I've been doing threads like these for the past couple of years, and with 2017 being such a fantastic year for gaming, I definitely wanted to make another one now that the year is almost over.
The launch of the Switch was a big deal for Nintendo fans, with some of the best 1st party games we've had in a long time being right behind it, but it was also a great year for games outside of the Nintendo fandom. If you didn't play five noteworthy games, feel free to post your top three or whatever. Here's mine:
(I haven't played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 yet, unfortuantely. It would undoubtedly have a spot on this list if I did because I'm such a huge fan of the series, but I'll have to wait until Christmas to give it a try.)
5.) Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PS4)
- FFXII gets overlooked almost entirely because it doesn't fit the "modern Final Fantasy sucks" narrative, but I was a big fan of the game even back during its original launch on the PS2. It had some glaring issues that kept it out of the top of my list of my favorites in the series, but it was still very enjoyable. Zodiac Age not only updates the whole thing for the PS4, but finally gives North American players the zodiac job system that is superior to the original in every single way. I had a great time playing through it again for the first time in nearly a decade.
4.) Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)
- As one of the five people on earth that's played through the original Metroid II multiple times, this remake gave me everything I could have asked for from the return of 2D Metroid. Mercury Steam exceeded nearly all expectations, and I truly believe they've earned a crack at their own, fully original 2D Metroid game. The 3DS is in its final stages of life, but Samus Returns was an excellent addition to its already outstanding library.
3.) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
- The fact that this game is only third on the list is a testament to how outstanding gaming was in 2017. This game being in third isn't a knock on it at all - after all these months, I'm still blown away by what it did and how it reinvented the 3D side of the franchise in a way that it desperately needed. The emphasis on the vertical component of the world in tandem with the survival motifs made for what is probably my favorite Zelda game of all time (something I never thought I would say due to nostalgia with OoT and TP).
2.) Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
- Like Zelda, this is probably my new favorite 3D Mario game of all time, something that's crazy to think about when I realize both of these games were released before the Switch was even a full year old. I'm still thinking about whether or not it ultimately beats out Mario Galaxy as my hands-down favorite, but Odyssey is a game I can't really find any flaw in without relentless nitpicking. If BotW wasn't a reason to own a Switch before, I think Odyssey most definitely is.
1.) Persona 5 (PS4)
- This game reminded me of when I first dived into the Metal Gear franchise for the first time a few years ago; I had no idea what I was missing out on. My newfound love of the Metal Gear series led me to considering MGSV: The Phantom Pain to be my favorite game of 2015, and history is repeating itself for me with the Persona franchise. Persona 5's ability to make a turn-based battle system feel completely fresh, new, and exciting was enough to make me love it, but the fact that all of its other elements managed to captivate me for nearly 80 hours without a break is proof that, deep down, I loved this game the more than any other in 2017. It looks like Persona doesn't get new entries that often, but I'm officially on board for a Persona 6 whenever it happens.
The launch of the Switch was a big deal for Nintendo fans, with some of the best 1st party games we've had in a long time being right behind it, but it was also a great year for games outside of the Nintendo fandom. If you didn't play five noteworthy games, feel free to post your top three or whatever. Here's mine:
(I haven't played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 yet, unfortuantely. It would undoubtedly have a spot on this list if I did because I'm such a huge fan of the series, but I'll have to wait until Christmas to give it a try.)
5.) Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PS4)
- FFXII gets overlooked almost entirely because it doesn't fit the "modern Final Fantasy sucks" narrative, but I was a big fan of the game even back during its original launch on the PS2. It had some glaring issues that kept it out of the top of my list of my favorites in the series, but it was still very enjoyable. Zodiac Age not only updates the whole thing for the PS4, but finally gives North American players the zodiac job system that is superior to the original in every single way. I had a great time playing through it again for the first time in nearly a decade.
4.) Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)
- As one of the five people on earth that's played through the original Metroid II multiple times, this remake gave me everything I could have asked for from the return of 2D Metroid. Mercury Steam exceeded nearly all expectations, and I truly believe they've earned a crack at their own, fully original 2D Metroid game. The 3DS is in its final stages of life, but Samus Returns was an excellent addition to its already outstanding library.
3.) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
- The fact that this game is only third on the list is a testament to how outstanding gaming was in 2017. This game being in third isn't a knock on it at all - after all these months, I'm still blown away by what it did and how it reinvented the 3D side of the franchise in a way that it desperately needed. The emphasis on the vertical component of the world in tandem with the survival motifs made for what is probably my favorite Zelda game of all time (something I never thought I would say due to nostalgia with OoT and TP).
2.) Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
- Like Zelda, this is probably my new favorite 3D Mario game of all time, something that's crazy to think about when I realize both of these games were released before the Switch was even a full year old. I'm still thinking about whether or not it ultimately beats out Mario Galaxy as my hands-down favorite, but Odyssey is a game I can't really find any flaw in without relentless nitpicking. If BotW wasn't a reason to own a Switch before, I think Odyssey most definitely is.
1.) Persona 5 (PS4)
- This game reminded me of when I first dived into the Metal Gear franchise for the first time a few years ago; I had no idea what I was missing out on. My newfound love of the Metal Gear series led me to considering MGSV: The Phantom Pain to be my favorite game of 2015, and history is repeating itself for me with the Persona franchise. Persona 5's ability to make a turn-based battle system feel completely fresh, new, and exciting was enough to make me love it, but the fact that all of its other elements managed to captivate me for nearly 80 hours without a break is proof that, deep down, I loved this game the more than any other in 2017. It looks like Persona doesn't get new entries that often, but I'm officially on board for a Persona 6 whenever it happens.
