Let's get into it, yeah?
Game of the Year
NieR: Automata
Developed by: Yoko Taro
Also in association with Platinum Games
Platforms: PC, PS4 (best on PlayStation)
Let me start this by quoting Dunkey: "The best reviews are entirely subjective, but that doesn't mean objectivity gets thrown out the window completely. You must acknowledge your own shortcomings." My big one is that I am super nit picky about combat in games, so if you throw a game at me that's nothing but combat like pretty much any hack and slash game I'm going to go "nah that's boring". But I can at least acknowledge that some hack and slash games are good, even if they aren't my taste. What I truly despise is open world games. With very few exceptions, those games are giant worlds of cardboard full of redundant tasks and constant downtime. They are massive wastes of time, money, and ideas on everybody's part. So when I say that NieR: Automata, and open world hack and slash, has my vote for game of the year it should tell you they did something right.
If you liked Witcher III or any of the Metal Gear Solid games, you'll probably be able to appreciate NieR Automata especially how it uses mechanics as metaphor. Now, this game's story is a really somber one at its core. However, the game isn't just some angsty character stuck in one monotonous tone of constant despair and misery. The main characters in NieR Automata seem like typical JRPG tropes at first but the more you progress throughout the game the more complicated and nuanced you'll find they actually are. Similarly, the more you explore and go against the grain, the more the game will reveal itself. Like eating a fish from a character literally named Jackass (yes that's a real side mission but save before you do it).
Another reason why I'm not the biggest fan of hack and slash is that many hack and slash games there is a certain right way and everything else is wrong. You don't get rewarded unless you kill the enemies a certain way, which usually just winds up being a letter grade at the end. Near A Tomato doesn't have this, you can go about it any way you want. Similarly, there are also JRPG elements but the game doesn't fall into (many) JRPG traps. The strongest JRPG element of the game is that it doesn't have a lot direction and there are a bunch of side quests that will expand on the story. While the lack of direction creates some great moments, there are a few problems it creates as well. The biggest one probably is the fact that it can be difficult to distinguish the profound side missions from the more grindy ones. The side missions you definitely need to play are: Emil's Memories, Anemone's Past, Yorha Betrayers, 11B's Manifesto, Amnesia, and Gathering Keepsakes. (Thank you SuperButterBuns.) The game requires multiple playthroughs to unlock all the endings but also because some side missions can only be completed at a certain point in the main story or as certain characters. For example: the Gathering Keepsakes side mission, that's 9S's time to shine.
Also the game has perhaps the most in-depth soundtrack I've ever seen. I'm not just saying this because I have synethesia, the attention to detail and care put into the soundtrack is superb, I cannot stress that enough. The full 6 hour thing is on YouTube but it's also on vinyl and worth every penny of that $80 price tag. Yes, get the full box set. Do it, play the game, spin the vinyl, let the emotions wash over you.
There are a multitude of tips on the game and in depth looks at lore but I'll save that for the YouTube peeps who can afford the equipment and are better speakers to an audience than I am. Like SuperButterBuns, MrClemps, and ValkyrieAurora. What I will say is that you should probably take a break from playing after you complete each character's arc, which will help break some of the repetitiveness.
Also, those NieR peeps have twitters which are as active as they can be because they're busy people (gotta hustle ya feel?)
SuperButterBuns
MrClemps
ValkyrieAurora
There was also a good review done by Sue Lightning over on her YouTube channel.
Darkest Dungeon
Developed by: Red Hook Studios
Platforms: PC, PS4, Mobile, Mac, Linux
"Wait, didn't this game come out last year?" Why yes it did, however it got re-released on mobile and I've been on a hell of a binge of it lately. It also made my list of top games of 2016 so I wanted to put it up again.
Darkest Dungeon is a very well designed game, there's a lot of thought put into each of the systems and characters in game. The single frame animations and art style are fantastic, but the real selling point is Wayne June. His narration adds such a layer of depth to the game (he also does Lovecraft audiobooks which you can check out by clicking this link here). In the words of TotalBiscuit: "You have the option to turn narration off. Don't ever do this."
The game is very good at breaking monotony, for example: Most of the heroes can be played many different ways. This also helps avoid pitfalls of class based games such as healers getting stuck in a loop of healspam. Stunlocking is also generally avoided in the game (unless you use certain items or wind up getting fucked by RNGesus, the most capricious of deities).
I've had a great deal of fun naming heroes after Twitter people and watching as the quirks and habits unfold. Sometimes it works so well, too...
And while we're talking about art style being a good selling point...
Cuphead
Developed by: Studio MDHR
Platforms: PC, XBox
This one will probably be on many lists, it has been met with glowing praise and been one of the few indie games to top 1,000,000 sales (in spite of some janky bugs in the game such as erasing save data).
While at heart it's meant to be fast and furious, the game is brimming with personality. It's not just some glitzed up boss rush game but a throwback to humor of a dying artstyle. Each of the bosses has their own personality and it's worth going in blind just to see it all for the first time and experience it. In fact, I'm not going to post any screenshots of the gameplay that's how much I want people to see it all firsthand.
Then after you beat it, hand it off to a friend and play a drinking game.
Oh, and if you like that old school aesthetic check out Bendy & the Ink Machine. It ain't perfect by any stretch, but if you like those old time-y cartoons give it a whirl.
Breath of the Wild
If you don't know who Nintendo are then what you doing?
Platforms: Switch, WiiU (best on Switch, obviously)
What's this? Another open world game? I really truly do despise open world. 2017 has been a very good year for games, like holy crap.
While I despise open world, I'm also not the biggest Zelda fan myself. I get why some people like the series but I'm not very wowed by it myself. So like with booty android choking best boy, Breath of the Wild being on this list should tell you a lot about how good this game is. It tells a story in its environments and lets you create all these little moments for yourself. It feels very tangible and like a world you can genuinely get lost in.
I'm not a huge fan of 3D platforming like in most Mario games (which is also why you won't see Super Mario Odyssey on this list). The reason being: The setting is usually just a backdrop for cool mechanics. It loses its charm over time, at least for me. In Breath of the Wild there is an input/output thing to it- it doesn't feel like you are doing things, rather it feels like the environment is reacting with you. There are some touching references to older Zelda installments, but the game doesn't bank on them. The trust this game puts into the audience's intelligence and imagination should be used as an example to video games all across genres. There is a lot of flexibility and creative freedom given to the player, they can do things however they want and it always feels rewarding to do so.
This game has also inspired a wave of fantastic cosplays, my favorite being my boy PlanarShifting for his immaculate Gerudo Girl cosplay. There's a number of great fanart as well and if you know the artists for the pics here let me know and I'll include them.
Oh, and the porn. Oh god the porn for this game is amazing, twink Link is so pretty and ready for an ass pounding.
West of Loathing
Developed by: Asymmetric
Platforms: PC, Mobile, Mac, Linux
You know what I hate about a lot of CRPG games? They've become less and less CRPG and more and more amalgamations of first person shooter, minigame, and all sorts of other "subgenres". Like pretty much anything Bethesda has shit out lately, that's what I mean. West of Loathing is a fantastic return to form for CRPG and full of Blazing Saddles tier outrageous humor.
This game is stupid simple. It's stupid, it's simple, it's stupidly simple, and it's simply stupid. But what it is more than anything is perhaps the most cleverly designed RPG games in recent memory. I'm no stranger to stick figure stuff (Oscar Johansson, Terkoiz, Xiao Xiao, Stick Slayer, you name it) so I initially tried this out for that. What I was expecting was some brief flash game that does its thing without overstaying its welcome. I was surprised to discover how much depth the game actually has.
There's a lot of freedom given in the game because of how barebones simple everything is. This is how you do CRPG, not having the openest open world. You have so many ways to go about achieving things that doesn't boil down to finding the best weapon or walking the preconceived stealth route. To quote the late, great George S. Patton: "Tell people what to do, not how to do it, and let them surprise you." Everything has tangible consequence to it that shapes the game instead of a convoluted kharma system or restricting players to certain arbitrary choices.
Hollow Knight
Developed by: Team Cherry
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Switch
While I'm not the biggest fan of 3D platformers, I do quite enjoy 2D platformers. Boasting diverse enemy types, a gorgeous aesthetic, and amazing lighting and soundtrack it's very easy to get lost basking in the ambiance of Hollow Knight.
There's actually a pretty dark story to everything in this game despite its child-friendly appearance. It's very much one of those fairy tales that adults can enjoy as well, which is a genre I've always been a fan of personally. Some people would describe this as a Metroidvania, which there is indeed a lot of influence from those games in here. I feel that kind of downplays the personality this game has though, it's very much its own thing.
Oh and there are multiple endings. Everything gets resolved in each ending, except there's more and more noble implications despite the immediately sad endings. It definitely sticks true to the "knight" part of the game's name, requiring noble sacrifices to be a hero.
Hob
Developed by: Runic Games
Platforms: PC, PS4
Upon release, this game was unstable and prone to crashing. On top of that, it released just a day before Cuphead which no doubt negatively effected its sales and popularity. However, this is a gorgeous game with a lot to like in it.
For whose of you who don't know, Runic Games are a bunch of ex-Diablo developers who put out those magnificent Torchlight games before deciding to do something entirely different with Hob. So, what exactly is this game about? The premise is that you're tasked with repairing a broken planet. Though, it's one of those games where the more you explain it to someone the more boring it's going to sound. It's best off just jumping in directly because this game starts you off in the deep end.
Hob is a wonderful blend of mechanic and organic, the duality of its gameplay certainly matches up with the aesthetics. It's this eclectic blend of genres that some people compare to Zelda games. There are indeed Zelda like sequences that play it safe and lots of glitches in this game, pointing to the fact that it clearly hasn't been fully completed. I'm including this game on this list because in spite of all that, there are some genuinely fantastic ideas in it. Someone clearly wanted to put a lot of care into this but couldn't because Runic is no more.
Yeah you read that right. Runic Games was shut down shortly after Hob was released. If you've got issues with bugs it's sad to say you might never get a fix. You may have to prowl forums like I did to make the game playable.
Pyre
Developed by: Supergiant Games
Platforms: PC, PS4, Linux, Mac
So, Bastion was a very approachable game. Narrator spells it all out for you, things are super straightforward, combat never gets too complicated. Transistor is the polar opposite of this, it throws you directly into the deep end and leaves you to figure everything out for yourself. The third IP of indie titan Supergiant Games, Pyre, is radically different from its predecessors in many ways.
So, the similarities with Transistor are more apparent in gameplay alone. Much like Transistor there is a steep initial learning curve but a fantastic dance between players and enemies once you do. The similarities stop there. While Transistor and Bastion are more overt games, Pyre is all about subtleties and little details. My favorite one (spoiler free) is that depending on the bard you have with you, the instruments in the soundtrack will change. The original soundtrack still exists in the main menu, but it's the interpretation of whichever bard you have in your group at the time.
Combat in the previous two games was nonstop, straightforward. In Pyre, the combat is much more closer to traditional turn based stuff. Additionally, you don't have real time encounters- you boost your character JRPG style in between battles. The soundtrack is the usual gorgeous tunes you can expect from audio wizard Darren Korb. You can purchase all the Supergiant music right here.
The character design and art direction are instantly recognizable (as you'd come to expect from Supergiant Games by now). The in game lore is actually pretty dang good, too. You need to take your time with this one to really savor it, but well worth it.
Persona 5
Developed by Atlus Games
Platforms: PS3, PS4 (console exclusive)
There are a lot of good Japanese turn based games that never made it big in the West. The .Hack series, for example. (Also there was a new .Hack game that dropped this year, just an FYI.) You also have the more offbeat unique ones like Okage Shadow King. Then you have an established series like that Shin Megami Tensei series. This is one of the more popular JRPGs that never quite made it to mainstream and Persona series wouldn't exist without it. Why bring these up? Persona 5 takes some of the best parts of all of these and gives them its own flair.
Perhaps the most successful JPRG in recent years, this game is not only a huge improvement over previous installments in the series but also a game people who generally dislike anime or JRPGs can enjoy. For those of you with an aversion for the weeb shit, you've probably seen 1 of 2 things about this game. The first being some controversy about it and streaming it/doing YouTube videos of it (summed up here by YouTuber Bitscreed). The second being the game's HUD.
Yeah, that HUD is so instantly recognizable that people cosplayed as it at AX2017 (Anime Expo 2017).
I'm not gonna go into the basics of that game (if you want that check the fresh bun again). What you need to know is that it's turn based combat, focused on stat building, your standard JRPG flavor and that's about where it ends in its similarities to other JRPGs. Among other themes, it has: occult creatures, Jungian psychology, and Catherine Zeta Jones type thief sneaking. It's a giant mish mash of ideas sewn together because each character's subconscious means you're in for a different experience with each one. Think Psychonauts but anime.
The combat itself is lively, not overly complex, and bursting with personality. You have multiple ways to complete your tasks such as summoning domesticated daemons, shooting the shit out of everything (my preferred way, obviously, dispense that lead freedom as necessary), robbing enemies for money and experience, the list goes on. You'll have to play this one again and again and again for 100% (it's like 80 hours altogether) but it doesn't really get old thanks to how many options you have for completing your tasks.
This game's biggest contribution is probably the holy grail of gentle femdom right here
In summary: This is like the Cowboy Bebop of JRPG games in the sense that I can wholeheartedly recommend it to people who hate anime stuff. This has certainly been a good year for turn based games, that's for sure.
Mandagon
Developed by: Blind Sky Studios
Platform: PC, Mac
Whereas NieR: Automata was a very grand, high budget, AAA game with mechanics as metaphor Mandagon is a small, indie, free to play game with mechanics as metaphor.
This is a game seeped in Tibetan mysticism and aesthetic. The gameplay is without much direction- you're wandering around, contemplating on your surroundings and situation similar to how Buddhist monks would when on a pilgrimage. It's a 2D platformer, but not really.
This is a very short game. As in, it took me about 45min to complete. It's very pretty and the use of space is nice, can't say I got bored in the game at any time. Though to be fair, I don't dislike 2D platformers as much as I dislike 3D platformers. I prefer a more immersive environment, which is certainly something Mandagon achieves.
My fetish is this lighting effect games give to natural heat sources that puts a golden tinge on everything
The game is free like I mentioned but if you throw down $2 for it (or £2 or €2 depending on where you live) you will also get the art book and OST for the game. This is probably the smallest, most indie game on the list but I felt like it should be included.
Conclusion
I know some people are going to ask why I didn't include a lot of games on this list everyone was hyped about. I hate a lot of things, what can I say? If I like a thing it's probably good enough that even my perpetually cynical ass can enjoy it.
