Our Favourite Games of 2017 | The Nobbies
2017 was a very interesting year and one of the best years of the current generation of gaming. With revivals of classic platformers and a plethora of games in every genre, to an explosion in popularity for battle royale games such as PUBG and Fortnite, topped off with the infamous controversy surrounding loot boxes in almost every big game this year.
While we mainly cover racing games such as Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, The Crew and Forza, we’re not limited to just racing games. In fact, we have played tons of games throughout the year (some of which before our website launched, and others we’ve not had time to review) and would like to share our opinions on some of the best games we played in 2017.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Cory: Horizon Zero Dawn hands down is the Game of the Year for me. It was a tremendous and ambitious surprise from Guerrilla Games who are known for making the first-person shooter series Killzone, a very linear and scripted experience, to making an open world third person action RPG.
With fresh and familiar game mechanics, Horizon feels right at home for those who have played games like The Witcher 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter or the Far Cry series. It's easily accessible to many but tough to master, requiring players to learn the weaknesses of all the different types of machines in order to deal the most damage - resulting in some very intense and satisfying fights with machines as tall as buildings.
Theo: Horizon Zero Dawn pretty much started off the year as a seriously big surprise. After I’d been disappointed by the latest Killzone, Shadow Fall, from the same developer (after falling in love with the first three), Horizon Zero Dawn re-affirmed Guerrilla Games into my top developers list.
Need for Speed Payback
Cory: Need for Speed Payback was the game I was the most excited for throughout 2017. It fixed a lot of what was wrong with Need for Speed (2015) - such as the driving physics, lack of day time / customization options for certain cars, always-online, car diversity - and took the series into a completely new direction with an action-packed, narrative-driven focus.
Payback does have some major flaws which let down the experience, mainly online free-roam and cop chases. Ghost Games have promised plenty of updates throughout 2018, with online free-roam being it's biggest priority, so we're hopeful they have plenty to add that can bring players back.
Theo: Need for Speed Payback is my top racer of the year, the year seemed like it’d be an insane year for racers… which eventually turned out to not be the case. Although Payback was a huge step for Need for Speed, it still had some glaring issues. Mainly the lack of online free-roam… which will be fixed this year, but I almost feel it’s a little late.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Cory: There’s something strangely addicting to PUBG, which has made it my most played PC game yet with over 200+ hours put into it throughout the year.
It’s a very basic game in terms of concept but one that manages to put you and your squad on edge, making you think tactically and strategically when it comes to planning your next move, never knowing what might be waiting around each corner. It provides that sense of adrenaline each time you engage in combat, especially closer to endgame when it’s you versus a handful of others in an ever-shrinking play zone.
There's a risk/reward element involved too, landing at certain spots or going for an airdrop will result in tons of players desperately trying to fight you and come out on top, or could provide you and your squad with strong gear and several kills to your name to. Not to mention that craving desire for a chicken dinner which constantly brings you back for just "one more game”.
Assassin's Creed Origins
Cory: Two years in a row, Ubisoft have managed to both surprise me and exceed my expectations with their big fall games (Watch Dogs 2 being the first game). I’m not much of an Assassin’s Creed fan, with my favourites being 2 and Black Flag, however Origins has managed to take that number one spot for me after the 65 hours I’ve spent in it.
Origins has completely overhauled the series in a way that was needed to make it feel fresh and new after the decade the AC franchise has been going on for. Assassin's Creed games visits unique time periods and settings, and Egypt is the most unique one they've chosen yet. The world is alive and vibrant, taking notes out of The Witcher 3’s book - filling it with side-quest content and diverse locations to visit packed with life in every square inch. If you’re yet to play Origins, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Gran Turismo Sport
Cory: I’ve never been much of a Gran Turismo fan growing up as simulation and track racing games were never my interest, though GT Sport has made me reconsider.
While the game does have issues and changes up stuff compared to previous GT games in terms of the mainly online focus (which they seem to be remedying with free content updates), there are a ton of positives to the game. The core gameplay is smooth, visuals are top-notch, car sounds are a step up above prior games in the series, campaign challenges are fun to compete against friends, Scapes is one of the best photo modes in a video-game yet, and the daily workouts are a rewarding incentive to login in each day and race (even if they are a bit TOO rewarding).
Theo: Gran Turismo returned to dominate the track racing genre and did so gracefully. Re-building the game from the ground up, including all of it’s car models, it gave players of GT what they’d been begging to see for years. It ended 2017 by giving players highly requested cars and single player progression, tasty. The only other big competitor for the year basically ended up being Pißwasser so.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Cory: Ask any of the nobeds and they’ll tell you Uncharted is one of my favourite series (besides Ratchet & Clank). Not only was it surprising to see a new Uncharted so soon after Uncharted 4 wrapped things up, but that was it considerably lengthy and meaty for the experience it delivered. Lost Legacy was a new story starring fan-favourite Chloe Frazer, but also a culmination of Naughty Dog’s action-packed moments and character-driven storytelling over the past decade of Uncharted. You can read my Uncharted Lost Legacy review here.
Crash Bandicoot: The N’Sane Trilogy
Cory: If you’re in your early twenties or late teens like me, you would have grown up with the Crash Bandicoot games. Replaying the original Naughty Dog-developed trilogy earlier this year was a huge blast from the past, reminding me of my love for classic yet difficult 3D platformers. While I didn’t get the chance to review it, you can read my first impressions here.
As we begin 2018, we’d like to thank everyone who has helped our small little website and community grow throughout the last 6 or so months. We’ve got big plans for the website this year, and tomorrow, will also be sharing our most anticipated games of 2018, so keep an eye out for that!