It's too early for me to do a movie one of these (with SW still to come out), but since there's nothing else I'm particularly interested in playing this year and it's been a kinda weak year if you're not really a Nintendo fan, here's my list for best in games of 2017:
1. Resident Evil 7.
Way to rediscover horror...makers of the only video game horror property with as much prestige as Silent Hill. What's next, SquEnix is gonna have to rediscover how to make good JRP—oh, right. Maybe FF16 will finally do it.
Anyways, I had originally dismissed this(and I was pretty vocal in my loathing of both what this and FF15 were shaping up to be) as desperate grasping by combining True Detective: The Only Season that Matters and Outlast. How very surprised I was to find a tight--if familiar--story, a few fun boss battles (and one very familiar boss battle), a couple of memorable villains that were silly but menacing, and a very tight and tense shooting over it that helped amplify the horror of the game rather than drag it down as most shooting in horror games does.
I won't pretend that some of the reason this is here isn't because I grew up with RE and hated what it became. Even as much as I enjoyed 4, I hated what it did to the franchise. Still, this game was surprisingly Resident Evil. Though Umbrella and one particular character at the end are the only tethers to the franchise, the game design is incredibly familiar to veteran Resident Evil players, bringing a breath of fresh air to the series while keeping it more-or-less grounded in the traditional game play.
So here's to you, Capcom. Good job not going the way of SquEnix and becoming completely irrelevant to me these da—
2. Nier: Automata.
Oh, right. I always forget that Square Enix supports games that AREN'T Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. How does it feel to be near the top of my top five for the first time in well over a decade, Squenix, are you proud of being here on some rando's list? And not for your mediocre FF15 game, either (although that Florence + the Machines cover of "Stand By Me" was worth getting), which I thought came out this year but actually came out late last year, but it was released in that span of time where Trump was elected president and now, and everything in that time has somehow been simultaneously a horrified blur and a never-ending nightmare.
Anyways, Nier the Second was a title I was wary of picking up, and you can read my review and find a lot of problems I had with this game, but what it did well it did so well that I couldn't help but stick it in the top five. While the next three I was more lukewarm about, this and RE7 are the only games that I would put in a top 5 even in a strong year. There have been dark, philosophical games before, but some of Nier:Automata's incredibly existential, bleak, and thoughtful story stuck with me in a way that--for all its faults--Bioshock Infinite's did. So for that, if nothing else, it's worth putting in this spot. Plus, it and RE 7 are the only ones this year I've gone back to play again.
Apparently, it's sold so well that it literally saved Platinum Games from being dissolved, a studio I actually rather like. Hats off to you, nihilistic, robot-ass-loving, crazy creator of Nier: Automata. May your next game be as bleak and weird.
3. South Park: the Fractured but Whole
I've always been a fan of South Park's humor more than any other show: it could be deeply offensive if in lesser hands, but Trey Parker and Matt Stone somehow make it funny and oftentimes quite thoughtful past the crude humor.
The combat is better, but the jokes don't hit as hard as they did in the last game (except for the entirety of the police station level, which was both hilarious, disturbing, and political--in typical South Park style) but I wonder if that's for the same reason that I was kind meh about GotG 2 (spoiler for the movie list): I knew what I was walking into, so it didn't hit as hard the second time around.
Frankly, this and the next two wouldn't have made the list in a better year (btw, 2013 was the best gaming year on record, in my eyes) but this still kept me chuckling and was fun enough in combat that I didn't feel bad about going full price on it.
4. Little Nightmares.
Oh yeah, time for the indie pick(I'll admit, the reason you're not seeing a lot of the biggest AAA games up here is because unless I really want them, I'm never prepared to spring for them until they go on discount). Anyways, Little Nightmares is a horror game, and damn it's been a horror-heavy year in both entertainment and real life. And also, my list.
This is a more artistic game, with an abstract story that could admittedly be about many things, but I suspect is about power and the way it corrupts even the most innocent and earnest of people. Anyways, if you like your children at risk of being turned into sausage and eaten, if you like a story that's one giant allegory of the lure of greed, power, and gluttony, then you'll love this.
5. Persona 5.
I agonized a bit over whether to put this or Original Sin 2 here. Persona is the kind of game that isn't usually my speed, but once I got into the first story—about an Olympic medalist coach abusing his students both physically and sexually, I was surprised to find many of the kids' stories either particularly well-grounded in the real world or relatable rather than what I usually expect.
The turn-based RPG combat, a favorite of mine ever since FFX, is also a plus. In a better gaming year, this probably wouldn't have made the list, but my special mentions just weren't good enough to be here and nothing else really ate up my time.
Special mentions –
Battlechasers: Nightwar.
I like me some party turn-based JRPGs, and this one based on a comic (and also, styled like a comic) was really good. The story was good, the characters were fun, but the gameplay just didn't have enough variety for me to feel it exceeded similar games.
Divinity: Original Sin 2.
Like the last one, I was entertained enough by this game. I do have an affinity for CRPGs, but this one feels too straightforward and lacking in the freedom of its predecessor that it just couldn't be elevated to my top 5.
Pyre.
I always love Supergiant's work, but where Bastion and Transistor were like reading a heavy story while listening to your favorite soundtrack, this one was just a small adventure book with some nice enough ambient tunes. A good game, but I was hoping for something meatier with consideration to your first two titles.
Biggest “Meh” of the year that everyone else loved
Horizon:Zero Dawn. Considering the fatigue I have with the Ubisoft Game—that is to say, THE Ubisoft Game, the one they keep making again and again and again—I wasn't sure why everyone was hailing this game that felt like it was copying off of Ubisoft's homework. To me, it was the same exact game as Assassin's Creed or Watch Dogs, just with robot giraffes instead of radio towers. Sure, the novelty of killing robot velociraptors was cool the first couple of hours, but then everything grew stale and rote. There was little customization, the story was “eh”, it was just running around and setting traps for robots until you get bored.
Things from this year I still wanna play— Fire Emblem Echos: Shadows of Valentia, Prey, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, The Evil Within 2.
Thing I don't care to play that everyone else loves and whose lack of inclusion will inevitably piss someone off - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Hero of the Year - The kid from Little Nightmares. I don't know if she even has a name. However, hers is a favoritism born of her storyline, which can be read pretty easily about the corruption of greed and power.
Villain of the Year - Jack Baker. An axe/????/shovel wielding redneck from Louisiana, campy as shit and funny, but carrying a sympathetic ending. In the hands of a lesser voice actor, this would've come off like RE5 Wesker (In fact, the same goes for Lucas and Marguerite, who were also very well voiced). Instead, I was left with a villain not quite up to GLaDOS levels of memorability, but like...in the next tier, with the likes of the Illusive Man and Andrew Ryan—if for a different reason: being one of the most fun villains in quite some time.
Best Soundtrack - Nier: Automata. There weren't a lot of great soundtracks this year, especially since Supergiant's entry decided to go more with ambient music than their usual Musical-style tunes.
So, if it's not too early for you guys, go ahead and share. What do you think was the best this year?
*EDIT* Forgot a crucial word in the last sentence.