The first Monthly Question was in December of 2015 and I want to thank the writers for their participation over the last two years. This will probably be the last Monthly Question, partially because I am out of questions (well, good questions) and partially because I want to take some time to come up with another monthly feature.

This was an amazing year for games, especially AAA games. Towards the holiday season, it’s hard to find time to play all the big games that were shown off at E3. Unfortunately that usually means there were plenty of great games that got lost in the shuffle of big marketing pushes or simply overlooked due to lack of time.

To shine a light on some great games that everyone should play, I asked the PS Nation writers:

The Metronomicon: Slay The Dance Floor is one for me. I loved this game but sadly I think it got lost in the shuffle. It combines RPG mechanics and a rhythm game in a very fun and interesting way. The soundtrack is super good too and the game has had a few nice sets of DLC since I reviewed it as well.

Another underappreciated game this year was Mages of Mystralia. While Zelda clones are pretty common, Mystralia has a unique Magic system where the player gets to craft their own spells using a very intuitive and fun system. While the game isn’t perfect, it’s still a fun time that I think slipped past a lot of people’s radars.

What Remains of Edith Finch received a lot of praise when it released in the first half of the year, but I don’t hear it mentioned much as outlets begin to form their Game of the Year awards.

A lot of big AAA games came out this year and now Edith Finch will likely be overshadowed. This tends to happen to indie games, especially those released earlier in the year. I really think though that this is one that should be played by everyone.

It’s a beautiful game that touches on some dark subject matter, but not in any exploitative way. It is a perfectly crafted narrative that has stuck with me since I played it all the way back in May.

Well, seeing as I can’t have the excellent Mad Max PS4 game as that was a couple of years ago now, I suppose I will have to go with The Sexy Brutale – “A fine accomplishment of design and spectacle and a perfect example of why I love gaming.”

I tend to gravitate a bit to the lesser known or unpopular genres like hidden object games or walking sims. Those rare gems are great to play without the added stress of online multiplayer, side questing galore, or leveling up requirements.

However, one of my favorite types of games are the FMV choose your own adventure style games. Earlier this year Late Shift from Wales Interactive was released and it’s a great game to play. The branching storyline and multiple ending variations gave a lot of replay value to the crime thriller.

The acting is very well done and the story is extremely interesting. I would suggest that anyone who wants a break from the norm check this one out as well as their earlier release The Bunker. Both are hidden gems in a crowded AAA world.

Who knows if we will ever get a port or remake (or even a sequel) of that amazing Sega CD game Snatcher. But this year we had a little sleeper title that borrows a lot of spiritual influence from that Cyberpunk game of old, and that’s 2064: Read Only Memories.

What starts as a search for a missing friend turns into a grand adventure full of interesting locales and characters. But the presentation is what’s reminiscent of Snatcher.

Everything from the interface, to that 16-bit art style screams Konami’s Classic Blade Runner-like video game. It’s unfortunate that it may have gotten lost amidst all the higher profile titles out there but this is definitely one to check out if you have time.

Since The Monthly Question is ending on the same question as it started, it seems only fitting for my answer to be the same series as it was in the beginning. Hand of Fate 2 is an interesting mashup of the roguelike, deck building, board game, and RPG genres.

While the first game was a unique experiment, Hand of Fate 2 is much more polished and refined. Not only does it fix many of the flaws of the first game, but it expands the game in new and interesting ways. This is one of the best single player Dungeons and Dragons experiences I have ever had.

These are our underrated/overlooked games of 2017. What are yours? Tell us in the PS Nation Forums.

Thanks as always to John Payant for editing.