GOTY 17: New IP

Fortnite - Fortnite has become famous for Battle Royale, and while Epic Games' third-person shooter/builder game is indeed popular for this game mode, it also launched it's own narrative side in early access this year too. It's not all about shooting the bad guys in their game though, as a big part of it is gathering resources and building structures, seamlessly integrated alongside the action so you can switch at a moments notice, and considering the rather large following the game has garnered very quickly, it seems to have gone down a treat.

Thimbleweed Park - Another title that was aiming to bring an established formula of yesteryear into 2017 was Thimbleweed Park, which reintroduced us to our old acquaintance - point and click adventure games. The sarcastic fourth-wall breaking humour worked perfectly with the head-scratching puzzles to produce a mystery that kept us guessing from start to finish, and with the pixelated art style it was like we were back in the '90s all over again.

Yooka-Laylee - Yooka-Laylee came our way in the first half of the year, with ex-Rare employees looking to go back to the good old days of Banjo-Kazooie with this new adventure, so it's a new IP in a rather loose sense. What they did though was to update the 3D platformer formula of old and spice it up with new and modern features, producing an adventure that was just as funny and charming as those we played back on the Nintendo 64, but with upgrades in the visual and gameplay departments. It wasn't perfect, but it was bright, colourful, and memorable - and we enjoyed it immensely.

Cuphead - Cuphead isn't just a new IP, but it's also the debut for Studio MDHR, which makes it all the more impressive when you look at the sales and the critical reception for the title. The game is so much more than a 2D platformer, as it combines incredible challenge with an art style inspired heavily by 1930s cartoons, producing a result that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. This unique game struck a chord with fans, and although we were kept waiting for a while, in the end it was all worth it.

Horizon: Zero Dawn - Horizon: Zero Dawn wasn't always a guaranteed success since Guerrilla Games was known for its FPS series Killzone before that, but when February finally rolled around and we got our hands on the game our doubts melted away. We were treated to an engaging open world filled with a plethora of mechanical beasts and an immersive narrative revolving around the life of Aloy, and we were hooked from start to finish as we discovered the mysteries it held and the journey it took us on. Bravo, Guerrilla.