2017 had its up and downs for me, with many exciting points throughout the year as well as a few rough patches, especially near the end. Yet in both good times and bad, I found great new games to play. Here are a few that really stood out to me.
Persona 5
I’d never played a Persona game before 2017, but all the praise for Persona 5 convinced me to give it a try. What I found was an exciting ride that kept me interested for over 100 hours thanks to loveable characters and addicting gameplay. Was it the dungeon exploration? The joy of seeing a major title with turn-based combat? The daily life segments? None of these parts would be as compelling on their own, but together they form an experience I couldn’t get enough of.
Super Mario Odyssey
I waited through the Wii U’s entire life cycle for a new Mario game in the style of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, or Super Mario Galaxy, so even the tiny glimpse of a new Mario game when the Switch was announced had me hoping this was the game I’d waited for. And it was. Super Mario Odyssey is filled to the brim with the sort of exploration-driven, collectible-grabbing gameplay I love from my 3D platformers, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Finding Paradise
2011’s To the Moon is one of the most emotional games I’ve ever played, so I couldn’t wait to try its sequel. Finding Paradise isn’t quite as heart-wrenching, but it’s a beautiful, thought-provoking story worthy of being To the Moon’s successor. Not only is it a solid story in its own right, with a few interesting twists on the premise established by the first game, but it also contributes a few more intriguing pieces to the series’ overarching mystery.
Muv-Luv Alternative
Muv-Luv Alternative is considered by many fans to be one of the greatest visual novels of all time, and I’m definitely happy I played it–or read it, really, since it only has a handful of choices. The conclusion feels a little bit rushed, but there are plenty of exciting scenes and wonderful moments leading up to that point… including an infamous scene that, together with its aftermath, left me staring at my computer screen in shock. You know the scene I’m talking about.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
While I haven’t finished Xenoblade Chronicles 2 yet (and with a JRPG of this scope, it’s safe to say I’m not even halfway through), 30 hours with it has been enough to tell me this is one of my favorite games of 2017. It has vast, beautiful environments like in previous Xenoblade games, lots of fun aspects to its gameplay, and best of all, a story that’s becoming more interesting the longer I play. That’s the main thing I want from a game like this, and I’m excited to see where Xenoblade goes in the hours ahead.
