Hey there everyone! Heres my top 20 GOTY list for this year that is PC centric! Why 20 instead of 10, you may ask? Because this year was amazing and only doing a mere top 10 really feels like doing injustice to all those really brilliant video games I've played throughout the entire year!
Anyway, to avoid confusion, here are some rules I've set myself before doing this list:
Last but not least: English isn't my native language, so please keep this in mind before laughing at my terrible writing! I will fix typing errors and add in some further elaboration on some games, as time goes by if I feel that I lacked any sort of explaination for any of the games, so constructive criticism is always much appreciated.
And regarding all the video games listed here, even the ones in the lower places I can safely say that they're all good video games and worth checking out, at least if you find the time to do so.
Now, onwards to the list! I hope you enjoy.
EDIT 12/30/2017: Suprisingly for me, Nier: Automata became one of the most favorised GOTY contenders by the staff and its userbase so I elaborated on my own thoughts a little on why I'm not riding the bandwagon so to speak.
Showing 1-10 of 20 items
Rank 20: This list already starts off very strong, considering that Tooth and Tail plays just as awesome as it looks. First things first, the four factions do play similarly but due to the way units are tiered in their sizes while having slightly different traits they also always feel differently, which makes sense because they primarily designed this game to be a Multiplayer focused experience. For those however who don't like that sort of thing they created a campaign mode that explains the games story in detail. Tooth and Tails campaign also reminds me a lot about the campaign of another Real Time Strategy game called War Wind in terms of the 4 factions and how they're at war with each other politically and even in parts spiritually. It also wouldn't be wrong to compare this game directly with another old game called Z not only in terms of general esthetics but also as another example where quick reflexes and knowledge about unit stats were matter more than just mere resource management. These two older games are some of my favorite Real Time Strategy games and Tooth and Tail provided me with some of both and thats great. This game is clearly made for fans of the quick type of strategy games, kinda the sort of group who enjoy the test of reflexes of a multiplayer Starcraft match but without the whole micromanagement thing and the game clearly caters to that competitive crowd, too. Besides all of that, the soundtrack is made by Austin Wintory, a very talented composer that you probably already know from games such as Journey and here hes just as great. The soundtrack perfectly fits the themes of the game, which are most primarily politically clashes. I felt like that the game could've benefit from a Skirmish mode but the Singleplayer story mode was actually engaging enough to keep playing, even though thats one of the games secondary appeals. It felt short and I kept longing for more from the fascinating world Poketwatch created here. Too bad they didn't fully go in on the Singleplayer crowd. And did I tell you that the game has a cute squirrel in it that gave away her arm so others could have some food? So the award for the sweetest video game chracter goes to...!
Rank 19: Some people may call it a Superhero or Powerfantasy game but I call it a game with a actually great and sincere message. You're playing as a godlike being trying to fight off a alien invasion on Earth. As you're invincible, it is almost impossible to die. But instead of your own health, you have to protect the health of the people you're protecting. Should a certainly amount of Humans die, you have to restart from a checkpoint. With power comes great responsiblity after all. I sometimes feel that the health meter is a little bit too restrictive but after all, blowing up cities by accident sure ain't nice for everyone involved, hehe! This game has certainly the best technology behind any game released for this GOTY list except perhaps two other examples and whats even more amazing is that the whole thing was created by just one person, apart from the game models and the music. Besides the actual game, the sole creator put in a procedually generated UNIVERSE for the player to travel around in for no other reason but because he can. From a technical standpoint this has been mindblowing to me. Its just there to look at it and find pretty, fly around and marvel at what is there, space can be a canvas for you to fill with your imagination or to feel inspired by its tranquility. With this said, I do life the calm moments when you're picking your next mission. Whats interesting is that the music is programmed in a way that it goes hand to hand with the action happening in the game, it is not just a track that loops. So in this way, this is also the game with the best use of music. Its unfortunate that the game after its 5 years of cooking inside the furnace isn't all as great as it could've been. The amazing games premise is held back by linear missions that you always progress in the same vain. Personally I enjoyed the amazing music and the upbeat message this game is trying to tell the player. Its all in all a fun game to play even without a sandbox mode that totally should exist for this type of game. Perhaps one last note, this game is, for the most part, intended to play in VR and its of no suprise that probably the best VR game that came out in 2017 so be sure to check it out at some point.
Rank 18: Released out of Early Access this year, a small suprise hit for me! A game I can certainly never complete as I usually don't like this sort of genre but sometimes games with permadeath still suprise me in a very positive way and Caveblazers is such a game. A game more akin to mid 90s side scrollers than Spelunky, it takes the Roguelike formulas and creates a demandingly unique actiongame that can stand on its own feet. The graphics and Audio are pretty unremarkable, but this game primarily earns sympathy points for its gameplay, which are really great for if you happen to only pick up and play certain games every now and then. At any case, I've bought it for only a few bucks and if a "Spelunky but with more action oriented gameplay" is your thing, definitely check this one out!
Rank 17: A lot of people know Asura as being the father who punched God to free his daughter but in this game hes a gruffy red dude that also likes punching Demons. This game, just like Caveblazers before, is another Roguelike, which means that it has Permadeath and all that stuff people enjoy from games like that. But behind its coating theres a whole lot of Diablo type of Hack and Slash gameplay that I personally really like such as finding different types of weapons, armors, consumables, rings, well you name it! I think its reasonable to explain the game to others by saying "This game is the baby if Torchlight 1 and Brut@l would make out". By the way, Brut@l also came out for PC and I'm kinda sad that it didn't make it on the list. Its still a good game, pick it up if you ever played a ASCII roguelike game in your life and want a Diablo like game! I at least feel better now by telling people to pick up Brut@l, hehe. On another note it kinda feels odd to have two Roguelikes (Caveblazers and this one) so close together, but this is how things just worked out.
Rank 16: Not a roguelike this time, heres a game that is very near and dear to my heart, yet completly underappreciated by just about anyone! Baked in over 4 years in the great video game cooking ovens, this game is ALMOST as good as the first Space Pirates And Zombies! Unfortunatly, its not that amazing compared to the first game as I feel that the Mount and Blade formula of "working yourself up to the top" doesn't work as well in this game as it should've been. The gameplay Space Pirates And Zombies 2 feels way too predictable for that sort of thing. The game leaves no room to do different things, it all feels like vanilla Mount and Blade and I've been longing for more ever since. Regardless of the shortcomings the game is still super fun. Flying around in your Mothership feels great, its one of those games were feeling floaty actually feels right. It really feels like you're controlling a heavy starship rather than a weapons platform that controlls like a fighter. And regardless on how simple the game is, progression does feel super fluent and is a major part why Space Pirates And Zombies 2 is placed so highly on this list.
Rank 15: I dunno, it feels kinda weird to have another space game right after the only other, but this time we have a space related game AND a Roguelike so there is something for everyone here, isn't this nice? At any case, Cryptark is a very special game, its from the guys you bought you games such as Capsized and the excellent Apotheon. In this game, you're a worker in a company who is destined to salvage large hulks of starships for another conglomate that is run by Aliens. The profits you gain can be used to purchase stuff, while failing the mission places you in debt. Failing to repay it ends the game. So I've thought quite a long time on how to explain this games appeal to others, theres a ton of Roguelikes coming out by this year alone. I think pulling from DARK SOULS LAW is the best way to describe that. The game basically is that part of Dark Souls where you have to watch each corner or else the Skelleton kicks you off the cliff! If you enjoy these sort of suprises and are willing to tackle them, this might be the game of the year. Its fun, its challenging and losing isn't that bad. Gameplay sessions are also short. Its a good game to play for 20 minutes and then do something else. Anyway, its the most fun Roguelike game I've played this year for sure. No more roguelikes on this list, sorry!
Rank 14: Another hidden gem and a super unknown one at that. Its a Real-Time Strategy game about managing and controlling your army full of ANIME. Thats right folks, this game is so dang anime that a lot of people probably just don't really care much about it, but hear me out! The game sets itself of from almost any other game from the list however by having a stellar soundtrack, which you can listen too from the files provided with the game. They really are something else. The graphics looks nice and simple, chracters are all drawn by the same artist and look great, especially on how they're colored. The chracters look like modernized versions of Record of Lodoss War artstyle. Quite a big part of the game plays on a strategic turn based environment, showing the entire continent. You send units from one point to another, gathering them for assults or defenses and upgrading them. When an army clashes with another, the player is put in an real time environment. Its kinda like a very simplistic Total War game but every unit can have different types of weapons and skills. There are also story parts, which as as anime as you can imagine, sometimes the writing is alright but sometimes its a little bit too silly. At any case, this game pretty much sets the fact that a unknown game doesn't mean being a terrible at all. Its actually really amazing in a lot of ways. With this said however there are a few major problems, clunky controls you have to get accostumed to and on the technical side this game has some minor issues production wise. It all looks a bit cheap but this game is priced the 1/20th of an AAA title anyway so thats alright! So if you've ever enjoyed anime akin to Record of Lodoss War or the space battles in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, with the different admirals and how they interact with each other, this game is a sure must-buy. And this game is available for realy cheap so even buying it and not surefire loving it still doesn't hurt you as bad. Be sure to check it out.
Rank 13: What makes this game one of my favorites is that Rusted Warfare is the first real Total Annihilation-like since Planetary Annilation, or even Supreme Commander. And if you know what Total Annihilation is you may already know that its really good. The graphics are simple, but they do get the job done. The music is from stock sites and whats way worse is that the three tracks get annoying super fast. So why exactly is this one so good? Personally its the scope and scale, you can basically fill the entire map with units and have a map sized war between you and your opponent. In generalized terms its the responsive controls and that every unit serves a purpose, like what every RTS should do. So its great gameplay and huge wars, stuff that everyone who loves Real Time Strategy games like also! Because the gameplay is where everything just is right. Units are unique to their roles and theres a ton of different unit types, too. Beside all of this, the game is fully modable, with what is probably the easiest modding system in existence. Its really easy to create your own maps and units. You can also put your own music inside the game so it plays them, so you have have to listen to all the three tracks all the time. So if you're into one of the people who still love Total Annilation and you can stand the simple graphics, the generic sounds and aweful vanilla music, this will simply become your game of the year right there. And for this price even the negative aspects I've mentioned previous don't devalue the dozends of hours I have fun with it.
Rank 12: This game is actually really amazing and I picked it up because I bought it for 5 bones. Then I looked at the clock and saw that I've already spent 4 hours on the game. And then another 3. And then another one, but I had to stop because I almost felt asleep, hehe. Time certainly flies with playing Domina! So what is Domina all about? You're a Female head of your own Gladiator caste, which are crimals and slaves destined to die for fun and games for a large amount of people. So you manage your men, train them and watch them fight and die. And let me tell you that dying is a major part of the game, the gladiator business was a dirty subject for everyone involved after all. So you have to always have to expect and even anticipate your Gladiators to die in one point or the other. Even just during training events can happen where your gladiator which you already picked for your next round gets injured so picking him with low health might be a bad idea. Primarily you try to make the right decisions for your poor souls but most primarily for you and your own survival. Fights do play themselves but if you want to, you can also control your own gladiators. The game looks kinda like your typical pixel art game. You see the Arena and anything else from a sort of Birds-eye view. Controlling kinda feels like your typical modern action adventure game, but in 2D. You can walk, swing your sword and raise your shield with a press of a button. You can also unlock dodge-rolling and even attacking while doing so. Beside this, since you're a woman and its a Roman themed game so things already aren't much in favor and people in the game are all privileged assholes, including in parts even yourself. The game surely does go its round to give the player the feel that you're in the lowliest place in any business ever and that everyone is expendable but thats Roman life for you. Also did I tell you that the game has one of the best soundtracks of the year? At any case, its clearly a must-have if you even remotely enjoyed gladiator games such as Shadow of Rome from the PS2 back in the day.
Rank 11: Probably a well known fact amongst all the duders, but Cook Serve Delicious 2 recently had been released on Steam after being anticipated for around 2 years. It is still the fantastic time management game I remember the first Cook Serve Delicious to be and then some more. Some people criticised the progression system in the new iteration of the game, personally I criticise the way you get stuff such as furnitue via a freaking Lootbox system and while the stuff you get is free, getting things via Random Number Generator takes a little bit away from the progression part. Being able to purchase items via in-game money you can earn while playing would've been way better in my opinion. The graphics are a huge step up from the first Cook Serve Delicious when we're talking about the food. They're all look amazing here and actually made me hungry from time to time. In terms of Sound and Music, the game is just as good as the first game. The games music sure works to keep you calm during calm moments and FREAK OUT ENTIRELY when there are a lot of people having lunch break (the game calls it Rush Hour quite appropriately). It should be said that the game is in active patch mode, new stuff comes in every month and the game will only become better and better as time goes by.