

I've only played Nier: Automata, Persona 5, and For Honor so far, and it's pretty clearly Nier for me right now. The latter two are pretty good, too, but yeah, Nier is something special.

And like how it's been for the past 2 years, I'll be catching up with the rest of the year's releases eventually before the year ends. Already have Nioh, Horizon, and Zelda lined up.

Other games that have already been released that I will surely buy later:

• What Remains of Edith Finch
• Night in the Woods
• The Sexy Brutale
• Little Nightmares
• Hollow Knight
• Blackwood Crossing
• Prey

Games that I might get if the price is right:

• Gravity Rush 2
• Resident Evil 7
• Flinthook
• The Surge
• Rime
• Injustice 2

4. Nioh

3. Horizon: Zero Dawn

2. Gravity Rush 2

1. NieR: Automata

Nioh aside (it's alright), I'm extremely fond of this list.

I also have 16 hours in Persona 5. I'm certainly not ready to rank it, but thus far I couldn't be more pleased with it.

Out of the stuff I haven't touched, Hollow Knight, Yakuza 0, Night in the Woods, and Breath of the Wild are all high priority for me.

Aww, I should have changed my vote for Injustice 2. Not enough love for that.

I am far from beating anything this year, but from what I've played BotW, Injustice 2, Nioh, Horizon, and ARMS are in the running. Need to play more Hollow Knight. And currently plowing through Zodiac Age though not sure that counts. Man what a dry year amirite?

1. Tekken 7
2. PUBG
3. Prey
4. Nioh
5. Resident Evil 7

I thought Prey was going to be a shoe in after I finished it, but naturally being into competition has swayed me towards Tekken 7 and PUBG edging it out. I've also played Nier: Automata and Mass Effect: Andromeda but didn't like either of those very much at all. Zelda and Horizon are still 'to be played' but I doubt I'll ever buy a Switch and Horizon needs to drop in price because the game play structure looks very derivative of other popular games I'm not overly fond of.

• Breath of the Wild
• Prey
• Persona 5
• Horizon: Zero Dawn

Pretty much all of this year was me going through my backlog and playing older games. That'll probably change when stuff like Odyssey and Metroid comes out, but for now the only 2017 game I've played for a good amount of time and had fun with is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which may be my favorite Mario Kart ever.

NieR is an easy #1 for me. After that it's probably a mix of Persona 5, Nioh, Horizon and uh. Tekken I guess. It's been a good year for my Ps4 at least. 3 entire great games I've played on it!

I think diablo 3 is going to by my goty, but I've also really enjoyed The Surge and Has Been Heros

• Tekken 7
• PUBG
• Horizon
• RE7
• Nioh

Really need to play Nier, Prey, Night in the Woods, and I just barely scratched the surface of Zelda.

I think I may have been spoiled by the past two years, to the point where none of the games I played this year – as solid as they were – stand out above the rest. That said, there are still a handful of games and add-ons that I'm looking forward to playing in the second half of the year. I ended up voting for Night in the Woods by the way. I was unsure if I should vote for it or Nier: Automata.

Dead Cells, if only to give it one mention at least.

1. Persona 5 (2nd playthrough)

2. Yakuza 0 (70-something hours)

3. Nier Automata (Ending B was a chore but seriously worth it)

4. Nioh (Namahage in the DLC are assholes)

5. Probably Yakuza Kiwami (I'm a sucker for those karaoke sessions)

Honestly it might be Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, but that's really just a minor update to an existing game I'm just finally getting into now. So Injustice 2 gets my vote. Persona and Zelda were very good, but I've got enough issues with them they don't feel like GOTY material to me. Working on Horizon but I haven't found the gameplay as compelling as I had hoped so far. Still want to play Nioh, Nier, and Yakuza eventually but who knows when I'll have time.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Zelda

Prey

Rime

Snake Pass

• Horizon: Zero Dawn
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• NieR: Automata
• Night in the Woods
• Nioh
• Persona 5
• Prey
• Resident Evil 7: bioharzard
• Thimbleweed Park

• Yakuza 0

Loved them all and can't really rank them. Half of them I havn't finished yet.

1. Persona 5

2. Persona 5

3. Persona 5

4. Persona 5

5. Injustice 2

The only 2017 game I've played is BotW so I'd guess that by default.

It feels weird to say but so far it's Yakuza 0. I don't even like Beast in the East all that much as I had a much better experience playing it than watching it. Make no mistake this game gets my vote under the most technical of technicalities considering: A) It came out in other forms in previous years B) It is still very much structured like even the first two Yakuza games and C) These games are themselves throwbacks to a type of game as old as River City Ransom. It's almost poetic that this game takes place the year before RCR first got released.

I've come to the realization that this series is one of the purest iterations of beat-em-up style games to come out in a long time. The thing that really brings it home for me are the ways that the writing uses the anachronisms of the 80's to make for hilarious moments. The main story part of it is no slouch either and making young Majima a co-main character is perhaps the best thing this studio has ever done period. He feels a lot more self-aware than Kiryu so he transitions quite naturally between the goofy sub-stories and the serious crime drama.

Again I'm aware it's a crazy pick for such a stacked first half of the year but I think about all the other games I've played and this was the happiest experience I've had playing something this year. It could be mostly my nostalgia for older games and that time period plus I might have just played one too many games featuring existential dread as their primary themes. All I know is it's chock full of great goofy content and is a high quality production in every sense. The games I still need to get to include Horizon: Zero Dawn, Injustice 2, Flinthook, Nioh. I have no intention of owning a Switch this calendar year but who knows.

1. Yakuza 0

2. Persona 5

3. Resident Evil 7

4. Night In The Woods

5. Nier: Automata

No order yet. I've only played the following this year:

• Zelda (60-70 hours, love it!)
• Persona 5 (20ish hours, was enjoying it, but fell off, wasn't really what I expected)
• Nioh (20-30 hours, excellent game, should really get back to it)
• Tekken 7 (just dabbling in this, but it's great)
• FFXII ZA (just started! played this at original release, and super pumped to be back in)

For me there's no question that SFV is at this point my GOTY, again. I just spend way more time with it than anything else, and I'm enjoying it more all the time, so, that is what it is. Of the games that actually came out in 2017, it's hard to imagine my GOTY wouldn't be Zelda, but then again I haven't completed it, or finished the main quest, and haven't played in a few weeks. I hate to admit it, but something about the DLC kinda stopped me in my tracks (no pun intended). I bought the game on Wii U and now I have this feeling like I just want to wait a few years and play it "for real" on the Switch one day with all its DLC.

There are way too many 50+ hour games this year, and I honestly just don't care much about them. I made it 40 hours into Nioh, and was basically done with that; 50-60 into Zelda and will probably not be going back. Lucky for me there's been a bunch of cool things this year that have nothing to do with Horizon/Zelda/Nioh/Nier/Way-Too-Long-Open-World-Exhaustion-Simulators.

1. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

2. Snake Pass

3. Trackmania Lagoon

4. Resident Evil 7

5. Everything

Mine is Yakuza 0, but I can concede that Zelda and Zero Dawn were bigger deals to more people. All good games....I expect an interesting discussion come GOTY.

Ordered List:

1: Zelda

2: Nier: Automata

3: PUBG

4: Hollow Knight

5: Persona 5

I've yet to play a lot of this year's biggest releases, but I'm pretty sure my pick would still be PUBG.

Currently NieR and Persona 5 are fighting for my number 1 and I don't think I'll be able to decide. I haven't played Zelda yet and chances are that it will vie for #1 as well. Nioh, Horizon, Fire Emblem Echoes, and Yakuza 0 fill out the top end of my list. Tales of Berseria, Gravity Rush 2, and FF12 Zodiac Age could very well make it on the list also.

Still looking to play Night in the Woods, Pyre, Yakuza Kiwami, Hollow Knight, and Spectre of Torment.

1. Yakuza 0

2. Horizon: Zero Dawn

3. Resident Evil 7

4. PUBG

5. Nier: Automata (Had to stop playing due to performance problems)

This is all indie stuff since I haven't had a chance to get Persona 5, Nier, and Breath of the Wild yet and I'm expecting at least two of those to make this list once I play them:

1) Hollow Knight - I'll honestly be surprised if this doesn't remain at the very top of the list even by the end of the year. I can't wait for the new bosses and a new warp system in this month's content update.

2) Monolith - I love shmups and usually hate rogue-likes so this was a bit of a gamble, but the pacing and the smooth gameplay completely clicked for me and it avoided just about everything I dislike about most rogue-likes. Like Hollow Knight, it has a free major content update coming out soon which I'm really excited about.

3) Alvora Tactics - A tactical RPG pseudo-sequel to what may have been my favorite game of 2015 (Voidspire Tactics). This one focuses on combat more than exploration and is shorter so I didn't like it quite as much as its predecessor, but it evolved the combat and other systems in some great ways.

4) Bleed 2 - I liked the original Bleed, but this one is just a massive step up in quality across the board. It's short and has a ton of replay value. I'm kinda sad that it's probably not going to remain in my top 5 by the end of the year, but that's only because of how incredible this year has been and, by all indication, will continue to be for games.

5) Slime-san - It's sort of like Super Meat Boy with a neat phase shifting mechanic. Everything is either red or green (there's a color blind mode) and you can phase out to ignore all green things, including walls, hazards, and creatures. It has a New Game+ mode with way harder versions of all the levels too.

1. Fire Emblem Heroes (Based on it being the game I've played the most - almost daily since release - and had the most fun with. I also have a strong overall view on it whereas others I still need to finish).
2. Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age (played the original which I love and this seems to be a better version so it slots higher where others haven't been finished)
3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (70 Shrines with 0 story dungeons completed: I don't agree with a lot of the fanfare of this game but it's clearly fantastic).
4. Persona 5 (Half way - having issues with it but I could see it taking the top spot, biggest issue is it hasn't improved enough since 4... though I do think it is a vastly better game than 4)
5. Nier Automata (Extremely early)

NieR: Automata

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Persona 5

Horizon Zero Dawn

Those games, though the ordering is still to be determined with Horizon at 4th or 5th. Nioh could make the list, or any of the other great games coming out this fall. What an excellent year for games.

I'm fighting it out in my head between Yakuza 0 and Nier Automata for the number 1 spot. Both have great narratives and fun gameplay (as far as I'm concerned, I know that's not a popular opinion). Nier might just take it for me because of ending E.

Persona 5 is a close 3rd, losing out because I'm not too big on plot-driven narratives and the characters in P5 were pretty dull, especially compared to P4.

Breath of the Wild is 4, because as much as I loved the game, I only enjoyed the exploration aspect which while a big part of that game, doesn't make up for the things I didn't like about it. Still amazing though.

5th would maybe be Crash at this point, if only because I'm having more fun with it than I ever expected to. I'd probably switch it out for something that isn't a remaster if I was doing a "real" top 5.

1. Persona 5

2. Night in the Woods

3. Horizon: Zero Dawn

4. Zelda

5. The Sexy Brutale... I guess?

Oh, man sure looks like a lot of people are liking that "bad, disappointing" Persona game, huh? Still really need to check out Nier even though I don't think it'll be my thing. I was also real tempted to put PUBG even though I haven't played a second of it.

1. Horizon Zero Dawn
2. Snake Pass
3. Shovel Knight: Spectre of Torment
4. Persona 5
5. For Honor

I've enjoyed my time with Dirt 4 and Mario Kart 8 DX too. MK8 could probably replace For Honor on that list, for how much I've played it.

1. NieR : Automata

2. FFXIV

3. Dark Souls 3: The ringed City

4. Horizon : Zero Dawn

5. Resident Evil 7

1. Persona 5

2. Nier: Automata

3. Horizon: Zero Dawn

4. Zelda: Breath of the Wild

5. Yakuza 0

I think... Persona 5 and nier or definitely set, the other three kinda shift, I haven't finished Zelda, or Yakuza yet ( I'm probably 50-75% through both of them though)

NieR: Automata top 10 slots. not even close.

I can't even vote in this. Nioh was pretty good but there's a lot of it.