Top 10 Best Games of 2017!

2017 was a rough year for the gaming industry. Triple AAA titles such as Star Wars Battlefront II and Mass Effect Andromeda were massive flops, and the entire year became littered with terrible, underwhelming video games. Even worse, the platforming genre has all but died out! With horrible releases that made a mockery of the classic N64 platformers, such as Super Lucky's Tale and Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back, alongside overhyped titles such as Sonic Forces.

However, this year was not a total waste in gaming, as we still got our hands on many titles that broke new ground or redefined old gaming mechanics into something truly special. So without any delay, I present to you my personal Top 10 games of 2017 list!

10) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is as near perfect an expansion to an already incredible game as your going to get! All the amazing vehicles and tracks from Mario Kart 8 return, along with tons of new stages and weapons. The online mode is seamless and near flawless in its execution on the Nintendo Switch. My manager was playing this game the other day during our lunch break, and even on the portable Switch screen the graphics and gameplay are top of the line! New characters such as Skeleton Koopa and Link (yes that Link from the Legend of Zelda) make an appearance. The entire game is a complete treat to play, and one of the Nintendo Switch's very best titles!

9) Hand of Fate II

Hand of Fate II is a unique RPG. The story involves one insane scenario after another, but not once do you feel bored! The combat is heavy in both its variety and its replayability. None of the game feels like a chore because every character and mission is more eccentric and crazy than the last. You truly feel like your exploring a Dungeons and Dragons lair, replete with badass enemies and incredible secrets to discover!Hand of Fate 2 borrows numerous concepts from the viral Hearthstone release. 

Both feature deck building controls and turn-based strategy. The difference is that Hand of Fate 2 has much more personality! The NPC's taunt you and play mind games on the player in real-time. The game is designed around absolute chaos and principles of randomness, with an air of unpredictable elements that interrupt and dynamically change the flow of combat within seconds! Every component of Hand of Fate 2 adds strategy and chaos. You must prepare your deck and monsters accordingly, because the battlegrounds shift in real time, eliminating predictable elements from the gameplay. Its an experience where no two playthroughs are the same, and for the variety and novelty alone in a year filled with carbon cardboard releases its a breath of fresh spring air!

8) NIOH: COMPLETE EDITION

Nioh is Team Ninja's greatest gaming achievement to date! This game is an absolute savage when it comes to difficulty spikes! It makes Ninja Gaiden look like its wearing diapers and a training bra in comparison! The enemy ninjas and samurais are listless and cunning in battle, using cover perfectly, calling out to allies and will flank you in seconds. Luckily, Nioh has a heavy arsenal of ninjitsu samurai skills and weapons at his disposal to wipe the floors with blood and gore! Every moment of this game will put a smile on your face, or make you boil your controller alive in frustration! But one thing is for sure, this is one hack and slash title you do not want to miss!!!

7) Divinity Original Sin II

Divinity Original Sin II is one of the best RPG's to get released in years! The combat is endless in its variety, the environments are stunning to look at, and the characters are consistently charming throughout. Every element just works, from drop-in-drop-out co-op to hub worlds and ranking up in quests. Some RPG's make leveling up a tedious chore, let alone progressing through missions! Divinity Original Sin II suffers no such faults, and is a prime example of the best in top-down isometric RPGs!

6) Doom VFR/Switch

Most people believed the next-generation Doom title would have been impossible to port to the Nintendo Switch without a dramatic drop in graphics quality. Id Software proved all the critics wrong, by delivering the same next-generation Doom experience, now playable on the go through the Nintendo Switch! Then to up the ante, Id Software re-released the same title on VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift to thunderous acclaim! Doom delivers on every level, from its incredible graphics to blood-soaked combat! This title is a must buy for any console or PC, as it is the most solid Halo competitor in years! 

5) Tekken 7

Tekken 7 is without a doubt the greatest fighting game of 2017! The sheer scale of the fighting game mechanics alone makes it a contender, but its the flawless online mode combined with the greatest roster of characters since the series inception that makes Tekken 7 the greatest Tekken release ever! The graphics are mesmerizing in execution, and the combos go on for eternity! There is so much replay value in Tekken 7, that it puts nearly every other fighting game including the good but underwhelming Street Fighter V to shame!

4) Okami HD

What more is there to say about Okami that hasn't already been said? Its one of the most innovative game releases ever, borrowing from Japanese folklore, interwoven with surrealism and powerful exposition! Now add in an HD 1080P coat of paint, and you have a must purchase title!

3) Forza Motorsport 7

Forza Motorsport 7 is the definitive best racing title of 2017! The game's graphics are stunningly photorealistic. Every car brand has detail oozing off the fenders and straight onto the turbocharged, ultra-realistic racing tracks! The online mode is executed flawlessly with zero lag, and you can customize your whip down to the most minute details! Forza Motorsport 7 features better support for steering wheel controllers than any other game in its class. This game feels like you are driving a car in real time, the accuracy of the physics is absolutely astounding! Every moment of this game is a joy to experience, and if you love cars, you are doing yourself no favors by skipping Forza Motorsport 7!

2) Super Mario Odyssey

Yes believe it or not...Super Mario Odyssey only made the #2 spot this year! Surprisingly, given how near perfect this game truly is. This is Mario brought into the next-generation, and a perfect example of why Super Mario is still relevant. The worlds feel alive and organic, Mario controls flawlessly, and the platforming elements once again ensure Nintendo's absolute dominance over the platformer essentials! The music is so beautiful that you will often forget you are playing, and the worlds Nintendo has designed so beautifully the worlds, that you can spend hours getting lost in Mario's new world! Every little detail is polished so well, that you can enjoy the game just fooling around just as much as progressing through the main quests. This is a platformer perfected, and in a year of terrible, underwhelming platformers, Mario once again reigns as champion! So you wonder...what game could remain better than Super Mario Odyssey, and take the title of best 2017 game?

1) Assasins Creed: Origins

It was no contest at all! Ubisoft's Assasins Creed: Origins is the 2017 Game Of The Year!!! Every moment of this adventure will turn you into an addict! The Egyptian worlds are photo-realistically rendered to perfection! Combat is smoother than silk and the storyline is both exciting and engaging! Every action you perform as a warrior holds weight and consequence. The boss fights are stunning to behold, and this game is the overlord of all open-world video games! It will take you months to explore all this game has to offer with a single playthrough, as Ubisoft has accurately re-created Egypt down to the last detail in stunning 4K resolution! Assassinations are more powerful, deadlier, and sexier than ever before! Where Assasins Creed Unity fell flat on its sword, Origins delivers the knock-out blow! This is the action game to define the entire industry! No open-world release will ever be the same after Origins, because this game single handedly stole the crown from GTAV and has reset the bar!