It's hard not to start this post by saying something like "what a year it's been", because 2017 turned out to be one of the most packed years of gaming we've seen for a while. There were so many different experiences available for every type of gamer, which really excites me for what's to come. For now though, let's have a little look back on the last year of games and try and figure out the cream of the crop.
Of course, I'm only considering games that I actually played enough of to feel like I have an informed opinion. There are many big names that haven't been considered, because I never played them. There will be no PUBG here or anything Nintendo, as I have just about zero interest in both. However, I would like to note that even though I have no interest in these games, I'm super stoked to think that their fans had a whole bunch of great stuff to play. If you want to jump ahead to a full list of the 2017 releases I played, there's one at the bottom of this post.
Final preamble thought: I don't like thinking of Game Of The Year considerations as a way to put down games I didn't like, but instead it's a way to highlight the real gems that had enough of an impact to stay with me. To that end, I put a lot of weight on the amount of enjoyment I had playing a game, regardless of quality or critical acclaim.
So let's get on with it by starting at the top with my 2017 Game Of The Year. For each game I single out, I'll attempt to explain why and what I loved about it, and hopefully someone out there might get turned on to something they otherwise could have overlooked. Without further delay…
NieR:Automata
My interaction with NieR:Automata has been a bit odd, as I didn't end up sinking my teeth in until very recently. I played the demo when it first released on PS4 and was immediately in love with the game. A little later I bought it on its release day for PC, as I was already looking forward to playing more. However, I was in the middle of some other games at the time and it kept getting pushed down in priority until I had the time to invest.
The thing is that if I know I'm going to love a game, but I know it's going to require some time investment, I want to leave it until I have the opportunity to really get stuck in. I don't want to only play for an hour or two, then lose the momentum because I couldn't get back to it for a couple of weeks. It got so bad that I was almost going to write this post before giving it any time, which would have been a tragedy.
NieR:Automata is so very good.
As I write this I haven't finished the game. In fact I still have a long way to go, but I'm far enough in to confidently say that this is the game of 2017 that I will be loving for a long time to come. I've read a lot of critique about the game's weaknesses and controversial mechanics, but I feel like this game was made just for me and everything I enjoy about gaming. Not only is this my GOTY, but it's perhaps my favourite game so far from the current generation.
I was thinking about how to articulate why I love this NieR:Automata so much, as I never played the original, and I tend to be wary of similar genres like JRPGs. Of course, this is far from a JRPG, but it's mostly thanks to Platinum being the gods of third person action mechanics. If you changed the combat to a turn based JRPG system, this would barely be half as good as it currently is.
There's a reason that Platinum are known for their combat systems, which I honestly feel would make any other developer give up trying at all. It's incredibly telling to note that most Platinum games I've played, use very similar combat systems and combo mechanics, but I never get bored of them. Ultimately I'm confident that any third person action game they touch will have some deep mechanics and enjoyable/over the top combat.
Fortunately though, I probably wouldn't be talking about NieR:Automata if the only positive was Platinum combat. What really pushes it over the top is everything else involved in the game that hits every note perfectly and without exception.
Sticking to mechanics; the way that your perspective and control scheme shifts fluidly from scene to scene is a bit of game programming wizardry that I'm consistently amazed at. Consider switching from third person action, to side scrolling platforming, to top down twin-stick bullet hell, back to third person action. Then put some of them together so that there are moments when you're playing a third person bullet hell game, or a side scrolling twin-stick.
It's not just impressive that NieR:Automata manages to shift between these modes in a way that makes sense to the story and abilities of the characters, but it's a technical triumph in itself. Usually I'd expect there to be a loading screen or some other signpost to indicate something's about to change, except there's no such thing here. The camera will just move about as you enter and exit areas, or as different waves of enemies appear during combat.
What feels really nice in these transitions, is how the controls change appropriately and without the obvious difference we've all experienced in fixed-camera games. You know how when you're moving from one perspective to another in a fixed camera game, what used to be forward will suddenly change to up or down, so you have to manually correct your input? Somehow NieR:Automata manages to handle these control shifts seamlessly, and I have yet to encounter a moment of confusion or awkward manual adjustments to correct a jarring change in perspective.
Now realise that the world building in NieR:Automata is fantastically deep and interesting. There's a little bit of a plot-dump at the beginning about how humans have left the Earth after a robot invasion, but it's just enough to give context without slapping you in the face. From then on just about every bit of information is gathered through dialogue with NPCs, or simply from exploring and interacting with the world.
Despite it being a science fiction story about machines and humanity, there's something incredibly grounded about NieR:Automata's world that has me fixated. I think it's a basic case of showing instead of telling, where most of the game is presented to the player without endless exposition trying to justify and explain everything. Of course I have a lot of questions, but I love that kind of story-telling as I'm hooked to see where the bread crumb trail will lead.
Finally, the icing on the cake is the presentation and design that is unique and beautifully realised. You know a sci-fi world has been designed well when all the characters and locations feel like they naturally belong and never look out of place. This is even more relevant when you're talking about some of the more unique aspects of NieR:Automata's design. Perhaps though, the excellent soundtrack is doing a little more than keeping everything within a theme, as it weaves a thread throughout the whole experience that feels weighty and valuable.
When I finally complete NieR:Automata, I'll write a full dedicated post, so look out for that in the future. There's so much more detail to go into, but I'd rather wait until I have the full picture to really pick everything apart. However, right now I'm one hundred percent sold on this being my favourite game released in 2017. On top of it being a brilliant game in every aspect, I'm constantly amazed at all the little problems that have been solved, like the control and camera transitions.
I see many hours ahead in my future, which looks extremely bright thanks to NieR:Automata.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands
I spent a lot of time thinking about Wildlands over the course of 2017. It was released early in the year and was perhaps the first big budget game I played in that time. This is a game that was widely disregarded in the media, despite it having strong sales records and a decent sized player base. I always felt bad for Wildlands whenever I heard people talk about it on podcasts, as it turned out that most of them didn't even play it before writing it off. It bothered me because playing it was exactly what sold me on Wildlands in the first place.
Don't get me wrong, there's a lot about Wildlands that depends on your own personal taste, and it's easy to see why a lot of people might not like it. In fact, when I saw it announced at E3 where they did an awkward stage demo of the game's co-op gameplay, it looked downright awful. It looked so bad that if I hadn't played in the free open beta weekend, I probably would never have given it a second chance.
There's a lesson here for any developer who thinks releasing a demo of their game is a waste of time. The demo sold me hard on NieR:Automata, and it changed me from a solid "don't buy" to a "must purchase" on Wildlands.
Ultimately though, this is basically the open world game to beat all open world games (when it was released anyway). If you're familiar with big-budget open world titles like Far Cry and Assassin's Creed, then you won't find much out of the ordinary here. Thankfully though, I am a big fan of the open world grind and I will happily run off into the wilderness to destroy enemy bases and collect useless resources.
There's already a big post up about Wildlands, so I'll try and keep it brief here. Essentially though what it boils down to is that I spent over a hundred hours in this game and loved every minute of it. Regardless of its flaws, the fact I had so much fun speaks volumes to me, as I rarely spend that much time in any game. I didn't ever feel compelled to take the short line to the finish (which shortens the game a lot by the way), and instead wanted to exhaust every possible avenue of gameplay before the credits rolled. The fact that Wildlands was so compelling, makes it an undeniable favourite of 2017, as I had more hours of fun and enjoyment than in any other game.
What's more, I've fired it up again and again over time, as the co-op drop-in/drop-out feature is pretty seamless and easy to use. I rarely care about multiplayer in any game, but having a friend who plays Wildlands is a lot of fun, as you can squad up and take on missions together. Often there are complications and difficulties that don't come up when you're playing with AI team mates, so it offers a different challenge and level of enjoyment.
Although, the final cherry on top for Wildlands has been the Predator DLC that was released not so long ago. After exploring the open world and huge landscapes of Bolivia, the free DLC adds in a tough and exciting battle with a Predator who crash landed in the jungle. The encounter is tight and features a heap of authentic Predator visuals and audio cues; making it feel incredible to see some cloaked movement in the corner of your eye, just before it disappears into the foliage.
I don't often feel compelled to get a hundred percent completion on a big, sprawling, open world game, but Wildlands got its hooks in me from the start. Sure there's a list of annoying little flaws I could mention that would turn off a bunch of folk, but there's a reason this isn't the best game I played in 2017. It's just one of the best, which is still pretty great.
What Remains Of Edith Finch
Time for a complete change of pace as we move from over a hundred hours of big budget open world mainstream spectacular, to a short narrative independent experience that's bursting with creativity. There's a reason this game has appeared on so many GOTY lists, because it takes narrative games to the next level.
It seems that since narrative games became a thing, there has been a recognisable progression of iteration as time goes by. Ever since people started debating the merits of Dear Esther, we've seen a whole lot of changes happen within the genre. Each time I play a new narrative game, I'm always enchanted by the new thing that they've added to the genre. Most of the time though, I think I love narrative games because they tell stories in a way that only video games are capable of.
What Remains Of Edith Finch takes this idea to another level, as it clearly iterates on games like Gone Home and Firewatch. Those games played on mystery and the unknown to make exploring an unfamiliar environment intensely interesting, but Edith Finch takes a turn for the surreal in a world of tall tales and unreliable narrators.
You're tasked with exploring an old house and learning the stories behind its previous inhabitants through items and writing they left behind. What really makes Edith Finch stand out though, is how creative it can be with each story that's told.
With every room you enter, another character is revealed and their story is told, which triggers a surreal memory sequence. I don't want to give anything away, but I was constantly amazed and surprised at how differently each story was told. One has you playing through a comic book, another has you turn into a cat to chase a bird, while another shows the repetition of a single day over and over.
It's really difficult to say anything in detail without spoiling the joy of finding out for yourself, but video game story telling gets taken to an entirely new level. A few sequences in particular are mind boggling and showcase how well video games can create interactive visualisations of stories. For those of you who have played it, the cannery scenes are pure mind bending genius, not to mention all the others.
What Remains Of Edith Finch almost took out the top spot for GOTY, and it still could if the criteria were shifted in its favour. I almost want to clarify that it could be the most creative and critically well executed game of 2017, but it's too niche to max out as many different categories as NieR:Automata did.
However, this is a game that does everything it wants to do, perfectly. I can't fault it in any way at all. In fact, it might be one of the few narrative games that I eventually replay sometime in the future. After finishing, I immediately replayed the scenes that were my favourites (the bath tub, the cannery, the photography one… to name a few), so it's pretty set that I'll be back eventually.
If you've played What Remains Of Edith Finch, then you'll know exactly what I mean when I say that this takes interactive story-telling to a whole new level. If you haven't played it, then you owe yourself the kindness of experiencing what this game has to offer. It's genuinely a masterpiece of the genre.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
These are games that I spent some time considering and weighing up against each other for the best games of 2017. Basically I couldn't write this post without at least pointing out the following titles, as each of these came incredibly close to the top spots.
In order of release:
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Another big open world game that I haven't finished yet, but am thoroughly enjoying so far. I don't think I like Horizon as much as most of the hype I've seen online, but it's definitely an excellent experience. The presentation and voice acting is impeccable, but there are times I feel like I'm on the open world treadmill. There are too many open world tropes in Horizon for it to be more than just a big budget open world game. Things like hunting challenges and boring loot and crafting bring it down and creates more busy work that's not enjoyable. However, the story and characters hold up well enough to carry the game and keep it interesting.
Thimbleweed Park
It hasn't been long since I wrote about Thimbleweed Park and how it revitalised my love for adventure games in just the right way. Everything about the game is faithful to the classic point and click adventures, just with updated graphics and more depth than ever before. The writing is smart and witty, while the puzzles walk the line just enough between being difficult and straight up moon-logic. Definitely one not to miss if you're a fan of the genre, or have any slither of nostalgia for old adventure games.
Blackwood Crossing
Another narrative title that blew my mind in 2017, which I was seriously considering over What Remains Of Edith Finch. However, Blackwood Crossing is much more linear and a bit less interactive, which held it back a little. Don't be fooled though, as this is a masterful entry in to the narrative game genre. It tells a surreal story that I connected with so deeply that I found myself stopping to bawl my eyes out at a few key points throughout the experience. This is a sad story told with gentle ease and beautiful abstraction. When a game manages to take you on such a beautiful and articulate journey, it's hard not to fall in love. One of the best narrative games I've ever had the pleasure of playing.
Spaceplan
I'm not too proud to deny the fact that every now and then I like to fire up a clicker and see the numbers get bigger. I've tried all the popular ones, but never really taken notice of their theme or what they're telling me, until I played Spaceplan. It's a simple take on the clicker/iterative game genre, but it successfully includes a story that you might actually want to follow. It's bizarre and surreal, but a fantastic little experience that's worth checking out.
The Surge
Honestly, it's basically science fiction Dark Souls, but I'm completely okay with that. After playing Demon Souls and the first Dark Souls, I'm a little over the knights and monsters theme, so fighting psychotic mech suits and robots is a nice change. Of course The Surge is heavily influenced by the Souls series, but that doesn't bother me as it's a very well executed game. It looks and sounds great, and the progression feels meaningful. Maybe I'm not very skilled at these games, but the biggest success of The Surge is that I never feel safe and I'm always struggling. The biggest flaw is that nothing other than the theme is original, but that's perfectly fine with me.
Nex Machina
I can't escape the fact that I really enjoyed Nex Machina, as it's a sexy looking twin-stick from Housemarque, whose style I will always enjoy. I might have even elevated this game to a runner up position if it didn't suffer from lacking a bit of direction. A lot of the time it's easy to get lost and confused among the action on screen, which is okay with me, but firmly plants this game in a niche arcade shooter category. Something that the developers had a good whine about when sales didn't go so well, even though they quickly released the lacklustre Matterfall soon after. Despite this, there's no denying the fact that Nex Machina is a really great twin-stick shooter, even if it has its flaws.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
I never played the first Divinity: Original Sin, but I picked up the sequel after seeing some gameplay of it online. I'm surprised that it didn't take out the GOTY prize from more outlets, but it hasn't taken mine either so there's probably a reason for that. For me, it just wasn't accessible enough to reach perfection, although it only falls short by the smallest margin. It might take a while to get into, but once you get used to the game's systems and how everything balances out against each other, it's open season for a deep RPG experience. The game is famous for letting you play it however you want, and is basically the best video game version of Dungeons & Dragons I've ever encountered. I still have many hours left to finish in the game, but it's definitely one of the greats from 2017.
THE LIST
I'm always bad at wrapping these things up, so let's finish with a big list of the games released in 2017 that I actually played. I made an effort to at least try out a bunch of releases that appeared interesting, so it's a bit bigger than last year. As usual though, I've included the platform I played each game on, and if I've written a post about a game the title will link there if you'd like to find out more.
I now have a whole bunch of awesome 2017 games to finish off in 2018, so I'm kind of hoping for this year to be a little calmer on the release side of life. Stay tuned for more posts about games as I get around to finishing them, but the list below will be updated with links as they are posted.
Hatsune Mike: Project DIVA Future Tone (PS4)
Laraan (Win)
She Remembered Caterpillars (Win)
Idioctopus (Win)
Ride 2 (PS4)
For Honor (Win)
Hidden Folks (Win)
Open Sorcery (Win)
911 Operator (Win)
The Inner Darkness (Win)
Furious Angels (Win)
Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands (Win)
NieR:Automata (Win)
Fallout Shelter (Win)
Thimbleweed Park (Win)
Drawn To Death (PS4)
PaRappa the Rapper Remastered (PS4)
Blackwood Crossing (Win)
Full Throttle Remastered (Win)
Games & Girls (Win)
Pinstripe (Win)
What Remains Of Edith Finch (Win)
Spaceplan (Win)
LocoRoco Remastered (PS4)
Block'hood (Win)
The Surge (PS4)
Old Man's Journey (Win)
Ophidia (Win)
Tormentor X Punisher (Win)
Monolith (Win)
Lines (Win)
Flood Of Light (Win)
Nex Machina (Win)
Cryptark (Win)
Qop (Win)
All You Can Eat (Win)
The Initial (Win)
Secret World Legends (Win)
The Monster Inside (Win)
Patapon Remastered (PS4)
Sine Mora EX (Win)
Matterfall (PS4)
Subsurface Circular (Win)
Divinity: Original Sin 2 (Win)
Guild Wars 2: Path Of Fire (Win)
Opus Magnum (Win)
Rumu (Win)