Print media may be a shadow of its former self but in the UK, one publication continues to earn the respect of gamers and developers - and that's EDGE.
The magazine has been around since the early '90s and regularly runs yearly awards to celebrate the best games, hardware and developers of the past 12 months. Issue #315 features the 2017 list, and it should come as little surprise to learn that Nintendo features quite heavily.
The top 10 games of 2017, according to EDGE magazine, are as follows:
- Zelda: BOTW
- Super Mario Odyssey
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- PUBG
- ARMS
- Nex Machina
- Nioh
- Yakuza 0
- Polybius
- Divinity: Original Sin II
The Nintendo Switch won the year's "Best Hardware" award, with the SNES Classic Edition coming in as a runner-up. Nintendo was Publisher of the Year, while Nintendo EPD was Studio of the Year.
Elsewhere, ARMS won Best Visual Design and Zelda: Breath of the Wild scooped the Best Audio Design award, with Splatoon 2 being a runner-up in the latter category.
All of which rounds off a pretty spectacular 2017 for Nintendo, we're sure you'll agree.
Comments 47
Polybius? What did I miss?
I know Edge can be quite critical with the littlest of things when it comes to their reviews on things, so for Nintendo to be awarded with so much says a lot about how Nintendo have really come along as a company in the year. Great stuff!
Nintendo get three of the top 5 including 1 and 2. Love it. But Splatoon 2 should have joined them.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild deserves every award going. The wait for the next game is going to be very long and possibly equally as intolerable. Certainly for one with the same scope as BOTW. There could be a couple of smaller ALBW type entries in the meantime. There's rumours of Link's Awakening being remade using the ALBW engine.
"one publication continues to earn the respect of gamers [...] and that's EDGE"
They lost the minimal respect I had for them when they published their '100 greatest games of all time' list and it didn't feature a single Super Mario Bros title - in fact, they barely made room for any 'retro' titles whatsoever! **grumble grumble grumble** ..if their minimum requirement for what qualifies as a 'great game' is that it (seemingly) has to have had 'HD' visuals, it's difficult to take them seriously in all honesty!
A bit strange not to find "Nier: Automata" up in that lot. But it is just another reminder of how amazing 2017 was. Also: put "Nex Machina" on Switch ASAP!
(Even the main theme lyrics features the Switch heavily)
@NaviAndMii Their latest 100 greatest games list includes Super Mario World and plenty of other retro titles. Edge tends to be quite pro-Nintendo.
Not to take anything away from Arms because I haven't played it, outside a few matches in the testpunch, but I am surprised it made the list over splatoon 2. I also understand mk8d and skyrim on switch were ports but they both added new things (better battle system and slight gameplay tweaks for kart and portability for skyrim) and I would have had both those games in the list as well.
I'm shocked to see ARMS on the list, and at number 5, it wouldn't even make most Switch owners list of top 5 games.
Edit: And this site's own Game of the Year Awards back that claim up:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/12/feature_the_2017_nintendo_life_game_of_the_year_awards
Think this is the first list I've seen that didn't feature Horizon Zero Dawn.
Never played the game but I've just come to expect to see it near the top of every list now.
Surprised as well to see Arms there. Would definitely have Splatoon 2 or Mario + Rabbids there in its place.
ARMS taking the 5 spot and Horizon doesn't crack the top 10? Something is fishy here.
@JHDK Whilst I haven’t played Horizon, from what I’ve read all it really has going for it is that it looks pretty and thats about it. Everything else has been done in some way before.
Hmm, I'd say Nier: Automata and Persona 5 certainly deserve a spot there, especially over ARMS. No disrespect to that game, it's very fun, but those two are some of the most exciting and groundbreaking games I've ever played.
That's great to hear, but no, Edge is not a respected publication. Their lists are always well off.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE yeah I only played the demo and was novel enough but wouldn't buy it. That said, it seems to be a bit of a critical darling, with Eurogamer scoring it very highly too.
Good to see Edge still going. As so many mags have been trodden underfoot by the internet Edge survives basically by being high quality. Even if they have controversial opinions (e.g. ARMS IMO) at times they usually justify them well.
@JHDK Maybe they value innovation a lot? It would explain the top 5, and I believe ARMS is really bringing something new to the (fighting game) table.
Love that Nintendo did so well, and Zelda and Odyssey absolutely deserve the top 2 spots, but wow Arms in the top 10 is a massive stretch (no pun intended). It's not even in the top 5 first party Switch games. Better than Nier Automata? Better than Persona 5? Better than Horizon? It's a stretch to say it's better than Splatoon 2 to be honest. It's a super fun game and surprisingly addictive but massively lacking on content.
@NaviAndMii
100 Greatest Games (if you played them today) hence the lack of older (but GREAT at the time) games in the list and only one per series
Eurogamer had ARMS in 6th place in their games of the year with Mario v Rabbids in 5th. Meaning Nintendo had 4 of the top 6 games of the year.
@blockfight Eurogamer didn't even have Horizon in their top 30. That didn't go down well in their comment section.
Altho I can't argue with where they put zelda and mario, my respect for Edge was lost long ago. Giving a half page review with 6 out of 10 for gta 3 was so hipsterish it stunk of moustache wax.
They retracted and said it was a typo, but I dont believe that for a sec.
I think people were so wowed by Horizon Zero Dawn's graphics (which are some of the best ever seen yet) and wonderful protagonist Aloy that they overlooked everything else and rated it highly. The gameplay itself isn't so hot as exploring the world is dull and lacks depth or interactivity and feels like a checklist of icons. Edge tends to be super critical of games that do not innovate in any way and simply follow the current industry trends. That would explain why Horizon Zero Dawn didn't make the list but games like ARMS and Edith Finch did. Kinda baffled that NieR Automata didn't, though. That seems like the type of game that the Edge people would worship, at least its narrative.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Well, popularity plays a large part in that poll whereas Edge is saying Arms is one of the best games despite its popularity.
I'd personally have Splatoon 2 and Nier Automata in my top 5, but Arms is a ton of fun when you give the game a chance.
@chardir Plenty of retro titles? Look again...
100. Super Hexagon
99. Her Story
98. Super Monkey Ball
97. Final Fantasy XII
96. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
95. Hyper Light Drifter
94. Katamari Damacy
93. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
92. Resogun
91. Puzzle Bobble
90. F-Zero GX
89. The Sims 3
88. R-Type Final
87. Elite: Dangerous
86. Bomberman
85. StarCraft II
84. Pac-Man: Championship Edition
83. BioShock
82. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
81. Puzzle & Dragons
80. Tearaway
79. League of Legends
78. Super Meat Boy
77. Xenoblade Chronicles
76. OutRun 2006: Coast to Coast
75. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
74. Civilization IV
73. Battlefield 4
72. Metroid Prime
71. Hearthstone
70. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
69. Limbo
68. Towerfall Ascension
67. EarthBound
66. Batman: Arkham Knight
65. Transistor
64. Puyo Puyo
63. FTL: Advanced Edition
62: Persona 4 Golden
61. Mass Effect 2
60. Okami
59. The Stanley Parable
58. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
57. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
56. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
55. Far Cry 4
54. Titanfall 2
53. Doom (2016)
52. Trials Fusion
51. Nidhogg
50. Fez
49. Overwatch
48. Super Mario 3D World
47. Journey
46. Dead Space
45. Dota 2
44. Vanquish
43. Super Mario Maker
42. Fire Emblem Fates
41. Inside
40. Shadow of the Colossus
39. Halo 3
38. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
37. Spelunky
36. Destiny
35. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
34. Kerbal Space Program
33. Dishonored
32. Splatoon
31. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
30. Rock Band 3
29. The Last Guardian
28. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
27. Ico
26. Super Metroid
25. Demon’s Souls
24. Horizon: Zero Dawn
23. Advance Wars
22. The Witness
21. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
20. Ultra Street Fighter IV
19. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
18. Rez Infinite
17. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
16. Super Mario World
15. Red Dead Redemption
14. Super Mario 64
13. Portal
12. Bayonetta 2
11. Minecraft
10. Resident Evil 4
9. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
8. Super Mario Galaxy 2
7. Tetris
6. Half-Life 2
5. Bloodborne
4. The Last of Us
3. Grand Theft Auto V
2. Dark Souls
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
...that list is utter garbage of the highest order!
@MacaqueAttack Give me a break! Super Mario Bros 3 is, was and always has been a better game than Bloodborne (the so-called '5th greatest game of all time') ..that just smacks of a list compiled by millennials, for millennials!
Don't get me wrong, it can't be easy to compile a 'top 100' list - but it's kind of laughable how many timeless classics are notable only by their absence... (I'd go as far as to say that that is the worst such list that I've ever seen compiled)
Stoked to see ARMS on the list for both game and visual style!
@nhSnork Jeff Minter's game...he's a legend of a game developer!
http://www.minotaurproject.co.uk/Virtual/Polybius.php
@Bobbycuckoo
It was a typo. It didn't read like a 6 at all.
Giving Gunstar Heroes a 6 was ludicrous mind you. And they never really explained why Goldeneye didn't get a 10 either.
@NaviAndMii
Good list, IMO. Bit restrictive to only include one per series but pretty good.
ARMS? Seriously?
Same as everyone else very surprised to see ARMS, don't think it was a bad game but not a game of the year. Neir seems to have hit almost all of the top tens so was surprised that didn't get in instead.
..... 9. Polybius ... wait, what?
@electrolite77 You didn't notice all of those Zelda games, huh?
My incomplete top 10.
Zelda botw
Mario Odyssey
Mario+Rabbids
Mario Kart
Only 4, six more to buy. Not sure what order to put them in.
@NaviAndMii
I don't make up the rules
"If you’re not familiar with the format, here are our rules. In compiling this list, we worked to simple criteria: all formats – portable, touchscreen, console, PC, whatever – were eligible; we could include only a single entry from any series that features straight-up sequels; and each game had to stand up today rather than making the cut for reasons of nostalgia or historic significance"
My son got ARMS, Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey for Christmas, and we've since got Snipperclips Plus, and ARMS is by far his most played game.
Good list, and while I personally haven't ARMS, I'd like to read the issue to read their opinion on it.
Who knows, they probably found something very appealing about it to place it on that position. That ARMS didn't catch on their mainstream doesn't mean it is a bad game by any means.
Arms got number 5 while Xenoblade and Splatoon 2 don't even score? What a bunch of jokers...
@FX102A we are just playing through Horizon now and whilst I agree there is nothing new in there what it does do is to do everything it does extremely well. Put that alongside robot dinosaurs and you have a very good game!
@electrolite77 There we go then...silly definition of 'sequel' - and a suggestion that they feel that Super Mario Bros 1, 2 and 3 (amongst others) don't hold up today p.s. they do - always have and always will
I don't care what people say, I am glad that arms make the list, let alone the top 5. I would have been surprised if 1-2-3 switch would have made the list.
Think id put Mario first now... loved BotW on Wii U and sneakily played Odyssey solo (on my 8yr old sons xmas present Switch) when it released. Finished it while collecting bare minimum of moons and thought it was great but not quite 10/10. Having gone back and played Odyssey co-op with my son, enjoying it so much more. Although we completed it after 3 days we're now hunting for every moon we missed now ... gonna take a good while. Loving every minute. Glad Edge have the integrity to put Ninty games 1st and 2nd. Most publication's yearly awards seem to have a problem with awarding Ninty the top 2 spots for some weird reason.
@NaviAndMii
So on the one per series rule, SMB 3 beats Mario Galaxy 2 then?
Interesting.
@MacaqueAttack What 'one per series' rule? Are Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild from a different series? ..news to me.
@NaviAndMii
No, you are right, they said straight up sequeals so yes, SMB 3 would be applicable (I'd go for Super Mario World over SMB 3, even though SMB 3 was more of a revalation in gameplay), but on another note, please name a game on the list that isn't worth playing, Today, if the list is utter garbage
@MacaqueAttack It's not so much that the listed games aren't worth playing - it's just that there are so, so many timeless classics missing...it reads like they have very little appreciation for the 'retro' era - and appears heavily skewed in favour of modern gaming.
To call it 'garbage' was probably a bit of an exaggeration - it'd be more appropriate to call it the 'least balanced' top 100 list I've ever seen (and therefore the most poorly compiled)
(p.s. I can never pick between SMB3 and SMW! ..whenever I'm asked what my favourite 2D Mario is, SMB3 is always my 'default' answer - but I'm not even sure I believe that! ..SMW is so, so good!)
I see what you are saying but i'd still contest most modern games play better than 'retro' games (i'm not sure how games i played as a kid can be retro though, i'm not that old, unless...maybe i am....) but Yes, Nintendo games generally hold up better than others. I support what they tried to do (list only games that still hold up being played today) but i would be interested to know how many older games they did play.
Looking at other 100 best games lists Polyogon (for example) have (in there top 500 games of all time) manic Miner at 97, GTA 3 at number 12, SMB 3 at number 2, so what i'm trying to say is while i enjoyed all at realease (and SMB 3 recently) there are really no games in the last 29 and a bit years that are better?
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