[Question] The Gamingforce Game of the Year 2017: Super Deluxe Gold Voting Edition w/ loot boxes

2017 has been a pretty mixed bag, to put it generously. It's odd because when you look at media, particularly gaming, it's been a pretty amazing year overall, but then everything else has been a giant dumpster fire and then some. Who thought we'd be fighting Nazis in real life as well as games?

Anyhoo, the drawing of a close to 2017 means that once again it's time for the Gamingforce Game of the Year to make its appearance! This might be quite a tricky year as I can't help but feel there's been a really high amount of quality games coming out and I know I'm going to struggle personally wittling that down to just a couple of games. And as ever this is the arena of combat and popular choice in which the game of 2017 will do battle to become our Gamingforce Game of the Year.

But things are going to be a little different this year so please pay attention to the details below!

Firstly we're going to try and see what kind of mayhem ensues when we open up voting on Facebook as well as the GFF thread. In order to try and keep things straight there's some changes to the rules: if you post your votes on Facebook please put your GFF username at the top of your entry. Also if you try to vote twice I'll take your GFF votes and halve the points. So don't do that. This is a bit of a test run and the preference will be for people to vote on the GFF thread, but we'll see how this goes.

Secondly I'm going to ask you to add in 3 predictions for the coming year. This will just be a for fun thing that you could choose to ignore if you want, but if you do throw down a couple of thoughts for 2018 then next year as part of the results I plan to do a look back and see how we fared with our predictions.

Other than that it's business as usual as per the previous years' voting, so it'll work like this: each person has 100 points to vote for games released in 2017 (doesn't matter where, but games have to have been commercially released in 2017) and you can allocate them to as many games as you like as long as it totals 100 in the end. The only rule is that you can't award any single game more than 40 points. So you could vote two 40s and a 20, or a 40 and six 10s, or any other combination of points as long as it adds up to 100.

To vote all you have to do is post a reply with your top games of 2017, how many points you're giving each, and a brief explanation of why you feel the game deserves your points.

Example:

<If on Facebook: [b]GFF username[b]>

GAME A - 40 points
Man I loved game A because...

GAME B - 20 points
I ended up playing so much of game B that...

GAME C - 15 points
Game C gets some points because...

GAME D - 15 points
I couldn't decide between this and C, so gave both points, but D rocks because...

GAME E - 5 points
Good, but not necessarily great, but I figure E deserves some points because...

GAME F - 5 points
Like E, F gets a few points because...

Predictions:
1. That...

2. I reckon...

3. Maybe...

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Voting will close on Saturday 20th January at 18:00 GMT (that's Englandland time), at which point I'll add all the points together and work out GFF's top games of 2017, posting the results in a new thread for discussion/people to complain about.

So, go on, get voting.

Oh, and get other people to come vote and take part too.

Disclaimer/Rules:
1. If you allocate any game more than 40 points your vote won't be counted.
2. If your points allocation totals more than 100 points your vote won't be counted (totals less than 100 are fine).
3. Votes for games not released in 2017 will be ignored.
4. Only official commercial releases in 2017 count.
4a. No 'Early Access', 'Alpha', 'Beta' or other pre-release titles will be counted.
5. No negative points. I'll point and laugh and then ignore your vote.
6. Whole integers only. Fractions and decimal places will also lead me to ignore your vote.
7. Votes on Facebook must start with your GFF username.
8. Only vote on GFF or Facebook; double votes will incur a halving penalty on the GFF votes.
9. Any other such idiocy will also probably lead your vote not being counted.

And as ever, I take no responsibility for Skills fucking with stuff, which if you ignore these points he almost certainly will do somehow.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Cuphead 30 points

The sheer amount of effort and polish in this game is crazy, hard to choose one game for this year but I think this is it for me. Love the music so much I am even learning some of it.

Nier automata 20 points

I love action games and this basically was perfect, making the system from metal gear rising even better, it is just fun .

Dragon Quest XI 10 points

This game is riding on nostalgia hard, but I think it stands on its own as a great RPG, one big flaw is that some of the mechanics just make the player suffer for no reason like the quest that demands that you get a jack pot on the casino, not a high amount of chips or anything you gotta hit the jackpot of jackpots. Which can be quite frustrating.

Horizon Zero Dawn 10 points

Have not finished it yet, but I am blown away by the setting and graphics.

Persona 5 10 points

super stylish jrpg that whill surprise you more often than not.

Xcom 2: War of the chosen 10 points

This is an expansion that made an already great game even better, fixing most of the issues the players had and adding new twists that keep things fun. It could have been something that wasn't zombies, but I am not too bothered by it.

Nioh 10 points

These days we have the bad habit of calling every game "dark souls" but this took that formula and put an original twist on it which made for a very challenging, but fair experience.

my predictions for next year:

red dead redemption 2: I just hope it doesn't get milked as much as GTAV
spiderman : they just need to get the swinging right(psst just do it like the spiderman 2 game on PS2 the one with the pizza delivery minigame)

honorable mentions:

yakuza 0 and kiwami, tekken 7, gundam, guilty gear.

How ya doing, buddy?

Cross-posting from my gurnal

Honorable mentions:



RiME
[Best almost ICO but not really] [Best Little Hogs]



7/10




Cuphead
[Prettiest Game] [Best Graphics] [Best Animation] [Best Colour Bleed]

7/10




ECHO
[Best Scifi] [Best Setting]

7/10




Trackless
[Best Zork-like]

7/10




A Hat in Time
[Best Hats]

7/10




Tiny Echo
[Cutest Game] [Most Peaceful] [Most Envelopes]

7/10




Hob
[Best Terrain Raising] [Best Forest Sprite Creatures]

7/10




THE QWARKY TOP 11 BEST GAMES OF 2017 (points in the top 6)



11.



Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
[Best Sound] [Cringiest End Credits Song] [The More Satisfying on Hard Award]

It's kind of like a walking simulator with occasional moments of combat and puzzles. What is important about it for me is an indie developer showing they can get a high quality, high production value title like this done in this day and age, and find an audience. And it's a solid experience too.

7/10



10.



Ruiner
[Best Cyberpunk World] [Best Helmet] [Best Atmosphere] [Best Music] [Best Use of Susumu Hirasawa]

Really cool setting, really cool look, stunningly good soundtrack. The action is a bit too hectic and punishing so I had to drop it down from Hard to Normal, but all in all a really enjoyable and memorable action game. I'd love to see them do more in this world.

YouTube Video

8/10



9.



Memoranda
[Best Name Searching] [Best Disguised Elephant] [Best Talking Moose Head]

A lovely little point & click adventure with wonderful atmosphere and storytelling.

8/10



8.



Nex Machina
[Most Twin Stick] [Best Ari Pulkkinen Soundtrack] [Best Viewpoint Switching and Zooming] [Most Secret Humans]

Housemarque made their best game and probably the best twin stick shooter. Probably.

9/10



7.



Thimbleweed Park
[Best-a-who] [Best Sprites] [Most Maniac Mansion] [Best Annoying In-Jokes Toggle Option]

Ron Gilbert does NOT know how to end his games in a satisfying manner. But aside from that, this is a clever, funny, well written point & click adventure with tons of delightful little details and gags.

8/10



6.



Snake Pass - 10 points
[Cutest Game] [Most Colourful] [Best Snake] [Best Noodle] [Best Stream Game] [Best Music] [Best Murderous Hummingbird]

A delightful 3D exploration game, where the actual act of navigating the environments IS the gameplay hook and main draw. I had a blast streaming most of this game, it's bright and colourful, has a wonderful soundtrack from David Wise, and has that rare brand of slapstick that comes from gameplay instead of visual gags.

YouTube Video

8/10



5.



Mr. Shifty - 10 points
[Best Thief] [Best Teleporting] [Best Punching] [Best Broom Use]

Was totally surprised by this game and its central gameplay hook of dodging and punching. A superb little action game, with fun levels and tight controls. I want to see a sequel really bad.

8/10



4.



Battlerite - 20 points
[Best Multiplayer] [Best Arena Brawling] [Best Music] [Best Blossom] [Best Lucie] [Best Poloma] [Best Oldur] [Best Freya] [Best Winter Event Skins] [Best Prehistoric Event Skins]

I don't like competitive multiplayer. I've got 150 hours in this game. It's freaking great. The characters are all fun to play and well designed, the matches go by fast so even losing doesn't feel terrible, and the combat is hectic and tactical and so much fun you just lose hours and can always get better. Poloma is A++

YouTube Video

9/10



3.



Hollow Knight - 20 points
[Best Bugs] [Best Painted Backgrounds] [Best Atmosphere] [Best Tragedy] [Best Incidental Details] [Best Music] [Best 100% Experience]

It's dark, it's sad, it's beautiful, it's fun and intense and magical and heartbreaking. Fucking play it already, it's amazing. I put 44 hours into it to 100%. Trial of Fools is a bitch. My hands hurt for days afterwards from gripping the controller so hard.

YouTube Video

9/10



2.



NieR: Automata - 20 points
[Best Androids] [Best Existential Agony] [Best Music] [Best Platinum Game of the Year] [Best Story] [Best Endings] [Best Hidden Endings] [Most Swords] [Best Pod] [Best Fishing] [Best Hacking] [Best 2B] [Best End Credits] [Best Final Final Ending]

The only knock against the game is how you kind of have to persevere with it to see the whole thing, it doesn't NATURALLY engage you to continue playing. But once you get over that hump, good god. Get all the endings. Cry over androids. It's Yoko Taro's most hopeful game but it's still incredibly cruel and dark and overwhelmingly sad. It's smart, it's brave, it's surprising and deeply touching. An amazing experience, an unbelievable soundtrack, well worth 50 hours. You'll get more out of it if you play through the original NieR first (all four endings)

YouTube Video

9/10



1.







Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 20 points
[Game of the Year] [Best Link] [Best Zelda] [Best Side Characters] [Best Emergent Narratives] [Best Open World] [Best Climbing] [Best Exploration] [Best Atmosphere] [Best Music] [Best Sunsets] [Best Sunrises] [Most Grass] [Best Bears] [Best Fields] [Best King of the Mountain] [Best Sidequests] [Best Koroks] [Best Desert] [Best Lynels] [Best Hanggliding] [Best Horses] [Best Scientists] [Most Fruit] [Most Swords]

A remarkable achievement and a remarkable adventure. Nintendo succesfully takes bits and pieces of modern open-world game design and perfectly integrates them with their own design philosophy and ideas, into a wonderful Legend of Zelda experience that moves the series forward, while totally nailing what the first game did so well. The final ending is maybe a little anticlimactic because of all the things you do before it, but it remains essential gaming and I wouldn't have sunk over 90 hours into it if I hadn't loved it so much.

YouTube Video

9/10

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Monster Hunter Stories - 40 points
A little bit of Pokemon catching and element exploiting, a bit of Shin Megami Tensei monster fusing, some rock-paper-scissors and a boatload of main series references made this my favorite new IP in the role-playing genre in years. Easily my favorite RPG in general this year. Memorable characters, fun and funny animations and special moves that give every monster some personality, and ON POINT difficulty balancing. I did a shitton of level grinding and many of the game's bosses still pushed me to the brink if I made one or two bad moves. Boatload of endgame content that I'm still working my way through, and obligatory crossover DLC like Zelda armor, playable Epona battle partner, etc.

If you're a fan of the main series or want to see a different take on monster catching, it's a wonderful surprise.



~~~


Nioh - 40 points

Oh my God, Nioh. I completely forgot this came out only last year. Take Demon’s Souls, set it in medieval Japan, and add a shitload of complementary battle mechanics that, when competently used together, make the game play more like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden. Seven completely unique weapon types (that are broken down further into subtypes), weapon skills, weapon stances, ninjutsu and onmyo magic, guardian spirits that act as both stat buffs and special moves. Stylish action meets the Souls series with a little bit of lootwhoring, and I adore it.

~~~


Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey - 20 points
Long been referred to as the “cute girls doing math” series, I typically skip these RPGs since they can be kind of samey and too much of an animeish cutesy overload. Atelier Firis is still very much like its predecessors and does its best to be adorably saccharine, but I ended up forgiving it because of all the other stuff it got right. Namely, its no-stakes story (seriously, I can’t overstate how nice it is to play an RPG where NOTHING is on the line besides one minor’s ability to leave the safety of her hometown and her loving parents whenever she pleases, or that the final boss is a vocational exam), its utterly infectious music, its eerily accurate translation of 2D art to polygonal form (Atelier has been doing this for a while now, but it’s getting to the point where it’s almost weird how true to form it is), its decently fun jigsaw puzzle style alchemy system, and a perfectly serviceable battle system filled with well-adjusted and well-meaning party members who only want to help Firis pass her exam.

If you want to play a mellow RPG for once, I think this is absolutely worth trying. After having just Platinum’d Bloodborne, all I can think about is just playing something turn-based and chill like Atelier Firis.



I'll continue to add to this if I get around to checking what else I beat that was new this year.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Splatoon 2 - 5 points

The single player campaign is pretty good with Squid Sister Marie being your guide, some of the new music is alright, the addition of Salmon Run is very welcome. Marina is cool.

Overall though, I wish they'd just port the first game over to Switch. Multiplayer isn't as fun where they've nerfed my roller, there should be an option to select what music you want to play including the old stuff (hey, it's in the ddr game), and good lord I can't stand Pearl. I miss the old Splatfests, which if you scan a Marie or Callie amiibo should allow you to do this.

Still, not a bad sequel. I just suck on this one compared to the predecessor where I could compete with Level 50 Japanese players.










Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 20 points

By far the longest Zelda game I've ever experienced which previously was Skyward Sword but this beats Skyward by miles. Very beautiful game and a decent addition to the Zelda series. It's an interesting twist taking away the formula of going to temples, acquiring a special item, and defeating boss with said item with instead just freeroaming and eventually building up an arsenal but with procurement on your own end.

It's a shame that most of the music just didn't connect with me (Zora's Domain and two of the ancient enemy battle music were the only ones that currently come to mind). On top of that, it would've been nice if instead of using a sound beacon to find the 100+ shrines and the gazillion seeds they would've marked them on your map when you went to the lookout towers and connected your slate (a la Assassin's Creed).

Still, it was a worthwhile adventure in the end. Also, Link/Mipha.











Super Mario Odyssey - 35 points

The best Switch exclusive. This game is just all sorts of fun and pretty to look at. There are a lot of collectibles, the music is great to listen to, and there are A LOT of moons to collect. If I had one gripe with this game, it's actually that there are too many moons to collect. I can honestly say I did collect all of the individual ones without the help of the internet. I used my amiibo for assistance and traded information with my g/f. That also really made the game quite enjoyable.

What also makes this game really fun is instead of power ups, Mario has the ability to use his new friend Cappy to take over the bodies of just about any enemy in the game. You can even become steal a T-Rex's body. You can play as T-Rex with a Mario cap and destroy just about everything in your path!

Oh and there are costumes you can collect to play as for Mario as well. Some of these fit the theme for some of the lands you visit while others are borrowed from characters in the Mario series.

The Mario series continues to be insanely enjoyable. I really don't know how Nintendo continues to do it.












Sonic Mania - 40 points - GAME OF THE YEAR

HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH!!

I could leave it at that, but this game brought me on the verge of tears with how fun and great it is. It hits all the nostalgia spots but also gives some new interesting twists to some old levels while introducing new ones.

How so? Okay, I won't spoil you but go play this game and get to Chemical Plant Zone Act 2's boss. It's a throwback to something back on the Genesis/MegaDrive and was hilariously unbelivable. That is just ONE of the points of awesomeness in this game. The team that worked on this game not only knew their stuff but put so much tender loving care into it.

The special stages from Sonic 3 and Knuckles make a comeback, but they're not the special stages for the emeralds. Instead, completing them unlocks things in the extras menu. The special stage for the emeralds feels kind of like Sonic CD, but instead of destroying 6 UFO's you're chasing 1 UFO to destroy it to obtain the emerald.

There are a lot of old stages in this game but they also have new twists to them (usually in Act 2). They introduce some new stages as well. The stage choices...I can't complain about, it's an unexpectedly great selection.

The music is godlike. I repeat: THE MUSIC IS GODLIKE. Best Soundtrack 2017 (Mario Odyssey's is pretty close).

After beating the game, they give you some new options to replay the game (instead of using the new drop dash, you can use some of Sonic's special moves from older games).

I would almost go so far as to say this is the best 2D Sonic game...okay, maybe Sonic CD might still have that honor but this one is definitely close.

GOTFY...GAME OF THE F***ING YEAR!!








Predictions

1. Super Mario Maker and Smash 4 will be ported to the Switch by the end of 2018.
2. The Playstation 5 will be announced and FF7: Remake Episode 1 will be a launch title.
3. Splatoon 2 will unlock a subway/train which will take you to Inkopolis Plaza from Splatoon 1 where you can get your stage news and Splatfest dance from Callie and Marie provided you've beaten Single Player. It will also allow you to play through the stages with the old music. Finally, they'll fix the roller to what it was in Splatoon 1. This will allow you to experience everything great about the first Splatoon without having to purchase it as a port on Switch...or they'll just port the 1st game to Switch which I'd be happy with as well.

Most amazing jew boots

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (30 points)

YouTube Video

Has a few technical issues, and the gatcha system isn't the best, but what a wonderful world to explore, with a great soundtrack, and interesting characters. Not done in yet but enjoying everything I've done so far in it a lot. Like a lot of switch games, works really well on this platform. Good tunes too.

Super Mario Odyssey (30 points)



This game is very happy. THE HAPPIEST. Have you seen Bowser's hair? Hair of the year.

Breath of the Wild (40 points)



I think this gets my most points not because it's so amazing, detailed and adventurous (which it is), but because the time I spent figuring out what to do while playing alongside my best friends (that's you guys) in spring of last year. Experiencing a game like this WITH my friends, alongside them, discovering as they did, and having the game support our myriad of play-styles as it did was the video gaming moment of the year. It gave us a canvas, and we had a hell of a time painting on it. That's what makes it the best.

-------

Predictions:

- Nintendo paid online service: Comes with a Virtual Console subscription of some sort.
- Both Ace Combat 7 and Metroid Prime 4 go to 2019 and I get salty about it.
- Victor Ireland loses the last of his god damn mind and actually releases the PSP version of Class of Heroes 3. In 2018. He subsequently buys up all UMD production facilities from the defunct factories with the 22 dollars he made in profit from this two year venture and then makes Class of Heroes 4 in RPGMaker. After it does poorly on Steam, with many reviews wondering why Bill Clinton jokes are still present, he blames the current political landscape and cancels the super-hyper-limited UMD version of that. He then sells more signed copies of his old stuff on eBay.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Horizon: Zero Dawn - 5 Points
Man Horizon is an great game. It's an incredible open world game with a really cool bow and arrow (and mechanics/tools to go alongside that) and with robo-dinos. It also has an incredibly story which I did not expect to find myself saying or thinking, but it does. I actually found myself so getting into the lore I became excited to find audio logs and records as I explored. The combat is an awful lot of fun and the game is ridiculously gorgeous (especially the 4K HDR mode). Unfortunately for Horizon another open world game launched at a similar time.

Persona 5 - 5 Points
My second favourite JRPG featuring my second favourite cast of characters for the year. Good lord is this game stylish. It was worth experiencing for the way the game looks and hangs together, but fortunately it's also a real solid Persona game with some neat little twists on combat mechanics. Having the main dungeons be fixed designed dungeons was also a nice feature, and the story was as solid as you'd expect. However, much like Horizon another game came along and impressed me more.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 30 Points
What's left to say about this game really? What an astounding achievement, an open world that very quick opens up and says "Have it, go wherever you want and do what you want". Just prodding and pushing at the world, the enemies, the systems discovering what works or doesn't. The sheer number of times you'd have a "Wait, will this work? Oh shit it does!" moment is just amazing. The devs put a lot of love into this game and it shows. I know some people have issues with how the story was handled, but I actually rather liked it and enjoyed all characters and piecing together what happened 100 years ago from the various memory flashes.

Super Mario Odyssey - 30 Points

YouTube Video

So much damn fun. I completely adore this game and enjoyed it so much I couldn't help by go for 999 moons just to have the excuse to keep playing. Also that song.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - 30 Points
Well this was somewhat unexpected, as much as I was looking forward to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 I did not expect it to end up joining the ranks of Breath of the Wild and Odyssey, and I certainly wasn't expecting it to become my favourite experience. But man, what a game. So yeah, it has some weird designs going on that much is certainly true, but the cast of characters are so well done that I absolutely fell in love with this rag-tag group and found myself feeling a little lost when I finished the game. I so enjoyed spending time with these characters and their adventures. And plus the game is pure Xenoblade class with a fantastic combat system (that has a lot going on, but in a really fun way), the excellent world designs and amazing music. If you've at all enjoyed either of the previous Xenoblade games I strongly urge you to give this a look. Ignore the whacky designs and go with it, you'll be hansomely rewarded for your time.

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Predictions:
- Nintendo will announce at E3 that Metroid Prime 4 is delayed into 2019, but will appease fans by announcing a Metroid Prime trilogy release on Switch coming late 2018.
- Anthem will have at least 6 different editions announced for purchase on release, including a special edition that will be over $300.
- This year the following games will be announced (though not necessarily released) for the Switch: a new Animal Crossing, a new Mario Party, Smash Bros. 5, a new Donkey Kong Country game, a new Zelda game and a new game based on the F-Zero license!

How ya doing, buddy?

Splatoon 2 - 15 points

https://twitter.com/TheRoflfox/statu...29274234339328

Mario Odyssey - 15 points

Odyssey is great, and pretty much everything we could have ever wanted from a game that follows in the footsteps of SM64. Too bad the best part in the game doesn't happen until after you finish the main story and go on top of Peach's Castle.

Sonic Mania - 15 points

So good Sonic Team really should just consider handing the rights to the IP over to Christian Whitehead and co. I'm just looking for more excuses to run around as classic Tails, really. Also

YouTube Video

A Hat In Time - 10 points

Gears for Breakfast did a fantastic job with their little platformer. Unfortunate timing in that it released the same year as Odyssey and probably got overshadowed a bit in that regard, but it's full of charm and has an amazing soundtrack to boot. I cannot recommend this game enough.



Touhou Double Focus - 10 points

YouTube Video

The only Metroidvania game I've enjoyed in a very long time.

Golf Story - 10 Points

I never thought I'd say anything close to "Wow this RPG about Golf is amazing" but here we are. Golf Story is just flat out fun. The multiplayer (offline only, sadly) is pretty damn hype too.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle - 10 Points

Rabbid Peach somehow making me eat my words about hating all Rabbids. Coincidentally, it's the only one that gets any screentime in game because the devs knew it was the only one that was funny.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap - 10 Points

Wonderfully executed remake of an old classic.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King - 5

I might not play Zelda games, but I sure do love games that are basically Zelda games.

2018 Predictions:

The new Yoshi game will come out and I'll lose my mind over it

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Unfortunately, some degree of peer pressure helped me get far to deep into a certain 2016 game pretty early in 2017, and I haven't enjoyed nearly as many new releases as I thought I would. Still, as per tradition, here are my picks for this edition.

Bayonetta - 10 points



To most of you, I'd assume Bayonetta is an established classic. As for me, the 2017 Steam version was the first chance I got to experience what the fuss was all about. Suffice to say I had a blast, and other publishers could learn from the quality of this port.


Endless Space 2 - 20 points



Without being a huge 4x fanatic, I had had a jolly good time with the first Endless Space game as well as Endless Legend. Would Amplitude Studios manage to make the most of Sega's patronage to up their game and deliver a worthy sequel that would reach beyond their niche fanbase? The answer is yes... if you gave them time. Sadly enough, ES2 was rushed out of early access in a questionable state, and it wasn't until around summertime that fixes and patches finally gave it the last bit of polish it needed. Devs have been pumping in adjustments and (free) new content ever since, further adding to what may well be the most gorgeous and immersive 4x game on the market. Even after 212 hours I'm not done with that one by a long shot.


Sonic Mania - 30 points



A miracle. Sonic 3 & Knuckles defined several years of my childhood, and ever since, I'd just assumed the franchise had died with that magnum opus. No, it hasn't - just put it in the right hands, and the magic rises anew. Go fast and turn up the volume: our old friend falk mixed some pretty damn amazing tracks there.


Rain World - 40 points [Game of the Year]



Sit down, relax, and leave your expectations at the door. You've likely heard about some kind of nail-biting hardcore platformer, with action/adventure/metroidvania elements and a cute protagonist. You're thinking Super Meat Boy, Ori and the Blind Forest, etc. While none of this is entirely wrong, the true essence of Rain World lies somewhere else, and forcibly fitting it into existing genres will do little justice to its originality. Let's start over.

There's a good reason why the game is not called Rain Action or Rain Adventure: the world is an essential piece, to the point where the discovery of its vast, diverse regions and hundreds of unique rooms seems like a bigger purpose than - eventually - progressing towards some form of ending. Rain World post-apocalyptic/decayed industrial setting is not only an artistic masterpiece, but also brilliantly designed and structured. The hint system is subtle enough that you'll likely lose yourself for a while before every corner of this non-linear maze starts feeling like home.

What would a world be without its inhabitants? Rain World's intriguing, delightfully alien-looking fauna and flora compose the most alive-looking ecosystem I've yet seen in a game. The complex AI allows these creatures to exist independently of potential interactions with the player, seemingly following their own motivations and purposes, while the procedural animation system makes everything feel incredibly alive.

So where does the player fit within that universe? You're an orphan Slugcat, a small, rather adorable and nimble mammal around the lower end of the food chain. What does a Slugcat do? For the most part, hunt, eat, avoid the jaws of larger predators, and hibernate. With each "cycle" giving you limited time to run around before the deadly rain strikes, finding food and shelter will be your primary concern. But as your curiosity inevitably draws you towards exploring new areas, you'll have to make the best of your agility and crawl into pipes, climb on poles, pounce across gaps and manipulate basic tools. Not only that, but you'll learn about the wide range of possible interactions with other creatures. Friend or foe? Can the hunter become prey? The predator, friend?

Alas(?), such knowledge has a cost. Early hours and subsequent discoveries of new areas/creatures will involve a significant amount of trial and (mostly) error. I cannot overstate how much patience and perseverance Rain World requires, and this might throw off new players. It is very easy to die, sometimes in rather unfair ways - and dying may set you back a significant way. Experience does a lot to mitigate that, but even after dozens of hours it remains possible to get caught off-guard or to trip to your death on a stupid jump. This may not be the game's most pleasant side, and it has earned a fair bit of critism there - to the point where an early patch largely addressed the most frustrating issues, and an easier mode was also implemented in a recent free update.

Without brushing aside these concerns, I would argue that Rain World is unique, deep and intriguing enough to be worthy of your patience and perseverance. They'll be largely rewarded, as soon as you settle into the game's unusual rhythm and allow yourself to learn the ropes, even when that (temporarily) puts your progress on hold. As far as I'm concerned, this has been one of the most original and immersive experiences of my recent gaming years, and you'd be crazy to miss out. Don't let it intimidate you and, insofar as you can help it, don't follow a walkthrough!


2018 Predictions

Borderlands 3 will be postponed to early/late 2019. If it isn't, it will have loot boxes, cancerous microtransactions and/or will suck.

The next Metroid game will be amazing and sweep the next awards clean, but I still won't have kicked my butt to go pick up a Switch and check it out. #sheltered

Star Citizen still won't be eligible for anything other than Best Vaporware.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Thank god for Backloggery, I wouldn't even remember half of what I've played in the past year or so. I've been revisiting a bunch of oldie goldies lately on the ps2 after that time sink after another time sink.

40 pts - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

900 Korok seeds. I don't know my game time here is but I had a huge blast exploring this game. Its the best zelda I've played hands down.

30 pts - Horizon: Zero Dawn

Fantastic plot, character development, mechanics and weapon upgrades. This game took me by surprise and my husband got me this rental in belief that I'd fall in love with it. He was right. I specially liked that the game allows you a variety of play styles that works well.

30 pts - Nier Automata

I had a HUGE HUGE spot in my heart for Nier (Replicant), so I was pretty excited to play the sequel. Not only they improved the battle mechanics, they gave me a complete different game with stylish visuals and a fantastic indepth look of androids and how machines would think of their own mortality. The music isn't up to par with Replicant but I still enjoyed it all the same. I was so mad that this game is short, even despite of 26 endings and 3 plotlines.

Most amazing jew boots

Oh hi. This time I played more than two games from last year! (I played three games from last year.)

40 points - Super Mario Odyssey: This is the new Super Mario 64 I've wanted for ages

35 points - Splatoon 2: This game had the two most hilarious moments in video games: Salmon Run with all random weapons (Nintendo please bring this back) and SQUID FOOTBALL. Also they made rollers actually usable in Tower Control, which is nice.

25 points - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: Best walking simulator of the year, possibly all time. Honestly, I wish this game had less combat.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Here we go, 2017!

Knack 2 - 5 Points



Let's start with Knack 2, which was clearly the best game of 2017. Okay, maybe not, but I do want to give it some credit for being way better than I'd expected considering its very existence is a joke. I haven't played too much of it yet, but I really like its treasure chest mechanic of giving you a choice between the item you found or one that several of your friends got from that chest instead. It offers some decision making in your progression while not punishing missing chests right away.

Never Stop Sneakin' - 5 Points



This is a super fun rogue-like that focuses on being stealthy while moving quickly. Its dialogue is fantastic, and it's such a huge departure from the company's last game, Dust.

Stardew Valley - 5 Points



Look, parenting is hard and it was my first day. I'd give Stardew more than 5 points considering how obsessively I was playing it for a while, but it's only making it onto this list because I played the Switch version that came out in 2017. I'm deducting points for the technicality and because I want to give points to other things. I don't think I need to extol the virtues of farming to anyone here, so I'll just remind you that if you didn't marry Leah you are objectively wrong.

Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy - 10 Points



Speaking of old games, this was certainly a thing. I've always liked Crash 2 and 3, and this was such a good remaster. It even made the first Crash Bandicoot palatable! Releasing the level cut from the original release as free DLC was a really cool touch too. If only time trials weren't such a massive pain in Crash Bandicoot games I would've platinum'd both of those despite how certain streams early on may or may not have had Crash 2 turning me into a broken man.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - 10 Points



This probably deserves more than 10 points, but it does have a decent number of issues. The main character designs are the most glaring problem, especially since they clash with almost every other character in the game. Still, it's Xenoblade with a gorgeous world, a wonderful soundtrack, and a great story with a ridiculous amount of sidequests to be distracted by. Nopons are still the best.

Super Mario Odyssey - 15 Points



Odyssey is such a good game in every way. I was a bit disappointed to find out how few worlds it had, but each world is so huge that it's understandable.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 20 Points



I started out lukewarm on Zelda; mostly because of the stamina meter. Then I left the plateau and dropped everything else I was playing (sorry Horizon). Nintendo completely outdid themselves on this one, and everyone has their own stories about ridiculous/cool things that happened wandering Hyrule aimlessly.

Persona 5 - 30 Points



I'm still fighting the urge to do a NG+ run since finishing this 7 months ago solely because so many other amazing games came out this year and I need to catch up. Persona 5 ranks among my top RPGs ever, let alone 2017, which is even more impressive considering how stupidly high my expectations were after years of delays. Everything about P5 reeks of coolness from the soundtrack and fluid gameplay to the slick as hell menus.


Honorable Mentions:

- Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
- Horizon: Zero Dawn
- Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
- Disney Afternoon Collection
- Flinthook
- Etrian Odyssey V
- Metroid: Samus Returns
- NieR: Automata (I've barely started it, but know I'll love it once I do)

Predictions:

- Kingdom Hearts 3 will be delayed into 2019 and beyond.
- Nintendo Labo will be a ridiculous success with the same shortages as every Nintendo experiment. It'll be followed by dozens of thinkpieces about the dangers of kids breaking Switches while attaching them to the cardboard, and then a dozen more about the rad stuff people are making with 3D printed pieces.
- Square will continue to tell us nothing about the FF VII remake as we all wallow in existential dread over how badly they're probably making a mess of it.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Hello idiots! I only played 4 games from this year I think so here we go!

Super Mario Odyssey - 20 points



BING BING WAHOO!

I liked Odyssey. It's a fun game. And yes eventually it becomes a challenging game. However, I'm not a big fan of how it disrespects the player's time. Having to retry a stage over and over 30 times because of a lack of checkpoints isn't cool. I get it. It's part of the challenge. Get good. Yeah, but this game got me La-Mulana mad several times. Other than that and some control issues at times either b/c some things can only be done with the joy-cons or done well with them coupled with some controller sync issues, it's a very fun game that is a welcome addition to the Switch's growing library.


The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 30 points



I dunno what more I can add to this. While I'm very amused what people are modding into the Wii U version of the game I only played that version for a few hours while I waited for my Master Edition to arrive. This game was a great demonstration of how a big console experience works wonders on the Switch in handheld mode. I spent a great portion just relaxing in bed climbing mountains, dropping rocks on koroks, picking up everything I could, and uncovering everything I could see. The main storyline was simply okay. The game clearly could have used three more Hyrule Castle-sized dungeons. Where the hell were the caves? Shrines are an entirely different thing love them or hate them. The overworld while awe-inspiring at first is kinda empty when you get down to it. I'm really hoping they pull a Majora's Mask and reuse this game engine and assets for an even better game that fixes some of these issues. I could nitpick more but I love this game despite my gripes.


Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together! - 40 points



This is the one fresh multi-player game from 2017 that I really liked. Splatoon 2 just wasn't really my bag. I might go back to it I guess, but oh man there's just something about some dumb couch multi-player games and Snipperclips has a lot to offer in that department. Grab a friend or three if you're lucky and just play a bunch of cute shit where you cut each other up to work toward finishing a task. This game really showcases how good an idea the joy-cons are for multi-player. Honestly a must buy for any Switch owner. Trust me.


PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds - 10 points



BUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUB

That's the sound Skills makes when he pretends to fire a machine gun while leaning outside of a car. I do not claim to be good at many games. This is certainly not one of them. Whatever your skill level there is fun to be had having a great or disastrous time with friends in PUBG. I've gotten many hours of enjoyment watching people here stream it and also the various YouTube channels that compile videos or are particularly good/entertaining while playing the game. It's a game I definitely want to play more of with you guys. <3

Just be wary as the netcode and buggy-ness of the game is also a contender in this battle royal and is out to spoil your chicken dinner.


Poly Bridge - Honorable Mention



2016's Poly Bridge was a blast to watch Skills stream and compete a little bit with him on the first three worlds. TRIANGLES! Just ask CHz for clips. He'll show you.


2018 Predictions

Kirby Star Allies will be game of the year 2018 but also be the game of the year 2018 for worst CGI animation ever.

Nintendo will achieve far more success selling people cardboard than expected and people will get mad about it.

La-Mulana 2 will be released and be the actual GOTY 2018 but you goofs will be too fool to play and vote for it. Here's hoping I'm half wrong on this one.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by FatsDomino

La-Mulana 2 will be released and be the actual GOTY 2018 but you goofs will be too fool to play and vote for it. Here's hoping I'm half wrong on this one.

No, no, we're all playing it, and you included.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I'd like to think I'd play the game that I spent a stupid amount of money to back. I'll need to hound whoever is running that Kickstarter for the one hit kill La-Mulana as well.

How ya doing, buddy?

Like every year I post my list late, but somehow still within time. Magical timezones ok.

I did not play too many releases from last year, but what I did play was good indeed:


Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey - 40 points

YouTube Video

Having played below mentioned Atelier Sophie few months before this one, I was already liking the series quite a bit, but Atelier Firis improved in most ways and was a really enjoyable journey of exploration and throwing random junk in a cauldron to get neat things. All in all the second most enjoyable gaming experience of 2017.


The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - 25 points

YouTube Video

A familiar game for anyone who had played the 1st and 2nd part previously, not changing much, but why change what worked well. This third game wraps up the loose ends from the Sora no Kiseki story and while feeling more linear is still a good addition to the trilogy.


Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book - 15 points

YouTube Video

My introduction to the series and a pretty good game too. Above mentioned Atelier Firis is an upgrade in almost every way, but I really enjoyed the soundtrack for this very much. Lovable characters of whom many are also in the next game, this tickled my weeb bladder good.


Endless Space 2 - 10 points

Everything Amplitude Studios makes is gold and as expected the sequel tastes good as well. So good in fact that I had to uninstall to be able to play other games too. Going to let it rest for a year or so while they release DLCs.


SteamWorld Dig 2 - 5 points

The original SteamWorld Dig was pretty good game that brough back memories of playing Motherload during coding classes in school. The sequel is a solid game of exploring and platforming.


PUBG - 5 points

BOIIII this fucking game. Understandably popular game of picking up stuff for 1-20 minutes to deliver to the next guy who didnt panic during the shootout.
Netcode is kind of shit and spectating mode is broken as fuck. Shouldnt be considered esports ready by any means, but allthemoney I guess.


Honorable mention:

Witcher 3 & DLCs

Because I replayed the entirety of the game with DLCs included. Still better than games of previous or latter years. Most complete game every created. Most enjoyable gaming experience of 2017.
Blood & Wine best DLC of any year.


Prediction:

Star Citizen
Best Damn Space Game Ever continues its slow but steady developement and what is has and keeps adding is already nothing short of revolutionary. The fanbase is amongst the most helpful and mature you'll find in any gaming circles.

Face yelling vaporware is the equivalent of Trump using twitter.



What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by The Plane Is A Tiger

Never Stop Sneakin' - 5 Points



This is a super fun rogue-like that focuses on being stealthy while moving quickly. Its dialogue is fantastic, and it's such a huge departure from the company's last game, Dust.

WTF I didn't know Noogy made a new game!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

To give people a little more time I'm going to extend the Game of the Year voting out by a week. So you now have until 6pm (UK time) on 27th Jan.

(I'm also doing this as something has come up which means I'm going to be out all day tomorrow and won't have time to do the results, sorry).

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Knack 2 - 10 Points



I’m making this entry mostly because Tritoch reminded me I could nominate Knack 2. Best game I ever played? No. But it was great mindless platforming on rails that was way better than it had any reason to be. Plus it was free in Australia for a day, so I didn’t actually pay for it.

Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum Session! - 10 points



The first Taiko Drum Master available in English with a drum set since the PS2 game? Yes, please. Very import friendly, though signing up for a Japanese PSN account and acquiring points to get the DLC was kind of a chore. Worth it to play “Let It Go” and the theme from Zootopia in Japanese.

Steamworld Dig 2 - 10 points



Took everything l loved from the first game and made it better. Branching tunnels, cooler powerups, and a neat story. My only regret is having to rush through it so I didn’t have to rebuy the game when I bought my own Switch.

Mario Odyssey - 20 points



Don’t think I need to elaborate here. We all know why Mario was awesome.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 20 points



Wasn’t sure how I was going to like a completely sandbox Zelda; I’m more a fan of the top down dungeon versions like LttP. This game blew away everyone’s expectations, including my own.

Horizon: Zero Dawn - 30 points



It was hard to pick between this one and Zelda. I started with Horizon, dropped it to spend countless hours in Zelda, then picked Horizon back up to finish the story and get all the collectibles. Sure, it doesn’t have the go-anywhere exploration appeal of Zelda, but it does have a fascinating story and way better combat. I just recently wrapped up the Frozen Wilds DLC, and I probably ended up putting as much time into Horizon as I did Zelda.

Honorable Mentions:
-Xenoblade Chronicles 2: I can’t really put this on the game of the year list. Yes, I’ve sunk 50 hours into it and I’m only in chapter 5, but there are so many little problems that hold this game back. Why do I have to listen to the same voice clips and unskippable animations when I do Merc missions and open crystals? Why isn’t there a more streamlined way to dump unwanted blades? Why is the map so terrible? Why do I have to equip the blades for their skills to open doors/chests/etc instead of just having them in my inventory? Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a lot of fun, but Xenoblade is hamstrung by many poor design choices.

-Metroid: Samus Returns: I meant to include this on the actual list, but now that I’ve allocated points I don’t want to take any away from Knack 2.

-Final Fantasy XII: Man, I need to go back to this. I dumped a lot of hours in before Xenoblade came along.

Predictions:

-Destiny 3 will be announced as a F2P shooter.
-Rabbids and Cappy will be playable characters in Smash Bros 5.
-Skills will continue to hate modern games.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

This is gonna be a limited post because meh but here you go

FFXIV: Stormblood

Look, I just really like FFXIV. The game is a lot of fun, the world is beautiful, and the characters and story are great. Only now i get to be a Red Mage and a lot of the odd cross-class grinding is gone now, so it's even better. Stormblood brought a lot of quality of life improvements (and we're getting even more on Tuesday), and just a whole lot more of this thing i really like. I'd never be able to push it onto the top 10 list, and it being an expansion it probably wouldn't count anyway, so not using my points on it, but don't care.


PUBG

As vanilla as it gets, but it works well. One of the best-designed, least-best-implemented games we've seen in a while. When you can get millions of people to keep coming back to play your buggy game filled with cheaters, you know you've got something special.


Sonic Mania

It's a great Sonic game! Does what it says on the tin, looks great, sounds amazing, and feels like i'm 5.


Golf Story

I got this right at the end of the year. It was too much fun, and i finished it within 3 days. Now i'm sad that there's no turtles left to make friends with.


Horizon Zero Dawn - 15 points

I've still only played half of this game. I played it for a week when i borrowed it from the library. Everything about it makes me want to go borrow it again and finish it, but i want to do so when i have more free time and less homework, so i still haven't done it.


Super Mario Odyssey- 25 points

Puts a silly grin on my face whenever i'm playing it, because it just feels so good. I still haven't watched a speedrun of this game, but i want to because the movement options in it are amazing. A couple of irritating minigames to very little to blunt the joy of running around this game's worlds.


The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 25 points

Ignores the traditional Zelda tropes, still manages to feel completely like a Zelda game. Once you learn not to be attached to your weapons, everything flows from one stumbled discovery into the next. If it looks like a puzzle, it is, and there's a korok there. The dungeons, while fewer in number and shorter, are still a lot of fun to traverse and explore. The people of Hyrule are amazing. The kiddos are adorable.


Persona 5 - 35 points

Just... everything about this game was so good. The people are great, the music never stops being absolutely amazing, and even the dungeon exploration manages to be more fun than in previous games thanks to the stealth mechanics that let you jump on jerks and tear their masks off. i wanna play this again, but at the same time i have so many other things to play....

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

A series of unfortunate events in 2017 prevented me from playing new games, so I only have two entries, related to each other:

PUBG - 10 points

Fun survival game, silly antics, buggy game play, and Skills coining the phrase we all use to this day about the game. BUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBU

Fortnite: Battle Royale - 10 points

Same as PUBG, but more cartoony, more buildy, less serious

I was speaking idiomatically.