As we move forward into 2018, I'd like to take a few moments and look back at my top 3 games of 2017. These 3 games are ones that particularly stood out to me as some of the best that 2017 had to offer, and are in no particular order. As a result, I won't be revealing my personal Game of the Year until Episode 4 of the Beautiful Boycast. But before I get into it however, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this. It's hard to believe that in the final months of 2017 that I'd begin a podcast with three of my best friends and that we'd start an associated blog for it. As 2018 continues, look forward to much more exciting content from us! Well, let's get to my top three games of 2017!
1. The Evil Within 2
As the sequel to 2014's The Evil Within, a game that I thoroughly enjoyed, I was extremely excited to see this announced at E3 2017. Upon release, Tango Gameworks impressed me with the major step up from the original that this game truly is. This sequel takes the formula of the first game and dials it out into an open world environment to great degree, reminiscent of what you'd expect to find in Silent Hill.
In my almost 30 hour playthrough, I spent a good chunk of that time scavenging the large environments and tackling the various side missions in the hopes of finding some ammo or precious green gel to upgrade my abilities. While the emphasis of the game is on survival, you may find yourself wanting to crank the difficulty a bit higher, as resources are quite plentiful on the normal difficulty setting and the game is much more forgiving than it's predecessor.
One criticism that I (and many others) leveled against the first game was that the story felt a bit disjointed. Tango listened well and delivered a more nuanced, and personal story about main protaganist Sebastian Castellanos' search for his presumed dead daughter Lily. I won't spoil anything here, but the conclusion to this story was one that I genuinely liked.
The Evil Within 2 is a rare game, in which it's a sequel that surpasses the original. I found myself overjoyed at how this game turned out. Should Tango Gameworks return and do an Evil Within 3, I'll gladly buy it day one. Because this is one horror franchise that deserves your attention.
2. Persona 5
In what was one of my most anticipated games of 2017, we have Persona 5. A JRPG with an overwhelming sense of style and depth. Persona 5 is a monster of a game. With minimum playthroughs clocking in at the 90 hour mark, P5 is truly something you can spend a lot of time with. It's also a game that deserves the time.
Anyone familiar with the series will know what to expect from the basic gameplay. You attend school during the day, but in the afternoon you spend your time exploring dungeons and hanging out with your teammates. Previous entries had you exploring randomly generated dungeons, but P5 changes this with hand crafted dungeons each with their own distinct personalities. The hand crafted dungeons feel considerably better to explore than previous games, mainly because there is design with a purpose here. I was always eager to find a Save Room or see what enemies awaited my party.
When not exploring the various dungeons, or fusing various Personas together to create stronger ones (an addiction in and of itself), you spend time with your teammates to deepen the bonds you have with them. These bonds, appropriately named 'Confidants', yield many benefits. From letting an ally perform a follow up attack, to unlocking special skills for the main character, or even dating one of your allies, everything adds a sense of progression for your young group of phantom thieves.
Now feels like an appropriate place to discuss the story. Intriguing and full of twists, P5 spins a very interesting story. Due to the nature of the story and how easy it is to spoil, I'll only touch on it lightly. Arrested and charged with a crime, our protagonist finds himself relocated to the city. From there the story begins in earnest as the main cast comes together over various wrongdoings over the course of the game. Not necessarily as strong, or emotional a story as Persona 3 or Persona 4, P5 still manages to get the job done and deliver a well crafted story alongside a likeable group of protaganists.
3. Horizon Zero Dawn
Ah, the final game of my top three. A game that surprised almost everyone with its announcement, Horizon is a fantastic game. Centered around main character Aloy, you begin a quest to discover her lineage and combat an ancient threat from the past. Horizon features a very well crafted story, I didn't expect myself to become so interested in Aloy or her journey. As a result, the conclusion left me eager to see what adventures await Aloy in a potential sequel.
The action focused gameplay of Horizon is another aspect that really drew me in. Combat is fast and frantic. When the large machines start to show up, it even becomes fairly challenging. I found myself carefully planning out the best approach to take down the massive Thundermaws, an enemy that towers over Aloy. Using all the tools at my disposal led to interesting combat scenarios. Freezing an enemy to knock its components, or even weapons off with arrows was extremely satisfying when I finally slayed the machine.
Another apsect that I happened to fall in love with, is that the world of Horizon is beautiful and full of collectibles to seek out. The beauty of a world in which nature has begun to retake what used to be cities and roads helps add to the mystery of Horizon. Meanwhile, finding the various collectibles took me to out of the way areas I'd have otherwise not have seen. Most of which were beautiful to look at, especially the vantage points. While some compare Horizon unfavoribly to Ubisoft open world games, I don't mind. The wheel isn't reinvented here, but what Horizon does, it does very well. Great combat, a well written story, and a very likeable main character earns Horizon Zero Dawn it's spot in my top three games of 2017.
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