With already a wealth of well-received games, a few of which are early Game of the Year contenders. We’re talking four new games above a 90 on Metacritic, and scores more above an 80. When you’re swimming in top-tier, AAA games, you can be forgiven for missing a few good ones.
That said, July is going to be a particularly slow month for big releases. This gives you the perfect opportunity to play catch-up and go back to those games you that may have flown under your radar earlier in the year. Here’s a list of the best games that you probably missed thus far in 2017.
1. Shadow Warrior 2 (Console Version)
Metascore: 78
GameRevolution Score: 4/5
As much as we loved it, the truth is that Shadow Warrior 2 didn’t take off like it probably should have, way back in 2016. This is probably due to its October release date, making it hit the shelves alongside some of the most popular games of that year. So, when perhaps the best sleeper hit of 2016 finally made its console debut in 2017, it made even less of a splash.
Shadow Warrior 2 is a first-person-perspective game where you play as a ninja, hacking and slashing his way through hoards of demons and other undesirable sorts. You also have guns, because modern ninjas must adapt.
So, if you’re a console gamer looking for a wicked good time, and you didn’t pick up Shadow Warrior 2, July is the month to do it. With almost-unrivaled, visceral melee combat, fun multiplayer and a sweet set of weapons from which to choose, grab the game that we said “could walk among [2016’s] biggest games.”
2. Gravity Rush 2
Metascore: 80
GameRevolution Score: 4/5
As if a sequel to a Vita game that was ported to PS4 wasn’t esoteric enough, let’s go ahead and throw in its Japanese/Anime inspired plot and characters. Gravity Rush 2 is the epitome of “niche,” in video games this year, only appealing to a very specific audience, but that also makes it a prime candidate for a list like this.
In Gravity Rush 2, you play a woman named Kat who, with the help of her space-cat, can manipulate gravity. You’ll use this power to bounce around fighting the ruling rich class, stopping them from subjugating the poor. Generic plot aside, Gravity Rush 2 is quite the treat.
Sure, you’ve probably heard of Gravity Rush 2 and seen a trailer or two, but actually played it? Unlikely. Especially since the PS4 specifically is not starved for high-quality exclusives. That said, Gravity Rush 2 is one of them. While we didn’t much care for repetitive side missions and recycled plot devices, there’s nothing quite like flying through the sky by altering gravity. Nothing quite like it.
3. Snipperclips
Metascore: 80
GameRevolution Score: 4/5
Even people who have a Nintendo Switch were skeptical of Snipperclips. Everything about its promotional material reeks of the type of game you’d see on Xbox Live Arcade – shallow, hastily developed and ultimately unsatisfying.
I mean what is it even? Snipperclips is apparently a puzzle game made primarily for co-op play (though it is playable solo), where players take on the role of pieces of paper that must be cut into differently shaped pieces for one puzzling reason or another.
If you have a Switch, but are just using it as your Breath of the Wild/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe machine, we get it, but we also think you should give Snipperclips a fair shake, as it’s certainly one of the best co-op games in recent years, and certainly the best on the Switch when it released.
4. Night in the Woods
Metascore: 87
GameRevolution Score: N/A
Hey look, we even missed this one, so there’s no guilt going around. Not to mention that the world of indie single-player adventure games on the Unity engine is perhaps even more crowded than the world of top-tier AAA games in 2017, so Night in the Woods might have blended in with others that you’ve seen and just became forgotten.
You play a girl (who is also a cat, it seems, but so is everyone else) in a desolate town who stumbles upon and subsequently unravels a mystery shrouded in an enigma that reveals a dark secret surrounding the town’s population. With platforming elements and narrative choices that affect the story, you’ll go deeper and deeper down this rabbit hole.
This game always had some intrigue to it, and if that didn’t pull you in the first time around, we can certainly understand. But take it from us, you have some catching up to do.
5. Hollow Knight
Metascore: 86
GameRevolution Score: N/A
A Metroidvania game, Hollow Knight was certainly a small release – another one we didn’t have the chance to review way back between the For Honor and Horizon Zero Dawn of February 2017, so hopefully you call can forgive us.
But there’s so much to love about Hollow Knight, from it’s infectious original soundtrack to its beautiful hand-drawn art style all the way down to its core gameplay, which, while not particularly challenging, is fun enough to carry you through on its own.
Luckily, though, it doesn’t have to, as Hollow Knight also has an interesting plot that won’t make you sacrifice gameplay to discover it. In addition, you’ll easily get 20+ hours out of the game, for a low price of $15, a very favorable price-per-hour ratio.
