Editor-in-Chief Adam Roffel – Favorite Game, Most Played Games of 2017

The year is coming to a close, and although I didn’t do my annual game of the year poll like I usually do, I thought I would lay down my Game of the Year, as well as my most played games this year. Lets dive in and check them out!

Most Played Games of 2017

ARK: Survival Evolved – despite the bugs and the controversy around the company releasing a paid expansion before having the game out of early access, I got to say that ARK was one of my favorite games of 2017. I’ve been consistently playing ARK all year long, always in multiplayer with my brother-in-law. ARK isn’t the game I would want to play alone, but with a buddy by my side, it’s a phenomenal experience. If you relish gaming with friends and family online, and enjoy the survival video game genre, ARK is a title you won’t want to pass up on!

Horizon Zero Dawn – Of all the new franchises and characters introduced in 2017, I think Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn deserves a huge shout out! Of all the franchises mentioned in this article, this is the one I’m most excited about going forward. With a great story line, outstanding characters arcs, and a ton of in game content available in the base game and the expansions, Horizon Zero Dawn was easily the best title on PlayStation 4 this year, and will be a huge franchise for the company moving forward!

The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo hit it out of the park in 2017, and probably will get my honours for the top publisher in 2017. With so many great games, it was hard to choose which was going to be my Game of the Year – spoiler, it is a Nintendo title! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild just barely didn’t make my GOTY cut, although it definitely gave the winner a run for its money. This is easily my second favorite game of 2017, and one that any open world adventure genre fan will thoroughly enjoy!

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle – I’m not usually one for tactical turn based experiences, but when you match the cuteness of Rabbids with the juggernaut that is Mario, it’s an experience that begs to be played. And frankly, I’m really glad I did, because Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was one of my biggest surprise experiences of 2017. I know Ubisoft can do great work, but I’ve never been a huge fan of the Rabbid titles. However, seeing Nintendo hand off one of their properties to a third party developer ultimately gave me the confidence I needed: Nintendo only publishes great stuff, so I knew the pressure was on Ubisoft to deliver. And they definitely did!

Assassin’s Creed Origins – Sticking with Ubisoft for a second, it would be hard not to mention Assassin’s Creed Origins as one of my favorite games of 2017. From start to finish, the country of Egypt was amazing, and exploring it was a real treat. Throw in a solid story of regret and revenge, and you understand why Ubisoft took a year off to perfect this masterpiece!

Game of the Year – 2017

Nintendo was easily publisher of the year in 2017, consistently following up great titles with other, great titles. From Breath of the Wild, to Mario Kart, to Splatoon 2, and into October, Nintendo wasn’t missing a single beat. And, until October, they hadn’t dropped their juggernaut yet: a return to 3D Mario adventures in Super Mario Odyssey, my game of the year for 2017.

My decision to go with Mario over Zelda probably comes down to which franchise I had a bigger love for, and ultimately, that honour goes to the plumber. I’ve been playing Mario titles since I was very young, and to see elements of past Mario games come to life in Super Mario Odyssey was enough to put it over the top, in my opinion. From star to finish, Super Mario Odyssey is a phenomenal experience with very few low points. The pacing is great, the number of moons required to move forward in the game is just right, and the game is filled with unique locations to explore and play in. A lot of love went into Super Mario Odyssey, and it was a game fans have been asking for, for a long, long time!

Congratulations to Nintendo on getting my own 2017 Game of the Year award for Super Mario Odyssey! What was yours?