• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

2017 Is Going Down As One Of The GOAT Years In Gaming

H

HotHamBoy

Member
We had the launch of Switch with what is probably the best console launch year since the PS2 in terms of software. It's also a big step forward for Nintendo as it seems to have washed the disapointment of the Wii U aside. In fact, internal memory aside, the hardware feels both modern and innovative. The former is something we haven't seen from Nintendo in awhile.

2017 also sees the launch of the SNES Classic Mini and the 2DS XL.

The Xbox One X releases as the "world's most powerful console"

Notable Releases:
This isn't an attempt at listing *every* good-to-great game this year as there are many, it's subjective and my own knowledge doesn't run that deep. Please do share your picks for great games that may slip under the radar!

Exclusives: (see further down for Notable Ports)

Switch
Zelda: BotW (also on Wii U)
Super Bomberman R
Snipperclips
Fast RMX
Ultra Street Fighter II
ARMS
Splatoon 2
Mario x Rabbids
Golf Story
Mario Odyssey
Runner 3
Fire Emblem Warriors
Xenoblade Chronicles 2

3DS
Story of Seaaons: Trio of Towns
Mario Sports Superstars
Miitopia
Fire Emblem Echoes
Metroid 2 Samus Returns
Monster Hunter Stories
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon
Bye-Bye BoxBoy
Culdcept: Revolt

PS4
Gravity Rush 2
Yakuza O
Nioh
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Persona 5 (also on PS3)
Farpoint (VR)
Uncharted: Lost Legacy
Crash N Sane Trilogy
Everybody's Golf
Gran Tourismo Sport

Vita
Mary Skelter: Nightmares
While Vita saw a surprising number of releases this year I think they were mostly all multiplats with PS4 and/or PC

Xbox One
I don't own an XB1 but it seems that all of its notable console exclusives release on PC so I've listed them under Multiplatform.

PC
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Endless Space 2
Total War: Warhammer 2
Lone Echo (VR)
Echo Arena (VR)
Starcraft Remastered
The End is Nigh
Hollow Knight
(I'm primarily a console gamer so I'm pretty ignorant here, sorry guys!)

Mobile (iOS and/or Android)
Monument Valley 2
Card Thief
Ticket to Earth
MUL.MASH.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL
Yankai's Peak

Multiplatform:
Resident Evil 7
Neir: Automata
Destiny 2
Sonic Mania
Thimbleweed Park
Tekken 7
Injustice 2
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite
Yooka-Laylee
Halo Wars 2
Torment: Tides of Numenera
Ys VIII
Danganronpa 3
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
Prey
What Remains of Edith Finch
Little Nightmares
Pyre
Pro Evo Soccer 2018
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Assassin's Creed Origins
Battlefront II
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Middle Earth: Shadow of War
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Forza Motoraport 7
The Evil Within 2
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games
Nex Machina
Wonderboy: The Dragon's Trap
Toukiden 2
Pinball FX 3 (aka Zen Pinball)
The Elder Scrolls Legends
Steamworld Dig 2
Cuphead
Ni No Kuni II
Crackdown III
Call of Duty WW2
Need For Speed Payback
Sonic Forces
Dragon quest Heroes II
Battlechasers: Nightwar
Nidhogg 2
Absolver
Life is Strange: Before the Storm
Project Cars 2
Tooth and Tail
Puyo Puyo Tetris
F1 2017
Everspace
Little Nightmares
Orcs Must Die! Unchained
The Sexy Brutale
Faeria
Night In The Woods
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3

Notable Expansions:
Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator 2
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood
Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City
Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer
Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind
Darkest Dungeon: The Crimson Court
Cities: Skylines Mass Transit
Shovel Knight: Spector of Torment

Notable Ports:

Bayonetta (PC)
Vanquish (PC)
Stardew Valley (Switch)
Binding of Isaac Afterbirth Plus (Switch)
Disgaea 5 Complete (Switch)
Rocket League (Switch)
Dragon Quest VIII (3DS)
Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World (3DS)
Final Fantasy XII HD: The Zodiac Age (PS4)
Final Fantasy IX (PS4)
Doom (Switch)
Doom VFR (PSVR, Vive)
Fallout 4 VR (Vive)
Skyrim (Switch)
Mario Kart 8 DX (Switch)
Undertale (PS4/Vita)
Atelier Shallie Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea (Vita)
Darkest Dungeon (iPad)
Planescape: Torment (iOS/Android)
Pillars of Eternity (PS4/XB1)
Windjammers (PS4) (I'm serious!)
Wipeout Omega Collection (PS4)
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD Remix (PS4)
Rez Infinite (PC)


There's so much stuff this year I know I've overlooked and forgotten games so feel free to add more.

What are your favorites? Do you think this year will be remembered as fondly as other big years such as 1997 and 2001?
 
K

Krosia

Member
I don't believe it will have such a massive impact on the industry for years to come like 2007 did, but this year sure has plenty of games for everyone to enjoy.
 
Z

Zalman

Member
The past two years or so haven't been my cup of tea, but 2017 has turned out to be my favorite gaming year ever. Breath of the Wild, Persona 5, Yakuza 0, Splatoon 2, ARMS, Sonic Mania, Samus Returns, Crash Trilogy... There's always something to play, and the year isn't even done yet.
 
K

Kyonashi

Member
We definitely get this thread every year, but to be honest with Mario, Zelda, Persona, & NieR I'm inclined to agree in 2017.
 
H

HotHamBoy

Member
Krosia said:
I don't believe it will have such a massive impact on the industry for years to come like 2007 did, but this year sure has plenty of games for everyone to enjoy.
Click to expand...

The Switch alone is enough. Nintendo made a comeback, proved a hybrid could be successful and released one of the best line-ups of software in any console's launch year.
 
B

BY2K

Membero Americo
Ridesh said:
For Nintendo fans? Sure.

For everyone else? I don't think so.
Click to expand...

Really?

Persona 5, Ni-Oh, Horizon, Hellblade, Yakuza, Uncharted, Resident Evil 7, etc etc.

THere's been stuff for everyone and it's not even close to over.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
Ridesh said:
For Nintendo fans? Sure.

For everyone else? I don't think so.
Click to expand...

If you just own a PS4, you got Uncharted: Lost Legacy, NieR (non broken edition lol), Resident Evil 7VR, Horizon, Ni-Oh, Persona 5, Yakuza, Crash InSane Collection, plus tons of great multiplatform stuff.

No need for a Nintendo platform.
 
T

The ๖ۜBronx

Member
Yeh, it really is. Some people will roll their eyes at suggesting any year that's current being hailed among the GOAT years but 2017 has genuinely been spectacular. 2018 could suck and I wouldn't mind because there's so many games I won't have time to play this year.
 
H

Human Trashcan

Banned
Not to me. AAA is more generic than ever, and my favorite release (Prey) bombed. Everything is open world fluff but people love it I guess.
 
Hexa

Hexa

Member
Yup. I think this'll be the peak year this generation, and though I'd love to be wrong, I don't see any great beating this before the next wave of consoles comes out.
Also, you have Little Nightmares listed twice OP.
 
H

HeisenbergWW62

Banned
Ridesh said:
For Nintendo fans? Sure.

For everyone else? I don’t think so.
Click to expand...
As a PS4 and Switch owner, I've had tons of stuff to play on my PS4 and the only Nintendo game that's appealed to me has been Zelda

Golf Story, Mario Odyssey, and Xenoblade are all hype tho. What a year
 
T

Theslammer

Member
Ridesh said:
For Nintendo fans? Sure.

For everyone else? I don’t think so.
Click to expand...

tenor.gif
 
G

GrinWithoutaKat

Neo Member
Lately I keep seeing people claim things are among the best ever and just don't seem to get it. I do not get the fuss over the Switch at all. Not even in the slightest. I see a brilliant Zelda game that I could also get on Wii U, and Mario should be great but it's not here yet. PS4 has had a pretty good year, but how many games from this year will we look back on and say it was one of the very best from the generation?

Years like 2013, 2007 and 2001 really stand out in my head far more than 2017.
 
Yui's Empire

Yui's Empire

Member
Triple-As aside, since they were already largely mentioned, there were plenty of quality indie releases (or smaller games anyway) this year as well. Redout (technically debuted on PC last year but got the consoles recently), GRIDD: Retroenhanced, Black The Fall, RiME (such a shame it was forgotten between Denuvo and framerate issues), the Wonder Boy remake, Outlast II, Aaero, we got a new FlatOut, a new Shantae... not to mention massive updates to Minecraft (crossplay!), Rocket League (crossplay!) and the whole PUGB phenomenon. Crazy year.
 
P

PsihoPerihelion

Member
If Wolfenstein 2 is as good as it sounds, then it's gonna be one of the best years ever.

Xbox One
I don't own an XB1 but it seems that all of its notable console exclusives release on PC so I've listed them under Multiplatform.
Click to expand...

Uuuuh this is gonna get some jimmies rustled.
 
K

Krosia

Member
HotHamBoy said:
The Switch alone is enough. Nintendo made a comeback, proved a hybrid could be successful and released one of the best line-ups of software in any console's launch year.
Click to expand...

All of that breaks away if you don't care for Nintendo or the Switch. Outside of the Nintendo-sphere this is irrelevant. But yes, of course, it's an important part of the big picture.
 
W

wild wild rice

Member
Whew, GAF didn't waste any time turning this into a console wars thread.

Yes, it's been a stellar year. I don't think there are or will be that many 10/10 classics by the end of the year, but the amount of non-stop 8s and 9s, aka very good games, is pretty out of control.
 
T

Theslammer

Member
Fireblend said:
I counted less than 10 open world games in the OPs list. Maybe skipped a couple but that is one long list.
Click to expand...

I don't even get the opposition to it.

1994: Bah, big releases are generic. So many platformers and everything's a side-scroller.
2002: Bah, big releases are generic. So many third-person action games.
2010: I hate Kinect and Move.
2017: Bah, big releases are generic. So many open-world games.
 
B

BTA

Member
Only skimmed so far but you're missing Collar x Malice as a Vita exclusive and Chaos;Child as Vita/PS4.

This year's wild though.

EDIT: Also Heat Signature on PC and surely a ton of good indies I can't think of right now.
 
U

Uno Venova

Banned
Yes it is, playing Yakuza 0 right now and loving it. Still haven't played LL, and Odyssey isn't even here yet to solidify this year as one of the greatest ever.
 
D

Dark Cloud

Member
GrinWithoutaKat said:
Lately I keep seeing people claim things are among the best ever and just don't seem to get it. I do not get the fuss over the Switch at all. Not even in the slightest. I see a brilliant Zelda game that I could also get on Wii U, and Mario should be great but it's not here yet. PS4 has had a pretty good year, but how many games from this year will we look back on and say it was one of the very best from the generation?

Years like 2013, 2007 and 2001 really stand out in my head far more than 2017.
Click to expand...

Not sure how Zelda being on Wii U discredits Zelda from 2017...😂
 
C

Carbonox

Member
As a PS4 owner the first half of the year was the best.

Resident Evil 7
Horizon
Nioh
Nier Automata
Persona 5
Crash Bandicoot Collection

Such a great run of releases in a short space of time.
 
G

GLAMr

Member
This year has been stellar, and 2018 is no slouch (Ni No Kini, Spider-Man, Crackdown 3 to name a few).

Will any year ever top 1998 though? Fite me.
 
Z

Zia

Member
Yeah, it's the best.

The greatest game of all-time in Breath of the Wild was released, the Switch is my favorite console since the Dreamcast, we had a new Supergiant game in Pyre, What Remains of Edith Finch pushed the "walking simulator" forward, two of my all-time favorite games in Rez Infinite and Okami HD are or will be ported to PC (just need We Love Katamari / Damacy and I'll be set for life), Playerunknown's Battlegrounds is colossal, Super Mario Odyssey looks to be an all-time great Mario game and Platinum developed a Nier game, pulled it off, and apparently it saved the studio.

I just assume people who don't think this year's the tits have really narrow taste or are stuck on only either PS4 or XB1. We only get a game like BotW once a decade, so I'd give this year a nod simply because of that.
 
A

AndersK

Member
Golden age of gaming brehs. I've playing some of the greatest entries in almost every genre i care about. CRPG, JRPG, 3rd person action, 1st person, narrative walkers, sandbox etc etc.

And i'm still holding out on the Switch. SOON
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Poll
A look at the history of Sony PS exclusives coming to PC vs. PS5 Published + What do you think will be the next Sony Exclusive to be announced for PC?
Poll 2
89
5K
TrebleShot replied
UK Boxed Charts: Week 12, 2024 (Mar 17 - Mar 23)
Sales-Age
14
865
kazuyamishima replied
UK Boxed Charts: Week 11, 2024 (Mar 10 - Mar 16)
Sales-Age
0
314
Thick Thighs Save Lives replied
UK Boxed Charts: Week 14, 2024 (Mar 31 - Apr 6)
Sales-Age
16
906
Ozriel replied
UK Boxed Charts: Week 10, 2024 (Mar 03 - Mar 09)
Sales-Age
0
456
Thick Thighs Save Lives replied
Top Bottom