2017 has been a tremendous year for video games. Right from the get-go with the PS4’s slew of major releases, through to the Nintendo Switch’s launch and then another wave of excellent releases in the autumn, this year has been jam-packed with greatness. As such, it’s been difficult to narrow down our best games of 2017.
Destiny 2
Post-launch controversies aside, Destiny 2 was a great follow-up to Bungie’s persistent world, sci-fi shooter, rectifying many of the mistakes the developer had made with the first game while tightening up its fundamentals.
Unfortunately, Destiny 2 has become more known for the things it didn’t do rather than the stuff it did do, and while Bungie have certainly made more than a few missteps with the FPS since its launch, it’s still an addictive blend of co-operative and competitive multiplayer action for those willing to accept that there isn’t 100+ hours of content tucked away in its endgame. Destiny 2 is at its best when it’s setting a Fireteam up against a seemingly insurmountable challenge in the name of obtaining sweet Exotic loot, and for those who loved the first game despite its flaws, Destiny 2 provides a far more polished and exciting experience.
NieR: Automata
NieR: Automata’s tale of the android 2B’s journey to Earth to reclaim it for humanity leaves players constantly second-guessing their handle on the story, with it switching perspectives and adding new twists to emphasize the pointlessness and hopelessness of the “machine war” that caused humans to lose Earth in the first place. Couple this with varied action that sees playing hack ‘n’ slashing the one minute then 2D platforming the next, and NieR: Automata was one of the most interesting and unique releases of the year.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is arguably the best Zelda game ever made. Though ultimately simple in design — you traverse an open-world, solve puzzles in near identical shrines, and then go take on Calamity Ganon — it’s the minutiae of Breath of the Wild that makes it a classic.
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey delivers everything you could want from a 3D Mario game, from the intimidating number of Power Moons players are tasked with collecting in a variety of unique ways, to the charming throwbacks to older entries in the series and the tremendous amount of fan service packed away in its story. In any other year, this would have been sprinted beyond its competition... but 2017 wasn’t any other year.
Persona 5
Persona 5 is in contention for the best JRPG to date, with it providing players with the opportunity to fully immerse themselves within its world, and despite it potentially running over the 100 hour mark you still routinely feel like you can’t pack enough action into one of its days, with there being so much to explore within its world that you’ll want to make the most of the time you’ve spent within it.
Persona 5 is a game which you could talk about exhaustively, and still fail to cover everything it does so well. The memorable cast of characters, the effortless presentation, that toe-tapping jazz soundtrack, the Thieves Guild connecting you to other players online — there are so many ideas at play here, and the vast majority of them work tremendously well. In a year of ingenuity, Persona 5 still stood out from the pack, making it our Game of the Year 2017.