20 Best Video Games Of 2017

14. Assassin’s Creed Origins

Were you as done with Assassin's Creed as me? I certainly felt the series was completely out of steam following Unity and Syndicate, yet Ubisoft's AC: Black Flag team went back to the drawing board, creating a landmark entry in the franchise that succeeds, despite a remarkably off-feeling introduction.

Once you're past that opening fight and can explore the world, Ubi's rendition of Egypt is genuinely jaw-dropping. They've basically married the freeform quest design of The Witcher with a research budget that means even the interiors of pyramids are historically accurate.

Find literally any NPC, follow them and you'll see an entire routine of daily chores, animations and sleep patterns. Missions too can be affected by these and day/night cycles, various infiltration methods and weapon choices.

Bayek himself is a perfect protagonist, his personal revenge for the death of his child being contrasted against needing to uphold the law as a Medjay, then transitioning into a custom moral code that births the Assassin Order itself.

Assassin's Creed Origins is burdened by a past business plan that churned out too many games in too short a period of time, but this is the AC you know and love, done in a way that finally feels like a bold step forward.