demagogue on 15/12/2017 at 09:15
I was going to say Dishonored 2 but then I saw that that was from 2016.
So, yeah, I'm pretty far behind in my gaming queue I guess.
twisty on 15/12/2017 at 09:18
Well I just checked through my PC & PS4 purchases this year and noticed that the only 2017 games I've played are the following:
Great
* Hellblade. An amazing, disturbing and highly original game that is slightly let down by repetitive gameplay.
* DARK SOULS III - The Ringed City. A great way to end the series. Also one of the most visually amazing games ever made.
OK
* Sniper Elite 4. I've only played the first 4-5 missions so far. The gameplay is fairly good but feels a bit dated.
The best games I've played in 2017 (released in 2016 or still early release) are:
Outstanding
* Bloodborne - The Old Hunters. The best DLC of all of the Soul's game imo.
* Subnautica. This was a Secret Santa gift from Brethren last year. I originally found this to be interesting but not enough to hold my attention. I decided to try this again a couple of months ago after one their big updates and have since sunk over 60 hours into it. The story is really interesting and relies on daring and well planned exploration at times to persevere. There's very little hand-holding, forcing you to rely on experimentation and curiosity to survive and make sense of the game. While I really enjoyed survival in the The Long Dark (survivor mode) I eventually lost motivation to continue after reaching all of the main regions as there was no reason to continue apart from indefinite survival; Subnautica on the other hand helps maintain the players interest through its gradual storytelling, player led creativity, and aforementioned exploration.
* The Last of Us - Remastered. The greatest story-driven post-apocalyptic game I've yet played. Great writing and character development. Can't wait to play the sequel.
Great
* Hitman . Really well thought out missions, gorgeous locations and amazing attention to detail.
* SteamWorld Heist. Charming, original and addictive.
Malf on 15/12/2017 at 09:44
Still undecided yet, but one thing I can say is that while Zelda may possibly make my list, I have too many quibbles with it for it to come anywhere near number one.
It's also been a year where I've been enjoying older games, which is the increasing problem of an expanding backlog.
Additionally, my game of 2016 is also my most played and loved game of 2017: Hitman. It is still providing thrills and surprises now, and is the perfect game to play for an evening a week, then put down and maybe come back a week or a month later and find something new to do.
I've poured a lot of time in to Horizon, and while it may initially seem a lot more formulaic than Zelda, I've had a lot more fun with it.
Okay, it's got awkward dialogue and NPCs, but the combat is so much more compelling than Zelda's. However, what it DOES share with Zelda is that it's simply too fucking long, and I haven't completed either yet.
Mario is, as henke rightfully says, pure joy. I've "completed" it (ie. fought Bowser), but there's still an awful lot for me to do.
That and Zelda will probably be what I play most over Christmas, as I'll be taking my Switch with me when I visit the family.
Superhot VR, Rec Room and Lone Echo are the standout VR titles for me and definitely three of my favourite games this year (although I still need to complete Lone Echo).
Superhot was pretty good in non-VR form, but VR is where it really comes alive. The whole "time moves when you do" concept is almost perfect for VR, allowing you to stop and think in between actions.
Rec Room has quickly become a Saturday TTLG co-op stalwart, and for good reason. There's lots of very cool activities to partake in, and any game that can make charades actually fun deserves some kind of accolade. That it's constantly evolving is excellent too. I just wonder how the hell they make any money!
And I know how inflammatory this will probably sound given we can't even collectively decide on what one consists of, but I think Lone Echo is just about the most immersive immersive sim I've ever played. I have to work myself up to playing it, as it's a very physical experience, but man, is it impressive. Not good for those who suffer vertigo mind you!
More may come, including Night in the Woods, but that also has been a victim of me not completing it yet. That seems to have become a thing this year. Where previously, I'd almost religiously complete any game I bought, with my ever-expanding library things tend to get put aside when something new and shiny attracts my magpie-like attention.
Pyrian on 15/12/2017 at 17:05
What have I even played this year? Like, Mankind Divided and Invisible Inc. and not much else. *sigh*
Nameless Voice on 15/12/2017 at 19:48
It seems that I've played three games made this year:
* Divinity: Original Sin 2, which is a combination of awesome worldbuilding marred by poorly-designed combat systems and balancing and far too much trouser comparison.
* Headliner, which was interesting and entertaining, but very short.
* Dawn of War 3, which most certainly doesn't belong on any "best of" lists unless someone is making a "best franchise-killer" list.
I also played new 2017 DLC for Vermintide, which were solid and also visually impresive, though I'll admit that I had burned myself out a bit on the main game by the time I got around to playing them, so didn't play them as much as I maybe should have.
Finally, honourable mention to Life Goes On, which wasn't a game from 2017, but which I picked up this year for nearly nothing and got a lot of fun out of.
icemann on 16/12/2017 at 05:57
As far as I'm concerned the Dawn of War's finished after the 2nd one.
froghawk on 16/12/2017 at 07:22
Resident Evil 7 hasn't been mentioned yet, but IMO it's the 3rd best game in the series after REmake and RE4, despite some issues in the final act.
demagogue on 16/12/2017 at 13:33
If Subnautica counts, I've also put in an absurd number of hours into it.
I wouldn't say it's best of the year, but I'd say it's the best gaming experience I've had this year with a new game.
The gameplay advances in tiers, and carries you scene to scene with each one leveling up, so I guess that's why.
At the start you're just trying to figure out what's going on, getting the basic mechanics down, and exploring your surrounds.
Then you have to deal with some crises and crafting stuff that lets you explore further.
Then there's a steady supply of little quests, finding the other pods and what not, and then trying to get onto the ship.
And from that point, then you're starting to craft some of the bigger stuff, and around now you're starting on a proper base. And once the base building starts, that's a whole other big thing. And then you get a proper sub.
And from there, then you can start some of the deep exploration and deep story.
I guess, sticking with the appropriate metaphor, the game will go as deep as you want to go with it, with exploration, building, and story alike.
And it's still improving update to update.
It's really the base building that's been the biggest part for me though.
Renzatic on 17/12/2017 at 02:58
It's a crying shame that more people haven't talked about Darkwood on here. It's a great game that ended up being lost in the shuffle of other great games that came out this year, and everyone here owes it to themselves to play it.
Bucky Seifert on 17/12/2017 at 09:34
Of the games I've played, It'd rank my top 10 as;
1: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2: XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
3: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
4: Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
5: No Man's Sky post Atlas Rises update
6: Prey
7: Card Thief
8: Streets of Rogue
9: Resident Evil VII
10: Tooth and Tail
My biggest disappointment was Strafe.
Course the Steam summer sale and Christmas gifts are still on the way so this list could very well change.