2017's Best Of The Year - Games

Yknow I love making Best Of The Year lists, but I am merely just one simple manboy. I don't go out of my way to do any of these things for a job, which means I don't always have the best all rounded opinion on everything that came out this year. But I do want to share my thoughts on things I did see and did enjoy, so here is MY Games of 2017!

5. Puyo Puyo Tetris

Although previously released in Japan, 2017 was the year this game was released in english to the west. Although not a huge blockbuster of a game from this year it was one that I took a chance on and I loved it. The game mixes both popular puzzle games into several different modes, you can also play just Tetris or just Puyo Puyo. Absolutely worth it.

4. Life Is Strange: Before The Storm

The prequel to the great game Life Is Strange, Before The Storm had a lot of things riding against it. The protagonist of this game was a secondary character of the original game, with most players previously not being a huge fan of her. It had the voice actor strike, which meant every reoccuring character in this series had to have a completely new voice actor. Also it was pretty obvious that the hook of the original (the reverse time power) would not be returning for this game. All of this added to the fact that Dontnod wouldn't be making the game instead Deck Nine. And I've gotta say almost every change created a better game, although the original was amazing this hit some emotional notes that I don't think the original did. Absolutely incredible episode experience.

3. Persona 5

Admittedly while writing this I have not finished this game, 100 hours of game play is enough bang for your buck but the game gives you more than game time. Probably one of the finest RPGs, you are a kid in high school who happens apon a secret realm where you fight monsters to cure horrible peoples hearts, along with the crazy premise it presents lovely character progression with all party members you find in the game. An experience I never had before, a must play for PS4 owners.

2. Super Mario Odyssey

Mario's triumphant return to 3D open world platforming was just the game everybody needed this year. Tight controls along with stunning visuals, sometimes incredible difficulty, Mario had it all and it could be enjoyed by anyone at any age. The game was a perfect system seller for the Nintendo Switch, which had an awesome opening year. The game has so much to give to the curious and the skilled.

1. Horizon Zero Dawn

Although next to other games I've played this year, Horizon looks like a perfectly average game. For me however Horizon has completely broken boundaries in Open World Action. I've never played a game that has weapon controlling that feels so slick and fluid, these weapons are just a joy to fire, especially the main weapon the bow. Along with the weapons the game play of shooting certain mechanical parts of robot animals is some of the most fun game play I've ever played. With that point, the idea of a post apocalyptic world that has now created tribes once again but the technology of the previous world has stayed and become animalistic creatures is so intriguing, and that story does not disappoint. If you get a chance to try this game or pick it up, please do you will not regret it.

2017's Best Of The Year - Albums

Yknow I love making Best Of The Year lists, but I am merely just one simple manboy. I don't go out of my way to do any of these things for a job, which means I don't always have the best all rounded opinion on everything that came out this year. But I do want to share my thoughts on things I did see and did enjoy, so here is MY Albums of 2017!

I don't have a lot to talk about here because my year of music is usually a mix between music that was released this year and everything that hasn't, so for me I've only really listened to about 10-12 albums that came out this year, and I didn't enjoy all of them, so I could make a full 10 list, but near the bottom of that list would be stuff I just don't like, so in the spirit of giving props to things that are the 'best' I'm going to give you my Top 4. I'm still going through some of the stuff from this year so maybe this is in contention for a revise in the future.

4. IDLES - Brutalism

Politically charged, thrashy punk music that feels legitimately angry and gritty. Their is real protest here, real issues that can be felt, unlike (a favourite of that year to be honest) Slaves and their album 'Are You Satisfied?' this record does not pull any punches. The one difficult thing here is that some tracks can drag and blend into each other, especially within the middle, but both ends of the album have some absolute bangers. My favourites include, Mother, Well Done, 1049 Gotho, Rachel Khoo and Slow Savage.

3. Paramore - After Laughter

I did a full review of this album when it came out, and although I didn't think it was as good as Paramore's previous effort it still manages to provide an amazing up-beat catchy pop record that completely infects you with happiness and dance. Hard Times is absolutely on of thee singles of the year, no question. If you are looking for a great pop record this year then After Laughter is the way to go. My favourites include, Hard Times, Rose-Coloured Boy, Told You So, 26 and No Friend.

2. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN

Probably the most high profile Hip-Hop record of this year is one of my favourite records of all time. As someone who was introduced to Kendrick last album and didn't understand the hype (I still thought TPAB was a 3.5-4 calm down) this album makes me understand now. An album that is catchy from start to finish, has very interesting subject matters from start to finish and that is just so easy to listen to, DAMN is one of those Hip-Hop albums that will be talked about for years and years. My favourites include, DNA, YAH, ELEMENT, LOYALTY, HUMBLE and LOVE.

1. BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION Trilogy

The most insane, out-of-left-field, incredible music project of 2017 is obviously the one that came out of relatively unknown hip-hop boy band BROCKHAMPTON. Some of the most refreshing, incredibly layered music to come out this year, but not only that, this band went out of their way to do 3 full length releases in one year, with amazing production quality and filming, editing and releasing all the music videos and a TV show. This groups worl ethic is incredible and they have music to match. I couldn't stop listening to all three of BROCKHAMPTON's SATURATION albums this year and any fan of hip-hop and pop need to sit down and devote their time to trying all or any o these albums out. Because these are three seperate albums and that they are all incredible it is gonna be hard to whittle this down to a few song recommendations, so here is 5: HEAT, GOLD, JELLO, SUMMER, BOOGIE.

2017's Best Of The Year - Films

Yknow I love making Best Of The Year lists, but I am merely just one simple manboy. I don't go out of my way to do any of these things for a job, which means I don't always have the best all rounded opinion on everything that came out this year. But I do want to share my thoughts on things I did see and did enjoy, so here is MY Top Ten Films of 2017!

10. Dunkirk

A film like this only really comes around every so often, and when it does it becomes absolutely breathe taking. Dunkirk is a masterclass in story telling, with a story out of order, similarly to my favourite film of all time Pulp Fiction, it allows the viewer on first watch to try and piece together the timeline of the film, and when the films stories cross paths into a single moment it is amazing. To the same effect the story prevails through lack of dialogue, the quiet stillness of the film is atmospheric but communicative too. The sound design in this film is ultimately the best and worst part, the sounds that you hear in the cinema are completely riveting and encapsulate you in it's world, but because of this I don't think this film would have the same effect in a normal living room. This film is made for a cinema and seeing it in anything else probably conveys it as a dull war movie.

9. Thor Ragnarok

As the MCU keeps going the luminous 'superhero fatigue' feels less and less likely, Thor is the perfect example of why this is, Marvel allow themselves to take such creative directors and give them a boat load of money allowing them to do what they please. Taika Waititi takes everything great from he's previous work like What We Do In The Shadows and Hunt For The Wilderpeople. Most specifically the comedy! In reality it is just a very charming, hilarious and sometimes emotional movie.

8. Killing Of A Sacred Deer

Imagine finishing a movie and really really enjoying it, your brain all over the place constantly thinking about it with a big grin on your face, then all of a sudden, an old man from the back of the theatre says: 'That was fucking shit.'. Welcome to Killing of A Sacred Deer, as polarising as Mother! but more interesting and enjoyable to watch. This probably has loads of amazing layered meanings, probably some allegories, I love to think about that stuff, but for a post-modern film to be as enjoyable just on its face as a story is truly a mark of greatness. Immediately creepy from the get go, intense and strange, Killing Of A Sacred Deer is a film I absolutely fell into, after IT earlier in the year and Stranger Things last year turning me onto Horror films, Killing Of A Sacred Deer felt like a new form of Horror a refreshingly creepy and quiet movie. Definitely worth a watch if you are the open minded movie goer.

7. Get Out

Get Out uses the current social climate about racism to not only create a film that is just inherently 2017, but also a film that creates genuine real life horror around racism. I'm sure (as a white man) I would connect more to the lead character in Get Out if I were black but this still makes it a great film, not only does it scare me it makes me uncomfortable to watch, knowing that there are white people out their who are probably one step away from actions that are shown in the movie. If that wasn't enough add a dash of fantastical horror ideas and you've got a scary but also madly entertaining flick that also does a lot of social talking.

6. IT

Probably thee film that changed my perceptions on genre and allowed me to be more open to EVERY film that I could see. As someone who has always avoided horror films whenever he could, the immediate buzz around IT was too intriguing not to try. I finally understood the thrill of being sacred and the amazing story telling that can live around it. IT (like Stranger Things) feels like a labour of love for all things Stephen King and all things 80s, not shying away from some of the weird and creepy subjects of the book, but also not being afraid to take out the worst parts either, IT will go down as one of the greatest horror movies of all time.

5. Spider-Man: Homecoming

It took long enough, but finally, we got to see Spiderman interact with other heroes in the MCU, the next challenge was making the best Spiderman movie since Spiderman 2 in 2004. Well I'm happy to report that they did just that. Homecoming purposefully is not an origin story, which we have already had 2 of. It is a coming of age story, a high school romance story and a underdog story, some of the lowest stakes out of the most recent MCU films and it stills feels important, we have amazing performances from Tom Holland and Michael Keaton who manage to make these characters problems, which are small in the grand scheme of the MCU, feel like the most important thing to them, not only that but the basis of both their characters stems from the 10 years of the MCU we've had and that is possibly the most refreshing aspect.

4. Baby Driver

One of my favourite directors, Edgar Wright, releases he's fifth feature film this year and it is possibly his best. Baby Driver is one of the most unique movies of this generation. Creating an action film that could also be classed as a musical, syncing up moments from the film with pieces of music is one of the most satisfying and incredible visual/audio experiences you can have within a film. Possibly my favourite movie scene (at least top 10) of all time comes from this movie purely because of the track picked and the way actions in the film sync up with it. Although later shadowed by the whole (horrible) Kevin Spacey sexual assault, it still is a superb film that deserve a watch by everyone who reads this.

3. The Disaster Artist

If you haven't seen the best worst movie The Room, then this movie will not make much sense to you, it would still be enjoyable and it will be very funny just on face value, but the true joy of this film comes from being a fan of The Room. In that sense is this really Top 3 best films of 2017? For me it definitely is. As a fan of The Room, The Disaster Artist creates a genuine story from something that is completely ridiculous. Not just that but James Franco absolutely nails Tommy Wiseau and that only boosts it to this spot. Compelling drama and emotion, covered with hilarious moments and incredible acting.

2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

After a great but by-the-numbers Star Wars movie in The Force Awakens, Rian Johnson provides the most refreshing and shocking take on Star Wars and it prevails in every aspect. The Last Jedi takes your expectations and twists them several times in a way that completely enthrals you. It is the best Star Wars movie since the original trilogy by virtue of it playing with story beats and ideas that the films feel like they purposefully ignore. Their is one character that I particularly hate in this film but is the only aspect of the movie that annoys me. I can't say more nice things about this movie and the fact that it is getting so much backlash from fans is completely baffling me, I just don't understand it.

1. Blade Runner 2049

Dennis Villeneuve has quickly become one of my favourite directors, with last years movie Arrival being in my Top 5 and now Blade Runner 2049 being this years number 1, I feel compelled to watch every movie he has put out. Blade Runner 2049 is the most beautiful movie I have ever seen, not only that but the story carrying on from the original is even more compelling than that first movie. I feel the 1982 movie was made to set up this one. It is an absolute crime that this movie flopped at the box office but I'm so glad I got to see it anyway. A modern masterpiece in every sense, if you haven't seen this you owe it to yourself to give it a watch.

E3 2017: Nintendo Conference - The Plus and The Minus

Going into this conference I had my expectations low, I didn't expect any announcements considering they had a recent solo conference announcing Pokken to Switch and Ultra Sun and Moon to 3DS consoles. But I have got to say, they have truly made me get a new console this generation which I didn't expect at all.

The Plus

+ Kirby

There is a new Kirby game coming out for Switch and I cannot be more excited. Kirby games are always a constantly great avenue to go for your great platformer fix and a new one for Switch is the right way to go, I can't wait.

+ Pokemon Switch

WE HAVE FINALLY GOT VERBAL CONFIRMATION OF A POKEMON SWITCH GAME!! This has been what everyone has been waiting for since the Switch got released and even though it was just a verbal confirmation it is enough for everyone to stay excited and to know that Nintendo are being up front with everyone.

+ Metroid Prime 4

Similarly to Pokemon Switch this is just a confirmation of the game being in development, but to be honest that is enough.

+ Yoshi

Again, similarily to Kirby, Yoshi games recently have been a very good source to get your platforming fix and this recent game looks to be working with a two side mechanic.

+ Breath Of The Wild DLC

It seems like some cool additions added to Zelda and anyone who is a fan of the game will enjoy this stuff added to their game.

+ Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

YES it still looks good, yes it still sounds good, yes they showed gameplay afterwards and it makes me wanna play the game more. This is a complete blind side of a game that is now very high on my list. AND ITS OUT IN OCTOBER!!

+ Rocket League

Not only have we got one of the most fun casual pick up and play games of recent memory coming to a console it feels like it was made for, but it also announced how online on the Switch would also be cross-platform with online on other consoles, which means the sad part of some Nintendo games that have no online players won't have that issue here.

+ Super Mario Odyssey

I don't think I can accurately explain in writing how impressed, hyped, and just out right blown away I am with the trailer and game play demo that they showed us of this game. I think this may be a very strong contender for being Game Of The Year against Zelda and other Triple A titles that have come out this year. The mechanics are phenomenal and the fact that Nintendo a couple years ago felt out dated and in a slump we have absolutely flipped this year and this game is the epitome of that.

+ Metroid: Samus Returns

A remake of the second Metroid game is beautiful stylised graphics and looking like some solid game play. The best part is the fact that this is being made for 3DS which is more confirmation that this Nintendo are definitely not finished with 3DS consoles. Personally, even with the portability of the Switch I wouldn't want to be playing it out in the open because of how expensive it is and how large it is. The Switch is much more of a 'take while travelling' 'play while watching tv' 'take round friends house' than a 'play on the train, bus or outside' maybe that's just me, that's why support to the 3DS is still so important to me.

There was not one minus to me at this conference, granted it was short but it was sweet and we had quite a few surprises when we didn't think there would be any, there was more of a focus on full exposure with fans on games that they are anticipating as well as full frontal game play, nothing staged and all natural. I think the Switch is gonna be something we'll be talking about for years to come so everyone pick one up.

E3 2017: Sony Conference - The Plus and The Minus

It's time for the big boys, Sony has been killing it every year for at least the past three years, it's time for them to step up their game cause this year there has been a lot of good conferences.

The Plus

+ Crash Bandicoot: N Sane Trilogy

I'm glad we've got a good in-depth trailer for this, I've been excited for this ever since it was announced last year so I can't wait to pick it up and play. Hopefully because it is being made for the PS4 and the updated graphics will mean the gameplay will be better than the original. Playing the original more recently it feels heavy and very hard to play, hopefully the game will be a little faster lighter and overall more fun.

+ Hidden Agenda

A new game from the same studio that created Until Dawn we get another cinematic choice based game with phenomenal graphics. This time however we have the implementation of group phone play. I think this is the coolest avenue this studio could have gone down. Considering me and my friends have wanted to replay Until Dawn together by controlling a character each this is definitely a step in the right direction. I'm very pumped up for this game.

+ Everybody's Golf

Why do I want a very Japanese styled golf game? I DON'T KNOW BUT I DO!

+ Undertale on PS4

This is a big deal, I recently bought Undertale for my PC but now that it is coming out on PS4, I don't know if I'll ever play it on my PC.

+ Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds

I'm currently playing Horizon and I'm really enjoying it, so I'm glad there some DLC coming soon so my adventure with the game won't end with the end of the game.

+ Monster Hunter World

OH MY GOD! I love Monster Hunter, I've been playing it loads on my 2DS and now I get to play a full HD version on my PS4 with my big TV, I can't wait to get my friends together and play this game.

+ Shadow Of The Colossus

URM WHAT. Ok so there is a new Shadow Of The Colossus, that's pretty crazy!

+ Marvel vs Capcom Infinite

Yeah to be honest it came across very silly, but thats not a bad thing, I'm looking forward to giving this series a go because I haven't delved into it yet.

+ Skyrim VR

Urm, I guess Bethesda also had Skyrim ready for VR too? Why they didn't talk about it during their conference I don't know but still very cool that they are bringing it to VR.

+ The Inpatient

Another Until Dawn styled game from the same studio, but this one is VR, I also think it is a spin-off. So if I can get my hands on it I definitely will.

+ God Of War

It is still looking good and it still looks like something I want to play.

+ Detroit: Becoming Human

We had a longer and more in-depth look at this game this year and I'm even more convinced on having it, the amount of options it wants to brag is incredible and it looks like you may be able to play as three different characters.

+ Spider-Man

WOW! This extended game play trailer looked absolutely incredible. We saw combat, we saw ability usage and we saw the web slinging around the city. It reminded me a lot of the Arkham series, it had the same elements that they had but because it is a different hero and a different world the game feel fresh and new.


The Minus

- Gran Turismo Sport

I like Gran Turismo but every conference has had a driving game thus far and it's just getting stale to me at this point.

- Days Gone

Personally, this game looks unappealing to me, I'm done with the zombie genre, with the exception of incredible sequels, like State Of Decay and The Last Of Us, creating new IPs in this genre seems like a waste of time, not only that but this game looks dull.

- Call Of Duty WWII

Isn't that just World At War? Urm, I would be more ok with just a HD remaster of that game than a new WWII game but I never buy these anymore so whatever.


So that is all my thoughts on this conference and I think it is probably the best thus far, Ubisoft was very good but now Sony has topped them and I think they've topped Microsoft too but not by much. We've only got one last conference and that's Nintendo!