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The year of 2017 has undeniably been quite a memorable one in the realm of video games.

While the industry has had its fair share of controversies, it's hard to deny that the past 12 months have been full to the brim with manyvideogames that could arguably be considered some of the best ever made.

In fact, it's probably been the best year for video game releases since 2007, which saw titles like Super Mario Galaxy, BioShock, Portal, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Halo 3, God of War II, Mass Effect, and Uncharted hit our screens.

It's been one to remember, which makes our attempt at listing our favourite games of the year a far more arduous task than usual.

To make things easier, video game writers Ryan Brown and JC Suttun have separately listed their top 5 video games of 2017 (with a few honourable mentions to boot) to comprise The Mirror's Game of the Year list.

So sit tight and get ready to angrily disagree/passionately agree with our choices in the comments.

Ryan's Game of the Year picks:

5. RiME

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RiME may not be a perfect game or an obvious selection for a game of the year award, but it came at a perfect time about halfway through the year when I needed something a little shorter and a bit more gentle.

A puzzle-adventure game with some degree of platforming and exploration, RiME draws inspiration from The Legend of Zelda, Journey, and the movies of Studio Ghibli, all of which shine through into the final product.

Featuring one of this year's best soundtracks and eye-catching visuals, RiME is neither lengthy or difficult, but it's charming enough to have stuck with me, with some very memorable moments and surprisingly enjoyable gameplay packed in.

4. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

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Released seemingly out of nowhere, Hellblade took many people by surprise when it launched in August, and even managed to sweep up several awards at The Game Awards this December.

What makes this self-described 'independent AAA game' special is how it incorporates the issue of mental health into its narrative and gameplay without transforming it into a mere cheap gimmick.

Playing as Senua, played by actress newbie Melina Juergens (who does a fantastic job, might I add) you must try to rescue the soul of your dead lover from the clutches of demented, otherworldly beasts while coping with psychotic delusions and voices.

Saying too much about this part adventure, part hack and slash, part puzzle game will spoil the beauty and impact of it, but it's a tale that could only be told through the wonderful medium of video games.

It shows players the struggle of dealing with an illness such as psychosis far more effectively (and respectfully) than any book, movie or TV show in recent years, making it the most emotionally powerful video game of the year. Hellblade is further proof that video games are indeed art.

3 Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

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Everyone laughed when this turn-based tactical strategy game was leaked, as on the surface a crossover between the Mario and Rabbids franchises with the addition of guns sounds ludicrous.

Miraculously, through the sheer talent and passion of creative director Davide Soliani and his team at Ubisoft, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is so much more than just a cheap crossover budget title.

Accessible to genre newcomers and veterans alike, Mario + Rabbids is a genuinely fun (and funny) strategy game with a great soundtrack and is perfect as an on-the-go game. I can't recommend it enough.

2. Super Mario Odyssey

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It says something about video games in 2017 that Super Mario Odyssey, one of my favourite games of all time, only takes my number two spot.

Magical from beginning to end, Odyssey is a showcase of Nintendo's true creative genius, from its varied platforming worlds, to its gorgeously vivid colours and memorable soundtrack.

I never expected a platformer to hold my attention for 70 hours, but Odyssey is full to the brim with content that keeps pushing boundaries with surprises up until the very end.

Put simply, it's one of the best games Nintendo has ever made, as well as the best 3D platformer ever. If you don't own a Nintendo Switch yet, get one - this is a game that must be played by absolutely everybody.

Super Mario Odyssey would've earned my number one spot if it were any other year, but alas, there's one game I've not been able to be quiet about...

1. NieR: Automata

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What can I say about NieR: Automata that I haven't said a thousand times?

NieR: Automata is the kind of experience that can only be had through the interactive medium of video games, and it makes incredible use of it to tell an incredibly deep story with more twists and turns than anything even seen in Hideo Kojima's games.

Directed by auteur Yoko Taro, with PlatinumGames' perfected signature action combat system, Automata never stops surprising - even during its second and third acts, which effectively act as the game's own in-built sequels.

Its soundtrack is quite possibly the best video game soundtrack ever made. Its gameplay masterfully mixes genres throughout, making the most of all its memorable locations and characters.

Since playing this masterpiece back in March, I already feel nostalgic when listening to its soundtrack and am dying to replay it from the beginning. Words cannot explain how deeply I love NieR: Automata and everything about it.

It is my favourite video game of all time, and as such, is easily deserving of my game of the year award.

JC's Game of the Year picks:

5. Sniper Elite 4

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With all its talk of windage and bullet drop, I was initially a bit worried that World War 2 shooter Sniper Elite 4 would be an impenetrable sharpshooting sim. Of course, if that's what you're actually after, the game has the appropriate difficulty settings for it.

But playing on normal and using the breath holding mechanic lets you pull off insane long range kills, dispatching Nazis from across the game's large, open levels with a gory slow-motion X-ray killcam shot as your reward.

The stealth is also fairly forgiving, letting you run amok right under the facsists' noses as you thin them out one by one with sneak attacks and (my personal favourite) boobytrapped corpses.

I had an absolute blast with Sniper Elite 4, and it's definitely on my list of games I'd love to replay someday.

4. Nioh

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It would be easy to dismiss Nioh as 'Dark Souls with samurai swords', but you'd be doing yourself a huge disservice. This tough adventure has enough character to make its own mark with fantastic creature design, some interesting gameplay mechanics and a difficulty level that means each slain enemy feels like a satisfying victory. Even as someone who would likely be considered a wuss by seasoned Souls fans, I managed to find a lot to love here.

Exploring its atmospheric environments and stumbling into new areas left me with a level of curiosity and wonderment that I haven't experienced since, oddly, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver on PS1 (a game which sorely needs an HD remake). Consistently thrilling, if you've got the patience to learn the nuances of its combat then Nioh will be right up your alley.

3. The Evil Within 2

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I loved the first Evil Within game, but it certainly had a few faults. The stealth sometimes felt a bit clumsy, and its storytelling was uneven in places. Thankfully, Bethesda's commitment to fully-fledged single player titles meant the survival horror franchise got another bite of the cherry, resulting in a better all-round experience.

Making the levels less linear was a good move for the most part, and the plot is a lot easier to follow. It's no Resident Evil 4, but it certainly scratched a particular itch and I'm hoping we get a third game somewhere down the road.

2. Cuphead

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An astoundingly evocative art style and addictive, well pitched level of challenge make Cuphead one of the freshest titles I've played in ages.

It looks amazing, plays brilliantly and everything about it fits together perfectly. With the Xbox One's death of decent exclusives, this is a sorely-needed gem for Microsoft's console.

1. Resident Evil 7

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I don't think it's unfair to say that Resident Evil 6 was a bit rubbish. I played through it three times just to be certain. Sure, Resi 5's action-heavy lean was a bit of a departure from the series' horror roots, but it was still a darn good title. But the sixth instalment basically left the franchise in a bad way, and quite frankly disappointed fans across the board.

Personally, Resident Evil 7 was make or break for the series, and when the jump to first-person was revealed I was as worried as I was intrigued. I'm glad to say that the end result was an absolute revelation, and without a doubt has brought Resident Evil back from the brink.

The camera perspective might be a reflection of modern horror game trends, but the DNA of classic Resident Evil runs through the whole thing.

Ryan's honourable mentions:

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Life is Strange: Before the Storm:

Despite being developed by a completely different team, Before the Storm is a brilliant prequel to one of my all-time favourite narrative games. It even manages to remain brilliant despite dropping two of the original game's best elements: the time rewind feature, and voice actor Ashly Burch. Definitely recommended for fans of the first game.

Little Nightmares:

A horror puzzle-platformer published by Bandai Namco, Little Nightmares is one of those oddities that seems like it shouldn't have existed in the first place, but you're thrilled that it does. It may be short, but it makes up for that with tons of Tim Burton-esque creepy charm and some genuinely horrifying moments.

The Mummy Demastered:

Based on a frankly terrible movie, The Mummy Demastered was easy to miss, but you'll have missed out on a great game in doing so. With masterfully crafted pixel art, a kickass retro soundtrack, and a perfection of developer WayForward's metroidvania formula, The Mummy Demastered is likely to be remembered as a hidden gem.

Resident Evil 7:

As more a fan of classic Resident Evil titles than its modern action-orientated counterparts, Resident Evil 7 is the return to form that I was looking for. With even its new first-person view a welcome change, this is an instant survival horror classic - and even the best virtual reality game on the market currently.

ARMS:

If there's one thing Nintendo are good at, it's taking a beloved video game genre and applying their own twisted wackiness to it. That's exactly what they did with ARMS, which is perhaps best described as being to fighting games what Splatoon is to shooters. I've not had this much fun with a fighter since Super Smash Bros., and I'm still loving it months later.

Snipperclips:

An underrated launch title for the Nintendo Switch, Snipperclips is a fun, inventive, and genuinely funny co-op puzzle game. I've played this multiple times with various friends, and every time has been a real laugh as we've snipped at each other's characters as they made peculiar faces. This is a game I imagine I'll be coming back to a few more times still.

Best Ports:Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch), Cave Story+ (Nintendo Switch), Expand (PS4), The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (Nintendo Switch), DOOM (Nintendo Switch).

Omissions: Even video game writers don't have time to play everything, especially in a year as packed as 2017. The following games could potentially have made my list, but I've either not played them at all or not quite finished them.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (please don't hate me) , Persona 5, Cuphead, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Horizon Zero Dawn, Crash N. Sane Trilogy, and Digimon World: Next Order . Sorry.

JC's honourable mentions:

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SOMA (Xbox One):

I never thought I'd get round to playing SOMA (which came out for PC and PS4 in 2015), and so I ended up reading the synopsis online so I'd know what the fuss was about. It meant I'd shot myself in the foot a bit when I ended up reviewing the Xbox One version that came out earlier this month. But even with me spoiling the story for myself, SOMA managed to be an utterly terrifying experience, with a brilliantly executed narrative that poses some deep questions about technology and human existence. Even the addition of an optional 'Safe Mode' - a difficulty level that leaves enemies unable to hurt you - does nothing to rob the game of it's power to scare.

Candleman:

A gentle platformer, Candleman feels like a children's storybook brought to life. The concept is novel, the length is perfect, and the tone is endearing while managing to be slightly haunting at the same time. For sentient but mute candle, Candleman has plenty of personality.

Omissions: I became a father earlier this year, which has seen my free time drop by 99%. Unless someone manages to make a real-life Dragonball Z Hyperbolic Time Chamber, it'll be a while until I get round to any of these games that were on my radar this year:

Horizon: Zero Dawn, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, NieR: Automata, The Sexy Brutale, Prey, Injustice 2, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen DLC, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Little Nightmares

What do you think about our choices? Let us know your favourite games of the year in the comments below!