2017 was a bountiful year for all gamers. There was no shortage of games new or old to play. This year I’ve decided rather than creating a top five, or a top ten list, to compile a list of the games I played this year in 2017 and what I have to say about each.

When compiling this list, I realized how much I really did play this year compared to past year. In a way my love of gaming found a resurgence, not that it ever went away.

A few of these games I finished, most I have not¹. Most of these games came out in 2017 however there are few that have been out for a year or two.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I can’t remember the last time a game like this launched with any console. Twilight Princess launched with the Wii² but it wasn’t nearly this vast in scope, hype, or critical reception. I wrote about how excited I was for Breath of the Wild:

now on the eve of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild  I see the Zelda game I’ve been wanting since I played A Link to the Past: a vast world by today’s gaming standards and a return to exploration and finding out things on your own

Breath of the Wild fulfilled this hype. It surpasses every 3D Zelda game I’ve ever played by leaps and bounds. I played this game for nearly 120 hours straight. I haven’t finished everything yet, because I don’t want to wear it out. I want to return to it like a pair of beloved comfortable jeans. If I had to pick a game of the year³, it would be this game.

NPCs⁴ in Zelda games are usually pretty boring. But in Breath of the Wild I wanted to talk to every villager and passerby. They all had an interesting thing to say. If it wasn’t something funny, they would tell you an interesting piece of what to find in this version of Hyrule. This is easily one of the most humorous Zelda games outside of Wind Waker.

Even though I love this game, there are some things I wish they could have incorporated into the game. I miss the unique items that had multiple uses. The runes in the game (magnesis, stasis, & cryonis specifically) are great, but they weren’t nearly as functional as the hookshot or other relics from past games. But they did make the bow indispensable comparatively, so this is obviously a nitpick.

I was hoping that some of shrines would be more labyrinthian and the Devine Beasts puzzles differed in quality by a good margin⁵.

However, the story in the game really resonated with me. In this world, Link failed 100 years ago. Ganon won. It reminded me of A Link to the Past. In that game, once Link gained the Master Sword he ventured to Hyrule Castle, broke down the barrier of evil, defeated a gauntlet of soldiers, and faced the wizard Agahnim to rescue Zelda. After he defeated Agahnim, the wizard scoffed at Link and banished him to the Dark World only to find a land in despair where evil was about to win. The journey, so to speak, had only just begun. Link’s failure in Breath of the Wild makes the progress in the game that much more meaningful. It’s basically a Rocky montage of building Link’s resolve to face Ganon for the final countdown. This is even more powerful since the player can go fight Ganon at any point in the game. Everyone can appreciate the electric charge of a good montage.

The gameplay of Breath of the Wild is so much more fun than any 3D Zelda before it. Exploration is the foundation of which this game is built and nearly always rewards the player. Combat has strategy and consequences. Hyrule, as expansive as it is, feels hand-crafted and lived in. It feels like a world in ruin.

There is so much more to speak about on this game that has already been said⁶⁷⁸. It is a modern day masterpiece and one of the reasons I am a diehard Nintendo fan. Breath of the Wild enters into my coveted Top Three Zelda Games of All Time.⁹

One last note: Breath of the Wild has one of the best trailers for a game ever. It even has its own soaring orchestrated arrangement that’s not found in the game¹⁰. Whether you’ve played the game or not, the trailer is always worth a watch.

Specter of Torment (Shovel Knight)

The treasure that is Shovel Knight keeps on giving. Specter of Torment is a prequel campaign telling the more somber story of how Specter Knight came to be. Even though this is just a 2D retro platformer, the story still pulls on some heartstrings.

The player assumes the role of Specter Knight and his quest to gather The Order of No Quarter. This is the Mega Man X of Shovel Knight. The gameplay is so fast and frantic compared to Plague Knight’s campaign, Plague of Shadows. I played through this in a matter of a day or two. The fact that this launched the same day as Breath of the Wild should show you how much I love Shovel Knight. I made time for this.

Instead of remixed levels as in Plague of Shadows there are all new levels and music¹¹. The attention to detail and callbacks to the other two campaigns are the icing on this cake. This could be a standalone game and it would be great, but it’s just presented as an add-on to Shovel Knight. There is one more campaign left for Shovel Knight: King of Cards starring King Knight releases in 2018. If we can expect this level of quality in the new campaign this game deserves to be recognized on a whole new tier.

Cuphead

Cuphead is a retro game in both art and style. At its core, it’s a run and gun¹²gauntlet of challenges. It brings some modern influences to gameplay, but otherwise it’s an old school game.

Cuphead’s charming art is the drive to keep playing. Every level, every character, every background is all hand drawn animation inspired by 1930s cartoons specifically Max Fleischer’s animation works. Hand drawn animation is a dying art, but this game pays homage in the best way. But while the art is top notch, it wouldn’t be fun without solid hardcore arcade level gameplay. This game is hard, but it’s not because of cheap tricks. Once you understand enemy patterns and practice levels several times it’s a blast, and seeing what’s next is the fun.

Sonic Mania

Sonic the Hedgehog and I have a complicated relationship. I’ve never enjoyed Sonic on the same level as Mario games¹³, but Sonic games were my favorite platformer games on the Sega Genesis. I never found the design of Sonic the Hedgehog levels as elegant as any levels of any game developed by Nintendo. Sonic Mania fixes everything that I didn’t find fun in Sonic. The level design is stellar, the music is JAMMIN’ and this game is my favorite in the Sonic series by far. The fact this was done outside of Sonic Team will hopefully send the message to Sega to make more.

Nex Machina

Nex Machina is an arcade dual stick shooter game from Housemarque, who made the amazing Resogun. Resogun was very much a modern interpretation of the classic arcade game Defender. Nex Machina is in turn a modern interpretation of Robotron 2084 and Smash TV. Robotron 2084 is my favorite old school arcade game. It’s a game of manageable chaos where robots are the enemy and the player is the savior of humanity.

When Housemarque announced they had partnered with Eugene Jarvis, the creator of Defender, Robotron 2084, and Smash TV, my hopes were high. Arcade games¹⁴ are a dying breed that were briefly resurrected with the advent of digital distribution. They aren’t for everyone, but sometimes working towards a high score can be really fulfilling as skills are honed and muscle memory forms.

To me, Nex Machina is perfect game. It has solid controls, tons of mechanics, enemies, power ups, secrets, and a killer soundtrack. I love picking up this game and just blasting through robots for 10-15 minutes. I can’t recommend this game enough if you want an old school experience without the old school frustration. Since this game wasn’t published by Sony, there’s a glimmer of hope that this could make it to the Nintendo Switch at some point.

Nier: Automata

I only played Nier: Automata for about 5 hours. I can say this isn’t your normal action game from Platinum Games, but it does have some of that DNA in a game more focused on story. The world and music are really good. I need to finish this game in 2018.

ARMS

ARMS is fun. There was a general dismissal that this game was Wii Boxing for the Switch, but I assure you it’s not. It’s a fighting game that you can play without motion controls. Unlike a button masher with combos, each punch, block, and grab are deliberate and require patience and skill.

The character designs and world are bright and fun. Nintendo has ended its updates at the end of 2017, but over the course of six months it added several new features, characters, and stages which kept the game fresh.

This game is a fun fighting game – at least until Smash arrives on the Switch.

Splatoon 2

Splatoon 2¹⁵ is Splatoon refined with a little less magic. I love Splatoon, but this really felt like Splatoon 1.5 as opposed to Splatoon 2, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The sad thing is that the online with friends options weren’t much improved from the first one. Nintendo is still trying to figure out how the Internet works.

Snake Pass

Snake Pass is the go to game if you want to know what it’s like to be a snake. It’s a fun game with a bunch of charm but it’s not for everyone. The controls are intuitive but have a steep learning curve. Being a snake is hard. This game is very chill and cute. It has music from David Wise, one of my favorite composers.

There is a lot of love in the level design in how it ramps up difficulty. I recommend this game if you want something different and casual.

Nidhogg 2

Nidhogg is one of those game I find hard to describe to people. It is a 1v1 2D tug of war fencing game. There, I guess I did it.

Nidhogg 2 expands on everything the first game had by adding new weapons, rule sets, and several new stages.

The biggest difference in Nidhogg 2 is the change in art style. The first game was more of a minimalist expression in 8 bit pixel art. It was very soothing. Nidhogg 2 goes for more of a grotesque 16-bit vibe reminiscent of Earthworm Jim. Some found this change enough to turn them off of the game. I don’t mind it. It certainly doesn’t take away from the gameplay which is the most important aspect of the game.

This is a fun game to pick up and play with someone else in short bits, or long extended runs. It’s also a great spectator game in my experience.

Flinthook

Flinthook is one of my favorite indie games of 2017. It’s a roguelike platformer in which you use a hookshot-like grappling gun to navigate space pirate¹⁶ ships¹⁷searching for booty and a bounty. I found it fun and very challenging. There is a leveling system that adds modifiers and abilities that keep the gameplay of starting over and over fresh. I love the 16-bit aesthetic and the adventurous soundtrack. If this came to the Nintendo Switch I’d be a happy bounty hunter.¹⁸

Injustice 2

Great fighting game and one of the best DC movies you can watch. It’s mind-boggling how a fighting game understands the characters and their history and relationships better than the movies have.

Super Mario Odyssey

I never loved Super Mario 64 the way some people did. That isn’t to say I didn’t like it a lot. I had a dream long before the Nintendo 64 was a reality of a 3D Mario game. The game in my dream was more along the lines of Super Mario 3D World. I guess my imagination was a bit shallow.

But Super Mario 64 did shake up nearly everything that made a Mario game a Mario game. What always bothered me was how different the world and enemies felt from the previous Mario games. Later, 3D Mario games would eventually pull in more elements of the Mushroom Kingdom into the fold but with that came more linearity, and less exploration diversity with more focus on platforming.

BAM! Enter Super Mario Odyssey. It’s everything people wanted but didn’t get with Super Mario 3D World¹⁹.
– Freedom: Go where you want, do what you want
– Exploration: YOU GOT IT
– Timers: Gone
– Lives: Gone
– Power-Ups: EVERY ENEMY IS ITS OWN POWERUP
– Diverse Worlds: How about a motherlovin’ DRAGON or NEW DONK CITY
– But Bowser is boring: Now he’s SWAG BOWSER™²⁰
– Plus so much more²¹…

I feel like if there were any stops for a Mario game, they pulled them all out for this one. It’s so much fun. I hope we see more kingdoms either as part of DLC or a sequel. While not everyone loved Sunshine, and Galaxy wasn’t for everyone either, Odyssey²²²³ takes everything Mario has learned over the past 30 years, and makes it all feel remarkable once again.

Fire Emblem Heroes & Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Nintendo’s mobile games are demonstrating to be less than thrilling for me. In the instance of Fire Emblem Heroes it instead inspired me to go back and play Fire Emblem Awakening. While a pick up and play version of Fire Emblem sounds good on paper I was unhappy to see it infused with the mobile game tropes (RNG in game loot boxes, cool downs, etc.) I think it’s a good introduction to the basics of Fire Emblem, but I’d rather play one of the many mainline games even if that means carrying a Nintendo 3DS with me.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp seems even worse. I’ve never been a direct fan of the series, more from a distance. I understand the appeal of the mainline series but Pocket Camp seems like a punch in the face to fans. It suffers even more with the mobile game “standards”. You can pay in game currency to make things happen faster, including making fruit grow on trees faster. While all of this is optional it doesn’t seem as “chill” as the mainline series. Plus, I chose my “chill” game this year with Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is my zen garden. It is my meditation. It is where I find balance. I haven’t been much of a fan of games like Harvest Moon, or Animal Crossing. But Stardew Valley has those 16-bit graphics I have a weakness for, a very relaxing soundtrack, and a world that’s deeper and more mysterious than it lets on in the beginning.

The game starts with your grandpa leaving you the deed to a farm in the titular Stardew Valley. You’ve had it with your tedious cubicle humdrum life, so you move where life is a bit slower and you have control on your livelihood. It’s a bit cliched, but it suits this game’s intentions perfectly.

I’ve sunk over 50 hours into Stardew Valley, and every moment has been relaxing. Yeah, you have to farm and water plants, but you can also fish, mine, or adventure. Nothing in Stardew Valley feels random or fluffed. The main actions of chopping trees, planting seed, or mining ore all feel solid and fun even though they are repetitive. They feel like swinging a sword in A Link to the Past or using the shovel in Shovel Knight.

The progress in the game is perfectly suited to playing it for a few minutes or a few hours.

I love the town, the inhabitants, the music, the trees, the subtle sound design. Stardew Valley is the video game world I would want to live in.

Undertale

Undertale is one of those games everyone talked about for an entire year. That year was 2015 to 2016. And Undertale was only a PC game. I didn’t have a PC in 2015²⁴. I waited until it came to PS4 last year. I’m about halfway through at the time of this writing.

Undertale is special. It’s a game that is focused on a story and a message. Even though I haven’t finished the game yet, I know that this game will be highly regarded in 10 years. The presentation is timeless.

I really don’t want to spoil anything about this game for those who may not play it for years. I’ll just say it is unconventional.

Undertale, like Stardew Valley²⁵ was made by one person as a labor of love , and it absolutely shows.

This GIF sums up everything great about the game:

What Pulled Me Back In

These games came to the Nintendo Switch and made me play them all over again.

DOOM

This is the most Nintendo-like FPS not made by Nintendo. If you enjoy good single player FPS campaigns, I can’t recommend this enough. The graphics did take a hit compared to other platforms but once the action starts it’s hardly noticeable²⁶.

Rocket League

Having Rocket League available whenever and wherever has allowed for me to play it more than I ever did on any other console. The wireless local play functionality makes it even better to setup some 2v2 sports ball on the go.

Other Assorted Games I Played

• Hidden Folks
• Universal Paperclips
• Snipperclips
• Puyo Puyo Tetris
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Jamboree
• Jackbox Party Pack 4
• Blaster Master Zero

2017 Was A Year To Remember

2017 kicked my butt with how much there was to play. 2018 is already looking to match it.

I intend to write more regularly about what I play in 2018 because writing this was a time consuming affair.