PlayStation LifeStyle is doing our year-end awards slightly different from previous years. We wanted to put more importance on the act of getting nominated for an award, so we limited each category to five games. That’s not many, especially in a year stacked with great games like 2017 was, so it took a lot of careful deliberation to simply come up with each list.
As far as surprises go, it was a busy year in gaming. From shocking game announcements to unprecedented business decisions, there was a lot to be surprised by. That’s not even counting all of the great games that seemingly came out of nowhere.
Without further adieu, check out PlayStation LifeStyle’s nominees for our Biggest Gaming Surprise of 2017 award below:
The winner of our Biggest Gaming Surprise of 2017 award will be announced next week on Monday, December 25. It will be a part of a week-long celebration of the best PlayStation 4 and Vita titles of 2017. Ultimately, it’ll conclude on Friday, December 29, where we’ll reveal PlayStation LifeStyle’s Game of the Year 2017. This year will go down as one of the greatest years of gaming ever, so we’re very excited to unveil all of our picks!
Of course, we’d also love to hear what you think. Let us know in the comments below what you believe is the biggest gaming surprise of the year, and which nominee you’ll think will win the award! Will NieR: Automata‘s phenomenal ending help it top the list? Or did one of the other titles do enough to win? You’ll find out next week!
View the rest of the announced year-end award nominees.
GOTY Nominees - Biggest Surprise
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Biggest Gaming Surprise of 2017
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Assassin's Creed's Reinvention
Assassin's Creed was a series that desperately needed a break from its yearly installments, but nobody was expecting such a drastic change from the franchise. Origins turned the game into a full fledged action role-playing game, and took it in a bold new direction. Read our review for even more.
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EA Removing Microtransactions
While the full ramifications aren't yet seen, EA removing microtransactions (either temporarily or not) from Star Wars Battlefront II was an unprecedented moment. Read our review for even more.
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Ghost of Tsushima
Many were excited to see what Sucker Punch's next game would be, but I doubt many were expecting a samurai title from the inFamous devs. It was one of the most unexpected announcements of the year.
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NieR: Automata's Credits
NieR: Automata is a title comprised of amazing moments, but the most powerful might actually be the credits sequence. Read our review for even more.
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The Ongoing Success of PSVR
PlayStation VR really came into its own in 2017 with a string of great releases, and continued success from a sales standpoint. Who would've guessed that it'd be the most successful VR headset so far?
