So 2017 has been a complicated year and as I’ve received my share of ups and downs. Games have been a form of escapism for me for 5 years now and I thought I’d share the 10 games I’ve been playing the most this year. Let’s get right into it!
10. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Release Date: 12/1/15
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Hours Played: 69
I first picked this up in the autumn sale earlier this year after my friend kept harping on about it in a Discord call. I bought the starter edition for a mere $6 and I was hooked. For the next month, I played at least 7 hours every day however by the end of November the addiction faded away into the cold, December nights.
9. Getting Over It with Bennet Fody
Release Date: 12/06/17
Platforms: PC, Mac, IOS
Hours Played: 2
Received it as an early Xmas ‘present’ from my friend. Possibly the most frustrating game since Dark Souls.
8. Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
Release Date: 03/01/04
Platform: PC
Hours Played: 10
A true classic, CS:CZ reminds me of a time when Counter-Strike was free of a skin economy and Russians. A must have if you love FPS games. Everything from the level design to the voice acting is pure gold and not to mention the game has realistic gun mechanics similar to CS:GO.
7. Clustertruck
Release Date: 10/27/16
Platforms: PC, Mac, Xbox One, PS4
Hours Played: 4
One of the better things that emerged in 2016, Clustertruck puts you in a situation where you parkour on a sea of trucks (which by the way could totally happen in real life). Steam Workshop also gives you hundreds of extra levels to test your truck jumping skills.
6. Slime Rancher
Release Date: 08/01/17
Platforms: PC, Mac, Xbox One
Hours Played: 22
I can proudly say that Slime Rancher is the only game I have purchased at full price. As a PC gamer, I’ve developed a habit of scouring for discounts and offers but I was too impatient to wait for a sale on Slime Rancher. Regrets? None.
Tending to a farm of cute slimes and harvesting their shit is one of the best ways to pass time but it’s not always easy. Already two of my cells have had an ‘incident’ where I had to put the whole area on lockdown and try to save what’s left of the cells population which happened to be nothing but a few pieces of fruit. Bringing a new type of slime is a fun event for the whole of the farm and every now then I organize events where all my slimes meet up for the day and just chill.
Bottom line is Slime Rancher will let you escape for a few hours before your greedy slimes demand food and toys.
5. Ballistic Overkill
Release Date: Early Access
Platforms: PC, Mac
Hours Played: 41
Ballistic Overkill has had an emotional effect on me. The original game was around on Facebook in 2014 which I played every day. Back then it had only the Vanguard class and three maps so you could imagine I was surprised when I found out that Ballistic was rebooted as a full game on Steam.
Today it gets constantly updated with new maps, mechanics, weapons, and characters and although the game is nowhere near complete it’s definitely heading in that direction.
4. High Noon VR
Release Date: 11/14/17
Platform: PC
Hours Played: 2
A perfect VR game, High Noon VR lets you live out your spaghetti western fantasies with either the Vive or Rift. A variety of guns including grappling hooks and snipers are at your disposal to fight off as many bad guys as you can. A spectator comments on your fighting as you dispense justice to the bandits. A great game if you’re looking for some action for your VR headset.
3. Desert Golfing
Release Date: 08/06/14
Platforms: PC, Mac, IOS, Android
Hours Played: 1
Golfing is a popular pastime for middle age men who face an identity crisis but Desert Golfing is all about hitting a ball across an endless desert. Self explanatory really and for $2 it’s pretty good.
2. Streets of Rogue
Release Date: Early Access
Platforms: PC, Mac
Hours Played: 14
Streets of Rogue (also known as the best game to come out this year) takes the classic recipe of GTA’s level design great but makes the city procedural. Every level has a set of missions which can be completed in the way you want with over 100 items at your disposal. The game gets updates every fortnight from its developer. A must buy if you love Hitman, GTA or Nuclear Throne.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Release Date: 05/19/15
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Hours Played: 7
I was late to the party discovering The Witcher 3 but after seeing it the GOTY edition for a cheap $15 I thought why the hell not? At first, I had graphical issues but after an hour everything started to run smoothly. So far the story has been superb and the game play phenomenal and I find myself amazed by the detailed lands of the Northern Kingdom. Not to mention it has a storyline which doesn’t hold your hand too much to the point you feel you’re under the protection of federal agents. Have I mentioned how great the combat is and the mini-games like GWENT and horse racing?
Conclusion
It’s been quite a year and 2018 is set to get better. I have a bunch of content planned for the first half of the year. You can follow me on Twitter to see what i’m doing :)
Happy New Year everybody!