by mobellini
For anybody that might be reading this - e.g. Dave or Ben. This list mostly serves as a self-reminder. A kind of time-capsule for my thoughts. Perhaps in 5 years Ill look back on this list and be reminded not only of the many great games that came out this year, but of the fun times I had both alone and with my fellow enthusiasts.
2018 was a year full of surprises, both good and bad. Unexpected yet significant standouts such as Celeste and Return of the Obra Dinn really caught me off guard. Call of Duty Black Ops IIII (gets the award for dumbest logo) was a really unexpected surprise, not the fact that it exists of course but by how much i actually enjoyed it, despite the changes not appearing to be so significant on paper. Red Dead Redemption 2 not being my far and away game of the year was also a surprise of a different nature.
Some honorable mentions:
Hollowknight - Picked this up after its switch release. While I like to impose some weird rule about only allowing games released in the same year on my top 10 list, I have to say that Hollowknight might be my secret game of the year, and certainly would have found itself in 2017s top 3, which is really saying something.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege - My most consistently played game this year. Averaging 1-2 games a night for the most part, except around big releases. Really havnt got much else to say other than the game continues to feel balanced and tight, with the core gameplay still feeling conceptually fresh and interesting. New maps and operators continue to be a thrill every time... except for Clash. Fuck Clash.
Stellaris - Another game I dumped multiple hours into. Time just fitters away while im busy managing multiple fleets into glorious galactic conquest. But its not about winning, its really a game about building your own epic space opera story. Role-playing the kind of species you want and galaxy you want to create. I usually end up playing as hyper-aggressive, fanatical xenophobic militarists that dominate through force. But then, playing as a xenophilic peace-keepers for the progress and well-being of all species is also its own great adventure. The new planetary management system and updates is what brought me back to the game initially, and those changes have added a new level of detail which makes the whole experience refreshing. Ill get to those DLCs at some point...
Showing 1-10 of 10 items
Having never really played any so-called precision platformers or, dare i say, MeatBoy-likes, I wasnt entirely sure how this would go down. I was more than pleasantly surprised. While the game definitely presented many challenges, it wasnt so difficult that I found myself stagnating on any one sequence for too long. For me, it managed to strike just the right balance of difficulty and progression rate that kept the game moving along while also still giving a sense of accomplishment throughout. The game manages to keep itself fresh by providing new and interesting mechanics at each level, while also providing a story which feels insightful, thought-provoking and important in a period where mental health is finally being treated with the respect that it deserves. While the games style and music are not huge standouts, they do a great job of tying the game together into a cohesive and consistent entity. The main story takes around 8 hours to complete, but the game doesnt end there. Additional challenges and levels are unlocked for each section which an increased level of difficulty for those looking for a more hardcore experience. Overall, Celeste became one of those unexpected experiences that really struck a chord with me both in its gameplay and its story-telling.
Its difficult to put into words how I feel about this game other than to say that it has a special... feel. The animations are superb and the combat just feels fluid. I really appreciate the overall mood and style.
I was a huge fan of the original series of games, having played the core trilogy and all the smaller PSP releases. I was a little cautious about the change in gameplay style for this entry. However, I ultimately feel those changes were justified. The action still feels pretty intense if not more methodical. I really enjoyed the sense of exploration, and while the story did hit get bogged down at certain times, the overall narrative get me interested long enough to see it through to the end.
Didn't play the first game, but nevertheless knew what the deal was going into this. This game is great, dumb fun with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. It seems as though more effort has been put into the narrative which was interesting enough.
I could probably write a PhD thesis on this game. But I wont. And will instead try to summarize. The world Rockstar created is nothing short of grossly ambitious, it feels like a real living, breathing world. While I appreciate many of the games mechanics and the efforts made to truly immerse the player into the world I eventually grew weary of the grogginess of it all. THe main story felt a little dragged out, however, Arthur Morgans arc and development throughout the game was an incredibly touching and humbling experience.
I like the swinging. I like Spider-man. Story was.. fine.
Game starts off entirely as I expected, and nothing appears to be nothing special but then HOLYFUCKWHATISTHATTHINGHAHAHA. Really goes some places. And the music is fucking great.
The core mechanics and style of this game are really tight. The sailing is fun and the potential for pulling off some fun, goofy shit is substantial. Despite this, there's a real lack of content. Id like to see some systems in place for player progression that goes beyond cosmetics.
