It’s December now and that means summer is here, and all of the big games releases for this year have blasted by and left our toupees spinning in the air. Only Xenoblade 2 remains, but I’m not a fan of JeR-Puh-Guhs so it’s unlikely that I’ll seek it out.
As such, it behoves me to list my top ten games for the year in reverse order (plus the bottom five because who doesn’t like a bit of controversy hey?). The winning game, el numero uno, should come as no surprise to anyone who knows my taste in gaming finery.
Starting with the shittest five games of 2017:
Middle Earth: Shadow of War
Star Wars Battlefront II
Destiny 2
Forza 7
Mass Effect: Andromeda
I get it. Destiny 2 is a good game. Forza 7 is a good game. Star Wars BFII is a good game. They’re all technically accomplished and achieve what they set out to do. But why are they here? Greed and mismanagement. Sometimes both. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It’s these things that take an otherwise enjoyable experience and turn them into joyless pains in the arse. Nobody wants a progression system turned into a soulless grind. Nobody wants end-game rewards that don’t actually reward anyone. Nobody wants constant reminders that the game might be a little bit better if you’d just spend a small amount of money for just one little loot box. Most of all, I’m sure that nobody wants a developer or a publisher that doesn’t treat the gaming community with respect. And I’ll point out Mass Effect in particular because I really feel sorry for that game. I’m not angry at these titles, I’m just… disappointed.
Now onto the good stuff!
10: Cuphead
I put this here because it feels like an incomplete list without an Xbox console exclusive title, since Microsoft put so much effort into pushing the exclusives this year. Also, why is the only Xbox game in my list a 2D platformer by an independent developer? Disclaimer: it’s the only game in this list that I haven’t actually played, but I love the art style and the effort the developer put into it, so why not give it some love?
9: What Remains Of Edith Finch
This is in here because I’m a fan of Giant Sparrow’s previous game, The Unfunished Swan. Edith Finch didn’t grab me as much as their last game did, but all the quality is still there with insane storytelling and attention to detail. One of the finest walking simulators you’ll ever play.
8: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Blue Shells exist in my nightmares. This might be ‘just a remake’ but I am glad it exists on a console that people are actually buying.
7: Horizon: Zero Dawn
Why so far down the list? I dunno. Horizon came out a little too awkwardly close to a certain other open world game. This is an excellent game in its own right, but other games were… better. In my opinion anyway. This is another title that lives by its incredible art direction and great story. It’s too bad it has been swamped by other high quality titles.
6: Super Mario Odyssey
Another game lost (to me) in the shuffle of 2017. I personally think it is not the best Mario title ever made, that award goes to 3D Land on the 3DS, but I’ve only had time to scratch Odyssey’s surface. The capturing mechanic is the best gameplay idea that Mario has ever sported, however. You get to BE a goomba! How awesome is that?
5: Yakuza Zero
I didn’t even know I wanted this game until I wanted this game. Then when I got it and started playing it, I just started to laugh at everything. It’s one of the most endearingly hilarious things I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing, all wrapped up in a very serious Soprano’s style organised crime drama. So Japanese.
4: Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
This game is one hell of an experience. If you haven’t played it yet, stop what you’re doing right now and get stuck in. A recurring theme in my list is art direction and story, and again, this title is way up there because of what it is and the way you experience it. And to top it off, the combat is so deliberate and visceral, I don’t think I’ve ever found myself holding my breath as much as I did the first few times I encountered the game’s basic enemies. It’s only let down by some flakey environmental puzzles, but it stands as one of the best games of all time in my books.
3: Sonic Mania
If anyone could write a love letter to gaming’s childhood, this would be it. Many a 10 year old kid spent afternoons playing the original Sonic platformers, sitting on the edge of their bed, hunched over a 12” colour TV, janky Mega Drive pad in-hand, collecting rings and looping loops in the first game custom-made for speed running. Now we get to do it in the living room on a 60” OLED. Good times.
2: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
I don’t know if there’s much left to say about this game, other than that it might’ve helped sell another 10 million Wii U units if it came out a year earlier. It is definitely the greatest game of all time.
And the winner?
There can be only one. The greatest game of 2017, I present to you…