The last time I remember feeling "there are so many good games to play, it's exhausting" was a decade ago. At the end of 2007 I had no kids, disposable income, and was hip-deep in Valve's incredible collection The Orange Box when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Super Mario Galaxy, and Mass Effect dropped. And while I don't quite think 2017 stacks up to 2007, I've had no shortage of killer games this year - as well as one of the most finely crafted gaming platforms ever, in the Nintendo Switch. I've split duty this year between my Switch and my PC with a little time spent on my 3DS - I've skipped the PS4 and XB1 for this generation, so far.

The Switch scratches every itch. As a Dad Gamer(TM) I need to be able to put a game down at the drop of a hat (or in my kids' case, a kitchen chair) - reliable standby is a must. I want portability, so I can play in any room, but I also want a more cinematic experience for some games, so give me 1080p on my TV and a nice solid controller as well. Give me a clear, intuitive GUI. Give me lots of Nintendo classics as well as tons of smaller indie experiences. Four of my top 10 games were on the Switch (almost five). I haven't been this pleased with a console purchase since my Game Boy. My biggest worry is how Nintendo is gonna top it. Salut, folks.

And cheers to my top 10, as well:

10) Destiny 2, PC. Looks amazing in 4K, controls, movement, and combat feel perfectly tuned. I did not spend time doing any multiplayer stuff, as it's not my bag, but the single-player story is just fine. It's exactly the future-scifi FPS experience I want.

9) Flinthook, PC. I can't remember all of the metroidvanias I've played in the last few years. The highlights, like Guacamelee! and Shadow Complex, have not been run-based roguelites. Flinthook gets on this list due to the fantastic space-pirate (not Space Pirate) setting, the playful vibe of the art and writing, and the dope-ass grappling hook that becomes the center of the platforming. I won't ever finish this game, as I don't have the time or patience, but I got a lot of out my time with it.

8) Metroid: Samus Returns, New 3DS XL. Mercury Steam Entertainment S.L. didn't have the pedigree I was hoping for out of the devs of the next 2D Metroid, but I've been dying for one since Metroid: Zero Mission, and while AM2R was a wonderful experience, I hoped for something I could put on my 3DS or Switch. Mercury Steam nailed this Metroid II: Return of Samus remake. The animation was slick and gorgeous, hopefully setting a style trend for future Metroid games. It felt like a true next step and I loved my time with it, even though it did drag on for a bit towards the end. I'll have to put Metroid Dread down with Dre's Detox as the masterwork I'll never see, but I am really happy Nintendo went to the trouble to put this one out.

7) Splatoon 2, Switch. My kind of multiplayer shooter - fairly nonviolent, approachable, satisfying. I put about four heavy weeks into this game's base multiplayer mode, Turf War, and got about 75% of the way through the single player content before moving on. Loved popping off a few matches every night and having it on the Switch meant I could do so in bed, or docked using a GB ethernet adapter. This was the PoC on the Switch's dock for me, watching it move seamlessly between the portable mode with wireless and the joy-cons, and the dock with ethernet and the Pro Controller. I love that it just works.

6) Dead Cells, PC. My preferred metroidvania roguelite for the year. Meaty combat, procedurally-generated exploration, and beautiful pixelly visuals. The player feels so capable, with the great variety of weapons and the drop attack. I put tons of hours in before realizing it was coming to the Switch next year - can't wait.

5) SteamWorld Dig 2, Switch. The first one was fantastic and this improves on it in every way, from the story to the constant stream of fun capability upgrades. This and Splatoon were the positive palate cleansers for me at the end of a long day. I loved the goofy machines and the pleasant presentation. Turns out if you put colorful gems in a rock I will stay up all hours of the night digging them out through "just one more area".

4) Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, PC. I never finished the first one, simply because the pacing was bad enough that after I lost my initial save I didn't want to play through the beginning hours again. But the community raving about the story and specific incredible "they went there!!!" moments pushed this up on my priority list. I didn't find it as difficult as others have said, but I did run into a lot of trouble finding objectives and completing missions. I probably hate exploring the U-Boat hub world more than I should, but I was hooked enough on the story and combat that I just wanted to be delivered instantly to the next piece. I can see myself replaying this next year. Also, props to MachineGames for the rad reskin of Wolf3D.

3) PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, PC. The best pick-up-and-play setup since Tetris. I feel like I've progressed in my combat skills, and that as a 38 year old adult I'm patient and thoughtful enough to avoid rushing into deliberately risky situations, but I never push myself so far that I get outmatched by a teenage cyborg with unbelievable reflexes. There's so much potential in this game, I can't wait to see what it looks like in a few years. I'll keep at it at least until I land a chicken dinner.

2) Super Mario Odyssey, Switch. There's more creativity and innovation packed in this single game than you'd see in a hundred average games. Much like Galaxy, this is a brilliant, never boring, always surprising , flawlessly crafted platforming experience. I genuinely could play an entire 6 hour game based solely on the Pokios. The way it celebrates our collective history with Mario stole my heart. I'm a little sad so much content is locked behind discovery of 500 moons, because as soon as I had credits roll, I lost all of my desire to look for more of them - probably from the weeks of wild binging I went through to finish it. I really can't wait for my kids to get to the point where they can play this.

1) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Switch. Zelda somehow made me love an open world. Climbing, surviving, seeking out and solving bite-sized shrines, loading up gear, I wanted to just see everything in this world. Much like @jeff I doubt I will ever play through it all from the beginning again, it's just too enormous of an experience, but the months I spent on my Switch digging through this were absolute joy, and the console's flexibility made it easy to play day and night.

Come on 2018! I'm most excited for Metroid Prime 4, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Anthem, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, and Sea of Thieves.