{"id":17423,"date":"2018-01-26T00:01:42","date_gmt":"2018-01-26T00:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=17423"},"modified":"2018-01-19T06:35:54","modified_gmt":"2018-01-19T06:35:54","slug":"carys-best-games-of-2017-awards-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/26\/carys-best-games-of-2017-awards-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Cary’s Best Games of 2017 Awards Show!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>2017 will probably go down as a very good year in gaming.\u00a0 We got a new 3-D Zelda game, a new 3-D Mario game, 2-D Sonic and Metroid games\u2026heck, we even technically got a new Animal Crossing game!\u00a0 Well, we also got a new Bubsy game, but let\u2019s try to stay positive.\u00a0 It was a way better year in gaming than 2016, anyway.\u00a0 So now it\u2019s time for my Best Games of 2017 Awards Show!\u00a0 Keep in mind that no outside opinions went into the making of this list.\u00a0 It\u2019s just my own picks.\u00a0 And if a game is missing from my list, it either didn\u2019t appeal to me as much, or I just simply haven\u2019t played it yet.\u00a0 Can\u2019t play all the games out there, you know!\u00a0 And I did kind of break the rules with my Game of the Year award, so expect some surprises.\u00a0 Anyway, let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n

BEST 3-D ADVENTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah I know, big surprise here.\u00a0 Actually as far as Zelda games go, this one was not one of my favorites.\u00a0 I really prefer my Zelda games to have actual dungeons, and not have to worry about weapons breaking after using them a couple of times (and honestly my favorite Zelda games are the 2-D ones).\u00a0 And really, this wasn\u2019t even a Zelda game at all.\u00a0 Sure it had Zelda elements, but it was really another game entirely, cleverly disguised as a Zelda game.\u00a0 But I do appreciate it for trying to be different, and it still held my interest for the 60 or so hours I put into it.\u00a0 So it gets the award.\u00a0 Can you guess my favorite character?<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know what you\u2019re thinking, \u201cWhoa!\u00a0 Cary!\u00a0 You didn\u2019t give this the award for best 3-D adventure?\u201d\u00a0 No, but that doesn\u2019t mean I hate Mario Odyssey.\u00a0 I liked it a lot as well, and it\u2019s a must-have game for Switch owners. \u00a0But I felt the game was a bit too short in the main quest, and while the initial post-game rewards were great, anything after wasn\u2019t as eventful.\u00a0 In the end, I felt it was a bit overhyped.\u00a0 Still great, though.\u00a0 I just enjoyed Zelda more.<\/p>\n

Splatoon 2 (Switch)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The original Splatoon was my Game of the Year back in 2015.\u00a0 The sequel is still a lot of fun, but since it\u2019s more of the same, it didn\u2019t have quite the impact on me like the first one did.\u00a0 I also felt some of the new modes were not as good as everyone says they are (like Salmon Run).\u00a0 Again, still a great sequel.<\/p>\n

Gravity Rush 2 (PS4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I played through the first game on Vita.\u00a0 While I didn\u2019t do the same on the PS4 sequel, it\u2019s still a fun title and I like the main character.\u00a0 And the worlds are more epic than the ones in Mario Odyssey.<\/p>\n

Ever Oasis (3DS)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s just a fun little 3-D action adventure game.\u00a0 I read it was made by the same guy who did Secret of Mana!<\/p>\n

Ys 8 (PS4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love the Ys series.\u00a0 While I think I enjoyed Ys Seven more, Ys 8 does a great job of making you feel like a castaway on an island, and it\u2019s full of adventure.\u00a0 Don\u2019t pass it up!<\/p>\n

LEGO City: Undercover (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

It seems that we\u2019ve had a resurgence of 3-D platforming adventures this year.\u00a0 LEGO City: Undercover is one of the better LEGO games I\u2019ve played.\u00a0 Technically it\u2019s been out for a while on the Wii U, but now that that system is dead, they\u2019ve released it on all the current consoles this year, and I played it on the PS4, so it goes on the list.\u00a0 It\u2019s like a family-friendly LEGO filled GTA title, and it\u2019s a lot of fun.\u00a0 I liked it so much I bought the 3DS prequel.<\/p>\n

LEGO Worlds (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

A lot of people say it\u2019s LEGO Minecraft, but I think it plays more like the Toy Box from Disney Infinity.\u00a0 But it\u2019s still a pretty creative little game and nice to see a LEGO property that\u2019s based on the toys and not a movie parody.\u00a0 I should also give props to the LEGO Dimensions packs I\u2019ve been reviewing because they\u2019re what\u2019s keeping me from unplugging my Wii U and putting it away.<\/p>\n

RIME (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This neat little 3-D puzzle platformer is similar to games like Ico and The Last Guardian, with Zelda-like dungeon puzzles.\u00a0 It also has one of the saddest endings in a video game that I\u2019ve ever played!\u00a0 Make sure you have a tissue handy before beating it!<\/p>\n

Yooka-Laylee (PS4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It certainly isn\u2019t perfect, as it has some control, camera, and level design issues, but Yooka-Laylee is still a nice tribute to the Banjo-Kazooie games.<\/p>\n

BEST 2-D ADVENTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I also enjoyed this game more than Mario Odyssey.\u00a0 It was nice to see a 2-D Metroid again, even if it was a remake and the backgrounds were on the bland side (I prefer sprites).\u00a0 But I thoroughly enjoyed this game from start to finish.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad they did remake Metroid 2 since that\u2019s one of the few I haven\u2019t played much of.\u00a0 I hope they get to do more new 2-D Metroids in the future.<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hey! Pikmin (3DS)<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot of Pikmin fans hated this game, but I loved it.\u00a0 But then, I\u2019m not a big fan of the regular Pikmin titles.\u00a0 It kind of reminded me a bit of Kirby Mass Attack.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t very hard, but it was still quite an enjoyable little game.<\/p>\n

Sonic Mania (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not a big fan of most Sonic games, but this one played most like Sonic 3, which is one of the few I liked, so I enjoyed this one, too.\u00a0 Only stumbling block I had is it only lets you save before the first act of each world.\u00a0 So if you make it to the end boss of an act and lose all your lives, you have to start from two acts before.\u00a0 I know older games were like this, but I\u2019m an adult now and don\u2019t have as much time to play games over and over like I used to.\u00a0 Limiting how you can save your game is one thing from retro games that needs to die.<\/p>\n

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

It looks and plays like a 16-bit Zelda game such as Link to the Past.\u00a0 This game is shorter and more linear and doesn\u2019t control as well, but I still enjoyed it for what it was.<\/p>\n

WEIRDEST GAME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (Switch)<\/strong><\/p>\n

So two things make this game weird.\u00a0 One, obviously it mixes Mario and Rabbids characters.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also a tactical strategy game, a genre that Mario hasn\u2019t been in yet.\u00a0 I\u2019m not a big fan of those kinds of games, but this one was surprisingly fun and of high quality.\u00a0 A must have for Switch owners.<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1, 2 Switch (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s just a mini-game collection and it should\u2019ve been a pack-in game with the Switch in the first place.\u00a0 But it\u2019s how they presented it and some of the things you must do that make it really weird.\u00a0 Like holding the controller near your mouth and moving your mouth up and down to eat a bunch of sandwiches, or rocking the Switch screen to put a baby to sleep!<\/p>\n

Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop (3DS)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Cooking Mama games have been around for a while, but I still say they\u2019re weird.\u00a0 I mean, a cooking game?\u00a0 Come on.<\/p>\n

GNOG (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This game is so weird that I don\u2019t think I could describe it well in my review.\u00a0 It\u2019s a puzzle game where you must push buttons and switches and levers in a particular order in little lunchbox like toy things that look like those baby activity centers you hook on the side of a crib.\u00a0 And it was published by Double Fine, too.<\/p>\n

SnipperClips Plus (Switch)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t played much of this game apart from the demo, as it is best played with two people.\u00a0 But you are two pieces of paper that can cut out each other by overlapping them and pressing a button, and using the new shapes you create to solve puzzles and perform tasks.\u00a0 But what\u2019s really weird are the expressions on the characters\u2019 faces!<\/p>\n

BEST RPG<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am Setsuna (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Technically this came out last year on the PS4, but it came out this year on the Switch, and that\u2019s where I played it, so it goes on the list.\u00a0 It plays a LOT like Chrono Trigger in how you view the world map and battles.\u00a0 So much so that if they made a few tweaks to the story and characters here and there, it could almost be a Chrono Trigger side story.\u00a0 But because the game has classic RPG sensibilities, it held my interest all the way though, so that\u2019s why it wins this award.<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stardew Valley (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if you\u2019d call a farming sim an RPG, but it does have RPG elements so it goes on the list.\u00a0 Again, this actually came out on PC last year, but this year it came out on consoles and that\u2019s where I reviewed it.\u00a0 It blew a lot of people away but it\u2019s really nothing different than a Harvest Moon game.\u00a0 But it is a very good copy of a Harvest Moon game, and there hasn\u2019t been one of those on a big console for some time, so it goes on the list.<\/p>\n

Miitopia (3DS)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fun mix of Find Mii and Tomadatchi Life with RPG elements.\u00a0 I just wish they didn\u2019t force you to change your character class and allies after each chapter.\u00a0 I liked my team of me, Zelda, Samus, and Cammy. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser\u2019s Minions\u00a0 (3DS)<\/strong><\/p>\n

A good remake of the first Mario & Luigi game, and the added optional strategy sidequest starring Mario enemies was a nice way (although a bit repetitive) to lengthen and add challenge the main adventure (which was easier than I remembered).\u00a0 Both games have loads of humor in the text, too, and are very fun to read.<\/p>\n

BEST SPORTS GAME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mario Sports Superstars (3DS)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This really wins by default since it was the only sports video game I played this year.\u00a0 But Mario sports games are good simple fun and I was surprised on how much I liked the horse racing parts.<\/p>\n

BEST CLASSIC REMAKE\/COLLECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Disney Afternoon Collection (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

I just adored The Disney Afternoon cartoons as a kid.\u00a0 I even wrote a separate blog about them<\/strong><\/a> when I reviewed this one.\u00a0 For me, I have better memories playing Capcom\u2019s Disney games on the NES over Nintendo\u2019s originals.\u00a0 That\u2019s why most of the games on this collection interested me more than most of the titles on the NES Classic Edition!<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wonder Boy: The Dragon\u2019s Trap (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Now THIS is how you do a remake.\u00a0 The Wonder Boy titles were popular in the 8- and 16-bit days, and even had ties with the Adventure Island series.\u00a0 But they\u2019ve kind of faded into obscurity and they\u2019re definitely not as popular in the US.\u00a0 It plays like an early \u201cMetroidvania\u201d where you can switch animal forms to bypass obstacles.\u00a0 If you enjoy the Shantae games, you\u2019ll definitely enjoy this one.\u00a0 I loved how they let you seamlessly change the graphics and sound from retro to modern.\u00a0 Best of all, supposedly later we\u2019re getting a TRUE Wonder Boy sequel!\u00a0 I played it at PAX South and it\u2019s awesome!<\/p>\n

Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders (iPad)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

I may not talk about them as much, but I\u2019m a huge Taito fan.\u00a0 They have as much history behind them as Namco or Nintendo!\u00a0 I have a lot of respect for how Space Invaders impacted the arcade industry, and I have a lot of special memories playing Arkanoid as well.\u00a0 So I thought it was cool how they combined both games in this neat little mobile title.\u00a0 I especially loved how other Taito characters make cameos as power-ups!<\/p>\n

Namco Museum (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the best or biggest collection, but it does have some obscure titles on here, which I can appreciate.\u00a0 One of which I\u2019ve never even heard of, which is rare for me and Namco!<\/p>\n

Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 (PS4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even though these games should\u2019ve been on the first Legacy Collection in the first place, these are still some great games, and Mega Man 8 is one of my favorites.\u00a0 Can\u2019t wait for Mega Man 11!<\/p>\n

WindJammers (PS4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s really the exact same game that was on the NEO GEO many years before, but they added online play and console friendly menus and such.\u00a0 But it\u2019s still an incredibly fun flying disc throwing game that combines elements from Pong, Air Hockey, and Super Dodge Ball!<\/p>\n

BEST PUZZLE GAME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bye Bye Box Boy (3DS)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

HAL Laboratory may be best known for Kirby and Smash Bros., but they\u2019re no slouch when it comes to puzzle games, too.\u00a0 Before Kirby, their \u2018mascot\u2019 was a little blue ball with eyes named Lolo that starred in his own series of block-pushing puzzle games.\u00a0 HAL still shows they have puzzle chops with the newest BoxBoy game.\u00a0 It\u2019s a 2-D platformer where you can create blocks that can be used as stepping stones or even a shield.<\/p>\n

Runner Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Puyo Puyo Tetris (PS4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an interesting combination of two popular puzzlers.\u00a0 Kind of reminds me of Tetris vs. Dr. Mario on SNES.<\/p>\n

BEST FIGHTING GAME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

While the story mode is handled a bit differently and the roster isn\u2019t quite as interesting (probably thanks to Disney), there is still a lot to like about this game.<\/p>\n

Runner Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

ARMS (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The only reason why this didn\u2019t win is because I felt the Marvel vs. Capcom game had a bit more content.\u00a0 But this is still a very creative new IP from Nintendo, and a must have if you own a Switch and like fighters.\u00a0 I only wish Capcom or Namco would\u2019ve helped make it, as they really know how to add that arcade flair to their titles.<\/p>\n

BEST MOBILE GAME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (iPad)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I rarely have a category for mobile games, unless they\u2019re REALLY good.\u00a0 But that\u2019s the case with this game.\u00a0 I even bought a new iPad so I could play it (well, and other games, too, as my last iPad was from 2012).\u00a0 Best of all, the game is free-to-play.\u00a0 And I haven\u2019t spent a red cent on it yet.\u00a0 I wonder how they\u2019re making money off it?\u00a0 Anyway, I plan to write a special blog about this later, as Animal Crossing is a very special game series to me.<\/p>\n

OK remember at the beginning how I said that I was breaking the rules with my awards show this time?\u00a0 Well, get ready for it.\u00a0 This might upset or surprise people, but I\u2019m going to do it anyway!<\/p>\n

And now for my Best Game of the Year 2017.\u00a0 Taiko drum roll, please\u2026<\/p>\n

BEST GAME OF THE YEAR 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

SNES Classic Edition<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Yeah I know what you\u2019re thinking.\u00a0 \u201cCary, that\u2019s not a game.\u00a0 It\u2019s a console.\u201d\u00a0 Well, yeah, but like I said, I\u2019m breaking the rules this time, and it is MY list, so I can do what I want.\u00a0 Plus I like to mix things up every now and then and I haven\u2019t done that in a while on my Game of the Year blog.\u00a0 Usually my Game of the Year isn\u2019t just a good game, but has special memories associated with it.\u00a0 The SNES Classic Edition has special memories tied to it from the past, present, and future.\u00a0 I have fond memories playing nearly all the games on this collection in the past.\u00a0 My family worked together to get me this console for my birthday, so I have a good memory associated with it in the present.\u00a0 And I can\u2019t wait to share memories playing these games with anyone I may come across in my life in the future.\u00a0 And that\u2019s why it wins my award.\u00a0 Plus I just REALLY like the SNES. And two of my top five favorite games of all time are on it.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s my awards show!\u00a0 Please let me know what you think of my picks in the comments section, and tell me YOUR favorite games from 2017 as well!\u00a0 Later!\u00a0 –Cary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2017 will probably go down as a very good year in gaming.\u00a0 We got a new 3-D Zelda game, a new 3-D Mario game, 2-D Sonic and Metroid games\u2026heck, we even technically got a new Animal Crossing game!\u00a0 Well, we also got a new Bubsy game, but let\u2019s try to stay positive.\u00a0 It was a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellaneous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17423"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17425,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17423\/revisions\/17425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}