Fortnite made a lot of noise in 2017, mostly when it turned out to be the most popular title emulating the match style that has grown wildly popular due to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. While the development team's quick implementation of a sound copy of PUBG's Battle Royale mode is worth note, boxing Fortnite in as just a PUBG clone is ignoring the incredibly fun base game that has earned the title of Shacknews Best Early Access Game of 2017.
Save The World, Fortnite's base game
While Fortnite is still officially in Early Access, it has been quite polished since its debut and players can stay abreast of the frequent updates with fairly regular blog and vlog updates. Seasonal events have kept the ball rolling, as well.
I don't have any particular insider information on the development of Save The World or the Battle Royale mode, but I certainly must tip my hat to the team. An added-on Battle Royale mode with a quarter of the content or effort of what was given to players would have done enough to capitalize on the
Honorable Mentions:
SQUAD
Offworld Industries is crafting one of the most intense PvP experiences ever where cohesive and efficient teamwork from the 50 players on each side of the 100 player match is absolutely detrimental. SQUAD isn't for the faint of heart or undedicated, but anyone willing to put in the time will come away with a story unlike any they've experienced in other shooters. The development team needs to get things clicking quickly if they want to draw in more players before the next shiny thing comes along, but there will likely always be a dedicated community championing this FPS.
Dead Cells
When it comes to Early Access polish, Dead Cells may edge Fortnite out. It's a rogue-lite, Metroidvania created by Motion Twin and it has found a formula that makes losing exciting much like the Souls franchise. You could say its the Dark Souls of Ear...EDIT: Charles has been removed from the premises. Check Dead Cells out for yourself. It's bound to be part of many end of the year lists for 2018 once it launches into 1.0.
Be sure to keep up with the rest of The Shacknews Awards as we celebrate the Year of the Games: 2017.
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Charles Singletary posted a new article, Shacknews Best Early Access Game of 2017: Fortnite