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aodhhinsai

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Game of the Year 2017

I played a lot of different games this year, which is not what I would have expected considering all of the business, academic, and personal things that cropped up over the last 12 months. This has certainly been the year that cemented games as my media of choice. I had worried a bit that as I got busier and had to choose between TV, movies, games, etc. that I'd grow out of or lose interest in playing. As it turns out, that's the exact opposite of what happened. I played more games than last year (37 played for enough time to warrant writing down, not including old favorites replayed) and my consumption of other media dropped through the floor. So much for my film studies minor! I guess I'll just have to examine digital mise-en-scene instead and hope for my program advisor's forgiveness.

Unlike last year's list full of comfort food, this year doesn't really have an overarching theme or reoccurring mood. The biggest difference is the number of amazing games that didn't make it onto my list at all. I had to make some tough choices to push games like Stellaris, Superhot, Watch_Dogs 2, Xcom: Enemy Within, and Tricky Towers into the dustbin (Also note that I didn't have a Switch until the very end of December, meaning you can expect to see Mario and Zelda on a list next year). While I had to make some cuts last year, it wasn't nearly this competitive. This was also the first year that I kept full record of everything I played and kept notes on each game. Holy cow! That made a real difference in how this list came together.

Finally, shoutout to ZombiePie for the inclusion in this week's Community Spotlight (12/09/17). That's rad!

List items

  • Game of the Year - #2

    Lost Legacy is superb. Amazing characterization, beautiful, well paced, and genuinely heartfelt. I can't think of many pieces of media, let alone games, that feature a more empowered, nuanced, and realistic relationship between two women. Do yourself a favor and play through this ASAP. With a playtime of about 8 hours and a lower than usual entry price it's a no brainer.

  • Game of the Year - #3

    Oh boy... I wrote more while playing Andromeda than on any other game this year combined. Just promise to bear with me, okay?

    I started my Andromeda experience with a free demo. I got about 5 hours out of it before I hit the end of the free content and my first impressions were NOT GOOD. Things were janky! Hitchy animations, some weird lights, lip sync delays, etc... but I also completely expected that to be the case. It was profoundly disappointing. Menus and systems, much like in Dragon Age: Inquisition, were over complicated and underexplained. I had no idea what I was doing.

    And yet somehow, around 15 hours into the game proper, I started to like it. It was… goofy? I don’t know how else to explain it. It was still broken in some important and unforgivable ways; menus (although I understood the systems better) were still a nightmare, the jank was still present, and I really couldn't help but feel disappointed by what this game could have been but in spite of that, I like the tone, the stakes and the gameplay.

    The characters interact naturally on the ship and we feel like a team (the half-yelled conversations to other teammates from across the ship really felt like being at home with friends and family). The stakes are actually unique and interesting. Instead of the rote saving of the galaxy, I had goals that felt grounded -- even within the context of a futuristic universe that I've spent years caring about. I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if the same care and time had been put into this game as with ME2. It would (probably) be the best in the franchise.

    I didn't really care about the main conflict with the Archon, but the tertiary struggles were great. I ignored the side tasks at first and just jumped into the higher level stuff and getting planetary viability up. It felt like I was doing the job that the character was SUPPOSED to be doing. Little side tasks make sense when the stated job of the character is needing to get a colony up and running. Management was fulfilling because I was the one managing the expansion into the Andromeda galaxy. I can picture a version of the game in which the Archon isn't the focus. I would have loved it if the true 'antagonist' was just the minefield left behind in the galaxy from a battle long past.

    Approaching this game months after the garbage fire had died down meant that I experienced this game not as an anticipated new entry in a favorite franchise, but as the scrappy, ne'er-do-well, disappointment. On the flip side, I played right as BioWare was pushing out the final patch and the most egregious issues were fixed. Even though I’m disappointed by what could have been, what’s there has heart. Andromeda has lots of squandered potential but it also has just enough of what I was looking for in a new Mass Effect. It scratched the itch and I liked it. There are a bunch of moments that are just plain goofy (movie night, loyalty missions like Liam's). That kind of low stakes action is really compelling. There are fewer big action hero setpiece moments, but that leaves room for some great humor and emotional connection.

    So, busted animations and dead-end stories be damned, I really like Andromeda. I love games where you're just doing your job, even if that job is a fantastical one (Witcher 3 is another great example of this). I understand the dislike, but I just can't feel the same way. Mass Effect: Andromeda is not one of the best games of the year but it is one of my favorites.

  • Game of the Year - #4

    This game is so damned pretty. It proves that a game doesn't need to be a technical powerhouse to be the single most striking game I played this year. Every bit of art -- and there's a lot of art -- is a masterpiece.

    This is the first Persona that I’ve played myself and it really connected. Having heard a lot about it from fans of the rest of the series, I was concerned that I was going to get overwhelmed quickly, especially since I decided to go in clean and play without any sort of guide. As it turns out, the solution to the problem is baked into Persona's core design. The daily structure is a brilliant way to cut everything up into manageable chunks while also adding a surprising amount of depth to the gameplay. Managing a teenager's school and social life while navigating an alternate reality formed by people's id and shared subconsciouses shouldn't be this simple.

    A common complaint I saw was that the characters weren't quite as engaging as those in previous installments. While this may be true, I came into this series fresh (not including the P4 endurance run) and loved the crap out of social links that I had available.

    All in all I was taken with the numerous small touches. The polling system that you see on every loading screen was an interesting commentary on the speed at which public sentiment changes and some of the tonal additions were just rad. The fact that in the late game you go into an ambush by just straight DUMPING all of your ammo on the enemies is awesome. Did I mention great styyyyyle?

    After 95 hours I saw the credits roll. Even with the drag of the final act, I got goosebumps when I was done. I love this game and the time I spent with it. I'll end up falling back into it for an NG+ run to get the platinum and playing through an eventual 'golden' re-release to see the new content... and just to see the gang again.

  • Game of the Year - #5

    I sure knew how to pick the underdogs this year.

    To go ahead and get the gross stuff out of the way: The voice acting is the literal WORST THING, the story is... uncomfortable... frequently politically and tonally icky, and the squad of meatheads that you're rolling around with seem like they're junior high kids who just discovered that they could hurl obscenities whenever they wanted (The main protagonist's frequent exclamation of "shitballs" was maybe the single worst line and delivery of a line that I've heard in a game that wasn't translated and dubbed by amateurs).

    However, even with the unprofessional squad and the iffy politics, you (the player) feel like a gosh darned professional. Nothing compares to the cool factor of a mechanically sound tactical shooter. Clancy games may have fallen away from the days of hardcore military tactics, but flashes of those concepts still exist. Being able to customize the guns until you find the one that feels the best is awesome. There isn't a 'best' gun per se, once you've found the high tier weapons you pick the one you like and go for it (also, being able to find the guns and mods you want from the outset just by exploring was just the best. More games should give you that freedom).

    The weapon sound design, realistic(ish) bullet physics, and tactical squad options felt good. Swapping from semi-auto to full-auto when the situation went bad, or toggling thermal goggles to rush a room you filled with smoke never stopped feeling badass.

    I ended up seeing Wildlands as less of a singular experience and more of a collection of encounters, with those encounters adding up to more than the sum of their parts. I can see these vignettes when I think about my time with the game; The muddy hills, illuminated green by the night vision goggles, getting slicker as rain pours down. Lightning flashing and thunder rumbling as a suppressed shot finds a target. Dust swirling across the salt flats as a the squad preps for a synchronized set of long distance sniper shots. These moments felt cool, and sometimes, that's what counts.

  • Game of the Year - #6

    Infinite Warfare was a game that I didn't feel bad about waiting to play. I found a copy for dirt cheap, a year too late, and somehow it became my favorite shooter campaign in a long time.

    It has a surprising amount of heart (this will be the last use of the term 'heart' in this list, I promise) and I really dug the tone and setting. The near future space stuff was right up my alley and the updates to the tried and true COD format (like player choice/mission selection) was really cool. There are multiple favorable comparisons to The Expanse (hey, someone make an actual Expanse game? Please?), with it's ballistic weapons in space sensibility and focus on travel within the solar system. The music has a Carpenter-esque future synth vibe that, since this series is full of beige wallpaper soundtracks, I was surprised to notice at all and doubly surprised to enjoy.

    I didn’t touch multiplayer much, but who cares. My previous favorite was Advanced warfare (and MW2 before that). The maps here were okay, the weapons were okay, the movement was... less than okay. At the end of the day this is on my list because of the single player only. This is by far my favorite COD campaign ever. That sounds hyperbolic but I think it stems from the realization that this is possibly the only shooter campaign that I wish was longer/a fully fledged single player game.

  • Game of the Year - #7

    This is the year I put money in. They broke me. I finished the whole damn thing, every single puzzle and challenge. I regret NOTHING.

  • Game of the Year - #8

    A good game, with great story and setting, that connected with me emotionally... yet still ultimately felt a little bit hollow? It was the perfect early year popcorn flick. I enjoyed my time with it, snagged the platinum trophy (I have a sickness) and then moved on. I would love to see what comes next.

    I think it might be a bit telling that even though I feel like it deserves this spot on my list I'm having trouble conjuring enough words to do it justice. I like it with less reservation and fewer asterisks than other games on the list, but I also don't love it. If Horizon was a student, it would have a 3.0 GPA because it got solid B's in all of its classes. Compare that to something like Mass Effect: Andromeda that scraped up a 2.89 GPA with a mix of A's and D's and you'll see what I'm getting at. Horizon is objectively a better student, but it also doesn't have the same flashes of brilliance.

  • Game of the Year - #9

    Wow... this was my first Final Fantasy game. Having tried to play the SNES games (bounced off) and having never touched any of the 3D incarnations I had no idea what to expect. As far as systems go, I found it mechanically fascinating and, once I learned it, very satisfying. There's an otherworldly feel to very expensive Japanese AAA titles. I don't have much experience with huge JRPG's and I'd say that I'm suitably impressed.

    The story was a major talking point at the time of release and I think I accidentally experienced FFXV the best way possible: by playing the game in two halves separated by six months. I had heard about the ugly 13th chapter and that there was a fix on the way so I stopped playing and promptly forgot about it. This time off worked to the advantage of the game because when I eventually came back, the 13th chapter was "fixed" (still not perfect but at least frustration free) and any gaps in the story that people had complained about (rightfully so) I just assumed were details I had forgotten in the months that I took off.

    The endgame time skip didn't land the emotional beats in the way I think they wanted it to, but it was still enjoyable. Overall I found FFXV to be as beautiful and regal(?) as the series always came off to me as someone on the outside looking in. I'm glad this was my first full Final Fantasy experience and it remained enjoyable even as I worked my way towards the platinum (I got it -- and yes -- I'm still sick). Defeating Adamantoise was one of my proudest moments this year. When the next Final Fantasy comes out (in like forty years) I'll be waiting.

  • Game of the Year - #10

    This game nearly fell off of my list. If not for a story that earns it a place on a list of the games of 2017 (as in literally this year in particular) it should not be here. It earns best story later in this list and I was originally going to leave it off the top ten, but I didn't feel right about it. This game is important for this year.

    I went into New Colossus thinking that the people complaining about the gameplay were just whiners, but, hoo boy. I love the story (see above/below) and scene setting, but they just DESTROYED the gameplay of the first game. I don’t know what intangible voodoo they did to ruin it, but it seems like a mix of crummy situational awareness, messy level design, thoughtless ammo scarcity, and spongy enemies.

    I got all of the trophies in The New Order but this is just too far out. If it played like the last one I might go for the platinum, but it feels unfair, not challenging. It is punishingly difficult and the idea of needing to complete a single life run is obscene. Do yourself a favor and play through this game on easy. No shame in that at all. See the story and then pull the ripcord.

  • Game of the Year - #1

    (Ed. note: I started playing this year with the release of the PS4 version)

    I’m a sucker for a good space sim. I love the setting, the promise of the future, and the complicated physics and interface. Granted, complication isn’t always a necessity (or indication of quality) but labyrinthine systems can fake verisimilitude in a setting that isn't grounded in reality. Elite: Dangerous has that complication in spades.

    That background is enough to set the scene for a GOTY contender (seriously, this game would have blown my 11 year old self away), but the fact that E:D is, for all intents and purposes, an MMO is what makes it a triumph of simulation design. Early on, I botched a hyper-jump route and ended up adrift and out of fuel. I contacted a real world group of volunteers, the Fuel Rats, who sent out an SOS, dispatched two (real, human) pilots, and dropped into the system to get me back on the road.

    The sheer scale of the universe added to the horror of being stranded. This same scale is reflected in the 'find it if you want it' nature of the story content, the mystery surrounding the aliens, the news being written as it happens, the capability of players to fundamentally alter the political structure of the universe, and so much else. What other game facilitates this in the context of a space sim? It’s big and stressful and exactly as fulfilling as you’d expect it to feel when you conquer a game’s systems.

    It isn't perfect, I get that. The upgrade path is steep, the jobs feel like, well, a job, and the 'game' part of this video game is basically only as existent as you make it.

    In the end, there was no other experience this year that comes close to the sheer joy of rising from the deck of a station landing pad and once again setting off into the dark of space.

  • Special Mention - Runner up - "Dead Behind the Eyes" award

    Much like the winner of this category, DiRT Rally handles great from a technical standpoint. The terrain and handling physics are intuitive without sacrificing challenge and the difficulty settings are smart. That said, I miss the sense of exhilaration and joy that previous entries provided. Rally games are at home in the rain and mud but that doesn't mean that they have to be as dour as DiRT Rally comes off.

    The graphics and sound suffer from dull presentation as well. DiRT 3's replay mode was full of dynamic camera angles and great detail work that made watching yourself complete a race an awesome (if narcissistic) experience. The pivot towards an atmospheric soundtrack instead of the licensed music could have been a bold choice but fails in execution, leaving yet another gaping hole where this game's charisma should be.

    I won't despair though. I haven't tucked into DiRT 4 but most accounts say that what it lacks in hardcore simulation it makes up for in moxie. Here's hoping they can combine the two sensibilities next time.

  • Special Mention - Winner - "Dead Behind the Eyes" award

    This award goes to the game that is singularly devoid of any warmth or spark. These are games that lack that fleeting something that connects you to it's world.

    I suppose this counts as a victory? After years of pining for a new Mirror's Edge game EA was desperate enough to win the hearts and minds battle that they released Catalyst.

    This is a game that reminds me of arcade sensibilities; make it feel good to play, make sure the numbers keep going up, ramp up the challenge, etc. It carries over one of the downsides of that mindset though: The complete lack of connection to anything beyond the gameplay itself. People didn't develop a deep connection with Galaga because of it's kickass presentation of the character of "spaceship" no matter how great it played. I honestly think this would have been a better game if it trimmed some of the story content. Keep a narrative frame to give you a sense of purpose but ditch the melodrama.

    Finally, it also didn't help that the soundtrack, although solid, lacked the kind of standout individual tracks that lent the original game some gravitas. Similarly, the graphics are passable and are objectively sharper than the original's but they lack the handcrafted feel of the linear level design.

  • Special Mention - Runner up - "Vote With Your Dollars" award

    Mafia has a great story that is well executed despite being a standard revenge plot. It was one of the most technically flawed games of the year,, but had some gameplay features that made you feel like the scariest dude alive (more third person games need to let you casually shoot from the hip).

    The most important part of Media III, and the reason it makes it to this spot on the list, is its ability to face the racial issues of the day and not only say something about them but to incorporate them into the gameplay. Don't take my word for it (like, really, please do not), look for Austin Walker's work on Mafia III over at waypoint.vice.com for a compelling set of articles and conversations.

  • Special Mention - Runner up - "Vote With Your Dollars" award

    This sucker is a delight. It's rare to not have to choose between polish and handcrafted feel but Stardew manages to have it both ways and is amazing for it. I have no problem recommending that you buy this game at full price. Enjoy the game and support an independent dev like Eric Barone. It's a win-win scenario!

  • Special Mention - Winner - "Vote With Your Dollars" award

    This award goes to the games that didn't make it on to my list but still deserve to be played. These are also games that are worth buying to support developers who are willing to try something new or gutsy

    Titanfall is an odd pick considering EA is a juggernaut and really don't need our money, but after finishing the campaign I want to make sure Respawn gets the opportunity to keep doing what they're doing. Given the meat grinder that that faces EA studios that don't meet expectations, I'm willing to pitch in.

    I didn't play the multiplayer at all, but the campaign was more than enough to make it worth the price of admission (which, embarrassingly in retrospect, I only spent a few bucks on). The tone that it struck reminded me of a bygone era of B-action movies. If you told me that this was a script that was originally written as a vehicle for a post-Commando Arnold Schwarzenegger I'd believe it. That isn't a diss, I have a soft spot in my heart for those movies, but It comes with both the good and the bad of the form. The ridiculous moments and ballsy action sequences are all (slightly) undermined by a lack of polish. The video game equivalent of a boom mic dipping into frame.

  • Special Mention - Winner - Biggest Disappointment

    Shadow of War's entry in my game notebook starts with a question: Is it possible to bounce off of a game that I played and enjoyed for 50 hours?

    Shadow of War is a perfect example of too much of a good thing. I poured time into it and really enjoyed what I played, but somehow SoW managed to become disappointing over the course of the game. I think the blame rests squarely on the length and quality of the endgame. First off, to reach the finish line the player is expected to sink an insane additional amount of time into repetitive tasks like base defense, and secondly, the loot boxes seemed completely skippable and inconsequential until I started grinding towards the conclusion. Put those two things together and you end up with a grand disappointment: A solid game that I had zero interest in finishing.

  • Special Mention - Winner - Best Story/Characterization

    Wolfenstein II would HAVE to win this award considering it only made it onto the list because of the story. I'll keep it short and sweet:

    - It's timely

    - It's emotionally connective

    - It's completely insane and still manages to be the two aforementioned things

    Some odd tone shifts aside, brilliant work.

  • Special Mention - Winner - “You can’t go home again” award

    This award goes to the remastered game that I probably shouldn't have played -- for memory's sake.

    When I first played Sleeping Dogs last generation it left a lasting impression. This update didn’t tarnish that first impression so much as it made the game feel lightweight. I enjoyed it while I played but I wish it had stayed in my memory where it was great, not simply good.

  • Special Mention - Winner - “Hateplay Game of the Year” award

    This award goes to the game that I just kept playing even while actively resenting it.

    I hate this game. I hate what it represents (ZeniMax throwing their weight around), I hate how it plays like you're dictating instructions on what to do to a butler who actually has their hands on the controller, I hate how it messes with and invokes lore that, so sue me, I enjoy unironically. I hate the online, I hate seeing the other players hopping around like idiots, I hate how things look like the action figure versions of TES. I hate the mile wide and inch deep approach they took. I hate the fact that the monetization takes away part of what makes TES so good (the quick ramp from rags to riches).

    To be honest though, the thing that I hate most is how it's *just* barely good enough to keep me playing.

  • Special Mention - Winner - “Midlife Crisis Game of the Year” award

    This award goes to the game that I will bounce off of repeatedly until I have some sort of midlife crisis and disappear down a deep dark rabbit hole.

    I can tell that Crusader Kings II is a profound achievement in strategy design and I know a ton of brilliant people who vouch for it but HOT DAMN did I struggle to get into it. I'm no stranger to the genre (I've dumped days into Stellaris and Civ) and I tried numerous different times throughout the year but I just couldn't stick with it.

    Ah well. I can rest easy knowing that twenty years, instead of buying a motorcycle, I can just get REALLY into Crusader Kings II.

  • Special Mention - Winner - “This date was going great until I discovered they were SUPER racist” award

    This award goes to a game that is excellent right up until you find a single fatal, awful, flaw that ruins it so completely that you can't go back.

    So, how do you ruin Peggle? The game itself is the perfect mix of skill and luck. The numbers just keep going up, the lights flash, the classical score drops in, your body produces those sweet sweet endorphins.

    And yet. AND YET. Peggle 2 added the one thing that no one asked for in a benign puzzle game -- A "rad 'tude." Why in the name of all things good does Bjorn need to pass gas? Was peggle missing humor? No. Did it lack appeal for the kids? Who cares. What I needed from a new, numbered, Peggle game was more gosh darned Peggle. What I did not need was a mosaic over the yeti's butt when it turns around (SO EDGY). Every time you look away from the actual Peggle board to see the ancillary cruft piling up at the edges it is a constant disappointment.

    My recommendation is to play Peggle 2 muted and with a cardboard overlay on the screen to help block out the attitude or, for those with chronic low blood pressure, play the game as intended and experience a healthy non-chemical remedy.
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