Most Underrated Game: One Year Later

If Andromeda had been a big success for me personally 2017 would've been an all-time favorite. I did play many new games last year including Mario Oddysey and Zelda but despite how good those were neither struck me as being a particularly good innovation for either series and I've played better Marios and Zeldas. Nier Automata is the only game from last year that truly got its hooks in me and surprised me with how good it was and even what it was at all, but then, in 2015 I got Witcher 3 and Bloodborne which are both my top of the generation titles, so despite there being more good games in 2017 and also a new Mass Effect, I struggle to think of it as the best year in games for me personally.

Still a good year though. Better than 2014 and 2016 and probably also 2015 because as good as my favorites were that year it was just two games as opposed to 4+ big games I cared about.

As for how Andromeda has aged, I'm with a lot of people that it's been underrated. I just don't want to place the emphasis on how people misunderstood it too much because to me it's important to remember where the expectations for Mass Effect used to be, which is higher than what Andromeda provided and to me also higher than what ME3 provided, and even ME2 that I love I think only represented a solid improvement but not the untapped potential the series can still reach if the people creating it get as ambitious and as smart about developing it as Valve were when making Halo 2 or when Naughty Dog created The Last of Us etc.

It's the universe that shines but the execution of each individual campaign, the mechanics, and other things can be done better. I have yet to see the game that's like ME2 in execution of presentation and dialogue that matches the breadth and player-expression found in the other games's combat and exploration. Until I see that Mass Effect will forever be on my mind as a franchise that never quite hit the lofty expectations it itself created.

Horizon Zero Dawn pretty much sold me on 2017, made more surprising by the fact that its developers basically did nothing else but those forgettable Killzone games.

I think it has one of the best scifi stories to come along in a game in a long time. It's "reapers" are better than Mass Effect's.

I genuinely wish I could say the same, but after recently going back to try another SP playthrough after not touching Andromeda for at least 6 months or so, the game remains thoroughly underwhelming for me.

Tried to start a second playthrough again. But I only lasted a half an hour this time before I went back to playing ME2 on my xbox for the gazillionth time. Andromeda is the only ME I don't have all the achievements for. I'm so mad at myself

I didn't quote it but was referring to HZD, and if you don't see the massive similarities in its game play to farcry it feels like we played different games. 

my fault for not quoting, I should have realized it would be unclear.

I like this about the kett. They're a huge threat because of their superior numbers of intentions. What they aren't is more technologically advanced in most ways. They took a different path to a comparable level of technology to that of the Ai. (It's guesswork based upon assumptions, but I think the kett would be likely defeated by the MW Council civilization we left, for instance. MW had seemingly better weapons in 2185 CE and healthy numbers.) The key to victory discovered by the Heleus civilization (Ai + Angara) would likely not require a millions year old Anti-Kett MacGuffin Super Weapon. We could build alliances, develop a plan, and actually defeat this for conventionally (Hackett's favorite word).

... a Hackett/Kenson romance arc FTW

The linked article— at least the part quoted— is pretty accurate. (I’m a bit surprised.) I love Geralt and the setting, and definitely liked what CDPR did with his story. Of course, I enjoy playing a variety of games. I enjoy both RPGs and stories in which I have no control of decision-making. Some of the best stories I’ve ever experienced were completely on rails. Using player-created characters is only one way to tell a good story.

Is it just TW, or do you generally only play RPGs?

They’re my favorites by far as well.