15 Awesome Video Games From 2017 You Probably Missed

9. Yakuza 0/Kiwami

Despite being in a MUCH stronger cultural position in the west than years gone by (we're actually getting Yakuza 6 only a year and a bit after the Japanese release this time!), it remains that until Yakuza is one of the biggest franchises on the planet, there's work to be done.

And why? Because these games are some of the most fun you can have in gaming. Perfect concoctions of arcade brawling mechanics, assortments of minigames, phenomenal characters, gorgeous graphics and more plot twists than every Metal Gear game combined.

2017 marked the time Sega really made a point of releasing these games in the west, as we got Yakuza 0 (a 1980s prequel showing how characters first got to know each other, all in a stylised series of Japanese locales) AND Yakuza Kiwami (a remake of the 2006 original, done in 0's engine, with revamped combat).

Both are simply stellar, emblematic of a developer who thanks to making these games for over a decade, not only knows how to stay true to their fans, but how to innovative and polish the experience to a mirror sheen.