Severian_Silk on 19/12/2017 at 02:03
Some great games this year. Still haven't finished most of them. So far, my favorites are:
Nier Automata - can't stop thinking about it since getting to the last ending. Love it as much as the original Nier.
Gravity Rush 2 - a vast improvement over the already great original. Wonderful, light-hearted story and characters, beautiful, Moebius-inspired art design and awesome gameplay.
Ass Creed : Origins - I love Ancient Egypt and the gameplay is stupid fun.
Yakuza : Zero - best game in a great series.
Nioh - a great spiritual successor to Onimusha. An over the top mix of all samurai things.
Some other wonderful games I've yet to finish: the new Styx, the new Life is Strange, Breath of the Wild, Divinity: Original Sin 2, RE7, Persona 5, Horizon, Rime, Death of the Outsider, Prey...
So many games, so little time :( !
qolelis on 22/12/2017 at 01:04
I have played a couple of excellent games this year, but most of them are too old for this thread. It turned out I've played more contemporary ones than I thought, but it's still a pretty short list (in alphabetical order):
Fibrillation HD - hands down the best brutalism game (wasn't even a competition, because it's also the only game in this genre). The art style is also inspired by the lost civilizations of South America, which makes for a nice contrast as well as companion to the brutal looking structures you get to explore, and the enemies you encounter are in either style, but also sometimes a peculiar, but effective mix of both. You have no way to fight back, so sneaking or hiding out of reach is the only option. Make sure you get the latest version (it's been updated a few times after first release) and don't rush through it, or else you might miss many of the best parts (there are a couple of objects and secret areas you will want to find, because they unlock extra levels later in the game).
Gorogoa - most innovative puzzle game. It's presented in a simple format, but looks are deceptive. I cannot think of any similar games; some may have used similar mechanics, like switching panels and playing with perspective, but none to this extent and none with such grace and accomplished art style.
Little Nightmares - as already mentioned.
Please Knock on My Door - best artsy, social commentary game. It's a game about depression and I think it perfectly catches the very essence of what depression can be like. It was so good in fact that I don't want to ever play it again. You might not want to play it at all if you are currently depressed, have been, or think you might have a relapse: this is a game for those who have no experience, but want to know more. Don't play it either if you want your games to be fun, because this is not a fun game -- it is a good game, though, and well crafted.
What Remains of Edith Finch - most innovative story telling.
Honorary mention:
INFRA - best urban exploration EVAR. It got released in three episodes, with only the last one being released this year, so, technically, I don't know if it counts. I found the story to be a bit of a mess and the humour soon got tired and stale, but play it for the exploration and the parts where you manoeuvre heavy machinery or even whole facilities, because "oh boy, was that good or what".
demagogue on 22/12/2017 at 01:24
I guess I should add two games technically from 2016 since I played them in 2017.
Inside was my best gaming experience this last year probably. Superficially it's a very stylized platformer like Limbo, but the atmosphere and visual storytelling were on a whole different level for the better. Just as a platformer it was also very clever.
What Remains of Edith Finch. I've been reading about people blown away by this, but it didn't really do much for me. I like this trend of more sophisticated FP adventure games. I think though I was just really outside the target demographic, as it was a little too juvenile for me to get into. Firewatch hit home a lot more, and it didn't help that I played WRoEF just after Firewatch and Kona, and it can't really follow those acts for my demographic. That said, it was very beautifully done for what it was, and the gameplay was more imaginative than the others. (The story and flow reminded me of Anchorhead, which I recommend actually for a more adult horror version of this kind of story.)
Renault on 22/12/2017 at 07:32
@qolelis - Thanks for the tip on Infra, it looks really cool and I had never heard of it before. Looks like it's discounted in the current Steam sale, so I'll probably pick it up.
Think I'm going to have to add Golf Story to my 2017 list, been playing it the last day or so and it's great. Pretty weird combining the game of golf, RPG mechanics, and SNES graphics, but somehow it all works. And it's got a pretty good sense of humor to boot.
icemann on 22/12/2017 at 07:54
Try playing Ninja Golf. That's some crazy shit that somehow works and is quite fun.
Yakoob on 23/12/2017 at 02:37
Hmm, I donno if I played too many 2017 games. I guess DX:MD would be my pick, but that's 2016
Quote Posted by Nameless Voice
Headliner, which was interesting and entertaining, but very short.
\:D/
qolelis on 23/12/2017 at 07:19
Quote Posted by Brethren
@qolelis - Thanks for the tip on Infra
Spreading the gospel...
Some day I would like to play a pure urbex and facility simulator, where you just explore abandoned buildings and restore their former function --
INFRA came pretty close, but it could have had more of the latter. It reminds me of the real world cultural "guerrilla" called
Untergunther, who secretly restored the Panthéon clock in Paris: it's a fascinating story about competence versus incompetence (i.e. Untergunther versus the once actually responsible for the clock's well-being).
Renzatic on 23/12/2017 at 13:57
HENKE! Bought Rain World. :D
henke on 23/12/2017 at 15:19
RENZ, you won't be sorry. I mean, you will be sorry. You will be sad and afraid, but you will know in your heart that I have steered you down the right path.
