Enricofairme’s Top 10 Games of 2017
5. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Rating: 8.0
Game Info: Take on the role of a Pokémon™ Trainer and unravel the mystery of the Legendary Pokémon Necrozma’s new forms: Dusk Mane Necrozma in the Pokémon Ultra Sun game and Dawn Wings Necrozma in the Pokémon Ultra Moon game. You can encounter and battle 400+ Pokémon, including new forms. A brand-new showdown awaits! (Source)
Why: I’m a huge fan of the Pokemon series, so I was excited to venture through the Alola Region once again. What you get in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon is neither a reboot nor a remake, but rather an extended edition of Pokemon Sun and Moon. The new add ons included by the Pokemon Company add a nice breathe of fresh air to the your playthrough, but don’t quite go as deep as I had hoped. With that being said, the Pokemon formula just works for me and I ended up dumping a good 50+ hours into my Pokemon Ultra Moon playthrough. If you wanted more Pokemon Sun and Moon to play, picking up Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon is a no brainer.
4. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Rating: 8.5
Game Info: From the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, comes South Park: The Fractured But Whole, a sequel to 2014’s award-winning South Park: The Stick of Truth. (Source)
Why: 2017 was the year of the release of games I had been following for quite a while. One of these games I had been following was South Park: The Fractured But Whole. Much of my enthusiasm for the next South Park game stemmed from the stellar South Park: The Stick of Truth which released back 2014. My hope for South Park: The Fractured But Whole was to capture the feeling of The Stick of Truth, which I can now safely say Ubisoft mostly delivered on.
As stated in my review:
South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a fun, but flawed gaming experience. Changes to the combat system and the story/humor had me somewhat disappointed, but the overall experience I had with most other aspects of the game were positive. If you are a fan of South Park, this game is a no brainer to pick up.
Being a fan of South Park, I had fun, yet slightly flawed experience with South Park: The Fractured But Whole. While the game has a few flaws, Ubisoft really upped the overall production value with the game’s release. You feel fully immersed in the world when you playthrough South Park: The Fractured But Whole, which is exactly what I was looking for.
3. Hollow Knight
Rating: 8.5
Game Info: Forge your own path in Hollow Knight! An epic action adventure through a vast ruined kingdom of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs, all in a classic, hand-drawn 2D style. (Source)
Why: Like Confess My Love, Hollow Knight completely blindsided me. I had heard almost nothing about the game prior to release, but at the time had been jonesing to purchase a new game. When I am in this state, I will often peruse the Upcoming tab on Steam to see if anything catches my eye. Hollow Knight caught my eye due to its amazing visuals, so I decided to pick it up, and I’m glad I did.
Starting its life as a Kickstarter, Hollow Knight is essentially now a full blown indie success story and for good reason. Everything about Hollow Knight screams hand crafted and well thought out. From the combat and character design, to the world and story, you can tell Team Cherry created this game with a passion. I loved my time with Hollow Knight. There is so much game here to explore that it is a steal at $16.99. Plus Hollow Knight now features two free expansions which give you even more of that Hollow Knight goodness.
2. Prey
Rating: 9.0
Game Info: In Prey, you awaken aboard Talos I, a space station orbiting the moon in the year 2032. You are the key subject of an experiment meant to alter humanity forever – but things have gone terribly wrong. The space station has been overrun by hostile aliens and you are now being hunted. (Source)
Why: Prey is another one of those games where I had very little expectations going in but actually ended up really enjoying my time with the game. Developed by Arkane Studios, the developers behind the Dishonored series, Prey was an attempt to reboot the 2006 series of the same name. The reboot term is especially important to highlight, as the game shares very little in common with the Prey of 2006. Instead, what we get in the reboot is a mix of System Shock and Bioshock, which works surprisingly well.
My thoughts from the review:
Overall, Arkane Studios has created an interesting and enjoyable reboot of Prey. The game’s story is interesting and has a nice depth to it if you look, but the game itself could have benefitted from being a bit shorter and ending with more of a bang. In addition, graphically the game neither wowed me nor disappointed me, but instead was more middle of the road. In terms of gameplay, Prey really shines. By pulling from games like Bioshock and Dishonored, Prey puts a sci – fi/horror spin on established mechanics which were a blast to use.
The gameplay of Prey was the real high point of my experience. There’s an interesting scavenging/crafting system which rewards you for exploring every inch of Talos I, but also keeps resources scarce enough to keep a frenetic feeling to each combat encounter. Meanwhile, combat encounters in Prey feel fun and inventive introducing a wide array of weapons and grenades which do unique things and can be used strategically to deal with enemies you face.
Having dumped 51 hours into Prey, I still feel like I only scratched the surface on many of the game’s mechanics. This is an amazing feeling to have and has me putting Prey as my second favorite game of 2017.
1. Cuphead
Review
Rating: 9.5
Game Info: Cuphead is a classic run and gun action game heavily focused on boss battles. Inspired by cartoons of the 1930s, the visuals and audio are painstakingly created with the same techniques of the era, i.e. traditional hand drawn cel animation, watercolor backgrounds, and original jazz recordings. (Source)
Why: When I heard about Cuphead back in 2014, I was immediately intrigued. The game features such a unique look it was hard not to be a little curious. As time passed, it began to feel like Cuphead was destined to never come out, but 2017 finally saw the game’s release. It’s safe to say that Cuphead was worth the wait.
As stated in my review:
For a game that started it’s life in 2010 and spent the next seven years in development hell, the final product is nothing short of incredible. Cuphead for me reaches the heights of indie greats like Stardew Valley, The Binding of Isaac, and Terraria. The final product oozes meticulous attention to detail which provides an incredible gaming experience. From the graphics and sound design, to the gameplay, I enjoyed my entire playthrough of Cuphead. I’m even considering doing another playthrough which is usually only something I do for the Dark Souls series.
Cuphead is easily the best game of 2017. Everything about the game is crafted with such thought and care that the game itself is such a complete package. It’s not often I turn a game on and sit and listen to the entire title song, but Cuphead is just that type of game.
