Fakey's 2017 Games of the Year

As I've been doing the last few years, my list contains games I played this year, regardless of the year they came out.

I had a lot of time this year without gaming, but I kept coming back, and the year ended strong for me, in regards to my passion for this hobby and story-telling/entertainment medium.

2016 was not a strong year for games, in my opinion, but 2017 definitely was incredibly strong, and I think that's the main reason I felt so good coming back to this hobby amidst all the other busy stuff in my life. :)

Honorable Mentions

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

I don't often play games at launch, but I played The Fractured But Whole pretty much right away. I needed some comedy, and I really liked The Stick of Truth. This new game in the series makes a lot of good gameplay improvements, and it is entertaining, but it did go a little too long for me, and it just didn't stick with me after I completed it.

Biggest Disappointments

Mass Effect: Andromeda

This game disappointed me so much, I just plain forgot about it, initially, when making this list... I still want to go back to it, because I did find the fighting fun enough, and I still am a sucker for RPG's and lore, even if it doesn't hold a candle to the original ME trilogy...or a ton of better RPG's...

Old Man's Journey

It seems unfair to put this game in this bucket, but I really liked the overall story of this game, the art, and I really just wanted to like it based on the visuals. However, many of the puzzles got frustrating, as the mechanic didn't stay fresh as long as the game went on. I feel like the game needs more variety in the puzzles and interactivity to make it great.

Samorost 3

I really love Samorost and Samorost 2 and, especiallly, Botanicula. However, Samorost 3 just really went too long and had very obtuse puzzles that frustrated me and literally gave me headaches. I like adventure games and can put up with some obtuse puzzle solutions, but I am finding them harder to forgive in newer games.

Undertale

I think this one is really just a product of the fact that Undertale has been built up a lot, and I didn't get to it for a couple years. Generally, I just didn't like that the game didn't explain itself well enough, and while I understand that it wants you to essentially play it "wrong" the first time, I don't have time to play games multiple times to get the true experience of the game. So, maybe I'll do a second run in a year or two, but this one just didn't hit me as strongly as I wanted, even though it did grow on me quite a bit towards the end.

New Games that I didn't get to (but could have been contenders)

Divinity: Original Sin II

I still haven't played the first Original Sin... And to be honest, I'll probably play through Pillars of Eternity first... :(

Horizon Zero Dawn

I don't own a Playstation 4, yet, but it is one of the main reasons I want one...

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I don't own a Switch, yet, but this is the main reason I want one...

NieR: Automata

I'm going to be starting this in the next few days, and I can't wait!

Prey

I still haven't gotten to this one, though I did buy it a couple months ago...

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

I bought this immediately after seeing screen shots, but I just haven't had time to get to it... I can't imagine this won't be on my GOTY for 2018 (since I include games released any year).

Super Mario Odyssey

I don't own a Switch, yet...

Total War: Warhammer II

I haven't played the first game in this series, yet, either.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Since I don't have a PS4, yet, I haven't even played Uncharted 4, but these are the games that make me wish I had an extra $400 laying around...

And my Games of the Year!!:

List items

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  1. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

  I loved Wolfenstein: The New Order. It was my Game of the Year in 2014. Therefore, I had high hopes for The New Colossus.

  Generally, the gameplay isn't as fun as I remember in The New Order. I played New Order almost exclusively as a stealth game. I did some of that in New Colossus, but it wasn't as conducive to it.

  I ended up playing on the easiest difficulty, and I was very glad I did. Some of the fights still frustrated me, but I think I only had to restart a section twice. I definitely felt powerful but not too powerful, as just running around and navigating the environment was exciting enough, as far as the gameplay went.

  Ultimately, though, I love the stance New Colossus takes with its content and the social issues it is shining a light on...all while still having a sense of humor and being fun!

  I very much feel that this is a time in the world and, especially, in the United States where we need more vocal people speaking for what is right and just, and I'm glad such a big game went as far as The New Colossus went.

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  2. Life Is Strange: Before the Storm

  This game kept climbing up my list the more I played and thought about it. I made more affecting choices in this game than any other I've played, because they actually felt real.

  I made tough choices in The Witcher 3 or The Walking Dead, but those have a supernatural piece to them that Life is Strange: Before the Storm doesn't have. Even the first LiS has some "magic powers" in it, while this one really is about reality.

  I didn't even like Chloe much in the first LiS, but by the middle of Before the Storm, I really loved playing as Chloe and seeing her story, and I fell in love with the love story between her and Rachel. :)

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  3. What Remains of Edith Finch

  Sure, this game is just walking through a set of small environments with a lot of narration, but the story of the family and main character really touched me.

  Besides possibly the Epilogue, none of the other parts of the story felt cheap to me. They were fantastical, but the emotions felt genuine. Therefore, this game has stuck with me much longer than most other games I've played.

  I could definitely see myself going back through this game as I forget some of the details, just like I like to watch The Royal Tenenbaums or Moonrise Kingdom every couple years.

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  4. Watch Dogs 2

  I built a new PC for the first Watch Dogs. However, it was disappointing, to say the least. Therefore, I was not really interested in WD2, until I started seeing the reviews... I bought it last year but didn't complete it until the beginning of this year.

  Yes, there are ridiculous characters and scenarios in the game, and there were parts that frustrated me (there REALLY should have been better stealth mechanics), but I enjoyed the open world in this game more than any GTA game I've played, and I found the story interesting enough to keep going.

  I liked the small amount of variety it had in missions, but since most of the game is the same core gameplay, that is what had to be good...and I really enjoyed it. :)

  Yes, I'd play a Watch Dogs 3, as long as the setting is interesting, and the mechanics don't take a nosedive...

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  5. Night in the Woods

  The anthropomorphic characters and occult storyline hurt this game a bit for me, as well as the main character that I had a very hard time connecting with for almost the entire game.

  However, the core of the story, and the interactions with the characters did feel genuine, especially as I got to know the characters.

  These characters didn't remind me of myself or my friends, so I didn't start out with a connection like with some other games. I had to get to know the characters, but it is a testament to the writing that I did almost feel like they were friends by the end of the game.

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  6. Tacoma

  I was very excited for this game until I heard some things about it that didn't seem very positive. However, I really feel this game is as strong as Gone Home.

  Tacoma is very different from Gone Home in gameplay, story, story-delivery, and, of course, setting. However, in many ways, I liked Tacoma more than Gone Home, because Gone Home was very predictable to me, in a lot of ways (partially because it was out a bit before I played it and had some buzz already).

  The setting in Tacoma was a very fun environment for me, and I enjoyed moving around the space station. The characters felt very believable and real, and I was very intrigued and couldn't wait to learn more about their stories.

  I rarely ask for sequels to games such as Tacoma, but I would actually love for them to make another game in that "universe." I could see them making a slightly different type of game that takes place in another location but shares the same "lore" and story about AI.

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  7. Grand Theft Auto V

  Yes, this is an old game, older than any other game on my list. However, I finally went back to it this year, and I finished it after getting really into it.

  The first 10 hours or so didn't really grab me, and that's why I put it down for a year or more... However, the last half of the game was much more fun and engaging.

  Ultimately, I still don't love the characters, but the world was very well crafted, and I did wish there was DLC.

  This is a game where I would be excited to have a new expansion every year for several years. The graphics still look great, and it is still one of the strongest open world games of this type. It would be a great platform to keep coming back to with more adventures...

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  8. SteamWorld Dig 2

  The first SteamWorld Dig was so much fun, and it is one of very few games I thought about playing a second time. :D

  The second game was much better in almost every single way except for brevity. I do feel like 2 went on a little long and got more frustrating than I'd like.

  I liked the first Dig, because it was so relaxing, and I didn't have to think much about it. The second game was more intense, and it required more "white-knuckles" and a little more stress than I'd like (but keep in mind that I am the type of person that still hasn't played Cuphead due to the difficulty...).

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  9. Finding Paradise

  This game came out right at the end of the year, so I'm not sure how many lists it will be on, but it was another touching story from the guy that brought us To the Moon.

  The story is in some ways, not as touching as To the Moon. In other ways, I connected with it even more. There were aspects of the main character that really made me reflect on my own life and my future aspirations.

  I recommend this game to anyone that likes adventure games and heavy-narrative games that tell emotional stories that make you think about real life outside of video games. :D

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  10. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

  I wanted Hellblade to be higher on my list, and the first hour or two really made me think it would be. However, the combat was very frustrating almost every fight, especially the longer ones that slogged on, and I felt the game didn't always give good direction for some of the timed sections.

  I really liked the way it portrays mental illness, and parts of the game resonated with me and my personal psyche more than any other game I've played.

  My biggest wish for this game is that they would have treated it more like a narrative, adventure game with some light puzzles and not at all like an action or fighting game.