Top 5 Video Games Of 2017

A long running franchise that dates back to 2002, Battlefield 1 is actually the fifteenth title in the series. It's your standard first person shooter that takes place during The Great War. That's World War I for those who slept through history class.

This game felt realistic while playing which made me love it! Although, the meat of the game play is strictly online forcing you to go against other players which can be challenging to a novice gamer. There are plenty of objectives that are easily accomplished though, thus allowing for your profile to level up and stay competitive. Not my favorite game that I played this past year, but definitely worthy of my top 5.

This is the sequel to Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor which was very successful. Shadow of War picks up the story line where it's predecessor left off. You are a ranger named Talion who shares his body with elf spirit Celebrimbor. The story is based on The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movie trilogies and takes place in between each story's time line.

I spent over a month playing this game as it feels a lot like the first game except with more game play options. The concept of an open sandbox style of play with the ability to unlock and conquer territories has always held my attention. This series is definitely worth a play through.

I actually bough Play Station 4 specifically to keep up with one of my favorite game franchises of all time. My first Assassin's Creed game for PS4 was Unity which was disappointing to say the least.

The franchise bounced back after releasing Assassin's Creed: Syndicate bringing the game play style back to it's roots. They continued with that style with Origins giving us yet another beautiful historic setting. Roaming around ancient Egypt was breathtaking as I got to climb and explore the Pyramids of Giza.

The story line was pleasing as well. Covering how the assassins came to be and why. No news yet on where Ubisoft plans to take their franchise as they may opt to release a title every two years instead of yearly. No matter what they decide, I will play whatever they release with high hopes.

I never thought I'd be into a re-release of a game I played years ago on Xbox 360. But I received this game as a gift in late 2016 only to let it sit on my shelf for months.

Skyrim: Special Edition changed everything for me because it included all of the DLC which I never played. For Bethesda to expand the game world like it did gave me a much rejuvenated appreciation for the franchise. Since I never played any of the Elder Scrolls games before this I quickly realized what I was missing.

I spent three or four months playing this game in it's entirety. It does have it's flaws and glitches but I just get over it and play the game. I've played it through and am considering playing it one more time. But's that a level of commitment that I'm not sure I'm ready for given the amazing titles being released in 2018.

TIME OUT! I know what you're thinking. This game was released in 2015. Yes, that's when I bought it. Didn't know anything about the franchise and was about to buy a different game until the GameStop store manager laid this title in front of me and said "trust me, you'll love it."

He was right as I've been playing this game for two years and always calls my name when I neglect it. I've played the game through at least 3 times already and with multiple endings I was able to create experiences. This game gave me to most for my money and because I enjoyed Skyrim's DLC, I quickly bought a season pass for Fallout 4.

While the game play and story are great, it was the ability to build settlements and craft weapons that made this game stand apart from the rest. It has the same level of addiction for me like Minecraft has for many other gamers. The craziest part is that building beautiful settlements has no effect on the story or game itself. You can ignore each settlement and build nothing and your ability to beat the game is not hindered.

This open format is my favorite style of game. Creating, exploring and conquering are what I look for and enjoy immersing myself into a character that I've created as a fictional extension of myself. That's what video games are all about right? Be the hero or villian you've always wanted to be in a consequence free environment.