Game of the year, twenty oh eighteen

Some might say the worst of years and one that contained many games that came out. Let's focus on the latter (while ignoring the definitions of "came out" and "2018" and review the 10 games that I really enjoyed in 2018. In an order, because of lists.

10 - Crosscode

Of all the games I could have played that were character focused 2D action games this is the one that I just fell for. It's only hitting the list as I loved it so much but didn't get to play it as much as I wanted. Everything from the movement to the art to the characters to the interactions just felt "good" to me. It's the kind of game that I want to be playing more of but for various reasons never actually got to do so. I want to play more of this, I want to see how the story goes and I really want to dive around in that world in what has to be one of the most fluid matches of movement to controls I've experienced in a long while.

9 - Sea of Thieves

Was this the most complete game, the best game or even a game at release? Probably not. Did I spend dozens of hours enjoying myself on the high seas with friends as we got treasure, fought off other players and explored the games continual updates? Oh yeah! I fully understand that the game wasn't the most feature complete or even interesting game on its release it has been a game I can jump into with 3 other buddies, load up our ship and set sail for adventure. There are numerous great moments that I had from exciting PVP encounters to long protracted environmental escapades. For me this makes my list as it was a genuine good time with friends that we shared and enjoyed. Also, the water. The. Water. Is. So. Good.

8 - Monster Hunter World

Monster Hunter on portable was good, but kind of a pain to play. The Wii version was ok, but it's on a Wii. They should make a really good Monster Hunter. They did, turns out it's pretty damn good. I only played it solo on Xbox One, did a bunch of stuff and played with some weapons, even branching out to Insect Glaive. Then I played with people online, then I read strats and guides. Then I realised this is the MMO Monster Hunter I've always wanted. Then I brought it on PC to restart and to play with friends who also played and wanted to restart so we could all play together. We're gonna hunt some monsters, and it's going to be great. Because it is great.

7 - Path of Exile

This was the year I made the effort to get into this game. Bestiary League was good, fun and had a real good character but didn't really hook me in. Incursion nailed the time, place and mechanic to finally get me to mid-tier maps. I mostly passed on Delve for other reasons. But Betrayal got me to finally make multiple high level characters and push content. At its heart the ARPG genre is about making the most out of singular button presses and movement, PoE is really no different but the knowledge shroud around the skills, gear and seemingly overwhelming talent tree really just mask how simple the game can be. But doing the research, gaining the knowledge and understanding outside of actually playing the game was as much, if not more, exciting that playing the game. There is a certain mastery in understanding a very complex machine and being able to push the right buttons to get a desirable output. As bleak as that sounds it's what made the ok-to-fun combat in PoE not only engaging but also fun. This was the year that made me "get" PoE and the Betrayal league just made it a lot more fun.

6 - Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Yeah this came out right at the end of 2017 but it's also an RPG i've put well over 100 hours into during this calendar year and that's not the combination that fits into a 2017 GOTY list. Saying that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a damn, nay, very good RPG that not only tells a good and interesting story but also keeps up some engaging characterisation and progression but also a highly nuanced story that moves forward in some fun and developing ways. Maybe it was changing from the original Japanese language to the strangely UK based voice acting (reminding you, dear reader, that I am from these fair isles) but the dub added a charmingly genuine and engaging voice acting that hit home for it's characters a surprising amount. All that being said the game, while populated by some very topey tropes, did push some directions harder than others and it was the genuine passion of some of the central characters that pushed the narrative forward. Additionally the gameplay had nuance and progression that made winning some encounters part of the preparation in addition to the execution. For a long and windy experience as it was it kept me engaged and entertained well into the 100 hour mark and ultimately into the New Game + and extra DLC.

5 - EXAPUNKS

LINK 800, GRAB 200, COPY F #GOTY, HALT. EXAPUNKS makes the programmatic puzzle enjoyable not only in executing the desired mission but then optimising it in the very limited confines of its parameters. At its core it is a game about using a limited code set to produce an outcome, at it's best it's about making that outcome efficient, at it's peak it is about making it the most efficient. This is a game where understanding the concept and executing a result is immensely satisfying, producing programmatic code to execute with in a frame work to achieve an abstract goal is fantastic. When that goal is getting free pizza, clearing a tab or manipulating the radio waves of a 90's cyberpunk past(?) it just feels good. There's bars and charts that offer the tantalising goal of optimisation, but the real satisfaction comes from approaching a problem and solving it within the confines, then watching it all play out over 100 random simulations and reclining like you're the cleverest mother fucker in the room. Which you are.

4 - Into The Breach

As a follow up to EXAPUNKS this game works as both a continuation and an improvement of that feeling. Every turn is a puzzle to work out, potential losses are weighed up and considered. Scenarios and options are put forward and tested until you, as the player, want to commit. And you commit in a way where you do have a perfect knowledge of your enemies, you know the risks, the outcomes and the losses even before you commit. It's a puzzle game in a way where you can end up with no perfect move, there is no solution that works out well. But maybe 2 turns ago you messed up, made the wrong call and it's all on you. How do you do better, can you do better? Yes, you can! Into the Breach rides this line between maybe and possibly so well that turns taking over 10 minutes are not uncommon as you're playing a game a few turns against your simple, but outgunning, AI opponent. Minimizing loss and securing victory. There is beauty in execution but there is the sublime in perfection. Also you're the cleverest mother fucker in the room that just saved the planet, again.

3 - Red Dead Redemption 2

There were a lot of opinions, hot takes and rebuttals over whether this was actually a good game. For me this was very much a game that looked at everything else that wasn't itself and said "nah, we good". This is a game that did not respect my time, it did not make concessions and it did not waiver in its convictions. For better or worse. For me it really hits the "for better side". This was not a game that wanted me to play my way or tick off boxes, it uses its deliberate pace to tell a story of the ending of the Wild West by someone that doesn't think he's long for this world. Everything about the pacing to the characterisation had a deliberate weight that made your character, Arthur, as very much a part of this slower pace of life. This was not a game that wanted me to rush to objectives or put ticks into arbitrary boxes. Right from the start this was a game that made me play a character, and what a character he was. After seeming initially like a bland "cowboy" the game plays its biggest hand, the characters are people and they're people you should care about. Everything about this game has a weight to it (for better and certainly for worse in some aspects) which plants you in the world and story with such a conviction it would be hard to ignore. It was said that this isn't always a fun game to enjoy but it is very much a game to always be experienced.

2 - Return of the Obra Dinn

As narratives go, Return of the Obra Dinn has one, it's actually not that great when told as a linear story detached from the events. The ending maybe doesn't have a final knock-out punch that you might be expecting. But like any good heavy-weight it's not the final punch that gets you, but the expert manoeuvring and feinting that adds up along the way. For me the story unfolding on the Obra Dinn was interesting and engaging but the small details and the free-form roaming and investigating made me look at scenarios in a fresh way and paying attention to small details about cast and crew that might have been inconsequential on initial inspection. For the 10 hours I took to get the full experience I went full investigation mode, double thinking and double checking myself. Challenging my assumptions and pushing for more info. As an experience it was ultimately unmatched, once my avatar stepped foot on the acursed ship I was in it for the long run. Even when the game was saved I was dedicating time and effort to thinking about it. This game took over my life for a spectacular weekend. Knowing this was something I could never experience again, what is know is known, made the time ever more special in retrospect. Often finding myself mulling over revelations after the fact even though there was no impact I could have on the story. As most writers must feel.

1 - Slay The Spire

I put nearly 900 hours into a card game that hit early access in late 2017 and is on the verge of a full release. Achievements claimed, Ascension 20 toppled and classes mastered I honestly do not think of a game that hit me so hard and kept me so engaged over such a long time as this game. At it's base it is a "rogue-like-deck-builder" at it's core it is a devilishly balanced game of optimising choices and riding luck. Every new game, every new ascent was a unique challenge that smartly rewarded good play and allowed progression of knowledge to push into the next adventure. I've likely played hundreds of games over various classes, challenges and modes and can honestly not say any of them were wasted or pointless. For me it it the perfect chord of entertainment which I continue to engage in to this day and look forward to continuing in 2019.