Pointless Venture's Best Video Games of 2017

Look at the rotund man and all his little robot minions.

2017 was a year of constant stress, befuddlement, and loathing, and what better way to deal with such emotions than playing video games? While not as good a year as 2016 for gaming, I had a lot of fun with three titles in particular.

Best Indie Game: Firewatch

Though it actually came out in 2016, I played Firewatch early in the year. It tells the story of a middle-aged man fleeing from his wife's Alzheimer's diagnosis to be a firewatcher and think some deep thoughts. During his crisis, he forms a relationship with his superior and becomes involved in a mystery that's something of a red herring. Somewhat similar to Gone Home, Firewatch is another walking simulator that's more about story and the experience than actual gameplay. I had a fun time with it.

Best Expansion/DLC: Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Arkane has quickly become my favorite studio. They make the kind of engrossing single-player first person experiences that used to be so popular when I was a teenager. Death of the Outsider is more Dishonored 2, but with a different protagonist (assassin Billie Lurk) and revamped powers. None of the levels stick out in my mind as much as the clockwork mansion did, but the bank heist is great, as is the final level, in which Billie descends into the Void, an alternate dimension and home to the titular Outsider. For fans of stealth/action games, this one's a must.

Game of the year: Prey

Also developed by Arkane, Prey truly came out of left field. It's a fully-fledged sequel to System Shock 2 in all but name, yet it does its inspiration much better, featuring a believable space station, a fantastic art-deco style, and a freedom of play that surpasses other recent immersive simulators like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. I also liked the design of the Typhon, bizarre alien shapes-hifters that serve as Prey's antagonists. This game seems to have fallen under the radar, probably because nobody knew what to expect from it, due to poor marketing and an inexplicable name inherited from an unrelated predecessor, Human Head Studios's 2006 title. Best single player game I've completed in several years.