How Is 2017 Shaping Up?

Being almost a third of the way through the year already, I am starting to think about Game of The Year awards, whether I would like to write something about them, or whether I would like to have my own and how I would write such a feature. It seems early, but time just seems to be moving quicker every day and the day will come around quicker than you think.

Right now, my thinking is yes, I will write about my picks for Game of The Year. However, I am not sure whether I will pick out one game and call it ‘the best’. I think that such an exercise is futile as I don’t believe that games can be objectively ‘pinned down’. Rather, I think my GOTY will be more of a ‘top picks’ kind of feature, where I pick out a few games that came out in the year and why I think they’re significant, and why I think they deserve a top spot.

Something that struck me while thinking about such a feature was just how good 2017 has been for gaming so far. With previous years proving disappointing, I am very happy with the quality of the games that have been released so far. We’re not even in peak season for the big blockbuster titles and already we have been treated to some stellar quality.

Resident Evil 7 was my first ‘real’ pick for GOTY potential. As a statement of intent, this game hit the right notes, being squared centrally within the Resident Evil series’ most well-known horror tropes, and even embracing some of the goofier parts. More than anything, I was happy that Resident Evil 7 had an actual identity. With a sense of place and story, and some really tense scares, I think that 7 was a strong start to the year.

Then the hits just kept coming. While I haven’t picked it up, Horizon: Zero Dawn is piquing my interest. I haven’t bought it because I personally wasn’t that interested in the game, my main pick for Open-World-type gameplay being Breath of the Wild. With it being a full-price AAA title that aimed for graphical fidelity, and what seemed to be a mature, gritty story, Horizon unfortunately fell outside my radar for now. Given the excellent reception to the game, though, I will definitely pick it up as soon as I have enough money to justify such a purchase.

Breath of the Wild, however, was the big show-stealer for me so far. I have put so many hours into this game and written so much about it. It was a fitting swan-song for the Wii U and just about one of the biggest titles that could have come out this year. A few poor elements in the late-game have detracted from the experience, unfortunately, but I can honestly say that the newest Zelda title stands up there with the greats.

My dark horse pick, however, is the one I find most interesting; Subnautica. I have spoken negatively before about this game because of its practice of survivor babysitting, but I have found a lot to love in the game otherwise. I am very fond of the gameplay loop of exploration and building more elaborate tools using resources that become harder and harder to find. Building a submarine and exploring deeper and deeper into unknown, terrifying chasms is just a feeling that other games haven’t even come close to capturing. It’s a shame about the hunger and thirst meters, but I have found a lot to enjoy in Subnautica. While many would roll their eyes at the premise of a ‘survival game underwater’, I think such a simplistic statement undersells what Subnautica is about. For sheer beauty and joy of exploration, I think this game stands a real chance at besting even Breath of the Wild. However, the game has been out a few years in Early Access, and is set for ‘release’ in 2017, so should such a game count as a pick for this year?

Many more games are set to come out that will be potential picks. The new Prey looks derivative, but it may shape up to become an excellent shooter. Middle Earth: Shadow of War is another potentially hot pick, especially if the Nemesis system in the game is properly expanded upon. Then we have Super Mario Oddysey, a potential system seller for the new Nintendo Switch. Sonic Mania may end up being another dark horse if it lives up to its retro-styled potential; the same goes for Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, the HD remaster coming up in just a few months’ time. This is not mentioning some amazing indie titles that will no doubt hit us from nowhere, and even some titles that I just haven’t gotten around to playing yet; I have a sneaking suspicion that Torment: Tides of Numenera may end up being just as brilliant as any game on this list.

2017 looks to be an exciting year to be a gamer. Not just for sequels, but for a wide array of excellent titles. We’re only coming up on a third of the way through the year and already we have been treated to pure videogame joy. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, this may be a year that features on many ‘best years of video games’ lists in the future, and may be the defining year for this console generation.