GOTY 2017
2017 has been exhausting for many reasons. Personally, as someone who tries to keep up with the latest game releases, the continued deluge of Steam games combined with strong AAA offerings made my job a joyous nightmare. There were just too many great games to play, and I feel like we'll all be digging for 2017 hidden gems for a long time to come. I've enjoyed reading all the varied choices for top 10 contenders this year, and here is my off-kilter contribution to that conversation.
Full Review Links
Sonic Mania
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Tekken 7
Mario + Rabbids
LawBreakers
Immortal Redneck
Injustice 2
Honorable Mentions
Sniper Elite 4
Let Them Come
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
Windjammers
Double Dragon IV
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Super Mario Odyssey is pure joy squeezed into a small cartridge. Overcoming the growing pains of the past two sandbox style Mario games, Odyssey is a world of fun that never stops delivering. It strikes a balance between flipping the script and returning to its roots, which all leads to an amazing package that makes New York City and a T-Rex fit into the world of Mario. We all scoff at Nintendo from time to time, but it's releases like this that remind us of how far ahead of the pack they truly are.
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Sega made a good Sonic game. It took them more than two decades and it required an external team of dedicated franchise fans, but they finally did it. Despite all this time waiting, Sonic Mania delivers fast 2D action in a way that no other series can. I've missed the Blue Blur dearly, and I can only hope that there will be many more adventures to come for Classic Sonic.
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Yacht Club Games have delivered over and over again, turning Shovel Knight into a franchise as it fulfills its crowdfunding obligations. Each new release feels fresh despite relying on a familiar framework, and Specter of Torment is head and shoulders above the previous two campaigns. Whether I was slashing between lanterns or piecing together its tragic story, Specter of Torment stuck with me all year.
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When it comes to fighting games, the King of Iron Fist is my first love, and Namco really brought it with this franchise redeeming entry. Not much has changed gameplay-wise since the days of the PS1, but the expansive cast and customizations options give players limitless variety to play with. If you want to goof around and punch your friends, Tekken 7 is the game for you.
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The mere image of Mario shooting a gun at Rabbids is still baffling to me. What a joy.
Kingdom Battle does what Nintendo games do best, simplifying the RTS genre into an accessible package that still has some depth. That's all the more impressive since Ubisoft developed the game, but this is a fine strategy game that anyone can enjoy.
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LawBreakers is a beautiful game without a player base, but that doesn't discount the amount of fun I had with the game at launch. Designed around speedy gunplay that would make Quake players blush, LawBreakers delivers everything you could want in a modern arena shooter. It's just a shame that the cavalry didn't come for this one.
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There have been many attempts at marrying FPS gameplay to a roguelite structure, and Immortal Redneck might have finally found the formula for success. With speedy shooting reminiscent of DOOM and a large variety of unique weaponry, this is an enjoyable arcade shooter that left me wanting more no matter how many times its Egyptian monsters stomped me into the dirt.
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Games about games are always fascinating to me, and that's more than what I really should tell you about Doki Doki Literature Club. Exploring its genre and questioning all the rules, Doki Doki leaves players with an unforgettable experience that needs to be seen to be believed.
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NetherRealm continues their tradition of excellence and presents the best DC superhero story to be had outside of a comic book in 2017. Customizing your own costume via the game's generous loot system was a great way to make me keep playing, and I stuck with it long past the campaign's end credits. The graphics are near lifelike, the fighting is dynamic, and Harley Quinn is in it.
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An extremely late addition to my list, Juanito takes the tried and true Buster Bros. formula and adds in mechanics from other arcade classics. Instead of relying on nostalgia to get by, it plays with the past and presents something that is more than the sum of its parts.
