I played some Tales of Berseria last year. I expected better graphics, so I was kind of turned off by it, but maybe I would've liked the gameplay if I had stayed with it.
LTTP: My top games of the year 2017
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 On 01/31/2018 at 08:00 PM by SanAndreas See More From This User » |
I guess this is a little late, seeing as how we are headed into February as of tomorrow, but here are my top games of 2017.
2017 was an awesome year for gaming. We got the Switch, which has turned out to be incredibly fun for me and is everything I wanted in a portable and console system. There were great games on every platform. I love this little device. I like portable gaming, but during the GBA, DS, and 3DS eras, there were so many games that I longed to play on a TV set. I kind of had this going already with the PS Vita/PSTV combo, but the Switch makes things so much easier and will have the might of Nintendo's internal studios plus its stable of third party handheld developers on board. A lot of games I would have gotten on PS4, I might get on Switch instead.
Regardless, I didn't do as much gaming as I would have liked. There's been a lot of other stuff going on in my life right now, so gaming has been on the back burner to a degree. Regardless, I did play some great games. Here are my top ones of 2017.
#1 and Game of the Year: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
It has been a long time since I've been so wrapped up in a game, but I find that I'm getting the same primal enjoyment out of BotW that I got out of the original Zelda the first time I played it 30 years ago (yikes!) I think a lot of it is because BotW sports the best Zelda overworld I've seen since the series went to 3-D. As great as games like Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess were, the series kind of skimped on the overworld, and that's a shame. For me, it was always the unified overworld, not the dungeons, that truly made a Zelda game. When the original Zelda came out, the Overworld was what made it special for me. There were plenty of dungeon-based games back then, but few of them had a world to explore on the surface. Plus the physics engine is so much fun. As far as open world games go, BotW blows GTA and Bethesda out of the water, because not only am I enjoying the world, which admittedly plays a bit like Fallout: Hyrule, but it isn't saddled with the godawful controls of those games. This could give Twilight Princess a challenge as my favorite Zelda game. And dare I say it? It could end up challenging Final Fantasy VII as my number one game of all time. The jury is still out on that one, but this is easily the best game I've played the entire decade at the very least.
And this game is brutally punishing. It's as hard as the NES games, which were the toughest games in the series.
2. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Glad to see Mario return to the open platforming style of Super Mario 64, which was my favorite Mario game. The varied environments in this game are fantastic.
3. Persona 5 (PS4)
Atlus and Sega finally brought a full-blown RPG to this generation of consoles, and it is great. Graphics are good, and I like the new dungeon mechanics.
4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch)
The best RPG so far on Switch, and it's a great one. One thing I'm glad for is that the Switch is going to have a strong supply of RPGs, which is one thing Nintendo struggled with since their infamous breakup with Square and Enix 20 years ago. I'm enjoying the battle system more than I did the original game's battle system
5. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (PS4)
So this is kind of cheating a bit, but who cares? I already loved FFXII on PS2, and this version makes an already great game even better. This time around, I have all the Espers and have basically done everything except for Yiazmat. I didn't get that far on PS2 because other games got in the way at the time.
6. NieR: Automata (PS4)
An RPG by Platinum Games? More, please.
7. Yakuza 0 (PS4)
Glad that Sega is finally giving this series a lot of love in the USA. Yakuza continues to get better and better with each incarnation.
8. Tales of Berseria (PS4)
Berseria is a huge improvement over its predecessor in terms of story, characters, and battle system.
9. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (PS4)
Unfortunately, it came out with a wonky translation which NISA is working to patch. It's still a good continuation of the adventures of Adol Christin, and this time on a full console no less.I might get this one on Switch when it comes out, too.
10. Doom (Switch)
I skipped this one on PS4, but it plays really well on the Switch.
Honorable mention: Arcade Archives: Mario Bros (Switch). Finally, for the first time, I have the arcade version of one of my all time favorite arcade games instead of the NES version. I'm glad that Nintendo and Hamster are finally working to bring Nintendo's arcade catalog to consoles. Even back then, when Namco and Pac-Man reigned supreme my favorite arcade games came from Nintendo. Although it's a long shot, hopefully Nintendo and Ikegami will finally bury the hatchet over the arcade versions of Donkey Kong (which is still my favorite arcade game of all time and the very first video game I can remember playing) and Donkey Kong Junior.
What I'm looking forward to this year:
1. Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4? Switch?). So glad to see Sega doing another console VC in the SRPG style of the original classic. I'm torn on whether to get it for the PS4 or the Switch. I'd kind of like to get trophies on PS4, but I like the versatility of the Switch. Maybe both, LOL.
2. Ni no Kuni 2 (PS4). A sequel to another of my favorite 7th-gen games. Loving the Studio Ghibli aesthetic.
3. Bayonetta 3 (Switch) I don't know if this is actually coming out this year. It was announced in December, and I'm not sure how far along it is in development. But more Bayonetta is never a bad thing. Still the best hack-and-slash series ever made.
4. Yakuza 6 (PS4): Not only does this series get better and better, but this time, it has one hell of an arcade game available to play at the in-game arcades: Virtua Fighter 5. Sign me up.
5. Project Octopath Traveler (Switch) An old-school SNES-style RPG from Square Enix in the vein of SaGa Frontier, which was a little-heralded favorite of mine on PS1. But playing through Primrose's story... Nintendo is publishing a game with hookers and pimps in it? Wow. Looking forward to seeing more.
6. Secret of Mana (PS4) I'm looking forward to this one, though I kind of hope that Square Enix ports it to the Switch
7. Monster Hunter World (PS4). This one is already out, but it looks like Capcom has hit a sweet spot for accessibility and an international audience.
8. Rumored Gamecube games on Switch Virtual Console. I hope this one is true. Although both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess were remastered for Wii U (I still wouldn't mind seeing them on Switch, although I'd prefer the remastered versions), my biggest hope for a Switch Virtual Console drawing from the GC library is Tales of Symphonia.
And that sums up 2017 for me, and a small part of what's coming in 2018. Too many great games. Not enough time. I am loving this renaissance of RPGs and Japanese games. Maybe I can still pull all nighters like I did when I was younger.
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