14 Most Surprising Metacritic Scores Of 2017

3. Sonic Mania (86)

Sonic mania green hill
Sega

Beloved though Sonic the Hedgehog is, there's a reason why he isn't held in quite the same esteem as, say, Mario: his games are nowhere near as good.

The Sonic series is one of the most infuriatingly inconsistent AAA franchises in gaming history, almost never scoring consistent 80+ scores across platforms, such that often, only the hardcore Sonic fans need apply (see the widely-panned recent release Sonic Forces).

2017 did see the release of one excellent Sonic game against the odds, however, with Sonic Mania serving as a visually faithful, ingeniously conceived return to the series' 8-bit roots.

While it isn't the most unique or original Sonic game, straight-up "borrowing" from the better earlier games, it performs a minor miracle in getting even casual players excited about Sonic again for the first time in years. Who could've seen that coming?

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.