2017 was an incredible year for games, and probably the best in the last five or six years across the board. I still had trouble finding time in my busy adult life to play everything I wanted to (trying to pass my CPA exams, taking care of a new home, preparing for baby, etc.) but I was able to get through some of the best of the year. Here's my list of the top games of the year, with my now-requisite list of hall of shame games I wasn't able to get to in a satisfactory way.
An amazing Mario game and an amazing Zelda game in one year? What an embarrassment of riches 2017 has been. Breath of the Wild fails in a couple of notable ways for the Zelda series - no good dungeons or boss fights - but it soars in the way it completely upends the expectations of the series as a whole. The simple act of exploration and discovery was so purely distilled in this open world adventure that I have a hard time playing any other open world games now. It's slick, challenging, and creative. The fact that there's always something to find, and that you're basically always rewarded for your trouble, makes it a game that's easy to play in short bursts or long marathon sessions. It's the perfect game for the Switch concept and an outstanding achievement overall.
I love that Nintendo is willing to keep Mario weird. Odyssey goes back to the idea of big, sprawling Nintendo levels like in Super Mario 64 and Sunshine, but it creatively shakes up the formula in a similar fashion to Breath of the Wild. I prefer my Mario games a bit more linear (like Galaxy and 3D Land/World) but I love that this series has so much variety and creativity. The controls are utterly perfect as usual, and possessing enemies is a real highlight.
Persona 3 and 4 are two of my very favorite games of all time, and Persona 5 continues the trend of having its own feeling and sense of style while building on what has made the series great. The odd combination of Japanese social high school simulation and challenging dungeon-crawling JRPG continues to work so very well, and the sharp writing and solid characters really round it out.
I was initially disappointed when I discovered that Cuphead wasn't going to be a traditional platformer, but rather a run 'n' gun style boss gallery. However, it turns out that this pseudo-30's cartoon that's like some nightmarish mash-up of classic Disney and Chuck Jones is exactly what it needs to be. It's brutally difficult in a way that I can totally get behind, and the fluid action and various weapon options keep everything fresh till the end.
The first true Metroid game since Zero Mission was released in 2004, and it's a great one. Basically it's an entirely remade/retold version of Metroid II from the Game Boy, and it sports sharp visuals, tight controls, and some awesome new power-ups and enemies. If anything, being based on the old game actually held it back a bit because it goes on a little too long with the repetitive Metroid hunting. Still a great adventure that was a blast to play through. A great swan song for the 3DS.
This may be cheating a bit, but I think the Nintendo Switch (apart from a couple dumb design decisions, like the lack of a headphone jack on the controllers and the still-nascent online features) is the perfect Nintendo console. If they do it right, this will replace both their console and handheld markets and consolidate the entire library of killer Nintendo games into one place. Having to own a Wii U and 3DS last generation to really get the full output of amazing Nintendo masterpieces was a bit of a bummer. I'm excited to see what's ahead for this neat piece of hardware!
I'm a big proponent of game history and preservation, and projects like this are exactly the right way to resurrect games from a decade or two ago for new audiences. I hope this is a sign of things to come (it sounds like Sony is revisiting MediEvil too, and I hope Spyro isn't too far behind) and that other developers do similar things as well.
The first game was a fun trifle on 3DS, and the sequel builds it out in smart ways that make it play even better than ever. The basic gameplay grind of digging up ore, discovering new abilities, then returning to the surface to upgrade your character is a deeply satisfying one.
Of course it would be a Sega-sanctioned fan project that would actually wind up being the best Sonic has been since the Genesis days. In fact, this game is so smooth and inventive that I'd say it's better than Sonic has ever been. The dope soundtrack really helps too.
This fun smorgasbord of DC heroes and villains is great for guys' nights and just passing around the controllers as we try to figure out who is any good and what all the special moves are. Since MK 9 I've really been a big fan of the core NetherRealm Studios fighting style. I need to play the story mode still.
[Honorable Mention] I didn't expect a lot from this girls-only side outing in the Uncharted universe, but it wound up telling a shorter, compelling story with some good character moments and some great action and exploration. It's missing a little something without Nathan Drake's plucky antics, but it still works.
[Hall of Shame] I've just barely started getting into this game and it seems really good so far with only some minor hang-ups on my part. It's really beautiful...apart from the skin-crawlingly creepy facial animations. Also, Breath of the Wild has ruined me with open world navigation. Still a cool concept that I'm eager to dig into further.
[Hall of Shame] A creepy samurai Team Ninja Dark Souls clone? Uh, yes please! I just didn't have the time to do much more than the early levels of this game when it came out but I'm excited to play more.
[Hall of Shame] I have no idea what's up with this game, but it's highly praised for its unusual story and it's a Platinum action game, so I imagine I'll like it if I play it more.
[Hall of Shame] I intend to play this in the dark of winter, when horror games are most effective for me. I loved Resident Evil 4 but this game is wildly different from that so I guess we'll see.
[Hall of Shame] I played a lot of the first game begrudgingly, but it seems a lot of improvements have been made to the action and the formula overall in the sequel. The early missions certainly feel good.
[Hall of Shame] I like myself some story-heavy exploration games like this (apart from that garbage heap that is Gone Home) so I really look forward to playing through it.
