Welcome to the DDNet Awards of 2017! We have 16 categories this year, representing the full gamut of creativity and artistry that games represent. 2017 has been an incredible year for videogames, and is without a doubt one of the best years for games ever, and that has made this year’s award particularly difficult to decide on.
As always, our voting period for the “year” runs from late November the year before through to late November this year. So if you see a game released in December last year in the awards winners, that’s why.
It’s so easy to forget that the Nintendo Switch is less than a year old. It’s sold over 10 million units in that time (yes, less than a year!) and it’s become a daily part of our gaming lives. Already it’s difficult to imagine being into games without one, and a big part of that has been the fact that there has been an unending supply of really great games, from the day of launch. So much so that this has easily been one of the hardest categories to judge.
Fire Emblem Warriors
We do love ourselves some Dynasty Warriors, and we love Fire Emblem. For the longest time we’ve been waiting for Nintendo and Koei Tecmo to collaborate on a Fire Emblem Warriors, and the final product doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. Superb action, a varied cast, and all the Fire Emblem touches and flourishes that we have come to love from the series.
SILVER
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Originally this was going to be the Wii U game that really kickstarted that console. But that never happened. Instead the latest Zelda game would launch the Nintendo Switch, and all that development time resulted in a game so good that, somehow, sales of the game exceeded sales of the console. People must have wanted backups, just in case, so they never have to go without Breath of the Wild again. It is, after all, a sprawling, creative epic and right up there with the best open world games of all time. It’s going to be remembered for a very long time to come.
GOLD
Super Mario Odyssey
If Breath of the Wild was the perfect way to launch a console, Super Mario Odyssey was the perfect way to solidify the console as a must-have. One masterpiece is still a dicy purchase; two, in the first year alone, makes for a console destined for greatness. Mario Odyssey has the rare ability to draw in people who aren’t usually fans of platformer action, and it does so through its charm, razor-tight gameplay, and genuine sense of humour. Truly a game for people of all ages, and resounding proof that, all these years later, Nintendo is still capable of completely reinventing Mario for the good of the overall franchise.
