It was easy to lose heart after the garbage fire that was Resident Evil 6. Thankfully, Capcom stepped up and delivered a brand new Resident Evil experience that is both brand new feeling and upholds the roots of what makes the series fun. Bringing the series into the first-person perspective was bold move, but it paid off with Resident Evil 7. Even though the point of view changed, everything about the gameplay like managing ammo, finding keys, carefully navigating corridors and even opening doors still felt uniquely like it belonged in the series. Playing the game in virtual reality is one of the most intense experiences I’ve done in gaming. Many parts of the game are very scary and being put into that world through a VR headset only makes it that much more terrifying. The story is self-contained enough that folks who are new to the series can easily join in now, with some sly easter eggs for series veterans. The characters, especially the Baker family, are interesting to learn about and the story goes to some cool places by the end. Many people have criticized the latter portion of the game for becoming more action heavy, but if you look at previous games in the series, it actually follows a similar pattern in that regard. I played through this game four times in 2017 alone and will likely go back for another round in 2018. In any other year, this would have been an easy top spot, but I reluctantly call Resident Evil 7: Biohazard the 2nd best game of 2017.
