The staff had quite the time narrowing down all the stellar titles that came out in 2017. Whether it was Mario’s hat-tossing odyssey, Aloy’s journey into the horizon, Link’s breathtakingly wild adventure, robots discovering their humanity, Senua tackling her demons, aliens taking over a space station, Egyptians starting a Creed, the Bakers welcoming you to their family, or high schoolers becoming phantom thieves, I think we can all agree that games in 2017 were hella great.
We all came together, voted for 3 of our favorite games from 2017, those votes were tallied, and these are the results. Each title is accompanied by a quote or two from a staff member that thoroughly enjoyed that game. So without further ado, the top 10 games of 2017!
10. Life is Strange: Before the Storm
“I loved the original and this prequel does everything right. I could play stories revolving around the students of Blackwell Academy for the rest of my life.” – Ben
“The storyline was not at all disappointing… Getting to know what Chloe went through and finally getting to know Rachael as well felt bitter sweet, because I knew how it was all going to end.” – Steph
9. Nier: Automata
“Simple levels about cutting down hoards of enemies became demented vignettes of religious zealots committing mass suicide, boss battles slowly mutated from giant killer tanks to androids reduced to berserk madness from an obsession with humanity’s dark past, and all the while the main protagonists are forced to question the morality not just of themselves but of the superiors calling the shots.” – Tyler
“Nier: Automata sparked that new game experience for me. An experience I will never forget and made me remember why I love video games.” – Logan
8. Resident Evil 7
“I was very worried about RE7 after the P.T. copycat demo Capcom put out. And I’ve never been happier to be so wrong.” – Ben
“From the moment you step into that creaky, old mansion, the game grabs you by the skull and never lets go. It’s a thrilling, visceral experience that at times made me squeamish but also made me pump my fist whenever I made it through a terrifying ordeal.” – Carlos
7. Prey
“The truly bonkers level of versatility that the level designers got out of something as patently silly as a cannon that shoots large globs of glue. Like the classics that came before it, Prey rewards thinking outside the box and gives plenty of interesting tools in which to act out those radical strategies.” – Tyler
“Almost everything in Prey feels like it was made exactly for me and how I play games. Slowly gathering materials, looking out for mimics, reading logs about what happened, it’s gripping in a way that’s almost indescribable.” – Ben
6. Assassin’s Creed Origins
“What if Breath of the Wild had experience points, perks, and more complex combat and stealth? That’s what ACO is and it feels like one of least talked about AAA games of the year.” – Ben
“I constantly think about how much I want to set everything aside so I can dive into it’s enormous open world. ” – Joel
5. Persona 5
“The amazing soundtrack, the fun and challenging gameplay, and the intense storylines made this the most over the top anime “show” of the year. The freaking stylized menus and after battle transition screens are so damn beautiful. Did I mention the music!?” – Joel
“Persona 5 is the best game of 2017 and one of the best JRPGs I have ever played.” – Carlos
4. Super Mario Odyssey
“Super Mario Odyssey is the game that finally won me over to buying the Nintendo Switch.” – Steph
“The platforming and openness are done just right. Giving you, the player, the ultimate choice on how you want to get the next moon or venture off in a strange land. Mario Odyssey does not know what the word linear means.” – Logan
3. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
“Combine all of this passionate hard work with some amazing audio design, a go-for-broke tour de force performance of the lead by Melina Juergens, and some maddeningly frugal corner cutting in production resulted in an experience that not just could stand head and shoulders with the rest of the entries on this list in pure visuals and tech, but hit a special place in my heart for unusual but inspiring heroic characters.” – Tyler
“Senua’s Sacrifice is a moving and harrowing exploration of mental illness where every inch of the game feels painfully crafted. From the jaw dropping visuals and audio design to the completely engrossing story and the acting that accompanies it, Ninja Theory blurs the definition of what exactly a AA developer is and what caliber of games you can expect from them.” – Caleb
“The more I think about Hellblade, the more I love it. It’s a game that made me realize things about myself in a tangible way and no game has ever gotten close to doing that before.” – Ben
2. Horizon Zero Dawn
“Combining a massive open world, an intriguing story, and some of the most intense battles in recent memory, Horizon Zero Dawn set a new standard for action RPGs. It’s also a technical achievement, somehow managing to steal Uncharted 4’s crown as most-stupidly-gorgeous-game-to-ever-grace-consoles-without-exploding.” – Caleb
“The combat was insanely fun and epic. I had a blast using different strategies to take down different enemies and complete challenges. I got the freaking Platinum Trophy for this game. One of my six Platinum trophies and I enjoyed every minute of it.” – Joel
“Whether you’re someone who likes to set traps and observe from a distance or someone who likes to get up close and personal and swing away with your spear, Horizon rewards you for trying new things and encourages you to explore.” – Carlos
“Almost flawless, Horizon transported me to a world that was filled with character, music, enemies, and story.” – Logan
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
“I often boot up Zelda and just walk. I have never not found something interesting along the way and that speaks volumes for what Nintendo has been able to accomplish with this game. Maybe there’s a chest tucked away by a ridge patrolled by enemies or perhaps there’s a shrine I completely missed. It’s almost therapeutic, traversing this beautiful open world without a care in the world.” – Carlos
“You can go anywhere, do anything, and create your own endless solutions to just about any situation in the game. You can embark on an epic quest to save a princess or not. It’s really up to you and that’s the beauty of Breath of the Wild.” – Caleb
“I was dying left and right just trying to traverse this world. Yet, that is what made it so great. Having the feeling of wanting to do what I can to become stronger. To become better than that giant rock monster that killed me, only to come back for my revenge. It pushed you to get that better armor, to wield a stronger weapon and to reach your goals.” – Logan
“Scaling up large mountains, discovering new landmarks, solving puzzles, accidentally kicking a proverbial hornet’s nest, all of this was done not just to get another collectible doodad or to finish some contrived story mission, but to train and prepare for the game’s bigger challenges.” – Tyler
