This year was one of the biggest years in gaming! Not only did Nintendo Kill it with the Nintendo Switch by making a system that avoids most, but not all, flaws of modern gaming systems, there where a ton of good games that where released this year. However, this year was not perfect as there some bad games as well as major disappointing games of this year. These are the Top 5s of this year. This is more of a personal list of the games that I have played this year with no real easy target as shovelwere is excluded. However, Inde-games are now included as they are reaching a major boom within the industry. With that in mind...
5th Best -- Mario Rabbits
This is the most surprising game of this year that was tacitly made like Super Mario RPG but with X-Com instead of Final Fantasy. Dispute having only 4 worlds, each world has 9 acts making this a decently long game. This is lower on the list since Ubi decided to add a season pass for this game since Wall Street expects gaming to make big bucks instead of making a good game, which is very sad but true. However, if anyone wants to get into a good tactics game with the least random numbers within the gameplay with a new twist, have a go at one of the most interesting cross-overs of this year.
4th Best -- Yakuza 0
This is the best Yakuza yet as not only you get the backstory of Yadama, but the most developed character within the series Majima Goro, A down-on-his-luck showtime manager who was shamed after talking back upon his boss and is order to assassinate a massage therapist who own property in land the Yakuza wants. Together with these two characters, they fight off the Yakuza with one of the franchise best mechanics as well as fun mini-games on the side that defines the cheesy action within Yakuza while being the best yet.
3rd Best -- Sonic Mania
What happens when you get the team that helped develop the actual good ports of Sonic games for mobile system and make them the head to develop a game influenced by Sonic 3 and Knuckles with Music from Sonic CD? This game that ended up as one of the best sonic games of all time thanks to all the love that was put within the game. Just as long as Sonic 3 and Knuckles, with unlocks as Blue Sphere unlocks bonus content as well as the true final boss as past sonic games. This is best for mods on PC and Portable on The Nintendo Switch as you can enjoy this game anywhere, anytime.
2nt Best -- A Hat in Time
To help wash the disappointment of Yooka-Layle, I decided to buy A Hat in Time, one of the best inde-games of this year. While I was tempted to play Cup Head, I completed A Hat in Time within a few weeks feeling satisfied unlike game like Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey which felt like completing those games felt pointless. However, A Hat in Time had so much polish they it felt better than the two predecessors Mario Sunshine or Windwaker but as much camp as the Paper Mario series. This is one inde darling that really needs love as it like a sweet dessert or appetizer before the main coarse of this year.
1st Best -- Mario Odyssey
I was tempted not to put this on the list as completing the game isn't really worth it, personally needed to keep this list somewhat free from Nintendo products to be bias on the best year Nintendo had in some time, but when one realized that it's been a generation without a good Mario game, the true open freedom that means something as there are TONS of moons within the game that is somewhat satisfying when it's intentional or not, and it's the best game to get if getting the Nintendo Switch for Christmas for good little boys and girls! Coins have meaning as they adopted the Shovel Knight money system as coins can be used for so many things from health boost to cosmetics that Mario can wear. while it's below Mario Galaxy in aspects, one can go on about how this is one of the cleanest Mario game yet.
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While these games are the best games that I have played in some time, there are some terrible games that should be avoided. These games are bad either they have major flaws that cannot be over-looked. The one that offends players, make them angry, sad, laugh at the game out of irony instead of humor, and makes players sick to the stomach levels of bad. These are the worst games of 2017:
Worst 5 -- Double Dragon 4
While there was already Super Double Dragon and the much loved Double Dragon Neon, ARK Systems decided to try to cash-on on the licence because of the success of River City Ransom: Underground. This game is the lazy as the levels are barren and empty more than Fallout with the same enemy type sprinkled here and there. There was no focus as the game has terrible direction of story, design, narrative, and even to it's completion. What a mess!
Worst 4 -- Sonic Forces
This is going to be a hot-topic, but this game everyone knew will be bashed on by the sonic critics. While there was some that will defend this game out of the campy nature of it and the Sonic Hero character creator, this game could not live up to it's hype. While some blame Sonic Mania as the reason it fail, it failed because it had the same level designer from Sonic Lost World with two new people. It's yet another Sonic game that failed because of the similar problems: bad level design, bad controls where you die on some sections from when you moved or not, bad writhing and dialog, and a incompetent villain that is infinite...And they reuse the same final boss from colors.
Worst 3 -- Mass Effect: Andromeda
Just when you think Ubi-soft can have the glitchiest face-rig since Assassin's Creed's funny and creepy glitches, EA steps in to creepy-pasta levels as this game had the craziest faces. Past this, they also have the worst lines, bare-bone, mediocre combat, emptiness by barren landscapes, and while this game generated so many funny memes, this game was more than a disappointing game by Bio-ware. This game was terribly rushed by EA as they had a deadline that Bio-ware faced, so there was no way they could have made the game as they hoped.
Worst 2 -- 1-2-Switch
What was meant to be a tech-demo for the Nintendo Switch proves that Nintendo has a hard time letting go of their past innovations of the Wii and Wii U. This game could have been included with the Nintendo Switch and maybe it would be forgivable, but it's a separate game with half-baked mini-games. However, this game is at full price for Around 60 USD or 70 Canadian dollars, skip this game at all cost, as this game feels like a con from the other great Switch games that are out there for players to enjoy.
Worst 1 -- Star Wars: Battlefront II
This game proves that Ea is the WORST company of this year. Star Wars Battlefront II shows how low a company can be willing to go with micro-transactions to sell power to younger players, causing them to be addicted to a form of gambling. The game is a slow-grind to force pay-to-win as major pay-walls treats their customers as whales and makes the game unfair and those who buy those feel dirty. Back then, transactions usually get away with this because most are cosmetics like those in Free-to-play or earned by leveling like within games like Over-Watch. While this game did disable this system after everyone calling them out including Disney, who owns the right to the franchise. This occurrence can happen again, as EA could pull this back up on any other day. But even without the micro-transactions, this game is nothing but a generic, boring shovel-ware like game that dose nothing to the franchise. No wonder Disney threats to take the licence away from EA...
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Now after the list of good and terrible games, these are the "M'eh" Games that could have been good but ended up failing impressing players either by being bland by having a bad execution in music, level design, while under good ideas, ambitions, and shows the will of most developers. These are the most disappointing games of 2017:
Disappointment #5 -- Yooka-Laylee
This game personally backed by yours truly, while I did have fun with the game, it was one of the first disappointing games of this year. For one, this game's world was huge just to have nothing in them. Completing this game was a head-ache as everything is scattered instead of leading like past rare games. If suffers the same issues as Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo-Tooie where collecting is a chore instead of a bread-crumb reward. Thankfully, Playtonic is working on these error as they port the game on the Nintendo Switch as well as becoming g a secant arty with Nintendo once again. Hopefully, the devs learn that they need to finish first instead of just finishing to a mediocre level, as agreed with Stop Skeleton from Fighting's review.
Disappointment #4 -- Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
While this game is fun for the hardcore fans, this felt sabotaged from day one as the roister is not as good as the past games. Part of this is the fight between Sony and Disney as both companies fight for the wrights to the point that Disney is thinking of buying out and consuming Sony. While there is finally a story mode for this franchise, the writing for it is not the best as other fighters like BlazBlue and Guilty Gear not did it best, but helped define that idea for fighters. While some fans can forgive this, others are more likely to go to games like Injustice 2 that dose it better., which is highly recommended.
Disappointment #3 -- Agents of Mayhem
Just as disappointing as Gat Out of Hell, this game could have been good if the game wasn't as repetitive and unpolished as it came out. There was some interesting ideas like having animation of a Saturday Morning cartoon, having verity of different characters , and they even have risky advertisements as they posted a clip on a porn site of all things. However, all this can only take a company so far as after the launch, many devs where laid off to cut cost of lost from their past failings. Ones would hope that these devs actually find jobs within the industry.
Disappointment #2 -- Arms
While Splatoon was one of the biggest ideas finally realized on the Nintendo Switch, Arms is a game that no one really bought into because many found it lacking and over-shadowed. While there is new content coming to the game, the results is that Arms is one of the most disappointing Switch games. One of the big factors is that while it had good modes, bad ones often caused problems such as volleyball and team battles that players didn't like at all. Maybe if Nintendo cut the fat in the sequel or maybe in the next update, the game could have been a knock-out. Personally, wait for a sale.
Disappointment #1 -- Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
While Shadows of Mordor did not age well, it was a good game at the time. While most players can avoid paying for the loot-crates within the game, it shouldn't be in the game within the first place. The loot-crates caused this game to be a heavy drag, as grinding is the worst thing in gaming, as it tempts the players into buying micro-transactions which only benefits high-level players. From equipment to even the oorks can be bought from these DLCs. This is sad as the game is fun considering the major problems that was put in because of the current affairs that is micro-transactions in current games and it will be a future problem, as countries are taking action against this. This might actually be the final game for Middle-Earth as well, as it has a fitting conclusion as if Wanner Brothers knew it couldn't carry the series any further without messing with the cannon as the game dose. One can only hope a game developer takes the idea of the Nemesis system and runs well with it.
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Well, this was such a year. A year of gaming that often comes after a few and far between. As this year is coming to a close, a new one comes and things occur for both for the best and for the worst. This year was great for gaming, so ones would hope that things would get even better as new games come out. There's even games like Okami HD that's coming out in the month of December for everyone to enjoy.To everyone one and all, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
