Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

In 2018 I made the statement “Well, at least making a list is easy since not many good games are out yet this year.” At the time I was half joking, hoping that we’d have a light year and that making this list would be less difficult. That didn’t even up being the case and we got a strong line up of good games. Here are a bunch of games that I really enjoyed this year.

*Just a quick note, some of my games are missing screenshots due to an incident with my PS4 eating a USB stick. This will be rectified eventually.

Let’s start by talking about my categories.

Most feels: Return of the Obra Dinn

This is a hard one to write since I can’t fully express how this game made me feel. The graphics gave me a real sense of nostalgia for the early 90s edutainment games I played as a kid. The sound design and voice acting gave me goose bumps at times. This game felt more real in many ways than any other this year just do to the atmosphere it could create.

Biggest disappointment:  Sea of Thieves

So I want to start by saying, what is their isn’t inherently bad. This game is just very thin. The sailing, the weather, the water, and the instruments all lead to the best sailing game I’ve ever played. The fighting, the mission design, and the game play loops just don’t cut it. If they add enough to this game it could be great. Until then it’s just not worth my time.

Funniest: CHUCHEL

I don’t know with this game. It just made me chuckle a lot and it’s fun.

Prettiest: God Of War

The sparing use of color, the creative environment, the excellent enemy and ally design. It just looks great.

Most addicting: Far Cry 5

Let me start by saying; the story telling is bad, the plot is dumb, and the characters are often terrible. The game play, for me at least, is fun, and I enjoy playing this a lot. After beating the story I started a new game plus run through and played a good deal of the user created content with Brady.

Best early access game: Deep Rock Galactic

I really like this game. The missions, even though you only have 4-5 types feel different enough due to the perceptually generated level structures. The classes work well together, and the weapon handling is good. This is an excellent 4 person coop game.

The one that got Away: Hitman 2

I did it again. Another excellent looking Hitman game came out, and I just missed it. I’ll try to do better in the future.

Of Course, I’ll Rebuy that!: System Shock: Enhanced Editon

System Shock was the first first-person shooter I ever played. I played it in 97 or 98 while in middle school after finding a copy at Sam’s Club for 98 cents in a bargain bin. I have always enjoyed that game, and I really wanted to go back since a full remake is in the works. It’s still fun, and I plan on beating it.

Shame: PubG

I already said a lot about PubG last year, so I’ll keep it short. I had to uninstall this game, just so I’d get to other games.

That Beat Tho’: Tetris Effect

If you like Tetris, buy this. The music always gets me pumped, and makes me want to play more.

Best MultitaskGame: Destiny 2

So, I gave this to Destiny, since it’s just so lite. This year I hit more high level play and Warframe, so I needed something lighter to play while watching youtube videos.

The Future is Bright: Wattam

Some day this might come out, right?

Best Ongoing Game: Warframe

Woof. What can I even say? I think I put another 50-60 hours into this game this year, and I’m sure I’ll put even more in, in 2019. This game just keeps growing and getting better ever day.

And now on to the list:

10. Red Strings Club

I like this game a lot. It’s a cyberpunk, adventure, bar tending game where you are trying to uncover a conspiracy but serving drinks and asking questions. I highly recommend checking it out.

9. Shooty Fruity

VR shooting galleries? Tons of those. One where you need to check out groceries, your guns break and fly apart when they run out of ammo, and you are attacked by giant angry fruit? Just one that I know of, and it’s fantastic.

8. Far Cry 5

I talked about this a bit in my categories. So just to recap, it’s a bad story, it tells the story poorly, it shoe horns the player down very narrow paths, and out of game play to force it forward. The game, especially with a co-op buddy is so fun that I’m willing to forgive many of it’s faults for now. Game play wise this is the best far cry ever, but they seriously need to deal with the bullshit stories, and the terrible characters.

7. Warhammer: Vermintide 2

This game is really just more Vermintide but with a slightly better progression system. This game is a lot of fun, and it’s just more of the last game. This would have been higher if it were able to better distinguish itself from it’s predecessor.

6. Spider-Man

So number 6 seems low for how good this game is, but it’s only due to how great other games this year were. The only reason I have it this low was due to some of the mission design. Swinging at the perfect height between a series of barriers isn’t fun.

5. Frost Punk

A dark steam punk city management and resource collection game? Why sure that sounds great. I really like this game, it’s a lot of fun, and I never ever win. If you like city management games and don’t mind the dark tones, go play this.

4. Return of the Obra Dinn

I love the way this game feels. If I was better able to figure out what I’m supposed to do sometimes it would be number one. That said I do have a book of notes in addition to the excellent note / record system in the game, and I will hopefully beat it soon.

3. Tetris Effect

This game is pretty much perfect. It’s a really excellent Tetris game, that helps me zone out and just focus on the game. I think had I spent more time with it, it could have been my number one game, but I got this late in the year and didn’t get to spend that much time with it.

2. Dead Cells

I’ve been playing Dead Cells off and on for the past 2 years or so. I played it on PC in Early Access, recent my progress when it released, and then restarted it on Switch. I love this game. It reminds me of my favorite parts of castlevania games, and of rogue legacy without the parts of those games I didn’t like. The only knock I’d have it that I find I can only do a few runs at a time before I need to put it down. I think that has more to do with me, but there it is.

1. God of War

So, it’s 2018, and I put a God of War game as number one on my game of the year list. That’s not something I ever expected to happen. I’ve played some of past God of War games, and none grabbed me. The longest I had stuck with any was the PSP game but that was mostly due to it being one of the few PSP games I ever bothered to buy. The game looks great, the design is incredible, and the gameplay is amazing. The axe snaps back to your hand and it feels like it has weight to it. The stories from Mimir stop when you get close to a dock and resume when you get back in. The combat isn’t just you mashing buttons, but thinking about the situations and using the tools at your disposal. I don’t know if I’ve liked a third person action game this much since The Witcher.