2017 - One of the most insane years in the history of gaming

[Xeogred]

Let's discuss 2017 as we near the 4th quarter.

New Nintendo Console
New Zelda
New Mario
New Metroid
New Nintendo IP's
New Sony IP's
New Xbox hardware
Japanese devs making a big comeback and hitting it big again
Mario and Rabbits somehow happened and is apparently great
A good 2D Sonic game that could quite possibly be the best of them all
A sequel to Nier somehow got made, supposedly saved Platinum's reputation and blew away Square's sales expectations
Two Yakuza games released
Knack 2 exists and is apparently great
Wolfenstein is still relevant in 2017
Resident Evil revamped and did very well
New Y's game
New Persona game
Secret of Mana remake
Crash Bandicoot is back

Got any to add to the list?

[PartridgeSenpai]

Not to rain on the parade too much, but what I have heard of Knack 2 is that it's better than the first game, but not great. It still turns into a slog in the 2nd half and Knack is still a difficult character to care about. This is all hearsay mind you, so perhaps you'll enjoy Knack 2. I don't really have the interest to shell out the muns they want for it.

I suppose a couple more:

-The explosive emergence of the Battle Royale genre with PUBG's success (which recently hit ONE MILLION concurrent players on Steam)
-Destiny 2 came out and is apparently everything the first game should've been (dumb lootboxes for stuff you used to unlock for free aside)
-(Even though you didn't really care for it, Xeo) Horizon Zero Dawn has been heralded as one of the greatest game in its genre, and it came out this year.
-2017 has also for sure been the year of the lootbox. I'm not sure if Overwatch was the first one to ever do them, but they damn sure did make them popular last year, and this year like every damn new game that comes out has them. Because why just sell people cosmetic DLC up front when you can exploit gambling psychology to get them to buy stuff they don't want on purpose? Definitely one of the worst things to come out of this year.

[Reprise]

Hmm, let's see.

The release two games that I feel safe in describing as some of my favourite games of all time:

- NieR Automata
- Zelda: BotW (and best Zelda game ever? It's a close one and it's probably the best 3D Zelda)

The release of probably the greatest Sonic game of all time, that easily rivals the Genesis/MD originals:

- Sonic Mania

The release of a Nintendo handheld that for once feels like a stylish, impressive piece of kit, instead of a plastic toy, and also doubles up as a home console:

The Switch


Yup, 2017 has been awesome so far and I've barely even scratched the surface.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Dude Loot boxes have been a thing for over 5 years, with sports games using them as collectible card packs, team fortress 2 with on game boxes, hearthstone and cracking some packs. This practice has been going on for a very very long time in games and is not a bad thing. Having to pay to open a loot box is bad, yes, but there is nothing inherently wrong with earning a box that when you open it gives you new cosmetic gear.

[PartridgeSenpai]

Dude Loot boxes have been a thing for over 5 years, with sports games using them as collectible card packs, team fortress 2 with on game boxes, hearthstone and cracking some packs. This practice has been going on for a very very long time in games and is not a bad thing. Having to pay to open a loot box is bad, yes, but there is nothing inherently wrong with earning a box that when you open it gives you new cosmetic gear.

We've already gone back and forth until blue in the face on the Slack about this so I'm going to resist the urge to pour a lot into this. Micro-transactions that use well-tested psychological gambling tricks to get you to keep buying for the thing you want, especially in full-price games, are shit. I'll leave it at that.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Dude Loot boxes have been a thing for over 5 years, with sports games using them as collectible card packs, team fortress 2 with on game boxes, hearthstone and cracking some packs. This practice has been going on for a very very long time in games and is not a bad thing. Having to pay to open a loot box is bad, yes, but there is nothing inherently wrong with earning a box that when you open it gives you new cosmetic gear.

We've already gone back and forth until blue in the face on the Slack about this so I'm going to resist the urge to pour a lot into this. Micro-transactions that use well-tested psychological gambling tricks to get you to keep buying for the thing you want, especially in full-price games, are shit. I'll leave it at that.

But a loot box is not a microtransaction. In the game you referenced, being overwatch, you get loot boxes when you level. Loot boxes are as old as time really. When you are doing enemy drop rates in an mmo, searching for Pokemon, that is just a nonbox version of loot boxes.

As for this year being one of the best, absolutely!

We are experiencing such amazing AAA games like breath of the wild, horizon zero dawn, Yakuza zero, persona 5, nier automata, splatoon 2, Mario x rabbids. Not to mention the bevy of indy games like Edith Finch, Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, Sonic Mania (I'm calling that indy) and on and on. Even the games that have been out for a year plus have had renewed support like overwatch and their new characters and No Man's Sky which finally have us a polished product!

Heck we saw the launch of a new Nintendo console that is genuinely awesome! Good times all around.

[Sarge]

Honestly, I think there have been better years. I've bought less games than I have in years. My PS4 and Switch go unused for large amounts of time. I'll give props to Breath of the Wild, but even it isn't quite what I like out of my Zelda games (but is still utterly fantastic).

There are certainly great games being released, but the industry continually diverges from what I like to play. Maybe I change my opinion after Metroid and Super Mario Odyssey, though. And whenever I get around to picking up Ys; I was a bit disappointed by Celceta.

[ElkinFencer10]

There have been years with releases that were more exciting to some folks, but I'd say in terms of the number of beloved IPs getting new titles and the breadth of the hardware and software releases - especially considering that this isn't a new-generation launch year - is remarkable. It may not be THE most exciting or significant year for gaming, but I think it's fair to say that it's one of them.

[Sarge]

Yeah, probably true. I'm not trying to be too negative here, and there's still more to come. There's still room for a turnaround in my heart.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Yeah, probably true. I'm not trying to be too negative here, and there's still more to come. There's still room for a turnaround in my heart.

No worries! I totally understand your perspective. I think that also life events can effect our determination of the best year for gaming. I know that I have had a lot more time this year to play games than I have had in a LONG time, so I see all the potential and have been able to experience it first hand.