2017 Is The Year I Played Way Too Much Of My Favorite Games

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In 2016, I think I only completed one AAA big-ass video game. That was Rise of the Tomb Raider, and it was on, like, New Year’s Day. I finished many smaller games, sure, but even the big games that I loved—Dishonored 2, Doom, Mafia 3—I just never saw the end.

This year? I’ve put 200+ hours into Zelda: Breath of the Wild. No, I have not found every single shrine, nor every Korok, but I have been to every area of the map. Exploring, seeing every inch of that world, was absolutely core to my experience (and yes, I did finish the game, with the special ending with all the memories, etc.)

Prey? In two playthroughs, I’ve put 80+ hours into this game that How Long To Beat calls a 15-hour experience (27, to be fair, is the average for main story and extras). And I am so, so not done yet.

Here’s a slightly different one: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle has me absolutely hooked. I’ve finished the main game, and this one, I may actually 100%—I’m currently chipping away at the final Ultimate challenge, after beating the story and all the other ultimate challenges. It’s really, really hard. And I cannot, for the life of me, quit it.

On one hand, I’m overjoyed to be playing games that are this good, that I appreciate on multiple levels. Games that I enjoy in dedicated “sessions” and also—in the case of Rabbids—in bed, relaxing before sleep.

On the other, it’s December 20th and I still have several games to complete before the end of year crunch.

How about you, readers? Were there any games this year that you played far more than you expected to? Let’s take it to the forums!

Have thoughts? Swing by Waypoint’s forums to share them!