It’s been a hell of a year for video games, both big and small, with vast open worlds to discover or lil’puzzle games to solve, 2017 will be a year to remember in the world of gaming for years to come.

I would usually have done a top 10 but after a pretty gruelling year of crap goings on and illness, I didn’t get much chance to play all the games I would’ve liked. What I can do is sum up my three favourites from the year which have given me some respite from real life and transported me to worlds beyond my imagination. They’re pretty good games too.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

One of a few gaming icons to make a comeback this year was none other than our favourite sword-wielding green knight, Link. He needed a bit of a shakeup and boy did Nintendo pull it off with style for his first outing on the Nintendo Switch. The gorgeous art style, innovative combat, and COOKING have made Breath of the Wild the whole RPG package. A nice curveball for seasoned Zelda fans. For new players into the saga, you’re thrown into the deep end initially, so take some time with it as it will eventually guide you along the way. Unlike previous games, you get punishing reminders of where you succumbed to the multiple enemies in the huge world (a nice juicy red X wherever you die with ‘R.I.P.’ hovering above), or just misjudged that cliff a tad. There’s still so much more to discover however many hours you sink into it, which makes Breath of the Wild a truly magical experience.

2. Horizon Zero Dawn

Is there much more to say than ROBOT DINOSAURS?! Well, there is surprisingly enough. In Horizon Zero Dawn, Earth is now in the metal hands (or claws?) of dinosaurs, and Aloy, our unconventional hero who has archery skills to die for, trying to uncover what the hell happened. It’s easy to get lost in the vast world of Horizon, but even then it’s still a pleasure. The eye-opener for me was climbing my first Tallneck (a very tall robot dinosaur) to uncover the map, and taking in the sights, realising what a small blip you are in the grand scheme of what’s going on within the game. Utilising weaknesses on enemies, upgrading gradually and improving personal skill makes you feel like you’re growing with Aloy as she defeats bigger and more dangerous enemies. You never feel overpowered, everything’s a threat wherever you are in the game, one wrong move and you’re done for. The whole progress system is what makes this game what it is, the perfect RPG… With robot dinosaurs.

1. Super Mario Odyssey

It’s been 15 years since the last enjoyable open world Mario (for me) came out, Super Mario Sunshine. Since then they never really captured the charm of Sunshine, or the gameplay of Super Mario 64. Super Mario Odyssey found the perfect balance between the two to make the ultimate Mario experience. Aided by your new hat companion, Cappy, Mario can now possess enemies, creatures and… a bit hunk of meat. The bizarreness of the Odyssey world is the charm that Mario has been lacking for years. Whether you’re in the Sand Kingdom rocking your sombrero or in the Luncheon Kingdom looking hot to trot in your chef hat, this is the darn cutest game to play. It even flashbacks to the history of Mario with Mayor Pauline and the best level in the game, the Festival in New Donk City, where our favourite Italian plumber goes 2D, the nostalgia is never-ending in Odyssey. It utilises the Switch’s motion controls real well if you fancy shaking up your gameplay as well. But when you think you’ve finished the game after hours of grinding to collect Power Moons, there’s much more story after the original story. So basically, PLAY SUPER MARIO ODYSSEY. You won’t regret it.

See you in 2018 for some exciting new stuff coming to Procrastinerd!