GOTY 2017

HI! I wasn't going to do this for some reason I had in my head but HELL you can't tell me what to do, me... Here we go!

Honourable mentions:

Hollow Knight: I need to play more of this game but I get so lost in a way I actually love but also I don't know where to go next. I don't want to rush because it's so nice!

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment: How do they keep doing this... This is a fantastic DLC once again AND there's still another one coming? I can't wait for what Yacht Club do next but also I want them to work on Shovel Knight content forever?

Gravity Rush 2: I only just bought this in December and I feel so bad... I loved the first one so much and I have made a huge mistake ignoring this game up until now. It's like playing a Studio Ghibli movie and Kat is a great character.

Windjammers: I bought Windjammers in 2017.

Getting Over It: There's nothing more satisfying that starting over... It's all a bit pretentious but Getting Over It is a wonderful trip of accepting failure. A frustrating joy.

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1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: I'm not even a Zelda guy... I've only ever finished Twilight Princess and that was basically by accident. This game is that rare mix of interlocking systems that are so clear while somehow one of the most engrossing worlds that genuinely had me forgetting I was playing a video game at all... Then I would be suddenly thrown back into reality thinking loudly 'YOU CAN DO THAT?'. It took over my entire mind space early in 2017 and revisiting it recently for the DLC has reminded me why. A total achievement and it warms my heart to even think about it!

2. NieR: Automata: I adore this game. The music is one of the greatest video game soundtracks of all time. Android Sci-Fi Humanity shit is my absolute jam and while maybe a bit simplified, Platinum's magic combat kept me excited for the entire 80 hours I spent it the world. I did everything and I didn't even buy my way to the Platinum trophy (despite adoring that inclusion). I'm really glad the world is ready to listen to whatever Yoko Taro has to say next.

3. Super Mario Odyssey: I blinked and suddenly I had completed the game with a massive smile plastered on my face. This game is happiness and the wizards at Nintendo are the only people that can make video games that I forget are video games.

4. Yakuza 0: Majima's introduction should be put in a museum. Seriously just get into Yakuza. Now is the time. I spent an upsetting amount of time running a cabaret club and met some nice friends along the way.

5. Pyre: I've finished Pyre 3 times. I love this story. I love these characters. I love this world. This game looks incredible. This game sounds incredible. I'm so into cosmic basketball and I wish I had someone to play local competitive with.

6. Cuphead: I played this entire game co-op and we kept wondering when we would give up. Every boss felt like a mountain but we climbed it together. You already know how amazing this game looks and sounds but what I wasn't expecting was how well designed it was and how good it plays.

7. Night in the Woods: The whole way through Night in the Woods I was EXTREMELY on edge waiting for the bottom to fall out... I don't know what I expecting but I didn't expect the most melancholy game I'd ever played to be one of my favourites.

8. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus: I didn't think saying 'I loved killing lots of Nazis' would be such a controversial and cathartic thing to say in 2017 but here we are. Shoved it on easy and walked through every level holding both triggers. BJ Blazkowicz is one of the most compelling modern video game characters and that's just neato.

9. Tekken 7: I typically like my fighting games with one less D but Tekken 7 is a blast.

10. Splatoon 2: Inklings fit into the pantheon of Nintendo greats. It's more of that game I loved in 2015 and Salmon Run is a load of fun.