Hey now everybody, hope you're doing well, and welcome to my Best Games Of 2017 list! All my life I've had a passion for video games, and for as long as I can remember I've enjoyed playing them on many different consoles. There were times though where I started to play less and less, and I thought maybe my favorite hobby was getting old. But then I bought a PS4 a few years ago and it started to renew my interest again, some great games were being released, and I found myself playing more than ever. Now that 2017 is coming to an end I took a look back at all the incredible things that happened in the gaming community, and it's pretty clear that this has been one hell of a year for video games. One awesome game after another, month after month, and I've selected some of the best that we got to play. So here is part one of the Best Games Of 2017 List, in chronological order.
Resident Evil 7 - January 24, 2017
Resident Evil has always been a favorite of mine, especially the older original games that focused more on the suspense and horror aspects, over the more recent action packed sequels. I still love playing the old ones today when I have some down time between new games that come out. Even though the series took a drastic turn with 5 and 6 I still stuck with it and enjoyed them for what they were, but I always missed the slower paced, exploration based games that I grew up with. Then at the beginning of the year we finally got a brand new Resident Evil, and although it too took a drastic turn in style, it brought back what I loved about the series, and added a modern twist to it.
In Resident Evil 7 you play as Ethan Winters, a man who's wife had gone missing three years prior to the start of the game. Suddenly one day you get a message from your missing wife Mia, stating that she's being held captive in a house down in Louisiana. So of course you get to this house as quick as you can to try and save her, but when you arrive it's clear something is wrong with Mia, and this begins your nightmare of being trapped in the Baker family compound as they hunt you down and try to kill you. And even though this game is in first person perspective, it still captures the feeling of classic Resident Evil, and is one of my personal favorite games of the year.
Nioh - February 7, 2017
Only recently did I discover the incredible Dark Souls series, but once I did I fell in love with it. The insane difficulty that demands you to play flawlessly and take your time is something that most games don't have. Once you get the hang of how it all works and begin making real progress, a feeling of accomplishment comes over you that is almost unique to the series. This is the exact formula that Nioh uses in it's game, except the setting and the style are completely different. This has the same tight responsive combat, intimidating enemies, and fantastic level design as a Souls game, but does it's own thing with it. I couldn't wait to dig into Nioh, and when I finally got to play it, it did not disappoint.
Nioh is an action adventure role playing game developed by Team Ninja, who is best known for their Ninja Gaiden series that is infamous for it's difficulty. It was released as a PS4 exclusive title where you play as William, an Irishman who is trained in martial arts combat. You travel from the west over to Japan in the year 1600 in pursuit of your nemesis Edward Kelley, a man who has supernatural powers and is using them to cause a war. Once you arrive you find the country in the middle of a huge conflict that is destroying everything, and to make matters even worse there are Yokai, or Japanese demons, that have come to life thanks to Kelley. You make your way all over the land, being trained by some of the best fighters of the time, and trying to help put an end to this brutal war. This is an amazing game that may have flown under the radar a little, but if you like Souls games than this is definitely for you.
Horizon Zero Dawn - February 28, 2017
When I first saw trailers for Horizon I was blown away by the beautiful setting, interesting combat, and of course the hulking robotic animals that roamed the landscape. This is certainly a game that I couldn't help but get hyped up for, even though I usually try not to do that with anything, because you end up being disappointed. But when it came out and I got my day one release copy, I was so happy with how it turned out. The fast paced combat against these deadly mechanical animals was so satisfying that I immediately got hooked and couldn't stop playing it. On top of that this game has a very mysterious and compelling story, that kept me guessing right up to the end.
In Horizon Zero Dawn you play as Aloy, a young orphan woman who lives in a tribe of people inside a walled off community. It's walled off because of what dangers lurk outside, so to keep everyone safe they all live in the safety of the tribal area. Aloy is not welcomed in the tribe though, and she becomes an outcast that doesn't fit in with everyone else. She goes off and scavenges the land looking for useful things and one day she discovers the remains of an ancient civilization. In these remains she finds a device that she wears that shows her things she never imagined before, and gains the courage to venture far outside the safety of her tribe. You go on an incredible journey through various terrains fighting all kinds of mechanical beasts, and as you do you slowly piece together the games mysteries. This was another amazing game that we got right off the bat, and it set a pretty high benchmark for the rest of the year.
The Nintendo Switch - March 3, 2017
Alright, so I know this isn't technically a game, but I just have to include the release of a new Nintendo console on this list, as it was another exciting moment for gamers all around the world. There was a lot of talk and anticipation surrounding this mysterious new console before it actually came out. Codenamed the NX, not much was known about what this was going to be, or how it functioned. But then on March 3rd, 2017 Nintendo revealed the Switch in all it's glory for everyone to enjoy. Never feeling the need to directly compete with the other major consoles, Nintendo always marches to the beat of it's own drum. The Switch doesn't have top notch 4k graphics or the most hardcore games, but what it lacks in raw power it makes up with creative design choices, and exclusive titles.
Nintendo has had a lot of success over the years with various different gaming machines, but they've also had some failures. I think they learned what works best for them and their fan base, and built the Switch with all these things in mind. It meshes together the portability of the handheld DS, it has some motion control features, a remnant of the Wii, and a quality tablet that is the base of the console, which is an upgraded version of what they tried to do with the Wii U. Somehow all these things blend together in a very satisfying way, that's also easy to use and extremely fun. I wasn't sold on this new console when it first came out, but after recently buying one I can't even tell you how much entertainment I've got out of it already. The Switch has elevated Nintendo from the gimmicky little kid gaming console, and turned them into a real contender again.
The Legend Of Zelda, Breath Of The Wild - March 3, 2017
Wow, just the first quarter of 2017 alone had some of the best games I've played in a very long time. Playstation seemed to be on a roll, putting out some pretty awesome exclusives that were well received by critics and gamers alike. Then Nintendo finally released it's new console the Switch, and with it maybe one of the best launch titles of all time, Zelda Breath of the Wild. It had been a long time since I'd gotten to play any new Zelda game, or paid any attention to what Nintendo was doing in general. But holy cow when I saw footage of Breath of the Wild, I seriously considered buying a Switch right then and there. Unfortunately that one game wasn't enough for me to do so, and I didn't get to play this until very recently after I bought a Switch in November.
Nintendo really put a lot of effort into Breath of the Wild and pulled out all the stops. This is a massive game with so much depth and variety that it's world just pulls you in and begs of you to keep exploring. You can get lost for hours not even paying attention to the main quest, and just taking in all it has to offer. The developers took some big chances with the game mechanics, changing some things pretty drastically from what we've seen in previous Zelda titles. Your weapons break quite frequently, there are climates in certain regions that will slowly kill Link if your not prepared, and there aren't really any dungeons to be found, even though that's always been a staple of the Zelda series. But honestly all these changes are what makes it so good, it feels familiar, but totally fresh at the same time, and is definitely one of my top games of the year.
Thanks for checking out part one of my look back at 2017, I hope you enjoyed it!
Thanks for rewiews!
Thank you for reading them, I'm happy you liked it!
glad to see RE7 up there, really enjoyed Nioh as well.
Gotta say the RE7 DLC was terrible though, aside from Sisters.
That's a bummer, I still haven't tried the DLC yet, but I will eventually.
Reading your mention of the old Resident Evil games, it makes me remember the zombies' voice from RE 3 Nemesis, which I really scared of back then and still can't get out of my head to this day. Scary stuff.. great scary stuff..
I love Resident Evil 3, I'm hoping that one day we'll get a remake of it!