Best Games of 2017
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 Films of 2017
I settled on the Film of 2017 pretty early in the year, but there were a lot of films that were released that gave it a solid run for its money. Unfortunately, I've missed out on a lot of movies that I wouldn't be surprised if they made the list had I seen them (The Big Sick, Shape of Water, etc.). Maybe I'll update the list after I've seen them. Maybe not. Either way, here are my favorite films that I have actually seen in 2017!
Film of 2017
Baby Driver
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m quite biased, and even if Citizen Kane dropped in 2017, I’d probably still pick an Edgar Wright film over it. With that being said, I didn’t think there could be a better technically executed film than Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, but somehow Wright has me questioning that line of thinking.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a film quite like Baby Driver, but at the same time, there’s is something so timeless and classically American to it. We have editing and a style that is so modern and contemporary, but with the coolness and swagger of a Steve McQueen film. Some people might say that the heavily choreographed film is a bit of a gimmick, and they might not be completely wrong. With that being said, it completely succeeds at pulling it off and making it crucial to the experience. Wright marked his territory with Baby Driver, and we will either see other film makers inspired by the style, try to imitate it, or completely avoid it entirely in order to prevent any comparisons.
The Runner-Ups (In no particular order)
The Disaster Artist
I’m a big fan of the genre “so bad, it’s good.” While there are dozens of those movies that I absolutely love, the granddaddy of them all is Tommy Wiseau’s masterpiece of s***, The Room.
I've spent years making fun of that movie, and its absolutely absurd writer/director/producer/star. So when I heard that we would be getting a movie covering that film and the great story behind the making of it, I couldn’t have been more excited.
I’m happy to say that the movie delivered the experience I was hoping for, but also provided something quite unexpected. I had no doubt that the movie was going to have its laughs, and it definitely did. What caught me off guard was the fact that I was surprisingly moved and inspired. I found a new respect for Mr. Wiseau and his desire to chase his dream. It was quite the challenge for me to pick between The Disaster Artist and Baby Driver, and while I named the latter the Movie of 2017, The Disaster Artist is easily the most heartwarming film of the year.
Get Out
Get Out is the perfect movie to go into without knowing anything about it. Jordan Peele successfully created an experience that will make you realize that you actually watched a film that you didn’t know that you were watching.
While Get Out clearly examines racial tensions and does a fantastic job of allowing all audiences to experience the discomfort of being a minority, the film unfolds to be something even stranger, and is actually quite the fun ride.
Blade Runner 2049
Denis Villeneuve might not be a household name, and that’s just tragic. Villeneuve, who directed Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival, took on the daunting task of directing the sequel to one of the most highly regarded cult-classics of all time.
Not only did Villeneuve succeed in making the long-awaited sequel, Blade Runner 2049 is actually a better film than the original. We’re not just talking about the advancement in visual effects and technology. 2049 tells a better story, respects and answers questions from the original, and only gets better as it goes along.
Dunkirk
I’m an anxious mess, so I’m not really sure why I love movies that are as tense as Dunkirk. There was actually a sequence that caused me to have an irregular heartbeat. While that might not be an “enjoyable” experience, I was quite impressed with how well Christopher Nolan accomplished that dread. Dunkirk is unequivocally a war film, but I honestly feel like it plays with the genre in the same way that The Witch did for the horror genre in 2015. I had very similar experiences with both films, with Dunkirk being the more accessible of the two.
Logan
When the trailer for Logan first dropped, fans immediately knew they were in for something special. Logan takes the best things from the X-Men franchise (Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart), and provides an emotional depth that we hadn’t quite seen before. Not only is the story more intimate and touching, Logan’s action sequences finally allow fans to see what Wolverine could actually do. The carnage is satisfying, but doesn’t ever feel gratuitous.
Of all the things that Logan does right, the underlying commentary on the state of film with the seemingly unstoppable superhero hype-machine is undoubtably its most interesting aspect. Logan is a superhero film that successfully asks “do we really need superhero films?”
Best Songs of 2017
It's time to look back at the songs that stood above the rest in 2017. It should be noted that I have not included any K-Pop songs in this list, due to the fact that I have a list of the best K-Pop songs in the works as well. I'm not saying that those songs can't compete with songs from the west. As a matter of fact, I'm much more attached to my K-Pop Song of the Year than my general Song of 2017. ANYWAYS! Here it is, what I thought were the best songs of 2017!
SONG of 2017
"BLEACH" by BROCKHAMPTON
I didn’t get the appeal of BROCKHAMPTON right away. It wasn’t until I sat through and listened to "Saturation III" in its entirety that it clicked. Not only do I "get it" now, I consider myself a full-fledged fan. Now going back over the previous two releases from this year, it’s really an impossible task choosing the best song the group released this year.
I’m a sucker for anything that Bearface does, but the song that I think captures the versatility of the boyband is "BLEACH." Dynamically there’s an excellent mix of groove, ambiance, and punch. It might also be one of their most poppy songs, but that’s okay. Members of BROCKHAMPTON always do a stellar job of addressing topics that a lot of their contemporaries seem to struggle mentioning. There’s a wonderful insecurity to "BLEACH, "but the groove and final act of the song manages to provide a hopeful experience as well.
While all of the verses fit so well, Matt Champion’s verse, Ryan Beatty’s hook, and the outro by Bearface are stelar. "Bleach" might be the most cohesive hip-hop song with multiple features that I’ve heard in years. The production is top notch, and goes toe-to-toe with any other record released this year.
The Runner-Ups (In no particular order)
"Chanel" by Frank Ocean
Who needs your typical song structure when you kill it like Frank? I mean, the whole record feels like a chorus and a verse at the same time. It’s kind of like the "Birdman" of 2017. You know, the movie that looks like it’s one shot starring Michael Keaton? The bars and melodies seem to pour out of Frank so effortlessly. That’s not to say he’s being lazy, but rather he is being Neo after he finds out he is “the one” and is stopping bullets and whatnot. My writing is getting sloppy, but I don’t care. This song is great, like all-time great.
"(No One Know Me) Like the Piano" by Sampha
Sampha’s ballad is lyrically profound and relatable to anyone who found music as a safe-refuge when times got hard. It’s a beautiful tribute to his mother and hopeful reassurance that the memories and values of the people we love will continue to live on. The song is deceptively simple, but Sampha’s genuine performance and writing makes this one of the best songs of 2017.
"Idontwannabeyouanymore" by Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish could be the next Kanye West. Some people might find that to be a diss, or an inaccurate statement. All I mean by that is that Billie has the talent, moxie, and is just crazy enough to legitimately try to take over the world. If time is good to her, she will.
With that bravado and skill, she still isn’t afraid to put it all out there. "Idontwannabeyouanymore" captures the essence of what it’s like to loathe who you are or who you have been. It’s dreamy, and the percussion elements contain enough bits of ear candy to keep you intrigued, as Billie’s hypnotic breathy vocals draw you in. Before you know it, you’ve fallen into a melancholy trap that is quite difficult to escape.
"Black Spiderman" by Logic
Logic has been around for quite sometime, but with the release of his latest album, he is finally getting some mainstream recognition. Not only is he using his platform to build his brand and artistic legacy, but he continues to push messages of hope, love, peace, and acceptance. Logic’s perspective of growing up biracial is on full display in "Black Spiderman." It’s great to hear a song with a killer flow, that also forces us to ask ourselves “why do we let these arbitrary things define who we are or define how we see people?”
So there you have it! My favorite (non K-pop) songs of 2017! If I wrote this list tomorrow, it would probably change, because lists like these are so arbitrary.
Let me know what you think! Are there songs that should have made the cut? Why don't you tell me your favorite songs in the comments bellow?!? Hope you enjoyed the list, and I can't wait for the tunes that will be dropping in 2018!
Yours Forever and Always,
Nico Cuevas