The Best (and Worst) In Gaming From 2017

Gaming in 2017

I think it’s pretty fair to say that on reflection, 2017 was a great year for gaming. We have seen some pretty amazing games release this year and as such, we at eTeknix highlight some of our favourite picks from the year.

Best of 2017

With the release of the Nintendo Switch, it’s been a great year for the company. As such, many of the highlighted games feature heavily for Nintendo. Now, who would have thought that from a year ago? It isn’t wholely Nintendo that shares the glory, however.

So, in no particular order, here are our gaming picks for 2017.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch

Receiving a release on both the Wii-U and Nintendo Switch, while both versions are excellent, the latter is just amazing. Taking Zelda in a bold new direction while still very much feeling like a game within the franchise. It has, without doubt, been one of our favourite gaming experiences of the year.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – PC, Xbox One, PS4

While initially starting life as an early access PC title, a console version just managed to squeeze in before the end of the year. With over 20 million purchases, it is definitely one of the success stories of the year. Admittedly, this game isn’t for everyone, but for those who do enjoy it, it’s a fantastic example of what can be done with a simple premise executed well.

Cuphead – PC and Xbox One

Combining 1920’s animation with a side-scrolling run and gun. The concept might sound unusual, the final result is simply fantastic. While many have criticised the games difficulty (and in fairness it is hard) I feel that it is neither unfair nor too bad (with a little practice). If nothing else, it was nice to see something a bit different.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Nintendo Switch

With the original release on the Wii-U being a little dated, there were some concerns that this might have been a lazy port to get a Mario Kart game quickly onto the Switch. It was anything but though. Fun, accessible, challenging and one of the best multiplayer games of the year. The Deluxe version also saw all the DLC included as well as the Battle mode fixed.

Resident Evil 7 – PC, Xbox One, PS4

Again, another example of taking a franchise in a bold new direction. The first person mechanics combined with a whole new style of gameplay made RE7 an instant classic.

Mario Odyssey – Nintendo Switch

The release that probably saved Zelda getting trumped in most official 2017 gaming awards. Coming in November 2017, it was a little off the release date, but well worth it. It’s hard to pick a bad Mario game, but this is certainly at least as good as some of the best.

Worst of 2017

Now, before starting, we should qualify what we mean by ‘worst’. Put simply, they are not necessarily bad games (some are), but more over games that were just well below expectations.

Star Wars Battlefront 2 – PC, Xbox One, PS4

Whatever chance this had to be the great Star Wars game we wanted died amid ridiculous in-game purchases. Yes, EA definitely pooped the bed with this one.

Friday the 13th – PC, Xbox One, PS4

What happens when a small developer gets hold of a massive IP? Friday the 13th! Gaining the licensing was a massive boost, however, it make the projects ambition massively exceed the developers capabilities. I’m sure that Friday the 13th will get better, but as per my review, at the moment it’s simply too buggy to really enjoy.

Destiny 2 – PC, Xbox One, PS4

Ok, a mildly controversial inclusion here, but please note, I didn’t add it simply for the sake of being controversial. It’s not a bad game, but it just wasn’t what I wanted. Deliberate level scaling and patch bloopers spoiled for me what could have been a massive highlight of the year.

Middle Earth: Shadow of War – PC, Xbox One, PS4

The first game gave this every opportunity to grow and expand and, frankly, it didn’t. While the ranking system is a big improvement in one of the better areas it was simply more of the same. While the latter isn’t necessarily bad, the final nail in the coffin was the quick-time event ending. Seriously, we don’t need quick-time events in games any more.

Yooka-Laylee – PC, Xbox One, PS4

As a croudfunded spiritual sequel to Banjo-Kazooie, this should have been excellent and it just wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t outright bad, however, glitches and a somehow boring level design really didn’t deliver.

South Park The Fractured But Whole – PC, Xbox, PS4

Again, not added for the sake of causing a stir and not a bad game, just an overwhelming pile of ‘meh’. It released, people played it and in brief, no one cared. Prior to the release the developers suggested they were worried it wasn’t offensive enough to cause a stir, for better or worse, I think that they might have been right.

A year in review

At this point you are probably frothing at the mouth, particularly regarding my ‘meh’ comments. Yes, there were many games that were underwhelming, but none as much with such high expectations and potential. So please be kind to a kind man.

What do you think? Any thing we missed? Any unfair inclusions in either list? – Let us know in the comments!