10 Phenomenal 2017 Video Games You're Already Missing Out On

8. Nioh

Grab it if you like: Dark Souls, Bloodborne.

Come Game of the Year, you'll definitely see Nioh come back around and dig its heels in to fight for the top spot - so immaculate is Team Ninja's return to brutally hard gameplay, it warrants every possible accolade under the sun.

Case in point: The easiest comparison is Dark Souls, but the devs have innovated and iterated at every turn. Gone is the notion of sticking with one weapon for the majority as a mix of core animation styles, stance-switching and loot-drops always give you something new - though it's counterbalanced by a 'familiarity' system that does reward you for wielding one item for the duration.

Speaking of the loot system, any players who died in their own games can be revived and fought against, with you gaining whatever spoils were on their person when they went down. You can customise specific parry and backstab animations, equip Guardian Spirits to buff character stats in the background, there's a neatly told story to take in and the entire eastern mythology setting feels like a throwback to Onimusha. All while learning the best foundational lessons from FromSoftware's games, and Team Ninja's own history with Ninja Gaiden.

Releasing right next to For Honor didn't do Nioh any favours, but it's by far the superior game - one that if you want to test your gaming mettle and be rewarded in turn, more than deserves your time.