Now that we're well into the early months of 2018, it wouldn't hurt to take part in a bit of reflection at the year passed. Although there are many things that happened in 2017, there were also a tonne of great games released, so before we did in to the new games we can look forward to this year, here's some of our favorites from 2017.
Below are some of our favorites that released this year - post your favorites in the comments and let's see if they line up at all.
As a pre-amble though, if you're expecting a list of AAA titles, that's not really our bag here. We dip our toes in the big releases of the year now and again, but we're indie fans through and through and the following list will prove it.
Friday the 13th
Although it was far from a bug-free experience when it first released and still suffers from a few problems today, one of the more exciting experiences for us in 2017 was Friday the 13th. The asymetrical multiplayer horror title charges one player with taking on the role of masked killer Jason Vorhees, while up to seven other players play relatively-hapless counsellors who must use their speed, wits and sometimes a weapon or two, to escape his clutches and ultimately the campground map they're confined too.
With a blend of local VOIP communications, tense surroundings and a variety of methods for surviving the night, we keep coming back to the game, especially at LAN parties and with friends, where even after you're dead, watching your friends try and escape Jason's clutches proves to be a blast time and again.
Age of Empires II: HD
Although this game came out a few years ago and the original title it was based on debuted way back in 1999, Age of Empires II: HD has cropped up on our playlist time and time again this year and part of that is thanks to the continued DLC releases. Rise of the Rajas was released at the tail end of 2016 and introduced a number of fun new races to the game, as well as additional campaigns and units for all nationalities.
While there may be many RTS games that have been released since Age of Empires II was first released, this is one we can't help but have one more game of. It's deep and varied and with the large collection of user-generated content there is endless replayability. With newer texturing options in the workshop too, you can make it look absolutely stunning with a few tweaks.
Blood Bowl II
Warhammer fans have been spoilt for choice over the past few years with more games based on its various universes releasing in the past 24 months than have ever been released before. The one we find ourselves most in love with though is Blood Bowl II. Yes, developer Cyanide is far from the most professional and you'll need to pay for the "Legendary" expansion to get all teams, but the fact remains that Blood Bowl as a game is a fantastically balanced (and unbalanced where needed) fun game to play, especially with friends.
We've had leagues running all year long and hope to continue them well into the future. Now if only our trolls could stop eating our goblins, we'd be golden!
Don't Starve Together
For a game that the developers claimed would never have multiplayer support, Klei has certainly done very well out of its multiplayer component. Don't Starve Together continues to receive patches and content updates, including the new addition of a Forge Mode which really amps up the challenge for long time survivors in the Tim Burton-esque world.
Again, this is a game that's much better to play with friends, but whether you have one or a dozen, you can have a lot of fun trying to keep everyone alive in a game world that absolutely wants you dead.
Conclusion
We played a tonne of games this year, but these are the ones we've spent the most time playing. Enough about us though, what about you guys? Have you had a fun time gaming in 2017 and what have you spent the most time playing?
