Shenmue Dojo

Breath of the Wild.
Yakuza 0

Yakuza zero was the only game I got to play from this year but it probably would have turned out to be my favourite game anyway. It's definitely amongst my favourite of all time now that's for sure.

Resident Evil 7 is my favorite game of 2017.

They've finally captured the original metroidvania playstyle. After years of people talking about how Revelations (and Revelations 2) were a "return to form", I couldn't help but think that they were delusional. It's as though people's conceptions, concerning what made Resident Evil good, rely entirely on a horror element. But what really made Resident Evil a good game was its level design combined with actual combat. You were forced to retread the mansion (and other locations) to find clues and progress, but you were not helpless when you ran into trouble (like most other survival horror). The interesting element was choosing if you could afford to fight, as a result of your limited resources. Survival first, horror second.

Revelations and Revelations 2 were largely under the same design philosophy as Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6—a straight path of obstacles to overcome. There was no (other than minor parts) exploration. Now, I don't think these games are bad (4, 5, and 6) but they are a large departure from the original game, so much so, that they don't even feel as though they're a part of the same franchise at times. Both RE4 and RE5 were successful in being exciting because they emulated the controls of the original games, battles were tense in those games because you couldn't run and shoot. You had to dodge enemies until you were in a safe enough situation to shoot (once again making yourself vulnerable). It was a good trade-off. But as soon as RE6 allowed you to run and shoot, the tension was gone. RE6 is a bit of a mess in its own right, but it's not a terrible game. However, once it became clear that Revelations 2 was taking design inspirations from RE6 rather than RE4 and RE5, I lost hope in finding much enjoyment in the series going forward.

Which brings us to my surprise with Resident Evil 7—back with all the design elements found in the original games. It's not a perfect game, but damn was it good. And it really gives me hope for the franchise going forward. If you still haven't played RE7 yet because of any preconceptions you might have concerning its first person perspective, please play it. It is well worth your time if you are a fan of the original games.

RE7
Horizon
P5

Those are the best of what ive had time for. Still trying to catch up.

I'll start playing P5 again. I'm only like 7 hours in till I decked it.

RE7
Breath of the Wild
Nier Automata
Vanquish PC (Not new I know, but its so much better than the original release it deserves to be here)
Playerunknowns Battlegrounds

I still need to get around to playing Horizon. Its been sitting there for months now, just staring at me. I tried giving P5 another shot but my feelings on it haven't changed. I've been playing other RPG's this year and its hands down the weakest of the bunch. I'll give it another shot sometime in the future most likely.

Bluecast wrote:Well Rakim brought up VanQuish so

Also, Vanquish was not already available digitally on PC like those three were on their respective platforms. They just got physical discs/cart now is all.