Gaming Cypher's 2017 Game of the Year Awards

Here are Gaming Cypher’s top 2017 Game of the Year Awards:

Best Sports Game

Madden NFL 2018
NBA 2K18
FIFA 2018 (Winner)

FIFA 2018 really blew us away this year. Taking what seemed like a near-perfect formula of success for the soccer simulator, FIFA has improved just about every area that it already shined in. The controls feel more responsive, visuals and animations have been improved, and thanks to contract negotiations the career mode has been given an even bigger amount of depth than ever before.

Best Shooter Game

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Winner)
Destiny 2
Overwatch

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is just pure, unadulterated fun. It would almost be possible to bring up the ability to dual-wield any two weapons in your arsenal that would solidify itself as the best shooter of the year, but it’s greatness doesn’t stop there. Sure, there’s no multiplayer, but shooting Nazis hasn’t been this much fun since the original Wolfenstein showed up on the PC in 1992.

Best Racing Game

Mario Kart 8
Forza Motorsport 7 (Winner)
F1 2017

Forza Motorsport 7 delivers what has made the franchise so good for so long. There are so many cars to collect and such little time. The updates in graphics are jaw-dropping, especially on Xbox One X. No other franchise in racing history has been able to capture the sound of these metallic wonders better than Forza resulting in a level of immersion unmatchable in the genre. Long-time fans and newcomers will love every minute they spend with this one.

Best Fighting Game

For Honor
Absolver
Injustice 2: Gods Among Us (Winner)

Injustice 2: Gods Among Us is a rock-solid fighting game with the improvements to the core gameplay addressing issues fans had with the first one. The introduction of the Gear system is really what elevates this title, and the fighting genre, to new heights. The inclusion of RPG-style of progression keeps the controller in the player’s hands even after all of their friends have called it a night.

Best VR Game

Star Trek: Bridge Crew
Archangel
Resident Evil VII (Winner)

Resident Evil VII gave fans of the series new hope after a string of disappointing titles bearing its name. The game went back to its horror roots, and took a huge leap by changing its perspective to first-person. This new perspective made playing in VR absolutely terrifying in a way that only VR can. This is a game that will be pulled out every Halloween for many years to come.

Best RPG Game

Divinity: Original Sin II (Winner)
Persona 5
Nier: Automata

Divinity: Original Sin II is such a fun and challenging experience. Even on the lowest difficulty setting players can find themselves having a tough time in the combat encounters. However, as the game progresses it’s possible to avoid some of these encounters by talking your way out of it before they ever begin. Divinity does encourage the player for thinking outside of the box. It’s top-down viewpoint may discourage some players from playing it, but it’s guaranteed to sink its teeth in and not let go if you give it a chance.

Best Adventure Game

Night in the Woods
Doki Doki Literature Club
What Remains of Edith Finch (Winner)

What Remains of Edith Finch is a perfect example of what kind of stories and experiences that are only possible in a video game. Though there isn’t much to do in the gameplay department outside of just find the next thing to do in order to advance the story, it’s the how well the story is crafted within its presentation that makes the game truly shine. Great acting and absolutely gorgeous visuals will keep every player wanting to find out what happened to poor, old Edith Finch.

Best Strategy Game

Halo Wars 2
Total War: Warhammer II (Winner)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Total War: Warhammer II is just a bit weak in the political department, but everything else about this game shines so bright nobody cares. Based on the game’s lore the factions available to take control of are truly unique in their own ways. This makes the first campaign a delightful treat to get through. Also for the players who own the first game, all of the original factions are available to play with in the game’s multiplayer component.

Best Action Game

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild
Horizon: Zero Dawn (Winner)

Horizon: Zero Dawn wasn’t supposed to be as good as it was. Not only is it a new IP, but also a new genre for veteran developers of the Killzone franchise. Once you’re done gawking at its beautiful graphics the world will open up as a playground you just don’t want to leave. A great story overshadows some of the mediocre voice acting. The combat is a blissful treat thanks in large part to the unique and varied enemies in the form of robotic dinosaurs. The equally impressive DLC released recently is a good reason to pick this game back up if you’ve already played, and for those who haven’t.

Best Platformer Game

Cuphead (Winner)
Super Mario Odyssey
The End is Nigh

Cuphead is visually the most impressive game to come out in recent decades. Everything in the game was hand-drawn so you can easily be forgiven in thinking you’re watching an old cartoon instead of a video game upon first look and that is exactly why it’s so good. It’s a good thing Cuphead holds up in the gameplay department as well. While it’s not impossibly difficult, this game is not for the faint of heart. However, it does manage to strike a balance so that with a little time and effort the player will eventually take down the final boss with immense satisfaction.

Best Handheld Game

Monument Valley 2 (Winner)
Fire Emblem Heroes
Metroid: Samus Returns

Monument Valley 2 is such a beautiful stroke of genius. It boasts more cleverness in just one of its levels than most mobile games offer in their entirety. It does what every good sequel should do and improve on its gameplay formula. With its great puzzles and great use of colors you may find yourself in trouble with your boss because you couldn’t put this game down.

Biggest Comeback Game

No Man’s Sky
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Winner)
Rocket League

The gaming industry is constantly changing and thanks to the internet the games you already own are changing, too. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege was a bit underwhelming upon its initial release. Bad matchmaking, bugs, toxic community, a lack of single-player made this a contender for biggest disappointment back then. However, thanks to the continued support from its developers, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege finally feels like the awesome game it was intended to be when it first launched. Every new map has been added for free to keep matchmaking times low, and the added tweaks to the gameplay make for one of the best feeling shooters on the market. Each new character released always feel unique, and make every match feel different. Veteran players can continue to get enjoyment out of the new characters every season, and newcomers have more than enough characters to experiment with while duking it out online.

Game of the Year

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Divinity: Original Sin II
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Cuphead
Horizon Zero Dawn

Second Runner-Up: Divinity: Original Sin II

First Runner-Up: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Winner: South Park: The Fractured But Whole

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is 2017’s Game of the Year. With so many good games released this year, it almost feels like a sin to pick just one. Trey Parker and Matt Stone craft an excellent story filled with the dirty jokes and social commentary that fans of the genre have come to know and love for the past 20 years. Even though it may be a bit short for most gamers, there is never a dull moment to be had. The new combat system is an improvement over its predecessor in both depth and challenge. The environmental puzzles are clever enough to make you think without having to scour the web for internet walkthroughs. Above all is the game’s ability to translate all of the great things about South Park’s universe into a video game. Whether it’s fighting a wine-drunk Randy, talking to Towelie in a medicinal marijuana shop, or teaming up with all of the kids to fight the 5^th graders, South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a shining example of the proper use of a licensed franchise in the video game medium, as well as just how much fun there is to be had playing video games.

Matthew Davis

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I was born and raised in a town so small there were more cows than people. I joined the USAF as soon as I could, and I currently reside in San Antonio. I am a singer/songwriter on the side, but I've been a gamer since birth. I grew up with PlayStation and Nintendo, though, I don't discriminate between consoles and PC. I have a PC with a 3080, Steam Deck, and a PS5.