Wolfenstein II is fucking wild and bold and touching in a way no other game I’ve ever played is. It is no doubt the best thing I’ve played this year and I can’t stop thinking about it. Runner-ups are Night in The Woods and Horizon: Zero Dawn.
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I’m not! I haven’t played Persona 5! I don’t have a switch to play Super Mario Odyssey (I played BOTW on WiiU), I don’t have the time this year for Wolfenstein!!!
AAAAAAHHHHHH!
(My picks so far: Horizon, Botw and Nier Automata).
Nope! Not ready at all, still haven’t really made time to dig into half of the games I’d want to check out before making any kind of list, but that’s okay.
2017 was such an impressive year for games that my 2018 will be jampacked trying to catch up.
@austin_walker file that away now that I think of it; If there’s a calm period next near in news/releases maybe Waypoint could explore a “Best games of last year that you didn’t get to play because 2017 was bananas” feature.
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Not at all, the list of games I’ve yet to play this year is:
Hollow Knight
Night in the Woods
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Persona 5
Gravity Rush 2
Resident Evil 7
Ni-oh
Hob
Battlechasers: Nightwar
Metroid: Samus Returns
Golf Story
What Remains of Edith Finch
Pyre
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
That being said, I have confidence that my current top 5 would hold true even if I magically got through all these games before the end of the year. The one exception might be Persona 5.
My top 5 list, in order, is:
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Super Mario Odyssey
Yakuza 0
Sonic Mania
NieR: Automata
Glad I’m not the only one here who finds they rarely buy and play games in the year they are released. Last year during GOTY discussions I realised I hadn’t played a single game released in 2016.
This year I’ve got more into the spirit and played a total of 2, 2017 games. So my list is:
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Destiny 2
Honourable mentions to all the non eligible games I’ve been playing, Dark Souls 2, The Witcher 3 Heart of Stone, Wolfenstein TNO, Stardew Valley. And The Binding of Isaac, which as far as I’m concerned is GOTY every year.
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i’m always dumb about goty/top 10 stuff because when i’m assessing games for such things i think “it was good but it wasn’t top 10 level good” and then end up with significantly fewer than 10 games that actually are, even if i’ve actually played 10 games of the year. also the games that are critical darlings i often didn’t enjoy, or at least not to the level other people do, so i spend too much time thinking like “well all these critics i respect are talking about how amazing mario odyssey is and i just think it’s kinda ok, what does this say about my ability to accurately assess vidcons???” because i am eternally a slave to The Discourse
anyways the vidcons i have enjoyed to an acceptable degree this year, in no particular order, are:
Tales of Berseria
Heat Signature
Dead Cells (i know its early access but its still great)
BotW
Night in the Woods
Monster Hunter Stories
probably Pokemon Ultra SuMo
potentially Pyre once i get around to it
end of list
I think the only games left that I would like to finish up before all the discourse starts are Wolf and Horizon. Haven’t picked up Wolf yet, and I stopped playing Horizon when Nier came out… so, like, a week after getting it. I have a whole bunch of smaller stuff backlogged, but I’m not expecting to have to dodge Tales of Berseria or Blue Reflection spoilers in other people’s game of the year discussions.
As far as putting together any sort of personal list, I’d still be waiting on Xenoblade 2 either way, and that game might be long? Nier at the top, Persona 5 behind it, stuff like Nioh, Breath of the Wild, Odyssey, Destiny 2, Yakuza 0 on there somewhere.
I’m waiting for Divinity: Original Sin 2 to be, hopefully, released on console (absolutely loved the first one). Haven’t gotten Origins yet (hoping Santa brings it!) Will be starting Elex Sunday - today & tomorrow are dedicated to the Breeders’ Cup!!
Of the games I’ve played, my overall GOTY would be Torment: Tides of Numenera. Honorable mentions go to Blackguards 2, Battle Chasers: Night War & Cosmic Star Heroine. I couldn’t even come up with a GOTY 2016 so I’d say this has been an excellent year for games!!!
I’m ramping up to getting ready.
2017 games I’ve beat:
Persona 5
Nioh
For Honor
Nier: Automata
Pyre
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
What Remains of Edith Finch
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Destiny 2
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Detention
Currently playing Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Games I already have and are next on the list:
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
The Sexy Brutale
Observer
Hollow Knight
Games I still plan on getting and beating before the year ends:
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Super Mario Odyssey
Horizon Zero Dawn
Cuphead
Night in the Woods
Little Red Lie
Games I would like to get to before the year ends but I’d be fine playing them next year:
Prey
The Surge
Little Nightmares
Blackwood Crossing
Rime
Doki Doki Literature Club
Stories Untold
Heat Signature
Battle Chasers: Nightwar
2017 is fucking good for video games
I’ve seen comments (some from huge fans of Until Dawn) that Hidden Agenda isn’t great… I haven’t played it myself, but that’s what I’ve seen.
I’ve got to say, at the start of this year I thought I was falling out of love with games in general. However, I remember getting Horizon: Zero Dawn and playing it solidly for about 8 hours, which I haven’t done with a game for years. I became engrossed in the world and the story, the combat was amazing, I was having a blast. Ironically, Breath of the Wild then came out, and that had an even greater effect on me, I played it for about three months straight. Breath of the Wild would easily be my personal game of the year. That game is so good, it perhaps spoils my enjoyment of other games. Going back to Horizon afterwards, despite how good that game is, just felt weird.
Just got to the first ending of Mario Odyssey, I reckon it will be second. I love the sheer happiness and imagination of it all.
Other games that are in the running for my top 10:
Destiny 2: Loved the first Destiny, thanks to some waypointeers I actually managed to do some of the raids for the first time on the eve of Destiny 2. Having an actual community behind the release of Destiny 2 has really improved my experience with it. As far as the feel of shooting goes, Destiny 2 has to be the best.
Steam World Dig 2: Didn’t love the first game, but I couldn’t put the sequel down.
Dead Cells: Still in early access, but it gave me the same buzz as Rogue Legacy but with amped up combat.
Prey: When I look back on this game, the realisation of the world and that space station is what sticks with me. Didn’t care much for the lacklustre combat, everything felt like a bullet sponge.
Wolfenstein 2: I don’t like it as much as the first game and whilst some moments are fantastic, I didn’t buy into some of the tonal shifts… but some of the stuff it contains that speaks to 2017 in general not to mention the conventions of the FPS as we know it, make it worthy of the top 10.
Splatoon 2: Never really got into Splatoon, mainly because of the Wii-U but the Switch has meant I have played a lot more of its sequel. It manages to be a competitive shooter but still feel like a nintendo game. Whether you’re playing it online, or doing Salmon Run or even doing the single player, this game just rocks.
Planet Coaster: It came out last year, but it’s still growing and is my perfect Sunday afternoon game.
Uncharted: Lost Legacy: Uncharted 4 had some amazing moments, but at some points all the platforming and fights with waves of enemy just felt too much. Like too much butter on toast. Lost Legacy felt more compact whilst still delivering all the action highs and the understated moments in between. Can’t really fault it.
Close but probably not:
Resident Evil 7: As a long time Resi fan, that game starts strong, feeling more like traditional resident evil whilst incorporating the elements from Amnesia. The thing that let it down, was how it descended into more generic Resi schlock. Fighting the Moulded was boring, I think the final chapters of that game only really make sense if you’re lucky enough to have a VR headset.
Horizon: Zero Dawn: Beautiful to look at, immersive to a point and some great combat, but after Zelda it just felt like another open world game full of map markers. And why did all civilisation suddenly revert to tribal Indian culture? I’m not sure if that bit with the Matthew Maconaughey stand-in explained it, because it flew right over my head.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice Been a big fan of Ninja Theory over the years, they always seem to put character and story first rather than more waves of enemies. However, despite it’s bold premise, the actual gameplay parts of Hellblade just felt a little simplistic.
Nioh: Love Dark Souls, but just couldn’t get into Nioh, though I can appreciate the combat felt more accessible.
Sonic Mania: Pleased that long time sonic fans have this game. It does a lot of really cool stuff, but ultimately it just made me realise that I’m not a big Sonic guy… Mario on the otherhand…
Player Unknown’s Battleground: This game is really laggy on me. I’m pretty sure that’s my fault with my crappy wifi adaptor but still… meh… I once managed to survive to 2nd place without killing anyone. Not as good as bringing down Callus with a willing fireteam is it?
Games I still want to try:
Cuphead
Night in the Woods
Signal to Tolva
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider.
Evil Within 2
Heat Signature
Shadow of Wardor
Tacoma
Arms
Nier: Automata - I don’t know with this one, played a bit of it, getting up to the fight with the naked blonde dude. Kind of lost interest… I know I have to keep going with it, and the game/combat generally feels great to play, but is it really just more of the same?
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1. Breath of the Wild
I’ve been arguing with my wife for years about Zelda games. She loves their traditional, directed experience. I hate it and have been waiting for the series to evolve. Breath of the Wild solved the argument for both of us. It has the exploration and intuitive gameplay systems I crave, and the shrines give my wife concentrated doses of the puzzles she loves. It’s not perfect, but I’m still kind of stunned Nintendo pulled it off.
2. Night in the Woods
Breath of the Wild is a bigger achievement, but I had the most fun with Night in the Woods. Every line of dialogue is a joy, and the way it captures that feeling of directionless young adulthood is super on point. Also accurate: the depiction of playing in a band when you don’t really know the songs. Or how to play bass. Secret best characters: Selmers the poet; Mr. Chazokov; Mae’s parents.
3. Pyre
I read every word of Pyre aloud. Clarification: I acted out every word of Pyre aloud. Partially, this was because I was playing the game with my wife and she enjoyed it, but mostly it was because the writing and characters are so well crafted. Reading the words out loud gave me a super personal experience with Pyre – far more personal than if the game simply had full voice acting. Maybe that’s an experience I created for myself, but I think the game did a lot to facilitate that. (And judging by YouTube/Twitch, I’m not the only one who felt absolutely compelled to act out all the dialogue.)
4. Persona 5
It’s really difficult not to compare Persona 5 to my favorite (and first) Persona experience, Persona 4 Golden. P4G does the Night in the Woods thing, with kids in a small town grappling with growing up and how to deal with the larger world. In P5, the “larger world” is more familiar – and it blows. P5 taps into a bigger (and more current) cultural zeitgeist, but that makes it kind of a bummer to play sometimes. And as that Waypoint article pointed out, focusing the dungeons on each antagonist, rather than each new party member, means you never quite build the same level of closeness within your party. All that said, the Persona formula will always be one of my favorites. And I still can’t get the soundtrack out of my head.
5. Super Mario Odyssey
My wife and I blew through this way too quickly – we “beat” the game at just over 200 moons – so I have a lot more to discover and more thoughts to formulate. But the sheer care and attention to detail Nintendo put into this experience are unmatched. Every time I think, “Hmm…I wonder if I can do that,” the answer is, “Yes, you can – and we expected you to. Here’s something cool.” Nostalgia won’t let me put it above Mario 64, but it’s as close as I can get.
Honorable Mentions
Mass Effect: Andromeda: nowhere near as bad as people said, with some really enjoyable moments
Destiny 2: still the best-feeling shooter on the planet
What Remains of Edith Finch: some really affecting storytelling (esp. the fish factory)
Fire Emblem Heroes: I refuse to admit publicly how much I’ve spent on this
Golf Story: Couldn’t finish it due to progress-halting bug, but gave me that sweet GBC Mario Golf-inspired golf RPG I’ve been missing
I Don’t Know How To Rank This: NieR: Automata
Okay, see, the thing is, I didn’t really enjoy playing most of this game. Didn’t find the combat engaging, didn’t want to tinker too deeply with the chip system, didn’t want to farm for upgrade materials. I’m sure all that stuff is good and other people have enjoyed it. I wasn’t into it. But Automata does stuff narratively that no game has ever tried. And it pretty much succeeds at all of it. So I respect it enormously, even if it doesn’t break into my top five.
Still need to play
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Resident Evil 7
Hollow Knight
Mario + Rabbids
Tacoma
Wolfenstein II
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This year was pretty disappointing, even moreso than last year.
I had a lot of hype for Night In The Woods and Persona 5 but was very disappointed with them. Uurnog was disappointing in a strange fashion in that I would just like to play more of it. I was unsatisfied with the amount of Uurnog available.
SteamWord Dig 2 and Hollow Knight were solid but lacked longevity. I have no wish to return to them and I’m not inspired to sing their praises now that I’m done with them.
Interestingly enough, the game I was impressed with the most was Cosmic Star Heroine, a Japanese-styled RPG. The characters and plot were a giant blah but that gameplay is probably the most accomplished turn-based battle system in JRPGs and a fount of creativity on behalf of the developers. Also, the soundtrack is a knockout. The boss theme is an instant classic.
The dev said he was going to add extra content and I cannot wait until then because revisiting this game would be a joy.
It’s certainly been an open world, action-adventure, shooter, and brawler heavy year- Sorry to hear that it’s been less rollicking for you. It sounds like you’re a very RPG and story focused gamer?
If I might ask, what wasn’t clicking for you about Night in the Woods? I haven’t picked it up yet but always meant to check it out.
Truth is is that I don’t have a Switch (so no Zelda) and I’ve not played HZD yet (which I want to) so I might play them down the road and really love them (like how I played Steven’s Sausage Roll this year and it is tied for my GOTY 2016).
As for Night in The Woods, for me it failed on a basic storytelling level. The main plot unfolded really clumsily and Mae didn’t really have an arc and she doesn’t grow as a character. Those are two big flaws. There are things I still like about it (with Bea’s subplot being one of them) but I was greatly disappointed and I don’t think I’m going to revisit it.
I should say that there are many games released this year that I haven’t played but want to like Prey, NieR, Wolfenstein 2 and Tales Of Berseria.
Lacked longevity? It took me 30 hours to complete (albeit I went for 100% completion) which is far longer than most other metroidvanias, which is something I adore about Hollow Knight - most metroidvanias take around 6-8 hours to complete (like Steamworld Dig 2, funnily enough), so to play one that’s as expansive as Hollow Knight is was a real treat.
Also I don’t know about you, but I played and finished the game before they added all the post-release content so I’m itching to go back to it once they’ve finished adding that.
Hell, I’ll probably even double dip on the game when it comes out on Switch.
Man, good-ass year. Nier, Nioh, Hollow Knight, Zelda, Endless Space 2, Yakuza 0, The Surge, probably a whole bunch more I’m forgetting too. And I’ve not played Mario or Wolfenstein yet, and I’m damn excited for Xenoblade.
Let’s be honest. This year could be a top 20 year.
When I say longevity I mean still caring about it after I was done. Once I was done with Hollow Knight I stopped caring about it before long whereas a game like Cosmic Star Heroine was a game that I kept thinking about after I was done.
GOTY - Horizon: Zero Dawn Easy choice.
Rest of the Top 5, unordered -
Nier Automata
Shadow of War
Prey
AC: Origins
My last 2 GOTYs were Tales from the Borderlands and Oxenfree, but there just wasn’t a smaller game this year that grabbed me anywhere close to those games.
The Shut the Hell Up, Already Award - Breath of the Wild
I love Zelda, and I enjoyed BotW well enough, but jeez, am I tired of people acting like it’s some game that was handed down from the heavens.
Best Story with an Entirely Unenjoyable Game - Wolfenstein 2
I really want to finish this game, but I hate playing it. The easiest difficulty is completely devoid of challenge. The second easiest has me dying dozens of times without any idea where the attacks are even coming from.
Best Game from Years Ago That I Finally Got Around To - Divinity: Original Sin
Most Provocative Game I’m not Sure if I Liked - Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Best Sequel to Resident Evil 4 That I’ve Been Waiting a Decade For - The Evil Within 2
