{"id":21499,"date":"2017-12-29T08:55:58","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T22:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=21499"},"modified":"2017-12-29T18:22:50","modified_gmt":"2017-12-29T08:22:50","slug":"top-ten-video-games-of-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=21499","title":{"rendered":"Top Ten Video Games of 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2017gamesheader\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2<\/span>017 was one of the best years ever for video games.\u00a0 The best since 2007.\u00a0 Which itself was the best since 1997.\u00a0 There must be something in the waters when it comes to video games and this milestone because there were more good video games that came out in the last twelve months than any one person could hope to play.<\/p>\n

The year started with Resident Evil 7 and Yakuza 0 in January and didn’t let up from there.\u00a0 Every month saw a handful of great new game released to market with the breadth of quality games reaching far and wide.\u00a0 There was something new and enjoyable to play on everything from the Playstation 4, to the Xbox One, to the PC and to the Switch.<\/p>\n

Ah, the Nintendo Switch.\u00a0 It’s hard to be believe its not even a year old yet.\u00a0 In 2017, Nintendo stormed back into prominence with their latest piece of hardware – a system that blurred the lines between a home console and portable device.\u00a0 The system launched with Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em>, a game with a Metacritic score that marks it as one of the best ever made – and Nintendo never looked back from there.\u00a0 It’s a fitting tribute to Nintendo’s late president Satoru Iwata, who oversaw the development of the Switch but unfortunately didn’t live to see its eventual success.<\/p>\n

The video game industry is humming in a sweet spot right now.\u00a0 The Playstation 4 and Xbox One have both been out for four years and both systems have a generous catalogue of great games, many of which you can pick up for dirt cheap.\u00a0 Playstation VR has also quietly plugged along, selling a couple of million units and there are plenty of great games on the device now.\u00a0 I think there’s probably another good 12-18 months of this current gaming climate to enjoy and then my guess would be that in 2019, either Sony or Microsoft will make the first move and announce a successor to the current systems on the market.<\/p>\n

Video games:\u00a0 They’re pretty great.\u00a0 They’ve never looked better.\u00a0 There’s something for everyone.\u00a0 It’s a good time to be playing video games.<\/p>\n

On that note, here are my ten favourite games of 2017.<\/p>\n

\"2017botw\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nintendo,\u00a0Nintendo Switch
\n<\/em>GAME OF THE YEAR<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Breath of the Wild<\/em> was an important video game for Nintendo.\u00a0 It’s not an exaggeration to say the fortunes of the company rested heavily on the success of its latest Zelda title.\u00a0 The Wii U had been an absolute disaster for Nintendo and their new system – the Switch – was launching with only a handful of games, of which Breath of the Wild<\/em>\u00a0was undoubtedly in the spotlight.\u00a0 It needed to deliver.<\/p>\n

Nine\u00a0months later, its safe to say that the game did exactly what it needed to do.\u00a0 The Nintendo Switch is a huge success, selling nearly ten million units by the end of 2017.\u00a0\u00a0Breath of the Wild<\/em> was a critical and commercial success, giving the long-standing series a much-needed shot in the arm.<\/p>\n

I put over eighty hours into\u00a0Breath of the Wild<\/em>.\u00a0 The game entertained and surprised me from its opening minutes to the very final battle with Calamity Ganon.\u00a0 I played a ton of amazing games in 2017 but none of them were finer that\u00a0Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em>.\u00a0 It was truly something special.<\/p>\n

Full Review<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"2017odyssey\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Super Mario Odyssey<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nintendo,\u00a0Nintendo Switch<\/em>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

In any other year,\u00a0Super Mario Odyssey<\/em> is my Game of the Year.\u00a0 Which just speaks to what a ridiculously\u00a0stacked software lineup\u00a0Nintendo had in 2017 for the Switch.<\/p>\n

Super Mario Odyssey<\/em> is a sensational 3D platformer starring Nintendo’s signature character and is a spiritual successor to the classic\u00a0Super Mario 64<\/em>.\u00a0 In Odyssey<\/em>, Mario navigates a variety of different worlds, collecting moons to power his airship with his new pal Cappy.\u00a0 Each level is a wide-open sandbox style environment\u00a0where finding a moon or completing an objective can lead to the environment transforming and unveiling new areas to explore.<\/p>\n

Depending on how you look at it,\u00a0Super Mario Odyssey<\/em> has only one power up for Mario, or fifty.\u00a0 The star of the game is Cappy, a sentient hat that Mario can toss onto enemies which allows him to possess their bodies and absorb their abilities.\u00a0 As you can imagine, the possibilities feel limitless.\u00a0 One could tell how confident Nintendo was in this new feature as they give you a goddamn tyrannosaurus to possess in one of the first levels of the game.\u00a0 It’s a statement of intent.\u00a0\u00a0If you think this is crazy, just wait till you see what’s next.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>What’s next includes Mario transforming into a caterpillar, a bird, a bolt of electricity and even a slab of meat (!).<\/p>\n

The controls in\u00a0Super Mario Odyssey<\/em>\u00a0are razor sharp.\u00a0 The levels are superbly designed, chock full of secret nooks and crannies to discover.\u00a0 The fan service is reverent and taps into the series’ rich history in a way that will enthrall anyone that has played a Mario game in the last thirty years.<\/p>\n

It’s the best Mario game in a decade.\u00a0 A must play.<\/p>\n

\"2017horizon\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Horizon: Zero Dawn<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Guerilla Games,\u00a0<\/em>Playstation 4
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

I think the concept art (pictured above) sells the game better than I ever could.\u00a0 Imagine being a crossbow wielding warrior on horseback, drawing your weapon on a gigantic mechanical dino-bird in a post apocalyptic planet Earth.\u00a0 This is why we play video games, right?<\/p>\n

Guerilla Games dreamed big with the proof of concept for their ambitious new title and happily,\u00a0it delivered the goods.\u00a0\u00a0Horizon<\/em> draws players into a gorgeous future-Earth landscape (its my pick for best looking game of 2017) and tasks players with guiding an orphaned outcast named Aloy through a world populated by mechanical dinosaurs and warring tribes of humans.<\/p>\n

I like pretty much everything about Horizon<\/em>.\u00a0 The characters and world building in this game is a refreshing change from the video game norm.\u00a0 The combat is absolutely amazing and really comes into its own with some of the later battles with the larger beasts which take a lot<\/em> to bring down.\u00a0 The difficulty curve is just right.\u00a0 Lastly, it spins a good yarn, with a story that asks many questions and actually answers most of them by the time the credits rolled.<\/p>\n

Horizon: Zero Dawn<\/em> deserves every bit of success that comes its way.\u00a0 I look forward to the next chapter immensely.<\/p>\n

Full Review<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"2017yakuzazero\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yakuza Zero<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sega,\u00a0<\/em>Playstation 4
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

I’ve followed the fortunes of Yakuza<\/em> creator Toshihiro Nagoshi for years.\u00a0 Back when he made Super Monkey Ball<\/em>\u00a0for the Gamecube and wrote about his whisky habit in\u00a0Edge<\/em> magazine over a decade ago.\u00a0 I’ve played and enjoyed each chapter of his storied\u00a0Yakuza<\/em> franchise which first arrived on Western shores in 2006.<\/p>\n

But every game series will go through its peaks and troughs and after Yakuza 5<\/em>, a solid but hardly inspired effort, I thought Nagoshi-san had done all he could with the series.<\/p>\n

How wrong I was.\u00a0 By going back to where it all started and creating a prequel set in the Eighties,\u00a0Yakuza<\/em> is back and as good as it ever has been.<\/p>\n

Yakuza Zero\u00a0<\/em>tells the story of how the Dragon of Dojima, Kazuma Kiryu, came to be.\u00a0 It is an absolutely riveting Japanese crime caper, filled with twists and turns and high melodrama.\u00a0 This is supplemented with an absolute goldmine of gameplay to enjoy.\u00a0 The basic combat is as crunchy and satisfying as its always been (slow motion fists to the face, using your environment as a weapon etc.).\u00a0 The side quests are some of the funniest and most outrageous I’ve ever played in a video game.\u00a0 There’s a real estate management mini game.\u00a0 A cabaret management mini game.\u00a0 Playable arcade Sega games from the Eighties.\u00a0 Collectable cards.\u00a0 A fight club tournament.\u00a0 Mahjong.\u00a0 Karaoke.\u00a0 Dancing.\u00a0 Dating.\u00a0 Whisky drinking.\u00a0 You will never run out of things to do in this game.<\/p>\n

But much like\u00a0Grand Theft Auto: Vice City<\/em>, one of the best things about\u00a0Yakuza Zero<\/em> is the setting itself.\u00a0 No matter what you’re doing, its made all the more enjoyable because its set against the backdrop of the Eighties with its incredible hairstyles, bright neon lights and fantastic outfits.<\/p>\n

\"2017splatoon2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Splatoon 2<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nintendo EAD, Nintendo Switch<\/em>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Two years ago, Nintendo made this great online shooter called\u00a0Splatoon<\/em>.\u00a0 You played as these zany looking kids with colourful hair who could transform into squids (you heard me).\u00a0 Each level pits four on four as they engage in the mother of all paintball contests.\u00a0 The whole thing played great, was coated in this quite magnificent Nineties aesthetic and it had an absolutely bitchin’ soundtrack.\u00a0 But here’s the thing.\u00a0 It was released exclusively on the Wii U which was owned by me and about a dozen other people in the world.<\/p>\n

The good news is that Nintendo bounced back and their new system, the Switch, is a roaring success.\u00a0 So it was only right that Nintendo published a successor to\u00a0Splatoon<\/em> which had even more levels, new weapons and a bunch of new modes, to give the game the audience that it deserves.<\/p>\n

If you own a Switch, after you’re done with Mario and Zelda, you should probably check out\u00a0Splatoon 2<\/em>.\u00a0 You won’t regret it.<\/p>\n

\"2017superhot\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Superhot VR<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

SUPERHOT Team,\u00a0<\/em>Playstation 4
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

When considering the potential for what VR can offer video game enthusiasts, ‘an interactive recreation of the\u00a0Matrix<\/em> shoot outs’ is a pretty good elevator pitch if you ask me.\u00a0 This is exactly what\u00a0Superhot VR<\/em> is.\u00a0 As far as I know, this is the first ever virtual reality first person shooter puzzle game.<\/p>\n

The mechanics work like this:\u00a0\u00a0the bullets in the world only move when you do.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Say a level starts where you’re in a stand off with three armed gangsters.\u00a0 You might fire your gun at the first guy, whilst dropping your shoulder in slow motion, watching the bullet whizz by\u00a0right in front of your face<\/em>.\u00a0 It you successfully dodged it, you’ll slowly turn to your side and fire two more rounds at the other guys, dropping them both in one smooth, super cool action sequence.<\/p>\n

VR is an exciting new frontier that offers so much potential.\u00a0\u00a0Superhot<\/em> is one of those games that delivers on a sliver of that.<\/p>\n

\"2017unchartedlostlegacy\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Uncharted: Lost Legacy<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Naughty Dog,\u00a0<\/em>Playstation 4
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Is this the last ever\u00a0Uncharted<\/em> game?\u00a0 I’m not so sure.\u00a0 Last year Naughty Dog retired protagonist Nathan Drake in\u00a0Uncharted 4<\/em> and with this spin-off,\u00a0Lost Legacy<\/em>, they’ve given Chloe Fraser and Nadine Ross the chance to shine as the new leads.<\/p>\n

You know what?\u00a0 It works a treat.\u00a0\u00a0Lost Legacy<\/em> was put together in just twelve short months (a phenomenal achievement) and what it offers is a lean, mean\u00a0Uncharted\u00a0<\/em>experience which might be just the ticket for many fans of the series who struggled with\u00a0Uncharted 4<\/em>‘s occasionally laboured pace.\u00a0 Exploring ancient ruins, discovering treasure, fighting goons and hanging off the side of moving vehicles.\u00a0 All the classic\u00a0Uncharted<\/em> tropes are here.\u00a0 Only it takes half the time it usually does to see it through from start to finish.<\/p>\n

I thought I had my fill of\u00a0Uncharted<\/em> but after\u00a0Lost Legacy<\/em> I’m not so sure.\u00a0 There are some great tresure hunting characters in the\u00a0Uncharted<\/em> series.\u00a0 I think I’d quite happily visit a few more exotic locales with them as they look for the next big score.<\/p>\n

\"2017cuphead\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cuphead<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

StudioMDHR,\u00a0Multi-platform [played on Xbox One]<\/em>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Timing is everything.\u00a0 After what felt like an eternity in development, StudioMDHR’s Cuphead<\/em> finally arrived on the Xbox One… just as almost all of Microsoft’s other high profile\u00a0exclusive titles\u00a0got delayed, cancelled and fell by the wayside.\u00a0 Alongside\u00a0Forza 7<\/em>,\u00a0Cuphead<\/em>\u00a0became an unlikely high profile holiday exclusive on Microsoft’s platform in 2017.<\/p>\n

The first thing that has to be said about\u00a0Cuphead<\/em> is that it looks like a work of art.\u00a0 Drawing inspiration from the art style of animated cartoons from the Nineteen Thirties, StudioMDHR absolutely nailed their visual and animation ambitions.\u00a0 If it takes four years to get Cuphead\u00a0<\/em><\/em>to look and run like a playable\u00a0Steamboat Willie<\/em> then so be it.<\/p>\n

Famously, the game is absolutely hard as nails.\u00a0 In some ways, this seems a pity.\u00a0 The game looks so gorgeous that I’d\u00a0prefer as many people as possible see every single stage that the developers cooked up.\u00a0 I still think the game should have a casual mode for that very reason.<\/p>\n

But if you’re up for the challenge,\u00a0Cuphead<\/em> is a delight.\u00a0 It is absolutely as brutally hard and unforgiving as you’ve heard, but the controls are pixel perfect,\u00a0there are unlimited lives and you respawn after death in just a fraction of a second.<\/p>\n

Cuphead<\/em>, particularly the later levels,\u00a0is a masochistic but enjoyable war of attrition where you record progress in inches, die a hell of a lot, and learn each level slowwwly.\u00a0 What feels impossible at first, becomes achievable over time.\u00a0 StudioMDHR keeps you on your toes by changing up the boss animations and the attack patterns too which helps keep things fresh.<\/p>\n

It was a long time coming but worth the wait.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"2017wolfenstein2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Machine Games, Multi-platform<\/em><\/p>\n

The New Colossus<\/em> is the much anticipated sequel to Machine Games’ excellent\u00a0Wolfenstein: The New Order<\/em>.\u00a0 It takes up where the previous game left off as Blazkowicz and his crew travel by U-Boat from Europe to America, hoping to liberate it from the Nazis.\u00a0 Just like\u00a0The New Order<\/em> before it,\u00a0this latest Wolfenstein<\/em>\u00a0is a thrilling shoot ’em up splatterfest.\u00a0 If you’re looking for a game where you get to lay waste to Nazis, a dozen at a time, then this is your game.\u00a0 But what elevates this series to new heights is the strong writing and voice acting.\u00a0 A surprising amount of care and attention is given to the narrative in\u00a0Wolfenstein II <\/em>and\u00a0Machine Games has really found its voice with The New Colossus<\/em>.\u00a0 The game has a distinct narrative style that is wildly erratic in tone.\u00a0 The game leans hard into some very dark subject matter and then veers away with some unexpected, over-the-top comedy, often in the same breathe.<\/p>\n

I cannot believe some of the stunts they pull in this game.\u00a0 There are about three sequences in\u00a0The New Colossus<\/em> that had my jaw on the floor.\u00a0 To best enjoy\u00a0Wolfenstein II<\/em> it is vital to come in unspoiled.\u00a0 It is a bombastic action game for the ages.<\/p>\n

\"2017edithfinch\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What Remains Of Edith Finch<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Giant Sparrow, Multi-platform<\/em><\/p>\n

Edith Finch goes back to her family home.\u00a0 She belongs to the Finches, ‘America’s Most Unfortunate Family’.\u00a0 With each generation, every family member dies an untimely early death with only one family member surviving long enough to have children to carry on the Finch lineage.\u00a0 Edith visits the Finch estate to learn about the curse, her family members and what the future holds.<\/p>\n

What Remains Of Edith Finch<\/em> is a smartly written, tightly constructed work.\u00a0 It has a narration from Edith that runs right through the game and\u00a0this gives it the details and pacing of a short story or novella.\u00a0 It also employs a lot of narrative devices more commonly seen in books too.\u00a0 A lot of what the player sees and hears in\u00a0What Remains<\/em> is a metaphor for the Finch family members lives and aspirations.\u00a0 Very little of what we see before us is intended to be interpreted literally.<\/p>\n

What Remains<\/em>\u00a0charts a narrative arc through subjects as dark as infanticide, drug addiction and suicide.\u00a0 And yet the sum of its parts isn’t nearly as bleak or morbid as that might sound.\u00a0 Instead, it manages to be something else entirely.\u00a0 Introspective, quietly thought-provoking and haunting.<\/p>\n

It is a remarkable achievement in this medium and there is very little else like it.\u00a0 It probably won’t win many ‘Best of the Year’ awards but I can imagine\u00a0What Remains of Edith Finch<\/em> being the type of game that still gets talked about, ten, twenty years from now.<\/p>\n

Honourable Mentions<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"snesthumb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Super Nintendo Mini Classic Games Library<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/em>Nintendo did a lot of great stuff in 2017 but if I’m honest, the best thing they probably did was releasing the Super Nintendo Classic Mini.\u00a0 A pint-sized replica of the Super Nintendo (my favourite console of all time), it came loaded with twenty one classic titles.\u00a0 It is absolutely amazing having this device on hand so that I can easily replay the best of the SNES without having to fiddle around with emulators or finding an old tv that my original can still hook up to.\u00a0 I recently replayed\u00a0Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: Link To The Past<\/em> and\u00a0Donkey Kong Country <\/em>all through to completion.\u00a0 In my mind, they’re as good as it gets.<\/p>\n

Pyre\u00a0[Playstation 4]<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Pyre<\/em> is a fantasy RPG-themed version of NBA Jam<\/em>.\u00a0 Weird, right?\u00a0 To this day I still struggle a bit to wrap my head around how to play this game\u00a0but I admire its ambition and the actually story line itself is pretty enjoyable.<\/p>\n

Puyo Puyo Tetris [Nintendo Switch]<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 <\/em>Two of the best puzzle games of all time in one, attractive package.\u00a0 Sure it’s possible to buy this game on other formats but if you get it on Switch, you have portable Puyo Puyo<\/em>.\u00a0 The multiplayer mode is a hoot.<\/p>\n

Picross S\u00a0[Nintendo Switch]<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/em>portable Picross<\/em>!\u00a0 Hundreds of puzzles.\u00a0 For only $13!\u00a0 Maybe this should’ve been in the top ten as its probably the best value game of 2017.\u00a0 If you’ve ever been drawn into doing picross puzzles, you should absolutely get this game.\u00a0 If you haven’t, its probably time you discovered picross.<\/p>\n

Stardew Valley\u00a0[Nintendo Switch]<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/em>portable Stardew Valley<\/em>!!!\u00a0 My 2016 Game of the Year is now available on a wide variety of formats but the Switch is naturally the best of the bunch since you can now play it on tv, in the bed or out on the go.\u00a0 Still a great, great game.<\/p>\n

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim\u00a0[Nintendo Switch]<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/em>portable Skyrim<\/em>!!!!\u00a0 You get the idea.\u00a0 The beauty of the Nintendo Switch is that as its library continues to expand, we’re going to be treated to seeing some of the best video games become even more accessible than ever before.\u00a0\u00a0Skyrim<\/em> may be six years old but its still an amazing product to have on the go.\u00a0 This is also the Game of the Year edition so all the extra content is bundled in too.<\/p>\n

Biggest Disappointments<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"2017xboxones\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lack of Games on Xbox One<\/strong><\/p>\n

I bought one game on my Xbox One this year (Cuphead<\/em>).\u00a0 One!!!\u00a0 Microsoft had an absolutely abysmal year with their first party efforts (and third party exclusives for that matter) as major\u00a0titles\u00a0got delayed (Sea of Thieves, Crackdown 3<\/em>) or cancelled entirely (Scalebound<\/em>).\u00a0 I have to think that next year the situation will improve because it surely couldn’t get any worse.\u00a0 Longer term, Microsoft will have to do something more substantial to rectify this problem.\u00a0\u00a0Halo\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Gears of War<\/em> aren’t as popular as they once were and nothing new has really emerged to replace them.<\/p>\n

There was\u00a0an app that Microsoft released at the end of year which showed you how much you played your Xbox in 2017 and what your favourite games were.\u00a0 It turns out I played my Xbox a grand total of 12 hours in 2017 and spent most of my time on a game I got for free (Murdered: Soul Suspect<\/em>).\u00a0 It’s basically collecting dust at this stage.\u00a0 I really hope for better things in 2018.<\/p>\n

Loot Boxes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Loot boxes are random number generators that spit out the content you need to progress further in a game.\u00a0 By randomizing your chance of progression, video game publishers can entice players to pay real money instead to simply buy their way forward.\u00a0 In an effort to squeeze every last dollar out of customers, two publishers – Warner Bros and EA –\u00a0went in hard on loot boxes\u00a0this year with their flagship games.\u00a0 Players hated it and pushed back just as hard.\u00a0 It got so bad that some countries are exploring whether this could recategorize these games as gambling devices.\u00a0 Good job<\/em> Warner and EA.\u00a0 Hopefully the backlash will cause greedy publishers to think again in 2018.<\/p>\n

Nintendo Switch<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Switch is a great system and all but would it kill Nintendo to have Netflix run on this thing?\u00a0 Also, where’s the Virtual Console library at?<\/p>\n

4K Gaming Stumbles Out of the Gate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both Sony and Microsoft have entered the 4K gaming space with their premium consoles – Playstation 4 Pro and Xbox One X.\u00a0 To be honest, it’s been a bit of a mess.\u00a0 The Pro doesn’t play 4K Blu Rays.\u00a0 Neither system has games that are exclusively built from the ground up to run on 4K.\u00a0 There are some games that literally run\u00a0worse<\/em> on the premium system.\u00a0 There isn’t a standardized approach to what gets improved (some games its framerate, others its resolution, occasionally its both).\u00a0 Too expensive, too complicated and too unreliable.\u00a0 4K gaming is here but it hardly feels like an essential upgrade.<\/p>\n

Best Platform of the Year<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"2017switch\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s hard to imagine the video game industry without Nintendo but for a while there, they were really in a jam.\u00a0 The Wii U was a disaster of incredible proportions (selling approximately 10% of the total units achieved by the original Wii) and their ever reliable portable market – currently occupied by the Nintendo 3DS – was looking long in the tooth and losing market share to mobile games.\u00a0 When Nintendo went all in on a single device that functioned as both a home console and a portable, they\u00a0had<\/em> to succeed.<\/p>\n

Of course, the Switch came out firing with\u00a0Breath of the Wild<\/em> and the rest is history.<\/p>\n

It’s probably still too early to say if the Switch is guaranteed long term success but its certainly done the hard work.\u00a0 The Switch is a fantastic system which quickly built up an impressive library of great games and the word of mouth around the system is incredibly positive.\u00a0 Not only are they finding a wide audience with the system, it seems like they might have finally cracked the code and developed a platform where third party publishers get a share of that success too.\u00a0 There were plenty of positive sales stories going around in 2017 of publishers citing the Switch version of their games as having the best sales figures.\u00a0 We’re seeing the likes of Bethesda, THQ and Ubisoft throwing their support behind the console which bodes well for the future of the Switch.\u00a0 The number of great indie titles on the system can’t be understated either.<\/p>\n

But it all comes back to games and even though Sony had a fantastic year on their platform (Yakuza 0, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Persona 5<\/em>), Nintendo had an even better one thanks in large part to the double whammy of\u00a0Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em> and\u00a0Super Mario Odyssey<\/em>.\u00a0 A simply incredible line up for their first year.<\/p>\n

What does 2018 hold for Nintendo Switch?\u00a0 Well, we presumably will find out more about their plans for Virtual Console as well as their first foray into providing a paid online subscription service.\u00a0 And if we’re lucky – Metroid 4<\/em> and some news on a new\u00a0Animal Crossing<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Archives<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2016<\/a>
\nGame of the Year\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Stardew Valley\u00a0(Playstation 4)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Playstation 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2015<\/a>
\nGame of the Year\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0The Witcher 3\u00a0(Playstation 4)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Playstation 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2014<\/a>
\nGame of the Year\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Wii U<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2013<\/a>
\nGame of the Year\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0The Last Of Us (Playstation 3)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Playstation 3<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2012<\/a>
\nGame of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The Walking Dead<\/em>\u00a0(Xbox 360)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013\u00a0Xbox 360<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2011<\/a>
\nGame of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Clash of Heroes: Might and Magic (Xbox 360)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Xbox 360<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2010<\/a>
\nGame of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Xbox 360<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2009<\/a>
\nGame of the Year \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves (Playstation 3)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Playstation 3<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The ten best games of 2017. Also, a look at the best hardware and the most divisive games of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":21691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1801,15],"tags":[2640,2649,79,411,441,2618,1200,949,2687],"class_list":["post-21499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-of-the-year","category-blog","tag-breath-of-the-wild","tag-horizon-zero-dawn","tag-legend-of-zelda","tag-microsoft","tag-nintendo","tag-nintendo-switch","tag-playstation","tag-sony","tag-super-mario-odyssey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21499"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21749,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21499\/revisions\/21749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}