Nick’s Games of the Year – 2017 ~ Chalgyr's Game Room

Game of the Year

While I still personally preferred Persona 4 by a narrow margin, and there is an argument that Persona 5 lasted a bit longer than it should have at the end, the game is still fantastic in almost every way. The visual style and music are distinctive, the way the story it sold is interesting, the characters are memorable and at its heart, we still have a turn-based RPG that is as good as they come. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): RPG
Developer(s): Atlus	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Atlus	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation 3

1st runner up

It seemed implausible back when Nintendo first showed a trailer for this game. A Skyrim-esque open world featuring link? Surely it would be too great a technical challenge? Or the game would lose some of its ‘Zelda’ soul in the process? Nope, instead we have a game that is still being played by multiple people in my house and easily became my family’s most played title in 2017. MarcL’s Review – Switch
PY’sReview – WiiU

Platforms: Nintendo Switch	Genre(s): Adventure
Developer(s): Nintendo	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Nintendo	Other Platform(s): Nintendo WiiU

2nd runner up

It’s been a few years since I played a proper Danganronpa game, and yet V3 picks up where we left off, adding a few new wrinkles to an already fantastic formula. When the first Danganronpa released on Vita years ago, it changed how people looked at the Visual Novel genre, and V3 continues that standard of excellence through it’s unique visuals and twisted, emotional story. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Adventure
Developer(s): Spike Chunsoft	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): NIS America Spike Chunsoft	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation Vita PC

Surprise of the Year

I am a huge turn-based, RPG/strategy fan. In many ways, the Sega Genesis was arguably my favorite console due to genre titles such as Warsong, Shining Force and even Sega CD games like Dark Wizard. So what happens when you take one of my favorite stories and merge this non-traditional narrative with comfortable, familiar gameplay? You get Godseekers, and I loved it. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Strategy, RPG
Developer(s): Omega Force	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Koei Tecmo Games	Other Platform(s): Sony PlayStation Vita

Biggest Disappointment

I love Double Dragon. The arcade original ate many of my quarters and still has one of the best tunes in the history of video game music. I spent countless hours playing Double Dragons I & II on the NES. Double Dragon III was a huge misstep in the arcade, and hard-as-they-come but interesting headache on the NES. I liked Double Dragon Neon even. So how the heck did Double Dragon IV go so wrong? It looks and sounds the part of a 25 year old game, with no modern sensibilities and terrible collision detection. Huge letdown from a lifelong fan of the series. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): Action, Brawler
Developer(s): Arc System Works	Mode(s): Single / Local Multiplayer
Publisher(s): Arc System Works	Other Platform(s): PC

Guilty Pleasure

I enjoyed this game when it came out on the PS2 originally, but haven’t played it since. It’s weird, it’s different, with its unusual Gambit system, a lot of unfamiliar bosses and lots of walking / backtracking. But the updated version looks better, added some nice conveniences such as 2x and 4x speed and I was still going back and beating end-game content like Yiazmat in November. It’s not a new game, but it has staying power. Nick’sReview

Platform: Sony PlayStation 4	Genre(s): RPG
Developer(s): Square Enix	Mode(s): Single Player
Publisher(s): Square Enix	Other Platform(s): Original: Sony PlayStation 2

Article by: Nick