Hang on, that truly got here out this 12 months?
2017 has been a banner 12 months for video games. It was packed finish to finish with massive blockbuster releases, recreation of the 12 months contenders, and a robust indie presence.
2017 additionally introduced us contemporary new concepts within the fledgling Battle Royale style, and made gamers enthusiastic about new tech like HDR, and 4K. Almost each style was catered to this 12 months, with even one thing for the customarily uncared for RTS followers. No matter what your price range or tastes, there was loads to play and sit up for all year long.
As a consequence, 2017 was even more durable for lots of those less-than-stellar video games, leaving lots of them forgotten regardless of some being latest releases.
Every 12 months, we do a round-up of video games that have been utterly absent from end-of-year conversations. The sort of video games you must look as much as verify whether or not they really got here out this 12 months. This listing doesn’t say something concerning the high quality of the video games a technique or one other, simply that everybody has forgotten about them.
You’ll observe that some have been even critically acclaimed on launch, however have been nonetheless overshadowed by different, extra necessary video games. In no explicit order, these are the video games that undoubtedly got here out in 2017, however that nobody appears to speak about anymore.
Prey
The revival of Prey was probably the most anticipated occasions in video games this 12 months. The collection all the time had a little bit of thriller surrounding its each iteration. It modified arms and visions a number of instances over the previous couple of years, but it surely appeared like 2017 is lastly when Prey was about to make a triumphant return.
Developed by the immersive sim masters at Arkane, the brand new Prey was imagined to be a return to the times of System Shock, and BioShock – two collection that, although profitable and well-regarded, didn’t spawn tens of copycats. That’s as a result of video games that worth participant company over all the things else are tough to make, and laborious to market.
This was imagined to be an enormous reboot for the collection, one thing Bethesda struggled to do for years. Things appeared promising in pre-release protection, and Bethesda managed to promote an attention-grabbing premise of an alternate historical past future. It was a good pitch, however technical issues on consoles harm it fairly a bit at launch.
Though critics liked it, many didn’t imagine it was fairly pretty much as good because the classics that impressed it. The recreation simply wasn’t thrilling, however solely true immersive sim followers appreciated its depth.
Eventually, Prey pale away with out anybody actually batting an eyelid. What many believed can be a GOTY contender at launch was omitted of the dialogue shortly after.
Knack 2
Knack 2 is a sequel no person requested for, to a recreation no person actually favored. Sure, it was enjoyable whenever you needed something lighthearted to play with your kids, however the basic gaming populace didn’t assume a lot of it. So it was a bit surprising to see Sony announce a sequel a year ago at PSX 2016.
Unless you helped perpetuate the pretend anticipation craze for Knack 2 on the Nintendo Miiverse, and in Spaltoon 2’s hub space, there was actually nothing to sit up for past having enjoyable with the meme. In reality, I might say that the protection round this ironic, made-up pleasure – and its relation to Nintendo video games – garnered extra protection than Knack 2 itself.
Knack 2 solely got here out in September, by the way in which, as a result of I’m assuming you forgot. In some circles someplace, Knack 2 is an enormous deal, however for the remainder of us it got here and went with out anybody giving a rattling.
Gravity Rush 2
Let’s face it, Gravity Rush was all the time a distinct segment collection, so the sequel wasn’t actually ever going to set the world on hearth. Its launch in January additionally ensured that solely hardcore followers will dare bear in mind it got here out this 12 months, however even amongst these gamers, there’s infrequently a point out of it.
The recreation wasn’t horrible, at the very least judging by the critical response, but it surely was extra of a launch for the followers than something most PS4 homeowners would care about. A mixture of the 30fps frame-rate, extreme movement blur, and the character of its gravity-defying gameplay additionally made it laborious to play for some.
At launch it was widespread to see complaints from gamers about getting a headache after taking part in for a couple of minutes. Whether to procure Gravity Rush 2 at launch, meant to choose it up sooner or later, or utterly forgot it even existed, you may’t deny that it didn’t go away a mark.
Kat could also be cute, however even she will not be sufficient to reserve it.
Dawn of War three and Halo Wars 2
I’m combining these two collectively as a result of they’re type of the identical factor however with completely different issues. I’m a sucker for the kind of simple RTS video games we don’t get anymore, and Halo Wars 2 appeared prefer it was following in the correct footsteps.
Dawn of War three was the sequel to one among my favorite RTS collection of a unique type, and loads was using on it in our MOBA-dominated current. For a minute there, it was laborious to imagine we have been really getting two big-budget RTS video games from two main builders and publishers.
Halo Wars 2’s failures have been born from its controller-focused gameplay. Creative Assembly didn’t embrace core RTS options within the recreation, and ended up making issues only a bit too easy. It was enjoyable in brief bursts, and I undoubtedly loved Blitz, however even that was a recreation mode constructed on gathering and levelling up playing cards and it rapidly grew to become irritating whenever you bought matched towards gamers whose decks have been far superior than yours.
The marketing campaign wasn’t something to put in writing residence about, however essentially the most irritating factor about Halo Wars 2 was that you possibly can see faint echoes of the C&C vision in it, but the sport was both too afraid or uninterested to pursue these inspirations right through.
Dawn of War three was a letdown for various causes. It was made to enchantment to MOBA gamers with its single, MOBA-inspired multiplayer mode at launch. From the get-go, Relic appeared nice with alienating its core followers who come to Dawn of War for a really particular expertise, whereas failing to impress the MOBA hardcore who usually don’t have time for clones of the video games they play most.
All multiplayer sources have been pumped right into a Frankenstein mode that attempted to please everyone, an enormous guess that made it seem to be the developer was out of concepts. Relic didn’t even include fan-favourite Last Stand mode, and I used to be solely left with the marketing campaign as the one factor to care about.
In that regard, Dawn of War three delivered, but it surely’d be mendacity if I stated it wasn’t disenchanted with how the remainder of the bundle turned out. Before launch, some anticipated Dawn of War three to return to the roots and convey again pre-Dawn of War 2 mechanics and recreation modes. Others needed Relic to proceed with the tactical-based fight of the second recreation.
What all of us ended up with was one thing no person requested for, and the sport was useless shortly afterwards. You’d assume Dawn of War sequel would have had a longer-lasting buzz than this, however the recreation has sadly been forgotten.
Sniper Elite four and Sniper Ghost Warrior three
Sniper Elite four got here out in February and simply didn’t generate sufficient curiosity. It’s a disgrace, too, as a result of by most accounts, that is the most effective one. The co-op mode is fleshed out, there’s a correct rating system, and the open world of Italy typically made for some good planning and payoff – all issues earlier instalments lacked or did poorly.
Somehow, although, you don’t hear loads about it from shooter followers. Sniper Elite was by no means a blockbuster collection after all, but it surely had an amazing following on PC for all these years. Perhaps it’s an indication that Sniper Elite followers are getting their kicks elsewhere. Maybe it’s time Rebellion began creating one thing contemporary.
Sniper Ghost Warrior three was a unique beast going through completely different challenges. The recreation was delayed quite a few instances, and when it lastly got here out, it was a buggy mess on all platforms. A scenario that lasted months, with some bugs nonetheless unfixed to this present day on PC.
The recreation itself wasn’t something particular. A regular army white dude who goes to a international nation to do army stuff. What it was, although, was formidable. Ghost Warrior three basically tried to copy the Far Cry mannequin in a sniper recreation, solely with a fraction of the price range.
Ghost Warrior three encompasses a first rate open-world with not a lot to do, however a number of other ways to strategy issues. It has a powerful array of weapons and devices, and the partaking sniping mechanics carry it greater than any of its different elements.
Ghost Warrior three existed so that you can fulfil a particular fantasy: climb as much as someplace excessive, tag a bunch of enemies in a camp, and proceed to snipe all of them from a distance with out anybody noticing. That’s just about the one factor Ghost Warrior three was good at, and it did it pretty effectively, but it surely was by no means going to win any awards.
Drawn to Death
David Jaffe’s long-awaited subsequent recreation, the venture we heard little about over time, lastly got here out in April. Drawn to Death was pitched as an area shooter with a really particular artwork fashion. The recreation takes place in a pupil’s pocket book, with a hand-drawn pencil aesthetic right through.
The look was undoubtedly distinctive, like somebody’s scribbles had come to life. But the sport’s “attitude” bought me to uninstall it lower than an hour after beginning. I usually go away video games on the laborious drive till I want area, however I needed nothing to do with this one as quickly as I used to be carried out with my first match. It appeared very very similar to a recreation out of time, as if the world hadn’t moved previous the edgy days of the 90s, the period that gave start to Twisted Metal.
It’s unlucky for Jaffe – who’s a long-time PlayStation creator – and for followers of his earlier work on the lookout for his subsequent massive factor. Ultimately, Drawn to Death was talked about extra for all of the cussing than the way it really performed or whether or not it was even enjoyable.
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition
The remaster of probably the most fondly-remembered shooters of the final era appeared like an ideal match for 2017. Doom and Wolfenstein have reignited the love for over-the-top area shooters, and Bulletstorm appeared prefer it might have a greater probability at being appreciated in 2017 than it ever had earlier than.
This all dissipated when Full Clip Edition launched, due to a set of issues that have been largely outdoors of developer People Can Fly’s management. The recreation was printed by Gearbox, which, in case you missed it, are on the naughty listing of many gamers after the catastrophe that was Battleborn.
This, coupled with Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford’s antics, made the remaster much less interesting. It was additionally Gearbox that determined to insert Duke Nukem into the sport, one thing many felt was pointless. Regardless, when Full Clip got here out, followers realised that even that bonus was solely a pre-order one which went on sale individually the identical day.
From the technical finish the remaster is fairly good, modernising the sport’s look with out messing with what made it enjoyable. But it’s Duke’s implementation that was significantly poor. The developer simply swapped the principle character mannequin for Duke, and requested actor John St. John to document a number of strains for all the cut-scenes. It felt like a unexpectedly thrown collectively addition, like one thing a fan-made mod would do.
I had hoped Full Clip Edition would lastly give Bulletstorm the right publicity it deserved. Sadly, you’d be laborious pressed to recollect the remaster even got here out this 12 months.
The Surge
As a longtime Souls fan, I used to be mechanically enthusiastic about The Surge. The recreation is made by Deck 13, builders of Lords of the Fallen, a recreation that though deeply flawed, was gratifying up to some extent.
The Surge was imagined to be the studio’s declare to fame, an opportunity for the crew to maneuver away from copying Souls mechanics and into creating their very own tackle them. The Surge is a greater recreation than Lords, and it efficiently introduces attention-grabbing new mechanics to the Souls mould.
That stated, it didn’t deal with all of its new additions with the tact and finesse wanted for them to unleash their true potential. It fell into most of the similar traps Lords had, creating irritating moments the place there ought to be problem.
It’s nonetheless price taking part in, however I expected more from it than what we ended up getting. Souls-alikes are sometimes talked about lengthy after launch week, however you gained’t discover anybody going to bat for The Surge this 12 months.
Dirt four
It’s been a fairly packed 12 months for driving recreation followers. In 2017, we noticed the discharge of a brand new Forza, and a brand new Gran Turismo. There was additionally Need for Speed: Payback, and let’s not overlook Project Cars 2.
But Dirt four additionally got here out this 12 months. Despite providing a totally completely different expertise from all of those different video games, Dirt four didn’t go away a mark. The recreation is fairly good, however having been introduced shortly after Dirt: Rally left Early Access meant that followers by no means had anytime to anticipate it, or surprise what’s subsequent for the studio.
Dirt: Rally dominated the protection of the rally sub-genre of racing video games for a very long time, all through its time in Early Access and as soon as once more when it got here to consoles. For Codemasters to rapidly flip round and announce a brand new mainline Dirt, it needed to have a extra attention-grabbing gross sales pitch than simply being a extra accessible model of Dirt: Rally.
Codemasters is aware of the best way to make satisfying and enjoyable racing video games, and Dirt four isn’t any exception. It was only a competent racing recreation popping out to an viewers anticipating an amazing one. There are sometimes main adjustments in mainline Dirt video games, so an enormous leap was anticipated.
Compared to Dirt 2 and three, Dirt four looks like a price range sequel, good in all the correct areas however missing the pop and flash earlier video games produced.
Absolver
I used to be very a lot wanting ahead to Absolver, however I rapidly realised after taking part in that it was undoubtedly not made for me. Absolver is the primary martial arts-focused combating recreation the place you chain actual strikes collectively to create combos.
It had no scarcity of nice concepts, like the flexibility to study a brand new transfer by having somebody apply it to you a number of instances, or the varsity system the place proficient gamers can custom-make their very own combos and train others the best way to execute them. The manner combating kinds flowed collectively and the immense freedom it allowed gamers relating to creating their very own methods was one other wonderful thing about Absolver.
Unfortunately, aside from combating recreation followers, and the type that get pleasure from Dark Souls PvP, Absolver simply didn’t ship. Its worlds have been small but straightforward to get misplaced in. The fight usually emphasised combating a number of gamers on the similar time, one thing the sport’s techniques didn’t play fairly effectively with.
It was fairly laborious to get into for informal gamers trying to throw some punches and kicks round and faux they’re kung fu masters. Today, the sport is just performed by essentially the most hardcore within the combating recreation group. After an amazing efficiency out of the gate on Steam, and Twitch, inhabitants and curiosity rapidly dwindled.
Absolver’s concepts and impact on the style is probably not felt and appreciated for a while, however proper now, it’s largely an unique membership of technical gamers. For the remainder of us, there’s the offline mode or different video games with a extra forgiving studying curve.
Agents of Mayhem
The writing was just about on the wall for Agents of Mayhem. If you’ve been following video games in any respect this 12 months, you’ll have seen how little protection the sport acquired earlier than launch. There was simply no fanfare for it in any respect.
It’s an actual disgrace, as a result of Volition has all the time had a imaginative and prescient for open-world video games that stood aside. After the studio’s success with Saints Row three and four, many have been hoping this could be the sport to remind them why they fell in love with Volition’s worlds within the first place. Unfortunately, Agents of Mayhem had larger issues than its poor advertising and marketing.
The recreation didn’t function co-op, one thing many gamers assumed it will have. Agents of Mayhem is a recreation the place you turn between a number of distinct characters on the fly, and it will have made excellent sense so that you can be taking part in it with a pal.
Agents of Mayhem additionally suffered from efficiency issues on all platforms, and although many had enjoyable with the gameplay, it simply wasn’t adequate, resulting in below-average reviews, and steep reductions shortly after launch.
Raiders of the Broken Planet
This could fairly probably be the primary time you’re listening to about this recreation, which might make sense. Raiders of the Broken Planet is MercurySteam’s long-in-development subsequent massive venture.
This co-op shooter featured some fairly attention-grabbing concepts, similar to having one participant spawn in as an antagonist to choose off 4 others alongside AI henchmen. This 1v4 setup is woven right into a story of buccaneers, thieves, and mercenaries.
The artwork design was particularly distinctive, significantly relating to characters and world designs. You’ll by no means suspect you’re some other recreation when you see it in motion.
The hype for Raiders was nearly non-existent, although, and it continued all the way in which as much as launch. Despite a number of betas, and a really beneficiant prologue that’s utterly free (and nonetheless obtainable), there simply wasn’t any curiosity. Raiders tried to mix taking pictures with hand-to-hand fight, PvE with PvP, but it surely didn’t any of those particularly effectively.
MercurySteam had a multi-year plan for it, too, with common content material releases and updates, so it’s disappointing to see all of it unrealised.
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