It’s about the time of the year when one would start considering contenders for their game of the year selections. Many strong titles have released already, there’s a few right around the corner, and the big release season is about to kick off and continue pretty much until the end of November. A good chunk of the games that might be considered are already out and being thoroughly digested already.
…And then there’s me, still not writing up his picks for 2017. Go figure.
I said a couple of months back that I was going to do an abridged version of the remaining Delfies, and I genuinely did attempt to do so. Only issue is that, in true Delf fashion, it took me no time at all to continue rambling until the abridged versions… weren’t so abridged. When there was always something more to say, I wanted to make sure I was saying as much of it as possible, and as I got closer to #1 it only got more unwieldy.
Now, it’s August. I should have had this up in January. At this point, it’s nothing but a mental thorn in my side that’s serving as a writing block that keeps me from wanting to put to paper any other topics on video games and utilising this blog as intended. I’m going to fix that here and now, and get the Delfies out of the way so it no longer weighs me down.
So: a single paragraph! That’s what each of the remaining seven games is getting, no more and no less. You know where to find me if you want to hear more in-depth thoughts on each of the games, and no doubt I’ll have plenty to say about them in future discussions. For now though… let’s just get this over with at long last, shall we?
#10: Prey (PC)
#9: Metroid – Samus Returns (3DS)
#8: Final Fantasy 14 – Stormblood (PC)
#7: Battle Chef Brigade (Switch)
The game I was least expecting to end up on my list, Battle Chef Brigade ended up being far more charming and entertaining than I could have expected. It blends beating up enemies in a 2D platformer environment to gather their parts, whereupon you take the parts and ingredients you find back to cook in a match-3 puzzle game akin to Iron Chef or Food Wars. Lots of variety, some really good systems, a lovely little story with a likeable and memorable cast of characters. By the end of the game, the only thing I wanted was more of it, despite how hefty it was. Super fun.
#6: The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild (Wii U)
Few other games have given me the sheer sense of freedom to explore and discover that Breath of the Wild did. The story and quests were somewhat limited and plain, but they all just served as window dressing to going out into Hyrule and visiting whatever looked interesting. At times you wouldn’t find much in the way of rewards or upgrades since you had everything you needed from the outset, but I always managed to find a wealth of stories and anecdotes. There’s a lot of interesting systems here, and I greatly look forward to Nintendo refining some of the ideas here to make something truly brilliant. Until then, this is about as free as a romp through Hyrule can get.
#5: Horizon – Zero Dawn (PS4)
If Zelda approached an open world game with a new sense of freedom in mind, Horizon approached the more traditional open world systems and simply improved and polished them. An awesome story that sees you roam around in a post-apocalyptic world that is incredibly lush and vivid, yet filled with robotic megafauna to hunt. Combat is intense and full of options, with each individual robot part featuring some means of interaction allowing more precise assaults than simple brute force. Certainly not without issues, but the overall game of Horizon was one of the most solid and enjoyable open world games I’ve ever played.
And yes, I did enjoy it more than Breath of the Wild. Both have their strengths, but those of Horizon suited me more, particularly in the narrative department. To each their own.
#4: Pyre (PC)
Supergiant Games are three for three in my book. Pyre is the most word-filled and character focused game that the Bastion developers have delivered, but it in no way falters in this new ground. It’s something of a visual novel or adventure game that pulls away to reveal an action RPG system playing out more like a sports game than anything. As strange as it sounds, it nonetheless is a fun and engaging time with a huge array of variety and means to approach it. The art is as characteristically gorgeous, and Darren Korb’s soundtrack is as much a highlight of purchase as the entire game is. This was a story, world, and set of characters that I adored beyond all expectations, and the game has stuck with me ever since. Can’t recommend it enough.
Just so we’re clear, Sandra the Blind Sassy Ghost is Best Waifu and I will fight anyone who says otherwise.
#3: Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
After a string of serviceable but uninspired Mario titles on the Wii and Wii U post-Galaxy, Nintendo has finally hit back with an insanely well made game. Mario Odyssey is an absolute joy to play. The movement and controls are incredibly fluid and give you so much room to make Mario zip through the variety of diverse stages. And what stages! The level design on display is absolutely incredible, with a multitude of hidden Power Moons to discover that rewards exploration and clever use of Mario’s abilities. Said abilities are diverse, with many stages having enemies that you can capture to take on their forms, but rarely leaning on a single gimmick for so long that it becomes stale. Granted, there are times when the Moons feel a little too unrewarding, and not all stages are as brilliant as New Donk City for example… but from beginning to end, I just had a huge grin on my face. What a game.
#2: NieR: Automata (PS4)
“More than the sum of its parts” is the only way I’ve ever summarily described NieR Automata. The combat is enjoyable but relatively simple for a Platinum game, and the RPG aspects make it easy to break. The story can be hard to fully grasp and bounces from point to point at a rapid pace. Calling first couple of endings “endings” instead of acts or chapters likely turned a lot of people off pushing through to the actual conclusion. NieR Automata is… a collection of workable and solid systems that somehow combined into what may be one of my favourite games ever, let alone the year of 2017. It certainly stuck with me for so long and kept me replaying scenes in my mind, remembering key set pieces and some of the interesting questions it asked. It’s a non-stop ride, presenting some crazy dark situation and presenting the player a philosophical question, but then bouncing off to the next before there’s time to answer rather than just pushing it and resting on its laurels. The highest points and most vivid set pieces of entire games would compare to the events happening in NieR pretty much every hour of playtime.
It’s really just a brilliant little masterpiece of interwoven gameplay systems as well as some unashamedly bleak and forward writing, with characters that I truly was invested in and felt for by the end. Definitely worth playing.
#1: Persona 5 (PS4)
Raise your hand if you thought this was a surprise from me. Well, if your hand is raised, you probably didn’t know me as well as you thought. That said, this is not simply a case of genre and series loyalty, as Persona 5 does absolutely everything to earn its number one spot here. Visually, the game just oozes style in every possible way, presenting one of the most striking experiences ever. The music is great, the voice acting is solid… but for all the excelling dressing, the gameplay and story are what truly matter, and they are absolutely top notch here. Some of the most strategic and interesting turn-based JRPG combat is on display here, but it’s engaging enough that it pulls in those who would otherwise be turned away from that alone. The characters (major and minor alike) are interesting and well-realised, even if some were inevitably less so than others. But the story was a gripping tale that, despite the very Japanese and anime presentation, touches on some very dark and personal themes that fully drew me in.
There were times while playing that I was wondering how much more of the game remained… but eventually, I realised that I stopped wanting an answer to that, simply because I didn’t want the game to end. I don’t recall the last time that has ever happened to me, and it stood out. Persona 5 was my Game of the Year of 2017, no question.
There. Done. Finally.
There are very good odds that I won’t be doing something like this for next year, as the scheduling of such a grandiose set of articles in quick succession really doesn’t mesh well with my tendency to ramble. Still, there have been plenty of good games in 2018, and plenty more from earlier that I have yet to discuss, so let’s just write about those and see where we go from there.
Apologies for the long wait, but hopefully I made some points that people enjoyed reading. I’m gonna go hunt some monsters now.
Delfeir vs. the Backlog 