Gotta’ Have ‘Em Games of 2017

Hey everyone! As this is my first article on Athena’s blog, I thought you might get to know me a bit by reading my “Top 5” game release list for 2017. Also, check out my soon to be added vital stats if you’re curious. Are we gamer compatible? Let’s find out.

#5 – Scalebound

I want to start off by saying that the reason that Scalebound is so low on my list is because, as far as I am aware, it’s only being released on Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. I am not a big fan of Xbox One, but because I want to play this game pretty badly, I will begrudgingly use it. That’s not a jab at Xbox lovers, it’s just a personal preference.

Anyway, back to the goods!

Scalebound is a third-person action RPG by PlatinumGames where you get to play as Drew, and your companion is Thuban – a customizable dragon *insert awe and excitement* that you can ride and command during battle. From what I have seen of this game, the boss battles are going to be badass, the graphics (down to the weaponry) are pretty noteworthy, and the co-op play is a pretty cool concept, because all players are a slightly different version of Drew. At the end of a fight, the various players all morph back together into the normal Drew, so there’s obviously some fun implications there.

Also, as a side-note: Drew has one dragon arm that gives him special abilities. Fun fact for the win!

#4 – We Happy Few

Oh look, another Xbox Game.

We Happy Few should be a really interesting game. It’s based in an alternate history after WWII, where the “German Empire” raged through Europe and took over Great Britain. Everyone is all kinds of messed up from the Empire’s occupation, and society is coping with what it had to do to survive. In an effort to forget all of their own horrible acts, people chose to be a part of a town that mandates that you take a hallucinogenic drug called Joy that helps you forget all of the bad things about life. Its side effects are that you lose your moral compass and you are more susceptible to being manipulated. You will be able to choose one of three character paths and you will have to blend in to society long enough to complete your goal (based on your selected character). This means that there will be direct, immediate consequences based on your ability to detail based roleplay.

I think this is going to be really intriguing for psychological reasons. I’m basically hoping that it’s going to creep me out. There is an NPC called Uncle Jack who is constantly talking about happy things all the time. Even when you are being beaten by the police or Joy doctors are trying to forcibly inject you with a liquid version of the drug, he’s just being broadcast, talking about happy news bits and whatever while you run in terror or bleed to death. I also think it’s going to be a really interesting view into the psychology of community and it will be fun to see if the game actually makes the concept feel plausible at all. I’m anticipating a lot of questionable moral decisions and I’m hoping it’s one of those games that make you doubt every decision you make. Admittedly, this is the game on my list that I know least about, so if you have any other info on it, let me know in the comments. I know an early release was put out, but I immediately heard it was only about 50% done and I didn’t want to risk really disliking it based on incomplete mechanics or choppy game play.

#3 – Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I had to include this on the list for 3 main reasons.
1: The nostalgia I feel when playing any Zelda game is about as comforting as hot chocolate and warm cookies on a snowy day.
2: As you will soon see in my Vital Stats, I am a sucker for good graphics, and from the previews I have seen, this game is going to be gorgeous.
3: Breath of the Wild will be open world exploration, and you will be able to play through temples in any order and pretty much do things at your own pace. The world that was created for this game is supposed to be HUGE, and I love me some good old fashion exploring.

If you aren’t familiar with the story yet, basically Link wakes up and finds out that the Calamity Ganon destroyed Hyrule 100 years ago, and it was locked inside of Hyrule Castle. Now Link must destroy it for good before it breaks out of the castle and brings about the end of the world.

You know, just a regular day for Link.

This game will be released on the Wii U (frowny-face) and the Nintendo Switch (yay!).

#2 – Horizon Zero Dawn  

It’s an action role playing game. Are you sensing a pattern here? This is one of the most highly anticipated games of the year by pretty much everybody, so I don’t want to go into too much detail and bore you with what everyone is already talking about, so here are the basics:

Aloy is a hunter who lives in a beautifully designed world of robot-dinosaur hybrids, and various tribes that she can complete quests for. Some of the things I am particularly excited about are the (possibly) rumors I heard that you can experience many different aspects of true open world with much fewer loading screens, there are certain animals in the game that you can turn into companions or allies, and also, I believe the game does not have any sort of tutorial, which adds a fun element to game play. Oh, and did I mention robot-dinosaurs?

#1 – Mass Effect Andromeda

Deep in my soul, I am a Bioware addict (I know Athena has all the feels for this game too), and even though Dragon Age is where my heart really is, Mass Effect has proven to have great character development, interesting story arcs, and plenty of hours of playable content chock full of lore-hoarding and questionable on the spot moral decisions. I will say this for pretty much all Bioware games- you get your money’s worth in playing hours.

 

Admittedly, my list is full of open world, action based fantasy RPGs with great graphics. What can I say? A girl has a type. That being said, one of my goals in 2017 is to make sure I balance out my playing time with other genres and gaming experiences. Do you have ideas for me? Leave your recommendations in the comments, or let me know which games you’re biting your nails waiting for!

Until next time, remember:

-BadgersAndBowties

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