The 2017 Easy Allies Patron Game of the Year

I only finished one of these because most of my 2017 was spent collecting some games for the year and playing my backlog of incredible 2016 releases. I look forward to playing many of these this year!

I haven´´ t played any of these games this year. I have started to play Divinity: Original Sin 1. So I guess the second part gets my vote.

SuperSushiii

I'm coming late to BOTW and Odyssey, having just bought a Switch. Gotta say... they're both great, but I don't know if I've ever had as many moments of pure delight as I did with Odyssey. A couple of times I was actually sat there with an involuntary gaping grin for like a minute.

Samuel Cardwell

BotW had me for 40 hours, but now I'm hard out of replaying due to lack of main story or impact with npc's in the world*. *The same way player doesn't have a true impact in Skyrim, depending on their actions. I'm voting for the game that I want to go back to the most (Horizon).

David Halvorsen

BotW with Persona 5 as runner up.

Alex

My Fellow Allies I beg you to think clearly and critically about what absolutely embodies the qualities of being truly the Best Game of the Year. If you have played all the games in this list and compared them accordingly in overall quality & experience, you will discover there is only one, clearly undisputed winner; and that game is “Persona 5”. Persona 5 is a perfectly executed video game experience in all aspects of game play, design, sound, music, visuals, and Art direction- all of which are spectacularly expressed with style within the context of the narrative journey with an interesting setting, engaging story and memorable characters connecting to & driving the player forward. Persona 5 narrates twists, turns and climaxes filled with moments of mischief, tension, mystery, courage and heart. In the end Persona 5 opens your mind to define what playing a game could possibly mean to someone, and what a unique emotional appreciation it has on the individual. Overall with so many excellent qualities for the player to feast one’s imagination on, Persona 5 will in fact take your heart, is the Best Game of the Year, and gives the player such a wonderfully rare experience that they will undoubtedly be remiss when it’s over.  Listen to your heart and believe it, if not someone might come along and steal it. L&R

Tegan Combatti

BOTW. Mario runner up easily.

Bennett M. Gastin III

Ranked, for maximum drama

Easy Allies

i imagine it will be like last year bottom to top with huber being disappointed that battlefield 1 is not on the list

Michael James Hudson-kohlmeyer

such a good year for games! I've only played 5 of these.

I'm standing by Divinity 2 even though it won't affect anything

robert7lee

Question: are the results of this going to be presented as a ranked list or is it just going to be presented as goty + 9 runners up?

klastical

I get why, but I'm a little sad Prey and Sonic Mania are not of the list. 2 of my personal favorites of the year.

We all know what will win. Second and third place seemed to be more surprising.

Gonzalo Ruiz

Horizon Zero Dawn surprised me big time. It turned out the game got all the elements I love in a video game. What a gem!

Ville Ranto

Persona 5, easily. Sorry BOTW, Nier, Nioh, Gravity Rush 2 and Mario!

At that time I quit. Couldn't stand the weight of the grind. I will hate myself later for it.

Johan

I thought for sure that Nier would be my GOTY, but I'm 20 hours into Persona 5 and I can't stop thinking about it.

Tyler Travis

Divinity 2 hands down. But we all know how this will go lol.

Chris H

Heh, it's not even a contest.

iconmaster

Persona 5 for me with Yakuza 0 as a close second. I haven't played most of the others unfortunately, but I am currently playing Horizon Zero Dawn. I don't feel like I played enough of that game however and from what I have played, I would be surprised if it will surpass P5 or Yakuza 0 for me. I also really enjoyed What Remains of Edith Finch, but it's no GOTY for me. That said, there are so many good games on this list that I wouldn't feel cheated if most of the games on this list win over P5 or Yakuza 0. It looks like Zelda will take it and I am certainly ok with that. If I had a Switch I would probably really enjoy it as well.

MrMette

Easy choice for me this year. Breath of the Wild. Lots of amazing games there though, just BotW was something else for me. It's a game that will stick with me forever and is special to me. There's not many games I've played that completely absorb me like BotW did. It made me forget all the bad things going on in my life and helped me with my depression. There were many times I'd completely lose track of time and drift out of the real world into the beautiful world of Hyrule. I 100% it, did every possible objective I could do, including both DLC packs and I feel like playing through again (maybe on Master Mode).

MarziiBarks

So hard to choose between Zelda and Mario

Persona 5 and divinity. Two games you could survive being stranded on an island with and not get bored.

ZyloWolfBane

Played through BotW three times already this year. And made some pretty special moments helping my girlfriend experience her first LOZ game. So this was an easy choice for me. Although there is some serious quality in this list! Thanks guys, L&R!

Nier: Automata is surprisingly great in so many ways. The music (OMG), the story (you just feel for every character), the look...

Stepan Hakobyan

Pretty easy choice for me. Zelda number 1, with Mario a distant second.

Andrew Chalmers

1. Nier: Automata 2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Super Mario Odyssey Persona 5 3. Gravity Rush 2 Danganronpa V3 Steam World Dig 2 Nioh (Octopath Traveler Demo) 4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Splatoon 2 Shantae: Half-Genie Hero A Hat in Time Slime Rancher Evil Within 2 Vanquish Odin Sphere: Leifdrasir Prey Digimonstory; Cybersleuth Slime Rancher Warframe Pokemon Ultra Moon

Resident Evil 7 baby. The VR groundwork pushed me over.

Johan

Yakuza 0, GOTY

Tokyo Slim

Consider this: Nier is the only game on this list that let's you double jump.

Edith Finch was the only one I played in this list. I don't have a Switch yet but if I had I probably would be voting for Odyssey.

LeeLore

As much as I like Zelda (my favorite franchise), I can count at least 3 games that were better this year: Nier Automata, Horizon Zero Dawn and Persona 5.

MaxVSTheGames

BOTW was not even the best open world game in 2017 (go Horizon). Persona 5 is GOTY

Jeff Kendall

Tough, but out of all of these games I played BotW the most. Currently playing and enjoying the DLC. Odyssey was great though!

Not being a Sony person at all, and not having a Switch yet, the only brand-new games I played in 2017 were BotW (Wii U) and Cuphead (Xbone). As such, I was contemplating not voting due to lack of exposure. But as the only other games I was *significantly* interested in all year were Odyssey and Rabbids Kingdom Battle, I thought "is there any chance I would've liked Odyssey more than BotW?" The answer was no. As incredible as it looks, I've been always kind of "meh" on Mario, and the degree to which BotW expanded on Zelda while retaining its charm is a near miracle. It's not quite the GOAT, but it's still something to behold.

TurboChickenMan

I have to say the choice between Zelda and Persona is not easy for me, I love them both, but I went with Zelda. If it was any other year, like last year, I think a number of these games would of been easy GOTY, it is just unlucky they all came out in the same year.

Mr.V

Hard to choose between Divinity and Nier for me. Nier wins for how unique it is. I'm still going through Divinity and it's amazing to relive older memories playing games like Neverwinter Nights again. I imagine i'll be playing it for years.

Never expected my personal GOTY, Nier: Automata to get even this many votes, but so many great games this year that I can't be upset for it losing to them, especially if Zelda comes out on top, a game I have to regularly fight off the pangs of wanting to replay because of how magical the freedom and atmosphere of being in that world simply is. Like yeah Odyssey was fun, but so much bloat and so easy I have zero urge to return to it. Well let's just prepare for Huber to call 97% of us "YOU BASTARDS!" for that RE7 placement, and hell I deserve it for not having gotten to Divinity: Original Sin II yet, which very well might've been my GOTY if I had actually found the time to play it!

MBUN

:'( divinity at 4%

Michael James Hudson-kohlmeyer

The painter guy gives you hints if you need them.

MBUN

Zelda BotW. It is such a great game definitely GOTY.

Glory to Mankind

rrice64

Sophie is a good dog, I'm sure she'll make the right choice.

Nier: Automata is my GotY for one simple reason: I've always wanted to believe I was the type of person who would sacrifice themselves to save someone else if it came down to it, no matter who they are. Nier: Automata is the ONLY piece of art I've experienced that looked back at me and said, "Prove it." It was a bittersweet request that I found so profound to acquiesce to that it still nearly moves me to tears.

Glory to Mankind

Star Tsurugi

Odyssey narrowly edges ahead of BotW for me. The exploration and sense of discovery in BotW was amazing, but the variety of Odyssey's levels and power-ups makes it my GOTY.

Dustin McNab

I am surprised Lost Legacy made it this far. What I am more surprised though is Odyssey being third.

Branden Baisden

Zelda Breath of the GOTY

This list is like Sophie's Choice

Had to pick Zelda, They gave us a glimpse at the future of open world games. Every time I think of the game it's like breathing in fresh air. Such a calming relaxing feeling that I just don't get in other games. I can't wait to see what the next game brings.

I was already torn between Nier:Automata, Persona 5, and What Remains of Edith Finch...then along came Yakuza 0. I’m digging it sooo much right now.

Larry DuPreez III

All the games are great but Edith Finch is the one game I told my friends about and the non-gaming friends (and wife) got into and played through.

Christopher McClung

Persona 5 took me 160 hours to platinum and I still wanted more by the end. Best game I played last year. Improved on the Persona formula in every way.

A beautiful thing is that most of these games, if not all, deserves to be awarded GOTY. Such a great year for gaming. Shout out to Wolfenstein II and Prey, which I enjoyed very much!

I will do everything in my power to get off work early and watch this 😂

ZatVunDoot

Of course, it was always going to be BotW. I'm really happy to see a strong second place for Persona 5.

Mikehook1

#justiceforREVII ! Best VR Experience / Best Experience Overall 2017

Mike Dengel

While I'm a little bummed Wolfenstein II didn't make the cut of 10, I'm not surprised Dishonored: Death of the Outsider and Prey didn't place.

Brandon K Gann

My Top 5 of 2017: 5. Splatoon 2, a typical "Just one more round" game, tons of free DLC & Salmon Run is excellent 4. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, such a nice surprise, really well made and fun to play 3. Nioh, or "Bloodborne meets Tenchu". Love almost everything about it, my 2nd favorite Souls game. 2. Super Mario Odyssey. Pure, distilled joy. Couple of weak kingdoms, but the ending made up for it. 1. Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Clearly my game of the year and probably of the decade, really made me feel like a kid again. The freedom to explore this incredible world, the sense of wonder, never knowing what's behind the next corner, experimenting with tools and physics, how it respects the player's intelligence and creativity, the stories we told each other every day at work, in forums, chats etc., the countless "Have you seen that" and "Wow, I didn't know I could do THIS" moments...an absolute magical experience, that still continues to amaze me after 150 hours. I started playing Horizon right before BotW came out and really liked it at that point (visuals blew me away actually), but after Zelda it felt just so restricitve and somewhat antiquated that I couldn't get back into it for months. BotW truly is one of the Greats for me. Honorable mentions: Horizon, Golf Story, Steamworld Dig 2, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, Dead Cells, The Evil Within 2, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, Nier Automata and indeed Sniper Elite 4.

Really like that you guys are doing your gotys in January! So many amazing games this year. Horizon is one of the best games of the best games on the PS4 but it's a shame it's getting overshadowed by Nintendo's amazing year. Odyssey Zelda and freaking RABBIDS were games I could not stop playing. What an amazing year. 2017 is certainly GOAT.

billythedoor

I really enjoyed most of the games on this list, but Persona 5 gets my vote. I loved every second of this game

Brendan Wims

Divinity surprised me and got me hooked immediately like few games have done for years. Being a seasoned gamer at this point I see a lot of repetition in many games but this one felt fresh and an evolution of these kind of isometric RPGs. Almost everything is voice acted (except player dialogue) which is what killed the first game for me. Dialogue is also more to the point and not dragging on as much as in 1. I do miss Life is Strange: Before the Storm on this list. Nothing this year has made me care more about the characters and connected me emotionally to what was going on. Then again, I don't have a Switch and haven't played Nier, RE7, Yakuza 0 or Persona 5 (though I've seen gameplay of all) so can only compare it against Horizon, Uncharted and Edith Finch on this list. Liked all of those too though. This was a hell of a year.

Benny Samuelsson

Gotta say I absolutely agree with you, and this is coming from a life long Zelda fan who has played almost every one of them at release. For the life of me I just can't see why so many people are saying it's so good. Easily one of my least favorite Zelda games and honestly I think Horizon was a much better open world.

Persona 5 for me easily it exceeded my expectations completely and I still jam out to the soundtrack weekly! divinity 2 needs some love too had a blast with my buds in that

I'm sure it has to do with Horizon having been out longer and on a console with a larger player base. It's still pretty good, though.

Voted Mario. No other game this year has delivered pure unfiltered joy like that one. At this rate it looks like EZA fans will have the same top 5 games as my personal list, just in different order. (Mine is 1. Mario, 2. Persona, 3. Zelda, 4. Nier, 5. Horizon)

Ian Barker

This poll is currently trending exactly the way I thought it would for the top 4 and the top 4 order

Brogan Trull

Reppin' RE7 baby. It's a losing fight, but I'm staying with the team! RE7 in VR wasn't just another video game, it was a whole new world.

Richard G Flowers

With games like BotW and Persona 5 refining their genres and pushing boundaries I can't agree with Yakuza 0 winning. I enjoyed the game, but I can't get behind the hype when I have so many issues with the low quality and ambitions of it. They reuse the same map every time with minor tweeks, there are canned animations used for every character in the game, fighting is too simplistic, storyline asks you to root for some very unlikable characters at times. Even the fun side activities become repetitive and frustrating after a while. Talking to a hostess is charming the first time, but seeing each person using the same animations makes you see them as creepy robots and not characters in a story. As a silly time waster its a fun 7/10 swimming in sevens game, but not a game of the year contender in my eyes.

Ian Alexander

Mario < Horizon is a damn travesty.

John Peterson

Gotta show Nier some love

KingKien1

I loved a lot of games on this list. But Persona 5 has to take it for me. No other game touched me the way this one did.

Michelle Jackson

I think it would do better if they had us vote the #1..then vote the #2 etc. Of course that would be very time consuming. I think right now people are just voting whether they want it to be BotW or Persona with others voting with the heart on lost causes lol. Like me.

ComboBreaker

Persona 5 is the only game that I have played back to back to back playthroughs consecutively. I beat it in all difficulties and gained platinum n 248 hours (played the game for 42 straight days). I will be doing the same thing again with Persona 3, 4 and 5 Dancing All Night when it is released this May

Getting Platinum is worth it for P5

Im 32yo and Ive never played a zelda or any other nintendo game in my life, besides mario on nes way back when i was a wee lad, so I have no nostalgia or rose tinted glasses for the series to color my opinion. Currently 70 hours into BOTW (giving the game a very fair shake) and its a 3/5 mayyyybe 3.5/5. If the game was called anything other than "zelda" more people would be able to judge it fairly and see it for what it is, decent open world with a basically non existent story. I still enjoy the game however. Witcher 3 still the gold standard in the open world game department. Xenoblade 2 got robbed for not being on this list also. Cant wait for the 16th :) L&R allies.

Natsu

Odyssey getting roooobbed this year.

Super Mario Odyssey is the GOAT. It's the only correct choice

Karl Williams

I had to vote for the cliched Breath of the Wild - I'm not really a Zelda fan but I did love that game. Personally I found Edith Finch to be quite underwhelming - just not my cup of tea I guess. Shame that Sonic Mania didn't make it... :'-(

Simon Wallace

So happy to see this selection! Really excited to see DoS 2. Because it is not a mainstream game and because of its difficulty I never imagined it would win the 1 spot but I'm happy to see the recognition. Look at all these games that in years past never would have got noticed...great year! Allies should be proud of this list.

ComboBreaker

It's BotW for me. I played non stop for the first two weeks. Rarely does a game grab me the way Zelda did. I felt like I was on a great adventure full of joy, mystery and discovery. It took the sense of a hero's journey that OoT gave me and integrated it beautifully into an incredibly well designed open world. It'll take some time before something like it comes along again. I also LOVED Persona 5 but BotW still gets my vote over it. In any other year P5 would have been my GOTY no question. Here's are my Top 5 of 2017: 1. Zelda Breath of the Wild 2. Persona 5 3. Super Mario Odyssey 4. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle 5. Yakuza 0

Breath of the Wild takes it for me. I'm currently playing Horizon: Zero Dawn, having missed it due to the Switch launch. All of the hyperbole aside, the biggest thing that puts Zelda ahead of Horizon is that Horizon loves to say "No" to the player, whereas Zelda says "Yes." In Horizon, I can see so many things, and Aloy is clearly a strong, athletic character. Why, then, must I use yellow-marked rocks to climb? The story is much better in Horizon, and the enemies lend themselves to better battles, but BotW's world and the way you explore it is on such a different level that there really isn't any contest for me. My top 5 of 2017 are: (1) Zelda (2) Persona 5 (3) Mario Odyssey (4) Horizon (5) Nier Automata

Joe Holaska

Go Yakuza, go, go!

Andreas Köther

BoTW is game of the year, but yakuza zero is MY game of the year.

The only games this year that kept me playing for hours at a time were P5, RE7, and BOTW. P5 gets my vote, but we all know how this ends.

Matthew Antezana

Really glad that What Remains of Edith Finch made the top ten. Definitely had my favorite gaming sequences of 2017.

kbhomes

i won't be shocked that BOTW will win but the most fun I had was persona 5. This platinum i can happily try to obtain and my goty.

Chun Lau

Voted for my personal GOTY (RE7), but we all know who is winning

Henry Ramirez

Went with Edith Finch. I like BotW but I'm having to find the places in the pictures and it's a chore. Is there something I'm missing or do I have to randomly find these spots?

Easily Horizon for me.

Tommy Larsen

Horizon for me. It has it all : Gameplay, good story and technical achievement. Zelda is lacking at least one of those.

Whiskeyjack

May the way of the hero lead to the Triforce.

Good liiiist Xenoblade 2 got robbed tho

Jacob K

Persona 5 has been an incredible and well crafted story from beginning to end. I always wanted to see what was next and every hour of gameplay was never boring or dragging on. Really hope it can pull off the win, but every game on this list is incredible.

Its not a inspired choice, but BOTW bit only had me completely enamoured with its world, it did so for 90 hours. Cant say that about many games I have played in my lifetime

I may be biased because I started Yakuza 0 in December but I can’t get enough of it! It’s so amazing!

Has to be BoTW for me 😬