PixlBit

I can't quite remember when I actually played these, so they're in order of release. Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/every-game-release-date-in-2017/1100-6446643/

Gravity Rush 2 was a rental through GameFly, and while the mechanics can be equal parts fun and frustrating (the latter due to oddly placed shit in your way, given the world design), I had enough fun to buy both this and Gravity Rush: Remastered on PSN's Christmas sale. 

I played a demo of Resident Evil VII and my heart skipped a beat on replays of just that, even when I knew that guy in the hallway was coming. I have no understanding of how people get through this using VR and headphones, but I will give it credit for being the first horror entry in ANY medium to scare me in years. In fairness, I don't really read horror literature. 

Yakuza 0 was a GameFly rental that I had no idea would be one of the most enjoyable experiences I had gaming all year. Its graphics and text dialogue are dated, but its cutscenes are great, its gameplay is addicting, and as far as side missions, this is my Witcher III: the absurd storylines make them so much more worth playing than the repetitive stuff in other titles. It's one of the Christmas gifts I got from GameStop (it was half off, I think?)

I want to say I'm about midway through the story of Horizon: Zero Dawn, and given how long it's taken me to get here, I may compromise and just put it on easy to finish it and do all the side stuff later. The reason I hesitate is because while big machines can be an annoying grind, there is a feeling of satisfaction when besting them. I just am not sure I have the time ... I'm also getting hooked for a spell and then not really feeling like playing it on and off, so I dunno. I bought it at full price and got a poster and some outfits for pre-ordering through GameStop the day before it came out. 

Shovel Knight: Spectre of Torment was difficult to get used to at first (I wanted to up-slash, dammit; UP-SLASH), but once I settled in, I became a bigger fan of it than the original Shovel Knight, now subtitled Shovel of Hope, largely due to its mechanics. The character and story element was surprisingly touching as well though. I will say, having bought Treasure Trove, that while Shovel of Hope and Spectre of Torment are close favorites, I put Plague of Shadows waaaaaaay in third place for having frustrating mechanics I never quite got used to, even upon completing the main story. Here's hoping King of Cards is more in keeping with the other two. 

I played a demo of Nier: Automata and while I dug the gameplay variety, I wasn't quite hooked on its bland, industrial art design. I do really want to play it again, but I'll wait for another sale and keep playing the fun-but-inconsistently-difficult Transformers: Devastation, which was also made by Platinum. 

I rented Mass Effect: Andromeda, having played only demos of the original trilogy and ... it didn't grab me. Honestly, I have nothing else to really say about it, good or bad. 

I got Drawn to Death for free via PS+, and it was a fun little distraction. 

I'm currently playing Lego City: Undercover, and there are some annoying things (including load times) that remind you it was a Wii U exclusive, but otherwise it's a standard Lego game with some funny movie references. I only ever buy these on sale, and only if I like the brand they're presenting. I was hoping this one would be a bit more original, but it's still a fun distraction. 

I played a demo of Parappa the Rapper, which is a game I always thought of as "that ugly one in the PlayStation ads that made me glad I had an N64." I didn't think the hit detection was quite what it needed to be and honestly, it just made me wish they'd remake Bust A Groove. 

I rented Stardew Valley and thought it took too long to do anything in the game, given your character's short stamina bar starting out. Blake said you can dramatically improve that, but as it was a rental for me, I wasn't interested enough to find out. I did like the funny side quest I went on that referenced the original Zelda. 

Yooka Laylee was my biggest disappointment of 2017. Now, I never really played much of Banjo-Kazooie, preferring Donkey Kong Country 64 and Diddy Kong Racing as far as Rare titles, but I'm inclined to agree with those saying this game borrowed all the wrong things from the 90s. Platforming felt slippery, the levels seemed barren, character voices annoyed me, and I felt vindicated when I found out that ramp boss was going to be "fixed" on the Switch version. Too bad I was playing the PS4 version before that patch. I'm glad I only rented it and would really like to play A Hat in Time instead now. 

Injustice 2 is more of the same from Injustice, but with updated graphics and a very different roster. The story definitely kept me hooked, but the lack of an arcade mode (that I know of) and the fact I have to pay for those extra characters instead of just unlocking them (again, as far as I can tell) makes me glad I bought this on sale. Those empty character slots drive me insane, but I'll be damned if I pay another $5 each for them, or the price of a whole other game to buy three character packs. 

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy isn't nostalgic for me because my older brother played way more Syphon Filter on his PlayStation, but the marketing campaign for Crash was nostalgic enough for this to be one of my Christmas gifts, along with Yakuza 0 (both on sale at GameStop). 

It's definitely harder than I would have thought, but I kind of like having a game in 2017 that's purely about challenge and mechanics. I hear they changed some hitboxes and whatnot from the original, partly explaining the difficulty, but I've been able to get to "The High Road" on Crash 1. Getting past this level will depend on how well I can cheat with the ropes ... which are deceptive in that they can be just as hard as doing it the "legit way" at times. 

I played a demo of Batman: The Enemy Within and wasn't really all that interested, even if I liked having Riddler as the villain. Now I'm playing through the other Telltale Batman series via PS+. That one's way more interesting than I'd have thought because of how much they're playing with the Bruce Wayne mythos (his parents did WHAT?! ... although I suspect this plot thread is a red herring), how they're focusing on Batman as a detective, and how violent and gritty they're willing to get. Go figure. 

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is one I've blogged about pretty recently, so you can read my thoughts on it in that blog. I'd suggest playing with headphones on, not necessarily because I think it makes a huge difference experience-wise, but there are some noises that would have helped me with puzzles on my first go had I used headphones. I waited for a PSN sale, but at $30 initially, it's worth the bargain price, and I'm quite happy Ninja Theory made this short, story-driven, AAA quality title profitable. 

Sonic Mania didn't blow my mind like it did longtime fans, but it's more of the pick-up-and-play 2D Sonic I at least enjoy. It's a lot farther down my list of 2017 favorites than others', but it's still a really good entry in the series that remembers to update and tweak things rather than just relying on nostalgia. I bought it on PSN at full price ($20), largely because I was itching to play a 2D platformer right then and knew it would download a lot quicker than other games. 

Uncharted: Lost Legacy is another Uncharted game, though a bit short and featuring Chloe, Nadine, and an Uncharted 4 character I won't spoil. I bought it from Game X Change for near its full $40 price tag (I think it was around $35 used?)

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is the only game I've ever bought a deluxe edition of, let alone pre-ordered the deluxe edition of, let alone bought a DIGITAL deluxe edition of. And that's all due to how much I loved playing through the original game via PS+. This one focuses even more on the character drama and I love the soundtrack. I still have the dynamic theme that came with it as my PS4 background. 

I will say that Deck Nine could have worked out certain kinks (a glitch kept me from playing my 2nd and 3rd save files for episode 2 and getting episode 3 to actually download should not have taken a trip to GameFAQs), but otherwise you can barely tell it was a different developer working on this. Honestly, it'll be weird playing as Max again in the upcoming DLC, cause I kind of want to see more of  Steph and Mikey instead at this point.

I played a demo of South Park: The Fractured But Whole and, completely against my expectations, found the turn-based gameplay a bit too easy and I wasn't really laughing much. 

Oh and For Honor was one I felt kind of relied on random luck from what I played of the demo, so my apologies if you're one of the people who loved its apparently deep gameplay. I'm not denying it, I just didn't experience it that way. Maybe because I was on an easy server, I don't know. 

And that was gaming for me in 2017.