It's hard to believe the first month of 2017 is nearly over, but it is, and brand new games are already being released.
There's a huge number of titles hitting consoles and PCs this year that look great, but most of us can't buy them all - so what's most likely worth our money?
To start with, here are my honourable mentions: Call of Cthulhu, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mass Effect Andromeda, Destiny 2, Shenmue 3, Injustice 2, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands, God of War, Tekken 7 and Detroit: Become Human.
And now, the top 20.
20) Crackdown 3
The big drawcard of this one is just how intricate it's epic mass destruction looks. The future-tech also looks cool-as, and taking perps down is always fun, of course. Read more at Games Radar.
19) Horizon Zero Dawn
Robot dinosaurs are a cool idea, but they mean you generally have to suffer through an awful Transformers movie. Thankfully, Horizon Zero Dawn looks a lot better. It's also an AAA title that is completely original, a sadly rare thing I hope we can celebrate. Read more at Giant Bomb.
18) Sniper Elite 4
If you love sniping, this is the 2017 game for you. You can pull off super long-range shots, watch bullets go through skulls in gory X-ray vision, and you even get to kill Hitler. Sweet. Read more at Rock Paper Shotgun.
17) Overkill's The Walking Dead
I've been over zombies for what seems like years and I'm very over The Walking Dead TV show, but somehow just keep watching. Overkill is doing an action game adaptation this year that looks, surprisingly, great. Read more at Gamespot.
16) Nioh
A samurai game from the studio behind the Dead or Alive, this one is described by EuroGamer as "a Dark Souls imitator with soul". That's more than enough for me to pick it up.
15) Prey
A trippy sci-fi from Arkane Studios, the folks behind the Dishonored games. It looks scary and very highly polished, and includes zero-gravity segments and angry aliens. Read more at Kotaku.
14) Absolver
This martial arts brawler RPG was Gameplanet's unexpected triumph of E3 2016. Your character is said to get better as they learn better fighting techniques and it merges single, co-op and competitive gameplay in the same campaign.
13) Cuphead
This has simply amazing aesthetics as a throwback to classic animation - like, '30s style animation. It's a nifty old-school side-scrolling shooter, but however it plays, I just want to feast my eyes on more of it. Read more at Endgadget.
12) Days Gone
This looks a bit like a poor man's The Last of Us, but with World War Z and Sons of Anarchy elements thrown in. That doesn't sound too great, but the gameplay looks original and interesting. If it can get past the obvious comparisons and deliver a satisfying story, this could absolutely rule. Read more at TechnoBuffalo.
11) For Honor
A sweet-as looking fighting game that may recruit a whole new horde of gamers into the hugely popular multiplayer world of MOBA. Knights versus Vikings versus Samurai should equal brilliance. Read more at Game Informer.
10) Battalion 1944
This is basically an indie remake of the first three Call of Duty games. It launched on Kickstarter and is eagerly awaited by us multiplayer shooter fans desperate for a return to World War II. Trailer.
9) The Church in the Darkness
The most intriguing entry on my list, this is an indie title set in 1970s South America in which you have to save a relative from a Jonestown-style cult. Read more at Polygon.
8) Vampyr
"At last, an interesting game about vampires," says The Guardian. Indeed, this open-world game that puts you in the role of a thoughtful bloodsucker looks very interesting, and it could be bloody good fun.
7) Outlast 2
Horror gaming has enjoyed a wonderful resurgence over the last few years and this is the sequel to one of the genre's best recent examples. It was super creepy, very R18 and loads of fun - bring on more. Read more at Polygon.
6) Star Wars Battlefront 2
This will hopefully build on the underrated 2015 shooter and be the Star Wars game more people have always dreamed of. It will have a story this time, not just multiplayer, and that can only be a good thing. Read more at Den of Geek.
5) Nidhogg 2
I've spent more time on Nidhogg than any other indie title in recent years. It's a super-simple but extremely addictive two-player fighting game, and I'm hoping the sequel keeps the original's magic, but builds on it to make something even better. Read more at Gamasutra.
4) Star Trek: Bridge Crew
As amazing as virtual reality is, there are barely any full games that make use of the tech just yet. But getting four mates together to lead the Starship Enterprise could just be nerd heaven. Trailer.
3) Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Out this month - next week, in fact - is the new Resident Evil. I'm hoping this resurrects the seminal horror franchise to greatness again. Even if it doesn't, the demos showcasing its PlayStation virtual reality functionality have been mint, and I can't wait to freak out in the full game. Read more at Game Informer.
2) Red Dead Redemption 2
The new one from grandmasters Rockstar Games has been a long time coming - seven years, to be exact, since they released one of the world's most celebrated games. Rockstar create the most successful games in the world, and their return to America's Wild West is undoubtedly going to be superb. Read more at IGN.
1) The Last of Us Part II
The greatest game ever made is Naughty Dog's The Last Of Us. A sequel was recently announced and there is simply nothing else close to being exciting as this. When it'll come out isn't known and it may be 2018, but please, PLEASE let it be this year. It's exhilarating to think Ellie and Joel's story isn't finished, and I can't wait to experience its next chapter. Trailer.
Whatever you choose to play, have fun doing it, and play nice.
Newshub.
