2017 has been a fantastic year for video games. For fans of virtually any type of game, there's been something to really enjoy. Narrowing down a list to just a Top 10 is nearly impossible, but I'll give it a shot. (Also, again, this list is only for games I've actually played. There's plenty that might have made my list if I had had the chance to play it. Also, I haven't completed all of these games - I just don't have the time!)
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NieR: Auromata is a game that I should absolutely love. I've heard time and time again about how wonderful the story gets, and about how even the stories in the sidequests are worth experiencing. But every time I turned it on, it felt like the entire game was trying hard to make me not want to play it. I did not enjoy the combat, and running around the world felt just a tad too odd for my taste. I just wasn't able to put in the time to finish this game when there were so many other wonderful experiences I wanted to play first. Hopefully I'll be able to return to this game next year and get through it.
Yooka-Laylee should have been a smash hit, in my opinion. It was a return to the Rare style of 3D platformer that dominated my childhood on the Nintendo 64. It was made by former Rare employees that worked on those kinds of games, so they really knew what they were doing. The world looks bright and inviting, and the music was done by Grant Kirkhope! So it was a shame that a lot of the worlds felt weirdly barren at times, and despite the decent controls and varied worlds the entire thing got really boring much quicker than it should have. I don't think it's a bad game, I just think it's one of the more disappointing games this year.
Hellblade really surprised me. I wasn't sure what this game was going to be - based on the studio and the name, I really expected a fast paced action packed game. Instead what I got was a story focused, slow paced game with a very methodical combat system. I'm very impressed with their handling of psychosis, going so far as to have experts in mental illness present to help them conceptualize the issues in a fairer and more realistic way. That said, I really felt that their emphasis on realistic mental health led me to be very confused by the game's story and experiences. I think the warnings about it at the front of the game made me think there was going to be a lot of confusion about the setting, a lot of "is this real or not?", but it plays those things completely straight. I don't know if that's a problem with my preconceived notions of these kinds of mental illness, my preconceived notions of these types of games, or if it was actually confusing. As such, I don't want to knock it any points for that. So here's what I will knock it points for: The gameplay itself is just bad. The combat get boring very quickly, and the puzzles they have are very simplistic and not interesting at all. And, by the end of the game, it becomes a slog through tons of enemies, and the combat just doesn't hold up in that kind of situation. This would have been a really, really cool movie, but I don't think it works well as a game. (Also, one last point: the acting for Senua is some of the best I've ever seen in a game.)
Horizon is a really good game. It looks wonderful. It's fun to play, and the lore of the world really captured me. If this game had come out last year, it would have been my game of the year. Unfortunately, this year Horizon is pretty far down this list. It's not a knock against it, it shows how great games were this year.
Hoo boy. We're getting into the real fun stuff. I loved Kingdom of Loathing back when I was in high school, and I love reading westerns. Combining the two in an RPG is such a cool, unique idea that I really loved playing. The sense of humour in this game is fantastic, and I really enjoyed exploring that world.
When Cuphead was first shown, my reaction was "Whoa, that looks cool!" And then I waited a long time for it to finally come out. I was so, so worried that it would play terribly. I often think games that prioritize animation quality over gameplay are a recipe for disaster, but Cuphead was developed with such a clear goal in mind that it ends up working perfectly. It's a great game.
Now, I haven't had the chance to play through all of Odyssey yet. In fact, I'm still pretty early on in the game. But this game is such a joyous return to traditional 3D Mario games. Even the gimmick of throwing your hat to possess enemies and objects in the environment is great and adds a ton to the game. Everything about this game just... works.
Night in the Woods is an emotional story about a college dropout returning home and experiencing a bit of an existential crisis. Also there's a ghost story, but its really about the characters trying to find themselves and navigate the world around them as they grow up. The writing in this game is some of the best I've ever seen, and the style of the art is simplistic but beautiful. Between the two, I often thought of Bryan Lee O'Malley's work (the graphic novelist and creator of "Scott Pilgrim"). I know the characters and story might not work for everyone, but it resonated very strongly with me.
CSD2 is the best cooking game ever made. Running the restaurant, cooking everything and doing the chores makes for one of the most hectic play sessions I've ever enjoyed. It makes everything simple enough to be playable, but not so challenging that you want to give up. The first one did the same, but 2's addition of playing preexisting restaurants forces you to work with foods you might not be comfortable trying in your restaurant. Every time I finish a shift in that game, I have to let out an exhausted sigh and sit back for a minute because the intensity of the day has left me tensed up and on edge. But every day is such a wonderful relief when you make it through. Even though it can be hard at times, it offers a sense of reward I can't get from other games.
Here it is. My game of the year: Persona 5. Not everyone is going to enjoy this game. It's a roughly 100 hour long JRPG, with a lot of the tropes and gameplay choices that come with that type of game. I'm a fan of those types of games, but lots of people aren't. The visual style of this game is utterly incredible. It's not matched by anything else in video games, and bleeds into every part of the game, from the UI to the battles, to the music. The characters stuck with me in a strong way, and the themes of the game's story resonated with me. Finishing the game felt like saying goodbye to a group of good friends... which is why I immediately started playing New Game + and worked on getting all of the trophies. (Persona 5 is the only game I've ever received a Platinum Trophy for by earning every trophy in the game.) Everything came together in a wonderful way for me with this game, and it's something that will stick with me for many years to come.