Jon Hueber — Staff Writer
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Switch launched in March with a small handful of games, highlighted by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Players took Link on an epic journey as he gained the strength and skills needed to finally end the evil of Calamity Ganon, an evil that had plagued Hyrule over the past 100 years. The story unfolded in a unique way, as the pieces of the past were collected and assembled, telling a story of sacrifice and loss, and rebirth and redemption. An incredible menagerie of supporting characters, and so many temples to seek out and solve all helped to make Breath of the Wild a game that players could lose themselves in for months. The art direction and sweeping score also helped elevate the experience. The first truly open-world, sandbox Zelda game overhauled the entire franchise, and created not only the best Legend of Zelda titles to date, but also the best game of 2017.
Assassin’s Creed Origins
Ubisoft gave the Assassin’s Creed franchise a year off, and the break was worth it. Assassin’s Creed Origins drags the series back to its very roots, and with Ubisoft Montreal, the studio behind the phenomenal Black Flag, at the helm, the entire franchise is resurrected and retakes its place as one of gaming’s best, most influential titles. With an interesting protagonist in Bayek, and the slow, careful unveiling of the events that led to the creation of the Brotherhood of Assassins, Origins creates an amazing gameplay experience by setting the story in ancient Egypt. The use of animal-based gods, and tombs, and iconic locations — like the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids — all work to forge not only a memorable Assassin’s Creed game, but one of the best outings in the franchise.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
The Nintendo Switch did a remarkable job establishing itself as a force in the nine months of its existence, and that first year is punctuated by Xenoblade Chronicles 2. MonolithSoft took the franchise in a unique direction, and created one of the best JRPGs of 2017. The game includes Drivers and Blades, epic worlds set on the backs of huge beasts called Titans, and some of the best graphics of any game on the Switch. Add to that over 100 hours of a epic story, and the constant drive to unlock new, rare, and powerful Blades keeps gamers coming back for more, more, more. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is one of the best releases of 2017. Enough said.