by teknodwarf
2017 was a hell of a year for games. So many great games on both the AAA and indie front came out. This is also one of more recent years where several great Japanese-developed games came out as well. The number of great games was so high that I am not able to narrow it down to 10. Taking a cue from Japanese idol group, AKB48, I have decided to announce my Game of the year 2017 senbatsu.
Showing 1-10 of 16 items
The upset of the year. The Yakuza series was something I’ve always been aware of but never peaked my interest because it had the image of a gritty crime drama. And while that is true, it’s the wacky substories and side activities that offer such a great contrast that you’re always looking forward to the next crazy thing. The main story has some intense set pieces and a really cool mystery that keeps you hooked until the end. Here are some of the crazier things you may do in Yakuza 0: sing a karaoke song about being a Cinderella princess complete with roller skating back-up dancers; help Stephen Spielberg produce Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video, get really into real estate and hostess club management simulators, help a kid buy porno mags from a vending machine without getting spotted, learn how to fight from a break dance crew, and so much more. Yakuza 0 was such a fresh experience for me that it overtook Persona 5. And in many ways I see Yakuza as a “grown-up” version of Persona. Yakuza 0 turned me into a fan, to the point where I want to consume all Yakuza media. I’m really looking forward to Yakuza 6 in 2018. Y’all need to check out Yakuza. As Kiryu would say “That’s Rad!"
Persona 5 is not only the most stylistic game of the year, but probably ever. The menus and interface are just rad. As a huge Persona fan, I had a great time with this game and didn’t mind the 80+ hours it took me to finish. Atlus’ take on Ocean’s Eleven style heists combined with the daily schedule gameplay the series is known for was amazing. Managing my schedule and watching the in-game days pass by was addicting and I felt like my life was missing something after the game concluded.
In 2017, we saw the launch of the Nintendo Switch and it has regularly had solid support throughout the year. Starting off with Zelda and Mario Kart in spring, to ARMS and Splatoon in the summer and closing out the year with Mario and Xenoblade. In no other year have we seen Nintendo pull out all its big guns in such a short period, other than 2002-2003 with Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, Animal Crossing and Zelda Wind Waker. Mario Odyssey was an absolute joy and constantly threw new and fun game mechanics at you. Collecting the moons was a blast and I loved just how dense all the worlds were. Super Mario Odyssey is game I play when all I want is my cares to soar away and when dark clouds start to swirl, it’s when I want hear from my 1UP Girl.
I really love being able to dock and undock the Switch, and Breath of the Wild immediately sold me on it. I played the bulk of the game docked on the TV but I also spent a lot of time on the road going to AKB handshake events, so it was awesome being able to resume my progress when I played in handheld mode. What makes Breath of the Wild so great is being able to make a progress in small bursts. Whether it’s exploring an unfamiliar area or completing a shrine, there was always something to do.
No game better encapsulates the struggle we are facing today in Trump’s America. The way that Nazi-occupied America parallels the rhetoric of Trump and his supporters is eerily similar. Beyond that, Wolf 2 has a number of holy shit moments both emotionally and conceptually. If you don’t feel anything in the first 10 minutes, all hope is lost for you.
I was convinced by the hype to see what this game was all about and the hype and what everyone said was justified. You need to play this game to experience the way the game tells its story as intended. So many games have multiple endings/paths that I never bother to go back to. Nier smartly justifies this by making each subsequent playthrough another chapter or another side of the story. The game’s twist is so mind-blowing that it won’t have the same effect if you just watched a streamer play through it or read about it online.
Coming at Number 7 is Resident Evil 7 which came out at the beginning of 2017 but I didn’t start playing it until the very end of 2017. This is because I wanted to play it in VR at all costs. Unfortunately, I live in Japan which means getting a PSVR is next to impossible because it’s always out of stock and had to wait until I came home for Xmas to get one. It was worth the wait. This game is rad. It’s also really scary in VR which is what I wanted. The jump scares get me every time to the point that it’s a fun annoyance. In a “GODDAMMIT YA GOT ME AGAIN” kind of way. Despite being in first-person it really did feel like an RE game with item management, key puzzles, and so on. If anything Resident Evil 7 is the one game that sold me on full-fledged VR games and I can’t wait to see what’s in store next!
Horizon Zero Dawn is basically poor man’s Breath of the Wild, which is unfortunate since both games came out so close together. But I did wait several months between finishing Zelda and first playing this so I wouldn’t feel bored with the similar gameplay. What I will give Horizon is that it’s one of the best looking games I have ever seen on a technical level and I say this with just a regular-ass PS4 and a regular-ass television, no HDR or any of that crap—it looks that good! Another thing I’ll give this over Zelda is that I was actually interested in the story and lore and it actually had a satisfying conclusion.
I’ve seen the early access version of Gangbeasts be played numerous times on Giant Bomb and was thrilled when it finally released, on PS4 no less. During winter break, I went back to the U.S. and as tradition I tried out some new multiplayer games with my friends. Including Jackbox 4, Nidhogg 2, Lethal League, and Gangbeasts. Gangbeasts was the one that stood out. The game has confusing clunky controls, the physics are nuts, and the maps constantly troll you; despite all that, this is the most fun local multiplayer game I’ve ever played. I still love Nidhogg 1 to death, but this is right up there.
Nintendo missed a huge opportunity by not naming Splatoon 2 as Spla2oon with a 2 as the “t”. Despite that this is simply more Splatoon. Like its predecessor, the game started out with bare bones features but has continually grown bigger and bigger thanks to Nintendo’s never-ending support. I admit that I didn’t stick with this game for as long as Splatoon 1, but that’s due to 1. None of my friends own a Switch and 2. So many other great games keep coming out. I still manage to check back in whenever Splatfests occur and the new Salmon Run mode is a welcome addition.