Best Games of 2017
I felt like over the past 18 months, there have been some great releases. Some of these titles may have been released in 2016 but I got my hands on them in 2017. As the writing continues, you'll notice a theme starting to form. That being said...
Honorable Mention:
F1 2017, Watch Dogs 2, MLB The Show 2017
5. Assassins Creed: Origins
After taking a year off from yearly releases, Assassin's Creed came back in a big way. This is the first time I played an Assassin's Creed title. To be quite honest I wasn't sure if I liked the game until I reached around the halfway point of the campaign which does well to give meaning of the motivations and driving forces for both Bayek as well as Aya. The world is beautiful and stuffed with history and detail. The combat is pretty good, I loved using the dual blades and being Aya as well as Bayek. The animals as well as the human enemies were fun and challenging to fight. AC:O has one of the most alive open worlds I've ever played and is absolutely massive in scale.
4. Overwatch
This was my obsession for a good 6-8 months this year. There was a gap left in my multiplayer game catalog since I never felt comfortable with the product Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare had. After watching the popularity, and getting involved in some free weekends, I made the plunge into this game. I admire the style of game and how Blizzard Ent. handles the lore and the game content (except when they broke my Mercy recently). It's the first time I got involved in a more competitive multiplayer game that ingrained stakes into my psyche and brought up more intense emotions. And I care more about eSports now because of Overwatch.
3. Uncharted 4
My first Uncharted experience and it left a lasting impression. Yes, I said first. Never figured myself an RPG person but after seeing a walk through of the game, I figured I'd dabble and see if I had a good experience. And did I ever. The world is beautiful. The story is engaging. The characters and performances were fantastic. The gameplay and puzzles were fun. I especially had fun with climbing and can't help but wonder about why the hell Drake old ass can still climb these rocks? I'm going to have to get the Nathan Drake Collection and Lost Legacy eventually.
3. Destiny 2
A beautiful game that tickles my space exploration and sci-fi fancy. The game builds on the foundation of Destiny 1 and has a less convoluted story. They added easier ways to read into the lore they build which was placed in "Grimoire Cards" that you had to care to read in D1, new supers for each character (Titan Sentinel or GTFO) and more activities in the game and I don't mind the grind. The public loves to hate on Destiny 2 sometimes for fickle reasons, but the recent debacle is warranted outrage and got Bungie to start being more transparent and add more end game content for players. Nonetheless, I continue to enjoy the game.
Due to the current state of Destiny, the controversies, and community displeasure, I feel that I must sadly remove Destiny 2 from the list. As much as I love Destiny 2, I cannot ignore the issues and the lackluster response and fracturing caused by the Curse of Osiris DLC. I needed to take a step back and objectively look at the overall game and one thing is certain: It has not hooked me like D1 did. As of writing, Bungie has locked some content behind a paywall, which wouldn't be an issue if they had set a precedence with Destiny 1. Guardians without the DLC can no longer access parts of the Leviathan raid, Heroic Strike Playlist that was a favorite in D1 and accessible to all players, and some highly sought after items are locked in Bright Engrams which are their version of loot boxes.
2. Life Is Strange
After hearing of the extreme hype this title received for its story telling, and being the PS+ free Game of the Month, I gave this game a try and became immersed in how the game mechanics and how the story developed. This is the first time I played a game in the episodic form that we see more often in gaming now like in Hitman or anything from Telltale Games and it works well here. The overall story gets darker than you expect as you travel through time and choices are key to the overall experience. In a sense, you can mash up the theme from "The Butterfly Effect" with a high school drama (they actually use a butterfly as an icon in the game so they knew what they were doing.) The way they use time travel is also unique to the game, using it to get around objects that may have fallen in the way or to get out of precarious situations. The final set piece is one of the more trippy scenes I've ever seen in a videogame and you see why the game gets the praise it does. My only gripe with the game is that the art style, though unique has an has incomplete feel to it. Maybe because its from a smaller developer or other reasons, but some of the lip movement didn't match up or had some questionable animations and took me out of it a little bit. Nevertheless, great game.
1. Horizon Zero Dawn
Surprising no one, I'm sure. The style, the story, the scope, the scenery. (Alliteration was not intentional) It's my game of the year and my favorite of all time.