In just a couple of hours, we say goodbye to 2017, a year filled with amazing games. It was a year filled with games, probably our busiest year yet, which is a good thing, of course, it means we’re still growing, even after all those year. Wondering what our favorite games were? Check it out in our Game of the Year selection!
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
How can I not choose for a game which focuses on the journey of a lone female warrior in dark fantasy world inspired by Celtic mythology? Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is my game of the year for a variety of reasons:
The game was developed by a small game company called Ninja Theory, a company that always promised to deliver an AAA – experience. They succeeded.
With this game, the developers wanted to raise awareness concerning mental health issues by creating in-game (auditory) visions that closely resemble how mental health patients experience the world around them.
The game itself is dark, brooding, but also beautiful. Motion capture was the way to go, and the actors’ performances are simply brilliant. The level design is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in its category.
Was the gameplay itself as well-developed as the overall world and story? Well, not really. But did this game open up the road for other smaller developers to deliver a proper story rather than an endless re-hash of the same plot points? Hell(blade) yes!
Runner-up:
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Larian Studios’ newest game is everything you want from a turn-based fantasy RPG: fantastic humor, well-developed lore, battle mechanics that actively urge you to use the environment, an interesting and innovating story, and CO-UP DONE RIGHT!
While 2017 was filled with great games, I must admit that I had some trouble with picking a GOTY. In my opinion, a game of the year is one that is almost flawless, if not completely. I don’t think that any game released in 2017 is that, so which one could I choose? Well, after some thinking, I decided to choose NieR: Automata as my personal favorite. I could write a whole thesis about everything I love in this game, but my space in this article is limited, so I’ll try to keep it short. NieR: Automata is simply put the best example of a great narrative-driven videogame. The story itself is good, but nothing groundbreaking or even original. What’s so special about it then? Well, the way it tells its story. NieR: Automata is one of the few videogames that actually uses the medium to its story’s advantage. If someone were to take the story from Automata and turn it into a movie, it simply wouldn’t work since the story depends on player interaction to tell what it wants to tell. I wish I could further elaborate on that but then I would have to spoil the game. But I can say this: NieR: Automata has to be completed multiple times in order to experience the full story. Should you play this game, then I want you to do the following: once you have reached the end of ending E, I want you to think of translating that ending to a book or a movie and see if those mediums can convey the same message as the game was able to do. I think that would simply be impossible. But the story of NieR: Automata is not the only reason why I picked it as my GOTY. The gameplay itself is solid, the art design is great (although the visual quality can be little off sometimes), the voice acting is high-quality and the soundtrack is AMAZING. I recommend everyone to play this game (on the PS4, the PC port is sadly still a broken mess).
Runner-ups:
There were so many great games in 2017 that I simply cannot choose only one runner-up. That’s why I’ll list my personal favorites and recommendations, which are: Cuphead, Persona 5, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Yakuza 0.
When I was asked to think which game was my Game of the Year, I was instantly thinking about the third BoxBoy game and a conversation I had with a friend over the summer. I had just recommended him to buy this game on the 3DS eShop and actually naming it my probable GOTY at the time. I was joking at that time, but fast forward to today, owning all 3 games digitally, having imported the game physically from Japan and actually owning the amiibo twice. I was convinced that this game would at least be my runner-up. So I had to compare it to my other title, namely Super Mario Odyssey. A very big and hard comparison as I had to pit an amazing puzzler against an amazing Mario game. When I think about both, I was never able to keep up with Mario and 100% it, unlike BoxBoy. When I think about one day restarting the game, I instantly thought it would be BoxBoy… So yeah, while I mostly only play Nintendo games and never played some of the other great games this year like Persona or Nier, my choices were a little more limited but I stand by it. My game of the year is the final BoxBoy game.
Runner-Up:
There is something about 2017 and “bayou horror” games. I don’t blame the developers though. Isolated, desolate, no place to go, social isolation, … all sound like terms straight out of a horror movie. And RE7 took a big sip of the swamp water. This game puts Capcom back on the map. The previous game left us with a very bad taste. Many of the RE fans hated it and to be honest, it didn’t feel like Resident Evil.
Got to say this game does not feel like one either in my opinion. But I am no hardcore Resident Evil fan. It took a completely different take on the series. And I absolutely loved it.
In RE7, you play a guy named Ethan who suddenly knows where his long-lost girlfriend Mia is. She has been missing for 3 years and apparently she is hiding in the bayou of Louisiana. At last, you find her in an abandoned house, but she is not herself and the house surely is not abandoned.
Unlike games like Outlast, the map was really small and familiar. You always knew in which part of the house you were, which gives a lot of opportunities for things like Easter eggs.
Also, the backstories of the characters are amazing. On one hand, you have the members who are completely taken over by Eveline, but then you have other members who have always been insane. But you still are not completely sure if it is the doing of Eveline, or that the character is just flat-out crazy. Sometimes you don’t know what is going on.
But the game, in general, is amazing. The visuals are very nice, the story grabs you and the puzzles are very well made. I really recommend the game. I also recommend the DLC which gives amazing insight into the backstory of the game.
Runner-Up:
Doki Doki literature club
Where do I even start with this game? This game is so powerful and so well made that I had to give this a place in my GOTY.
One day I saw this little game on Steam. I already heard from it a few times in articles, stating this was a very scary game. It looked like a typical weird Japanese game, like so many. It was free so I gave it a shot and man this game is something I have never seen before.
You can play Outlast, Resident Evil or Alien Isolation and never flinch once, that is impossible with this game. The horror is of a completely different order than what we are used to.
I absolutely don’t want to spoil (and I would ignore the Steam comments too) but keep your game files open while playing, and also don’t play this game if you are mentally vulnerable. So don’t take the warnings of the game lightly. But this is one special game, and it is one of the games that make you reflect. I can’ say much. Other than that this game deserves a shot and is really good.
Apart from Doki Doki there where other amazing games that deserve a place in my GOTH. These are Cuphead, Hellblad: Senua’s Sacrifice and Zelda BOTW.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (VR)
This was a great year for games, a lot of amazing titles were released, and even more great indies and new ‘discoveries’ came out in 2017. But one game above all really took me by surprise. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard in VR was an experience like no other before it. The game itself was really on point and the VR experience was better than expected. They really raised the bar for VR games.
Runner-up:
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
PUBG took the industry by surprise and already sold mind shattering amounts of copies despite not even being fully released or even developed. By the end of 2017 the game should be ready and will feature more weapons, a new map, new jumping/climbing mechanics and much more. They will also release on Xbox One in December of 2017. Since it’s still in early access it’s hard to really call it Game Of The Year, but it comes really close!
Notable mentions:
Mario Odyssey – Cuphead – Destiny 2
For me, 2017 was the year of the comeback of Nintendo and this was mostly because of the release of the Nintendo Switch, so I immediately knew that my GOTY was going to be a game on the system but it was so hard to choose between all the great titles. After some thinking, I decided to go with Super Mario Odyssey. Since I started playing video games Mario has always been my number one franchise and in my opinion, this game is a love letter to every gamer who has loved the series for a long time. It has all the things that made this game feel like ‘A best of Super Mario’ game but still introduced tons of new mechanics. In my opinion, if you have a Switch you definitely need this game!
Runner-up:
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
This game just released but it was still in 2017. I really loved the previous two games of the series and they are in my opinion a bit undervalued because of the timing and system they were released on but they still are amazing games. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a brighter future on the new Nintendo console and is does things even better. It is a perfect game for people who love RPGs but if you are not into RPGs this game could still be a thing for you.
Notable mentions:
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Splatoon 2 – Injustice 2
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The banner says it all: A daring adventure in the sense of breaking all the classic conventions in Zelda games we took for granted all these years and as the adventure within the game itself. It’s strange to state that when you take away classic Zelda elements like the green tunic, linear dungeon progression and fixed weapons, that somehow only then we obtain the truest “Zeldesque” experience to date! It strayed as far away from any other Zelda as it was true to the core franchise. An unsettling sensation, yet familiar and exhilarating at the same time.
An adventure that keeps on giving, thanks to the tailored DLC and the immense world straight from the start. Even today I just found a spot I hadn’t noticed before thanks to the Hero’s Path, that is by far one of the best features this game could have gotten!
The Champions’ Ballad DLC added some more story that snuggly filled the gap story wise and gave us, even more, challenge to overcome the cold holiday season.
The Switch had a solid launch title with this one and it keeps on giving! I still haven’t put it down since release and I think that’s enough to say that this is my game of the year!
Runner-up:
Super Mario Odyssey (here again; breaking conventions is the right way to go! Not that it’s easy though!)
I have a long history when it comes to playing MMORPG’s. I played them all and most of the MMORPG’s play the same with only one or 2 features different or even a crappy “build” but there’s one MMORPG that constantly draws me in, even after a while not playing and that’s Guild Wars 2. The way they set out their quest or crafting system is just amazing and gamer friendly. The game stepped aside from the whole “Holy Trinity”- system and it works, and it rewards you for everything you do: helping out a friend, resurrecting other players, supporting each other, crafting, etc. Now the game isn’t perfect, there’s a reason why it’s an on/off relationship and that’s because the game is built for players who have a lot of time on their hands. Even though I managed to quickly complete the expansions main story quest, the game still gives me this feeling that I won’t be completing every single thing there is to do because of the time. Put this aside and you have a great MMORPG. Why did I choose this expansion as my favorite of the year? Because Guild Wars 2 shows they’re still trying to make their game as interesting as possible and they’ve shown that they listen to the community. Path of Fire, brings back a beloved region from the original Guild Wars and last but not least, they’ve actually implemented mounts. Now, these mounts aren’t just your common “travel opportunities” but they’ve actually created useful mounts. Useful mounts in the way of “getting somewhere you never could or have been”. This mount system allows the player to traverse to different areas where the player couldn’t before, and they’re exceptionally made. The mounts can even used in older expansions, which gives veteran players who haven’t got much time on their hands, to keep up with the rest of the game’s community. The main story was decent, and they already released the first part of their Living World content. The classes are a great addition to the previous ones, but they could have made them a bit more “visually” appealing since some classes, seem less interesting to play. Hopefully, the game never loses its community because it’s one of the best out there. Adding this new mount system will definitely influence further expansions and I’m ready for it!
Runner-up:
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2017 was a brilliant year when it comes to gaming. A lot of amazing games released this year and picking one as my personal favorite was extremely difficult. Yet, NieR: Automata kept returning to my memories as my favorite game this year. The story, the music, the environments, everything about this game just feels right. Together with Super Mario Odyssey, it was the only game I rated a perfect score this year, meaning I truly loved it. It’s amazing to see a sequel to a cult hit being this good. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional rollercoaster NieR: Automata turned out to be but I loved every second of it. I’m already looking forward to what 2018 but an experience like this doesn’t come that often. Please, go play it, you won’t regret it!
Runner-ups:
Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Snipperclips, Persona 5 and Cuphead.
And there we have it, our personal favorites of the year 2017! Our picks were never this diverse before and that tells everything about this amazing year we had! Did your favorite make it or did we miss one? Don’t be shy to reply. We wish you all a great ending of the year and can’t wait to welcome you all back next year, we’re going to have a blast for sure!
