I can obviously only speak to the titles I've played before, but out of those from '97 I have a very definite favorite in Final Fantasy VII, which easily carries the day here for me. Just the biggest emotional rollercoaster ride I've had playing a game from that year. It also gets my vote for its monumental impact on both the role of storytelling in games and also on the direction of the console wars, playing probably the biggest role in establishing a wide lead for the PlayStation in system sales that would be sustained by the PlayStation brand for two console generations in a row.
To list a some of my 1997 favorites more broadly in the best order I can, I think they'd be...
1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Tomb Raider II
3. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
4. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
5. GoldenEye
6. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
7. Star Fox 64
8. Mischief Makers
9. Jet Moto 2 (
)
10. Gran Turismo
11. Diddy Kong Racing
12. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
13. Enemy Zero
14. Jersey Devil ()
...something like that. Probably my most sequel-ridden list of favorites ever. Sorry about that. Oh well, just an honest list.
An honorable mention here goes to the introduction of force feedback in the forms of the Rumble Pak add-on for Nintendo 64 controllers and the original Dual Shock controller for the PlayStation. 
Not quiiiiiiiite what it was hyped up to be for my taste ("It lets you actually feel..the game."), but at a time when most of us were just getting used to gaming in 3D, it felt like another layer of "realism" being added to the play experience. In very select games.
And also, another honorable mention goes out to the launch of the PlayStation Underground CD magazine in 1997! This was a revolutionary way of promoting upcoming games and just generally running a mag back in the day.
Last edited by Jaicee - on 14 October 2023
