Biggest Surprise

Worst RPG

Biggest Letdown

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Third Place

Quick, come up with a list of all the tactical series that were turned into action games and unquestionably made better!

...

Oh right, that's not a very pleasant subject, especially for Shining and Front Mission fans. Well, Valkyria Revolution doesn't buck the trend. Valkyria Chronicles fans weren't exactly clamoring for the series to be revived in an action mode, which is what Sega decided to make. Even if it had been a new intellectual property with no connection to a previous series this would have remained a stinker though. It's difficult to stay awake during the endless dull scenes that comprise the astoundingly longwinded plot, and even if these parts had been given the judicious editing necessary to not induce narcolepsy, the story would still make no logical sense. Since this is supposed to be a fairly realistic world instead of something firmly in the realm of fantasy, that's a big problem.

As an action game, too, this is not a success. Trying to play it like an action game will just lead to frustration. Trying to play it like a tactical game will also lead to frustration. Rather than peanut butter and jelly, this is a combination more akin to asparagus, ice cream, soy sauce and French fries. It doesn't please anyone.

After the generally upbeat reception to Nights of Azure, Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon can only be considered a disappointment. Losing much of what made the first game interesting, Nights of Azure 2 just comes across as a mediocre action RPG with the most amount of energy seemingly spent creating highly impractical swimsuits rather than on engaging content. Gust has been a very prolific developer since its takeover by Koei Tecmo, and Nights of Azure 2 is a case of a game feeling incredibly rushed.

Akiba's Beat is a great example of a stellar localization and interesting premise being unable to save a mechanically deficient game. Despite XSEED Games' best efforts, Akiba's Beat's dated combat and ridiculously repetitive level design outweighed the terrific script and voice cast. Recycled enemies, overly long boss fights, and a ton of backtracking only made things worse. While not the worst RPG of 2017, Akiba's Beat still stands out as a disappointment.

by Mike Moehnke, Alex Fuller, Adriaan den Ouden