Robert’s Picks

After lengthy research, careful analysis and tons of sweating, I’ve managed to reach the conclusion that years come and go. 2017 was no exception from this rule and it even managed to throw a good number of really cool videogames our way. If for the 2016 article we stuck to a single choice per person, this year we decided to take a different approach and include more titles because, amidst the controversies that popped up, great games haven’t gone extinct yet. With that in mind, here are a handful of titles I think should be on anyone’s radar.

5. Night In The Woods

Mae Borowski is an anthropomorphic cat that quits college to return to her small hometown where possibilities are few. From discussing the issues of small, dying towns, to dealing with the uncertainty of youth, Infinite Fall’s sidescrolling adventure has a lot going for itself. Mae’s friends and family are excellently fleshed out, having their own individualities. Whether it’s “doing crimes”, unearthing unexpected secrets or casually interacting with various folk around Possum Springs, warming up to the characters comes naturally. Levels start and end in Mae’s home, where she can talk to parents and use her computer to chat some more with friends or play a small dungeon crawler game. Filled with sadness, mystery and joy, Night In The Woods is a relatable tale. Also, Gregg rulz ok.

4. Endless Space 2

The sequel to Amplitude Studio’s first foray into 4X follows a similar thread while adding political parties and revamping both gameplay and UI elements. It forges a distinct visual identity for itself, which makes watching the, otherwise passive, combat encounters a joy. Among the unique playable factions, there are both old and new faces, all excellently designed, both in visual and gameplay terms. The narrative aspect has also received a good amount of attention, each playthrough including quests with awesome lore and choices. Endless Space 2 manages to capture the feeling of creating a space empire much better than its predecessor (which already did a great job of it), while pushing forward Amplitude’s own vision regarding the 4X genre.

3. Darkest Dungeon: The Crimson Court

Darkest Dungeon made our lists last year and for good reason. A striking art style with easily recognizable characters, exceptional handling of its lovecraftian theme and prevalence for things to go wrong while still providing satisfying turn-based dungeon delving worked wonders for the title. The Crimson Court, its first expansion, adds vampires to the mix, playing just enough with the theme so that it avoids feeling stale. A new larger dungeon, that saves your progress, a new class in the shape of the Flagellant, another disease to look out for, fresh foes to dread and late-game Hamlet improvements make The Crimson Court an expansion that enriches the playing experience enough for it to be a must have.

2. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Donning the guise of a 3^rd person action game, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a powerful, heartwrenching experience in a class of its own. From Melina Juergen’s stellar performance as Senua, to the masterful sound design that barraged players with voices from many directions both in moments of strain and peace, the game is truly an achievement.  Many protagonists become cemented as noteworthy after a few titles. It only took Senua one game (and an immense amount of strain) to become memorable. A first attempt at an “Indie AAA”, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is not a game that’s played for the fun of slashing away at enemies. Giving it a chance, however, will unearth one of the most personal, intense tales ever told through the medium.

1. Hollow Knight

Team Cherry’s take on Metroidvania is easily the game that best stuck in my mind this year. Meticulously designed characters and areas make for one of the most beautiful visual experiences. Sprinkling a bit of Dark Souls on top of its Metroidvania core, boss encounters can be quite difficult, but acquiring the proper tools and improving your battle skills always lead to the overcoming of obstacles. Hollow Knight’s world is draped in sorrow, but still allows for some powerful contrasts, whether through area themes, or dialogue. It has a certain magnetism that constantly invites one to stay a bit longer and explore some more. As plenty of other games seem to be in a rush to tell their stories and amaze players with all sorts of flash, Hollow Knight was an underground oasis I found myself constantly returning to.

Adam’s Picks

2017 has been a wonderful year full of amazing games. While the controversy surrounding loot boxes has taken the gaming world by storm, it shouldn’t overshadow the accomplishments made by hardworking developers and their outstanding projects. Here are my favorite games of 2017.

5. Resident Evil 7

Since Resident Evil 4 many wondered when we would get another survival-horror Resident Evil game. The Revelations series served as an adequate appetizer but many, like myself, were starving for a fully realized installment. Then came Resident Evil 7. Taking inspiration from Outlast and, the lesser known, Resident Evil Survivor, Capcom brought Resident Evil back with a bang. The Baker family and their estate created this sense of fear as you are activity hunted by these monstrous killers, each one with their own distinct style. If you own a PSVR, the game can be played entirely using the headset, but fair warning: it isn’t for the faint of heart.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The last major release for the Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild returned the beloved franchise back to its roots. After the opening tutorial, Breath of the Wild gives you the freedom to explore the vast world and tackle any objective you wish. This isn’t an easy task as Breath of the Wild challenges the player with deadly enemies and insidiously clever puzzles. There’s a wealth of locations to explore, challenges to overcome, and items to collect in this latest adventure that will test even the most seasoned Dark Souls gamer.

3. Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo was already riding high with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but decided one outstanding game wasn’t enough and delivered a second, Super Mario Odyssey. Like the Super Mario Galaxy games, Nintendo focused on clever gameplay mechanics and brilliantly crafted worlds. With the new possession ability granted by newcomer Cappy, Nintendo uses early introduced gameplay mechanics and implements them into creative situations. Each location provided hours of platforming joy, especially for those willing to get all the Power Moons.

2. Horizon Zero Dawn

After the end of the Uncharted series many wondered who would carry the helm as PlayStation’s new mascot, then came Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn. Guerrilla Games, known for the FPS franchise Killzone, floored me with Horizon Zero Dawn. From the opening sequence, up to the final moments Horizon Zero Dawn is a breathtaking adventure that doesn’t slow down. Deadly machine enemies litter the landscape, each with unique strengths and weaknesses, and people with varied cultures and believes help bring this beautiful world to life. If you own a PlayStation 4 you must play this game.

1. Nier: Automata

Nier: Automata isn’t an ordinary adventure. It doesn’t end after the credits roll. Instead, it keeps going. With multiple perspectives, Nier: Automata deals with hard-hitting issues such as purpose, life, and memory. It’s a difficult game to explain, especially without spoilers, but by the end it’ll have you thinking about your own life and what it means to actually live. It also helps that the action focused gameplay and outstanding soundtrack complement amazing adventure.

Daav’s Picks

Boy, 2017 sure has been a year. Were it not for the end-game being dominated by the conversation about loot boxes and games as a service, it may have had a shot as the best gaming year to date. Almost every single month was packed with several impactful releases; which is why it’s a shame that I’ve played none of it.

Aside from being too poor to make any gaming expense anymore, I also just devoted most of my time to a cycle of ongoing games. Days were filled with Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, Overwatch, Fortnite or even Heroes of the Storm, for hundreds of hours. None of those could justifiably be put up as Game of the Year, not in the gigantic pool of their wonderfully crafted peers.

Therefore, here’s a list of some tinier, still excellent projects that came up in 2017 that are worth anyone’s time. Most of these games are dirt-cheap as well, by the way:

5. Riptale

What if Dark Souls was Downwell? Quick, brutal roguelike action will always have a place in anyone’s library, certainly when its rules are so simple and immediate to understand. Drop down into a bloody black and white pixel environment, shred everything in sight and don’t get hit. Go play Riptale.

4. Slime-San

It’s Super Meat Boy, but with a lot more tooth to it. That notion is good enough to entertain people for ages, both for those who want to have small, steep platform challenges and those who’d like to get deeper into the tiny society behind the game.

3. Tooth and Tail

Likely robbed by Cuphead for one of the best styles in games for 2017, Tooth and Tail also has refined real-time strategy to its absolute core. With just a few units and random maps, the game requires quick thinking and solid tactics to win, aside from having an incredible atmosphere.

2. Monolith

What if roguelikes were refit into their old shoot ‘em up skin? Monolith rides that sensibility perfectly, down to its SNES pixels and creepy, Giger-esque aesthetic of the era. It’s hard to look like one genre and yet still play like a different one, but Monolith does it all.

1. Flinthook

Roguelikes are always a good contender for lists, given their eternal replay value, hence their domination here. As far as that idea goes, Flinthook might be the most realized, snappy game this year, complete in an incredibly stylish presentation. Flinthook does come from the masterminds behind WizOrb, a game that built roleplay elements behind Breakout.

Now that this is out of the way, here’s another short list, but this time of the games I “wish” I could’ve played this year. Whether the games just looked like they were worth their time or the conversation around them was intriguing, plenty of entries have had people chasing their backlog in 2017. Someday, surely, I’ll be able to play more than five minutes of a Nintendo Switch and get behind some of these full-price releases. I take on all comers.

In a year where even Madden had a story that’s the most interesting thing the franchise has done in decades, anything is possible, right? See you next year.

5. Super Mario Odyssey

I’ve had my fill of platform games in the eighties and the same goes for Mario releases. I never even liked Mario 64, so my motivation to try one more of them is slim. Yet, there is so much around just raw mechanisms of Super Mario Odyssey that it looks incredibly enticing to get thrown into the world.

4. Nioh

Technically, I’ve already played Nioh, because I consumed that content by watching hours and hours of it. The game looks like all the issues around Dark Souls smushed to its minimum, while expanding and exploring gameplay differences around the tried and true method. This game does not get the spotlight it deserves.

3. Monster Hunter Stories

I respect games that take a chance on a sure shot. Publisher Capcom could absolutely just throw out another Monster Hunter game on Nintendo 3DS and make bank off its huge user base. Instead, the series threw everything on its head, by making a Pokémon game, but with characters that relate to a completely different demographic. Kudos, Capcom.

2. Nier: Automata

I hop off cheap gimmicks and anime “fan service” quickly, if the game doesn’t have the content to back up the sparkly façade. That said, wow, has Nier ever dominated the gaming world chatter all year, for a million different reasons. At least some of those arguments have to be better than just looking under a polygon girl’s dress, right?

1. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Honestly, I thought I was “good” on more Wolfenstein; I’ve seen the model. The biggest surprise this year, however, is just how in-touch a major game could bring itself to be, with what looks like an incredible theme. Just like Doom last year, even the narrative behind this game rips, just in the presentation of the world alone. I need to kill more Nazis in my life.

 

Happy New Year!