The Top 5 Games Of 2017

Welcome to December, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Well, somehow we’re still here. Despite having one of the most corrupt presidents in our country's history, despite left & right going at each other’s throats, and despite everything going to hell in a hand basket......we’re all alive. 2017 was actually a pretty strong year in the world of entertainment. Games, movies, and music were damn good in 2017. Since this is the last month of the year, it’s time for my annual top 5 lists & holiday-related posts. I’ll start off with what I consider to be 2017's top 5 games. All of the following titles I enjoyed in various capacities, but I enjoyed them all the same. Let’s begin.

5) Dark Souls 3 (Trailer) & Five Nights At Freddy’s: Sister Location (Trailer)

If you recall my list from last year, you might remember that both of these games were on the “Honorable Mentions” section. I didn’t play either of these games, and instead watched playthroughs of each game on Youtube. The reason they’re on the list here this year......is because I finally decided to sit down & actually play these games!

Let’s start off with Dark Souls 3, and holy crap this game was terrifying! Watching it is one thing, but playing it is another. The legend of this game’s difficult was known to me, but I didn’t heed the warnings. Upon my first few hours, the warnings were shoved into my face hard. Once that was over with, I was treated to a highly gothic & atmospheric RPG, with a sliver or two of realism put in. The bosses were immense, and even some of the regular enemies could prove troublesome. Coupled with a tragic & immense story, and you have a game that will give you hours of enjoyment. 3 cheers for Dark Souls 3!

Sister Location, on the other hand, has a slightly funnier tale. I had actually bought the game in October of last year, but not long after, Markiplier began his playthrough of the game. In addition to being scared shitless, I was surprised to see how much more involved it was compared to prior entries (Still annoyed at FnaF 4). Seeing how much more you had to do, I decided to ultimately skip it. However, around late August of this year, I finally decided to give Sister Location a go, and......wow, I don’t think I was wrong about the game. This game is hard! I can certainly see the appeal of each game, and this one is no different. Each night has you doing different things, from understanding the ropes of the factory, to slowly crawling your way towards the circuit breaker to get the power back on, it gets harder as you progress throughout the game. FnaF 4 made me rage quit hard, so I’ll do the best I can to not rage qu.....aww man, I rage quit again!

4) Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Trailer)

I think it’s been a few rough years for Call of Duty. After the release of the abomination known as Ghosts, hatred towards the franchise has gotten incredibly worse, and this hatred has become incredibly apparent with the release of Infinite Warfare’s trailer, much less the game itself. Make no mistake, this game has issues: Steam & Windows edition are incompatible, hacking & exploiting wasn’t properly punished early on, and the supply boxes can still be a jip. Despite that, I found Infinite Warfare to be one of the most refreshing Call of Duty entries in a long time.

The sci-fi might be a bit overwhelming this time around, but traveling around space & fighting on the various planets was awesome. Each of them felt alive & unique, and they all looked incredible. Zombies was a considerably goofier & sillier affair, yet it didn’t lose any of the intensity that Treyarch’s & Sledgehammer’s offerings provided. The multiplayer, while problematic in certain aspects, can be incredibly fun. Yes, Call of Duty nowadays certainly deserves the criticism, and many titles in the franchise haven’t aged well, but Infinite Warfare actually has some effort & love put into it. If you’re still loyal to the franchise but haven’t played it, or if you’ve been away from Call of Duty for a while and you want to get back into it, then Infinite Warfare might be what you’re looking for.

3) Dream Daddy (Trailer)

2017 was an interesting year for gaming. You saw iconic franchises come back with an infusion of new life, and you saw brand new games come to the fold to offer something new. Enter the dating game known as Dream Daddy. I have to admit, I was rather hesitant about this one. One singer father, moving to a new neighborhood, meeting many other fathers, and eventually starts to date them. It’s a really odd & goofy premise to be sure, but one that’s also highly intriguing as well. Usually with a setup like this, it tends to be over-the-top & silly, but there’s an incredible amount of maturity involved. Granted, there’s a little bit of ridiculousness (A Goth dad.....really?), but the way everything is portrayed is done as realistically as possible. Though this isn’t one of my absolute favorites of 2017, I still recommend it for anyone who wants a visual novel more on the realistic side.

2) Nekopara: Vol 3 (Trailer) & Slime Rancher (Trailer)

With the world going to hell in a handbasket, sometimes it’s right to take in some sunshine & rainbows, and these two games provide a hell of a lot of sunshine & rainbows!

Let’s start off with part 3 of the story of a bakery owner, and his harem of catgirls. I had volume 2 on my list for last year’s list of games, and I still stand by that choice. This time around, part 3 in my view is a much stronger entry. In addition finishing up some parts of the story with the previous 4 girls, volume 3 deals with Maple & Cinnamon. The last 2 girls that Kashou forms a relationship with, their tale is a little goofy, but it’s got some lighthearted humor, fanservice, and some drama to even it out. If you haven’t, play the other Nekopara entries before you give this one a try. After that, play what seems like the last entry in the Nekopara series a go. It will be a purrfect time!

And then we’ve got Slime Rancher. This game is nothing but pure smiles, and it seems like it gave smiles to a lot of other people. This game is adorable to the 10th degree: there’s no blood & gore, no grittiness, no bleak outlook on things, and no dark themes. Smile Ranchers is the very embodiment of putting a rainbow into a video game, and letting people plays with the colors. All you do is find slimes, raise them in your farm, feed them, improve said farm & equipment, and look for more slimes to research & raise. A simple game with simple goals, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Before we get to my number 1, I’d like to talk about some honorable mentions. Games that, while fun, just weren’t quite as high on the totem pole. Maybe it was because of my own personal views, maybe it was because of it’s design, or some other reason. With that out of the way, here are my honorable mentions of 2017.

HM1) Tattletale (Trailer)

How the hell do you make Furby terrifying!? This game, that’s how! Tattletale’s detriment is two-fold: exceedingly low replay value (It’s only worth playing twice), and incredibly stressful moments (Play the last part. You’ll understand!). With that said, holy cow was this fun! It’s momentary & fleeting most definitely, but the tension this game builds is impressive, and even the jumpscares were very well earned (Apart from the last level). If you’ve got 5 dollars in your wallet, and you just want to blow that cash, then Tattletale isn’t that massive of a waste.

HM2) Diablo 3: Rise of the Necromancer (Trailer) & Shadow Warrior 2: Bounty Hunt 1 & 2 (Trailer for BH 1)

Among a plethora of gamer terms, the letters “DLC” often cause one’s blood to boil. Often considered a sign of greed, there have been plenty of pieces of downloadable content that have been utter garbage. However, when a piece of DLC actually works.....people take notice. In the case of the first DLC, I was excited for it. Having been announced at Blizzcon 2016, the Necromancer was asked for since Diablo 3's initial release, simply due to sheer nostalgia. When it finally came out back in July, said nostalgia flooded my mind. The Necromancer gave me another reason to play through D3 again, and I was impressed with how nostalgic the class was, while at the same time showing off the ways in which it was changed. With Shadow Warrior 2, the Bounty Hunt DLCs were special because of two factors: they were both free of charge, and they added new guns & skills. Unfortunately, both of these didn’t add anything to the story, but like the Rise of the Necromancer DLC, Bounty Hunt 1 & 2 game me excuses to go back to one of the most over-the-top FPS games in recent years (Not to mention one of my number 1 games of 2016). Again, DLC can be awful, but when it’s done right......it’s great!

HM3) Super Mario Odyssey (Trailer)

I’m a member of the PC master race. Ask anyone who knows me even on a casual level: I have had a keyboard in my hand since the early 90s, and there’s one with me now. However, if there was ever a reason to go back to consoles (Long story), it would be the most recent journey of the Italian plumber from Japan. Much like Slime Rancher, Super Mario Odyssey is a rainbow put into a video game, and the player is allowed to play with the colors. Also like Slime Rancher, Mario’s latest game is made of pure smiles, as I had a constant happy face as I watched a playthrough of it. Super Mario Odyssey, you know how to make a bad mood go away!

1) Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Trailer)

I am not a horror fan. Outside of a select few games, anime, & movies, I stay the hell away from it. However, even though I don’t like the horror genre, every once in a while something comes along, and I just have to give it some props. The seventh entry in the Resident Evil series was a much needed return to form, as well as an adrenaline boost to the arm. 5 & 6 were big deviations from the old formula, so to see the survival horror aspect come back was incredibly refreshing. One interesting change was it’s usage of first-person perspective instead of the traditional 3rd-person. You have to scrounge for weapons & ammo, supplies, and items to advance. There’s hardly any monster variety, and you constantly watch out for the head of the Baker family, lest he kills you in a gruesome fashion. This tension follows you constantly, from the Baker residence all the way to the mines, and never lets up. So Resident Evil 7, for going back to the tied & true, you get my number 1 spot. Congrats!

So that was my list for the top 5 games of this year. Possibly one of my more stranger lists of 2017, but these games are anything but. Give them a go, and enjoy. I’ll see you all next Monday, when we’ll look at my top 5 movies of 2017. Until then, game on!



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If you like to know what I thought of last year, check out the link below:

Top 5 Games of 2016