Board 8 > my top 10 games of 2017

(+) Yeah! (+)

2017 was.. pretty good? A lot of people talk about 2017 as this incredible year, one of the best ever, and I'm not totally on board with that. It was certainly better than last year, but I think I liked a few other years more so far.

That said, this list is woefully incomplete because I won't have a Switch for 3 more days. The Nintendo trifecta (Zelda, Mario, Xenoblade) are all untouched, and trying to squeeze them would mean this list would hit in like May of 2018. If those games are as good as advertised, maybe 2017 really is an all-time year. We'll see.

2017 had a lot of fun ones. Here are ten that I liked, done relatively quickly. My goal is to complete this before Christmas so I can just dig into Mario and Xenoblade without anything on my plate. Get ready for quick writeups!
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I've probably played more games in their release year than any year in a long time, so 2017 was pretty good in that regard, I guess. Not sure I could quite get to ten though!
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I played a total of 3 and beated 2

Persona 5
Yakuza Kiwami
FFXII
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I think list is going to have *maybe* one game of overlap with mine!
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possibly two
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10. Cosmic Star Heroine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRIPUIcLSFU
PC, PS4

Cosmic Star Heroine is easy to like. A lot of indie RPGs are of the RPG maker or 8-bit aesthetic. CSH punches a couple of levels above that, going for a Saturn-y look that still feels retro but not painfully so. Zeboyd makes good games but a lot of them are pretty low budget and rely more on poking fun at RPG conventions and simple gags than anything you can really latch onto. CSH makes a good effort at breaking out of that mold.

The upgraded aesthetics, as well as the music. really go a long way in taking this game seriously. It's got a nice sci-fi look to it. The story's okay - sometimes it falls back into parody but it shines through by the end. The characters aren't especially deep but they have good abilities and are likable. It's more of an ensemble cast with the exception of the hero, Alyssa, who's likable and has good skills.

The game has a pretty interesting battle system that probably isn't worth explaining in depth here, but it encourages a lot of experimentation and thought. Every turn feels like a slow tug of war (in a mostly good way) and each ability has to be calculated. There are meters upon meters to pay attention to and a good player can really exploit it in fun ways. Having been away from this game for 8 or so months now, the thing that stands out the most is the push and pull of feeling like you're going to eat it followed by pulling off a miracle. Play this on a moderate difficulty and learn the systems. It's worth it.
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9. The Walking Dead: Season 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxZn2ykkErg
PC + consoles

I think a lot of people ended up disliking this game? To be honest, I think it's more Telltale fatigue than anything. I only really play TWD games so I don't suffer from it that much. Even with that, I also found it kinda hard to get excited for this game and ended up just playing through it after all the episodes came out.

And.. it's pretty good? I liked season 3 quite a bit more than 2. They made a smart decision by allowing Clementine to be an NPC as you get to enjoy her characterization and let her walk in and out of the story as needed instead of needing to solve every dumb puzzle as her. Season 2 Clem was good but everyone around her was an idiot. They allow other characters to stand on their own here a lot more. Clem has such plot armor at this point that it's helpful to put a new face into the mix. Javier is a good character too.

I don't ever know how to talk about these choice-based adventure games without saying too much, so I'll just leave it at this: it can't touch the first season of The Walking Dead -- nothing can -- but this one goes a long way to correcting a lot of the complaints about that game. The amount of diverging paths, especially at the end, is kind of shocking. I'd be surprised if someone playing the game today would end up with the same ending that I got. I'm excited to play the final season and see where my Clem goes.
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8. Monument Valley II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48tYRgj18IU
Mobile

Monument Valley looks and plays like a puzzle game but that's not what makes it good. This isn't The Witness. You're not going to spend 10 minutes looking at any one puzzle here. It's a light puzzler at best.

It's the aesthetics and the serenity that makes this series of games so memorable. It's how the levels rearrange themselves. It's how the mechanics feel when you slide everything into just the right place. It's just such a pleasant game. There's a mechanic once you beat a level where you get to make a shape that's both fascinating and satisfying without having any real gameplay implications whatsoever. It's that kind of stuff that makes me absolutely adore these games.

Monument Valley 2 is probably better than the original, but also feels less essential by virtue of being a sequel to something that's so experiential in nature. I played it again today and realized that you never really remember how to do these puzzles because the puzzles themselves are not really the focal point of the game. It's the way that the characters move around the screen, how you walk upside down and twist reality that stays in your memory. Because of that, it's a fun game to go back to every once in a while. There aren't too many games that are 100% pleasing to play. Usually there's a level or a mechanic that frustrates you, or a storyline that's meant to rip at your heart. Not here.
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2017 is the best year ever and it's not because of the nintendo games, but zelda helped
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I definitely haven't played Nier or a few others that I might have liked that would push it higher, but that's every year. the ones I was most interested in this year were mostly good, but this list feels like a lot of games that belong at #6 on a top 10 for whatever reason
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tag to learn what games I should play in the future
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where did your Clem end up? she's a survival warrior in my game.

I thought ANF was very uneven. like the Michonne series, it did a lot of great character work, getting deep into the weeds of loss and its effects. it established conflicts between characters based on their histories well. I think the game earned its pathos in conflict between Javy/David and David/New Frontier. David was a great foil for Javy. Very believable as a guy barely hanging on. He made bad choices but I could empathize with him.

on the flip side I felt like I was forced into contrived circumstances for no logical reason more than in past games, like when Gabe splintered the group after revealing you killed that dude or the New Frontier taking AJ from Clem and expecting you to be cool with it. TWD works when you feel like you can lose control of the situation at any moment, not when it's snatched away from you without any input. very frustrating.

also, remember Jane? such a disappointing villain. she leaves before there's any closure.
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I don't even think you can call her a villain.

I didn't play the Michonne games so I can't compare. they felt more in tune with the show and I'm really only here for the Clementine arc. I don't remember exactly what my Clem ended up as so many months later. I'd go check but I don't want to install some 10gb.

Walking Dead S3 spoilers. though you can gloss over the details - (https://imgur.com/a/mWk63)
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7. Metroid: Samus Returns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhOx-FpEAQk
3DS

I have such a hard time evaluating this game. The things that it does well are also done well by every other great 2d Metroid game, like the feeling you get when you're space jumping all over area 5 and destroying everything in your path. On the other hand, it's really easy to point to a few things here and there that are done kinda poorly. It really screws up Metroid 2's atmosphere, especially at the end, and the circle pad gimps this game's control significantly (not the game's fault per se, but some of the control decisions are clearly made with that monstrosity in mind). I'm not exaggerating when I say that when this feels like classic Metroid (something it pulls off quite often), it's one of the best game experiences of the year. You know, if you only played video games in 2017 and ignored the fact that other Metroid games exist. Or if you ignore the fact that AM2R exists which is a fantastic game on its own merits (my GOTY for 2016).

I don't know that I'll ever come back to Samus Returns and it's so unfair because it's well made in most aspects. I guess that's the challenge of living up to a series that I hold in the absolute highest regard.
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6. Hollow Knight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAO2urG23S4
PC, Switch

The act of playing Hollow Knight feels really good. It's got a great tone and simple movement feels really good. There's something to the sound effects and to the weight of the character that's really satisfying. Moving from place to place is an enjoyable thing. Unlocking a new movement ability is super exciting.

This is incredibly important because Hollow Knight has some mega flaws. I gave up the game for a month because of how frustrated I was trying to navigate without a map. You find maps while exploring areas but the levels are so maze-y that I get mega lost. Save points are few and far between which becomes an issue because Hollow Knight can be pretty tough. The same goes for fast travel points.

When this game works, it really works. If it had a fixed map system, I would think really highly of it. It has a nice difficulty level and the interplay between healing your character and using magic is really interesting. It's got a loneliness to it that matches up with what you'd want from one of these Metroid kinds of games. It feels unique. But when you're lost, it can be maddening.
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Did you finish it?
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yep. I finish everything on my lists.
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Ah, k. I liked Hollow Knight, but I definitely wasn't as big of a fan as some people seem to be. I actually disliked the game for the first couple hours, since the progression was so slow and the map system was annoying. I liked it quite a bit in the second half though, once I got some decent movement options and had found most of the maps.
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yeah, the second map was painful to find. I think I'd be better at it now that I'm a little better at navigating that space.
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5. Life is Strange: Before the Storm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QD_4St79-Q
PC/Consoles

Before the Storm probably shouldn't exist. Made by a different developer, playing as Chloe Price, a character with a pretty firmly defined personality, is a little unusual.

But Beyond the Storm stands out, and stands on its own two feet, in a good way. It has a decidedly different feel than Life is Strange -- while Life is Strange peddles in the nostalgic and the unusual, Beyond the Storm is middle fingers to the sky everywhere. Chloe is odd to play as at first until you eventually get on her level and start to see the world through her dark eyes. This game is pretty morose thanks to who you play as.

Chloe's relationship with Rachel Amber, the main mystery from the first game, works on several levels. It plays into who Chloe is, the nature of a fleeting high school relationship, and the fact that you know this can't turn out well in the end. It's those personal moments between Chloe and Rachel that define Before the Storm, and despite my skepticism, they work. This game resonates. It's certainly different than the feeling of playing the original but it's still quite likable. I love Arcadia Bay.
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Arcadia Bay's great outside of like 90% of its citizens...but then, I guess that's a lot of towns.

Tag.
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4. Persona 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnDzJ9KzuV4
PS3, PS4

Persona 5 has style for days. It just looks and sounds so good. The move from rural to urban really helped Persona come alive. They made a lot of really smart mechanical changes with Persona 5, the smartest of which was to give some kind of gameplay boost to every single social link. Social linking in Persona 5 is one of the most conflicting things because you have to balance who you like against what you might get. There's a give and take to P5 that really works.

Past that, after nearly a decade, this game is just more Persona 3/4 with worse pacing. I can't say enough about how poorly they paced this game! I'm a Persona 3 guy which means that I want my game to move at the expense of character development, but like, man! There are significant stretches of the game that just drag on. P5 certainly has peaks and valleys, and some of the valleys stretch much longer than they should.

This game is really well made and I'm glad that they nailed it after so many years off. Persona has never looked or sounded better, and the story here might be the best they've done. I value pace a lot in my 100 hour RPGs, though, and that really stunted this game. Well, that and the way it limped to the finish line. Oh well. This game is pretty good.
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here are some honorable mentions

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus - I didn't play this one, but I did play New Order this year. I watched this game on youtube and hoooly crap. it's probably my winner for best story for 2017. there are about seven insane moments in this game. it'd definitely be on my top 10 if I threw down the money for it instead of just watching it on youtube. I love the Wolfenstein series.

Dragon Quest VIII 3DS - would probably be my #1 if I counted it as anything more than an enhanced port. I love DQ8 and the 3DS tweaks make it even better. having it handheld is great too. I love any game that is handheld. will I hold out for DQ11 on Switch? we'll see.

games I wanted to get to but haven't:

Hellblade
Xenoblade 2
Super Mario Odyssey
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Night in the Woods
Nier
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Tag
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Always seems a bit odd to me how much time people take with Persona 5. I maxed all Confidants and finished in 80 hours.

What did you think of Nier 1?
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I played like 25 minutes of Nier 1.

I didn't do a full 100 hours.. maybe like 87? I'd have to look
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3. Mega Man Maker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpCarkGGoxI
PC

This one's a weird one because it's both free and essentially in early access. They're adding tons of new features every month. A new patch just came out today that rewrote how moving platforms operate.

So, I got Mario Maker for Christmas last year and spent maybe one hour playing it. I just.. don't like Mario all that much? Good games for sure, but not something I really want to make levels for. Mega Man? I *love* Mega Man. This is kinda the Mega Man game to end all Mega Man games for me. It certainly lacks the progression, but I can get my fill of all the NES Mega Man games at once here.

I also really like making levels. I spent about 8 hours making a really elaborate metroidvania level. (They've added new abilities, like keys and findable weapons in-stage that will let me go even deeper on this. One day I'll make an amazing level that is way beyond the scope of a dumb level creator like this.) I made a hilarious level where Metal Man falls 10 screens shooting blades at you until it turns into bullet hell. There are a ton of really fun gimmicks that you can play with. You're always at the mercy of the community but if you find a good group of friends who like to make levels, Mega Man Maker is kind of amazing.

It's a damn shame that this isn't officially supported because it's polished enough to be that. If this was on a platform like Steam, it would be huge.
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Well persona 5 does explicitly tell you to take your time.
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I was worried you were gonna fuck up thr top 2. It seems you did not.

Hope you get the order right, but even if you miss it just having the obvious top 2 the top 2 is a huge win.

ChampionCloud posted...

I was worried you were gonna fuck up thr top 2. It seems you did not.

Hope you get the order right, but even if you miss it just having the obvious top 2 the top 2 is a huge win.

transience posted...

here are some honorable mentions

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus - I didn't play this one, but I did play New Order this year. I watched this game on youtube and hoooly crap. it's probably my winner for best story for 2017. there are about seven insane moments in this game. it'd definitely be on my top 10 if I threw down the money for it instead of just watching it on youtube. I love the Wolfenstein series.

Dragon Quest VIII 3DS - would probably be my #1 if I counted it as anything more than an enhanced port. I love DQ8 and the 3DS tweaks make it even better. having it handheld is great too. I love any game that is handheld. will I hold out for DQ11 on Switch? we'll see.

games I wanted to get to but haven't:

Hellblade
Xenoblade 2
Super Mario Odyssey
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Night in the Woods
Nier

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ninkendo posted...

ChampionCloud posted...

I was worried you were gonna fuck up thr top 2. It seems you did not.

Hope you get the order right, but even if you miss it just having the obvious top 2 the top 2 is a huge win.

transience posted...

here are some honorable mentions

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus - I didn't play this one, but I did play New Order this year. I watched this game on youtube and hoooly crap. it's probably my winner for best story for 2017. there are about seven insane moments in this game. it'd definitely be on my top 10 if I threw down the money for it instead of just watching it on youtube. I love the Wolfenstein series.

Dragon Quest VIII 3DS - would probably be my #1 if I counted it as anything more than an enhanced port. I love DQ8 and the 3DS tweaks make it even better. having it handheld is great too. I love any game that is handheld. will I hold out for DQ11 on Switch? we'll see.

games I wanted to get to but haven't:

Hellblade
Xenoblade 2
Super Mario Odyssey
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Night in the Woods
Nier

Wow. Well, list is shit. I'll not be here for the end.

just saving you the pain of waiting
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that hurts
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Guess etrian odyssey 5 wins.
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here are my 10 most anticipated games

10 - Bloodstained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTVYb6xeUcU

9 - A Way Out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGZGSdgJVPM

8 - Remnants of Naezith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCLqLxzm79U

7 - Arcadian Atlas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RIIze_PhfM

6 - UFO 50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wqZi1smZOg

5 - Iconoclasts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YotsyXxRNw

4 - Mega Man 11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aSC5A726f0

3 - Spelunky 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EywsqbENxwE

2 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kPSl2vyu2Y

1 - Dragon Quest XI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQABF50qjtA
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ninkendo posted...

just saving you the pain of waiting

I actually appreciate it.

I was really really waiting for the top 2 after getting to it to see the posts.

woo dq11
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correct #1 most anticipated
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I'd actually have a bit of trouble with a top upcoming games list. 2017 was one of my favorite years, but 2018...really doesn't have much I'm excited for. Let's see...

Indivisible
Zelda LBW Successor (I'm guessing this is 2019 rather than 2018, but who knows?)
Bayonetta 3 (Also probably 2019? Dunno when they would've started development on this)
Fire Emblem Switch
Ori and the Will of the Wisps

That Iconoclasts game looks cool! Kingdom Hearts 3 and Metroid Prime 4 are games I'd like to play, but not games I'm super hyped about. Bloodstained hasn't looked super great in any trailers, so it falls into the same category.
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Bloodstained is honestly only on the list because of the pedigree of the developer. that game looks visually dead and soulless but I have hope.
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Did you ever play Mighty Number 9? I still kinda want to play it, just since the idea of it appeals to me so much, but I've been waiting to get it for a dollar or something so I don't regret my purchase too much.
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Oh whoops, forgot Octopath Traveler. Everything I've heard and seen about that one is great. Really need to get around to Bravely Second someday too...
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You must really like brothers to include an EA game.

Bravely Second isn't so good.
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ChampionCloud posted...

I was really really waiting for the top 2 after getting to it to see the posts.

he literally said in the opening post he hasn't played them yet

Anyway, I really liked Persona 5, but it was a little too bloated, I think, while at the same time not really delivering strong content on stuff I wanted, which is a weird conundrum.
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pretty easy to come up with ten 2018 games for me (in release order)

Dragon Ball FighterZ
Monster Hunter: World
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Mega Man 11
Red Dead Redemption 2

special shout out to Detroit Become Human
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I loved Persona 5. First game to really challenge FFX for my top spot, but I'm going to give it time to digest before I make that big of a decision. I guess I can understand the complaints that people have but they didn't bother me
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Bravely Default was enough of a letdown to not get my hopes up for Octopath. I'll grab the demo when I get my switch tomorrow though.

I played a few minutes of mighty no 9 when my kids got it from the library. it's playable but not good.
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oh and maybe SF 30th should be on here. online hyper fighting!
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The octopath demo was alright, but it wasnt something that got me thinking the game was a must-buy.
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transcience posted...

oh and maybe SF 30th should be on here. online hyper fighting!

Sadly we were denied online Alpha 2 but otherwise it seems like a cool deal
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