2017 has been one heck of a year. For some people it’s been great, for others not so much. For me as a gamer, this year has been slightly underwhelming in terms of releases. I ain’t saying they’re bad, far from it. It’s just that most of the games that I am looking forward to are releasing in 2018 and those that I’ve played in 2017 have more or less being disappointing. That being said, a good amount of games this year stood out as game of the year contenders in my book.
The first game that truly left a great impression on me is Assassin’s Creed Origin. The Assassin’s creed franchise has had it ups and down these past few years, with each iteration decreasing in quality. So Ubisoft decided that it was time to take a step back, take a year off and change their formula and oh boy did it pay off. Assassin’s Creed Origins is beautiful crafted game filled with a lush environment to explore and discover. I particularly paid attention to Origins simply because it was based on Ancient Egypt.
The main protagonists, Bayek of Siwa and Aya of Alexandria are two of my favorite Assassins in the series, yes, they are up there with my boy Ezio. Their dynamic and relationship was very interesting and following them go on their separate quest for vengeance was awesome.
Next up is Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I needed something to play after beating Super Mario Odyssey and hearing that this game was one of those game that required you to put in insane amount of hours to complete felt like a right purchase for me. I can say that I have put in 90+ hours into this game, completed the story and still want to go back and explore the world of Alrest. Now it does takes a while before the game kicks in but when it does, you better strap on. The combat mechanic it a fun and easy to pick up once you’ve gotten past the learning curve.
However, its the story and OST that makes this game really shine. The game’s got some of the best soundtracks (excluding NieR here) that I’ve ever heard and the story is so damm captivating and engaging that you’ll find it quite difficult put the Switch down. The characters are fun and interesting too and it’s their interaction together that really makes this game great. If I had one negative thing to say, its that Rex’s English voice actor was just terrible at putting in emotions when needed. He’s performance nearly ruined many important scenes that needed heavy emotions. Luckily enough the rest of the cast did a pretty good job in holding it down.
Another gem that blessed us this year is Sonic Mania. Sonic Mania is a game that reminded us all that the blue blur still has a place in current age of gaming. It succeeded where Sonic Forces failed miserably, it provided a solid gameplay, great OST and an overall better presentation. All of the OST in this game is godly. My favorite soundtrack from Sonic Mania is from a stage called Mirage Saloon. That track is pure flames. Do yourself a favour and listen to this remix, you can thank me later.
There isn’t much to say about Sonic Mania, it’s absolute fantastic game made by a fan who clearly knows what makes Sonic great and somehow gave us faith that maybe, just maybe, SEGA might decide to do it again and hire fans to create future modern Sonic games since clearly they know how to make solid games. You can tell I’m still mad about Forces. Such a disappointment my lord.
Last, but certainly not least, is a game that I feel is heavily slept on this year. NieR Automata. This game proved to be one of the most exhilarating game that I’ve played in 2017. I played the game on the highest difficultly because my pride wouldn’t allow anything less than that and its quite the challenge. And don’t get me started on these bosses. Nah fam, some of these fights can get hella crazy. NieR: Automata has the best OST this year, hands down. It won “Best Music” award in the 2017 Games Awards so that says a lot.
NieR: Automata is visually stunning on PC, boosting a rich world filled with things to find and discover. And the gameplay, bruh, the gameplay is amazing. One minute you’re playing a bullet-hell shoot-em-up, the next you’re in 3D fighting, then suddenly you’re thrown into a 2D platformer, and then to top it all off you get to take control of a Mech Suit. It’s one of those games that I feel everyone should play, honestly you won’t regret it.
And that’s it. Out of 2017, only four games made a big enough impact and left a great impression on me. I just got Zelda: Breath of the Wild but there’s no way I can add it on this list since I only put in two hours into the game but I’m sure if I had gotten it early and finished made it could’ve made it on the list.
