It feels like a crime for me to be writing a "Best Games of 2017" article. Ever since I could pick up a controller, there has never been a year where I've played so few games. Well, I played most titles, but not enough to really have an opinion on them. With that being said, there are also games on this list that I played very little, but even with my little time with them, they made quite the impression on me.

So here are the games that I played that I enjoyed the most in 2017!

Game of 2017

Persona 5

Not only is Persona 5 the game of the year, it could possibly be the best Japanese Role-Playing Game of all time. The previous installment of the series set the bar extremely high, and not only did Persona 5 meet those expectations, but it surpassed nearly all of them.

The first thing that anyone will notice about Persona 5 is its incredible sense of style. Every inch of this game oozes with an anarchistic aesthetic with confidence and a jazzy swagger. Even the transitions between menus makes the most impressive user interfaces look quite sterile.

The story is easily the most accessible in the series, but still consists of enough twists, turns, and melodrama to remain interesting through my 100+ hour play through. You’ll spend your time getting to know these characters, inside and out, and looking for that next little piece of backstory is often what motivated me to continue playing.

That being said, the combat system, traversal, and everyday life elements are all excellent. It isn’t a rhythm game like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but there is a flow to the game that makes this one of the best paced games of the past decade. Once you get a hang of the gameplay loop, you'll find yourself working through the in-game calendar quite briskly. Unlike previous installments in the series, I never once (or at least very rarely) felt like I was grinding for the sake of grinding.

Also, Makoto is best girl!

The Runner-Ups (In no particular order)

Nier: Automata

The award for “Game I Wish I Played More” goes to Nier: Automata! While I haven’t had the ending(s) spoiled for me, I know what makes the game special is what comes after you complete the initial play-through. I was loving what I played, but unfortunately took a break, and have had a hard time getting back into it.

The gameplay is a masterful mix of third-person action, classic bullet-hell dodging and weaving, and platforming. The gameplay consistently stayed fresh and never really got stale. While the graphics and textures of Nier: Automata aren’t breathtaking, there is undoubtably a very cohesive aesthetic and style that is surprisingly gripping. The flat color scheme and haunting soundtrack helps convey the melancholy of the post apocalyptic world, while still giving a sense of hope to keep pushing through.

I feel bad writing about Nier: Automata without having played more of it, but that’s how special it is. If I had put the same time into it as much as I did Persona 5, there’s a chance it might have been my game of the year.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

I’m a sucker for shorter game experiences. I love when a game can be hyper-focused on telling its story, and having very little fluff. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice might be one of the most interesting examples of that. A lot of people have dogged the combat for being repetitive and overly simple, and that criticism might be valid, but it was quite easy for me to overlook that because it feels SO DARN GOOD!

But let’s be honest, that combat is just the side of fries to the delicious, sad, and disturbing story burger. Hellblade addresses mental illness and the world’s general misunderstanding of the subject. Through excellent sound design, and performances all around, the tone that is conveyed was actually quite difficult to deal with at times, and often hit too close to home. That’s a good thing. I think.

Yakuza 0

I’ve never played a Yakuza game before, and man, I’m so glad I gave Yakuza 0 a shot on a whim. Yakuza 0 is so weird and goofy in all of the best ways. The combat is fun and arcadey. The story is overwhelmingly melodramatic. The side quests and activities are varied and often hilarious. It is so incredibly Japanese, and while I wait for the next Kojima game, games like Yakuza 0 and Nier: Automata will have to scratch that quirky itch.

What Remains of Edith Finch

I feel like I’d been waiting a decade for this game, but when Giant Sparrow’s follow up to The Unfinished Swan finally reached my hands, I’m not sure if I could have been more pleased with the results. As a whole, I didn’t find What Remains of Edith Finch as emotionally draining as I expected, but what I did find, was surprisingly varied gameplay and story telling formats. While it may not have moved me as much as other “walking simulators” have, it kept me gleefully moving through a quite depressing story by providing constantly changing game mechanics. This isn’t just a story; it’s a full fledged video game.

Best Games of 2017