2017 brought Gamers around the world an absolutely wild and incredible year full of titles that either subverted our expectations, crossed new boundaries or a bit of both! Month after month publishers and developers treated Gamers with new and exciting titles that brought joy and delight to our consoles throughout the year.
While 2017 finally brought us the year in gaming that we had all clamored for since the beginning of this current generation of systems, it also brought us a new way of playing games with the Nintendo Switch. Taking the world by storm in its first year of release, Nintendo was able to not only launch their first successful console since the Wii but also released two of the best games in the company’s lifetime.
Not to be outshone by Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox had equally strong years with titles releasing left and right that took the world by storm. With new and engaging IPs like the PS4’s Horizon: Zero Dawn and Xbox One’s Cuphead to new installments in celebrated franchises like Persona 5, South Park, and Super Mario; 2017 was one wild year for video games!
Some honorable mentions that we couldn’t fit into the Top Ten include: Destiny 2, Doki Doki Literature Club, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Nier: Automata, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus!
Check out our picks for the Top 10 Best Games of 2017.
10. Resident Evil 7
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: January 24th, 2017
Buy: Amazon
Resident Evil 7 kicked 2017 off right with the return to the roots of the franchise by letting action take the backseat and letting the unrelenting survival horror aspects take the wheel. Reinventing the beloved and once acclaimed franchise is no tough feat but Resident Evil 7 manages to draw players into its twisted and macabre world with its intense and frightening gameplay. Plus, support for the PlayStation VR kicks things up an extra notch and lets players actually enter the world of the Baker family to take on the horrors up close and personal. Resident Evil 7 successfully manages to reinvent the franchise back to its historic roots while never loosening its horrific grip on your throat.
9. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: October 17th, 2017
Buy: Amazon
After successfully making a highly entertaining and hilarious game, South Park: The Stick of Truth, it was unknown if we were ever going to get another game in the South Park world. Flash-forward three years and our prayers were answered with, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, a game that builds on everything that made the first game so special. Jokes are funnier than ever, combat feels refreshing and more engaging and the plot of the South Park kids uncovering organized crime within South Park only proves that the franchise is full of potential in gaming. Feeling fully polished and vastly expanded from the first game, South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a game that will keep South Park fans and Gamers satisfied til (hopefully) our next adventure as the New Kid in South Park!
7. Splatoon 2
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: July 21st, 2017
Buy: Amazon
Nintendo’s focus on keeping their first-party content as family-friendly as possible may immediately put off some Gamers looking to blast through enemies but look past the colorful and loud aesthetics in Splatoon 2 and you’ll find a competent and fun shooter! Blending together high-energy team based shooter modes and an art style that can’t be found in any other Nintendo game and you’ve got yourself one of the Nintendo Switch’s best titles. With free updates and special events being released regularly, Nintendo is staying committed that everyone will be coming back for more Splatoon action in the months to come!
6. PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS
Developer: PUBG Corporation / Bluehole
Publisher: PUBG Corportation
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
Release Date: March 23rd, 2017
Buy: Amazon
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) became the biggest success story of 2017 with its highly addicting and frantic matches against 99 other players who are trying to be the last man standing! Set on a huge giant island, players must scour for weapons while staying alive to survive the island of Erangel. While still in Early Access until the end of 2017, PUBG’s historic rise in popularity made it one of the most successful games but also one of 2017’s best!
5. Cuphead
Developer: Studio MDHR
Publisher: Microsoft
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
Release Date: September 29th, 2017
Buy: Amazon
When Cuphead was first announced way back in 2014, the world was certain that this side scrolling homage to 1930’s cartoons would be something special. The game was shown off to be a platformer/”boss rush” game that hid its extreme difficulty behind its “cutesy” and “Disney-like” art style. Little did we know that when it finally released this September was that it would be one of the best (and hardest) platformers of all time! Full of stunning hand-drawn animation and a smile inducing score by a full orchestra and “big band”; Cuphead has wiggled his way into our hearts and become a household name in gaming.
4. Horizon Zero Dawn
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Studioes
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Release Date: February 28th, 2017
Buy: Amazon
Horizon: Zero Dawn helped start the year off with a bang thanks to its refreshing ideas, story, combat… and well just about everything it does! After releasing Killzone: Shadow Fall at the beginning of the PS4’s life cycle, Guerrilla Games were finally allowed to start work on a new original IP for the system. Horizon Zero Dawn‘s stunning and gorgeous vistas mixed with the gigantic and intimidating robot dinosaurs, helped redefine Guerrilla’s image and create a Sony exclusive franchise that is definitely here to stay! Plus, heroine of the series, Aloy, has become a new icon for the PlayStation brand thanks to her extremely lovable nature.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Wii U
Release Date: March 3rd, 2017
Buy: Amazon
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game that defies every expectation you have of it. Nintendo was tasked with redefining one of their most popular franchises, The Legend of Zelda, for current and modern gaming trends. By ditching everything we’ve known about the series, Nintendo has crafted a masterpiece that allows you to take your adventure with you on-the-go (thanks to the Switch’s hybrid-ness) and let’s you play whatever way you want. Giving players the freedom to go straight to the ending from the get-go, Breath of the Wild gives players a seemingly endless world full of possibilities, things to find, weapons to break and shrines to find! After over 100 hours in, I still find myself returning to Hyrule just to run around the world from time to time…. it’s that good!
2. Super Mario Odyssey
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: October 27th, 2017
Buy: Amazon
Nintendo’s plan for their launch year of their newest system, the Nintendo Switch, already included one heavy hitting title (see #3) that won critical acclaim but little did we all know that the BEST Super Mario game was just on its way at the end of the year. Super Mario Odyssey is a game that plays out like a love letter to not only the legacy of Mario but to anyone who has played one of his games throughout their childhood. Masterfully filled with secrets and things to find that wink and nod to the entire franchise, Super Mario Odyssey also introduces new gameplay mechanics that feel right at home in a Mario game. With countless moons to find and so many beautiful and different worlds to travel, Super Mario Odyssey is a title that will please any Gamer but also anybody new to gaming!
1. Persona 5
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Release Date: April 4th, 2017
Buy: Amazon
Persona 5 is not only a game that oozes style and coolness, it is a deep and complex Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) that features one of the best stories ever told in a video game. Following the lead protagonist through his second year of High School, Persona 5 takes players on a journey that feature themes like greed, lust, and evil. Pushed and shoved around by society, your character must find other schoolmates who also possess the ability to go into “the Metaverse” to help take down the injustices surrounding Tokyo. The game plays out in two sections that play vastly different, one following you through you normal life in Tokyo which tasks you with being a “normal teenager” while the other follows your team of “Phantom Thieves” changing the hearts of all the rotten people in the world. Plus, the art style and score should be praised as the punky attitude found throughout and the acid-jazz soundtrack bleeds coolness!
