2017 has been a mixture of balancing my (slim) paycheck and indulging in one guilty pleasure: a Nintendo Switch. I honestly wasn't planning to get one this year, but Nintendo's lineup was so strong I caved in. I don't regret it, although my attention's been stretched thing between all the good games released this year; even without an Xbox or a Playstation, the Indie scene on PC is going strong.

10. Cosmic Star Heroine

All the CRPG press has been on Divinity: Original Sin 2 (and to a lesser extent Torment: Tides of Numenera), but Zeboyd Games also released their magnus opum Cosmic Star Heroine earlier this year. Inspired by Phantasy Star and Chrono Trigger, it builds upon the traditional JRPG combat system by making most abilities go on cooldown until your character Defends, forcing you to think about when you should use them. If you're looking for an RPG that isn't as dense as Original Sin, give this a go.

9. Million Onion Hotel

My mobile game for most of the year had been Fire Emblem Heroes, until I tired of its grinding and dropped it. I bought Million Onion Hotel as its replacement, and it quickly went from a pleasant diversion to a vexing challenge. I went from matching single lines to focusing on doubles to actually finish the game, and I've had to rethink how I play the game twice more just to make any progress on the High Score goals. From button mashing to strategy to restraint & focus, the game forces you to peel away the layers of its mechanics like an, uh, onion.

8. Fight'N Rage

8. I'm a sucker for sidescrolling brawlers and fluid pixel art, and Fight'N Rage scratches both itches well. It seems standard at first, but the multiple branching paths, character-specific plot scenes, and nuances of the (difficult) combat keep me coming back to it... or at least considering another round.

7. Sonic Mania

My last experience with Sonic was muddling my way through the levels of Sonic 2 and Sonic 3, on the rare occasions I played a Genesis. The first half of each world in Sonic Mania reminded me of those times; the second half realized what a Sonic game should be, as my previous halts melted into a smooth blur of speed. Stage design makes or breaks Sonic, and these devs know how to make good stage design. Now if only they could transfer that expertise to 3D stages...

6. Endless Space 2

Aside from (most) Sonic games, Sega's studios seem to be firing on all cylinders, between Yakuza, Total War, and Endless Space 2. From the devs of Endless Legend, Endless Space 2 puts its own twist on the old Space 4X genre, and for the most part succeeds. Its races feel properly different and alien, the story & cooperative quests give you a bit more to do than just pursue long-term Victory Conditions, and the combat is aggressively streamlined (although some may not like the hands-off approach to it). While it's not as ambitious as Stellaris, it's more fun to play.

5. Heat Signature

I was busy infiltrating a ship for an assassination mission when a hostile ship attacked it. A missile hit near me and I was sucked out of the breach, so I used the recoil from the shotgun to propel myself into the hostile ship's airlock. I killed everyone onboard, took the helm, and rammed it into the other ship until my target and both ships were rent asunder. Heat Signature is a fun way to mess with high-velocity objects, vacuum, and plans gone horribly awry.

4. Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood

Before this year, I thought my days as a Final Fantasy fanboy were long gone. It turns out I was looking in the wrong spot. Final Fantasy 14, and by extension its Stormblood expansion, are an oasis of traditional storytelling amidst the teen-obsessed wasteland the rest of the franchise has become. It eschews coming-of-age stories and romantic interests for a tale of loss, struggle, and revolution. It knows to put its spectacle in the boss fights, not in cutscenes. It also introduced my favorite MMO zone ever, the Azim Steppe: a Mongolia-like land filled with a dozen tribes ranging from mute merchants to berserkers who believe in reincarnation. It's easily up there with World of Warcraft for me.

3. Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

This was the last place I expected to find a good alternative to Xcom, but Mario+Rabbids is a shining example of how to put your own twist on an idea. Less accuracy finagling, more movement options, and status effects (like launching an enemy into the sky) that simply wouldn't fit in the grim future of Xcom, this shows Ubisoft still has some creative chops left in it. Their absurd take on Mario is just icing on the cake.

2. Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is just a joyous and fun game. The controls are great (except for the Side Somersault), hunting down the various Moons is (usually) fun, and it feels less self-serious and more self-aware than other Mario games. I often booted up this game to play for a half-hour before going to sleep... and ended up staggering into bed 3 hours because I lost track of time.

1. Breath of the Wild

The most fun I've ever had exploring an open world, bar none. Memorable landscapes, weird nooks & crannies, and unobstrusive story quests make it easy to lose yourself just wandering. The world feels so big, and direction is so sparse, you naturally carve out your own path, investigating interesting locales and getting distracted by whatever you stumble upon along the way. It also has my favorite "final dungeon" of any video game: the entire grounds of Hyrule Castle, along with the freedom to assault it via the main road, its side cliffs/towers, or even underground tunnels.