In many ways, there was a lot that was very much not great about 2017. As far as video games are concerned, however, there was a lot of really great stuff out there. Including stuff I either bought and never had the chance to play like Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, NieR: Automata, and Horizon Zero Dawn, to stuff that looked super awesome that I just never got around to picking up like Tekken 7, Yakuza 0, and Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
Before I get in to the list, I also just want to shout out some honourable mentions. They are as follows:
These games were all great, and cutting them from the list was super tough. That said, here are my 10 favourite games of 2017!
While it may seem odd to put what's ultimately nothing more than a collection of minigames and tech demos in a top 10 list, even at number 10, I can think of few video games that I had this much fun with in 2017. Whether it be through having 10 people over to compete in Team Battle, or having the most intense 30 minute Sneaky Dice session, or my father and I doing everything we possibly could (up to and including throwing not-light stuff at each other) to make sure we won Plate Spin, 1-2-Switch is something that is sure to stay in my party rotation for a while. Also, as a bonus, it is 100% the best usage of the Joycons of any Switch game to-date.
It officially has a 2017 release date (at least on PC). It counts. Even though I'm primarily playing on Xbox One by virtue of not owning a PC. And you know what? The Xbox One version is fine. It's more than fine, actually. Despite all the well talked about glitches and frame-rate issues, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is the first time in a long time that I've had fun playing a multiplayer shooter. Although I have yet to receive a Chicken Dinner, and my abilities are supremely outclassed by virtually everyone else on the island, I don't feel discouraged after a match. Rather, I instantly want to queue up for the next one because I know I can do better. I know what stupid mistake I made, like running up to an attic not thinking of who might be up there. I know I can taste that chicken dinner. Believe the hype surrounding PUBG and try it out.
Full confession. I am rubbish at Cuphead. Simply the pits. But there's something compelling about Cuphead. Maybe it appeals to a sadistic impulse I have buried deep within. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for a game with fantastic art direction and difficult-but-not-insurmountable challenge. Every inch of the game oozes charm and charisma, the platforming levels are beautifully put together in a way that allows you to quickly jump back in and figure out what you did wrong, and the bosses function like a well crafted puzzle, forcing you to learn from your mistakes. Would I still love Cuphead as much if the aesthetic wasn't there? Who's to say. But what I do know is that beyond the lovingly crafted style, sits a game with just as much care put in to it.
There was almost no way this wasn't going to be on here in some regard. A remake of one of my all time favourite games, they would have had to have seriously messed up in order for this to not make it. And yeah, some of the new additions aren't exactly to my liking (the entire Bowser's Minions mode probably knocked this game down two places), the core Superstar Saga is still one of the sharpest things Nintendo has ever released. Everything from the mechanics like Bros. Moves (a concept that was never properly implemented in any other Mario & Luigi title, instead being replaced by the much more mundane Bros. Items), to the scale, and especially to the writing which stands out as some of the strongest and funniest stuff ever put in a Mario game, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions is a strong recreation of arguably the best Nintendo RPG. Just avoid the Bowser's Minions mode.
I have a secret to tell you. I never cared about Sonic. Sure, I liked the Advance series growing up, Sonic CD is an amazing game, and I always recognized him as an icon of gaming, but at the end of the day, I have no nostalgia or affinity for the blue blur. As such, I was cold on the general idea of Sonic Mania since it looked like pure nostalgia baiting, and I wasn't a huge fan of the last game that tried that. Consider me pleasantly surprised when I found myself going back to Sonic Mania again and again to play through some of the best levels that have ever appeared in a Sonic game. From expertly done twists on classic levels like Stardust Speedway to incredible new zones like Studiopolis, as well as a whole bunch of callbacks to Sonic history, including a boss battle that'd be super mean of me to spoil, this is far and away the best game Sonic's name has been attached to. They even managed to make Chemical Plant Zone fun for half of it.
I need to mention right now that I'm writing this before having had the chance to play Episode 3, which means it's entirely possible that this might fall off the list completely if the landing is not stuck. With that said, Before the Storm is an emotionally satisfying prequel to the masterpiece that was the original. Losing the supernatural elements that made Life is Strange so compelling initially made me unsure about how good Beyond the Storm could actually be, but the bizarre intrigue created by the time travel has been replaced this time around with fascinating human drama and a great tale of two characters who desperately needed fleshing out from their appearances in the original title.
I went back and forth on putting this on the list so much, debating internally with whether or not it was a video game. Ultimately I decided it counts, since without the app associated with it, the game is functionally useless. DropMix is a card game combined with a music mashup maker, and shockingly, it works. I never thought the theme from Doctor Who would work so well in a mashup with a beatbox track and the strings from Evanescence's Bring Me to Life, or that blink-182's All the Small Things and Ginuwine's Pony were a match made in heaven, and then you combine that with the ultra-competitive nature of Clash Mode and you have an intense symphony of fun that manages to get at least a couple rounds in every night.
Earlier in the list I talked about how Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions was a surefire candidate for the list simply by virtue of being a remaster of one of my favourite games of all time. Well, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy contains a remaster of my absolute favourite game: Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. The N. Sane Trilogy was also responsible for arguably my biggest gaming surprise of 2017, when I discovered that Warped was not in fact my favourite game in the trilogy, and with age I've come to respect the pure platforming of Crash 2, and especially Crash 1, over the much more gimmick focused Crash 3. That said, a near perfect remaster of the best 3D platformers of its era, which shockingly hold up very well today, as well as smart new additions like time trials in Crash 1 and 2, as well as the infamous Stormy Ascent level that was cut from the original Crash Bandicoot for being too hard, allows the N. Sane Trilogy to comfortably find a place in my top 3.
Super Mario Odyssey is the best 3D Mario ever made. I have no qualms about making such a sweeping statement, because I believe it 100%. Since the day I purchased Odyssey, I have barely played another video game because I'll begin playing it, think "but I could be playing Odyssey right now", and go grab the Switch to play Super Mario Odyssey. It's easy to tell just how much effort was put in to Mario's latest adventure, from the hundreds of moons to collect which never feel like a chore, but rather a reward for being clever, to the variety of living, breathing kingdoms. Lots has already been said about the Metro Kingdom's New Donk City, but everything from the bright and colourful Luncheon Kingdom, to the fashionable Lakeside Kingdom, to the ancient Japanese inspired Bowser's Kingdom, and even the final surprise in the game, feels like it's been delicately crafted to make this easily the best game Mario's had in a long time.
It had to be this for me. The Persona series holds a special place in my heart, but Persona 5 had a huge obstacle in front of it by virtue of being the follow-up to Persona 4, a game which had come in to my life at a time where it was able to form a very strong emotional bond with me and wind up being very important to me in a variety of ways. Against all odds, Persona 5 was able to recreate that same level of emotional attachment with me that it's predecessor had. Everything about Persona 5 is perfect. The cast of characters is top to bottom potentially the strongest JRPG cast I've ever experienced, the villains feel realistic in a very troubling way, the dungeons being pre-made (as opposed to the randomly generated dungeons of Personas past) allow for some very interesting puzzles, including arguably the best bit of dungeon crawling in the 7th palace, the story is incredibly written and even includes a few twists I never saw coming and was genuinely shocked by, and the jazzy soundtrack caps it all off in to being far and away the best game I have played in a very long time.
Also Makoto is best girl and I will not hear otherwise.
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