Games of 2017

Daily Ramble 138: Games of 2017

I saw Belghast do this over at Tales of the Aggronaut so I figured I’d give it a go and while I didn’t keep track of things throughout the year, I’ve got a pretty decent idea of things based on screenshots, videos, and posts.

In all, I played 29 different games last year. Probably a bit more if I included the random iPad or iPhone games I tried out and dropped quickly, but 29 is quite a few.

The Numbers

I had a winner for the game I played during more months than any other and that was SMITE. After I tired of League of Legends in August, I never looked back (until this month) and that left League with only 8 months of activity. I started up SMITE in April when I started getting frustrated in League and that became my go-to game. I rolled with SMITE for the rest of the year and while I don’t have a track of the hours I’ve played games I figure I probably put more time into this game than any other. One of the key selling points is I can play this on PC or console. It’s a simple thing to carry over my strategy and tactics from one system to the other and while I focused mostly on PC to the extent that I attained the requirements to play ranked, I also leveled up on the PS4 so that I’m almost there. This first person MOBA is a lot of fun when I’m just looking for a 20–40 minute break.

Destiny

Destiny 1 and 2 were a close second to SMITE. I actually played in the Destiny game world for 9 months but it was split across 2 different games. this game was very engaging while I was playing it but my enjoyment drifted towards the end of the year once I reached max level on the vanilla version of Destiny 2 on the PS4. Sure, I got the game for PC but I just didn’t get back into things there and the DLC hasn’t drawn me back…yet.

Secret World

Neither of those games are MMOs though and the game I played most was Secret World Legends. Actually, when I look at TSW and SWL together I played them across 9 months. So this is my most played MMO and it kinda ties with SMITE and Destiny as my most played game world. I really love this game! It has a great atmosphere and the missions require thought. Whenever I’m looking for exploration or a challenge I go to SWL for some fun times.

Battlefield 1

I’m not really surprised that Battlefield is high on the list but I’m kinda surprised I remembered it. This game is my go-to game with a couple of my buddies. I don’t post much about it since it’s mostly just a game I run around and shoot things in…and I’m not really that good at it, but it’s fun. I could go into the various weapons and achievements but I don’t focus on those things in this game, it’s pretty much just a social place to hang out with some friends and shoot things…or more likely get shot over and over by the same opponent.

Albion

I really hit Albion hard. It was a bunch of fun for a time but then it got old one week and I completely stopped playing. I suppose when I realized the game was set up for me to simply keep running the same handful of dungeons over and over again, I dropped it. The game was fun but there was nowhere for me to go. I wasn’t hyped for the PvP but that’s what the game was all about. And if I wanted to keep leveling up my weapons and armor I’d have to risk getting ganked…repeatedly. Also, I didn’t see much in the way of guilds for this game that I wanted to play with. Too bad, it was enjoyable while it lasted though.

Thoughts on 2017 Gaming

There were a lot of games I enjoyed playing last year and a bunch I wanted to play that I never got around to. I averaged almost 7 different games during each month and on 4 different months, I played 9 unique games. Which makes me wonder…since I enjoyed most of the games I played I probably didn’t play as much in terms of variety. I think one things I’ll do in 2018 is try to play more different games. And of course I want to play some games to completion. While I played 29 different games, I only can say I completed 3 – Destiny 2 on the PS4, SMITE, and League of Legends, and 2 of those are not really games with a completion.

Beyond trying to play games to completion, I also want to expand my options. Since I recently have enjoyed Civilization VI on the iPad I’m gonna try to play more mobile games. I also got a Switch recently so I can start venturing into those games.

I really feel that 2017 was a golden year for games and I’m glad I got to play as much as I did. There are plenty of games from last year I want to try out but I know there’ll be new ones coming out all the time – Monster Hunter World is a case in point. The main goal I have for 2018 though is to cut back a bit on the volume of MOBA game matches I play so I’m not spending all my time ranking up and essentially playing PvP, but instead put more focus on games where I can explore, solve puzzles, and enjoy some cooperative playtime.

I’m looking forward to it.