A recent but welcome addition to the MonsterVine friends, Sean Halliday joins us from across the Atlantic to deliver his personal favorites from 2017. Part of the pack at Mecha Wolf, Sean works around the clock to execute marketing campaigns for clients such as Special Reserve Games and even MonsterVine.com. You can catch him on the Twitter (@XToUnlock) for honest takes on the gaming industry. And now a word from Sean.
I spent half my year writing about video games and the other half helping to sell them. 2017 has been a strange year of broken games being celebrated, while solid releases went under the radar. On the whole, 2017 has been a year of change, and not just in video games. I’ve taken an interest in observing the contrasting marketing ploys of various different games, most notably Lawbreakers failures. No other title has highlighted how influencers aren’t the simple marketing tool many assume to be. As 2017 ends, I find myself intrigued. Once failing games such as Fortnite and Rainbow Six: Siege have revitalized themselves, hitting millions of players. At the other end of the scale, big games like Destiny 2 and Battlefront 2 have seemingly ignored the errors of their ways, unleashing consumer backlash and player drops. For a year filled with video game joys (shout out to Nintendo for proving the doubters wrong), it’ll be failures born of ignorance that defined the industry in 2017.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
It’s been many a year since a game world felt like a toy box. With no limitations or requirements placed on the player, Breath of the Wild is sheer video game joy. Do what you want, when you want, how you want. Replicating the feeling of childhood adventures, there’s a touch of magic in every nook and cranny.
A victory for video games in a time marred by political conflicts and unfriendly consumer practices.
Day of Infamy
Early Access is often the punchline to many a joke. In a year that included a highly praised, but barely working, Early Access title and, a mediocre World War 2 shooter, Day of Infamy shone. Starting life as an Insurgency mod, Day of Infamy became the perfect example of Early Access done right. Developer New World Interactive listened to its player base, regularly fixing bugs, improving mechanics and adding content.
By mid-2017, the full Day of Infamy release was technically sound and mechanically brilliant. No other multiplayer title in 2017 rewards teamplay or crafts such intense experiences than Day of Infamy.
Cuphead
Tricky, fancy and all kinds of charming. Cuphead may not break new ground, but it doesn’t need to. The sheer quality and polish on display is mind-blowing. Every frame of animation oozes with attention to detail. That’s perhaps why Cuphead is such a marvel, the attention to detail.
Even upon death, you’ll produce a smirk and acceptance for your errors. Play, laugh, die, learn, enjoy.
Mario Odyssey
Falling somewhere between Mario 64 and Galaxy 2, Odyssey is quite possibly one of the best Mario titles ever. Bursting away from the relative safety of his Wii U outings, Odyssey is a mixtape of ideas and concepts. From possessing bodies, turning 2D and soaking in the local culture, Mario embarks on a true journey.
If you don’t crack a smile during the musical number, it’s probably time to leave video games behind.
