My 10 Favourite Games of 2017

A year full of wonderfully executed, unanticipated games.

2017 proved game developers have more to offer than just gun blazing action. Games were not afraid to be powerful messages, tackle complex ideals or be a microcosm of our real world angst.

Developers proved that given the time and freedom they could bring their most ambitious creations to life.

Before we continue, I just wanted to clarify. These are not opinions they are 100% fact and completely objective. If you don’t like these games I fart in your general direction.

These are 10 of my favourite games from 2017.

 

10. Everything

Everything

Weird and wonderful, Everything is a game that sits us outside the box so we can examine ourselves. A unique take on philosophy as you are given the freedom to roam and explore as you delve into what makes up everything.

 

9. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Punching Nazis in the face has never been more satisfying.

Delivering possibly the best video game villain of 2017, Wolfenstein is a culmination of a fantastic cast and direction, coupled with pure FPS antics.

 

8. Prey

Prey

Prey feeds of paranoia. An understated nod to the power of scientific ambition and the power of a player’s imagination. A refined balancing act of chaos and stealth makes Talos I feel every bit as unnerving as its System Shock roots.

 

7. What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch

If you slowly wandered through your family home, what memories would you stir up? This typically tragic exploration of family and memories is mesmerising to the last moment. It’s a gripping tale that contrasts the mundane and the astounding moments of life.

 

6. Destiny 2

Destiny 2

It just feels right.

The seamless slash of movement, the crunch of a melee and the precise pop of an aliens head. Bungie worked to ensure Destiny 2 was a more refined beast than its predecessor, streamlining systems and loot to create an accessible blend of first person shooter and role playing game.

 

5. Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey

Odyssey is a shameless celebration of Mario, bundled into the most refined Mario package to date. Whilst the game nods to the history of Mario it takes, a leap forward and expands on the seams of the Mario universe to create a genre defining modern platformer.

 

4. Cuphead

Cuphead

Masterful execution requires masterful execution. The 1930s artwork, the steamboat soundtrack, the razors edge precision; all the elements you do not have time to ogle at between each mounting demise.

 

3. Hellblade: Sensua’s Sacrifice

Hellblade: Sensua’s Sacrifice

A blur of reality and illusion as you tackle grief and fear. Hellblade is an emotional roller coaster that few others have dared tried to achieve. Puzzles and combat accentuate Sensua’s decent down the rabbit hole, as you unravel the ruthless yet delicate ebb of her story.

 

2. Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds

Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds

Without Player Unknowns mods and eventual release of PUBG, the battle royal genre wouldn’t exist. PUBG has led from the outset of conception and with it created a tidal wave of fan base and following no one could have anticipated. The unique tension and anticipation in each game blend into something truly exhilarating.

 

1. Horizon Zero Dawn

Horizon Zero Dawn

A gorgeous yet vicious world unfurls as you and Aloy explore it for the first time, together. Horizon Zero Dawn is the pinnacle of character narrative and a triumph of and action adventure with the intelligence and bravado to boot. Guerilla Games have crafted a world and tale so captivating your time will wash away as you explore the expansive plains in Aloys shoes. The game is a tribute to the dedication and effort the developers have poured into it, and that’s what makes it my favourite game of 2017.

 

Games I wish I played: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Pyre, Nier: Automata, Rumu, Persona 5, Assassins Creed: Origins.

My Life as a Gamer: Nintendo 64

Good family friends of ours had a Nintendo 64 (N64). It was my first introduction to competitive multiplayer gaming. I remember being in awe of the graphics, thinking: ‘this is life like, how can graphics get better?’. We used to spend our time playing Golden Eye 007 and Mario Kart 64. Two games I believe stand the test of time and have both significantly influenced the gaming landscape.

Golden Eye 007

Mario Kart 64

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golden Eye 007’s effect on the rise of First Person Shooters (FPS) is renowned. It was one of the first mainstream games that pitted you against three of your buddies in tight maps with a range of weaponry. Golden Eye paved the way for games like Halo, Call of Duty, and Counter Strike, games that have become legendary in their own right. Without Golden Eye 007 the gaming landscape today would be very different.

Another N64 game I was introduced to was Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was a game I didn’t get to fully play or appreciate till years later. It still stands as one of the best games of all time.

Join me next week as we update our home computer just in time for the millennium bug.

My Life as a Gamer: Super Nintendo Entertainment System & Sega Genesis

Around 1995 I used to visit my cousins a lot. Funnily enough my Mum’s side of the family owned a Super Nintendo Entertainment System and my Dad’s side of the family owned a Sega Genesis. My Mum and Dad didn’t really want me playing video games “because your eyes will go square and they will melt your brain.” I’m still not sure if Mum and Dad told me that to scare me or if they legitimately thought both those things would happen.

Super Mario World

Killer Instinct

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first set of cousins were much cooler than me because they had a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). I still remember that all I would do at their house was rotate between playing with Lego and the SNES. We used to spend most of our time playing Super Mario World, Killer Instinct and Battle Toads. I remember being good at Super Mario, average at Battle Toads and terrible at Killer Instinct. But I enjoyed getting my ass kicked by my cousins all the same. For me Super Mario World is one of the ultimate best games of all time, but more on that later.

The second set of cousins were much cooler than me because they had a Sega Genesis. We shared our time between Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2 and Road Rash 2. Sonic the Hedgehog defined a generation of gamers.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Streets of Rage 2

 

 

 

 

 

You bought a Nintendo for Mario and a Sega for Sonic. Sonic introduced the speed and flow gamers were missing. While some games toyed around trudging through slow levels, Sonic was full speed and flat out. However I rarely got to play as Sonic due to the fact Sonic was always player 1. I played alongside my cousins as Tails, Sonic’s trusty side kick, always eager to help out as much as possible. I jumped around the screen not fully understanding my objective but loving every second of it.

Next week I go back to the future and visit DOS Gaming.

My Life as a Gamer: Atari 2600 Jr, Game & Watch DK

I was introduced to video games at a fairly young age.

I was five years old and playing my first console. Back then we had an Atari 2600 Jr connected to our TV. I was nearly permanently connected to it. It would be hard to explain to children now, the joy in games like Pong and Combat. Games so simplistic that your own mind would have to do half the work imagining what the blocks on the TV were actually accomplishing.

Atari 2600 Combat

Atari 2600 Pong

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combat was a game involving tank like bricks that you could drive and shoot. Everyone was far better at it than me but it didn’t stop me from trying. It was the simplest premise for a videogame but it was so intriguing this new toy that could project your actions onto a TV.

The abrupt death of my Atari 2600 came in the form of my younger sister bouncing a toy basketball on it. Devastated. Needless to say I am still scarred by that memory.

Ah deep breath. Moving on.

Around about the same time my grandma gave me a Game and Watch – Donkey Kong – and in light of the recent death of my Atari it became my new best friend. My Grandma had fished it out of an op shop and thoughtfully gave it to me to try and work out how to operate it. I was immediately taken. I played it for hours on end. I drove myself car sick on family holidays, head down playing the game for hours. Honestly that game took some serious skill, and I maintain it’s still one of the hardest games I’ve ever played.

Game and Watch Donkey Kong

Game and Watch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The game was a handheld port of the Donkey Kong arcade game that involved Donkey Kong rolling barrels down metal railing while he held the princess captive. The hero of the game, Jumpman, later renamed Mario, would become the poster boy for Nintendo and remain the flagship of their brand right up to today.

Next week fast forward to 1995 and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.