Some of the greatest games of this year have all been released on the Switch.

Nintendo Keeps WinningĪfter the Wii U, the gaming community wasn’t too sure what to think about Nintendo’s next handheld console hybrid, but the Nintendo Switch is blowing everything out of the water. One thing’s for certain though, loot crates were a defining trend of 2017. Between loot crates taking too long to earn (which lead to the feeling of funneling toward paying for more) and their contents including gameplay-affecting drops, it was a real learning process for both sides. While EA has made moves to improve the loot crate situation in Star Wars Battlefront 2, the initial reaction created such a strong pushback from the community that it could very well serve as a cautionary tale for future developers and publishers. The Overwatch community tends to respond favorably to this mechanic, but there are other communities which have rallied against the way loot boxes are handed. Though you can spend real money to purchase loot chests, Overwatch just as easily rewards your hours of play with the mystery boxes, all of which contain purely cosmetic items. One of the best examples of loot chests in gaming are the ones introduced in Overwatch. Billed as a means of rewarding gameplay with random in-game drops, loot chests are often a good way of rewarding continued play – but there are times when loot crates aren’t exactly accepted with loving arms by the community. There’s not really a clear point in time when loot chests came into existence, they’ve kind of snuck up on us. You really can’t review 2017 without mentioning the oftentimes catastrophic effect of loot chests, loot boxes, loot crates, or some variation of the name. Let’s take a look back at some of the biggest trends of 2017 and how they’ve impacted our favorite pastime: gaming. Trends are more than just controversy or good stories, they’re themes or ideas or practices that have spread everywhere – for better or for worse. There have been controversies, announcements, and all manner of rumblings in the community, but what’s been most interesting are the trends. A heck of a lot has happened in the gaming world this year, and we’re not talking just video game releases.

Xbox one best games of 2017