Game of the Year 2017 – The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
Before the year even started there were rumblings that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would be a Game of the Year contender. Once the game arrived and players saw its huge world, gorgeous vistas, and open-ended gameplay it cemented that decision for many. The game is simply sublime, giving players the massive open world of Hyrule to explore and then stepping out of their way almost entirely. With previous Zelda titles, Nintendo set the stage for what other games would do. With Breath of the Wild they looked at open world games and said “nah, this is how you do it!” They did that by shaking up everything we came to know about this legendary franchise, and the property is all the better for it. Now, would more traditional and extensive dungeons make things better? Sure, but this was a bold first step in a new direction, and it was a truly amazing one, resulting in the best game of 2017.
Runner Up – Super Mario Odyssey
