ResetEra Games of the Year 2017 - Voting Thread (READ THE OP) [Ends Jan 21st 8:59am EST]

Azzanadra · Jan 18, 2018

Divinity: Original Sin II - Admittedly I have been disappointed by this CRPG renaissance, instead of evolving the genre the new games have been reveling in the glory of the past- with Divinity OS 2 however, Larian instead chooses to anwser the question "what if CRPGs never stopped existing", delivering one of the most innovative, immersive and sandboxy RPGs of all time. This is just a damn fine game and sets a new standard for modern CRPGs.
NieR: Automata - Before this game came out, I just thought of it as weaboo crap- boy was I wrong! While Platinum's signature gameplay is enough to make this game a decent effort, what really landed it this high on the list was the story. It is perhaps the most touching story of the generation thus far, and its something that will be with my forever. Not man games can lay claim to that.
The Evil Within 2 - Instead of doubling down with what made the first so great (yes, I am one of the weirdos who thinks the first is a flawed masterpiece), Tango went in a completely different direction... with mixed results. This could have been my GOTY had it just refined the rough edges of the first, but even as it stands The Evil Within 2 was a rare treat as a triple A horror experience in 2017.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - This made for a great weekend romp- a truly harrowing journey into a subject matter some would argue video games are too juvenile to handle. The game's graphics were beautiful, the combat was fun, the puzzles were interesting and the story was captivating- really came together.
Resident Evil VII: biohazard - A solid start to the year, 7 managed to put many fears to rest with an amazing firs half and no-so-great second half. Still, its a great proof of concept for Resident Evil's future.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds - I have just started playing this game and its just so fun. And tense, but real fun, especially with the boys- still waiting on a chicken dinner though.
Assassin's Creed: Origins - I liked Origins, but the bloat really soured me the more I played- but nonetheless this was a game with a lot of effort put into it and I enjoyed my time in Ancient Egypt, and it gets kudos for bringing 7-year-old me's childhood obsession to life.
Prey - This game started out promising but became tedious by the end with its combat. I love immersive sims but one thing they should have maybe left in the past is the whole save-reloading thing.

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CM_Ace · Jan 18, 2018

Horizon Zero Dawn - The first time I saw the reveal trailer for this game, I knew it would be something special. Guerrilla Games has done an outstanding job creating a post-apocalyptic world that feels fresh and intriguing. The game has the best graphics I've ever seen in a game, the gameplay can be challenging yet incredibly satisfying, and the story was told in an exceptional way. The Frozen Wilds DLC added more of what I loved and further cemented the game as my Game of the Year. Great job Guerrilla, can not wait for the sequel.
Persona 5 - Who knew that a game from a series I never played before would rank higher in my Game of the Year list than a new Uncharted or Mass Effect. I decided to purchase this game on a whim because of the praise the series got over the years; and boy, am I glad I did. It is a great game with likable characters, fun gameplay, an incredible soundtrack, and an insane amount of content. It would have been my Game of the Year had it not been for Horizon, that's for sure.
Nier: Automata - Never played the original Nier, but bought this game because of Platinum. Enjoyed it immensely and will most likely double-dip on PC when it gets a good sale.
Super Mario Odyssey - First Mario game I've played in years and I'd rank it above the Galaxy games. The Cappy mechanic is a great addition to the series and I hope it returns.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Playing this made me realize how much more Uncharted I actually wanted after thinking 4 was a good way to end the series. It probably has the best final sequence of any Uncharted game and I hope more spinoffs are made.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - This is actually the very first Zelda game I've ever completed. Enjoyed it quite a bit but was disappointed in the story and how it got a bit repetitive at times.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Mario Kart is always fun to jump in and play a few races. I never bought the DLC on the Wii U version so a lot of the content here was fresh for me.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy - Crash is back and it is still fun (and rage-inducing) as ever! Hopefully Activision has seen the success this remaster has achieved and green lights another proper Crash game.
What Remains of Edith Finch- As a fan of the "Walking Simulator" genre I had high expectations for this. I thought the story was good but expected a little more from it at the same time.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - A solid sequel to The New Order.

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Pellegri Testament · Jan 18, 2018

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - One of the best character driven story games I have played in recent years. From the characters themselves, to the music, to the setting, it was perfect in almost every way other than the final arc being a bit of a wash with the main villian not having enough development. This is also pretty high on my list of "emotional scenes in games", with the biggest scene being about 2/3rds of the way through the game. They really nailed the voice acting as well.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - The game that sets the base for the next several entries for the series, probably one of the darkest games I've played as well. It does a really good job at giving even the most story focused characters a well written backstory and shows the personal hell that others have gone through to get where they are. I'm honestly amazed they let one of back stories into the final game, considering the content it dealt with.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception - Character development: the game. A slow burn in terms of story progression, but damn does it do well at developing each and every character and making you feel an attachment to them. My only real complaint is that it spends a bit too much time on certain characters and shows you personality traits that have already been shown a handful of times already.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - I may not have liked the story as much as previous Xeno games, but it still managed to pull off something that kept me engaged through it's entire 80 hours. The world design I considered to be better than the first game however, although the first had more memorable set pieces. This is probably the most anime game in the franchise, for better or worse. My main flaw would have to be some of the character designs being too distracting...basically all the time. I really hope they reel that aspect in for the next game.
Mario Odyssey - Probably the best 3d Mario next to the 2 Galaxies for the me. It does level design better than all the others and really allows for a huge amount of creativity in it's gameplay. My only real flaws with it are the ease of getting moons compared to how stars are in the other games, along with the secret levels being easier than some of the past games.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The best world design of any Zelda game before, also the best open world game I have played. The flaws with it are hard for me to look past however, no matter how good the world and gameplay are. Shrines, while a good idea to add puzzles to the world, are not a very good substitue for dungeons, while the main "dungeons" themselves are a joke. Bosses are some of the easiest in the series and the lack of any memorable music really brings it down.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Poor localization aside, this is one of the funnest action games I've played in a while. Played on nightmare and had a blast being shown that it was time to get gud on quite a few bosses. My only real complaint with the gameplay is how many OP abilities there were in the game.
Finding Paradise - I may not have liked it as much as To the Moon, but it still told an emotional story that felt like it had a lot of thought put into it. The music was on point just like with TTM. Really feel like the comedy needs to be toned down if there's another game, because I already thought it was the weakest part of it's predecessor.
Yomawari Midnight Shadows - They really have "disturbing openings" down to an art at this point for these games. Again I wish they would do a little more "scary" and not just horror, but it's really not a huge dealbreaker. I liked that the ending to this one actually made sense unlike the first one.

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Morrigan · Jan 18, 2018

Nioh - After a disappointing alpha demo last year, I was legitimately worried about this game. The alpha was clunky, had major problems with the lock-on targeting, camera, loot and durability system, and many other issues. I was actually ready to drop this game for good but I filled out the feedback survey, hoping they would take the complaints into account, but without really expecting anything to change so drastically.

I've never been so happy to have been wrong/pessimistic! The beta came along and fixed literally every issue I had with the alpha. I was astonished at how much fun the game suddenly was with its glaring issues fixed. I put tons of hours into the beta, and when the game finally released earlier this year, I happily pre-ordered the deluxe edition and have no regrets. I sunk hundreds of hours into the game and still return to it every now and then, in-between other games, just like I used to do with Souls games.

Nioh has the best combat system I've ever played. It took the core mechanics of Souls games (stamina-based for attacking/dodging/blocking, lock-on and circle-strafing, weighty and diverse animations and and precise hitboxes, etc.) and elevated it to great heights, by adding its own unique twists: ki pulse, stances (the kendo nerd in me <3 this), customizable combos through an elaborate skill tree system, and even additional magic and ninjutsu abilities, adding tons of depth to the combat.

Combat alone probably wouldn't be enough to call a game truly great, but fortunately Nioh shines in other areas too.

The level design never reaches the highs of Souls games, but it's by no means bad; I enjoyed exploring those Japanese temples, villages, ruins, castles, mountains, battlefield plains, bathhouses, etc. And each major level has intricate designs full of verticality, looping shortcuts, nasty traps and enemy ambushes, and neat little secrets to find. The enemy diversity is rather weak and the game's biggest flaw, but the bosses make up for it; there's a good variety between all the yokai types and the 1v1 human duels (and for the masochists, try a couple of optional 2v1 duels or insane enemy waves...!).

The game has excellent art direction as well. Visually the game is not going to win awards, as it focuses on performing at 60fps over cutting edge graphics, but it makes it up with beautiful Japanese architecture, cool monsters and character designs (especially impressive are the female characters, thank you Team Ninja for staying classy <3), and intricate armour designs.

Not only has Team Ninja taken feedback from the demos seriously and worked their asses off to improve and polish the game, but they've also given excellent post-launch support. Not just with frequent patches of course, but also, with the release of each paid DLC campaign, they added cool updates; new difficulty settings, and a new game mode, the Abyss (for those who enjoy the addictive post-game loot grind gameplay loop), as well as some free updates like new optional challenge/boss rush missions, a PvP mode, additional guardian spirits, new consumable items, new combat skills, character skins, gestures, and more. This game seriously blew all my expectations away and then some.
Horizon Zero Dawn - I was cautiously optimistic, but this game exceeded all my expectations. Robot dinosaurs are as fun and epic to fight as you'd expect. The environments are not only stunning, they are a sheer joy to explore and wander in. The protagonist is the kind I've been craving forever. And, to my surprise, there's actually a really, really cool plot going on, which elevated it to even greater heights. It was a tough choice with Nioh, and I gave the former the nod just because of how tight its gameplay was, but as a full package of gameplay, story and visuals, Horizon will forever remain a stunning achievement. Oh, and that photo mode is so bloody addictive, y'all.
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider - More Dishonored goodness, with the coolest protagonist yet. What's not to love? Arkane are masters of level designs and at creating living, breathing, reactive worlds. And looting that bank with everyone being none the wiser was so, so much fun.
Cosmic Star Heroine - Remember when JRPGs were good? Everyone who is disillusioned with the modern state of JRPGs need to play this, period. Fantastic turn-based combat, tight pacing, great art direction and music, no seriously buy this okay?
Hollow Knight - One of the best Metroidvanias or even indies that I've ever played (and that's saying a lot). Absolutely gorgeous visuals, great maps, tons of content... it's amazing that it's been made by such a small team.
Gravity Rush 2 - You can fly in this game. Not in a vehicle, just... actually... flying. If that ain't enough to convince you, then I don't want to have anything to do with you. Go away.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Best Uncharted yet? I think so. Tight pacing, good action, solid banter between the two leads, and of course the addictive photo mode with those gorgeous visuals...
Assassin's Creed Origins - My surprise of the year as I usually hate AssCreed. SunBroDave's detailed thread is actually what convinced me to give it a shot, so I wishlisted it (but was still reluctant to shell out the $ for it), and since I did get it as a Christmas present, well, I had to try it. And I'm really enjoying it. There's still far too much Ubisoft padding, and the hand-holding is pretty insulting at times, but they fixed the horrible combat, the storytelling and quest design is pretty solid, and despite the inevitable open-world bloat, the world itself is huge, alive, and really well designed. The game is also stunning and runs pretty well even on a base PS4. I wish it were a bit tighter in pacing and more condensed, the way Horizon did, but it's still a damn good game. (The modern-day bullshit can still die in a fire though! Wish they'd nuke it from orbit forever.)
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - Shooting nazis will never get old. And omfg @ that story. Completely nuts but I love it. This game oozes charm (and nazi blood).
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - It's so weirdly gamey, it might be the "gameyest" RPG I've ever played, but damn if it wasn't fun. Also, Star Door 15 maybe broken me... (Estelle > Kevin, though. Just the facts.)
Dark Souls III: The Ringed City - It's eligible? Cool. It's Dark Souls content, so it should win #1. But I didn't list it in the top 10 because it has no chance. :D Still worth a mention! Great send off to the greatest game series ever. <3
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA - I mean, it's Ys. So, cool music, epic boss fights, fun adventuring all around. And the mapping is back which is nice. I enjoyed that about Celceta. Character designs took a turn for the worse though. Falcom plz.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy - Nostalgia overload! How did I ever get 100% of the gems as a kid, in both Crash 1 and 2? I don't have time for this completist masochism anymore, but the games themselves are as fun as ever.
Prey - Having never played System Shock, I imagine this is the closest modern successor? It's pretty cool anyhow. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to get very far into it yet, so it's pretty far down in the list, but it's definitely a fine, fine game.
Ys Seven - Finally out on PC! Had a lot of fun with it, even if playing on Hard made it a bit grindy. I think I preferred Celceta though, the QoL improvements + the fun of mapping elevated it, but hey, Ys is always fun.

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MoonFrog · Jan 18, 2018

Is edited by a moderator votebot doing its thing? Everytime I edit it, it is then edited by a moderator in a little bit and then I think I'm doing something wrong and someone is putting in the time to fix it for me but I don't know what :P. I hope it is the automation...If not, thanks.

QuixoticNeutral · Jan 18, 2018

Fair warning: Nintendo dominates this list. That's just the kind of year it was. The top four were clear all along and easy to put together. Further down, I rewarded more sequels than I would have liked—there is a glut of the number two—but several of them were such definitive statements of their respective concepts that it would not have been right to bump them any lower.

Omissions abound, even more than usual; 2017 was such a busy year for games that I never got around to multiple new releases that, given my interests, would ordinarily be launch-day priorities. We'll get a more accurate picture of 2017 once the dust settles in a generation or two, a list that would have to run to twenty, maybe thirty. Even so, I was only able to whittle down the following list to twelve. Think of it as a three-way tie for tenth: in the end one of them had to take the point in the official scoring, but in every configuration it seemed a grave injustice to bump out the other two.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — By now it has become so rote to herald Breath of the Wild as an all-time masterpiece, which it very obviously is and was from the moment of its arrival, that any effort to capture the essence of its overwhelming splendour typically succumbs to the temptation to dispute its particularities—the fragile weaponry, the built-to-be-exploited physics puzzles, the density or sparsity of the world, the greatest rendition of equestrianism in a video game—and miss the forest for the trees. And what a dazzling, magical forest it is when you gather its enchantments around the pedestal. For all its vastness, what is so astonishing about the game is that its plethora of systems (some refined, others wholly original) flow out of a tightly focused design philosophy, a small and mighty handful of first principles. Intuition: a bond of trust with the player that invites experimentation with an assurance that if you think it ought to work, it works, be it connecting circuits with metallic armaments or feeding an apple to your horse. Seamlessness: an open-air paradigm of unshackling the play space from conventional assumptions of doors and floors, pervading everything from the roomless, integrated layout of the Divine Beasts to the employment of do-it-yourself cartography as the overworld's guidance system, the latter made possible by the allure of the landmarks alone. Freedom: a total, unconditional respect for the player's agency to set their own path, overcome the challenges within their ability, and through action tell their own story, a unique and shareable adventure ready-made for comparison with correspondents and friends like a sojourn to a foreign country.

The underlying insight embedded in the 3D series all along was that the traditional halfway mark when the walls come down and the world opens up was always a source of awe. In that light, we can understand BotW as the fulfilment of an old fantasy: in its scale and fluidity, it is the adventure that in its precursors, you wished you were having, imagined yourself to be having—an Ocarina of Time where Hyrule is really as big as the game wants you to believe; a Majora's Mask where you could attempt the temples in any order or no order and take on the Moon half-prepared; a Wind Waker where you could sail wherever you liked from the start without being told off, keep the claymores and spears you expropriated from your foes, and explore the sunken Hyrule promised by the tantalizing horizon beyond the castle. But what is most remarkable about BotW is that just like TWW before it, its original contributions are replete with optimistic promises of their own—that yes, there is ample room for improvement, enough to leave us breathless with notions of where Zelda might go next. Because truly, after a game like this, where can't it go? One might naïvely look at this as a blemish, a sign of weakness or imperfection, a concerning indication that the game might be something short of the Lord of the Mountain, the GOAT. But in truth, our entire set of parameters for talking about the future of game design, Zelda or otherwise, has exploded around the symphony of ideas comprising BotW. There are great games, and within their limited bailiwick, even a few perfect games; but rarely are there games that define the landscape, satisfying a long accumulation of grand interactive ambitions only to replace it with another. Games like this one: majestic, unforgettable, and wild.
Super Mario Odyssey — The definitive 3D Kirby, the definitive 3D Yoshi, the definitive 3D Sonic, and a pretty good 3D Mario, Odyssey completes the belated marriage of the platforming crispness, moment-to-moment invention, authentic Mario flavour, and pervasive capacity for surprise that has distinguished the Tokyo line since Galaxy with the freeform exploratory pacing of the 64/Sunshine format. For the experienced Mario player, Odyssey presents an enigma: the endgame challenges are a noticeable step down from Galaxy 2 and 3D World, not only in difficulty and tension but in pure unforgettable deviousness, yet the expression of acrobatic prowess has never been so consistently available from start to finish, always optionally there to be embraced and mastered. Well, never mind the laxity of its technical demands on the player: concerns like these are washed away every time you bathe in the game's unquantifiable astonishments—the instant classic of its signature cabaret theme; the wry commitment to following Mario's traditional foes and their abilities to their logical conclusions; a comprehensive photo mode that is manna from heaven for the screenshot shutterbug; the postmodern flair of displacing Mario into the most clashing environments imaginable yet making him look right at home. What Odyssey restores is a sense of boundlessness, an adventurous optimism that Mario may never run out of places to visit and abilities to command.
ARMS — This is the game the Wii era implicitly promised from the start but never got around to delivering: a motion-controlled head-to-head experience with the depth of concept, the tactical variety, the lively aesthetic flourish of a once-a-generation banner Nintendo IP, and (critically) the well-supported longevity to elevate it beyond a novelty or suite of minigames and into the ranks of the great arcade-style fighters. In whatever control scheme you prefer, it stands as unique among fighting games for drawing you into the strategic layer of spacing, mind-games, and opponent-reading right from the start, without first surmounting the hard technical requirement of executing button combos in order to play competently at all. You already know how to throw a punch, says the game invitingly; the question is when and where—when to test your adversary with a jab, where to dive in for an exhilarating rush. Sporting a dazzling cast and a soundtrack so pumped with adrenaline as to shove you into the ring, ARMS is a true original, suggestive of a whole unexplored alternate future of video games like an emissary from the Super Wii.
Thimbleweed Park — The finest graphic adventure since the glory days of the genre in the 1990s, Ron Gilbert's return to his roots provides incontrovertible proof that the defining ingredients of the LucasArts house style—the SCUMM verb interface, the cascading puzzle architecture, the meticulous use of dialogue choices to communicate interiority—had a powerful, innate capacity for high drama (and higher comedy) that was abandoned long before it was anywhere close to being fully explored. The story is even sharper and more subtle than it appears at first glance in ways that are as rewarding to the attentive player as they are easy to overlook, and for all the indulgences in metafiction and nostalgia that come off as the rote obligations of a genre revival, this game stands on its own as a testament to how the elegant interplay of cerebral puzzle design and unfettered wit is an art that was not only lost, but needlessly so. It's more than an old-school throwback: it's a heartwarming reminder that the fundamentals of conveying an evocative world and story in a game, without ever losing sight of the primacy of interaction and problem-solving that makes a game, were present all along in the old masterworks and can be present once again.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 — At last, a Xenoblade game that cuts the crap, streamlining the interface elements and overly busy systems that blemished its otherwise outstanding precursors—the quests, collectibles, crafting, statistics and attributes, party customization, everything—without compromising the overwhelming environment design that made the series' reputation or the complexity of the battle systems, here the most elegant and deliberately controllable to date. If there is one misgiving to be had, it is with the voluminous amount of character and quest content walled off behind random rolls; even so, the acquisition of Rare Blades should fill us with relief as a bright reminder that loot mechanics are perfectly fair and coherent without succumbing to the temptations of the microtransactional creep steadily invading the industry. And for all its particulate virtues, from the vivid character art to the landmark Mitsuda score, what ultimately leaves such a strong holistic impression is how the world and story unfold as a fully realized extrapolation of the game mechanics. Expressing the strong synergy that defines the JRPG genre at its best, the polished core of the interactive systems doubles as a wellspring of dramatic possibility, and the scenario design follows it all the way to the conclusions downstream.
SteamWorld Dig 2 — It was not at all a safe bet that a competent but short-lived diversion like SteamWorld Dig (oversold to its own detriment as a Metroidvania, like many an indie side-scroller before it) would provide the basis for a sequel that would stand so tall as a joyous showcase of fluidity and finesse. Richly customizable in play style and difficulty, replete with satisfying environmental interactions, and bursting all over with vivacious animation and colour, what stands out most vividly about this elaboration of a promising prototype into a top-flight exploratory platformer is the slickness of the character movement, which only compounds as the player's toolkit expands into the late stages. Even a Metroid-alike pockmarked with enclosed challenge rooms lives and dies by the thoughtfulness of its overworld design, and it is a great credit to Dig 2 that it understands the value of large-scale, seamless contiguity and an upgrade system driven by discrete accomplishments and discoveries. An experience that is over far too soon, but in the best way.
Metroid: Samus Returns — A 2D Metroid with a persistent second-screen map was always the most intuitive of dream concepts from the minute the original Nintendo DS was announced. In that respect, Samus Returns gets by easily enough as the belated fulfilment of an obligation that was destined at its core to be good—and this it accomplishes with the firmest competence, working within the segmented confines of Metroid II to recreate the series' unmistakable exploration loop on a map that, in spite of its origins, is the freest and least claustrophobic since Super Metroid itself. But beyond the initial relief that Sakamoto and MercurySteam understand the fundamentals of the series—the silence, the agility, the exuberance of the late-game traversal, the art of storytelling in architecture and pantomime—and past the few annoying encumbrances (the 3DS Circle Pad; a plodding, combat-heavy early game; some questionable button assignments), this entry deserves to be recognized for what it brings to the table: a rollicking second half that escalates into three of the greatest boss fights in the series and pushes your suite of tactical options to the limit.
Splatoon 2 — It isn't hard to see why this sequel never quite escaped the gravity well of the unfortunate perception that it served as a cautious iteration of the bold, iconoclastic original, trading in the second-screen map that was so essential to its core design for the ergonomic comforts of free-hand aiming. And certainly one could say that the refinements, like the opening of the single-player campaign into a playground for all the major weapon classes and the revamping of the stats and specials, are the sort of belated corrections that make the game better in the obvious and necessary respects, yet fundamentally neither more nor less fun—checkmarks weighed on a balance sheet against sporadic letdowns like the gravely diminished final boss. But then you remember a standout contribution like Salmon Run, a game within a game where the totality of Splatoon 2's knack for wild invention was apparently pooled at once. The element of novelty may have worn off, but perhaps it is a point in Splatoon's favour that after two short years it already feels like it has been around forever, and that the sequel's improvements have only made its place as Nintendo's signature shooter all the more secure.
Sonic Mania — There was a time when I safely assumed that nothing would ever turn my opinion around on a certain avatar of celebrity brashness across an age-old partisan divide—a figure long associated with an attitude of flamboyance in the face of media derision, a cultish online following of overgrown adolescents, a startling underdog virality in the crass anti-aesthetics of message boards and MS Paint, a questionable record in casino development, a failure to disclose his tax returns, a remarkable talent for spin, and an impulsive disposition to act with slapdash haste over care or caution. But against all odds, Sonic the Hedgehog has finally earned my respect. For the longtime Sonic detractor, Mania is an eye-opening window into why, all nostalgia and blast-processed marketing aside, the hedgehog was ever regarded in the first place as a distinguished member of the pantheon of platforming mascots. Much of this rides on the thrill of the stage design, tight enough to reconcile the precarious dichotomy of speed against control, yet expansive enough to sell the series' arcade conceit as the Star Fox of side-scrollers—a game that puts you at the mercy of the rails and resigns you to the idea that sometimes, if you've missed a turn, you've missed it, and you'll just have to take another crack at it on the next run. It's not without its quirks and frustrations—the odd unwelcome squish, the undocumented timer that counts up to ten—but on the whole, the execution does the concept proud, and indeed so proud as to compel a re-evaluation of the whole brand and legacy.
Graceful Explosion Machine — Never has the name of a studio so accurately described the look and feel of their signature creation as Vertex Pop—and never has it been so easy to be misled by simple geometries and bursts of colour into expecting a lightweight arcade diversion, a feast for the eyes that amounts to little more than vivid explosions and machines. But the operative word is graceful, and therein lies the secret of this stylish-character-action brawler disguised as a shoot-'em-up, this Devil May Fly. Take one of the divisive minigame segments out of a Hideki Kamiya game, refine it into a complete experience of its own with a steady progression from gentle tutorials to marathon challenges, and you would get a game like GEM, a raw and stripped-down test of your ability to manage speed and spacing as you thread an unbroken stage-long combo. This is an exhibition of minimalism in its true sense: not as a byword for primitive elements just for simplicity's sake, but as a lean evocation of vibrant multitudes. So it is with this game, a thrill-a-second distillation of arena-clearing action down to the atomic fundamentals that make it tick.
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle — On a superficial level, this is a title that receives too much credit for overcoming trepidatious expectations of what was hitherto signified by the Ubisoft and Rabbids brands, a perspective more pertinent to marketing, presentation, and entrenched anxieties over the casual/core divide than to anything to do with game design. But suppose we look past its self-evident charms as a loving embrace of Mario's world (if mostly in the background art) and a gentle first introduction to turn-based tactics, the kind of accessible gateway the XCOM-alike genre admittedly needs. What we find is an game that distinguishes itself with tight pre-designed encounters (fresh indeed in a genre dominated by procedural generation), inventive bosses, and a rapidity of flanking movement all over the map reminiscent of SteamWorld Heist. As an offering to genre veterans it is a little slight—too easy across the board in the main experience without the tactical flexibility to compensate—but it provides a tantalizing glimpse of what may one day flower into a robust strategy series, one that isn't so limited by its enemy set, item progression, and scant selection of party configurations and loadouts. A solid game with a bold identity, but a sign of greater things to come.
Puyo Puyo Tetris — A staple for all occasions and a true pick-up-and-play essential, releases like this one are easily taken for granted as mere repackagings of the familiar and well-trodden—a shell of modern conveniences and a fresh coat of paint over an experience that is predictably good but far from novel. In this instance, however, the presentation makes all the difference, its robustness and lively spirit a gleaming example of what revivals of established, standardized classics should aspire to be. And that is to say nothing of the ingenuity of how the old standbys of Puyo Puyo and Tetris are paired—in broad strokes of insight like the litany of parallel challenges that draw out the conceptual resonance between the two base games, the mind-bending (if excessively wacky) Fusion, and, best of all, the frantic Swap Mode, the seminal contribution of PPT that makes it stand out as a distinct competitive experience of its own. The Puyo Puyo half deserves credit as it is for making a return to the west; but the best thing we can say for the Tetris half is that it makes the game alive and welcoming all over again, pressing the case for the modern Versus format of T-spins and holds (even to the old-timers among us attached to the purity of the solo marathon by Game Boy rules) and providing an ample context for learning its eccentricities and tricks. The online ladder, the rapid-fire single-player missions, the test of pure perception and reflex that is Big Bang, the infectious cast of characters that keeps you playing—everything wrapped around the twin cores conveys the message that Puyo Puyo and Tetris, apart or together, are rewarding to learn and master. The synthesis does the source games proud.

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Neoleo2143 · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - There is much said and as much yet to be said about this game. The mechanics are in themselves incredibly open-ended and surprisingly developed. In contrast to many a Zelda prior, this is a game that does not so much ask the player to develop alongside the mechanics so much as hand the abstract keys to the kingdom of many abstract locks. The seamlessness of the adventure is consistently surprising in its own right both from the scenario variety and the player's own discovery of their abilities. While there is much to progress beyond this title, what potential lies ahead! The True Spirit of Adventure has returned to the Zelda series. A massively melancholic adventure that thoroughly trusts its player to the very end and a landmark title that will define action-adventure titles for years to come.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - The Xenoblade series is replete with excess. Excess of Craft, of content and of character. It was not always to its benefit. It was to my surprise that Xenoblade 2 actually removes much of the blockage in the way of my personal enjoyment and still managed to preserve the inspiring landscapes that defined the series to me. The battle system is the most tactile and tactical system yet and the combination of character and mechanics has progressed once again. The characters are charismatic and touching and the pacing is strong to the end. It's not perfect, indeed RNG Blade Rolls and an unfortunate (but workable thanks to strong enough area construction) map intrude on what is one of the defining JRPGs of the generation. However, in this HD generation, there seldom is a JRPG like this one.

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StoveOven · Jan 19, 2018

My goal with this year's list is to be positive. When I write these lists I often find myself talking more about why a game isn't higher than I do talking about why it's on the list in the first place. I'm not doing that this year. These are my top 10 games (and 2 honorable mentions) and the things that I love about them.

Night in the Woods - 2017 was a great year for videogames, but none of them hit me as hard as Night in the Woods did. I didn't know anything about this game before it came out and ended up just buying it on a whim. It hasn't really left my mind since. Mae is such a well-realized character, and her pain is devestatingly relatable. At the same time the game does a great job of understanding Mae's problems without absolving her of her faults. Everything about Night in the Woods is so smart, and it all comes down to the quality of the writing. Flawed but relatable characters just trying to get by in a fucked up world is something I'm always up for, and Night in the Woods is the concept done right. Never has a game done so much with such simple interactions. And I'll also say that in a year where political hacks were rushing to mythologize the Rust Belt, Night in the Woods provided a rendering of the region that felt refreshingly real. For those reasons and plenty more, it's my 2017 Game of the Year
Pyre - Supergiant are untouchable at this point. Their ability to create games that are incredibly different from each other but also have a very clear house style is incredible. But while I loved the worlds and mechanics of both Transistor and Bastion, Pyre is the game where they really started to flex their character development muscles. Your ragtag band of fantasy basketball players becomes your adopted family along the way. Pyre has the best implementation of player choice in a game, and it wouldn't work if the characters were throwaway. I've seen some people refer to the Liberation Rites as a form of punishing you because you have to send your best players back, and this took me completely off-guard when I first saw it. I never thought of it that way because I was just worried about saving my friends. Any gameplay relevant decisions were complete afterthoughts. The game forces you to make hard choices where there really is no right or wrong answer. Everyone deserves to be liberated, but only so many people can be. I was going to feel terrible no matter who I chose to stay. They even did a good job of wanting me to throw a match and liberate the opposing captain in a few instances. I never did that, but I legitimately considered it. Supergiant is a studio that just keeps getting better, and I can't wait to see where they go from here.
Gravity Rush 2 - I played through both Gravity Rush games this year, and I learned why this franchise has such a fervent fanbase on this forum. The first game is incredibly charming and does a good job capturing the feeling of flight, but Gravity Rush 2 ups the ante in every way. The way it uses the idea of flight to build a world that it tells it's story around is incredibly on the nose but also pretty clever and wonderfully executed. And then the last 5 hours of the game go off the fucking rails and take advantage of the mechanics by throwing at you some boss fights of unbelievable scope. It's all great. But the glue holding this game together is Kat. Kat is what a hero should be. She cares for the weak and downtrodden. She believes in the good in people but also knows that some people are beyond redemption. She isn't afraid to stand up to power. And she does it all with a smile on her face. We should all strive to be just a little more like Kat.
Super Mario Odyssey - What is there to say about Mario that hasn't been said a million times already. The amount of care and polish that Nintendo puts into these games is something nobody can match. But if that was all this game had going for it, it wouldn't be so high on the list. Mario Odyssey recaptures the feeling of adventure that the original Galaxy had. The worlds are conceptually some of the best Nintendo has ever come up with, and I always wanted to see what was next. The level design is also great. I know some people have gripes about the high moon count or whatever, but the way I see it, Mario Odyssey is going to be a game that I'll always be able to come back to and have more to do. I have about 400 moons right now, and every few weeks I pick it up and end up playing for an hour or so, just exploring the worlds, trying ticks with the mechanics, and seeing a half-dozen more corners that I never knew existed. I'll never "compete" Mario Odyssey, and I'm thrilled about that.
Yakuza 0 - Surprise last minute entrant! I just got around to playing Yakuza 0 and am only about 15 hours into the game, but I still feel confident putting it this high on the list. This game nails the feel it's going for. I don't know what Japan was like in the 80s, but I know that this is what I and everyone else wants to think Japan was like in the 80s. There's definitely something to criticize in that statement, but I think it works so well in the context of the game. Just look at the introduction to the three lieutenants and tell me that this game isn't cool. And if you do I'll just show you Majima's introduction. The mixture of comedy and melodrama works really well, and I think the combat is a lot of fun too. This is my first Yakuza game, but it sure as hell won't be my last.
Wolfenstein II The New Colossus - Machine Games is building something really special with their Wolfenstein trilogy. The second chapter takes what worked from the first game and cranks the dial so fucking hard that there's no longer a dial to crank. It's full of fantastic characters from the passionate theatrics of Super Spesh to the heart-wrenching but simple story of MAX HAAS. But most important is our lead, Terror Billy himself. The remaking of BJ is probably the best thing a developer has ever done with an old videogame protagonist. The transition from meathead to complex human being that just also happens to be really great a killing Nazis is even better in this game than it was in the last. And man, it's really fun to kill those Nazis. With satisfying gunplay and a story that goes about as far as it possibly could, Wolfenstein 2 is a game that eventually became impossible to put down until I reached the credits (and wanted to put it down immediately because holy shit that song).
What Remains of Edith Finch - This game is an incredible reflection on death, family, what those things mean to us, and the ways we react to the former especially when it involves the latter. It's a game that I've been thinking about ever since I played it. I've come to the conclusion that What Remains of Edith Finch is a great absurdist work. This poor family is visited by endless death in a way that really defies explanation. There's a lot of ways this games story could have gone wrong by revealing a reason for their tragedy, and I'm glad that Giant Sparrow was smart enough to avoid that. It also has the cannery scene, which is one of the best combinations of narrative and mechanics that I've ever seen in a game.
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild - I'm going to preface this by saying I don't think the greatness Breath of the Wild has been exaggerated one bit. It's only this low on my list because the games above it appeal to my personal sensibilities a bit more. Anyone saying it's the GOAT or whatever has a pretty good case in my book. It's another game that I came to late in the year, and every time I play it I end up losing an afternoon. The way the world is designed and the way the systems interact is so smart, and I feel like I've only scratched the surface at this point. Stuff like lighting a torch to keep you warm in the snow or chopping down a tree to create a bridge is so intuitive and works so fluidly. This is the future of open world games.
Nex Machina Death Machine - Housemarque teaming up with Eugene Jarvis for one last run at twin-stick perfection. I couldn't ask for anything more. It's a shame that Housemarque won't be making games like this going forward, but they picked a great note to go out on. Nex Machina is a worthy successor to the likes of Smash TV and Robotron.
Uncharted The Lost Legacy - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy proves not only that the franchise can survive without Nathan Drake but that maybe Nate was holding it back. Chole Frazier takes the lead this time, and she takes with her two forgettable members of the Uncharted 4 cast that are used much better here than in their introductory game. The treasure hunt at the core of it all is a lot more personal, the banter between Chloe and Nadine is great, the Western Ghats level is fantastic, and the game has all the puzzles, shootouts, and set-pieces you'd want from the franchise. If the future of the Uncharted franchise is some sort of anthology idea, I'm excited for it.
Persona 5 - The fact that I'm giving Persona 5 an honorable mention feels like more of a diss than if I left it off completely considering how excited I was for it. But I'm committed to being positive, and there's plenty about Persona 5 to be positive about. For this list I want focus on one thing in particular. Persona 5 makes the case that there should be more big-budget, turn-based RPGs. The presentation of the battles in Persona 5 is so incredible and so smooth that it really shows the potential in a turn-based system. Everything from the tears across the screen to the splash screens at the end of a fight is oozing in style, and I never got tired of it across 100 hours of play. When we got good enough at rendering graphics, most developers abandoned turn-based games in favor of action. Persona 5 shows us what we've been missing out on.
Nier Automata - Nier is this year's Last Guardian for me in that it's the game I really wish I finished before voting but also don't want to rush my way through because of how much I think I'll enjoy it. And from what I've already played, I do really enjoy Nier. I'm also still on Route A and don't feel qualified to judge the game at this point. I still wanted to give it a shout though.

So yeah, great year for games. 2018's lineup of games doesn't excite me at first glance, but I think I could fill another four years just playing through my 2017 backlog.

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Deleted member 15457 · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild - This genre-redefining masterpiece deserves all of the accolades it received and then some.
Splatoon 2 - A safe and solid sequel that brings the squid shooting multiplayer to the switch.
Super Mario Odyssey - This and Zelda demonstrate that Nintendo makes some of the most amazing exploration-based games there are.
Etrian odyssey V: Beyond the Myth - A great entry in a great series containing my favorite stratum progression.
Hollow Knight - A sleeper hit that takes some cues from Dark Souls and implements them into a 2D metroidvania.

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weemaster · Jan 19, 2018

Persona 5 - Persona has been one of my favorite series and persona 4 Golden was one of my top 3 games ever. But ever since i finished P5, P4G got knocked out of my top 3. This game just took what persona did and made it better. Dungeons, battle system, social life, story, and sense of style. I've never been so hyped while playing a game as I was with P5 while Life Will Change gets played and stealing hearts of evil and selfish people. Though I liked the characters more in P4, I never wanted this game to end at all. Oh, and the music is sublime.
Nier: Automata - Playing and questioning existence and the meaning of it all. Over and over again.
Yakuza 0 - My first game in the series. One second you are fighting the boss of a big mafia family, and the next one you go karaoke. Amazing story and characters.
Trails in the Sky the 3rd - A perfect ending to the trilogy while setting up events to follow in the rest of the series.
Resident Evil 7 - Playing the game on VR was the best horror experience I have ever had.
Danganronpa V3 - I wasn't ready for this. No one was ready for this. The insane twists that the game had made my jaw drop many many times during my playthrough.
Super Mario Odyssey - Mario in a 3D sandbox where you could capture creatures and object that at every point in the game encouraged the player to be creative and to keep experimenting with the toys given.
Cuphead - Play, lose, learn, and eventually overcoming the myriads of bosses the game throws at the player is so satisfying. The art-style and animation are truly magical where you could see love in every frame.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - Who knew that a damn mario's crossover with rabbids would work and play so well?
Yakuza Kiwami - Went straight to play Kiwami once i finished Zero. While it wasn't as amazing as Zero, it was great seeing and playing as the Dragon of Dojima once again.

Honorable mentions and games I've yet to finish:

Tokyo Xanadu Ex+
Nioh
Tales of Berseria
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Splatoon 2
Umineko Answers Arc

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Deleted member 19274 · Jan 19, 2018

Splatoon 2 - Salmon Run is a great addition and the ranked mode is still excellent. I think Splatoon might be the best controlling 3d game I've played. Shooting and moving through the ink is effortless and the gyro controls are a big part of it.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I enjoyed everything about BOTW. Just controlling Link and interacting with the world is fun.
Super Mario Odyssey - I prefer the more platforming focused Mario games but I think Odyssey is a good evolution of the sandbox style. The New Donk Festival was amazing.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds -
Resident Evil 7 -
Puyo Puyo Tetris -

HM- Sonic Mania

I still need to play Cuphead

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Deadceptor · Jan 19, 2018

Star Wars Battlefront II - Well to hell with it! EA's MTX scheme was bullshit and the single player campaign didn't raise any feelings of awe in me. But as a huge Star Wars fan, the multiplayer is just fantastic and highly enjoyable. It is by far my most played game (mode) this year and thus deserves the top spot. Just dived in to the thrills of Starfighter Assault and it got me hooked, so there's still much to experience. Here's hoping they'll actually support this game through this year.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - This was the best single player experience this year. Prompt, succint, emotional and beautiful. This is how you tell a gripping and a personal story in video games, this has set the new bar. Absolutely loved the sound design and Melina Juergens voice acting.
Night in the Woods - Another great portrayal of feelings and themes not explored enough in video games. It was fun and exciting to run through the quirky town of Possum Springs looking for random things to do with Mae and her buddies. Reminder to self: do another playthrough.
Horizon Zero Dawn - It sure did look and play good, but it wasn't the big thing I expected it to be. I'm rating it this high thanks to it's audio logs and world building. Best parts were unraveling the history of mankind and what went wrong back in the days.
What Remains of Edith Finch - A huge step up from their first game. It was very varied to be a "walking simulator" and therefore I'd recommend this to anyone who's on the fence about this genre. Finished it in one sitting and was left craving for more.
Pyre - Assemble a rag tag band of celestial basketball players and give them their freedom back. Sounds cool and plays even cooler. Fantastic art and surprisingly deep gameplay made it's mark. Could have had a lot more difficult and challenging choices though.
Spintires: MudRunner - Played the challenges and finished the first area and I really liked it. Definitely going to invest more of my time to this in the coming months. Realistic physics have always tickled me fancy in games.
Undertale - Odd and fascinating with unique battles.
SteamWorld Dig 2 - The charm of the original was still there but didn't quite live up to it. A great game nonetheless.
Card Thief - Nice and challenging little time killer.

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Lotus · Jan 19, 2018

NieR: Automata - When I first saw the trailer for this game, I knew it'd something special just off of the music alone. But even then, it surpassed all of my expectations. When this was first announced, people said that it was great news, as all a Yoko Taro game really needs is good combat. They weren't wrong. The gameplay was sublime, but the story was even better. It's been months since I beat it, and yet it's still on my mind. I could go on and on, but the simple fact is that was very easily my GOTY. Also it has the best OST ever.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Was supposed to have been my GOTY, but Nier ruined everything. Regardless, best open world I've ever played. The way everything just comes together, how anything you can think of the game usually lets you do, how the world is designed in a way where things continually catch my eye, it's astounding how well made this game is.
Gravity Rush 2 - Ah, this game was quite the flawed gem. And yet, the charm and good vibes it contains outweighs all the cons. And the traversal is as addicting as ever. Also has one of the best protagonists ever, so it had that going for it. After beating the first game, all I ever wanted was a longer sequel. I certainly got that in spades.
Super Mario Odyssey - Another stellar game I played this year. Haven't played a Mario platformer in forever, so it was fun diving back into that genre.
Splatoon 2 - I am someone who seldom gets into multiplayer games these days, for a variety of reasons. But Splatoon 2 got its hooks in me, namely due to the fact that the gameplay is such a breath of fresh air.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Admittedly I'm not finished with this yet, but I've mostly enjoyed what I've played so far. A big reason for this is due to the fact that it's on the Switch, which is a really ideal platform for long JRPGs such as this one.
Persona 5 - My opinion on this game overall has immensely soured as time went on, the parts I did (and still do) genuinely like, earned it a spot on my list.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - If anything else, this game gets on this list for having some damn hilarious moments.
Sonic Mania - Pretty straightforward Sonic game, which is simply what many of us wanted for quite some time now.
ARMS - The game's major folly is that it was lacking in SP content, further exacerbated by the fact that it had a wonderfully interesting cast at its disposal. That aside, it was a fun experience to play online, as well as with friends. I'm garbage when it comes to fighting games, but the gameplay in ARMS is the type of thing that felt very intuitive to me. No complicated combos or anything, just felt very natural.

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Enstikto · Jan 19, 2018

Persona 5 - The game with the characters I cared most about! Loved every minute of it!
Horizon: Zero Dawn - Very intriguing story, world and combat!
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony - I have never seen so many surprises put into any one game!
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Most immersive game I played all year. The psychological aspect is done masterfully.
Uncharted: Lost Legacy - The game that shows what uncharted can be without Nathan Drake. Not bad at all!
What Remains of Edith Finch - The best walking simulator I have every played. Beautiful story and not boring at all.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole - It's not as good as the first one, still it was a very enjoyable experience. Very funny!
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider - Excellent level design and gameplay. A bit short duration-wise though.

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Mr. Sam · Jan 19, 2018

Super Mario Odyssey - A weird thing to admit but this is the first Mario game since maybe... New Super Mario Bros. that I've actually completed. Not only completed, but 100%. And had fun entirely the entire time. I adore the sugar rush approach to design: moon, moon, moon, triple moon, here a moon, there a moon, everywhere a moon. I don't see what's wrong with teaching a player through rewards rather than punishment and I wish more games took that approach.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Does with the open world genre what Nintendo does with every genre it touches; strips it back to its barest pillars and builds from there. I'm currently on my second playthrough (first on Wii U, second on Switch) and having much more fun with a bolder style of play.
Splatoon 2 - There's something about this game's aesthetic that - yes, alright, very similar to the first one - is just so... appealing. Like, it just feels like a Dreamcast game. And, although it probably riles me up a lot more than a game of this nature should, it's still the most fun I've had with an online game this year.
Prey - I haven't spent as much time with Prey as I would like, but that I have spent with it is evocative of the best examples of its genre. Not to mention comfortably the best - and most funny - opening to a game this year.
Sonic Mania - Sonic still has a lot of rough edges, and I probably won't ever enjoy another Sonic game as much as I did Sonic Advance (we can't be eleven forever), but this finally proved the potential than many suspected (or at least hoped) was there all along.

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RossoneR · Jan 19, 2018

Horizon Zero Dawn - Best controls, movement in tps open world ever. Great sci–fi story, amazing production values, freash new setting. Playing with dinos was amazing experience. Loved Aloy. There can be improvements in sequel, i hope they ll work on better side quests and side characters. Witcher 3 can be bluepoint for GG. Maybe less regular dinos and some other activities in the world. I LOVED how crafting, leveling was streamlined and just few clicks away and respected my time. Especially respect for creating new ip.
NiOh - Top notch gameplay and one of the best combat systems ever. Even though sometimes it can be overwhelming if you give it time, you ll make progress. Maybe it overstays its welcome, loot can be distracting and enemy variety is bad, overall experience for me was 9/10. Great boss battles. Spent 70+ hours. Couldnt make past first dlc boss but it doesnt matter. If they make sequel i hope publisher ll give them bigger budget.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - I want full Uncharted with Chloe. Maybe it d be too much Tomb Raider but honestly i dont care, she s amazing character. Game was paced so good. Maybe too short for my taste. ND re masters of actions adventures.
Resident Evil 7 - Great atmosphere and tension. Good gameplay. First person perspective was surprisingly easy to adapt. Hasnt surpassed RE4 but still worthy entry.
The Evil Within 2 - This wasnt higher only because i still havent finished it but its leap and bounds better than first. First TEW was one of the worst games i played this gen. This s so much better and satisfying to play. Controls re so much better, performance re improved with no stupid filters and i dont get nauseous while playing. Open world sections re nice additions, intimate story s fine , writting is better and more grounded. Some tense moments and great boss fights. Maybe when i finish it i ll write my whole experience in OT. RE7 s only higher because i finished it. Should have bought it earlier.
Gran Turismo Sport - 50+ hours in racing game is a lot for me and im not stopping. Playing it daily, online s amazing although i get pissed off sometimes. I wont need another racer this gen. Yes, there s room for improvement.

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jimboton · Jan 19, 2018

Hollow Knight - Some metroidvanias have great combat, others have great exploration, while yet others excel at traversal mechanics, character progression, atmosphere, art or generosity of content. I love Guacamelee's combat, Ori's platforming, Axiom Verge's exploration, Salt and Sanctuary's combat and exploration, SOTN's music and atmosphere and Super Metroid's exploration and traversal. The thing with Hollow Knight is that it does everything at least as well as any other game I have ever played in the genre. To think this was achieved by a 4 man team raising 57.138 AU$ on Kickstarter, I don't even.
Thimbleweed Park - This is the game you would expect from Lucasarts in 1993 in an alternate timeline where they decided to evolve the Scumm engine in a different direction keeping the verbs and the multiple characters. 'But, mr. jimboton, the game I would expect from Lucasarts in 1993 would be a graphic adventure masterpiece, cause that's the only kind of game Lucasarts made back then!'. Indeed.
Nex Machina - Best Housemarque shoot'em up ever. Pure arcade heaven.
Cuphead - My favorite boss rush game of all time. Beautiful, ridiculously polished and so much fun. Some of the few platforming levels are just as good as the bosses and they make me wish for Cuphead 2 in full blown Super Mario World style.
Nioh - Loot based action rpg with combat design inspired by Souls games by the makers of Ninja Gaiden. You just can't go wrong with that. You can, however, go on for too long. Needed more interesting environments to better carry the addictive combat through the lengthy and grindy campaign.
Super Mario Odyssey - Mario goes all collectathon on us once more, and it's great. Like always, there's joy in simply moving Mario around; controls and moveset (silly forced motion controls aside) are the best they've ever been. My problem is that for a game so packed with content it all amounts to a strangely lite experience. Even the best moons are short byte sized businesses that leave me craving for more. Mario Odyssey is good but it never satiates.
LawBreakers - Poor Cliffy.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Much like the first one, OS2 offers the best turn based combat in any modern rpg or strategy-rpg, its attention to detail and physics sandboxy behaviour allowing for a lot of depth in encounters. The adventure proper though suffers from being safer and quite a lot more handholdy than before. Sure, you can still solve many quests in creative ways but when most of the time at least one of those ways is spelled out for you in the journal and every other npc plants a new quest marker on your map, it loses some of its flavor. More romance options and less puzzles this time around make this sometimes feel more Bioware power fantasy than turn based Ultima VII. Still a tremendous game that deserves the success it enjoys.
The End is Nigh - Edmund Mcmillen's trademark minimalistic precision platforming (you just get a jump and a ledge grab this time) coupled with Mcmillen's trademark black and silly yet touching humor, still a winning combination in my book. I get the feeling it would rank higher on the list if only I had spent more time with it at the time of writing.
Vaporum - First person steampunk dungeon crawler, kind of what would happen if Bioshock 2 and Legend of Grimrock had a baby. Puzzles are weaker than in the Grimrock games and the rpg stuff sparser, but it tries to make up for that with fun combat, good atmosphere and smart (if streamlined) progression.

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Kvik · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd -

The final chapter of the Liberl arc in the greater Kiseki series, not only the 3rd brings to light many (if not all) backstories of the most beloved characters from Kiseki series, but also reveals many of the lore and events which are to be explored in subsequent games. The most simplistic way to describe the game was to round it up and classify it as a dungeon crawler, but to simply dismiss the game as yet another dungeon crawler is doing the game a great disservice. Kiseki games mechanics are still evident and featured prominently, and for those whom are familiar with Falcom gameplay loop, this game will expand upon that familiarity with a fresh take. It also helps that the protagonist, Kevin Graham, is also one of the best Falcom protagonist ever. A character not without his own flaw, but also one with mature growth and wiser man by the end of game. Many of the recurring characters have their own development too, and the sum of these parts truly made the game into something really special.
Nier: Automata -

The greatness of this game lies not only in its execution of the mechanics and its soundtrack and how these two are intertwined, but also in strength of its narrative structure. The world as presented in Nier: Automata was a bleak one, a carcass of a planet almost devoid of life, its golden age has long since past. However, it is also not without hope. Playing this game was a very special journey, and a thoroughly rewarding experience.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 -

It is amazing what Larian Studios has done with this game. Almost every aspect which are lacking in the first game has been monumentally improved in this second entry. I can only describe this game as one of the most polished turn-based RPG from a western developer. mechanics and further expand upon it, creating one of the most unique and difficult (on Tactician) RPG experience in 2017.
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection -

Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection was one of those games which many of its defining qualities probably won't be apparent to most people upon its first hour of playing. But honestly, most Falcom games are like this, in my opinion. It is a fun, delightful game, with memorable cast of characters and tightly designed mechanics and epic musical tracks to go along with it. Playing it in high resolution, on a PC was very enjoyable treat.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel -

The first chapter of the Erebonia arc, this game introduces a new setting and new protagonist, as it was always the case with a new arc in the greater Kiseki series. What makes this new entry great is not only the worldbuilding, told by the multitude of NPC scattered across Erebonia, but also the continuation of a plot thread which was seeded all the way back from the Trails in The Sky The 3rd. Apart from that, there's that Falcom gameplay loop from Trails in the Sky series we're all already familiar with, both progressed and regressed (unfortunately) in complexity. A must-play for all Falcom fans.
Ys Seven -

The introduction of Flash Guard is probably my favourite thing in this game. For the first couple of hours, I couldn't get my timing right to execute it, which leads to some frustration. But once it clicked, it feels really good to execute and it never fails to give me a sense of accomplishment. The plot of the itself was nothing complicated, and it does feel like Falcom has made it their mission to even further expand Ys series into a more elaborately told story. Other than that, the boss fights are still the hallmark of Ys, and this one is no different.
Tokyo Xanadu eX+ -

It's kind of hard to pinpoint what exactly do I like in Tokyo Xanadu eX+. In this game, there's plenty of reference to Falcom games, both past and future (at the time of its Japanese release), which by itself was quite quaint. The dungeon design wasn't as elaborate as the past dungeon design of old Falcom games, and the encounter design, whilst enjoyable, was rather formulaic. But yet, I enjoyed this game immensely. *Chortle*s hilarity aside, the characters are great, and there's character growth to observe during the course of the game. And it does feel rather satisfying to effectively dodge attacks, even more so in boss fights.
Cosmic Star Heroine -

It's kind of amazing how many RPGs are being made by paying homage to 16-bit era aesthetic, but not offering a new take on its mechanics. CSH is not one of those games. In fact, the mechanics in this game is probably one of the best streamlined ability system I ever come across. The game itself is rather whimsical and didn't take itself seriously, whilst obviously paying homage to the plot points of past RPGs. There's plenty to love in its huge cast, albeit due to the breakneck pacing of the game, it sometimes deter the development of the characters. Not to worry though, the story was interesting enough and the music was rather excellent.
Horizon: Zero Dawn -

I think one of the best thing about this game is the strength of the writing found in the numerous logs scattered in the game world. Sure, it looks pretty as hell, it's an action RPG, you're fighting dinosaurs, it's also kind of a stealth game, etc. but the sci-fi world building is what actually made the game for me.

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John Dunbar · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - At its best Zelda is one of the best games I've ever played, but unbalanced systems, poor enemy and weapon variety, and repetitive shrines hold it back. Still the best game this year.
Stardew Valley - Scratches that Harvest Moon itch nicely.
Super Mario Odyssey - Good stuff, but way too easy and no proper end game challenge is a huge letdown.
Beat Cop - It's tough to be an honest cop.
Thimbleweed Park - Fun nostalgia trip, but does not reach the heights of the classics because of the underwhelming cast and poor story that ends with an even poorer twist. Nice atmosphere though.
Gorogoa - Lovely puzzle game that can be beaten in an hour or two.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds - Fun to play a game now and then, and getting into top 10 gets your heart racing. Desert map is awful.
Doki Doki Literature Club! - Can get pretty creepy.
Kamiko - Good value for five bucks.
What Remains of Edith Finch - Decent stuff as far as walking simulators go. Could have used an actual game in there somewhere.

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ThisThingIsUseful · Jan 19, 2018

Horizon Zero Dawn - This game had me marveling at it more than many games have. Often, I would just look and admire the world Guerrilla created. I'd stop and look at the towns and look at the details on ceilings and what the NPCs were doing. By itself, that would have been nice, but the gameplay being as terrific as it was made this one of my favorite games this generation.
Persona 5 - It's not often that I take 130 hours to complete a game and wouldn't mind it going for longer. I loved the cast of characters, especially Morgana and Futaba. They had a lot of heart, quirks and humor, and the game was fun. The aspect of the Persona series which forces you to decide how to spend time with all your friends is very, very cool, as it's very helpful for roleplaying purposes where you have a set amount of time, and you have to decide who gets it throughout the game. Also, Blooming Villain is a fantastic boss theme.
Sonic Mania - This game was not just a blast from the past. Everything new was great, and everything old felt new. The level design was impeccable, the music was lovely, the boss theme was probably the most energetic since Sonic 3's, and it's easily replayable due to fun factor alone. Props to SEGA for backing this 2D Sonic.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - This was the length of a PS3 Uncharted but with the refined UC4 gameplay. It also contains one of the best set pieces of the series, if not the best. It was priced correctly, and being able to play multiplayer with people who had UC4 was a nice touch.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - I ended up loving this game (it's a testament to the quality of 2017 that I game I loved is rank 5). The mansion is a scary place to traverse, and anytime I saw anybody, I ran the other way. xD~~ There is one particular puzzle that's a 2-parter of sorts that was a highlight of the game. The free DLC Not a Hero was also a very fun continuation of the game with more action, but having more action made sense considering who you played as and what you were doing. For the main game, it was mainly survivor horror, and it was a splendid experience.
Undertale - I finally played this on the PS4, and I was VERY impressed. The gameplay managed to do a lot with what is pretty much just bullet-hell battles, and its ability to break the fourth wall and have fun with RPG tropes felt inspired and hilarious. There was one particularly hamburger shop I tried to sell items to that had me laughing so hard. Also, there was multiple endings, and the way it would tell you how to get a better ending worked really well within the story.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy - I was very impressed with this package. By themselves, it wouldn't have made it on my Top 10, but putting them all together for the price of $39.99, in the package it was, with the addition of another playable character, the whole thing was a joy to play.
Matterfall - This was underrated, so I want it to get some more exposure. It's short, but it's old-school fun with great controls and is a mix of Contra and Resogun. It's also easily replable.
Gravity Rush 2 - There are some terrible side missions in this, no doubt. But there's also a soaring traversal system as you dive through atmospheres. There's a fast-travel system, but I liked flying around.

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Colfari · Jan 19, 2018

Nioh - Even though I didn't like the beta that much I went ahead and bought it, was really challenging in the beginning (and I platinumed Bloodborne and Dark Souls), but after some time it clicked and it was marvelous.
Nex Machina - Pure bliss, love Housemarque, as good as Resogun.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Surprisingly good, and I love the Uncharted series, don't know why it surprised me that much.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - Great cast of characters, awesome story, very solid shooter. Shooting nazis in the face, what more can you ask for?
Horizon Zero Dawn - Guerilla Games really delivered with this one when a lot of people wanted them to fail, best-looking (open world) game this generation.
Gran Turismo Sport - Skipped GT5 and 6, and only bought it when it was reduced in price, but damn, this game is amazing. And I haven't even started with the mp part, only raced two times, and it's unbelievable how everyone behaved, never thought this was possible.
Persona 5 - Would be higher if I had more time to play it.
Pyre - Awesome art design, excellent soundtrack, really fun game mechanic.
The Elder Scrolls Legends - Was tired of Hearthstone, was looking for something else, and while Eternal was great, this is much better (couldn't get into Shadwoverse or Gwent). Probably played it the most of all games listed.
What Remains of Edith Finch - Only bought it yesterday, but great atmosphere, great story, performance could be better though, only thing holding it back.

Only have a PS4 Pro and use my PC mainly to play card games tbh, haven't played Doki Doki yet (even though I downloaded it) and want to play Cuphead and Hollow Knight and a lot of other games as well. Haven't finished all of the games listed to be honest. It's just too much games.

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00ich · Jan 19, 2018

Super Mario Odyssey - Propably the game in the franchise. Pretty good at keeping the player always entertained with some really hard optional challenges.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Ever since I compared Zelda III with my friends Ultima VII I wanted Zelda to be more like this. I'd wish for more music and more fleshed out dungeons though.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - First Mario Kart in years. I'd still wish the courses would be more challenging. Great respect for beeing accessible for everyone.

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Dragon1893 · Jan 19, 2018

Divinity Original Sin 2 - A quintessential example of the roleplaying genre, pure and simple. I can't think of another rpg that is so open-ended both in terms of quest design AND gameplay. If you put the fantastic writing, voice acting, visuals and music on top of that, you get an absolute masterpiece.
Persona 5 – I loved the concept of being a Phantom Thief. The villains are based on the kind of shitty people you can find in real life, people who abuse others because they're in a position of power, which makes them much more satisfying to take down than random supernatural monsters. Battle system and dungeons are among the best you can find in a turn based jrpg, the game is gorgeous and stylish beyond words and the ost is fantastic.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 3rd – The Trails in the Sky trilogy is one of the best things in gaming, in this final entry the entire cast comes together for one final adventure.
Nier Automata – Getting a sequel to the brilliant Nier with gameplay by Platinum Games to boot still feels too good to be true. An unforgetable experience that ends with a stroke of genius during the final credits roll.
Uncharted The Lost Legacy – Up there with the best in the franchise, loved the open world segment.
Sonic Mania – A perfect Sonic revival that got me genuinely emotional
Gravity Rush 2 – Kat is one of the most charming characters in gaming and soaring through the skies in this game never gets old.
The Evil Within 2 – Loved the first game since I'm a sucker for survival horror and this is a great sequel.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – A great jrpg that got even better thanks to the PC port.
Tales of Berseria – When Tales of is at its best it can be really good.

I really struggled to put together a top 10 because of how few games I played this year. Haven't even finished some of these tbh.
At least half my list would be different if I had the money and time to play everything I want.

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ranmafan · Jan 19, 2018

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Few series bring as much consistency and greatness as does the Dragon Quest series. And after many years of waiting for another single player entry in the series, we were rewarded this year with one of the best games Dragon Quest games ever. A fantastic game that not only cherishes Dragon Quest's history, but also takes it another step forward into the future. Containing a fantastic story with what is my favorite cast and hero ever in a Dragon Quest game, Dragon Quest XI takes you on an adventure that you will enjoy at every moment filled with all the great little stories and wonder the series is well known for. Combined with a fantastic world to explore, beautiful graphics, a wonderful soundtrack, and the gameplay that has become iconic with the series, Dragon Quest XI pulls it all together to make an incredible game. And while both it's PS4 and 3DS versus are great, it's the PS4 version that truly stands out in my honest opinion, and is my choice here for the best game of the year. In a unbelievable year full of games that will be viewed as all time classics, Dragon Quest XI stands on top as a fantastic achievement. And like how I said in my list last year for Persona 5, Western gamers will be in for a real treat once the game reaches their shores. A simply fantastic game.
NieR:Automata - When first announced, I have to admit I wasn't too excited about the NieR sequel. I only played the original a little bit, and while I like many games from Platinum, I haven't been a huge fan of their action titles. And yet as I saw the preview videos in the lead up to the game, something caught my eye and said this is a game I should take a chance at. How glad I am I did. NieR brought one of the most interesting gaming stories this year by far, and really any year past as well. A world you want to discover more and more of. A soundtrack that's mesmerizing. And finally action gameplay that I really enjoyed, a first for me from a platinum action game. It was a game I was gladly willing to play again and again, and thanks to the multiple ending format of the game, really pushed you to do that. A fantastic gaming achievement, of which I hope will lead to more adventures in the world of NieR in the future.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Exploration, freedom, adventure, excitement, discovery, amazement, all those words fit Zelda well. And breath of the Wild brings them all together for an amazing journey. From the moment you step out into the world for the first time you are presented with a freedom to explore that is quite unique to the series and in most games in general. I found myself spending hours just traveling the world, finding my own adventure in between doing the quests involved in the game. The freedom and exploration make this game special. But even more so, Nintendo taking the Zelda formula and making it feel fresh and exciting, while also harking back to its original game, made for an adventure worth taking. Nintendo made one of its finest games ever with Breath of the Wild, and it gives me so much excitement to see what they come up with next, considering how they handed Zelda so amazing well.
Horizon: Zero Dawn - Like NieR, before its release, I was quite skeptical about Horizon. Every video I saw, the game looked odd to me. The combat looked cumbersome, and the world didn't really jump out at me. Yet like NieR, as the previews kept coming and word of mouth spread, there seemed to be something that started to catch my attention, and once again I felt I needed to take a chance on the game. And what a game it is. Horizon was this years best new IP by far. All my worries about the game were erased within minutes of playing. Awesome combat, a great world to explore, and a great story with a fantastic main character, Aloy, who has become one of my favorites of the last few years. Everything came together fantastically well and it ended up creating a wonderful experience. One that I can't wait to continue in future installments of the series.
The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim VR - One of my dreams of my youth was to be able to explore a fantasy world that felt real. I was always fascinated by things like Dungeons & Dragons, which I never got to play even though I've always wanted to. But also I was always mesmerized by the idea of VR. If they ever got it working, I always hoped it would include a game that would let me fulfill my dreams of playing in a real fantasy world. 2017 that dream came true. Combining the amazing classic Skyrim with VR, I was able to finally fulfill my long held wish. Skyrim VR is an game changing experience. One that shows that great classic games can be brought back to life through VR. Vr made the experience so much better. The sense of scale, the excitement of exploring creature filled dungeons, fights with giant dragons, all were made better thanks to VR. With Skyrim VR you went from just interacting with a video screen to actually feeling like you were there. It's an amazing work and one that shows not only the potential of VR, but also shows that's it's something that will be here to stay.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew - VR brought many amazing experiences this past year, but none like Star Trek. A multiplayer game that's one of the best role playing experiences I've ever had. Every mission is a joy, and it's so fun to jump in with a random crew, which was quite a shock for me considering I'm extremely shy and nervous, especially online. The game brought some of the funniest moments in my entire gaming life. And of course, it allows you to experience the dream of being a crew member on a starship unlike any game before it. An experience that needs to be tried by more gamers, it's a fantastic achievement.
Resident Evil VII Biohazard - The most terrifying experience I've ever had in a video game, once again thanks to the magic of VR. resident Evil 7 is such an amazing game and experience in every way shape and form. But especially in VR it becomes so much more. It becomes an experience of terror and fear that i still can't believe has been brought to gaming. Every step you took in the game, every peak around the corner, every movement was filled with fear. Worse than any haunted house you could go to, the game in VR sparred no expense to make you fill terror in ways games never have before. And that horror, was a feeling missing from past resident evils and thankfully it was brought back to this one. It is one of the best VR experiences out there to those that can handle it. I can't imagine playing the game any other way. It's absolutely incredible.
City Shrouded In Shadow -The spiritual successor to the soon be returning Disaster Report series, this purely fun game combines the gameplay of that series along with situations where you must survive a city being ravaged by all the classic monsters and more from so many frat Japanese movies and tv shows. One level you are avoiding monsters from Ultraman. The next, it's Godzilla. Then you are trust into avoiding battles from the Evangelion world. It's a unique game, that's both fun to play, and with its great dialogue choices system, at times a laugh riot! And while especially at launch the game was a bit hard to play at times, thankfully patches and such helped fix many of the problems. But overall the game was just a blast to play. So much fun, a game that put a smile on my face. The only real negative for me, is that perhaps due to its licenses the chances of a western release is slim. Which is a shame as western gamers really should be able to try this game. It's so enjoyable.
Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition - One of the most well known, and unfairly controversial games of all time, Night Trap has always been a fascination with me. I loved the game as a kid, even with it being kind of a mess at times. The idea of controlling video in a video game was just so cool to me. But the game always felt like it was missing many parts. Thankfully this year we got a release that fixed so many things with the game, made it feel complete, and showcased a fantastic way to treat classic games. The game brought us the best version of Night Trap ever with much improved video quality, the ability to see the video of every room at all times, multiple modes to replicate the feel of every previous versions of the game, deleted scenes placed back into the game, new modes, documentary features with interviews and photos and documents, and if that wasn't enough the game also included the original test pitch game for the night Trap concept playable for the first time for gamers. Basically it felt like what a video game Criterion Collection release would be like. Plus add in the hard to get but awesome special edition, it was a great game to re-experience this year with a release that truly made the game better.
Cosmic Star Heroine - A great game and a great tribute to the classic JRPGs of the 90s, Cosmic Star Heroine was a such a wonderful trip to the past. A game that takes the look of great classic RPGs like Phantasy Star and Lunar and brings it back to the current era. It also includes a unique and fun battle system that really adds more strategy to the combat. Plus a fun cast and World to explore. It was a game I was looking forward to for quite a while and it didn't disappoint. Wonderful adventure.

Honorable Mentions
Super Mario Odyssey - Fantastic game, so close to breaking into the top ten but I've only played a short amount of it so I couldn't put it in there at this time.
Nioh - Souls plus feudal Japan is awesome, I just wish I had more time with the game.
Star Wars Battlefront II - The loot boxes suck, but the game itself is a blast to play.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole - Absolutely hilarious game, and just barely missed my top ten.
Superhot VR - Absolutely amazing VR title. So immersive. Also came so close to making the final list.
Fire Emblem Warriors - Fire Emblem plus musou combined into one, makes for another great crossover.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - One of my favorite Final Fantasy games. Would've been higher but its close to the Japanese 2007 release so I felt I couldn't put it in the list this time, but it was so close.
Super Robot Taisen V - The game that brought me back to the SRT series. So much fun!
Persona 5 Western Release - Not in my list as the Japanese release was my number 2 game last year. But I had a blast replaying it in English this year. Had I waited until this year, the game had a good chance of being number 1.
Gundam Versus - While I hate how expensive this game is with all the DLC, its still another fine game in the series.
Sonic Mania - The best Sonic game in quite a long time.
Gran Turismo Sport - A fine driving game, and a great return of GT. Fantastic online mode.
Farpoint - VR plus the aim controller made this a joy to play.
Fortnite Battle Royale - Only played a short time so far but its been quite a ride.
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite - I love the series, and while not perfect the game has been fun for me.

This has been the hardest "Game of the Year" list I've ever had to make. This year had so many amazing games and hardware that came out. Probably this year was my favorite year of gaming by far. I kept going back and forth on many titles for the last spots for sure. And in fact, DQXI, NieR, and Zelda are pretty much a tie for first place in reality for me. But since I had to make a choice I went with the order as it is now. Who knows how I would order them tomorrow or any other day. Truly an amazing year for gaming!

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DriftingSpirit · Jan 19, 2018

Dragon1893 Don't forget to bold the game titles.

Egida · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - A masterpiece, the new standard for open world adventures.
Super Mario Odyssey - Exquisite colorful and fun platforming.
Persona 5 - A massive game, that will steal your heart, and borrow your life for a hundred or more hours.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - The game that was going to be delayed. At the end it came out this year to complete an amazing first round for Switch and to become my favourite Xenoblade game and one of the best jrpgs I've ever played.
Hellblade - Inmersive, beautiful, horrible, dark, lightful, hopeful and unique.
What Remains of Edith Finch - A celebration of life, masterfully told, a testament to the heights videogames have reached as a medium to tell a story.
Horizon Zero Dawn - A superb first entry for a new IP, so detailed and polished, with the best combat system in western rpgs by far.
Metroid Samus Returns - Mighty bounty hunter fights horrible space monsters in narrow hallways, what's not to love?
Gravity Rush 2 - A flawed, bright gem.

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Dragon1893 · Jan 19, 2018

DriftingSpirit said:
Dragon1893 Don't forget to bold the game titles.

Thanks, totally slipped my mind.

RenorMirshann · Jan 19, 2018

Unfortunately I haven't played a lot new games last year, so the list is short.

Prey - fantastic FPS/RPG hybrid with old-school feeling and atmosphere, great level design and good sci-fi story with choices that matter and affect gameplay. I'm going to replay this one eventually with a different character build. Arkane obviously know what they're good at and even though their games do not sell millions of units, I sincerely hope that Bethesda will let them make whatever they want next (what I want, obviously, is a sequel...)
Nier: Automata - I loved the first game, but didn't even try to 100% it - that's insane grind. Saw what I missed on Youtube. This, however, won't be a similar situation, because the battle system is so much better. Also, after completing Automata once, I took a break. I know the best is probably still ahead of me, but what I experienced with 2B is worth of a second place already. And the soundtrack... the soundtrack is really something else.
Nex Machina - Housemarque perfected arcade gaming with this and can therefore move on to something different.
Doki Doki Literature Club - a heartwarMing visual novel about cute girls doing cute things, but what distinguish it from the crowd is the quality of the writing. I never expected to enjoy a game like this so much, but here we are....
Persona 5 - My first Persona, and I bounced back after the game introduced a "card" mechanic and I haven't had a day to spare, therefore "game over". However, I enjoyed what I played before that unfortunate event, I really love the style and probably will be back when the inevitable upgraded version drops.
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - the refreshing fantasy-less setting, interesting characters and themes (I know it's a book adaptation, but still) and drop-dead-gorgeous backgrounds all ensure an experience I won't forget for a long time. And the last chapter is still coming!

Honorable mentions (games I wish I played last year that surely would make the list):

Divinity: Original Sin 2 - I loved the first one and this looks like a perfect follow-up.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - similar situation here. No way it's not amazing.
Horizon: Zero Dawn - dinosaurs were my huge passion back when I was a kid. Pretty sure I dreamed about a game like Horizon at least once in my life.

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jgwhiteus · Jan 19, 2018

Super Mario Odyssey - the first game to make me appreciate console-level gaming on the go; I was addicted and playing this one on flights, in hotel rooms, etc. and didn't stop until I'd gotten to 999 Power Moons. So much creativity, attention to detail, and fun in one package, and I love the sense of freedom the expanded move-set gives you - sometimes I still have to stop myself from trying to do a long jump or throw Cappy when I'm playing other games.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - I picked this up since I thought it looked "cute" and "fun" and was completely thrown by the actual package. "Nintendo-quality" levels of polish, charm, and thoughtfulness, and plenty of challenge that made me re-try levels over and over until I got them just right. Again, another game I sunk plenty of hours into until I'd reached 100%.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Not finished with this one yet (I've already sunk in dozens of hours), but I love what I've played so far - really intricate battle system that shows its worth once you get to later stages and harder enemies, fun characters, beautiful music and environments, and a lot of trope-y jRPG elements that feel like comfort food to me and that have made me love the Xeno- series back to its PS1 roots. I can see why people have quibbles (the UI, less than flawless graphical performance, some character designs) but it's still a great Xeno- game and a great game in general.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - what is there to say beyond that it's Mario Kart? And again, another title that made me appreciate console-level gaming on the go; I ended up playing some impromptu games with friends using the Joy-Cons in tabletop mode, just like the Switch commercials promised :) Always a blast to play with friends, beautiful graphics and great course designs with amazing attention to detail, and again just plain fun. Even though it's a port it's a really great game to port that plays to the Switch's strengths.

I really wish I could list more than the above; I have too many games in my backlog (for PC, PS4, Zelda for Switch, etc.) but the above were the ones I was able to complete or put a lot of time into, and not coincidentally they were all on the Switch because it was the one console system I could take with me traveling (which I did frequently) or where I could play in short bursts after work. Looking forward to eventually playing the games that everyone else has listed, too!

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El-Suave · Jan 19, 2018

Yakuza 0 - The best game in the franchise and a perfect prequel.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - Unexpectedly deep characters and story while also being over the top.
Assassins Creed Origins - The setting is very well realized and the story works well, too.
What Remains of Edith Finch - An amazing experience that evokes many personal emotions.
Nioh - The game delivered on what the demos already promised.
Steamworld Dig 2 - How a sequel should be. Improved in almost every way without changing the core.
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - Looks and plays superb. What a turnaround since E3.
Super Mario Odyssey - 3d Mario at its best.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Groundbreaking in many areas but lacking in story and depth.
Destiny 2 - Heavily criticized but I got my money's worth and I enjoy that the game is "done" at some points.

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JustinBailey · Jan 19, 2018

El-Suave said:
The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom Battle - Groundbreaking in many areas but lacking in story and depth.

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What is this new Zelda game? Where can I play it? :0P

Thirty7ven · Jan 19, 2018

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - One of the few surprises in a year dominated by sequels and rehashes. An independent game with this much confidence, what a sight to see. Beautiful from the very first moment, it sends the player into the heart of darkness with barely a hiccup. Ninja Theory has far surpassed its previous work, and has delivered a touching reminder that this industry has more than enough space for artists willing to express themselves. The tingling shiver sliding down my spine when I battled the voices in my own head, the feeling of loss for a lover I had never met, the simple but fluid action, were all aspects of an adventure that roared against the industry standard of mindless action and cyclic dopamine injection provided during hours of shooting other people in the face in some online deathwatch. Whenever I hear somebody say they wish to work in the industry, I hope this is what they mean.
What Remains of Edith Finch - Unexpected, curious, inventive. It intertwines the mechanics with the storytelling, in new and exciting ways, giving us a rare glimpse into the possibilities of the medium to provide a completely different platform for the way stories are told. Many years from now I will still remember this game, not because I spent 100 hours collecting crap and "discovering" 3D meshes, but because I had the pleasure to meet the story of this unforgettable family.
Resident Evil 7 - It is a bit of a shame to see the number 7 at the end of the title, for it can be misleading for those who think this is anything but reset to the franchise. Then again it is a beautiful number, and proof that "more of the same, only bigger" isn't the answer we are always looking for. The sense of dread that an horrible end is right around the corner provided the scariest I have ever been playing a video game. The change in perspective worked charms in the small but complex environment, and not only it provided a needed change of pace for the series, it also allowed its makers to splash an incredible amount of detail that defies the established convention of technical inferiority from Japanese studios. It took them thirteen years, but they did it again.
Horizon Zero Dawn - So Witcher 3 has really made it hard for other open worlds to be fairly appreciated, but Guerrilla Games had quite the debut. It's an interesting setting and premise, heightened by a well told story and unspeakable technical wizardry. Unfortunately the lack of memorable characters hurt the overall experience, even though the writing was generally good. There are some questionable visual design choices, which I hope will mature with the potential sequel, but overall it's an unique look. However, where the developers have struck gold is with the combat. The most fluid, engaging, exciting combat that gas ever graced an open world game. The stealth works wonders too, holy crap.
The Evil Within 2 - A love letter to fans of Resident Evil 4. I don't have found memories of the first one, and in fact never got to finish it, but here finally it delivers on the promise. It is the sequel he never got to make, and how bombastic it is. Cheesy, corny and wild, but surprisingly thoughtful in everything else. A return to form for Mikami.
Gran Turismo Sport - Talk about passion, what a love letter. This game has infatuated me with new found romance for the racing genre, a sleek, sexy, smooth talker that dares you to take one for a spin, and sweet talk its ass all the way to the finish line. Yes it's a "simulator", and you won't be jumping with the car, and getting power ups (Mario Kart is fun, try it), but no it won't be just about the perfect line or how challenging life like it is (Dirt Rally, you savage). More than anything, this is about romance, between man and its own creation. Polyphony Digital has created a symphony that is now the reference by which all others who want to sing romantically about driving, will be measured by. Bravo. Can I get an encore?
Yakuza 0 - It shouldn't work, it really shouldn't. It's a cocktail of unrelated gameplay mechanics, and when the characters start talking it will make you want to catch a plane and storm through Sega's offices screaming "BREVITY IS THE SOUL OF WIT". But by then a week would've passed since landing, and I would've become a real estate investor, a dancer, a karoke angel, a bloodsport champion... everything but an actual Yakuza, because being a Yakuza is wrong yet... they keep pulling me back in!
Pyre - So, how do you create a sports game that doesn't feel like a sports game? Why, tell me a story! A gem of a game, whose only fault is that I played it on a TV screen. I wish I had a Switch and this game on it.
Prey - Only for the hardcore, but any newcomer will be galvanized but the excellent opening. It's not the blockbuster that Bioshock Infinite was, or the watershed moment we all had when we played Half Life, but it's one cerebral and scary game that deserves more recognition than it has gotten.
Assassins Creed: Origins - Return to form for the franchise that has gone on too long, too fast. Huge and gorgeous, the landscape of Egypt will make you want to play the part of the tourist for more time than I care to admit. Unfortunately, grinding is a thing and the game overstays its welcome. Still, I have to say I loved my time as a Medjay, and Ubisoft is steering this mammoth in the right direction.

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MiracleTrail · Jan 19, 2018

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - After being skeptical before release and especially after the demo, the final game ended up being one of my favorites Resident Evil titles.
The Evil Within 2 - Better than the first in nearly every way. It's also one of the few games that I feel like had a strong start and a strong finish.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Masterful, but I miss dungeons and I'm not a fan of the weapon durability.
Super Mario Odyssey - It's Mario.
Sonic Mania - After years of mediocrity (or worse), I finally get to play a great Sonic game. I love the remixed stages and I hope there's a sequel eventually.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - I actually wasn't a fan of the first, so this one caught me by surprise. I haven't actually completed it, but what I have played I have enjoyed quite a lot.
Persona 5 - I stopped after the fourth dungeon, and I strongly prefer Persona 4: Golden, but it's still a good game that I hope to get back to sometime soon.

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OléGunner · Jan 19, 2018

Horizon Zero Dawn - Guerilla pivot their entire studio on their first attempt to magnificent effect, crafting a masterpiece of an open world and one of the best I've ever experienced in a video game. The lush world they created is a sight to behold and fully reinforce Guerilla as one of the most technically capable studios in the industry. Aloy is the perfect character for players to inhabit this world with her curiosity, generosity, empathy, humour, sarcasm and fierce independence all serving to create a character with depth and nuance that I found infinitely relatable too. With the best action combat of any open world providing a multitude of sublime gameplay variety, all further enhanced by a cast of "robo-machines" that are expertly crafted, this is the most fun I had playing a game all year. The superb story weaved throughout the campaign is also a commendable highlight; intertwining Aloys own story to discover her past with the mythos of what happened to bring about this post-post apocalypse is a stroke of genius in keeping the player engaged. A wonderful cast of characters and lore building through audio logs, text diaries, conversation options and vantage points all enhance the game to such a high standard expected of industry titans like Bethesda and CDPR. Truly a masterpiece and one of Playstations finest exclusives to date. Take a bloody bow Guerrilla Games.
Persona 5 - My in progress playthrough currently sits at 97 hours and 17 mins but I can confidently say that Persona 5 is one of the greatest JRPG's ever made and a generation defining piece of software. The cast of characters are wonderfully realised and the story of young adults rebelling each in their own way against the system and adults running the show in horrific ways is a gripping way to approach the main narrative. The star of the show in general however is the amount of style the game exudes in every single screen you participate in. From the menus just bursting to jump off the screen, the stylish turn based combat, victory screen, layout of Tokyo, Persona 5 is a game that doesn't grab your attention so much as pounce off the TV and command it in a single shot. The soundtrack here is also just legendary and truly one of the OST's of the generation; every single track never getting played out no matter how many times you hear them simply because they are all that good. Indeed the Phantom Thieves have completely stolen my heart and I'm glad that this thrill ride is not over for me yet.
Nier: Automata - Having never experienced any of the previous Nier or Drakengard games, I immediately have become a convert to Yoko Taro's genius. Nier is a stupendous achievement in game design and narrative; mashing an an absurd amount of genres to craft a title that spoke to me very deeply as I'm fascinated by stories of existentialism and what it means to be human as exhibited by the playable androids 2B, 9S and A2. The true genius of Nier lies in its multiple playthrough approach to tackling narrative, with each new route from A to E escalating the stakes and providing more context to the entire story. Gameplay wise, I really enjoyed the combat Platinum implemented (this is the first Platinum game I actually like!) with its fluidity and chip augmentation providing strategy as well as the hacking component of enemies with 9S which for some reason I never got tired of. A special mention goes to the soundtrack which I have listened to endlessly, the OST is significant to conveying the events of the game and emotions the player should feel. I daresay this is the best OST of the generation that is only enhanced by the alternate "16-bit" versions of every song in the game providing a new dimension. What really will stick with me after completion was the absolutely audacious true ending of Route E, with Yoko Taro closing the entire game on an inspirational note that works both narratively and gameplay wise, asking of players what it truly means to complete a game/story and breaking that bond to start anew and being at peace with that.
Super Mario Odyssey - Nintendo here create a true masterpiece in game design with Cappy' giving Mario the ability to capture nearly every enemy in the game providing a wealth of challenging, hilarious and fun sandbox environments for the player to go crazy with. This may not be the best Mario game of all time but it sure comes damn close. Tugging at my nostalgia heart strings whilst conversely still bringing so many new things to the Mario table, Nintendo confidently straddled that line to bring out what I feel is their best effort all year. Every kingdom is deftly designed with so many nooks and crannies to explore for power moons or even just invisible coins. I especially enjoyed the post game content with more hand crafted and challenging areas to gather more moons, even if a few of them did throw me into fits of rage! Ultimately though, this is a title that put a smile on my face from start to finish and with Mario being my all time favourite Nintendo franchise, that's all I could ever want and more. Now let me just go and get oooone more power moon.
Yakuza 0 - Consider me a Yakuza convert. Thanks to this community's persistent talk of the greatness of Yakuza 0, I took the plunge in early 2017 and utterly fell in love with the bat shit insanity that is this game. Never have I played a game that so wonderfully goes between serious somber moments to completely comedic ones, providing a narrative that works both ways and is epic but personal in scope. Jumping between a real superman in Kiryu and probably Joker incarnate in Majima was a joy, with their main side games of real estate and cabaret club management was intensely addictive, in addition to the multitude of mini games that pepper the small two maps we get to explore. Although combat could be repetitive, it was still serviceable and always threw up a good laugh or two with the absurd finisher heat moves. I knew this game was for me the moment Kiryu had a particular emotional and near deathly moment with his brother in arms Nishki then met a character in a club called Walking Erection, an underwear wearing madman thrusting his groin alone into the air. Such a transition in a game should never work but somehow it does seamlessly in Yakuza 0. All I can say now is bring on Yakuza 6.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Naughty Dog's first spin off to an Uncharted game is a winner in my book and a further case for them to revisit the series in the not too distant future. Chloe Frazier and Nadine Ross are unlikey partners in crime in India as Chloe searches for the Tusk of Ganesh and we get to dig deep into her own archaeological past. The entire game is wonderfully paced with the massive and gorgeous play space in chapter 3 being a particular highlight. Once again ND achieves narrative excellence with the title and provide fun combat opportunities that they perfected in Uncharted 4 to the forefront here. This isn't Uncharted-lite as I expected so much as Uncharted roided up over 6-8 hour romp across India which I loved playing from start to finish.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - A harrowing adventure into the depths of psychosis and what it means to endure. Ninja Theory must be commended at what they managed to achieve telling such a bold and would be controversial subject that they could've fumbled, but handle with honesty, respect and dignity. The decent into what can only be described as hell that Senua must overcome is a touching story that touched me deeply having a close cousin who suffers from similar metal illness. In this case I want to thank the team for helping me understand what my relative goes through even just a little bit better. Although a few of the environmental puzzles can drag I dug the combat much more than I thought along with the lack of tutorial guidance pushing me to experiment with combo's and running attacks. This game is also wonderful graphically and beautifully animated and even more props are necessary considering the scaled down budget this was all achieved with. A special mention must go to the 3D audio implementation, being a spectacular device for immersion and further understanding the effect of "voices in your head" (who also help point out enemies in combat). Hellblade is a true gem for 2017 and I can only hope that all Ninja Theory's follow up efforts in the coming years can meet the boldness and quality level they achieved here.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - My first full fat Zelda experience clocking in at a final 75 hours was a magical adventure across Hyrule. Nintendo's approach to open world design with this game was freeing and refreshing, cherry picking the appropriate parts of regular AAA open worlds and injecting their own twists and new ideas to the genre. Links ability to climb everything and the physics on display across the entire world where real bright spots and allowed for so much freedom in approach to gameplay that I don't think I've ever experienced before. Nintendo genius is on full display across world design, shrines, divine beasts and the players ability to be creative in their approach to combat, puzzle solving and traversal. This game ranks lower on my list due to issues I have with the overall story, weapon degradation, inventory management and actual combat with enemies which I didn't particularly enjoy, however these issues cannot detract from what is an outstanding game and a genuine system seller for the console maker.
Gravity Rush 2 - Whenever I think of Gravity Rush 2, I immediately picture Kat flying at incredible speeds as I whipped my way across the floating cities across the game world. This game was just so much fun to play, the act of "falling" with Kat never got old an Japan studio did a wonderful job in refining the controls from her previous Vita outing. Further, the world is once again beautifully rendered taking a substantial benefit from being on the PS4. A truly magical journey for Kat wherein once again she is eager to help all those in need and her friends while being fiercely independent, she cements herself one of Playstations best characters imagined in years. The side quests are simple in nature although quite a few provide a good backstory to characters or the world and main plot is serviceable enough but nothing particularly outstanding which does detract from the game a bit along with padded side quests. However, in an industry that can sometimes be so risk averse in terms of game design and main characters created, this was a wonderful and unlikely sequel to receive from Japan Studio.
Splatoon 2 - Having never owned a Wii U to play the first Splatoon I have always been eager to try the game and finally get what it means to be a kid or a squid. Splatoon 2 is a simple but wonderful gameplay concept that I have utterly fallen in love with especially across online. Playing a few quick game of Turf War before bed became a nigh on ritual for me for a good month and a half after picking the game up. Visually, the game pops and the surprising depth of variety in terms clothing items affecting stats and weapons on offer make for some interesting match ups and scenarios from game to game. I also really appreciated the SP campaign which most publishers would forego for a mostly multiplayer title, as it allowed me to fully get to grips with the mechanics and experiment with weapons and abilities. After a while I did get distracted by other games and have put the game aside but with the fun and quality on offer I know I'll be returning to Splatoon 2 all throughout 2018.

Honourable Mentions
South Park The Fractured But Whole - Ubisoft once again do one of my favourite properties justice with an outing that is just as, if not more hilarious than Stick of Truth
Assassins Creed Origins - A well needed one year break gives Assassins Creed the new lease of life it sorely needed. Technically stunning and wonderfully open, this romp across ancient Egypt with Bayek is a joy to play the assassination game.

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Beren · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - This is the Zelda game I've been waiting for. Endless exploration, engaging puzzles, a beautiful world, a touching soundtrack, and the freedom to do whatever, whenever you damn well please. Everything from clothing to the Master Sword is optional. Few games let you play the way you want like BotW, yet this game seemingly effortlessly achieves its goals, all while keeping true to the roots of the series.
Shovel Knight Specter of Torment - Shovel Knight just gets better and better. This time around you control Specter Knight on his mission to break a curse and engage in sick skateboard techniques. Completely breaking away from the gameplay of the previous campaigns, this installment offers up some great twists and cool features. And in true Shovel Knight fashion, its oddly touching at the same time.
Metroid Samus Returns - Finally an official Metroid with actual Metroid gameplay! Praise the Phazon! This game remakes the old Metroid II from the original GameBoy, adds plenty of new features, and expands in a lot of interesting and new ways. However, while feeling like a Metroid game, it doesn't quite feel like the old Metroid II. The acid planet is a lot more crowded this time around, and sometimes the levels feel over-designed. Even though getting from place to place can feel like a chore sometimes, in a way that the original game did not, this is still a much-appreciated great entry in the Metroid franchise.
Fire Emblem Echoes Shadows of Valentia - Another remake! This time around it's one of the first Fire Emblem games. Gone are the modern matchmaking systems, children, and My Castle shenanigans, and instead we get... well, to be honest, some cool dungeons and some real boring maps. But the production values on this game are some of the best, if not THE best, ever seen in a Fire Emblem game. The art, voice acting, and sound design are just top notch. The story of Alm and Celica was also a strong point in the game's favor - I truly grew to enjoy these characters on this journey.
Doki Doki Literature Club - What happens when one of your dime a dozen dating visual novels goes off the rails in a glorious fashion? Doki Doki Literature Club happens. By subverting a lot of the bog standard tropes in the genre and mixing them around, this game manages to stir up feelings that its brethren could only dream of.
Star Fox 2 - Holy cow its an SNES game. And one nobody saw coming. While shorter than some of the franchise's other entries, this game asks you to try different strategies at different difficulty levels to truly see what the game has to offer. With multiple playable characters, chicken walker Arwings, and RTS elements, this game is a bold experiment in the Star Fox universe.
Dragon Quest VIII Journey of the Cursed King - Another remake, this time of a classic PS2 game. While mechanically sound, this game suffers from a number of QOL issues. A hostile camera (with inverted controls on both axis, which cannot be changed), rough voice acting, an odd mix of more modern and retro sound effects, terrible sound mixing (think Sonic Adventure 2), a lot of cringey sexism towards female characters, a very rudimentary map system, and a plot that's essentially just A Link to the Past with a couple of twists all hold this game back to various degrees. There's minor quibbles here too - like not being able to quickly switch between characters' items in the menu system without backing out - an issue that was solved back on the SNES. There's good things to be found here, but there's just a lot of mess too.

Well that's all I got. I didn't have access to a PS4 this year, and didn't get a Switch, so I was mostly playing 3DS retro stuff. And Zelda. So that's why it's pretty lopsided. Hopefully 2018 goes differently.

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Gwenpoolshark · Jan 19, 2018

Breath of The Wild - if it's not the best game to come out in my lifetime, it's certainly the boldest. A total reworking of the conventions of its own massively successful franchise, it's rare to see a game that effortlessly blends a new kind of fun with such artistic merrit. A masterpiece.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - I needed a game like this, especially this year. Something unafraid to take a stand, but also unafraid to be goofy, indignant, absurd, righteous, bizarre, and fun. I genuinely felt attached to every character that was introduced and I felt sad to see them go at the end of the game.
Super Mario Odyssey - this is the best Mario game that's ever been made. It's effortlessly fun, it's crammed with ideas and secrets. It's just a wildly good time.
Playerunknown's battlegrounds - it gave me a reason to care about twitch for the first time in my life.
Assassin's Creed Origins - I am genuinely surprised by how good this game turned out to be. Great map, fun art, really tight combat design. I haven't felt this good about playing A.C. since I was a pirate.

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silentg · Jan 19, 2018

Super Mario Odyssey - This game is pure joy. Joyous to control, to look at and to simply explore and discover. No other game this year was simply as much fun to play, a refreshing way to keep a player in the world in a time of loot boxes and persistent RPG worlds.
What Remains of Edith Finch- Short but varied and emotional. Very affecting, and a story only capable in the medium of games. Giant Sparrow are becoming a developer whose games I will buy and support on day one. Their next work is highly anticipated.
Pyre - Another beauty from Supergiant. Despite some difficulty spike, which the developer explicitly said just to go with, a truly great example of how games can transport you to a world and make you attached to characters in ways other media simply cannot do.
The Sexy Brutale - Underrated gem of the year. A lovely 20's/30's aesthetic and an enjoyable twist on puzzle mechanics which doesn't punish failure but rewards experimentation.
South Park: The Fractured but Whole - Despite not being quite as laugh out loud funny, it is a better game. Well paced and a must for fans of the TV show.
Wolfenstein 2 - The New Colossus - I'll add my voice to the general consensus which seems to be that this a better narrative than it is a game. I would have given up on this earlier had the writing, characters and world building not been as strong.
Tacoma - Another underrated gem. A short but affecting tale of humanity trapped by science end corporate interest. Every character felt real and believable.
Yakuza Zero- My first Yakuza game, and if one of the purposes of this release was to get more people into the series, they have succeeded with me. A condensed but pack world with some great and funny writing mixed with simple but satisfying combat mechanics. And crazy side quests!
Horizon: Zero Dawn - The refined distillation of the open world template. The intriguing set up for alloy and her world help propel me through the story and the many side quests.
Assassin's Creed: Origins - Jumped on this one very late, playing most of it this January, partly due to having so much else to play and partly because the game is a very slow burner. Once you get into the rhythm of it's overhauled combat and loot systems, it becomes a very compelling and engaging game. It also looks gorgeous. The lack of a historical database, which is coming as an update soon this year, is an annoyance, as learning about the time and pace of the setting was always one of my favourite aspect of the series.
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle - Oh my. I love Mario but could not care less for the Rabbids so this was a nice surprise. I love XCOM too, so this made me very happy. For a while. The downside for me was that is soon ran out of steam despite it's initial impression.
Uncharted: Lost Legacy - In many ways, this is what Uncharted 4 should have been- tighter, more focused and introducing some more varied protagonists.
Prey - Despite being often frustrating in it's difficulty and open-endedness, I still appreciated it's world and it's willingness to let the player approach it however they saw fit, even if that meant hampering or blocking your progress. Definitely closer to the original idea of a sandbox that say, Assassin's Creed.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - I've only scratched the surface of this game, so I can't in good conscience have it high on my list, but I can already see there is enough there to warrant a mention. This is going to be my early 2018 must play.

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Bigkrev · Jan 19, 2018

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony - I finally sat down and finished this game within the same week as seeing The Last Jedi, and I was struck by how the ending of this game both acts as a "take" on TLJ, as well as executing the ideas of TLJ SIGNIFICANTLY better than Rian Johnson was able to do. Easily the best game in the series, with the most diverse and interesting cast of characters, the best lead character, and the best "balance" of minigames, where none of them are terrible to play. I understand why some people hated this game, but it took a franchise that I wasn't sure needed to continue, and gave it a whole bunch of new life
Hatsune Miku Project Diva Future Tone - They basically took a game franchise I loved (Diva), took out EVERYTHING I disliked about it (unlocking songs, double notes, scratch notes, the creepy idol room stuff, story modes, ect), made some really fun changes like Slide notes that can easily map to triggers and hold notes that are optional for extra score, and then made a whole new game with 95 new songs, and said "fuck it, give them MORE", and threw in 127 songs that basically act as HD remasters of Project Diva F and F 2nd. Just a masterpiece of a game, and it was my clear number 1 until the last week of the year when I finally sat down to finish Danganronpa V3.
Yakuza 0 - I was a mild Yakuza fan, having finished Yakuza 4 back in 2015. This is the game that made me a huge Yakuza fan. There are so many quality-of-life changes from previous games- a more functional map, more tutorials, a less busy city, a way to bypass random fights, as well as a mostly self-contained story that is easy to follow, has great heels, and requires no previous experience with the story to understand. While there are some issues- the camera sucks, and it's very obvious this was a crossgen game- it made me excited to keep playing the series.
Puyo Puyo Tetris - So this is technically cheating, because I imported this some years ago for the Vita and played the hell out of it, but it's new for America, and we finally got the story translated. Tetris is arguably the greatest game ever made, and this is the best version of Tetris, but with so much more thrown into it. The different modes that mix Puyo and Tetris are all fun, and the story mode is ~whackey~ anime bullshit that never asks you to take it seriously, but is fun to play through, as it varies it's missions each chapter. I'm just so happy more people got a chance to play this game
Everybodys Golf - While I have no love for actually playing Golf, I've always had a love of golf games. My only previous experience with Hot Shots had been the Vita version of the game back at launch, and I was really happy with the content in this game. Little things, like being able to walking around the tee-off area to place your tee, seeing your character actually run to the the spot of the ball, to the ability to just drive a golf cart around, really come together well. It's great that they put so many different caddies in the game, each that actually provide useful advice, but they also made Junichi who has a really sexy asian-british accent as one of the first characters you unlock, so you never actually get to hear the other characters, because why would you ever switch from him?
Splatoon 2 - While I liked the core of Splatoon 1, I hated that you couldn't use a pro controller, because apparently having constant access to the map was a core feature they couldn't disable. Thankfully, they managed to eliminate that, and made the game portable on top of everything. Yes, it feels alot like Splatoon: Special Championship Edition than Splatoon 2, but superior control options, portability, new weapons, and actual decent hairstyles for squid boys (FINALLY!) made me throw more hours into this than I would care to admit. And that is to say nothing about the single player mode, which I still haven't touched!
What Remains of Edith Finch - Best walking simulator I played this year, with lots of different gameplay styles, and tons of vignettes that never overstay their welcome. There are a lot of little things- being able to choose a Prince or a Queen for Lewis to daydream about in the cannery- that you wouldn't have been expected to include, but they did. My only real complaint is that, as someone who played mouse and keyboard, it very much seems that this was designed for a dual analog controller, and some of the vignettes have weird controls.
Fire Emblem Echos Shadows of Valentia - After the complete shitshow that was the "story" in Fates, it was very refreshing to return to a simple, more effective and smaller scale story for Echos. Instead of getting a billion units that you will likely neglect, you instead get seemingly just enough characters to finish the game, where every one that you loose seems like a massive loss to your army. While there isn't a whole lot do actually do in them, the 3D dungeon explorations are actually a really cool idea, complete with micro battles on tiny maps as you come across enemies. I really hope it's something they adapt down the line into bigger games to greater effect. I thought I was done caring about this series after playing through Fates, but throwback was enough to make me want to continue to play the series.
Wolfenstien ii The New Colossus -While I stand by my opinion that these Wolfenstein games are actually bad shooters that only really work if you dial the difficulty to easy and just blast through with little strategy, you have to give credit to this game for just going in with it's plot. It's not a case of "what was the coolest moment in gaming this year", it's "which of these 6-10 moments in Wolfenstein 2 was the best moment this year?" I continue to love the universe Machine Games has made, but I really hope we get a better "game" next time, because that would be something special.
Persona 5 - I only managed to make it 30 hours into this game because it was released on PS4 and not Vita (or switch), and my patience for sitting at a TV to play a 100 hour game is basically nil, but I really liked what I played! I was impressed with how well remote play to Vita actually worked on this, but if you are more than like 15 feet from the PS4, it kind of goes to shit. The game is stylish, fun, and represents a good evolution over Persona 3 and 4 with regards to it's systems.

**[VOTEBOT] Thanks for your vote. Your vote receipt is available at here. **

Big G · Jan 19, 2018

MiracleTrail said:
1. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - After being skeptical before release and especially after the demo, the final game ended up being one of my favorites Resident Evil titles.

2. The Evil Within 2 - Better than the first in nearly every way. It's also one of the few games that I feel like had a strong start and a strong finish.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Masterful, but I miss dungeons and I'm not a fan of the weapon durability.

4. Super Mario Odyssey - It's Mario.

5. Sonic Mania - After years of mediocrity (or worse), I finally get to play a great Sonic game.

OléGunner said:
1. Horizon Zero Dawn - Guerilla pivot their entire studio on their first attempt to magnificent effect, crafting a masterpiece of an open world and one of the best I've ever experienced in a video game. The lush world they created is a sight to behold and fully reinforce Guerilla as one of the most technically capable studios in the industry. Aloy is the perfect character for players to inhabit this world with her curiosity, generosity, empathy, humour, sarcasm and fierce independence all serving to create a character with depth and nuance that I found infinitely relatable too. With the best action combat of any open world providing a multitude of sublime gameplay variety, all further enhanced by a cast of "robo-machines" that are expertly crafted, this is the most fun I had playing a game all year. The superb story weaved throughout the campaign is also a commendable highlight; intertwining Aloys own story to discover her past with the mythos of what happened to bring about this post-post apocalypse is a stroke of genius in keeping the player engaged. A wonderful cast of characters and lore building through audio logs, text diaries, conversation options and vantage points all enhance the game to such a high standard expected of industry titans like Bethesda and CDPR. Truly a masterpiece and one of Playstations finest exclusives to date. Take a bloody bow Guerrilla Games.

Make sure to nest your numbered lists inside of an ordered list, or else your vote will not count. See the OP for details.

New Fang · Jan 19, 2018

Big G said:
Make sure to nest your numbered lists inside of an ordered list, or else your vote will not count. See the OP for details.

I'm really not sure what you mean. It appears to me those lists meet the guidelines.

hydruxo · Jan 19, 2018

Horizon Zero Dawn - One of my favorite games of this entire gen. It took me 65 hours to platinum and 100% the game in about two weeks, and then I still wanted to play more. I usually get burnt out on games when I play that much but HZD left me hungry to keep playing. The world was stunning, the combat was incredible, and the story was engaging. I can't imagine how good a sequel will be if they build off the already stellar foundation they've built. I don't have a lot more to say about HZD that hasn't already been said a billion times by everyone, but needless to say this was like a dream game for me that I had always wanted. It's not perfect, but it does what it does so well.
Pyre - This is a game that I wasn't sure if I wanted to pick up for a long while before it released. The art really drew me in from the very start, as to be expected because Supergiant's games are always gorgeous. I just wasn't sure what to make of the gameplay for a long time. I ended up finding a gameplay walkthrough on youtube at some point, and it finally clicked so I decided to pick it up and man, I'm glad I did. I absolutely love the cast of characters in this game. You really grow attached to them as the campaign unfolds, and there are some truly emotional moments that I had not anticipated. The gameplay never gets particularly deep, but it's a blast to speed across the map and dunk into the opponent's pyre. I also love how the game has you travel from each rite to the next, going to various locales and picking up new party members along the way. Lastly, the soundtrack. Oh my god. The score in this game is one of the best of the last decade in my opinion. Games like this are why I play video games, it's just such a fascinating experience and I loved every minute of it.
Assassin's Creed Origins - I used to buy AC games every year and I enjoyed all of them, but Black Flag was the last AC game that I really enjoyed. I felt really burned by Unity so I skipped out on Syndicate. Origins got the series back on track though and it's one of my favorites up there with AC2 and BF. Egypt is beautifully realized, and is a joy to explore in. The combat is finally engaging and interesting, and it feels like a proper game now.

I didn't really play much last year sadly, just didn't have the time for it. There's some other games I could include on here that I played like Yooka-Laylee and Destiny 2 but while I enjoyed them, I don't think they're worthy of being on a GOTY list. Hopefully I can play way more games in 2018 because there are tons that I want to get around to!

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Big G · Jan 19, 2018

New Fang said:
I'm really not sure what you mean. It appears to me those lists meet the guidelines.

Notice how the numbers in the posts I quoted aren't indented, compared with say, hydruxo's post just above this one.

You won't get a VOTEBOT receipt if the ballot isn't nested within an ordered list.

NoReasonReally · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - It has the best open world I've ever experienced in a video game, and I could go any direction and would find something interesting to explore. Its physics were extremely well done, and being able to climb anything and reach the top of any mountain I could see was mindblowing. Shrines were also fun, and I liked the combat and weapon durability. It also has flaws, such as the unmemorable soundtrack and bland dungeons, but those didn't affect my enjoyment of the game significantly.
Persona 5 - Persona has interesting mechanics, and this game improved what is Persona 3 and 4 biggest flaw significantly: It has great dungeons. I also liked the story, most characters and soundtrack.
NieR: Automata - A great Yoko Taro story, full of twists and unexpected events. The three main protagonists are very likeable, and the gameplay is fun. The soundtrack is amazing and helps making the experience even better as a whole.
Tales of Berseria - I really liked this game's story and characters. It was interesting playing as morally gray character who thought of their own objectives first above all else, and the main villain was also a very interesting character to me.
Super Mario Odyssey - Fun 3d platforming. The open world reminds me of a modern version of Mario 64, which is nice.
Fire Emblem Heroes - I never expected to like it as much as I did. This game has a nice, simplified version of Fire Emblem's gameplay that works perfectly for mobile. Some content such as chain challenges and arena assault can be challenging and legitimately need strategy.
Resident Evil 7 - This game had a great atmosphere and was a nice survival horror experience.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Despite the slow start, random 'gacha' mechanics, and questionable design of part of its cast, this game is pretty good. I don't think it's as great as the other 2 Xenoblades, but its story is good, the battle system is great, and the characters are nice. The world is also very good, but is disappointing compared to Xenoblade X (and to a much lesser extent the original Xenoblade).
Nioh - It's nice to see other developers making souls-like games. Nioh was fun and had pretty nice combat, but it could get a bit repetitive, and its areas weren't as good as the ones From Software make. It's still a game i'd recommend to anyone who likes the Souls games.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - This game did its job right, it took a bad, outdated NES game with terrible machanics, map design and UI and remade it bringing it to modernity. It still has many of the terrible things about the original gaiden, though, the horrible maps in particular. It also added some things that I don't think fit Fire Emblem at all, the biggest of them being dungeon crawling, which goes against everything I believe Fire Emblem is, since it encourages random battles, which take away from the "tightness" I like in level design, and significantly downplays the strategy element of the series. There are also other Fire Emblem games with grinding, but on those you can easily avoid optional battles, while on SoV, those battles are thrown at you whenever you're in a dungeon or roaming the map, and you have to do a lot of effort to avoid them. It's without a doubt my least favorite Fire Emblem remake (Shadow Dragon and New Mystery of the Emblem are much better games), but it's still a nice game. I'm just nitpicky about it because i fear for my enjoyment of Fire Emblem if Intelligent Systems decides to retain the aforementioned mechanics that I don't think belong in Fire Emblem in the future. Its writing is pretty good, though, and the story is better than Fates' and Awakening', but that's a very low standard. The voice acting was very nice, and helped bring life to its characters.

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abrack · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Hard to find something to say that hasn't been said already. What a game. The first game that really captured the joy/wonder of exploring a world, I was never bored for even a second. Don't want to spoil anything specific but there were several things I just happened to come across in the world that I will never forget.
Persona 5 - Tough luck coming out the same year as BotW, this is also going to go down as one of my favorite games ever. They really perfected the modern Persona formula here with all the QoL improvements.
NieR Automata - Man, what a year. Any of these top 3 would be my GotY most recent years. I don't think NieR is the BEST game I've played this year, but it's by far the one I've thought about the most after finishing it. And dear God, that soundtrack... so good.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm - I wasn't expecting much from this game. A prequel from a different studio, with a different voice cast, with no powers? No thanks. I think it ended up being better than the original.
Super Mario Odyssey - I'm not a huge Mario fan typically. In fact coming in to this year I don't think I'd ever beaten a Mario platformer (I have beaten most of the Mario & Luigi RPGs). This is by far my favorite Mario platformer, what a joy to play.
Pyre - Rukey is my dude. Love the story here, love the soundtrack, love the weird fantasy basketball game. Very unique.
Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony - I beat this 3 months ago and I STILL don't know how I feel about the ending. I think I like the general idea of it but not the execution? It was a bit of a bummer in that regard I guess, but overall I think this is my favorite cast of characters in a Danganronpa game. Excellent soundtrack, intriguing (as usual) story with a crazy ass ending.
Gravity Rush 2 - Just good vibes, the game. Love Kat, love the world, love traversing it and flying around. Some of the missions are annoying (the stealth missions, taking your power away, etc.) but the vibes, cutscenes, and the anime-crazy ending make up for all shortcomings.
Wolfenstein II The New Colossus - This was initially higher on my list but as some time passed it gets knocked down a bit. A fun cast of characters, cool story with some really epic moments... But I'm really not a fan of the gameplay. I'm not the biggest FPS fan so that's already a knock against it, but this seemed like a big step back from even The New Order. There were way more times in this game, even on easier difficulties, I died over and over again at annoying parts, and a couple times had no idea where to go to progress. Maybe I'm just a dummy. But I love BJ and Anya, love the setpieces, love Mesquite and Roswell and Venus. So good. What's up with that ending song though? Way to ruin the moment.
What Remains of Edith Finch - Brutal year, I'd love to put this game higher. I don't think I'll ever forget the Lewis section. I wasn't totally feeling the ending, but the journey was special.
Horizon Zero Dawn - Honorable Mention. I'm gonna be honest, I totally intended to put this game on my list and just forgot about it while typing it up until I went back to look for honorable mentions. That said, I'm happy with my top 10 and don't think I want to take any of them out for Horizon. It feels like a #11. The combat was solid and I was VERY interested in the storyline of what happened in the past, but I didn't care about ANY of the modern day happenings, tribes, or characters save for Aloy which really knocked the game down for me.
Yakuza 0 - Honorable Mention. I have faith if I had played more of this game it would have made the list, I just ran out of time. I LOVED Yakuza 4 when I played it last year and this seems like more of the same (but better). I really enjoyed the 4 or so hours I've put in so far and can't wait to see more.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Honorable Mention. One of the most intense games I've ever played. It's rare I need to take a break from a game due to being stressed/overwhelmed but this game did it to me the first time I played it. Very unique experience.
Assassin's Creed Origins - Again, what a year. One of my favorite ACs, which almost always make my top 10 list, and this one just grabs an Honorable Mention. Bayek and Aya are great, hope to see more of them in the future.

Edit: Removed Kingdom Hearts 0.2 BBS, since I didn't see it on the list and not sure if it qualifies. Don't necessarily want to nominate all of 2.8 because I'm not a huge DDD fan...

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OléGunner · Jan 19, 2018

Big G said:
Make sure to nest your numbered lists inside of an ordered list, or else your vote will not count. See the OP for details.

Ah totally didn't realise that. Thanks!

New Fang · Jan 19, 2018

Super Mario Odyssey - Exactly 30 years after getting an NES for Christmas so I could play the amazing Super Mario Bros, my favorite game of 2017 still features Mario. I judge games first and foremost on the old Game Pro "fun factor", and no game scored higher in that category this year than this one. It's got so much to do and it's so fun to play I'll be coming back to this one for years to come. An instant classic.
Splatoon 2 - I never bought the first game, so this was an entirely new experience for me, and I've enjoyed every one of the 60+ hours I've put into it so far.
ARMS - The first trailer for this game left me feeling completely uninterested. I did not want to play a motion controlled fighting game! But that all changed when they released the free test punch demo. I immediately saw the game in a different light, and enjoyed it's arcade fighting game feel. It's got that simple level of competitive strategy that I love. I really hope they make a sequel one day, because this was an incredible start.
SteamWorld Dig 2 - As you can see from the beginning of my list, I have a huge amount of respect for Nintendo's top tier development teams. The highest honor I can pay a dev team is to say their work feels like something Nintendo could have made. This game gets that honor from me. It's polished to a sheen few are capable of matching.
Enter the Gungeon - The first roguelike that's ever appealed to me. This game is hilariously charming and fun, but it's also bruisingly difficult. I keep coming back for more though because ultimately your skill is what will carry you to the end, and one day I hope to get good enough to make it happen. A free update is coming to the game soon, and it sounds like it will make an already great game even better.
Mr Shifty - An old school beat em up executed this well is a rare thing these days. A simple time blinking super power is exploited to terrific fun here. I love the simple design of the protagonist and the humorous writing works.
Fast RMX - A truly well made arcade racer complete with an over exuberant announcer from the 90's. I love it. Games like this are rarely made these days, and when they are they're almost never this good.
Gran Turismo Sport - I'll leave it to others to judge how realistic this games driving physics are, but Sport has the best *feel* of any sim racer I've ever played. It just feels right, and the act of taking a high end race car into a corner and nailing the turn is incredible. If it had a full career mode like the old games it would have ranked higher on the list.
SteamWorld Heist - The fourth game on this list impressed me so much I was willing to take a chance on this game from the same developer. So glad I did. I've never been that interested in turn based strategy games, but just like Dig 2 this game is so well made and focused on simple and fun gameplay that I love it.
Cuphead - What an incredible looking game, and to my surprise it plays almost as good as it looks. I feel like this game should be higher on my list, but the truth is it's punishing difficulty has kept me from finishing it, so far. I definitely plan on returning to it soon, and it's quite possible in a different headspace I'll see the game in an even more positive light. If any game on this list has a chance of me looking back months from now and thinking it should be higher, it's this one.

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OwensboroEsq · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - It's funny, but the moment I knew how much I actually adored this game was when the 1st DLC finished downloading and I loaded up Hero's Path Mode. I expected to spend 5 minutes looking at my history and just thinking "well, this is silly". Instead, I blew three hours (!!!) scrolling through it. I somehow remembered EVERYTHING that happened. Every mountain climbing expedition, every death, every detour, every time I got the top of a tower and decided to head "towards that crazy looking thing", the first time I saw a dragon, the first time I died to cold/fire/lynel/club lynel/bomb explosion off cliff/my own stupidity, every time I got lost just exploring, the time I tried to haul ass up a mountain in the cold with no cold gear, the time I first met Mylton and was freaked out, the time I ran into Molduga and just listened to the music for too long, the time I died to a Club Lynel over 80 times trying to learn his parry timing, the time I accidentally electrocuted an entire enemy group throwing a weapon at them, the time I got to the top of a hill and saw a giant maze in the distance, the time I landed on Eventide Island and just barely died to the last monster… It really did hammer home just how magical it was playing through Breath of the Wild. I can't wait to finally dig into the rest of the DLC now that I have time to play again!
Yakuza 0 - Yakuza 0 constantly subverted my expectations for it. I had seen all the silly GIFs, so as the story started up and my thoughts changed from "what silly kind of video-game story is this going to be" to "Oh…#%&$. This is really well done." I got to the combat and thought "oh, so it's just a shallow button mashy brawler", activated my HEAT special (triangle) for the first time, and went "Oh..#%^@. That was f-ing awesome!" I started running into side missions around town and changed from "Man, this story is so serious it's awesome" to "Did...did that dude just make a fisting joke? Did that kid really just make fun of that adult for being a virgin? Did I just help 'M~~ichael~~iracle J~~ackson~~ohnson' moonwalk down the street and fight zombies off of him? Did I just stop a teenage girl's used underwear selling ring? Did I just……." over and over and over. This is the first time in a while I've been impressed by a video game's super serious crime drama story with excellent voice acting (I don't even speak Japanese!) and also almost every single minigame and piece of side content thrown in a game. Yakuza 0 is a game everyone should give a shot.
Super Mario Odyssey - Finally, a 3D Mario where you really get to explore at your own pace again! I really loved not only Mario's moveset, but the mystery of what each captured enemy was going to allow you to do and what places it was going to allow you to visit. Cheep Cheep makes water levels bearable, the Lava Bubble makes lava fun, Tropical Wiggler is a joy to stretch around (and makes amazing sounds), and Pokio is just fun to wreck enemies with (and stick your beak into walls and flick around). The worlds range from the typical Mario level, to fun twists on the formula (Bowser's Castle, Luncheon Kingdom), to "What the heck!?!". The music ranges from typical to fantastic. This game just feels good, has the right amount of reverence/nostalgia to get me all giddy, and makes me feel….happy when playing it. Downright joyful.
Persona 5 - I love the music. "Beneath the Mask" is some incredibly well done chill music for running around town, and I absolutely adore the Regular Version (that organ!), to Lyrical Version (I still get goosebumps at "Where have you been?"), to Raining+Lyrical version (less is more!) transition. Love the Dungeon Music (3rd (Price) > 4th (The Days when my Mother was There) > 2nd (A Woman)) and the combat music (Last Suprise , Blooming Villain[/URL], Rivers in the Desert. I like the characters (but don't downright love them), the scenarios / palaces are always interesting, and unlike Persona 4 the ending and last boss actually make sense and it feels like a really triumphant moment (even if the overall story isn't as compelling as 4's "catch a murderer in a small town").
Golf Story - Golf Story was a game I knew I'd like from the instant I saw it but what I didn't expect was how charming the whole thing was going to be. The things that jumped out at me were how silly it was (in a good way), the unexpected but charming Australian influences (slang mostly), and of all things the HD-Rumble. They actually use Rumble as comedic timing and I LOVE IT. The only real downside of the entire thing is… it's constantly golf. You golf to open a course, then you golf to solve people's problems, then you golf an entire 9 holes, then you golf some more. I realize that's a silly complaint considering the game's name, but what it did was make the game a wonderful "Pick-Up and Play" kind of game instead of a "long session" game (and was awesome for the work trip I took my Switch along on).
Wolfenstein 2 - A slog to play, a joy to watch. That pretty much sums up my time with Wolfenstein 2. The central idea of the encounters in Wolf 2 is just… well… not fun. I could almost never kill Commanders before they sounded the alarm, the levels were too vertically confusing to know where the commanders were (the compass is almost useless as it doesn't show height or direction once they activate), and I'd die incredibly fast when *#$% hit the fan and never know who/what killed me from where. I found myself always wanting to sneak around to pick off guys, felt like I didn't have the tools to do so, and then just charging as fast as possible through the ball of enemies to the commanders to gun them down first.
That being said...holy *&%# this game's story, characters, and moments are just downright amazing. The instant I got over my "I'm good at video games I REFUSE to lower the difficulty" stupidity, knocked it down to "Can I Play, Daddy?", and ran around with dual shotguns this game became fun as hell. I'm still constantly amazed someone has somehow made BJ Blaskowitz actually interesting and surrounded him with a fun cast of characters. If you can, get this game and play it just for the story. IT GOES PLACES. (P.S. choose Wyatt, bask in the absurdity).
Shovel Knight Treasure Trove - I had played Shovel Knight before but couldn't pass up the chance to have it on-the-go with my Switch as it seemed like the perfect "pick up and play" game (play a level, put it down). I had never touched Plague Knight's campaign, so getting it + Spectre Knight + (eventually) King Knight was a no-brainer. I just assumed Plague and Spectre would be throwaway additions to the game - simple pallet swaps with no major changes. You know who's awesome? Plague Knight. His totally remixed levels, entirely new way of attacking and moving, and *very cute* story are suprising to the point that I think I actually kind of adore my least favorite boss (you better treat that lady right, PK). Two for Two, Yacht Club, you can't possibly do it again with…. wait… is Spectre Knight their riff on Ninja Gaiden?!? DUDE. Wall clinging + running, entirely new hub, entirely new levels, silly riffs on existing characters, new sub-weapons again… damn. Three for Three. I honestly can't wait for King Knight because at this point, I feel like Yacht Club can do absolutely no wrong. I mean, it's going to have a card battle game in it… Hah!
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Loved the diverse accents, loved the characters and how they interacted with each other, came to really like the battle system, hated some clothing choices that were made, hated the "Gatcha" system for rare blades. Better than X (I like story more than I thought), but still not as shockingly good as XC1 was. However, I can't wait to play whatever Monolithsoft makes next.
Steamworld Dig 2 - I blew through this game in about three days and couldn't put it down. The pull of the upgrade system and constant wanting to get stronger + dig further down is hard to resist. Definitely worth the money, and perfect for the portable nature of the Switch.
Nier Automata - Great music, insane story (that a lot flew over my head), fun characters, okay combat, and...man...just good music.

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cenor · Jan 19, 2018

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - I bought a Switch just for this. It's completely worth it, exceeded my expectations, and is the longest single player offline game I've ever played, at 150+ hours. It does have a some annoying flaws and the RNG part of it is frustrating, there is also that stupid mini game. However, the likeable characters, the world, battle system, music, and eventually, the story, all together, is a very compelling mix that got me hooked on the game. I really want to see more of it.
Persona 5 - It's exactly what I expected of it, except for the music. Best battle system of any Persona game, but it does get stale after awhile. It's not as good and memorable as Persona 3, but is a good game still.
Nier Automata - I actually enjoyed this more than Persona 5, however, Persona 5 has more substances, and is better overall. This game has a terrible map system and a lot of hours were wasted on looking for things using this map. Outside of the main quest, there are not much interesting things to do. Still, the main quest is pretty good. Some awesome music. In short, I really like what I've played, it just does not contain enough worthwhile contents to be better.
Danganronpa v3 Killing Harmony - Like Persona, it got what I expected from a Danganronpa game. It does have the weakest set of characters of the three games. It never reached the high of Danganronpa 2, and is not as memorable as Danganronpa 2. Yes, it's not as good as Danganronpa 2 in every way, but I enjoyed it.
Yakuza 0 - Good story and characters. This is my first Yakuza game so I can't really compare it to anything. Honestly, this is not the kind of game I would normally play, but I like what I got out of it.

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Semfry · Jan 19, 2018

Haven't thought about this as much as I wanted to, and there's some big games I haven't properly played yet (like Zelda: BOTW and a bunch of smaller Indie ones), but can't do much about that at this point.

Super Mario Odyssey - I love the Mario Galaxy games but this is the Mario I've been waiting for since Mario 64. I'd rather some of the more spurious moons were cut down but outside of that it's an amazing iteration on the pseudo-open Mario platformer, and one of the best games I've played.
Persona 5 - Another great iteration of the series, with top tier presentation, and finally dungeons that actually have some design in them. I wished it mixed up the base time-based structure a little, and the dungeons have their own issues (I'll take them over the random mazes of the last two any day though), but it's still excellent.
Nier: Automata - An excellent follow-up to the theme and designs of the original Nier and sticks with you in the same way. The Platinum combat was later undermined a bit in ways that could have maybe been improved, but it's still fun and a mechanical improvement on the original. Also contains the best and most surprising final boss of the year.
Hollow Knight - Perhaps my favourite of all time in the rapidly growing Metroidvania genre; tons of secrets and rewarding exploration, challenging combat (with rewards to help with it being great incentive for said exploration) great and varied settings and atmosphere and excellent presentation.
Prey - Maybe my favourite take on the immersive sim since the original Deus Ex; a great fleshed out setting and world with tons of stuff to find and surprising reactive changes to the story based on your actions. The last few hours are a little weaker and get a bit repetitive, which is what holds it back from being higher or my favourite in the genre.
Horizon: Zero Dawn - One of the best takes on the open-world genre I've seen, with a unique setting on top of that+finally a competent high-profile modern game with dinosaurs (sort of). It doesn't entirely escape generic open-world trappings like the occasional meaningless collectathon, which stops it being higher, but it does it far better than most. Still playing through the DLC so I'm not sure if it will change my thoughts at all.
The Evil Within 2 - A great new take on survival horror (a relatively rare genre now). It does the pseudo open-world well, to the point it almost made me wish the open-world was more present, because stumbling on weird horror vignettes led to some of the best moments in the game. It's a shame it's a little less experimental than the first one, but that leads to it being more polished, and it's also a surprise how improved the characters are, to the point that the ending actually provides a satisfying end to the series even if it never gets a follow-up.
Resident Evil 7 - I didn't dislike the later action RE's, but I'm still glad the series is successfully exploring a modern take on the slower paced and less action focused original formula, given the series it even has some surprisingly good writing moments to go along with it. It a shame the second half is somewhat weaker, but it still has it's moments, and the DLC mixes things up in some nice ways (though perhaps a bit of a disappointment if you expected a take on the RE7 style itself).
Sonic Mania - Sega finally did something sensible to the series (give it to people who know what they're doing) and shockingly (/s) ended up with the best Sonic game since Sonic and Knuckles. I don't think it quite beats out Sonic and Knuckles because it has some incoherencies that harm the feeling of an epic journey that S&K captures so well (and isn't praised enough for), but at worst it's easily second best.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - In terms of overall approach to pacing and design this is the game I wanted Uncharted 4 to be; it's like a perfect combination of all the best parts of the four earlier games, and it even manages something new with the open section that's now one of my favourite areas in the genre (technically 4 had something like it, but it wasn't open or rewarding in the same way). If it wasn't held back a little by obviously being a slightly less ambitious entry it would be up with Uncharted 2 for me.

I might do honorable mentions since I certainly have some extra games, but I guess I'll do that later if I decide to (and they won't be up for points anyway).

Edit: (as I said, these aren't intended to be added as points anyway so they aren't edited for that)

HM1: YS 8: Lacrimosa of Dana - Great action combat, nice world design, trademark amazing YS soundtrack and visually simple but varied world design. Basically the only reason this isn't somewhere on the list is because of the retranslation that has made me want to replay it when it happens and treat it as a new release (the awkward translation didn't bother me much, but I'm not going to complain about it getting fixed).
HM2: Nioh - One of the few successful alternative takes on the Souls style. It's just a shame the enemy variety is somewhat lacking (even if the DLC helped a bit) and it doesn't have the quality of atmospheric design the Souls games have, which made other games just edge it out.

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DodgeDusk · Jan 19, 2018

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - An excellent ending to a fantastic trilogy. One of my favourite games ever.
Persona 5 - Easily my most anticipated game. Incredibly stylish and fun to play.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - My second favourite soundtrack from a game this year. Combat is absolutely addicting and rewarding once you start connecting the combat mechanics together.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - The presentation in this game is phenomenal, and despite how stripped the gameplay is compared to the more recent FE games, I still found the gameplay a lot of fun. My most replayed game this year.
NieR: Automata - Most favourite sountrack of the year, and a contender for my favourite soundtrack from a game period. A truly amazing story and tight gameplay makes this game a must to play.

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