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

1. Night in the Woods

I'd kept an eye out for this baby from the moment I found out about it. Late to the kickstarter, but down for the PS4 purchase the moment it hit the market. I was glad to support the work of a fellow g'jer. Little did I know that it would be one of the most meaningful gaming experiences I would have.

Everything about this game feels like home to me. Both in a good way and in a bad way. There have been some serious games published this year, blockbusters, and in the end, this one has simply been the one I keep thinking of whenever I even consider good games this year (maybe for years to come).

2. Torment: Tides of Numenera

A spiritual sequel in a different setting to one of the best CRPG's ever? Where do I sign? I have yet to play through it, but that fact that it exists is enough to warrant the spot on my list. Nevermind how interesting and diverse the game is. It is New Weird made RPG. I love it.

3. Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Zelda games and I have had a long love affair. This just made me love it even more. What is there to say that hasn't been said ad nauseam by every other person with the ability to write an intelligible sentence?

4. Stories: The Path of Destiny

This is one surprisingly tight package; a combination of ARPG and Narrative/Adventure/Choose your own adventure. I really liked this one.

5. Sands of Destruction

What a sleeper this one must have been when it hit the market. Enough of the Xenogears genetic code in the battle system, plenty of dark but funny Anime tone, and a story that was actually enjoyable.

6. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel

One part persona, one part Wild Arms 4, Falcom charm to taste: voila! Yeah, I dig this quirky, sometimes misguided, yet terribly engaging and entertaining game.

7. Alice: Madness Returns

Didn't really expect to enjoy this game so much. The aesthetic concept, the actual gameplay, everything about it was fulfilling. Better than the first game by leagues. Plus, anything related to Lewis Carroll always rocks my boat.

8. Owl Boy

A pinch of Ghibli charm got mixed into this, but it has something else that makes it stand on its own, unique. The story, told through such refined gameplay and captivating visuals... it's intangible, but it is there.

9. Life is Strange

I cannot comment on a lot of things about this game simply because I am a male and my experience is terribly limited, but I can say that playing the lead in this one has made me question and wonder about a lot of social systems and mechanics. I've read plenty of commentary about the game before I even tried it, and it has always piqued my interest. The story is gripping enough, and the approach to ye olde adventure game formula is rather interesting. Tell Tale adjacent, but unique enough to warrant its own mention.

10. World of Final Fantasy

I am a sucker for Final Fantasy. I have always been fascinated by the Pokemon premise, but wished for a different approach (aside from SMT/Persona). This game answers all that, but it adds Chibi and Anime charm. I am looking forward to the inevitable sequels.

b12n11w00t wrote:

I'm not going to really go into each of them and why they are where they are

Awwww, but that's my favorite part! Hehe, no worries, thank you for your list, it's been taken into account.

robc wrote:

Eleima, (snip) Would it be easier for you if I waited until the last minute to post my list to avoid possibly changing it. I don't want to cause you extra work.

Either way is fine, it's really up to you. The only thing I do ask if you do decide to post and then change is to make a new post with your updated list and then give me the heads up so I know not to add a second set of data for you (even though I will be checking for duplicates before the end, so don't any of you kitties go get any ideas! )

Thank you for all your lists, I love seeing so many different games, games I hadn't even heard of sometimes.
Another thing I love is looking at the numbers change as the votes come in. This year should be interesting, I can't wait to see it all play out, and I won't say another single word on the matter.

OK, here we go. Going over the games I played for the first time in 2017 made me realize how many games there are that were at least "pretty good". There are few games on my list that I really disliked. There were a fair share of mediocre ones, but many worthwhile ones. I expect that Horizon Zero Dawn will make the top 10 if I get a chance to play before votes need to be in - I can't play it until Christmas though.

1) Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
The crazy story is what puts this at the top for me. It through in so many unexpected moments that were sometimes shocking, funny, and / or emotional. The action was good, but not ground breaking. Thanks for not throwing in those boss battles from the first game.

2) Forza Horizon 3
I love me some racing and leader board chasing. It doesn't hurt that the game is beautiful. I don't really care about the open worldness of it. It could have just been a menu of events and I would have liked it the same.

3) Through the Ages
I don't play this as much as I would if it were on PC, but it is such a cool remix of a Civ-type game. The random cards make it do the game doesn't play out the same every time.

4) XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
All the new stuff just makes XCOM 2 a more well-rounded game. The Chosen were a bit too gimmicky and could be a little annoying, but the basic formula is a good one and got better with the expansion.

5) The Golf Club 2
It's been so long since I've played PC golf and it was good to get back. It can take some work to figure out how to hold the controller to usually get a straight shot. Most of the courses are user made, so quality can vary. Some users get too aggressive with their green layout and that can make for some frustrating play, but the game itself is a lot of fun.

6) Superhot
Such a different take on a FPS game. Getting to plan out crazy take downs felt cool. I don't think I liked it as much as some, but still a great game.

7) Cuphead
Excellent on every front - gameplay, graphics, sound. It is more difficult than I'd like as I'm making very slow progress on island 2, but I haven't broken down and done the easy versions of the levels. Sticking with normal so far.

8) Axes and Acres
This game is way too unknown for the amount of fun I've had with it. Great auto adjusting difficulty level acts as a high score in a way. Play to see how hard you can raise the level to. It's a very simple strategy game, but there are different ways to succeed. It's played out on a small hex based map. It also uses cards that can be used in 2 ways and some dice. I even linked to it to make it easier for people to check this game out.

9) Opus Magnum
Very clever game. I didn't realize how many ways a problem could be solved until I saw other players' solutions. It hasn't been difficult to get a solution, but I've banged my head against the wall for hours trying to optimize a solution.

10)Monster Slayers
It can be a little grindy, but this is a great deck-based dungeon crawler. Combat is resolved by playing cards. A lot of different classes to choose from that make the game feel different. I can't believe I put over 100 hours into this game.

Honorable Mentions

Homefront The Revolution
The single greatest thing about the game is the way to make me feel like I was part of an insurgency to take back my country. The shooting was fine. The missions were good, but the atmosphere really elevated it.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate
I'm not a big AC fan, usually I find them boring. The combination of the historical people you meet, Evie Frye, the excellent city design just worked more than usual. Sure there were boring, repetitive tasks but nothing says you need to actually do them all.

Prey
This teetered on being an excellent game for me, but there are three things that held it back. I didn't enjoy the backtracking I had to do, I hated when I had to go out into space, and the enemy design just didn't do it for me. I enjoyed the story and initial exploration of areas. It felt like a real place. The action was good.

Pinball FX 3
I simply have fun chasing high scores in this game. I have trouble knowing what I need to do in what order on many tables, but it doesn't stop me from having fun trying to hit the flashing things and keep the ball from draining.

Steamworld Heist
What a weird little turn based system with ricocheting shots. It's got character and pretty rewarding game play.

Other good games I played

Spoiler:

Rocksmith 2014
Antihero
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Deluxe
OOTP Baseball 18
Stephen's Sausage Roll
Dirt 4
Kingdom New Lands
Dungeon Warefare
Race For the Galaxy
Solar Settlers
Ryse: Son of Rome
Metro Last Light Redux
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood
Pathfinder Adventures
Age of Rivals
Twilight Struggle
Tachyon Project
Endless Space 2
Bottom of the 9th

Still good, but fading...

Spoiler:

Motorsport Manager
Galactic Civilizations 3: Crusade
The Sorcerer King Rivals
Battle Chasers Night War
Tales From Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation
Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation
Stardew Valley
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
The Witness
A Boy and His Blob
Forced
Salt and Sanctuary
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
The Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna
Deathtrap
Reverse Crawl
Atari Vault
Bad Catipiller
Mushroom Wars
Papa & Yo
Warhammer® 40K: Space Marine
The Deadly Tower of Monsters - worth playing for a little while for the comedy. Game play not very good.

Mediocre

Spoiler:

Styx: Master of Shadows
Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds
Age of Decadence
The Book of Unwritten Tales
S.t.a.l.k.e.r. - Call of Pripyat
The Flame in the Flood
Rebel Galaxy
Steve Jackson's Sorcery Complete
Conquest of Elysium 4
Zafehouse Diaries
The Curious Expedition

Wish I skipped

Spoiler:

Burnout Paradise Ultimate
Project Highrise
Sonic the Hedgehog
Spellforce 2: Gold
This is the Police
Tales of Maj'Eyal
Particulars
Ducktales
ArcaniA
Kholat
Beholder
Hacknet
Bullet Storm
The Guild Gold Edition

10. Warframe (Xbox One): Hey it is like Destiny only free to play and has more melee weapon options.

9. Super Hydorah (Xbox One): Old school, hard as hell shump. 'Nuff said.

8. X-Morph: Defense (Xbox One): You got a twin stick shooter in my tower defense game. No you got a tower defense game in my twin stick shooter. What a delicious combination.

7. AER: Memories of Old (Xbox One): Flying around as a bird is awesome. The puzzles were pretty basic though.

6. The Witcher 3 (Xbox One): Late to the party here. Don't think much needs to be said about this one.

5. Rise of the Tomb Raider (Xbox One): I need to put more time into this one but what I did play of it was very good.

4. SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt (Xbox One): Just finished this one and it was a lot of fun. Reminded me of an old Xbox Live Indie Game I used to play just to relax called Miner Dig Deep. Going to definitely pick up the second one soon.

3. Destiny 2 (Xbox One): HEY IT'S MORE DESTINY!!! Oh hey it is just more Destiny. Good but very similar feeling to the first game.

2. Forza Horizon 3 (Xbox One): OMG that Hot Wheels expansion!!! That was the most fun I have had in a racing game since like Mario Kart 64.

1. Mass Effect: Andromeda (Xbox One): As a guy with an N7 license plate on my car and who wears an N7 hoodie and carries an N7 backpack almost daily this is not going to be much of a surprise. Yes it had a lot of problems, but it was still more Mass Effect which is a damn good thing. I'm hoping that they get to make another one before another five years go by and that they will lean less heavily on the open world stuff.

Honorable mentions:

Autonauts (Mac/PC): This one is an honorable mention because it is in early access. Basically you get to program little robots to harvest resources and build tools and buildings and take care of little villagers who can't take care of themselves.

Nimbatus: The Space Drone Constructor (Mac/PC): This is also an honorable mention because it is in early access. In this game you build drones to mine planets and fight enemies. As you progress you unlock new weapons and you can create drones that are either controlled directly by you or if you so choose you can make automated drones that control themselves.

CptDomano, from 2015 wrote:

I'm not sure if I've ever had this much trouble narrowing down my list in previous years, and I am extremely pleased by that

CptDomano, from 2016 wrote:

Holy sh*t! This year has probably been one of the hardest years to come up with a list of just 10.

Well, it is a year later and I have to say that this year, bar none, has been the best year for video games that I can remember. Pretty much every month there was a game (or two or three) that I just completely fell in love with. I know what is going in at #1 for sure, but everything else is a smidge above being random.

THE LIST!
1. Yakuza 0
2. Breath of the Wild
3. NieR: Automata
4. Resident Evil 7
5. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
6. Cuphead
7. Fire Emblem Warriors
8. Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
9. Gundam Versus
10. Star Trek Bridge Simulator

THE BLURBS!

Spoiler:

1. Yakuza 0
-----------------------------------

I'm a sucker for games that really lean in to whatever whatever ridiculous thing they are going for. With Yakuza 0, they definitely go for it and then some. While the main story is very much an action-fueled gangster story (which works very well on its own), it's the side content where the game really shines. Not only is there a ton of stuff to do, but it's fun to do and also leads to some of the most hilarious and fun experiences I've had in a game like this. At one point, I was asked to get a turkey (three strikes in a row) in bowling. My prize?

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/SPgj4vq.png)

That chicken also helps me run my real estate business as a manager. That's Yakuza 0 to me.

2. Breath of the Wild
-----------------------------------

The only reason why Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did not get the #1 spot was because at some point I petered out on it. It was definitely not because the game was bad or boring, far from it. This is one of the best designed open world games out there both mechanically and with the amount of content involved. As an example, I didn't even realize what was involved with Korok seeds until I stumbled on one of the puzzles. I then realized that the whole world had a very subtle second layer to it that I'd actually have to explore on my own to discover instead of just going to different points marked on a map. It was a wonderful change of pace from an UbiSoft style open world.

3. NieR: Automata
-----------------------------------

The original NieR was in my top 10 list of 2012 because of the way it told its story through multiple endings. NieR: Automata continues this trend in addition to crafting an amazing story. While the combat portions are still not the series strong points to me, I can forgive a lot of those shortcomings just from how well the story is told.

4. Resident Evil 7
-----------------------------------

This was a game I had been looking forward to playing with my PSVR since it was announced. And this game certainly did not disappoint. After the opening sequence (about 45 minutes or so), I had to stop playing and just walk away from how intense and scared it made me. It is an excellent example of VR done right, and I'm certain the game would not have the same effect if just playing it on a TV screen.

5. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
-----------------------------------

I played both New Order and New Colossus back to back this year, and Wolfenstein 2 just goes for it. Basically just takes the knob, turns it to 11, then breaks the damn thing off and keeps that level throughout its whole story. It was pretty unfortunate that mechanically the game kind of missed the mark, otherwise this would have run with Yakuza 0 for the top spot.

6. Cuphead
-----------------------------------

There's really not much more that I can add to the praise that this game has already received. A perfectly solid and very challenging game.

7. Fire Emblem Warriors
-----------------------------------

I do not have a Switch just yet, so I had to settle for the 3DS version of Fire Emblem Warriors. I'm a huge fan of the Musou series and really love how Koei Tecmo have been tweaking the design to fit into different styles without having it just be a reskin of Dynasty Warriors. The weapon triangle is present in this one, meaning if an officer is wielding a spear, you better send someone at them with an axe. Adding in permadeath and the ability to actually position forces using the map is a great addition to the formula as well.

8. Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
-----------------------------------

I started my visual novel journey last year as kind of a goof between friends, but since Panzermadels I have spent 2017 really going through a bunch of different VNs. I still have Ladykiller, Steins;Gate, and Doki Doki Lit Club queued up to play when I get a chance, but I had a chance to get through Dream Daddy. I went in expecting to just chuckle a bit and move on. However, there was some serious thought put into this game, and all of the characters are fleshed out well. I was definitely more invested in everyone much more than I thought I would be instead of just trying to min/max the story to get the outcome I wanted.

9. Gundam Versus
-----------------------------------

My local movie theater had a Virtual On machine that I would just constantly pump quarters into before the show. I loved that game so much, and then I heard that Gundam Versus was being released in the US. I immediately ordered it and have not been disappointed. This is 2v2 (or 3v3) Virtual On in a much more open space, and it is complete chaos. Toss in over 80 different mechs that all handle slightly different and you have even more chaos.

10. Star Trek Bridge Simulator
-----------------------------------

I played Artemis for the first time years ago when PenCon happened at Ravenswood Castle. It was super fun being in a room with a bunch of people screaming orders and trying to navigate whatever scenario was thrown at us. Fast forward to 2017 and you not only have online Artemis, but it is in VR and you are a member of Starfleet. Really the only drawback is that it's VR-only, so the community playing it is pretty small.

Rykin wrote:

1. Mass Effect: Andromeda (Xbox One)

I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite vote on the Citadel.

Thank you gentlemen, your votes have been taken into account. Also, I seem to have added AER: Memories of Old to my wishlist.

CptDomano wrote:

10. Star Trek Bridge Simulator
-----------------------------------

I played Artemis for the first time years ago when PenCon happened at Ravenswood Castle. It was super fun being in a room with a bunch of people screaming orders and trying to navigate whatever scenario was thrown at us. Fast forward to 2017 and you not only have online Artemis, but it is in VR and you are a member of Starfleet. Really the only drawback is that it's VR-only, so the community playing it is pretty small.

For clarification purposes, I'm only seeing listings for Star Trek: Bridge Crew. That seems to be what you're referring to, but best be safe than sorry.

Eleima wrote:

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

It was. I think I got it for free or very cheaply on PSN because I had friends coming into town. I played by the rules including it.

Oh my gosh, this is a fun post.

I want to say I'll come back and put in images for each of these (and I sure hope I actually do it), but for now here's a list and some blurbs (and it's going to be fairly MMO heavy, turns out) - In order from bestest to not-as-bestest.

1. Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood

Technically I'm not at the Stormblood content yet, but I've been sinking a lot of time into FFXIV starting this year and there's just so... much...content. Like seriously, so much to do, all over the place. Tons of crafting disciplines, doesn't feel like a chore. Good dungeons where most random parties don't yell at you if you screw up. All around top pick of the year.

My Character standing in front of the GWJ Free Company House:

IMAGE(https://cthos-backups.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/images/Cthos%20Nimestrian%2012_05_2017%2022_15_40.jpg)

2. Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire

I <3 Guild Wars 2 and have for a long time, but the update is pretty darn great. New continents, Mounts, extra specializations.... yippee! Not to mention the Living World content sees them release a Zone like every quarter or so. It's bonkers how much content there is.

I'm not evil.
IMAGE(https://cthos-backups.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/images/gw011.jpg)

3. Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City

It's Dark Souls. It's hard, it's fun, and the Ringed City DLC was a fun area to explore and die in, over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Character Looking Ridiculous (Image is from before 2017, none of my Ringed City Images looked good).

IMAGE(https://cthos-backups.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/images/DARK%20SOULS%E2%84%A2%20III_20160516203454.jpg)

4. Skyrim on the Switch

... Portable Skyrim is why I bought a switch. It's fantastic. Carry it with me on trips and play Skyrim on the plane! What more could you ask for.

5. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It's a beautiful game. Plays really well on a portable console. Storyline is superb so far. Haven't finished it yet, but I'm going to, you betcha.

6. Mario: Odyssey

Also a gorgeous and fun game which is easy to play on the run. Thank you Nintendo Switch.

7. Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind

I didn't really play too much ESO when it first came out, but with all of the DLC packs, and the tweaks they've made to the zones so you can go to them all, this is a really solidly fun MMO.

Dark Brotherhood present and accounted for:

IMAGE(https://cthos-backups.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/images/The%20Elder%20Scrolls%20Online_%20Tamriel%20Unlimited_20171205224716.jpg)

8. Neverwinter

Yet another MMO, but the amount of high-level content they keep putting out with this game is awesome, and they are keeping up with Wizards of the Coast to make their book product line match up with in-game content...which is super neat.

Everyone's a Drow in Neverwinter...

IMAGE(https://cthos-backups.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/images/Neverwinter_20171205222516.jpg)

9. Salt and Sanctuary

I just started playing this game this year - but it's become one of my favorite souls-likes. Sidescrolling fun and brutally difficult, but it's a whole lot of good times dying and being drug back to a sanctuary over and over and over and over again.

IMAGE(https://cthos-backups.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/images/Salt%20and%20Sanctuary%2012_6_2017%205_37_29%20PM.jpg)

10. Let It Die

Thanks to @doogiemac I was introduced to this game. It's a fun little souls-like, but it's also Japanese and thus very very weird. And I love it.

Ooooooooo This will be the first time I get to participate in this!!!
Gotta go check out my steam activity though. I actually have no idea what games I've played throughout this year (except for the crappy-game marathon I did awhile back that cleared out 10% of my backlog in under 3 hours....)

Eleima wrote:
b12n11w00t wrote:

I'm not going to really go into each of them and why they are where they are

Awwww, but that's my favorite part! Hehe, no worries, thank you for your list, it's been taken into account.

Ha! Fair enough. At the time I was feeling down in a very 'eh what does it matter' mood. I'll at least go over my top 10 since that's the important part. I'm in a weird mood and probably going to do run on sentences but oh well!

b12n11w00t wrote:

1. Destiny 2 - Destiny 1 is by far my most played game at around 350 hours. I basically completed everything in that game multiple times over(except the last Raid, couldn't get a group together). So I had a LOT of expectations with Destiny 2. Most were met and those that weren't have or will see addressed in some way soon(there's a December update that is changing basically every issue I had). I love the art design, I love the music and more importantly I LOVE the gunplay. Destiny 2 is my go to game to play while I chill out, listen to podcasts and watch tv shows. I put them up on my second monitor or on my laptop and just go about my business doing daily challenges or making progress on my weekly milestones. I like it so much that I've already put 80 hours in the XB1 version and 100 in the PC version. I have never experienced such elation and joy in a video game as I did whenever we finished a nightfall with 5 minutes to spare to unlock the Rat King exotic weapon or when we FINALLY beat Calus in the raid(which happened last night btw). I've raided in MMOs and played nearly every game out there but there's something about skill based mechanics being applied to an RPG system that I love. (Side note if you want to give it a shot Warframe is similar in many aspects and also very very good now).

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Look I don't like 3D Zelda games. Ocarina of what? Majora's who? ...Wind Waker was alright I guess. But really I'm a fan of Link to the Past and the games in the series that are like it(like the somewhat recent Link Between Worlds). But Breath of the Wild is something special. Freedom, exploration and creativity are the key aspects of this game and it rewards you for your forethought, for your willingness to climb up the side of the mountain barely handing on to sloped sections to rebuild stamina. Look at your destination...then go the opposite direction, that's what I love about BOTW and why I think it's the far superior open world game out there. Don't @ me.

3. Super Mario Odyssey - Hey, I also don't like 3D Mario games! Well, I've liked them more than the Zelda titles at least, but with all the praise I just had to give Odyssey a shot and I'm glad I did! It's really good and has fun hat tricks and you different mechanics for the different types of enemies you can become. Also you have enemy-inhabiting boss battles that are vastly different than the standard rabbit-dudes you fight throughout the game and there's a load of post game content! Also, you can dress up mario which is 100% the only reason I kept playing.

4. Persona 5 - I wrote a letter about this game, it went like this: "Hi, this game isn't very good in terms of 'are these characters morons' and there's some creepy things with you teacher working as a cleaning maid on the side, calling you master, and you can date her. But...the JRPG combat is great and the art design literally has no chains to be on...because it's already broke them all. But as a weeb I'm pretty interested in just exploring day to day japanese life and working on the side at gas stations and coffee shops. Is there a game where I do that without all the messy supernatural drama and jrpg battles?" Really though I love the series and despite some problems I still very much enjoyed my 80 or so hours with the game.

5. Bloodborne - I hate Souls games. Or well I did until this year. Mostly I hated them because my experience with Demon Souls was more 'oh stupid cheap traps that require memorization'. But after watching some youtube people do a 'death days' type of event where they worked through Dark Souls 1 I began to realize that there was more there than the silly traps and HOOOO BOY is Bloodborne the best version of that. Transforming weapons, spooky bosses, co-op stuff, random chalice dungeons. There's enough here to play this game for a while...if only it wasn't so gross to look at, which is why I included Nioh and the Surge on my HM list because they're great games and have 2 vastly different settings that I really like to roam around in!

6. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen - XCOM enemy unknown and it's expansion were some of my most-played games at the time. 4 or 5 playthroughs total and lots of tinkering and modding. So it was pretty shocking that XCOM 2 didn't stick with me at ALL. But uh yeah War of the Chosen solved that by being awesome, giving me cool adversaries in the chosen and cutting out some of the waiting that you would do while scanning stuff(though it's still here just less of a nuisance). But the best feature of all? THE MOTHERf*ckING PROPAGANDA POSTERS. After every fight, level up milestone and soldier bonding you'll be awarded with a randomized poster. You can then go in there and edit it all to hell giving new poses, angles, backgrounds, tints, text, whatever and it's really rad and I spent a lot of time doing it and I only wish it was more robust than it is! A+, 5 stars, 10/10. Whatever it's good.

7. Steamworld Dig 2 - Digging. Steam. Worlds. I loved Steamworld Dig and never expected a sequel, the fact that it was announced for the switch and came out like a month later was amazing. The fact that this is an almost open-world level of exploration with some really awesome additions to traversal, with an ending that leads into the previous game Steamworld Heist...it's just great. Actually now I want to go replay it so congratulations list, you've convinced me.

8. Player Unknown's Battlegrounds - This game is kinda bad. Network lag is terrible, hackers roaming servers, various bugs with the world loading, early access STUFF. I wasn't going to put it on my list, I mean I played it solo and it was fine but played it with GWJ people on curse(now Twitch) and it was definitely more fun(shout to Edwin for winning my only chicken dinners, I was even alive for one!). But even then there's a lot here that gets under my skin...until I played the test version of the 1.0 update that adds in a bunch of changes like vaulting over things(Yes you couldn't do that) and more realistic additions to driving and bullet physics. That's when I saw what the game is going to become and that's when I understood that there really is something different and special here compared to everything else in the same genre. Realism is important here and that's important to me.

9. Mighty Gunvolt Burst - Mighty Number 9 was kinda lousy eh? Azure Striker GunVolt? Never heard of it. But boy is this game a treat for fans of classic mega man games. Think of Mega Man, but instead of absorbing boss abilities you instead unlock additional types of customization. Number of bullets on the screen, bullet directory, double jumps or triple jumps. It allows you to play how you want.

10. Battlefield 1 - I don't really have much to say, if you like Battlefield type multiplayer experiences and beautiful graphics then definitely play this game?

Eleima wrote:

For clarification purposes, I'm only seeing listings for Star Trek: Bridge Crew. That seems to be what you're referring to, but best be safe than sorry.

Oh jeez, yeah. Star Trek Bridge Crew is exactly what I'm talking about, my bad.

1) Sunless Sea
My very limited postings on this forum (outside of swgoh mobile game) have been mostly praising this game. It creates one of the best ambient I've ever experienced in a video game. Filled with hallowing (and somewhat creepy) back story with a great set of music. I'd often go on this game and just... sail away.

2) Transistor
Quick and action packed with a fluid combat mechanics, Transistor totally lived up to my expectation. Despite being an extremely short game (got it done in around 8 hours), I was left wanting more. What surprised me the most is how fast they have me attached to a character. I found myself reading every character files I collected, and emotionally tickled (it's now a word) by the cut scenes.

3) Pokemon S/M
I love all games in the main series of pokemon. But I always think they follow the same formula in each game, and there wasn't much for innovation. Sun/Moon proved me wrong. I was skeptical of the island challenge format, but it makes the game a lot more... refreshing.

4) Talos Principle
Honestly. I don't get this game. At least not fully. It's a tid bit too philosophical to me. But I really appreciate the level design of this game. A lot of puzzle games will have the difficulty curve too steep (thus making the game frustrating) or too flat ("no sense of pride and accomplishment"). Most levels don't have any explanation, and just present you with the pieces. Yet it somehow guided me on the right track and quickly learn the tricks just by progressing the game naturally. The excitement I got when I managed to figure out a new trick is what I love the most.

5) Rocket League
Never liked soccer game. Never liked car games.

Why is this game so fun? Hotwheels??

6) Destiny 2
The story was... disappointing to me. Though to be fair I also held a high standard by comparing to Borderlands. But once I get off that mentality, it's actually a decent chill game. Jump around, shoot around, blow some stuff up. Gun control feels awesome, maps looks incredible, and music sounds great.

7) One Finger Death Punch
I love this little game. Aracdey, simple, yet challenging at the later level. It's action packed and fast paced. This game suddenly becomes 10x better when I used controller.

8) Overcooked
Chaotic with friends. Lots of shouting, lots of yelling, but in the end we are still friends. I don't have too many hours with this game, but every time I play with friends it's filled with excitement.

9) Animal Crossing Pocket Camp
Ok.. I'm a big AC fan. More than 400 hours on the 3DS New Leaf. So I preregistered this game and downloaded as soon as possible. It's honestly a mindless clicker game with our favorite mobile game component: MTX. But really I'm expecting it, and it's not the worst micro-transaction I've seen.

10) Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
It pains me to rate a borderlands game this low, but TPS is just missing something. It still makes the list because the humour stays the same. Gun handling is a bit outdated, and I don't find the character design as interesting as Borderlands 2. But hey, it's still in the same chaotic universe that I love so much!

Me, making my list, then starting into some new purchases.

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/FwFKyXHopz9tu/200.gif)

Dang it.

Thank you for your list, cthos and thank you for the write up, b12n11w00t!! I find it fascinating that Breath of the Wild appealed to you so much, even though you weren't a long time die hard fan of the Zelda series! And that you weren't all that into Marion games but you loved Super Mario Odyssey! And that you're not much of a Souls fan but enjoyed Bloodborne!

Twenty-six people have voted so far for 128 different games! Keep 'em coming!

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Me, making my list, then starting into some new purchases.
Dang it.

So what you're saying is that you aren't voting Skyrim on the Switch?

Eleima wrote:

Twenty-six people have voted so far for 128 different games! Keep 'em coming!

This community is incredible.

I always love this thread.

Eleima wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

Me, making my list, then starting into some new purchases.
Dang it.

So what you're saying is that you aren't voting Skyrim on the Switch? :D

At this point, it's an open question of whether or not anything that isn't a Switch game will make it.

Well, I just made my preliminary list which may end up holding through to the end of the year. So much fun! I'm excited to see if I can find anything that'll bump my #9 and #10, although I think the rest is going to be pretty well locked.

Eleima wrote:

Thank you for the write up, b12n11w00t!! I find it fascinating that Breath of the Wild appealed to you so much, even though you weren't a long time die hard fan of the Zelda series! And that you weren't all that into Mario games but you loved Super Mario Odyssey! And that you're not much of a Souls fan but enjoyed Bloodborne!

I wonder how much the Switch factors into my enjoyment of the nintendo products. Helps that they're well made products that allow freedom and don't babysit me with long wrought tutorials.

For the souls type games it finally clicked because I learned that it was a patience game. Get the biggest weapon I can get and then wait for the enemy attack before smashing their faces.

GOTY 2017

So, first a preamble. I have had surprisingly little time to play games this year. Which is unfortunate, as this year seemed to be the year of the awesome 40+ hour game. I have close to a GOTY list that could be comprised of games that I want to play that I don’t have time to play, like Horizon: Zero Dawn, Nier Automata, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Destiny 2, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus. I am sure some of these games will be on next year’s list, and I am sure some of them I won’t get around to playing, let alone finishing.

1. Pyre

2. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

3. What Remains of Edith Finch

4. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

5. Cibele

6. Monument Valley 2

7. Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series

8. Space Plan

9. Old Man’s Journey

10. Madden 18 Longshot

I will add text and pictures later, if I get around to it. Like I said, time has been limited.

IMAGE(https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/22894059_10105662832729734_1247618710652481109_n.jpg?oh=fd75b630b46ff829ef18785ca4771023&oe=5AA35D6B)

Yep, being a jedi toddler is hard work.

Thank you for your vote, UpToIsomorphism! I've added Cibele and Old Man's Journey to my "to buy and play" list! And he really is too cute!!

Cibele is awesome.

I love that these games exist.

(That young Jedi pic above is adorable.)

I finally have an entry for this year. Having been here since about mid-2014, that should say something. I only have one selection, I'll save the rest of the mush after I proclaim to the hills and valleys:

Cuphead
IMAGE(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Cuphead_%28artwork%29.jpg)

TL;DR - Same as everyone has said already. Beautiful art, catchy music, creative story, clever character design, hard-but-fair gameplay, just an overall experience I haven't had in a good long while.

Long-form after the jump spoiler tag:

Spoiler:

I've had a really hard time getting into games as of late. I think being in a relationship with a woman who is about as non-gamer as you can get really snuffed what little embers I had left going for playing games (i.e. - late-night Bottle Rockets with the RL gang, which I primarily drifted away from because I'm spending every weekend with my fiancee while we're still at-distance). I haven't bought a new game in a good while, I may have gone all of 2016 without a purchase.

But my interest in games is still a thing. And this year, Twitch finally came along for me. I watched AGDQ because of the advert on TASVideos, and then SGDQ months later, and after SGDQ I started actually watching individual Twitch streams, mostly speedrunners because that was what really interested me. I saw the Cuphead thread on GWJ, but didn't know what it was so I passed. Then I saw several of the bigger names in speedrunning, including a NES platformer speedrunner, playing the game on stream, so I figured I'd watch along.

I was HOOKED. Even in blitz mode, the game had charm in spades. I still can't get over the animation of the Super Bomb during the airplane stages, that BOOM! when you explode. I was like "this is like a living cartoon!" It helped that on stream, the lower FPS masked some of the smooth modernness of the character movements. The attention to detail in the game was beyond compare.

After hemming and hawing for a while, about a month ago I finally bit the bullet and bought it. No regrets at all. Playing it is still a far cry from just watching it. You may know some of the tricks ahead of time, but there are others that just creep up on you and ruin your day. The attention to detail is even more noticeable when you aren't trying to speedrun the game. The little death messages during the boss fights. The run-and-gun stages. The mausoleum tower defenses. All of it is just overflowing with this '30s panache.

Not to say it hasn't caused me frustration. Seeing my little Cuphead one pixel away from the end of the level on the death screen is enough to make me start swinging my earbuds or my controller like a bolas. But I hit "Retry" almost every time. Why? Because it's really not that hard to get back to that point, provided I don't make a stupid mistake before then. And maybe this time I'll, you know, remember to use an EX-move or my Super attack. And slowly but surely, you figure out the levels, until at long last you are rewarded:

IMAGE(https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AyaLntqi67sT8O5SaoCfTSTSO2U=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9353257/Xbox_Clip_1_Screenshot_2017_09_29_05_06_27.png)

My fiancee has even watched me play, and I think she enjoys my reactions to what's going on as much as what's going on. The last game I think I enjoyed this much was my darling Electronic Super Joy. That game had many of the same qualities I admire in Cuphead: great music, a striking visual style, hard-but-fair gameplay, maybe not so much story but it didn't take itself too seriously. I clearly have a "type" when it comes to video games (see also: One Way Heroics).

Adulting and boyfriending/fianceing have definitely taken a toll on me, but at least this game has reminded me of what it is that I really love about gaming. Cheers, Cuphead!

It's great to see so many opinions on so many games. The write-ups are very much appreciated!

I've had limited time this year, like many of us, and as a result I haven't rolled the credits as often as I'd have liked. There's still time, though, and I have progress in a few games to pull together a late, late finish. I hope!

Eleima. Thank you for taking over the reigns. Clocky done a fantastic job over the years, really great, and I'm with her that we're in safe hands. Yay!

Sure, I'll toss my top 10 in.

1. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - If there is something that I value in a video game above all else, it is the legitimate feeling that I am on an adventure in an unknown land. BotW had that in spades, and that's before the fun factor and the things it accomplished mechanically.
2. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - I loved the sea shanties. I enjoyed the setting and the story, and it was some of the best stabbing I've done in an AC game.
3. Trails in the Sky 3rd - The first two Trails in the Sky games (I consider them as one continuous story) were maybe my favorite JRPG story ever. And while 3rd was largely a playable epilogue that filled in some holes and set up the rest of the games in the series, just getting the gang back together for one last go was a lot of fun, and they stuck the landing about as well as could be hoped.
4. Mario Odyssey - Mario goodness.
5. Splatoon 2 - I liked Splatoon 1, and more Splatoon is good in my book. The final boss in this game isn't quite as amazing as the first game, but that was an incredibly high bar to clear.
6. Shadowrun: Dragonfall - I hadn't played a modern CRPG before, and I adored the setting and writing in this game.
7. Rune Factory 4 - This was the game I played after my son was born, and was perfect for setting my 3DS down for hours as needed. If you like stats, this is your game because everything has a stat - walking, fishing, taking a bath, every weapon, and every crop. And the combat is just complex to be enjoyable.
8. Europa Universalis 4 - I've only played about 15 hours of EU4 so far, but I already love it. It would probably be higher if I put more time in with it.
9. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes - I played about 2 hours of this game at a bachelor party, and that was good enough to put it on this list. There's not many games where I can say that I enjoyed oppressive tension, but this is one. The only downside is that I hate Morse code now.
10. Endless Legend - I love all the stuff around the gameplay; the music, the artstyle, the setting, and the lore are all fantastic. I just don't know how much I enjoy playing 4Xs, and since each faction is so unique, it also means that there may not be much reason to revisit them once you play as one.

So far I've only played 8 games this year. Fortunately, the year isn't over yet!!

1. Prey
2. Resident Evil 7
3. Hitman
4. Forza 7
5. Steep
6. Batman: The Telltale Series
7. Destiny 2
8. Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This year, my gaming time was reduced but my curiosity and sense for adventure increased. Put my Steam hours down in case anyone is interested. But it can be a little misleading because with kids I go afk pretty often and sometimes fall asleep before getting back to my computer to shut down for the night.

Edit: because I forgot to look at Origin and Eleima noticed I cannot count to 10

1. Endless Space 2 99 hours: I was blown away by how incredibly slick this game's UI, beautiful graphics and systems all come together. Taking what they learned from Endless Legend and the previous ES game, they made the factions even more diverse. This one is a real gem for 4X lovers and comes highly recommended from me; even the automated battles were really enjoyable trying to set the right fleet strategies and watching the cinematics. I eagerly look forward to the new things coming from Amplitude in the future.

2. Cities Skylines 35 hours: this was a recent gift from Robear (thank you so much for your generosity) and is steadily climbing in the number of hours I have put into it. What an amazing game. It has everything including multi-level bypasses/bridges and tunnels. I have screwed up 4 cities and am experimenting on my 5th. I suspect I will never reach traffic management heaven but with this game I am happily stuck in traffic/sewer/pollution purgatory.

3. XCOM2: WOTC 144 hours the latest expansion was also the most fun. It turned XCOM2 from great to phenomenal. So much extra content that even without the Pavonis mods it is jammed full of goodies. I hope Pavonis is trying to churn out even more content and adapt to WOTC because this will be a game for the ages.

4. Mass Effect: Andromeda (~60 hours estimated): it was always going to be hard for Bioware to win our hearts when the OT has now had 10 years to settle into our gaming psyche. There are a lot of good things in this game, especially the combat system and the art assets. Jump jets and sliding are wonderful additions to combat and exploration. Unfortunately, there was also a lot of unnecessary open-world bloat (maps chock full of fetch quests with little meaning, crafting, inventory, and the Nexus). I couldn't care less about the debacle over the facial expressions and animation, because honestly, the story and script were so weak that I tended to skip over the dialog unless a plot line was reaching its zenith, and when you are blitzing the battlefield, it's more about situational awareness than stopping to smell the roses. There was so much promise in the premise of a new galaxy, but it was largely squandered because the game tries to be too many things to everyone. I really wished we saw some ultra exotic new aliens, things that were as mindblowing to me as the environmental artwork at play in the various biomes they worked so hard on as unique sandboxes to explore. It would be a real pity to end the Mass Effect IP here, but this may be so given Bioware/EA is working on another sci-fi shooter IP. If they choose to abandon Mass Effect, I pray that they sell it to a studio like CD Projekt Red.

5. Fallout 4 72 hours: running around fighting super mutants, the Brotherhood, and all those perks and territory to wander around in. I even dabbled a little in settlement building. Modded it right from the start, haven't finished it, but boy, the Commonwealth is a fun sandbox to play around in.

6. Darkest Dungeon 22 hours: "Glittering gold, trinkets and baubles... Paid for in blood." The slow seeping madness. The brilliance in the narrator's voice acting. The art direction and how much it raises the hairs on the back of my neck. Alas, I cannot play this when my kids are awake (my 5yo daughter loves this game and wants to sit on my lap and play together). This game stops me from save scumming yet still makes me enjoy it.

7. Holy Potatoes! We’re in Space?! 23 hours One playthrough down, multiple story lines to clear. A lighthearted game in the spirit of FTL with an incredible amount of meta references. Oh, and two sister heroines and no bs male gaze to be seen. This is a little gem of a game and I encourage people to try it.

8. Pixel Privateers 45 hours: side scrolling squad based shoot em up. Pixel art. Loot pinata to the extreme. This is a simple but fun game. Even tried installing it on my Surface Book at work in a vain effort to blast a few more aliens.

9. Epic Tavern 22 hours: interesting auto-DM storytelling game in early access. Has a few game breaking bugs and is really too early to tell whether it will shine or go down as an interesting but flawed attempt at D&D lite. I'm going to give this one at least another year to mature before trying again.

10. Path of Exile 86 hours: I made a lot of different characters. Went down so many different skill trees. There is a lot of content and fun packed into this free game. Plus, the community is very mature (usually). Worth a spin if you want to revisit something closer to the spirit of Diablo 2 than Diablo 3.

Honourable mentions

Spoiler:

Stellaris 221 hours: if it wasn't in my 2016 list, I would have put it very high in 2017's list. Has matured a lot over the last year and well worth purchasing for any Goodjer's Steam library.

Civ 6 149 hours: similar to Stellaris, there is a lot of 4x game time in the latest Civ offering. Quite a few hours of time relate to my 8yo boy's growing interest in PC gaming.

Witcher 3 8 hours: not a lot of time and motivation to play this one, but what I have played, I have really enjoyed. Even barely finishing the starting area, I can see why the GWJ community love this game so much. But it's hard to explain nudity to your kids and even harder to let them watch the gore so this one's firmly on my "after they fall asleep list".

Minecraft: didn't play this more than 5 minutes, but watching my boy sit down and play as if he was a veteran (he streams a LOT of MC youtube content) was just amazing. I could barely chop a tree or two and he was busy finishing off his furnace, underground survival camp for night and making stone equipment and weapons. Kids! I can't wait to see what the boy comes up with if I get him a few mods and give him free reign.

GOTY 2017 Top Ten
1. Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/we3LEgU.jpg)
The best platformer ever made (without the ability to jump). Play this if you like: Mario games, light puzzling, whimsy, joy

2. Stephen’s Sausage Roll
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/PwAVH2w.jpg)
A puzzle game that will break and re-form your mind into a perfectly seared sausage. Play this if you like: Spatial puzzles, efficient design, and meat products

3. Europa Universalis 4
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/06ar7dk.jpg)
Strategy/simulation that gave me the biggest high since playing Civ IV all night. Play this if you like: Looking at maps and defining your own “win” conditions

4. Quadrilateral Cowboy
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/L5EXv33.jpg)
Style, programming puzzles, platforming, STYLE. Play this if you like: Feeling like you hacked, even though you might be a hack

5. Hyper Light Drifter
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/cXRUCKp.jpg)
If Fez was Zelda or if Zelda was Fez. Play this if you like: Being immersed in a fuzzy square wave pixel dream

6. Solitairica
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/Ugl0LhH.jpg)
Too many mornings obsessively playing this solitaire with spells mobile game, making me late for work. Play this if you like: The simplicity of playing cards with the excitement of playing glowing cards

7. West of Loathing
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/cBY3GX2.jpg)
A firehose of short and funny JRPG quests. Play this if you like: Wordplay and/or spittoons

8. Headlander
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/4vxvufH.png)
Funny, light, and surprisingly precise combat from this Metroidvania game. Play this if you like: 70s television

9. Abzu
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/F9C4NIq.jpg)
It’s like a better Journey? Play this if you like: Underwater fauna

10. Getting Over It
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/5kjBLbS.jpg)
Master your hammer, master gravity, master yourself. Play this if you like: Starting over

Honorable Mention

Spoiler:

----
Dirt Rally - Feel your palms sweat
Human Resource Machine - Feel your brain expanding
80 Days - Feel contempt for the lower class
Titan Souls - Feel connected to an arrow
SteamWorld Heist - Feel calculated
Dead Cells - Feel overpowered
Human Fall Flat - Feel the perfect swinging vine release
Disc Room - Feel dodgy
Nex Machina - Feel dodgy, isometrically
Curious Expedition - Feel surprised, the first few times
Massive Chalice - Feel calculated, isometrically

Worth Checking Out

Spoiler:

----
Inside - Great sound design and art
GoNNER - Good scoring system, not the best in the genre
Furi - Intense dodging timing, too intense
The Bug Butcher - It’s Buster Bros., ya shoot stuff
The Yawhg - Quirky storytelling, very limited replayability
Super Mega Baseball: Extra Innings - It’s MVP Baseball with terrible character design
Snakebird - Mind melting spatial puzzles, not sausagey enough
Hitman - Fun for someone else
Not A Hero - When it clicks, combat feels very responsive
Gigantic - We’re undefeated
Escape Goat - Platforming puzzles range from pleasant to maddening
Heavy Bullets - Intense FPS roguelike, plagued by technical issues on my computer
Galak Z - Could never jive with the combat/movement controls, but I understand
The Shrouded Isle - Quirky storytelling, very limited replayability, with more stats
Majesty 2 - Good for zoning out with
Majesty Gold HD - Nearly as good for zoning out with
Halfway - XCOM in pixel art but fiddlier somehow
The Flame in the Flood - Repetitive crafting game, but you could play Don’t Starve instead
Out of the Park Baseball 18 - Oh god the menus, but the sim is unparalleled
Desert Hike EX - It’s a joke, literally one joke

Actively Bad?

Spoiler:

----
Fract OSC - What in the hell am I supposed to do?
Nier: Automata - Why in the hell am I supposed to care?
Tooth and Tail - So damn hard to see what’s happening
Grow Home - Thinking back on this makes me feel empty
Pony Island - So edgy
Jotun - Looked terrible, played worse
Pac Man Championship Edition 2 - This is an affront to humanity

Stephen's Sausage Roll, represent!

Yeah, I kinda liked that one.

Love your list, carrotpanic.

I can't believe you have 48 games this year. That is impressive.