Gaming 2017: Year in Review
While 2017 was awful in a lot of ways, it ended up being a really good year for games. I've decided to rank every game I've played throughout the year. Disclaimer that some of these are older and not necessarily released in 2017. I may have also played some of these in 2016 but have a bad memory and would rather include them than not. But first, I'll lay down a simple rating system. The games are ordered within each score group, so some 3s are better than others, but they are pretty close.
1 - This game is trash and I would actively recommend you avoid it.
2 - I did not enjoy this game, but there was some redeeming quality hidden in the garbage, or I acknowledge the game probably isn't to my taste.
3 - The game is fun, but nothing incredibly memorable brought it higher, or lower. The kind of game you wait for a sale on.
4 - The game separated itself from the crowd, and I would actively start recommending it. Usually the better releases of the year fall here.
5 - You are doing yourself a disservice if you haven't played this game yet.
Unfortunately, the main plot and various side quests didn't really inspire me as much as the world they inhabited, and acted mostly as a backdrop to my exploration. The characters were also pretty boring.
On top of being straight eye-candy, the game happens to be quite fun. Fighting humans is your standard stealth take-down/shooter affair. The combat vs mechanical beasts is where the real fun is had. There is a great variety of awesomely designed beasts, each with their own weak points and attack patterns. Every time you discover a new machine to take down, it is a joy to figure out the best method of doing so. The game outfits you with an arsenal of weapons and tools that serve various functions in combat. I found myself planning and enacting strategies for each encounter, and the game even adds time slowing jumps and slides for sweet cinematic stunts.
That being said, the game has one too many Kojima-esque Japanese wtf moments, that are very hard to reconcile and make sense of. Some of the character motivations and major plot events just kind of don't make sense. I appreciate a fresh take on story telling, but Nier can't even seem to manage itself at times.
Despite my issues with some of the plot devices, Nier is still a fresh and engaging game, certainly more memorable than your average game. Also the music is real, real good.
The gameplay is fine, the controls and camera are sometimes a bit wonky, but the game was never really about the mechanics, it's about the adventure. There is only one part I distinctly remember not enjoying: the Gerudo village stealth segment. This game probably deserves a 5, but in truth the saturation of coverage this game gets kind of soured it a bit for me. I didn't get to experience it in a "pure" way, I already knew near everything about it, dampening the fascination I likely would have had if the N64 version never existed and this was the first release.
As if that wasn't enough, every world gets updated with new Power Moons and challenges both when you beat the main boss of the world, and when you beat the game. The amount of content is staggering considering how different each new addition is. At the same time I never felt overwhelmed. Nintendo employed a tried and true game design practice where each new mechanic is introduced with a simple task in order to understand it, and then throws more and more difficult objectives at the player to overcome and to test the boundaries of what they learned. This game is truly a masterclass in providing good, clean, simple fun.
What really ties together the sensation of exploration is one small but meaningful design choice: NO WAY-POINTS. Every other open world game has a million bullshit little markers for repetitive events, and quests are always marked with a location and glowing trail to follow. BOTW instead gives the player journal entries and rumors given by villagers and travelers on the road. No GO HERE marker or dotted path. The joy in being able to figure things out for yourself really cannot be described. It truly feels you are discovering things instead of feeling like you are just heading to a marker on your compass or set on rails.
Of course, the world itself is breathtaking, and I never got tired of climbing over the next mountain, scaling the next cliff, riding across the next open plain, or walking through the next forest. To go with this is an incredibly detailed map with a stunning attention to detail, going so far as to name every single geographical feature.
The few negatives I have are largely inconsequential. The music was not very memorable, in fact my favorite piece was the rehashed Lon Lon Ranch tune that the bird guy plays at the stables. However I believe this was intended, as the game wants to focus your senses on the natural world in front of you instead of distracting with sweeping orchestral pieces. The story is whatever. The game is missing the hallmark labyrinthine dungeons of the franchise, but again I think this was a choice of focusing on exploring the world instead of delving into temples. I mean the name is Breath of the WILD. The Shrines and Divine Beasts are plenty fun as far as providing that puzzle fix.
I honestly could go on and on, but have covered the main highlights. If you haven't played this game, you are doing yourself a disservice. But then, what could possibly be better than Breath of the Wild?
1 - This game is trash and I would actively recommend you avoid it.
2 - I did not enjoy this game, but there was some redeeming quality hidden in the garbage, or I acknowledge the game probably isn't to my taste.
3 - The game is fun, but nothing incredibly memorable brought it higher, or lower. The kind of game you wait for a sale on.
4 - The game separated itself from the crowd, and I would actively start recommending it. Usually the better releases of the year fall here.
5 - You are doing yourself a disservice if you haven't played this game yet.
Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth
This was an impulse Amazon buy; I think I was trying to make an order meet a certain price to get one-day shipping on something. Needless to say, the purchase did not pay off. The game is a grind-fest dungeon crawling turn-based JRPG. I'm already not usually a fan of that style, but what brought this from a 2 to a 1 is that there is also no story or unique characters to speak of. You get some art and voice lines to make some classes from, but really your party is just a collection of stats. This game is actually just a menu simulator.
Score: 1
Mass Effect: Andromeda
I think everyone who was a fan of the series knew how much of a disappointment this game ended up being. Despite having a shot at being something new, Andromeda didn't feel like it brought a whole lot to the franchise, other than an open world map style which ended up being largely empty and bland. The story and setting felt uninspiring and the cast was largely a downgrade from the interesting characters of the original trilogy. To drive home my point, this was the last game I entered to the list because I nearly forgot I had played it. All that being said, it was still Mass Effect, and though flawed I played it through to the end.
Score: 3
Fire Emblem Echos: Shadows of Valentia
Echos was a fine game, and I liked the idea of active abilities, as opposed to the purely passive ones found in modern FE games. I'd like to see them come back, just not attached to weapons. I am also a big fan of actually being able to deploy all of your units, and the split story lines/armies. But too many issues held this game back. The characters largely seemed generic and interchangeable in combat. The infinite spawn enemies were an unenjoyable slog and a terrible way to create "difficulty". The weapon upgrade system had promise but seemed poorly implemented. Still an FE game at the end of the day though.
Score: 3
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
I feel I have to disclose that I never played A Link to the Past, so I am not affected by any nostalgia in this case. A Link Between Worlds offers a lot of what people expect from a Legend of Zelda game: puzzle-filled, multi-layered dungeons, a set of artifacts to collects, a bag of tools and weapons, and a "mostly" open world. While this is a recipe for success, I didn't feel like the game did much to give me something new and truly interesting. Just a run of the mill Zelda entry. I also feel the 2D style takes away one of the major strengths of other Zelda games I enjoyed more: the atmosphere of the world and dungeons.Score: 3
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
As many know, the Uncharted games are highly polished action-adventure games full of cinematic, astounding moments. The characters have fun, good dialogue and the gameplay is well executed. But at the end of the day it just feels like a well-made action game, there's nothing extra there to make it memorable. It'll be fun for the twenty hours or so it takes to beat, but will ultimately be remembered as just a good action game. The definition of a game you should wait to be on sale and then get some entertainment out of for a week or two.Score: 3
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Horizon was a game I was looking forward to ever since I saw the original E3 trailer. The game did not disappoint, and gave me a few pleasant surprises. The directors and art team put together a truly unique world, with tons of beautiful locales and environments. For a large portion of the early game, NPCs were hyping up Meridian, this golden, mythical city at the center of civilization. What I did not expect was for it to actually be that way, as the design for Meridian was truly awe-inspiring.
Unfortunately, the main plot and various side quests didn't really inspire me as much as the world they inhabited, and acted mostly as a backdrop to my exploration. The characters were also pretty boring.
On top of being straight eye-candy, the game happens to be quite fun. Fighting humans is your standard stealth take-down/shooter affair. The combat vs mechanical beasts is where the real fun is had. There is a great variety of awesomely designed beasts, each with their own weak points and attack patterns. Every time you discover a new machine to take down, it is a joy to figure out the best method of doing so. The game outfits you with an arsenal of weapons and tools that serve various functions in combat. I found myself planning and enacting strategies for each encounter, and the game even adds time slowing jumps and slides for sweet cinematic stunts.
Score: 4
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Senua's Sacrifice wins my award for the best narrative of the year, accomplished through a deep and chilling journey through the eyes of the game's namesake, Senua. The developers did an excellent job constantly creating a dark ambiance through constant audio and visual feats. Senua was definitely the most interesting and most deeply explored character in a game this year. You can read my longer review here: Game Review Spooky Edition - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Score: 4
Nier: Automata
I was super hyped for Nier, and it lived up in some ways and let down in others. I went in expecting something different, as the Director, Yoko Taro, is known for subverting expectations, and making the player question their actions. This was a promise kept, as the game is dark and introspective in a meaningful way. It pulls to the fore abstract concepts such as free will and what it means to be human, or alive.That being said, the game has one too many Kojima-esque Japanese wtf moments, that are very hard to reconcile and make sense of. Some of the character motivations and major plot events just kind of don't make sense. I appreciate a fresh take on story telling, but Nier can't even seem to manage itself at times.
The gameplay itself is fast, fun, and very fluid, but does not evolve very much, every fight is essentially tackled in the same dodge-attack style. The bullet hell segments are truly a saving grace in terms of variety.
Despite my issues with some of the plot devices, Nier is still a fresh and engaging game, certainly more memorable than your average game. Also the music is real, real good.
Score: 4
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Believe it or not, it took me until 2017 to beat Ocarina of Time. I played the game as a kid sure, but never finished it due to a combination of short attention span and not being cultured enough to admire the world of Hyrule. Flash forward and I finally decide to pick up the 3DS remake, which brought a much-needed graphical overhaul to the classic. OOT really is what people hype it up to be: a truly imaginative experience filled with creative and atmospheric dungeons and settings, memorable characters, engaging puzzles, and one of the best soundtracks in gaming history. The game is constantly creative in its ideas and unique in its presentation.
The gameplay is fine, the controls and camera are sometimes a bit wonky, but the game was never really about the mechanics, it's about the adventure. There is only one part I distinctly remember not enjoying: the Gerudo village stealth segment. This game probably deserves a 5, but in truth the saturation of coverage this game gets kind of soured it a bit for me. I didn't get to experience it in a "pure" way, I already knew near everything about it, dampening the fascination I likely would have had if the N64 version never existed and this was the first release.
Score: 4.5
Pokemon: Sun/Moon
I'm pretty sure I played Sun in 2016, but wanted to include it just to say one thing: Pokemon Sun/Moon (or Ultra Sun/Moon but same difference) are the best Pokemon games of all time, and it's not particularly close. That is all.Score: 5
Persona 5
This game was fantastic and offered exactly what I look for in turn-based JRPGs to make them enjoyable: quick, simple combat. The genre isn't inherently flawed, but too many developers seem to think players like wading through obtuse menus and being assaulted by complex mechanics. P5 has a bit of that with the Persona crafting system, but generally is fairly straightforward while still offering a decent challenge. Another strength P5 has over conventional JRPGs is the setting and story. While I love fantasy settings as much as the next guy, taking place in modern Japan gives Persona the advantage of skipping a lot of world building and diving into the lives of its characters. And that ultimately is what the game is about; meeting people and learning their stories. Each of which are tragic in some way, making it your mission to help. P5 is chocked fulled of interested people and their stories, all with their own subplots. Add on top of that fantastic art and music direction, and you've got a great game.
The few negatives I have are that the best villain is the very first one. I HATED Kamoshida's guts, and few games bring out any actual emotion in me. Unfortunately that was the peak for me, largely because his story felt so personal. The game also has a few very Shonen moments which I was not a fan of but nothing that could ruin the experience.
Score: 5
Super Mario: Odyssey
Super Mario: Odyssey was a game I ended up enjoying way more than I expected. The accomplishment of this game is its ability to constantly be throwing new ideas at the player. While the core run and jump mechanics of Mario are here, the ability to control enemies allowed the developers to really go nuts. Every world you visit has at least one new mechanic, usually more, on top of each having their own visual feel and level design. There is never a stale moment as you are constantly given a fresh way to explore and play the game. The platforming and challenges to get power moons are endlessly creative, and there are only a handful of repeated ideas throughout the entire journey.As if that wasn't enough, every world gets updated with new Power Moons and challenges both when you beat the main boss of the world, and when you beat the game. The amount of content is staggering considering how different each new addition is. At the same time I never felt overwhelmed. Nintendo employed a tried and true game design practice where each new mechanic is introduced with a simple task in order to understand it, and then throws more and more difficult objectives at the player to overcome and to test the boundaries of what they learned. This game is truly a masterclass in providing good, clean, simple fun.
Score: 5
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild
The third Zelda entry on this list, and the best. Needless to say, Breath of The Wild blew damn near everyone away. This game embodies the essence of what an open-world game should be. Breath of the Wild gives you all the tools you need straight from the start, the only thing hindering you is the level of the enemies and your own creativity. There is a massive sense of freedom to go and do whatever you want. The climbing and gliding mechanics are genius, and there are so many ways to approach exploration that it never gets tiring.What really ties together the sensation of exploration is one small but meaningful design choice: NO WAY-POINTS. Every other open world game has a million bullshit little markers for repetitive events, and quests are always marked with a location and glowing trail to follow. BOTW instead gives the player journal entries and rumors given by villagers and travelers on the road. No GO HERE marker or dotted path. The joy in being able to figure things out for yourself really cannot be described. It truly feels you are discovering things instead of feeling like you are just heading to a marker on your compass or set on rails.
Of course, the world itself is breathtaking, and I never got tired of climbing over the next mountain, scaling the next cliff, riding across the next open plain, or walking through the next forest. To go with this is an incredibly detailed map with a stunning attention to detail, going so far as to name every single geographical feature.
The few negatives I have are largely inconsequential. The music was not very memorable, in fact my favorite piece was the rehashed Lon Lon Ranch tune that the bird guy plays at the stables. However I believe this was intended, as the game wants to focus your senses on the natural world in front of you instead of distracting with sweeping orchestral pieces. The story is whatever. The game is missing the hallmark labyrinthine dungeons of the franchise, but again I think this was a choice of focusing on exploring the world instead of delving into temples. I mean the name is Breath of the WILD. The Shrines and Divine Beasts are plenty fun as far as providing that puzzle fix.
I honestly could go on and on, but have covered the main highlights. If you haven't played this game, you are doing yourself a disservice. But then, what could possibly be better than Breath of the Wild?
Score: 5
2017 Game of the Year
Divinity: Original Sin 2
First let me be clear that Divinity is my GOTY by only a slim margin, and also that it probably has a narrower appeal than Breath of the Wild or Odyssey.
That out of the way, holy shit did this game come out of nowhere. I had gotten myself reasonably excited for Divinity, watching Early Access gameplay, but it blew my expectations away like no other game this year.
The combat system is one that I feel Dragon Age, one of my favorite franchises, always should have had. The isometric turn-based style is so damn effective, and feels a lot like what D&D would feel like if turned into a game, but with less RNG and rules nonsense to keep track of. The extent of combinations and approaches to combat are immense, owing to the leveling and skill system which allows you absolute freedom to create whatever kind of character you want. Want a Two-Handed Warrior with a touch of Necromancy? Done. Want an Archer who can also cast Lightning magic? You got it. You can re-spec at any time, as well as change your spell load-out at any time if you ever change your mind. Each character in your party is exactly what you want them to be.
Speaking of D&D, that was how I originally advertised this game to my friends, and playing through does feel a lot like experiencing a high fantasy campaign. I do warn however though, in the end the main campaign is likely best experienced as a single player owing to the next thing that made me fall in love with this game: the characters.
The party members in Divinity are some of the best written in any game I've ever played. They all have incredibly interesting personalities, backstories, subplots, and motivations. All this inside a heavily detailed and interesting world, and Divinity matches up again to Dragon Age in terms of depth of lore and character interaction. As if that was not enough, the Soundtrack is one of my favorites, on the same level as Nier and Ocarina of Time.
After putting over 100 hours into my first play through I was already thinking about starting the next one, that is how rich the world is and how much variety the game allows for. This game was truly amazing, and I haven't even used the Campaign Maker yet.
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