So because I'm a sucker for this sort of thing, I figured I'd get the jump on a thread dedicated to where we're at so far in 2017. What we've been playing, what we've loved, what's made us shrug, and the games that we covet (released or releasing). A look at what we see as current contenders for GOTY, what we're hoping to catch up on, and what we're hoping to snag in the future.
Treat this as your own gaming LiveJournal for 2017 so far. Type as much as you want. Don't be shy, and don't be worried if anyone's gonna read it or not. Just as it's fun to see what others played, preferred, and recommend at the end of the year, I'm curious to see what you guys have been doing with your six months so far.
Thus far, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nier: Automata, and Hollow Knight are the games I can confidently say will be in my top ten. I've only beaten Breath of the Wild as May stole much of my gaming time away, and June has been spent catching up on completing Nier. I'm hoping to return to Hollow Knight, which I put a ton of time into until Breath of the Wild came about. Each of them have surpassed my expectations, which is kind of tough considering I got hyped for every one of them.
Which will come out on top? Well, I have a feeling that Hollow Knight may feel overlong and thus take a bit of a hit in that regard. Breath of the Wild vs. Nier? Well... I dunno! Very different games that I love for very different reasons. Both required a week long break from me at one point, but once I came back it was back to having an absolute blast. Nier: Automata might top Breath of the Wild, however, for just how well it tells a story while being a love-letter to the video game medium: something that the original Nier did just as well. I still got some other endings to go, so we'll see... especially depending on the requirements for the "True" ending.
I felt like I had more games that I let drop off from earlier this year, but it looks like Gravity Rush 2 is the only one thus far that hasn't had much staying power. I had a good time whenever I played it, but unlike the original it just hasn't managed to grab me as much. I feel like part of it is how much time I've put into it versus the return on completion. Some games don't need to be much larger, and perhaps Gravity Rush is one of those. They've made a lot of changes and fixes to the basic controls and such, but the neither of the new powers is something I'm all too comfortable with. I'm going to try and get back to it, I think, though I'm not certain when.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia was purchased and I've put about 10.5 hours in so far. I don't dislike it, but I guess I'm on the opposite scale of the other Fire Emblem fans. I like the match-up/relationship mechanics, and quite truthfully a lot of the writing in Echoes isn't exactly better. There's still a lot of weird modernisms thrown in which clashes with the setting, though I suppose everything is more straight-forward and thus seems more "normal" and less Otaku-weirdness. Still, just completed my first fight in Act III, which seems to actually be a challenge now. We'll see how it goes.
I've also picked up ARMS and spent some time with it. Shoptroll was right that Nintendo was definitely trying to make "fetch" happen. Splatoon was a much larger hit than I think Nintendo had even been hoping, and so they're trying to catch lightning in a bottle once more only for it to not work so well. The characters in ARMS are colorful, but they lack the personality of the Squid Kids. Similarly, the suburban hip-hop attitude of the Squid Kids feels sincere whereas ARMS feels like 30-somethings trying to design something hip. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it has a bland curly-cue in the hair. Even so, my nephew loves it, and it looks to me like a lot of kids are having fun playing. I'm just not sure it's the successor to Punch-Out!! on the Wii I was hoping for.
A lot of my gaming time has also been absorbed in playing the titles of yesteryear. Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies and Phoenix Wright: Spirit of Justice dominated my gaming time in the earlier parts of the year, and if it weren't for my own self-imposed rules they'd be GOTY contenders as well. I'd love to retroactively edit my list from 2016, in fact, to include Spirit of Justice. Phenomenal games, the both of them.
I also went back and replayed EarthBound with the JRPG Game Club, and still need to put together the final blog post summarizing my thoughts on the game. It was interesting going back and trying to see it with fresh eyes once more. In fact, I could make a parallel between it and my rewatching of Log Horizon this year, where the first half is stronger than the second due to pacing and creativity. I really believe EarthBound's second half was rushed, and that sort of hurts the game's quality. But, overall, it's still an important piece of my gaming history, and I was glad to revisit it.
So what did I play while taking a break from Nier: Automata? Darksiders: Warmastered Edition. Going back to it has reminded me of why I loved it in a lot of ways... while simultaneously making me hope Darksiders 3 learns some lessons. It's a lot of fun, but the dungeons feel rambling and directionless. They all come together, but unlike the Zelda games they take inspiration from, there seems to be a real lack of place. There's atmosphere, but not a sense of character to the dungeon. It's really hard to place, really, but I still love Vigil's attempts to vary things up. By the third dungeon you're no longer directly ripping off of Zelda, you get to wield a huge cannon against monsters, and have a pretty awesome boss fight on horseback that Zelda's never managed to get just right. A nice revisit that I may or may not finish.
As for what I hope to catch up on, I have Horizon: Zero Dawn sitting on my PS4 hard drive as we speak. Sony doesn't have much more than Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice in August, so I'm safe from having to buy anything from them for the time being. Splatoon 2 hits in July and I predict will be my next big GOTY contender. I'd like to play Yakuza 0 and/or Yakuza Kiwami, but the looming specter of Destiny 2 looms large on the horizon. In fact, that's probably why I'll be skipping out on Agents of Mayhem and Mario + Rabbids on day one. Without co-op there's no reason for me to snag the former, and while I'm interested in the latter it affords me only a little more than a week before Destiny 2 lands.
But wait, the Switch is portable! Surely I can take advantage of that fact to get some Mario + Rabbids time in. But alas, Metroid: Samus Returns space jumps in not long after. September is filled with two more potential GOTY candidates, followed in October by Super Mario Odyssey – perhaps the most excited I've been for a Mario game since... I honestly don't remember – and I'll be receiving Battle Chasers: NightWar after having kickstarted the project some time ago. However, November and December are looking awfully empty, so I might be able to snag one of those back titles to play before Xenoblade Chronicles 2 lands... even though I've yet to actually play through and complete any of the games in that series. Wolfenstein: The New Colossus will just have to wait until 2018 or so, I think...
So how about the rest of you? What's your 2017 shaping up like?
I was idly considering my 2017 GOTY list some time back and was surprised by how quickly the Top 10 was populating legit contenders. A lot of them were from the Out of Left Field territory, titles I'd never even heard of prior to New Year's Day.
I think my top honors thus far go to Unexplored, a charming rouge-lite that uses new 'circular' procedural tech that makes the levels feel incredibly organic and purposefully designed.
Following closely is Candice DeBébé's Incredibly Trick Lifestyle a glorious train-wreck with a ton of heart. Sports a beefy campaign, funny plot & amazing vocal soundtrack. Unpolished every step of the way, but a game that will stick with me for a long time.
Some other standouts include The Long Dark, STEINS;GATE, Stories Untold, Trails in the Sky (1), Hidden Folks, & Fallout 4 - High Resolution Texture Pack (you read that right).
What's funny is I really haven't touched any of the Big, Popular Q1/Q2 releases (Zelda, Persona, Horizon, Yakuza, Prey, Nier, etc.) but I still feel like it's been an AMAZING year. And we're only half-way through!
Not counting unreleased 2017 titles, my biggest blind spot that I HAVE to make time for is Night in the Woods. I can't wait to give that one a spin.
What's funny is I really haven't touched any of the Big, Popular Q1/Q2 releases (Zelda, Persona, Horizon, Yakuza, Prey, Nier, etc.) but I still feel like it's been an AMAZING year. And we're only half-way through!
I want to smack you right here and now for not playing Yakuza.
But I won't. I just won't. But you really should, Yakuza 0 specifically. You really really should. I may take your suggestion of The Long Dark. I'm staring at it.
I'm being a lame-o and waiting for discount on Yakuza 0. Im sure I'd be adding that to my list. Nier too.
I really haven't played much of 2017's offerings yet. Kinda sad?
2017 will probably live in the memory for me as the year I finally decided I've had enough of open world games for now after playing Horizon Zero Dawn.
This will help me get my gaming calendar back in order. Moving home for the second time in six months, amongst some major brain weasels, spiralled much time down the drain, and derailed momentum with existing activities.
I have recently got back on the horse with Nex Machina, and Life is Strange. I tried and failed with Wasteland 2, a good game, one I'd like to return to, prior to finding some sure footing with the former duo.
I lost my way with Doom, and The Technomancer, as well as Steep, from the start of the year. They were my new year purchases. I was making good progress until I got lost in my thoughts. Anyway. On my way through that I jumped onboard with Horizon Zero Dawn, and Breath of the Wild. I felt like something fresh. Both were instantly successful in surpassing my expectations, and for being hugely enjoyable to play. Unfortunately life again got in the way. I lost momentum and was away for longer than I'd have liked. I find it difficult to get back in the groove once I am out for too long.
I still do not own a Nintendo Switch. Reasons dull and not important. What that does, though, is clears Splatoon 2, Snipperclips, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, and potentially Super Mario Odyssey, from my 2017 calender. Unless I be irresponsible and buy a Switch anyway.
Forthcoming games for hardware that I do own, that I may well splash out on are Metroid: Samus Returns, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and Spiderman. Nothing else looks even remotely interesting.
Other games in my collection which may see some action are Killing Floor 2, Neon Chrome, The Witcher 3, Affordable Space Adventures, and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.
It's been a strange year for me because I did hardly any gaming between February and May. The gaming I have done has mostly been old, comfort stuff... Total War, Heroes of the Storm, crunchy RPG's, city builders. I'm even installing Skyrim Special Edition as we speak because I feel the need to visit familiar surroundings and just *be* in a place. The only new game I bought this year has been Nier: Automata, and I haven't gelled with it as much as I feel I should have. It just leaves me a bit cold. Maybe it says more about me than the game. At this rate I'm very unlikely to have a *new* top 10 by the end of the year.
Persona 5 is the only game released this year which I've played. It's fantastic, of course. Otherwise it's been mostly backlog games I've played.
I played the entire PS4 Uncharted series in the last 7-8 months, and it was fun to see the progression of the series over a period of months, rather than years. I'm looking forward to The Lost Legacy.
One Night Stand, Virgina, and Superhot are the indie titles I've played this year. I generally liked them, though didn't fall in love with any.
Other than that I continue to play mostly long open world and/or RPGs from yesteryear. 30-100 hour games seem to be my norm. AssCreed: Syndicate, Final Fantasy X-2, Sleeping Dogs, etc. The upside is I don't have to buy as many games to keep me busy. The downside is the ol' fear of missing out on every other thing that comes out, whether something short (I hear Titanfall 2's campaign is a good time) or something long (Horizon: Zero Dawn looks incredible but how to fit it in...).
Other downside is my backlog has steadily gone down over the last year, which feels good. I've stayed strong through the current Steam sale thus far, so that'll hopefully continue at least through the fall.
So many people at various places have said that 2017 is a great year for gaming, but I've been struggling to find a game this year that really has knocked my socks off. If I had a PS4 or Switch I think Horizon Zero Dawn and Zelda: Breath of the Wild would be at the top of my list.
Top Games I've Played in 2017
1) Axes and Acres
Solo boardgame style game with clear simple rules, but has interesting decisions. Replayable with a random map. Auto adjusting difficulty to keep it challenging. Surprise hit for me.
2)Superhot
Different than anything else I've played. Fun to puzzle out movement to get all the enemies. Didn't wear out its welcome.
3) Forza Horizon 3
Varied events, great graphics - just a ton of fun to play.
4) Monster Slayers
Another surprise. Card style game, varied classes provide fun across many play throughs.
5) Dirt 4
Haven't played a lot yet, but seems like a good evolution from Dirt Rally.
6) Steamworld Heist
Novel tactical battle game with weird bank shots and qwirky humor.
7) Pathfinder Adventures
Gives the feeling of a dungeon exploration with simple card mechanics.
8) Homefront The Revolution
While the gameplay itself was standard shooter, it has a ton of character.
9)Twilight Struggle
Only played the tutorial, but the cards seemed very varied. Tough choices on what action to take per turn.
10) Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Deluxe
Disappointing compared to the prior one, but still a decent game.
Honorable Mentions - Decent Games
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood
Ryse: Son of Rome
Warhammer® 40K: Space Marine
Age of Rivals
Styx: Master of Shadows
Stephen's Sausage Roll
Endless Space 2
The Sorcerer King Rivals
Salt and Sanctuary
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Steve Jackson's Sorcery Complete
Galactic Civilizations 3: Crusade
Stardew Valley
Wish I skipped
The Witness: Lost interest when I got lost just trying to find a puzzle to play.
The Talos Principal - Road to Gehenna: I loved the original game but found the DLC too hard to just jump back into without working up to it.
Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation - Not a bad game, but I just don't like units that I can't easily identify like I can in Age of Empires.
Deathtrap
Age of Decadence
Bad Catipiller
Rebel Galaxy : I would have preferred it if it felt more like dogfighting.
Project Highrise
ArcaniA
Beholder
Hacknet
Burnout Paradise Ultimate
Current state of my top ten GOTY contenders...in no particular order
Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)
The Sexy Brutale
Night in the Woods
Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild (WiiU)
Ladykiller in a Bind
Stories Untold
What Remains of Edith Finch
Prey
HITMAN (2016)
The Infectious Madness of Dr Dekker
And the other notable games that haven't quite made the list but that I still have been reasonably entertained by...
Get Even
Blackwood Crossing
Batman : The Telltale Series
Kings Quest (2015) - All Episodes
Mass Effect : Andromeda
Lara Croft: Go
Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)
Event 0
Scanner Sombre
On my way through that I jumped onboard with Horizon Zero Dawn, and Breath of the Wild. I felt like something fresh. Both were instantly successful in surpassing my expectations, and for being hugely enjoyable to play. Unfortunately life again got in the way. I lost momentum and was away for longer than I'd have liked. I find it difficult to get back in the groove once I am out for too long.
This is my exact problem. I no longer have time for games that require momentum. Inevitably I get pulled away and don't come back. So this is going to be the year of games that can give me a full experience in under an hour, and don't have complicated gameplay or an extensive world/story/todo-list that I have to keep in my head.
With that in mind, I cannot imagine anything is going to unseat Battlegrounds as the #1 game of the year. They absolutely nailed the mix of looting and combat, boredom and tension, and strategy and tactics. It's equally happy to take 40 minutes or 4 hours of your time.
Dead Cells will land in the top 5 if they can crank out a few more levels and another boss before the year is out. Another one that can be played in quick bites that's easy to put down for a couple weeks and return to.
Current state of my top ten GOTY contenders...in no particular order
...
Kings Quest (2015) - All Episodes
.
I have such fond memories of the King's Quest games. I think KQ 1 was the first or within the first 5 PC games I played. Well, on a computer my family owned. I played some games on a TRS Model III at a friend's house.
I was so tempted to get the collection, but I don't think I can go back and play those anymore - not even to "Throw dagger at goat".
Horizon Zero Dawn will be tough to beat as my GoTY. It has the advantage of sorta coming out of nowhere for me as well which makes it seem that much better in my mind right now. I kinda thought Prey might top it but its starting to drag for me.. lack of variety with Enemies and the general awfulness of combat is starting to drag out the otherwise pretty interesting story and area/level design. I bumped it down to Easy in an attempt to just get through the bad parts (combat) and enjoy the good parts and even on Easy the combat borderlines not worth playing frustrating especially with the latest frustration (Poltergeist enemy)
Hollow Knight was so good I stopped myself from playing because it would be an amazing Switch game and I have literally nothing to play on my Switch so it seemed like a waste to keep playing on the PC. I have some serious travel in Q3 and Q4 this year so I'm counting on Hollow Knight to keep me entertained on several Flights to the West Coast.
Middle Earth Shadow of War is probably still going to be my GoTY unless they f*ck it up somehow.. bonus that it will be probably one the first games I play to death on my Xbox One X.
This might likely end up as my favorite gaming year of all time.
So far I've played
Abzu - good
Dark Souls 3 DLC - great
Dishonored 2 - great
Doom - good
Final Fantasy 15 - meh
Firewatch - great
Gravity Rush 2 - good
Gravity Rush Remastered - good
Her Story - great
Horizon Zero Dawn - likely GOTY
Hyper Light Drifter - good
Inside - awful
Mass Effect: Andromeda - good
Nier: Automata - awesome
Nioh - awesome
Oxenfree - good
Stellaris - great
Torment - good
Played some nice smaller indie games, they are a bit old however; Her Story, Oxenfree and Firewatch. Brilliant games. I'm amazed by the talent of those small studios or even solo developers.
Was super hyped for Torment early in the year. And liked it quite a bit. At the same time, it was not the fantastic game I hoped for, merely a good text heavy game.
And then the big games this year, really had a strong start.
Nioh started out as a mediocre Souls wannabe to me, but carved out a place for itself throughout the game. Really good game.
Was extremely hyped about Horizon Zero Dawn before it came out, and it should have disappointed me. But it somehow managed to exceed the unreasonable expectations on most fronts.
Nier: Automata was quite the surprise. Weird, brilliant, experimental, self-secure. Soundtrack of the year. Loved it.
Stellaris + DLC. Very addictive game. I have a weak spot for a game that literally includes every single sci-fi cliche ever. Kinda want to play it forever. But so far I've been able to stay away, so I can actually play other stuff. Sad.
Another big surprise for me was Dishonored 2. Didnt like Dishonored 1 much. But had a ton of fun with this one.
Mass Effect Andromeda. Sigh. Such a disappointment. But it got better and better throughout the game, and was quite good toward the end. Just way too late.
This might likely end up as my favorite gaming year of all time.
I need to play a few more great titles first, but I might end up agreeing with you by the end of the year. Every new title I have played so far this year has been fantastic.
I've also played several older games this year. In retrospect, this has been a bad year to do that. There is too much good stuff coming out.
Played so far (best games are bolded):
Zelda: BotW
What Remains of Edith Finch
Persona 5
Nier: Automata
Dead Cells
Player Unknown Battlegrounds
Will hopefully play sometime this year (high priority games bolded):
Nioh
Horizon
Resident Evil 7
Prey
Nex Machina
Future 2017 releases I'm looking forward to, but will likely only be able to play a fraction of (high priority games bolded):
Pyre
Tacoma
Matterfall
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
Super Mario Oddysey
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Destiny 2
Metroid: Samus Returns
Cuphead
Ni No Kuni 2
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Breath of the Wild and Prey have been wonderful new discoveries for me so far this year. I also enjoyed Dishonored 2 quite a bit, and Persona Q has been an out-of-left-field surprise for me.
My biggest disappointment so far this year has been Horizon Zero Dawn. The robot creatures are a cool visual, but I had expected a lot more out of the game than a fairly bog-standard open world adventure. It's well-polished, but it wasn't for me.
I've yet to play any 2017 games yet because I'm living dat busy dad life!1! That said, this thread is making it *so* difficult to keep Horizon in the shrink until I finish Bloodborne.
Lets see...
Top 5 games I have played so far (in no order)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
What Remains of Edith Finch
Space Plan
Cibele
Old Man's Journey
Top games I need to play more of (in no order)
Horizon: Zero Dawn
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nier Automata
Night in the Woods
Monument Valley 2
Oxenfree
Top games I am looking forward to in 2017 (in no order)
Pyre
Destiny 2
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Agents of Mayhem
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Vampyr
Detroit: Become Human
Life is Strange: Before the Storm
2017 has been an okay gaming year for me so far. I have been playing games released fairly recently and focusing on reducing the pile (or at least not adding to it). Nothing has blown me away yet.
I have finished:
Final Fantasy XV - I enjoyed my experience until the end of Chapter 8; I should have stopped there
World of Final Fantasy - It was fun but not what I wanted; too long
Trine 3 - Fun but really short; if they need to go back to the 2D in order to make more of those games and be profitable, go for it
Rise of the Tomb Raider - Fun in spots but very uneven and repetitive; really wish someone could make Uncharted Tomb where they take the good parts of Uncharted and Tomb Raider and mash them together
For the rest of the year, I am mostly focused on reducing the pile and playing games that I have recently bought including Gravity Rush 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Witcher 3. I still have plenty to play on the Vita but have spent most of my year on the PS4. For the moment, I have no interest in the Nintendo Switch so that makes things a little easier on the pile.
As for purchases for the remainder of 2017, there isn't much on my radar. Uncharted Lost Legacy, Hot Shots Golf, Ni No Kuni 2, and Rainbow Skies are high on the list. I'll keep an eye on Life is Strange: Before the Storm and the new Need for Speed which looks like it might have some Burnout Crash type game play.
Like many, I've been pleasantly surprised by Horizon, but my current contenders for GOTY are Expeditions: Viking and Stellaris: Utopia.
I'm only half a dozen hours into Vikings, but it is great right out of the gate. I've been particular impressed with how reactive and alive the world feels on a narrative and character level. Meanwhile Utopia (and 1.5 and 1.6) have improved a game that got my GOTY last year.
Some other highlights include Starcrawlers, Lovers in a Dangerous Space Time, and Heroine's Quest. Everspace has also been pretty neat, but I've only scratched the surface there.
Breath of the Wild
Mario Kart Deluxe
Even without the massive amount of amazing games, this would be the best year in video games ever to me personally thanks to NieR: Automata. It just delivered everything and more I'd hoped for upon initially seeing the reveal that it was being made. So, obviously, that's my favorite game this year so far and there's no way that's changing even if Half Life 3 were somehow magically released this fall.
My other favorites have been:
Night in the Woods - This may not end up as high on my list as I would have thought just because it really bummed me out thanks to the subject material. It's definitely one of the more important games I've played this year, though.
Breath of the Wild - I love the traditional Zelda formula because I like picking apart and solving puzzles, so the lack of dungeons was a big bummer to me. Still, I've had plenty of Zelda games using that formula, so Breath of the Wild doing something completely different and being beautiful while doing so was welcome. No idea where this will ultimately rank for me.
Persona 5 - No idea where I'll rank this after playing nearly 100 hours. I'm kinda lukewarm on it for a few reasons but overall it's been pretty entertaining despite the slog.
Gravity Rush - This has been a delightful sequel that I will go back and finish soon.
Horizon Zero Dawn - It's been pretty fun, but I don't know how I'll feel about it ultimately once I've finished.
Cosmic Star Heroine - This has my favorite JRPG combat system of the year. It really does some fresh and inventive things with turn based combat which are really snappy. Also, the game doesn't punish you with replaying sections but is still difficult. It lets you savor each battle as a fun little puzzle.
Resident Evil 7 VR - I really, really enjoyed the first hour but haven't felt like being stressed out enough to get back to it. I really do have a goal of finishing it before the end of the year.
Other games I plan on finishing and have started a bit: Hollow Knight, Prey, Domina,
Games I'll very likely get and finish by the end of the year: Uncharted Lost Legacy, Ni No Kuni 2, What Remains of Edith Finch, and a few others I imagine.
Splatoon 2 and Mario Oddesey will probably happen even though I'm not particularly excited for either. I usually enjoy those types of Nintendo games once I start playing even though they don't get me particularly excited. I got suckered into buying Mario Kart 8 again and enjoyed playing through the courses again.
I've also got a few backlog games I need to try and finish. I finished I am Setsuna because it came out on Switch and really enjoyed it that way.
Horizon Zero Dawn *****#1
Edit + Other games have played, that I've enjoyed and imagine will be jostling at the door of my GOTY list come the end of the year...
Abzu. PS4.
Life is Strange. PS4.
Dragon Quest Builders. PS4.
Stardew Valley. PS4.
Steamworld Heist. Vita.
Blackwell Legacy. Android.
Jaipur. Android.
A mass of other games to try and get to... which and when, too tricky to say.
Oh and luke warm to cold disappointments so far this year...
Fallout 4. PS4.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag. PS4.
Shadow of Mordor. PS4.
I've played many games so far this year that will be on my top 10 list, and many have already been mentioned. I do want to highlight one, The Sexy Brutale, which will probably be my favorite adventure game this year. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, and the puzzles hit that sweet spot of hard, but not too hard. The game also has a ton of collectables, which is really the only reason I ever had to look at a walkthrough. In short, it hit all the right spots with me.
Even without the massive amount of amazing games, this would be the best year in video games ever to me personally thanks to NieR: Automata. It just delivered everything and more I'd hoped for upon initially seeing the reveal that it was being made. So, obviously, that's my favorite game this year so far and there's no way that's changing even if Half Life 3 were somehow magically released this fall.
My other favorites have been:
Night in the Woods - This may not end up as high on my list as I would have thought just because it really bummed me out thanks to the subject material. It's definitely one of the more important games I've played this year, though.
Breath of the Wild - I love the traditional Zelda formula because I like picking apart and solving puzzles, so the lack of dungeons was a big bummer to me. Still, I've had plenty of Zelda games using that formula, so Breath of the Wild doing something completely different and being beautiful while doing so was welcome. No idea where this will ultimately rank for me.Persona 5 - No idea where I'll rank this after playing nearly 100 hours. I'm kinda lukewarm on it for a few reasons but overall it's been pretty entertaining despite the slog.
Gravity Rush - This has been a delightful sequel that I will go back and finish soon.
Horizon Zero Dawn - It's been pretty fun, but I don't know how I'll feel about it ultimately once I've finished.
Cosmic Star Heroine - This has my favorite JRPG combat system of the year. It really does some fresh and inventive things with turn based combat which are really snappy. Also, the game doesn't punish you with replaying sections but is still difficult. It lets you savor each battle as a fun little puzzle.
Resident Evil 7 VR - I really, really enjoyed the first hour but haven't felt like being stressed out enough to get back to it. I really do have a goal of finishing it before the end of the year.
Other games I plan on finishing and have started a bit: Hollow Knight, Prey, Domina,
Games I'll very likely get and finish by the end of the year: Uncharted Lost Legacy, Ni No Kuni 2, What Remains of Edith Finch, and a few others I imagine.
Splatoon 2 and Mario Oddesey will probably happen even though I'm not particularly excited for either. I usually enjoy those types of Nintendo games once I start playing even though they don't get me particularly excited. I got suckered into buying Mario Kart 8 again and enjoyed playing through the courses again.
I've also got a few backlog games I need to try and finish. I finished I am Setsuna because it came out on Switch and really enjoyed it that way.
Interesting you're so lukewarm on Persona 5. I've got 75 hours and am onto Palace 6. My progress in the game was stalled by multiple work/leisure trips. I've started to feel the reprieveness at my current stage, but I don't know if it's because of my stalled progress.
Oh and luke warm to cold disappointments so far this year...
Shadow of Mordor. PS4.
Not sure I've ever seen these two things together before. I'm playing through SoM again for the first time in years on the Xbox and it's blowing me away all over again. I love this game.
Bubblefuzz wrote:Oh and luke warm to cold disappointments so far this year...
Shadow of Mordor. PS4.
Not sure I've ever seen these two things together before. I'm playing through SoM again for the first time in years on the Xbox and it's blowing me away all over again. I love this game.
I tried playing it immediately after finishing up Horizon ZD which I loved, one of my fave games of decade, never mind this year... Shadow of Mordor definitely suffered because of that poor timing. Might enjoy more if try again another time.
vaphiz wrote:Bubblefuzz wrote:Oh and luke warm to cold disappointments so far this year...
Shadow of Mordor. PS4.
Not sure I've ever seen these two things together before. I'm playing through SoM again for the first time in years on the Xbox and it's blowing me away all over again. I love this game.
I tried playing it immediately after finishing up Horizon ZD which I loved, one of my fave games of decade, never mind this year... Shadow of Mordor definitely suffered because of that poor timing. Might enjoy more if try again another time.
I did not like Shadow of Mordor at all. You are not alone.
On a note more relevant to this thread, I finished Prey last night, and it is probably my favorite single player shooter of the past several years. This truly is the gaming year that keeps on giving.
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