Top 10 Games of 2017
10. Picross S (Nintendo Switch)
The right puzzle game at the right time. Picross S is a fantastic game to pull out and play for a couple of minutes. For me, I played a lot on planes and right before bed. Nothing about this game makes it stand out more than other Picross games, besides it’s on the Switch.
9. Pyre (PS4)
I am a massive fan of Supergiant Games, and this is no exception. Pyre has a wonderful story, and I was super impressed with the space-like basketball game that you play in between the story beats. The announcer of the rights, the characters, and the personality is all something worth experiencing.
8. FFXIV: Stormblood (PS4/PC)
While Stormblood is an expansion, it changes how you play FFXIV. The entire rework of skills and abilities makes it feel like a new game. If I was to point to one thing that makes FFXIV: Stormblood stand out from other games, it’s the Susano fight. FFXIV is easily the best MMO experience I’ve had to date.
7. Monster Hunter: Double Cross (Nintendo Switch) [IMPORT]
I was worried about importing MHXX due to the language barrier, but the Monster Hunter series does such an excellent job with icons and symbols that it wasn’t much of a hassle. While I prefer English, this was the first Monster Hunter game where I actually got to experience G-Rank content and get a full G-Rank armor set. I don’t recommend at this point importing it because of Monster Hunter: World is around the corner, but I can’t deny the nights I hunted with friends week after week.
6. Persona 5 (PS4/PS3)
I have never played a Persona game, but P5 scratched an itch that I didn’t know I had. Even after I turned the game off, I couldn’t help but think about how I wanted to plan my next day in the game and prepare for my next heist. I’ll admit that I didn’t finish it, due to the 100 hours of story in the game, but I felt like I was delighted with my purchase.
5. Splatoon 2 (Nintendo Switch)
I hated the original Splatoon. I hated the global testfire of Splatoon 2. For some reason, I couldn’t stop play Splatoon 2. It fixes just enough with the problems I had with the original game. There is a lot of charm and delight in this world! The fast nature of the matches made me keep coming back even months after release.
4. Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch)
I’m not a huge Zelda fan, but this was a fantastic experience from start to finish. While I never plan to go back into this world, and there is nothing I can say about this game that others haven’t already said, BotW was worth the journey.
3. Destiny 2 (PS4/Xbox One/PC)
Destiny 2 is hugely flawed. I stopped playing it after the Raid.Now that Season 2 is here, I haven’t gone back. I hope that Destiny 2 gets better in the future like Destiny 1. I cannot forget completing the campaign with my friends, finally taking down Calus, and helping the crew for Giant Bomb navigating the Leviathan.
2. Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon (3DS)
Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon is the game that Sun & Moon should have been. Pokémon has been struggling to evolve for years, and this game shows that after 20+ years they are finally getting close to breaking through that Metapod shell. If you didn’t enjoy Alola, this game isn’t going to change your mind, but even after 150 hours in Alola (between 2 games), I don’t want to leave my Alolan Vacation.
1. Night in the Woods (PS4/PC)
Night in the Woods is easily my game of the year. It’s a game about life and the relationship between friends changing. While not talked about right away, this game touches on anxiety and it focuses on that is handled exceptionally well. I don’t want to say much more about NitW, but it’s a must play if you are a fan of interactive story games.
