2017 Community Game of the Year - Results on the front page!!

We're 30 posts in and I believe PUBG has only appeared once so far

I'm looking forward to doing my list this year (as well as reading everyone else), although I'm going to wait until very late, as I have an influx of games this December that will largely shape it.

beeporama wrote:

Thanks; I didn't make it clear with my phrasing that I had played both of them in 2016. I probably even voted for them in last year's community thread, based on the time I got with them. I just dumped a lot of time into those games, probably more this year than last, but definitely still a fair amount in 2016.

Y'know, with Episodes Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis, plus the Comrades Expansion, you could always vote for the expanded content to get a vote in for FFXV.

Divine Witcher Unknown: Breath of the Zelda Battlegrounds

Damn it I would play that.

Nioh
Tekken 7
Furious Angels
Yakuza 0
Titanfall:Assault
Injustice 2

Whoa new thread. Must organize list.

Clusks wrote:

We're 30 posts in and I believe PUBG has only appeared once so far

I'll play it when it's out of Early Access and not one second sooner.

Looking at my list, this was an insanely good year for gaming, and I only played a few games that are actually from 2017. I know what my #1 is going to be, but I'm going to really have to make some hard choices for the rest of my top 10.

I'm not solidifying anything yet (there's one more game I want to check out I haven't acquired yet), but I'm pleased that for the first time in a good while I played enough that was interesting that I have interesting things to say about them.

Thanks for running the thread this year Eleima! It's going to take me a while to compose my thoughts - 2017 has been a banner year for games. I'm looking forward to everyone's lists!

Cool. Cheers Eleima.

My #1 is pretty much written in stone but 2-10, wide open and will take a lil thought.

Loved browsing folks lists in the 2016 edition, looking forward to finding some lil treasures here and there.

For example...

Aaron D. wrote:

List

Slime Rancher and Caves of Qud wishlisted.

"Sobs" Cogmind not on Mac.

Picks up Slayaway Camp off the Android backlog and plays through the first few movies, pretty great.

Thanks!

10. Steins;Gate (PC, PSP/V/3/4, 360, iOS)

Being a bit of a lit-snob, I always wanted to try out a Visual Novel. But the genre's seedy reputation always seemed to put me off. Someone online suggested that I give Steins;Gate a shot, claiming that is was short on fan-service tropes and high on quality writing.

Turns out they were right! S:G is an intelligent sci/fi story in the Time Machine sub genre. The primary cast of four gel together well. The Japanese voice-acting is exceptional. At first I was turned off by the ego-maniac lead character as he's so over the top. But after settling in with the story and discovering all the other characters feel the same, the lead suddenly flipped to "so over the top it's funny and everyone is making fun of you anyway" that I found kinda endearing.

Quality artwork in this one as well. I quite enjoy the style.

I'm glad I gave S;G a shot as it made me realize the genre is more diverse than the tropey downsides would have you believe. It also inspired me to check out Doki Doki Literature Club (see below), something I never would have considered pre-Steins, so I'd call that a double-bonus win!

I'm going to come back to this thread for a proper attempt at a top 10 later on (surprise, it's hard!), but this is so spot-on. I also played Steins;Gate this year, and had a similar experience. While I've played games like Phoenix Wright and Danganronpa, this was the first full-on visual novel I'd experienced. Prior to Steins;Gate, I always played for an hour tops and got bored, never really pushing through any -- it was just the genre, I didn't like it, or so I told myself.

Steins;Gate is absolutely incredible. No other game has ripped me to shreds like this. No other game has kept me so captivated. I can't stand things with minimal interaction, so for me to be praising a "game" that's has only a sliver of actual play involved means a lot.

Now I'm on an unending hunt for anything that makes me feel the same way. Though I have the suspicion that very little will be as good as this gem.

Too soon!
Still got so much to play, and not enough time, so list will have to wait. Biggest gaming year ever - both for releases and how many games I have gotten around to play. Honorable mentions might get bigger than the actual top 10.

Beeporama, I'm sorry you had such a crappy, crappy year, and I really hope 2018 treats you better. ChipRMonk is correct, we're not going by release year, we're going by the usual "games you've played for the first time in 2017". If you want to redo your list, you're welcome (just don't edit, post a new post and tell me, it's your new list which replaces the previous one).

Aaron D, I'm not sure I should be letting all this Fallout 4 texture pack nonsense slide, but I'm going to since it's my first year. Don't expect such leniency next year though. Sounds to me like Fallout 4 wasn't really a new game to you in 2017.

Farley3k, you and the Witcher 3... Seems like it's quite the love affair you have there, should your spouse be concerned?

Tanglebones, you say "I've played it previously" when speaking of Diablo 3...

Thank you, Slumberland, I'm currently downloading Puzzle Droids!

Pyxistyx, I love that I knew what most ofyour list was going to look like and that I wasn't too far off. LKiaB indeed. And Skyrim on the Switch is so witchcraft, that it has me seriously considering buying a Switch.

Localgod54, you say Broforce wasn't new this year, but was it new to YOU?

WolverinJon, thanks for all the links and great job linking back to previous years!

Let this be a warning, folks. I'm watching. And I'm up to date on the votes. Keep 'em coming. I read each and every one carefully, even though I don't respond to all of you.
I am, however, infinitely pleased that The Witcher 3 has become somewhat of a running joke. ("Divine Witcher Unknown: Breath of the Zelda Battlegrounds" that was hilarious, Budo).

I’m only going to list 4 and they are in no particular order, except for the first one, because they are were so different.

1 SOMA: It is the best game I played this year. The no shooting FPS gameplay felt really fresh to me (I also loved the Campo Santo game, but not nearly as much) and the game was genuinely scary to me. There’s even a new mode in the game coming where you can’t die and the monsters have new behaviours to adapt to that fact. I’m really tempted to play it again.

2. Forza Horizon 3: I bought an Xbox One with this game bundled and boy was it worth it. It was the first racing game I bought since Burnout 3: Takedown (it’s such a shame that game never had a proper sequel with the takedown mechanic, I’m hoping it comes to the backwards compatibility program). I’m not a car person, but the mix of open world, racing, speed challenges, stunts driving and maybe other game types really ensnared me. I’ve only played through 50% of the game, but after 60 hours in it I can say I’m done.

3. Horizon: Zero Dawn
I love this game for the exact same reason I loved FH3 so much. A giant map with so many things to do that rewards exploration. This is the first game I ever platinumed.

4. Ori and the Blind forest
The escape from the flooded tree is by far my most memorable gaming moment of the year by far. The rest of the game is also superb. There are so many mechanics involved and each one is usefull.

Didn't play a whole lot now that I've got little kids running around. Started hitting mobile games though, with varying degrees of satisfaction.

1. Rocket League (PC) - Thanks to all who made this 2016's GOTY! I may have been late to the party, but it was still a really fun party

2. Renowned Explorers: International Society (PC) - Really fun blend of choose your own adventure and tactical combat. The latter has a lot of complexity that allows for different strategies and the exploring and storytelling is always fun. I was hoping to enjoy this with my two (now three)-year-old daughter. Turns out she likes beating up the bad guys more than the fun adventures... go figure.

3. Final Fantasy Record Keeper (Mobile) - Late to the game on this one as well. I'm burnt out on it now, but I was hitting it pretty hard spring and summer. A great nostalgia kick

4. Star Fox Guard (WiiU) - A fun take on the tower defense genre. Would've been nice if it had a bit more depth, but not bad for a throw in game. I actually played this a lot more than I did Star Fox Zero.

5. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (Mobile) - Only had this two weeks. Don't know how long it will last, but it's just nice to see a new AC game.

I don't play a lot of games anymore...

Voting will close on January 1st, 2018 (9am GMT+1, 3am EST, midnight PST).

I'd recommend sliding that back, some. People should be getting new games for Christmas, and giving them at least a couple weeks to play their new acquisitions would seem appropriate.

Honestly, it seems like the voting period should run from Jan 1 to the 31st each year. It's almost exactly 30 days too early.

Eleima wrote:

Aaron D, I'm not sure I should be letting all this Fallout 4 texture pack nonsense slide, but I'm going to since it's my first year. Don't expect such leniency next year though. Sounds to me like Fallout 4 wasn't really a new game to you in 2017.

Good point, Eleima. Please feel free to pull my vote for Fallout 4 off the overall tally as I did play it in 2016 as well.

The truth is that I'm not concerned about it getting an official vote count. But I'd be remiss not to include that silly DLC in my Top 10 as it was easily one of the most important downloads I made this year, inspiring hundreds of hours worth of blissful gameplay.

On a side note, thanks again for taking over hosting duties. I love, love, LOVE reading everyone's lists and descriptions as it's not only a fun read but also a valuable resource for discovery. For example,
Tanglebones reminded me that I need to check out Dream Daddy.

I find myself shocked to discover that not only have I played more than 10 games, I've played enough of them to make a list.

You all wrote:

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/86R8lVGGYElig/giphy.gif )

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/Hf2njyhV9t9S0/giphy.gif)

Any other year in the last 5 years All 3 of my top 3 would of been number one. it has a been a big year for great games.

1- PUBG - This game made me feel like I was 12 years old again. I was sitting at work thinking about playing like I was a kid thinking about getting home to play Starcraft. Bugs yes. Network issues yes. Lately some cheating issues yes. However, the game mixes skill/strategy and it resets every game so you are starting over.

2- Horizon Zero Dawn - This game has a story as good as the last of us but yet great fighting mechanics. It is a merger of a great story game, monster hunger light fighting mechanics and open world. The open world mechanics were not anything special but very well done and refined.

3- Warframe - How did I not hear more about this game in the last 6 years. Maybe it was not like this at the beginning but anyone that has not given Warframe a chance in the last couple years needs to go back. It is completely different than on release. It is Diable 3 loot with tons to do, great economy, great community. Even people on the reddit are nice (did not know that was possible). This is everything I wanted from destiny (with worse boss fights but better everything else).

4- Nothing - Why because it would not do any of the top 3 justice to put something after them.

5- Cuphead - Great Art. Great Music. Hard but fair bosses. Was not someone that been waiting on this to come out but I should of been. Can't wait to see what is next from these guys.

6- What Remains of Edith Finch - Best walking sim of the year. Interesting mechanics that change throughout the game. If you like walking sims and stories give this one a go.

7- 20XX - Everything I wanted from might number 9. Pretty much New age megaman mixed with a rogue like. Keeps getting updated. Great game i keep going back to.

8- Escape from Tarkov - This is still early works. It coming to public beta early next year. As of now though it is still the best dayz like gameplay since dayzmod. Stressful, slow paced, high action game. No Zombies but both NPC enemies and humans. Quest system needs work but they are still making major changes. More realistic than any other BR/Survival game you need the right ammo, right clip, load the clip, you need to remember how many bullets you fired etc.

9- Zelda BoTW - Zelda BoTW was a great game. Just not as good as everyone claims IMO. The world is interesting but other than that it is the same old open world mechanics done well. The Beast puzzles were fun but the shrines were too short and bland. The Weather system is more aggravating than fun and the durability system was just done badly. There is only like 6 weapons in game each having like 10 skins to act like different weapons. Certainly worth playing just not near the top of my list.

10- Fortnite BR - A well running casual version of PUBG. Much more beginner friendly. Not sure I like how quick you can build but overall fun game. The end gets pretty gimmicky with instant build but still good fun. F2P which helps and great game for friends to just jump in and play together. The optimization in this game puts PUBG and all other BR games to shame.

Oh my...I don't think I have a top 10 this year. Backloggery has me down for 18 games beaten so far and a lot of them either weren't very good or didn't really stand out in my mind. Hoping to get a few more games in before the end of the year to round out my list but in the meantime, I'm enjoying reading everybody's lists.

Also, guessing that I shouldn't put the Witcher 3 DLC this year since I voted for the main game last year...

Forlorn Hope wrote:

Oh my...I don't think I have a top 10 this year. Backloggery has me down for 18 games beaten so far and a lot of them either weren't very good or didn't really stand out in my mind. Hoping to get a few more games in before the end of the year to round out my list but in the meantime, I'm enjoying reading everybody's lists.

Also, guessing that I shouldn't put the Witcher 3 DLC this year since I voted for the main game last year...

I thought Blood and Wine was big enough, and good enough to count as a fully fledged RPG in it's own right. Therefore I felt fully justified in putting Witcher 3 at number 1 in 2015 and 2016. It's covered in the rules too. I'm putting it at number 1 this year too, right Eleima?

Malor wrote:
Voting will close on January 1st, 2018 (9am GMT+1, 3am EST, midnight PST).

I'd recommend sliding that back, some. People should be getting new games for Christmas, and giving them at least a couple weeks to play their new acquisitions would seem appropriate.
Honestly, it seems like the voting period should run from Jan 1 to the 31st each year. It's almost exactly 30 days too early.

That's how it's always been done, really. It's the 2017 GOTY, not 2017 and January 2018 GOTY. There might be a little extension, but definitely not until the end of January. Besides, you can always save some games for next year's list.

Aaron D. wrote:

Good point, Eleima. Please feel free to pull my vote for Fallout 4 off the overall tally as I did play it in 2016 as well.
The truth is that I'm not concerned about it getting an official vote count. But I'd be remiss not to include that silly DLC in my Top 10 as it was easily one of the most important downloads I made this year, inspiring hundreds of hours worth of blissful gameplay.

I hear ya, there's this kind of game that just stays with you, it's the "comfort game" you can dive right back into, and it'll just wrap you up like a warm fuzzy blanket. Skyrim SE was kinda that for me this year, but it'll get a special mention from me, not a top ten spot.
So what do you want me to do, remove it, and bump up the others, or leave the rest of the listing as is? I ask, because it does impact the tallying of the points.

kergguz wrote:

I thought Blood and Wine was big enough, and good enough to count as a fully fledged RPG in it's own right. Therefore I felt fully justified in putting Witcher 3 at number 1 in 2015 and 2016. It's covered in the rules too. I'm putting it at number 1 this year too, right Eleima? ;)

Careful now...

And just like that, up to date.

Just confirming that I played Witcher III for the first time this year!

It would make sense to extend it if it was a 2017 releases GOTY. But it's any game played in the calendar year, 2017, so...

If I list Mass Effect in spots 2-5, can I vote Witcher 3 as number one again?

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/l0IynJeJ9YERGyKm4/source.gif)

1) What Remains of Edith Finch - incredibly creative walking simulator-ish game that does some really interesting things with gameplay.
2) Prey - excellent immersive sim.
3) The Infectious Madness of Dr Dekker - psychoanalysis, murder mystery + eldritch horror? Love it. Really dug the actors and plot.
4) Cuphead - beautiful art and fun gameplay.
5) Stories Untold - a couple of "short story" games with some interesting mechanics and themes.
6) Nier: Automata - the best kind of weird, although I didn't find the gameplay itself all that fun.

Got some very promising looking games on the pile like Night in the Woods and Observer, but haven't been in the right frame of mind for them recently.

doogiemac wrote:

Just confirming that I played Witcher III for the first time this year! :)

I'm near the end myself, and this is also my first playthrough. And boy, oh boy is this game good (in case you people haven't heard). I want to wait until I'm done with it to post my list, but I have a feeling it is going to be at the very top.

Eleima wrote:

I hear ya, there's this kind of game that just stays with you, it's the "comfort game" you can dive right back into, and it'll just wrap you up like a warm fuzzy blanket. Skyrim SE was kinda that for me this year, but it'll get a special mention from me, not a top ten spot.
So what do you want me to do, remove it, and bump up the others, or leave the rest of the listing as is? I ask, because it does impact the tallying of the points.

That's kind of you to ask.

Let's just keep it simple and leave it set as is.

Mario_Alba wrote:
doogiemac wrote:

Just confirming that I played Witcher III for the first time this year! :)

I'm near the end myself, and this is also my first playthrough. And boy, oh boy is this game good (in case you people haven't heard). I want to wait until I'm done with it to post my list, but I have a feeling it is going to be at the very top.

Just curious, but how many folks have to actually finish a game to know where it compares to others that you play? Like i didn't finish DoS2, but i know it's the best RPG i played all year (tbh past 2 years)