Top 5 Best Games of October 2017, According to Metacritic

5) Assassin’s Creed Origins – Average Metacritic Score: 83

After a year’s break, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has returned, this time heading to Egypt to tell the origin story of the Assassins Brotherhood and your character, Bayek. Thankfully, the extra time seems to have rejuvenated the series and most critics believe that it is back on form.

It mixes up the traditional Assassin’s Creed formula by improving the combat system, adding a new action-RPG progression system, and introducing rarity-based gear. However, it doesn’t lose what has always made Ubisoft’s series great. Egypt is vast, beautiful, and full of things to do while running and jumping over everything is just as enjoyable as before. It is certainly a more open experience than we’re used to, but the changes that have been made seem to be quite a big step in the right direction.

4) Forza Motorsport 7 – Average Metacritic Score: 84

Forza Horizon 3 released in 2016, meaning 2017 is the turn of the mainline Motorsport series. Forza Motorsport 7 had a lot of competition, however, releasing within weeks of some other huge new racing titles. Project Cars 2 released to a barrage of critical acclaim and the always classy Gran Turismo series returned with its PlayStation 4 debut. Even with that competition, Forza 7 held strong as many fans’ racing game of choice.

Critics praised it for the insane amount of cars on offer, the impressive visuals, and how accessible it is for players of any skill level. The driving can be tweaked to be comfortable for newcomers and it can be made deeper for those looking for more of a simulation. It may not be that different to the previous entries, but Forza 7 proves that Microsoft’s series is still the most complete racing package.

3) Raw Data – Metacritic Score: 87

Raw Data may be one of the more low profile releases to be well-received in October, but that doesn’t mean it is any less noteworthy. For those that don’t know what it is, Raw Data is a virtual reality, futuristic shooter that sees you, alone or alongside a friend, take on enemies as adrenaline-charged heroes.

We’ve been treated to some great shooters in VR in the last year, but many critics believe that Raw Data is one of the best. Not only is the gameplay fun and intuitive in single-player but the game features a fully fleshed out multiplayer that keeps pulling you back in. The game is also more complex than a simple ‘point and shoot’ shooting gallery. It features multiple classes, special abilities, and thrilling sci-fi action we haven’t seen from many VR shooters thus far.

2) Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – Metacritic Score: 88

The early part of this busy fall season was dominated by a certain sci-fi, multiplayer-focused shooter, but Machine Games has returned to prove that single-player shooters with strong narratives can be wonderful experiences as well. The last full title, Wolfenstein: The New Order, was generally praised but The New Colossus has had an even more positive reception than many expected.

The gameplay is still fun, fluid, and challenging but it is the story and characters that make The New Colossus stand out. The unique, and often insane characters are played perfectly and, while they’re powerful revolutionaries on the surface, they have moments that add both humor and emotion to the game’s story. Add the most sadistic villain since Far Cry 3’s Vaas and some of the most memorable scenes from gaming this year and you have one of the best first-person shooters of this generation.

1) Super Mario Odyssey – Metacritic Score: 97

The highest-rated game of October 2017 probably doesn’t come as a surprise to many. Not only is Super Mario Odyssey the best-reviewed game of the month, but it has one of the highest Metacritic scores of all time, continuing a wonderful year for games.

As we said in our review, Odyssey is “adorable, heartwarming, comforting, and just an absolute joy to play.” The kingdoms it gives you to explore are imaginatively designed, the modernized platforming is easy to grasp, and Mario controls flawlessly. Mario’s first 3D adventure on Switch is far more than fan-service nostalgia. It is one of the best games in that genre of Mario titles and it will be cherished for years to come.