#gotggoty2017

[gamersonthego]

Chase Koeneke’s Top 10 Handheld Games of 2017

2017 represented a big shot in the arm for handheld gaming. As the Vita clings desperately to life support, Nintendo has graced us with the Switch, and with it, a bevy of AAA titles not normally seen in the handheld space. Maybe it’s not fair to pit Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey against something like Iron Marines, but hey, this is the shot across the bow. It’s time to step up your handheld game in 2018.

Honorable Mentions: The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, Puyo Puyo Tetris

Personally, I never feel good about double dipping on a game come GOTY list time. I love The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth on the Vita, and Afterbirth+ is even better on the Switch, but it’s pretty much the same game. The same can be said about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Dragon Quest VIII is excellent, but it’s a straight port of a 13-year-old game, and even if it’s one I experienced for the first time in 2017, I can’t in good conscience count it here on this list (though watch me do just that for my #3 game this year). And while Puyo Puyo Tetris got its stateside release this year, I’ve been plugging away at my imported Vita copy for the better part of two years. It’s an essential Switch title, but I didn’t play the game much in 2017 and to put it in a list of my favorite games this year doesn’t really make sense.  

Dishonorable Mention: Fire Emblem Heroes

I think I played more Fire Emblem Heroes than any other game this year. I know I spent more money on it than any other game this year (and probably more than any other game ever). And while I really enjoyed my time with it, its money-sucking greediness became too much for me to bear. I had to quit the game cold turkey and delete it from all my devices. It’s a truly special game, completely marred by bad business tactics, and that is heartbreaking. And while it has been disqualified from this list, its impact deserves some sort of recognition, even if that’s in the form of a warning..

And with that out of the way, let’s get to the top 10!

10. Monument Valley 2 (Mobile)

While it didn’t quite grip me as hard as the first game, Monument Valley 2 still manages to put together stunning visuals with simple, but effective puzzling. And man, it’s really fun to make those kaleidoscope/snowflake things. Make sure you listen to the GOTG episode about the series with Bobby Pease too.

9. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (Switch)

I laughed right along with the rest of you when the images for this leaked out online before E3. This seemed like a bad idea from the start, and I didn’t much trust Ubisoft to execute the idea. But Kingdom Battle is a surprisingly strong strategy game. With simplification where you want it and depth where you need it, there’s a lot to like about the way this game plays. Forcing you to keep a Rabbid in your party at all times and less than interesting puzzles outside of combat keep this from greatness, but this a great foundation to build upon.

8. Iron Marines (Mobile)

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Kingdom Rush and its developer Ironhide Games. And I’ve been waiting for Iron Marines to release for years after playing a demo at PAX East in 2015. Now that it’s here, I can say that yeah, it was worth the wait. It’s the best RTS game on mobile and builds on Ironhide’s strong tower defense roots. And if you need to hear more, I spoke with two of the developers earlier this year for GOTG.

7. SteamWorld Dig 2 (Switch/Vita)

I’ll be honest, I had misgivings about SteamWorld Dig 2. I loved the first game for its condensed experience. Hearing that the sequel was going to be much bigger worried me. Was Image & Form about to bite off more than they could chew? Thankfully, my worries were completely unfounded. SteamWorld Dig 2 is fantastic. A solid platformer through and through that lives up to the SteamWorld name. Now we just need a SteamWorld Heist 2 on Switch.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

I am notorious for my inability to get through Zelda games, and Breath of the Wild is no different. But even in my relatively short time with the new game, I’ve come to realize how special this series really is. There’s a transcendent quality to exploring Hyrule, taking in this massive world that feels so natural and yet is so densely and elegantly packed with life and mystery. I don’t like the weapon degradation and I think the combat is a little too simplistic, but those are small gripes when you consider how this game makes you feel on a moment-to-moment basis. It’s not my favorite Zelda game, but it is the best Zelda game. Maybe one day I’ll finish it.

5. Golf Story (Switch)

I. Love. Mario. Golf. Specifically, I love Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color, which smartly combined RPG mechanics and a thin, but enjoyable story into a golf game. Since the GBC release, Mario Golf has become increasingly generic, dumbing down the RPG mechanics and losing what made it special. Golf Story is the second coming of Mario Golf GBC. The writing is top notch, it brings back the RPG mechanics I’ve been missing and dammit, the golfing is pretty good too. For Sidebar Games’ first release to be so strong out of the gate, I’m just so impressed. Now let’s tackle a baseball RPG please.

4. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Nintendo really knocked it out of the park this year. First they launch the Switch with the best Zelda game ever and then they follow it up with one of the best Mario games ever. Super Mario Odyssey manages to be a love letter to both 2D and 3D Mario games of old while simultaneously raising the bar of what a Mario game can be. Everything is just so inventive and imaginative. The simple act of moving Mario around the different kingdoms is sublime giving you the freedom to do some spectacular platforming if you dedicate yourself to mastering the controls. And some of the later kingdoms are too good to spoil here. You really need to experience them for yourself.

3. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS)

Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates were my favorite games of their respective years of release and I expected Echoes to be in a similar conversation this year. And it absolutely lived up to those lofty expectations, but not in the way I initially thought. Echoes is way more than a remake of an NES game. It deftly weaves in the story, themes and mechanics of that game into a modern video game, managing to feel faithful to its source material while never being tied down by it. Whereas Awakening and Fates are built from a rich history of mechanics from past Fire Emblem games, Echoes is almost experimental by comparison. Not all of those experiments pay off, but enough of them do that I truly hope the next new Fire Emblem game takes some notes from Echoes (and I hope more Fire Emblem remakes of games that never made it stateside appear in the future. May I suggest The Binding Blade so we can all see what our Smash Bros. friend Roy was up to?)

2. Sonic Mania (Switch)

While I’m a Nintendo kid through and through, I’ve always preferred Sonic to Mario when it mattered. Sonic 2 beats Super Mario World any day. But Sega has continually missed the mark on giving fans the good 2D Sonic follow up we’ve been craving…until now. With the help of Sonic’s most hardcore fans, Sonic Mania is the perfect sprint down memory lane. Remixes of old stages and music, brand new ideas that would feel right at home on the Genesis and some incredible references and callbacks to even the most obscure Sonic games and lore, Mania just nails the Sonic experience from top to bottom. My only complaint is those damn blue sphere bonus stages plucked straight from Sonic 3. Those were terrible then and they’re terrible now.

1. Monster Hunter Stories (3DS)

This one was a surprise to me. I’m not a Monster Hunter fan. I just can’t get into them. But a traditional JRPG using Monster Hunter’s cool creature, armor and weapon designs intrigued me enough to give the demo of Stories a try. Over 100 hours later, and I think it’s fair to say the game hooked me. The combat is the star here. While you fully control your character, your monster partner has a mind of its own. Only by gaining kinship during battle can you call out specific attacks for your monster to do. Whether you or your monster are calling the shots, the action takes place in a rock, paper, scissors style battle, but unlike Pokemon’s type advantages, each monster has certain tendencies, and picking the right move can cause additional damage to the enemy while taking minimal damage in return. But sometimes monsters go against their tendencies, making each fight a unique chess match that stays engaging throughout the experience. Like Dragon Ball Fusions last year, this game came out of nowhere and blew me away. As developers continue to embrace the Switch, this may be one of the last great RPGs for the 3DS.

[gamersonthego]

Matt Giguere’s Top 3 Handheld Games of 2017

Ed. note - Matt’s contributed to Gamers on the Go since our inception, being the very first guest on our very first show in 2012, and also participating in every GOTY episode of the podcast. Here’s to many more!

3. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS)

In the past five years, three full-fledged Fire Emblem games have graced their presence on the 3DS, with another release on mobile devices. To say fans have been spoiled is an overstatement considering the series was about to end with Awakening.

Echoes is a tried and true entry to the series, but with some significant alterations to the traditional formula. Gone is the weapon triangle, the staple of the series’ combat. Instead, terrain and equipment play a more significant role in victory. Like in Fates, weapons and spells no longer break after using them a set number of times, however, magic does cost hit points in when used.

Don’t let the core changes deter you from checking this game out, or the fact that this is on a handheld - it boasts a fully-voice-acted cast and great artwork. It’s another wonderful release from Intelligent Systems, full of their trademark design for strategic battles and monumental production.

2. Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)

Hot off a surprise announcement at E3 earlier this year, Metroid: Samus Returns is, well, a return to form for the franchise. While I mentioned above that Fire Emblem fans have been spoiled rotten over the years, the Metroid faithful had to slog through several oddities and spins-offs with no apparent relief in sight. This is the first time in over a decade that we’ve seen a proper Metroid. Out of nowhere, Samus is back to its 2-D platforming roots, and somehow developer MercurySteam managed to pull it off.

While I was worried going in considering MercurySteam’s past attempts on the the 3DS, namely the okay but sluggish Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, with Samus Returns they managed to make Metroid a fast and energetic entry to the series. Combat gets a nice makeover with the engaging counter system. Combat now feels rhythmic, like hitting the counter on the right beat to get that sweet one-shot finisher.

There are some good throwbacks to the original Game Boy release in this remake of Metroid II: The Return of Samus. The music has some nice arrangements of the original soundtrack, And the formula of hunting down metroids on the planet SR-388 still holds up on a portable system. Yeah, this could have been released on the Switch, and it probably will at some point. If you don’t mind lugging your 3DS around a little longer, this entry is a great final send off for the handheld.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

Surprising probably no one who has listened to the show in the past, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild held up every expectation I had going in. While I missed the original dungeon designs of the past games, I’ll take the sprawling overworld that oozes atmosphere.

The way this game combines many, many mechanics, like cooking, mining or exploration, and the way it combines all of these elements in a way that facilitates experimentation within the world itself. The way you can simply pick up on clues in conversations and follow those guides to hidden secrets is incredible. It is almost like Breath of the Wild is the original game from the NES, but broader and willing to take risks with the formula.

Some players might be put off by the weapon degradation and reliance on the stamina wheel for every action, but none of this stops me from making this my top pick. This is one game that will live on in the conscience of the culture for years to come.

[gamersonthego]

Pierce Courchaine’s Top 3 Handheld Games of 2017

Ed. note - Pierce’s handheld gaming time has shrunk a little since his top five list last year, but he’s managed to accrue a few games that fit the bill. Still not sure about his endorsement of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp though...

For more of Gamers on the Go’s GOTY coverage, check the tag #GOTGGOTY2017 for all our lists and podcasts.

3. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (iOS/Android)

For a moment, ignore all its flaws (of which there are many): My affinity for this game can only be communicated by explaining a recurring scene in my life. I stumble home after a long day of work, having fought rush hour traffic for 45 minutes. It's around 7pm. My wife and dogs are not home, since she is working late too, and the house is cold and dark. I fall into the antique velvet chair in my living room and boot up Pocket Camp. Up pops its title screen: a spherical Animal Crossing planet slowly rotates and twee music fills the room. I spend 15 minutes scooping up butterflies, catching fish and arranging furniture until my wife returns and finds me, fully recharged and smiling.

2. Kirby's Blowout Blast (3DS)

In this expanded version of a mini-game in Kirby: Planet Robobot, you pilot Kirby through linear levels, gobbling up coins, fighting baddies and trying to make it to the end as fast as possible. Depending on how many coins you nabbed, how many dudes you killed, how much damage you took and how fast you did it all, you'll earn a medal (gold, silver or bronze). Although it's not exactly an innovative concept, my love of pattern recognition (Dark Souls) and roguelikes kept me coming back over and over to top my old scores in an attempt to gold medal every level. Since levels only take a couple minutes, Blowout Blast is perfect for short play sessions and easy to revisit weeks later when you need a palette cleanser.  

1. Sonic Mania (Switch)

Sonic's return to glory is an occasionally brutal slog through dense levels with multiple paths. This difficulty paired with truly brilliant level design means the game offers real reward for besting its platforming sequences across gorgeous pixel art dreamscapes. Prior to actually playing the game, I wrongly assumed that Mania's fanservice (including the well-known story regarding the game's principle designer) would grate on me. Unexpectedly, I found Mania isn't just steeped in references, but deals with Sonic's tumultuous past with a profound amount of empathy. Sonic Mania not only reminds me why I loved Sonic in the first place, it helps me forgive Sega for all those years it was impossible to do so.

[gamersonthego]

Episode 68: Game of the Year 2017

Download this episode or listen to it on SoundCloud

Subscribe to Gamers on the Go on iTunes

Another year has passed, and that means another Game of the Year episode of Gamers on the Go. Frequent guests Matt Giguere and Pierce Courchaine return to run down the best handheld games of 2017, pour one out for the Vita and welcome the Nintendo Switch into our handheld lives.

Look for individual GOTY lists from Matt, Pierce and of course Chase all this week on Gamers on the Go. See you in 2018!