The Best Games of September 2017

The Best Games of September 2017

Honorable Mention: Metroid: Samus Returns

Read the Review!

Starting with a couple of honorable mentions, check out the Twinfinite’s Staff picks for our best games of September 2017 which includes of course, our Game of the Month!

Associate Editor Madsen Hayes: Fans have been waiting a long time for the return of 2D Metroid, and Nintendo finally delivered on that in a big way. Although Metroid: Samus Returns is technically a remake of Metroid II, in truth it feels like an entirely new game. Samus Returns has a number of new additions like a melee counterattack and original bosses that add even more variety to the experience.

The game is also presented in a gorgeous 2.5D graphical style, which adds real character to the world of SR388 by adding in backgrounds packed with detail. All of this is supported by a fittingly eerie soundtrack you’d expect from a Metroid game. There’s plenty of content to dig into, with tons of different Metroids to battle and items to collect. Samus Returns is just about everything you could want from a new 2D entry in the series, and developer MercurySteam has certainly shown they know what makes a Metroid game.

The Best Games of September 2017

Honorable Mention: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

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Guides Editor Chris Jecks: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony isn’t a drastically different entry in the series. It keeps the core experience of its predecessors, but it just makes everything that little bit more Danganronpa. Characters are even more eccentric, trials are more out there (especially the last one), and Monokuma is as crude and self-aware as ever. It’s this embracing of the series’ DNA that makes Killing Harmony such a great game, and one we can wholeheartedly recommend to fans.

In an attempt to keep Class Trials feeling fresh but familiar, Killing Harmony introduces a handful of new mini-games, from the excellent Debate Scrums and Mass Panic Debates, to the less enjoyable Mind Mine and overhauled Hangman’s Gambit. Its most intriguing new addition, however, comes in the ability to lie, misleading and redirecting your fellow students’ way of thinking. There’s something incredibly powerful and sinister about obscuring the truth this time around, having played so by the book in previous games. It helps to make the protagonist feel more human when confronted by a tough situation, and makes the dramatic twists and turns of Class Trials feel less forced. These gameplay segments remain the strongest part of the experience, regardless of a couple ‘meh’ mini-games.

Danganronpa V3 is at its very best when it throws caution to the wind and is as wild and wacky as its creators could imagine. Its opening chapter will catch you off-guard without a doubt, and its final trial is by far the funniest and most ‘out there’ the series has ever gone. Its students are charismatic and intriguing, making each murder that little bit more painful, while the new Monokubs take plenty of inspiration from their father.

Killing Harmony is by no means a perfect game, but it distills the essence of the series into its purest form and runs wild with it. Despite some missteps along the way, I was sad to watch the credits roll, and that’s certainly the sign of a great experience.

The Best Games of September 2017

Honorable Mention: Destiny 2

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Editor in Chief Ed McGlone: It doesn’t feel that long ago that we were talking about the original Destiny. It’s probably because Bungie did an amazing job of keeping the original relevant for so long and seamlessly bridging the gap between the two games.

Destiny 2 inherits everything that was great about the first game, and fixes at least some of its problems. Loot is more plentiful, the raid is still amazing, and there’s an actual story worth paying attention to this time around. The original Destiny’s FPS/RPG-like gameplay was already fantastic, and Destiny 2 found a way to refine it further, such as making subclasses fit into more defined roles to create better team synergy.

It’s still not for everyone, and unless the story was the only problem you had with the first game, it doesn’t radically change anything else to woo former haters. That said, for the fans of Destiny 1 of which there are plenty, it is about as good as a sequel as one could have hoped for.

The Best Game of September 2017: Divinity: Original Sin 2

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Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan:  Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the kind of game that consumes and demands your attention. If you aren’t playing it, you’re probably thinking about it. Whether it’s about that one side quest where you had to put down the dog and you’re wondering if there was any other way to handle that, or if you’re thinking up new strategies to get past that infuriating battle at the harbor, Divinity is all-consuming.

Despite never having played a CRPG prior to this, Divinity quickly ended up being my personal favorite RPG of the year because of how it was so committed to immersing the player in its universe. It’s also one of those rare games where choosing to play as one of Divinity’s preset characters makes the journey much more interesting than if you’d created a custom character from scratch. All of the heroes in Divinity: Original Sin 2 have their own distinct motivations and backstories, and putting them together in a single party makes for some seriously exciting dynamics where pursuing one quest line could potentially lead to the murder of a friend.

Divinity’s world isn’t exactly huge, but it’s so packed with things to do and quests to take on. It’s dense, and the fact that every quest can be completed through multiple methods makes the experience that much more freeing. You don’t have to worry about accidentally killing a quest NPC because chances are you could probably finish the quest through other means like, say, communicating with the ghost of the person you just killed via a special spell. Or you could get new info from their pet by learning the Pet Pal talent on one of your characters. The possibilities aren’t endless, but they feel like it.

Divinity: Original Sin 2’s main story falters a little at times, but that’s only because it’s so easy to wander off the main path and get distracted with the sheer number of things to do and see. I can’t recall the last time I felt this immersed in a role-playing game, and if you’ve been looking for a good title with great characters and fun tactical combat to sink an easy hundred hours into, this is your game.

That does it for our September 2017 Game of the Month. Congratulations to Divinity Original Sin 2! What do you think were the best games from last month? Let us know in the comments.