10 Video Games Most Likely To Be Game Of The Year 2017 Nominees

Format - PS4, PC

Metacritic Score - 88

In a year where From Software didn't release any kind of incredibly difficult RPG, Team Ninja stepped up to the plate and delivered Nioh, one of the toughest games of the year. It was also a critical darling, with the game being compared to From's masterpiece franchise Dark Souls on many different levels.

A third-person action RPG set in feudal Japan, Nioh sees the player take control of William, an Irish samurai. Facing off against mystical oni demons and other folklore nasties, William must push forwards through the unforgiving and brutal gameplay, utilising the game's complex and interesting combat system to succeed. The game follows in Dark Souls' footsteps by including a currency that is steadily accumulated, before being dropped upon death.

The game is tense and hard, but it makes you feel like a badass at the same time. As you come to learn William's different fighting styles, you'll find yourself blocking and cleaving through enemies like butter, dismembering limbs as you go. Nioh doesn't quite have the same feeling of majesty as Dark Souls, but it is mechanically sound, asking a lot from the player, while returning the rewards in spades.