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[silva1991]

For Nintendo fans? Sure.

For everyone else? I don’t think so.

Wut

Maybe if you don't like Japanese games outside of Mario and Zelda then I guess you have a point.

Maybe next year is more up your alley with big western games like Red Dead 2, GoW, Spiderman and Detroit

 

[CharminUltra]

It looks like it'll be one of the best years ever for sure. If Odyssey turns out better than Galaxy it'll cement it as better than 2007 personally (which is the last truly great year in my mind.)

 

[DeathbyCheerios]

This year has been weird too me. Lots of games I was super excited about to come out but none have really made me go. "Hell yes need to play this right now"

I also don't think there has been any genre defining games or anything that will have a huge impact on future years. It has been a year with a lot of very solid games (mostly if you are a Japan or Nintendo fan) but I don't see it as one of the GOAT years.

1998, 2004 and 2007 are the GOAT years.

 

[Van Bur3n]

Bloodborne and The Witcher 3 didn't release in 2017.

 

[His Majesty]

don't sleep on the best game of the last few years

 

[Magic Mushroom]

Bloodborne and The Witcher 3 didn't release in 2017.

2015 was an awesome year with arguably higher highs (Bloodborne is the greatest game ever made in my opinion) but 2017 has a staggering amount of good games and isn't slowing down.

 

[Plumpman]

This is incorrect because Monster Hunter World comes out in 2018.

Spoiler

Yeah its an amazing year for games, loving it!

 

[DeathbyCheerios]

don't sleep on the best game of the last few years

I lied above. This game makes me want to buy it asap. I will probably still wait about a month for them to finish their bug fixes and then I will dive right in.

 

[Theslammer]

I've figured it out:

From now on, if the year ends in a 7, it's supposed to be good. See: 1997, 2007, and 2017.

2027 is gonna be bitchin'

 

[Granjinha]

This month alone was fucking insane. Great year all around.

 

[ThisIsMyDogKyle]

Gotta agree, a new IP from both Nintendo and Sony, the return of forgotten franchises like Crash and Metroid, Nintendo in general coming back in force, rethinking of certain genres with UC:TLL and BotW, Divinity 2 nearly perfecting that genre imo, Resident Evil coming back in a great way, Mario Odyssey, while not out yet, looks to be something really special, Nier Automata exceeding expectations in many ways, even had stuff like Hellblade making large strides in the indie scene. Basically, we've had like 5-6 games that I feel could easily win GOTY in your average year. And the year isn't even over yet.

 

[sleazefrenzy]

Between Zelda, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Mario, Metroid and PUBG, I don't think any of my 2016 top 5 would get into my 2017 top 5, and last year was a solid year in itself.

Nintendo first party is on fire but there's been something for everyone this year. I'm still a bit disappointed Mass Effect didn't work out and if Red Dead had made its initial release window this holiday would have been just insane. Regardless, great time to be playing video games and hope it continues.

 

[The Illiterati]

This year is so stacked, Zelda won't even make my top ten. This year I'll be leaving so many good games off it's absurd.

 

[Theslammer]

This year is so stacked, Zelda won't even make my top ten. This year I'll be leaving so many good games off it's absurd.

Oh wow! What would be above Zelda so far?

Don't worry; I'm not about to argue about why it "should" be. =P

 

[KaoteK]

As someone who had lived through, and played every generation, this year has been absolutely fantastic on every level for me. Everything from AAA to indie has had some amazing games representing. It's going to be interesting to see if the end of the year will follow through or not, but I'm really happy with what this year has produced already.

 

[kadotsu]

This year is so stacked, Zelda won't even make my top ten. This year I'll be leaving so many good games off it's absurd.

You know what. I disagree but I can see it, this year.

 

[Gurish]

For Nintendo fans? Sure.

For everyone else? I don’t think so.

I seriously can't tell sometimes if people are trolling or not here on GAF.

 

[Nabbis]

Seems like im already a old man yelling at clouds. I mostly liked Zelda and plan on buying Divinity 2 for the time being. Looking forward to Gran Turismo, Wolfenstein and perhaps Battlefront but it's hardly a GOAT year for me.

 

[FiveSide]

It's undisputed that there has been a flood of fantastic games this year. A few of them are my favorite games of all time, full-stop. Shout-out to NieR, Edith Finch, BotW, Resident Evil VII, Prey, Gravity Rush 2...wow, what a year!

As a year with a legacy moving forward, though, I think there were actually a bunch of important trends that started in 2017:

- The Switch released, bringing Nintendo back into the spotlight after the Wii U's disappointing performance

- NieR almost single-handedly proved that Japanese AA games still have an audience in the West, and can be bankable

- PUBG didn't invent the Battle Royale genre, but it definitely gave it mainstream presence, and you can bet BR will be a mainstay in FPS games for years to come

- Uncharted and Dishonored have seen AAA publishers experimenting with delivering AAA experiences at half the length and half the price, which I'm loving so far

- Hellblade is low-key probably the most important success story of the year, as it's the first real manifesto for indie games with AAA presentation

- Resident Evil 7 has given VR its first killer app, and also ushered in a new direction for one of gaming's most important franchises

- Ditto with BotW, which has brushed away the OoT formula and will probably become the new template for Zelda for years to come

- Metroid was taken off ice and had a well-received, classic-style comeback

- Divinity: Original Sin 2 will probably set the standard for WRPGs for years to come. This is more speculative on my part, but I think it'll definitely be the case

There are definitely more that I'm missing, as well. Great year all around.

 

[Usobuko]

Seems like im already a old man yelling at clouds. I mostly liked Zelda and plan on buying Divinity 2 for the time being. Looking forward to Gran Turismo, Wolfenstein and perhaps Battlefront but it's hardly a GOTY year for me.

But GAF average age is like late 20s to mid 30s.

 

[Bronetta]

Gravity Rush 2
Yakuza 0
Tales of Berseria
Resident Evil 7
Nioh
Nier Automata
Horizon Zero Dawn
Zelda Breath of the Wild
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Splatoon 2
Mario & Rabbids
Persona 5
Prey
Dishonored Death of the Outsider
Uncharted Lost Legacy
Nex Machina
Destiny 2
Metroid Samus Returns
Crash N.Sane Trilogy

Yeah its been a phenomenal year so far. We also have more to come like Wolfenstein 2 and Mario Odyssey.

 

[Euron]

I mean if you list out every release including ports and DLC, of course a year will look packed. We've seen this thread multiple times this year and while I have played through Breath of the Wild since the last thread, my response has not really changed: If you're a Switch owner, then sure it's an all time great by Nintendo standards but for the standards of PS4/Xbox One, it's been lacking.

Granted, I don't have any interest in something like Persona 5 and have no way to play PUBG so that certainly harms my perspective. But overall I don't need huge lists for a great year. 2015 was one of my favorite years ever just because some of my all time favorites released then (Bloodborne, Witcher 3, Rocket League, and Undertale). 2007 was similar and I think it should be unanimously the best ever since most of its great releases are still amazing and playable today.

 

[Kintaro]

It has been a great year thus far.

Honestly, the only issue is that there are TOO many good-great games. =P Seriously. There isn't enough time in the year to play half of them and they sort of blob together. This is just the result of so many developers/publishers are in the marketplace. Probably more than ever before. A lot of people experience a paralysis of choice. It's pretty wild.

It's not a bad problem to have though. =)

 

[mitx]

All this talk makes me excited for the GOTY discussions!! Epic year without a doubt.

 

[Arulan]

don't sleep on the best game of the last few years

I can't stop playing this game, or thinking about it when I'm not.



I also wanted to mention Battle Brothers. It's a fantastic strategic RPG with a combat system I found very rewarding. I played for over ~230 hours earlier this year.

 

[Kintaro]

I can't stop playing this game, or thinking about it when I'm not.



I also wanted to mention Battle Brothers. It's a fantastic strategic RPG with a combat system I found very rewarding. I played for over ~230 hours earlier this year.

Stop. My wallet can only get so empty.

 

[Aaron D.]

Honestly, the only issue is that there are TOO many good-great games. =P Seriously. There isn't enough time in the year to play half of them and they sort of blob together. This is just the result of so many developers/publishers are in the marketplace. Probably more than ever before. A lot of people experience a paralysis of choice. It's pretty wild.

It's not a bad problem to have though. =)

Yeah, I think I mentioned it elsewhere but I painted myself into a corner with Aug./Sept. purchases alone.

Divinity: Original Sin 2, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, West of Loathing, Slime Rancher, No Man's Sky (Atlas Rises Patch-inspired), Stellaris: Synthetic Dawn and more.

I simply have no business purchasing all these time sinks in quick succession.

Like you said, it's not a bad problem to have, but man. There's too many good games out there just demanding my time.

It's just crazy.

 

[Hazu]

For the Switch, it has been the best first year of a new system in video games history. And we'll probably get more announcements for early 2017. What a time to be alive!

 

[Jimrpg]

That list in the OP doesn’t even have one of the secret best 10/10 games in Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception. Such wonderful characters and story. It’s a VN but you should play it anyway you can PS4 or Vita.

 

[juicyb]

It's been a solid year with some noticeable shockers and also slight disappointments.

For me personally, Horizon:ZD and PUBG were incredible and exceeded my expectations massively. On the other hand, games like Nier:A and Persona 5 were slight disappointments (to be expected since Persona 4 is one of my all time faves).

I have a massive, and i mean massive, backlog of games I still need to play however and I know I won't finish them anytime this year.

Nioh, Yakuza 0, Divinity 2, Danganronpa 3, Edith Finch, xcom 2 expansion, etc. I won't know how this year stacks up for me by the end of it, but I can say I'm anticipating a lot of titles I have yet to play more than any other year.

 

[Artdayne]

I can't stop playing this game, or thinking about it when I'm not.



I also wanted to mention Battle Brothers. It's a fantastic strategic RPG with a combat system I found very rewarding. I played for over ~230 hours earlier this year.

Battle Brothers is excellent, Divinity Original Sin 2 is easily my GOTY. I will say, perhaps I need to give Battle Brothers more time but it feels really unfair on harder difficulties, especially with Iron man mode. I might be doing something wrong but on harder difficulty levels it feels like you can get caught off guard into an unwinnable fight way too easily.

 

[Jigorath]

It's shaping up to be the best year of the gen, that's for sure.

For Nintendo fans? Sure.

For everyone else? I don’t think so.

I can't play Yakuza 0 on my Switch yo.

 

[Nabbis]

But GAF average age is like late 20s to mid 30s.

Okay, then im just confused. This year has nothing on 1999, for example. I see multiple titles in that year that people to this day try to emulate. Hell, that's the year where the original Planescape got released.

 

[Dance Inferno]

I mean if you list out every release including ports and DLC, of course a year will look packed. We've seen this thread multiple times this year and while I have played through Breath of the Wild since the last thread, my response has not really changed: If you're a Switch owner, then sure it's an all time great by Nintendo standards but for the standards of PS4/Xbox One, it's been lacking.

This is also how I feel. If you go through any year and list out 20-30 games that came out that year then yeah, that particular year will look packed. I think 2017 is good, but it's not amazing for me as a PC gamer. The only 2017 games I've purchased this year are:

• Mass Effect: Andromeda
• Resident Evil 7
• Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
• Destiny 2
• Wolfenstein II

Honestly 2016 was a better year for me than this year.

 

[Arulan]

Battle Brothers is excellent, Divinity Original Sin 2 is easily my GOTY. I will say, perhaps I need to give Battle Brothers more time but it feels really unfair on harder difficulties, especially with Iron man mode. I might be doing something wrong but on harder difficulty levels it feels like you can get caught off guard into an unwinnable fight way too easily.

I played on Expert - Ironman. My first game I struggled to maintain enough crowns to pay for everything I needed. I was living contract to contract. That game eventually ended due to my own desperation and the tragic loss of who I viewed as the leader of my men - Hans.

I personally think the game should be played on Ironman mode, and I believe the developers mentioned it was designed with that in mind as well. I feel this created a very personal story for me. It is very challenging though, and the most important skill in the game is knowing when to run away from a fight.

My second campaign, with experienced gained, fared much better. I survived three crisis before I decided to stop playing.

 

[The Illiterati]

Oh wow! What would be above Zelda so far?

Don't worry; I'm not about to argue about why it "should" be. =P

You know what. I disagree but I can see it, this year.

I know I'll be in the minority on Zelda so I should clarify that it's probably a 7-8 for me. I just didn't enjoy playing it that much, the fiddly nature of the weapon switching and the crafting really got to me. Ultimately, the games that beat it may be shorter or less of "achievements" but they remain more positive in my memory. While at the end of Zelda I was absolutely sick of it. As of now it would be ninth on my list.

For me, eight games that I personally had more fun and more positive memories of so far:

Divine Divinity: Original Sin 2
Hollow Knight
Trails in the Sky the 3rd
Mario + Rabbids
Persona 5
What Remains of Edith Finch
Thimbleweed Park
Horizon Zero Dawn

Games I have yet to play/come out that have a chance to make my list:
Metroid
Danganronpa 3
Steamworld Dig 2
Golf Story
South Park
Mordor
Evil Within 2
AC Origins
Wolfenstein 2
Mario Odyssey

It seems to me impossible for Zelda to make my list, personally. It just left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[mrmickfran]

For sure.

I have FOUR contenders for GOTY:

Persona 5
Breath of the Wild
Super Mario Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Games I enjoyed alot:

Sonic Mania
NiOh

Games that I haven't played yet but I can see myself loving:

NieR Automata
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Resident Evil 7
Splatoon 2
ARMS

Greatest year of all time. Fuck off, 1998.

 

[Crazyorloco]

I own an xbox one so naturally...I quickly looked at the Xbox list...

Lol

I hope next year is better for Xbox in general. They need exclusives.

The output for Nintendo/Sony systems have been great.

 

[kraspkibble]

It's quite a good year but not anything amazing. We got Zelda, Horizon, Destiny 2, Persona and Nier. Still have South Park and Battlefront to go. I bought the Hellblade game but haven't played it yet. Also, I'm sure Mario will be great but I won't be playing it until I get a Switch again. The rest don't interest me.

 

[Dance Inferno]

For sure.

I have FOUR contenders for GOTY:

Persona 5
Breath of the Wild
Super Mario Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Cool, what's Super Mario Odyssey like?

 

[Fantastical]

Hopefully Xenoblade will be a strong finish for the year. I'm not aware of other Dec games besides Doom.

 

[TheGrantula21]

My personal hot take - 2017 IS the best year ever for video games

 

[g11]

It's been pretty amazing and I haven't even played all the games from the beginning of the year I wanted to yet.

 

[mrmickfran]

Cool, what's Super Mario Odyssey like?

Come on man, really?

I see you're trying to be funny, but I've seen enough footage to know it's going to be one of the all time greats.

 

[mazillion]

2017 is also the year the Age of Empires series got officially revived. I'm pretty stoked about that.

 

[ShdwDrake]

Polygon just gave Ys 8 a 9.5 so I might check that out.

 

[nelo_inc]

Great year so far, i'm so glad because videogames are one the most important things for me , so seeing a year full of great games is awesome.

And the year still have some great titles and hardware to be released!

 

[kitzkozan]

My personal hot take - 2017 IS the best year ever for video games

I agree, I think this year will easily to become regarded as one of the very best and for me it's my favorite. There's just so much content out there, which make sense given that it incorporate japanese + western + indies developers. It's not just the super high end games like Zelda or Mario or Original Sin 2, but the overall output in so many different genre. I'm talking about fighting games, VR stuff, open world, racing, shooters and multiplayer, indies, etc.

Add to that the numerous remasters and remakes and we are swimming in quality games. There's also some DLC which is so good that it radically improve the core experience like Xcom 2.

 

[Spieler Eins]

Bloodborne and The Witcher 3 didn't release in 2017.

BB is still the GotG, but Yakuza 0 is now the next best thing.

 

[weekev]

As a Nintendo fan....yes I can't remember a year as good as this one. It's had everything. With Golf Story tomorrow, Mario Odyssey and Rocket League portable edition still to come alongside Xenoblade 2, LA Noire and portable Doom, Switch has been ridiculous in terms of quality.