Kevin's top 10 games of 2017 - 1

#1: Nier Automata

If there is one thing that I am all about in media, especially video games, it's metatext.  I'm talking hardcore, fourth-wall breaking, mechanically inclusive, narratively focused, freak-you-out commentary on everything from the broad meaning of life down to the minute as the importance of a few megabytes of save data on your hard drive.  While in my mind this realm has been dominated by Kojima and Metal Gear for the past decade or two, it's encouraging to see more games take a stab at engaging a player directly.  Hell, this year we got both some excellent meta-narratives ranging from the art piece of What Remains of Edith Finch, to the genre-shaking in Doki Doki Literature Club.  But the complete package for me would be Square Enix  and Platinum's diamond in the rough.

Kevin's top 10 games of 2017 - 2

#2: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It's hard to know what to say about this monolith of a title that hasn't already been covered.  For many, including myself, this was THE reason to buy a Nintendo Switch.  Judging by the discourse around the game, everybody seems to be more than satisfied with this generation-ender / launch title.  At face value, it's like delivering on all the promises that Bethesda-style open world games welch on:  You CAN actually go to that mountain in the distance and climb it.  The game DOES just manage to work.  And all the more surprisingly inside of a Zelda game, a series that has always touted an open-ish world with a deceptively linear through line.  But now we are really choosing what we want to do, weather it's head to the four corners of the world, tame horses, solve riddles, or just speed-run for the final boss.

Kevin's top 10 games of 2017 - 4 & 3

#4: Divinity: Original Sin 2

(Author's note: I backed this game on Kickstarter when it was announced)

The infinity engine style RPG is really experiencing a sort of second Renaissance at the time of writing.  From Wasteland to Pillar's of Exile, it's been super cool to see what this sort of classical take on the tabletop RPG has become with better game making tools, and Larian Studio's adventure into the genre has really clicked with me in every instance.  In just about every respect I can think of, the sequel manages to be a superior upgrade to the original (sin).  There's a more approachable plot, deeper and more complex combat, better multiplayer options, and even custom scenario support.

Kevin's top 10 games of 2017 - 6 & 5

#6: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus 

I don’t often have to judge a game on two somewhat wildly disparate elements often. Gameplay for the Wolfenstein sequel is much like the first: fast, frenetic and arcadey. More often than not, the solution to your 1960’s Nazi problem is to run in, guns akimbo, and slay while constantly on the move. In its best moments, the game can feel like a sort of bullet ballet, circle-strafing and swapping guns while trying to manage a dwindling supply of health, armor and ammo.  Admittedly, this is a bit easier on PC than console, where a lack of precision could easily get you killed on the harder difficulties.  This is one experience that I've heard from multiple sources that dropping the difficulty to the easiest may be recommended to some regulars just to take in the story at a better clip.  It's a standard but enjoyable time.  Not quite the rip and tear revolution of Doom 2016, but no slouch either.

Kevin's top 10 games of 2017 - 8 & 7

#8: Prey

Worth it for one of the best and most intriguing openings in video games, bar-none. Seriously, if you haven’t spoiled yourself on how this game starts, you should stop reading this, go download the demo or even watch the sequence play out on youtube if you have no alternative. We’re talking Black Mirror levels of staging and set-up here.

Kevin's top 10 games of 2017 - 10 & 9

#10:  Destiny 2

My feelings on Destiny 2 are complex, probably borderlining on apologist for some people. This is the sixth purchasable chapter of Bungie’s sci-fi space-opera shooter, but the rampant issues present as each month passes make it feel like a last wave of polish was sorely missing in development. Off the top of my head, the community has had to contest with a lack of endgame for hardcore players, loot boxes, obfuscated gearing mechanics, XP throttling and inaccurate user interface, a mediocre expansion, dlc locking previous content, grossly imbalanced weapons, and just to top off the year, broken consumables. If you’re wrapped up in the daily Destiny community, it’s easy to bag on the devs as each issue arises, especially if it’s one that should have been learned from one of the franchise’s five previous entries.