Opinion Let's share ours GOTY!

Panda Pedinte

Best Sig Maker on the board!
Sep 20, 2018
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The year is almost ending so let's post share the games we've mostly enjoyed in this year:
  1. Return of the Obra Dinn: It was a highly anticipated game for me since Lucas Pope announced it may years ago. The game turned out to be my GOTY, as it was a mix of a giant puzzle game and a murder mystery. The sound design and the art style are top notch.
  2. Yakuza 0: Finally a Yakuza game on PC, The game may have a slow start but what just seems a goofy story, becomes more serious as you start knowing more about the characters.
  3. Into the Breach: From the creators of FTL, a turn based puzzle game where you fight Kaijus while trying to save what remained from Earth. One interesting choice the developers made is that you know exactly where the enemies will attack so you can plan and decide if you let the power grid suffer damage, your mechas or even if casualties are acceptable.
  4. Quarantine Circular: It's a game about talking to an Alien and deciding what ours and his/her fate will be.
  5. Puyo Puyo Tetris: It's Puyo Puyo and Tetris together, there's nothing much to say about it.
Honorable mentions:
  1. Battle Princess Madelyn
  2. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit
  3. Iconoclasts
  4. Pool Panic
The "why I didn'y play these games before?" list
  1. Dishonored series
  2. Endless Space 2
 

suiko

saviour of worlds
Nov 12, 2018
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you know you'll have to count votes now, right?
just checking
Post automatically merged:

so, goty 2018

  1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II - cuz it has to be so.
  2. Atelier Lydie & Suelle ~The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings~ - The idea of visiting painted worlds (paintings) appeals to me greatly, it's an amazing end for Mysterious trilogy on very high note indeed and it is the best of all three games.
  3. Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ DX - no loading times, no crashes, no freezes, no time to doodle also, blessed PC Rorona at last.
  4. The Room Three - This is a great game, I still think that the first is the best, but only because there is missable stuff in this one and I managed to miss some, if not for that, it's great!
  5. GRIS - it's not better than Journey, it's not even like Journey, but it is inspired by it remotely, then again I should know better than buy into hype, even after saying all that, it's is a nice game.
 
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OP
Panda Pedinte

Panda Pedinte

Best Sig Maker on the board!
Sep 20, 2018
4,623
13,017
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you know you'll have to count votes now, right?
just checking
Post automatically merged:

so, goty 2018

  1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II - cuz it has to be so.
  2. Atelier Lydie & Suelle ~The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings~ - The idea of visiting painted worlds (paintings) appeals to me greatly, it's an amazing end for Mysterious trilogy on very high note indeed and it is the best of all three games.
  3. Atelier Rorona ~The Alchemist of Arland~ DX - no loading times, no crashes, no freezes, no time to doodle also, blessed PC Rorona at last.
  4. The Room Three - This is a great game, I still think that the first is the best, but only because there is missable stuff in this one and I managed to miss some, if not for that, it's great!
  5. GRIS - it's not better than Journey, it's not even like Journey, but it is inspired by it remotely, then again I should know better than buy into hype, even after saying all that, it's is a nice game.
I wasn't planning on counting votes :LOL:
 
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Tizoc

Retired, but still Enabling
Oct 11, 2018
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Mine looks something like this

Asphalt 9
Pixel Puzzle Collection
Iconoclasts
Final Fantasy 12
Chuchel
Batman Telltale Season 2
Super Dangerous Dungeons
Unavowed
Yakuza 6
Ys 4: MoC
428 Shibuya Scramble
Hitman 2
Dragon Quest XI
Megaman 11
Darksiders 3

I don't feel like ranking them for now so I'ma just leave it as that for the time being :V
 

SpectrumWarrior

Mods'R'us
Nov 1, 2018
203
482
63
GOTY 2018
  1. Yakuza 0
  2. DRAGON BALL FighterZ
  3. HITMAN™ 2
  4. SOULCALIBUR VI
  5. BATTLETECH
  6. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
  7. MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD
  8. SYNTHETIK
  9. FINAL FANTASY XV WINDOWS EDITION
  10. Valkyria Chronicles 4

Honorable mentions
  • Dead Cells (out of early access)
  • DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED
 
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Kurt Russell

SUPREME OVERLORD OF EVIL
Sep 6, 2018
981
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Mar del Plata
I have an issue where I start games but don't finish them, so my list will be shorter than it should be.

1 Assassin's Creed Odyssey - They took everything that worked in Origins and added all the stuff that was missing from that game. Kassandra is an actually likable protagonist, with tons of great lines. The side quests are fun to complete and add to the overall feeling of being a mercenary. The naval battles, while not as entertaining as Black Flag's, are also a great addition, and I'll never get bored of cleaving enemy triremes in twain. Overall, it's the closest a big budget game has come to The Witcher 3 for me and I truly loved everything about it.

2 DUSK - We are living in a sort of FPS renaissance, with tons of great shooters popping up out of nowhere and breaking the "let's all copy Call of Duty" trend. DUSK is part of that renaissance, but it's actually better than all of the other competitors in a way, because it seems to know everything about what it wants to be and what we want it to be. It looks like the Quake we have in our heart, mixed with parts of unknown games like Chasm: The Rift. It features themes that wouldn't feel out of place in Blood. Its gunplay and speed are what we believe Doom offered back when we first played it, but crucially, not what we experience today if we replay it. Oh, and don't get me started on the music, an eerily perfect soundtrack for every moment, with thumping metal tracks punctuating every kill during a hectic moment, and a slower score highlighting the tension of the scarier segments. Truly, a gem that should be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest on FPS games.

3 Kingdom Come: Deliverance - A great proponent for the "more isn't always better" school of thought. It features a smaller map than something like AC Odyssey or Skyrim, but every corner is packed with handcrafted detail and things to do. I'm not 100% sold on the combat, but everything else was pretty much perfect. The story is actually quite entertaining as well, though the reputation system can get a bit weird once everyone starts greeting us because we are too famous. Overall, a great first person RPG made by a (then) unknown team, about a place that isn't featured in too many stories.


I might add more in the future :D
 

Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
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  1. Yakuza 0 - First Yakuza game on PC and boy did it not disappoint. The amount of stuff to do in this game is mind-boggling and the story (and especially the cutscenes) is damn great. Great music too.
  2. Subnautica - Probably the only "survival" game I actually like. It's also secretely a horror game. The hand-crafted alien world is both beautiful and terrifying.
  3. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II - I liked this much more than it's predecessor and even with its flaws it's likely my 2nd favorite Trails game (nothing comes close to the perfection that is Trails in the Sky the 3rd) because the good things it does (gameplay, NPCs, music, a certain element I can't say because it's a spoiler but I fucking love) outweigh these flaws (weaker main cast than sky, bonding system).
  4. Monster Hunter World - It's beautiful, the combat is amazing and even funner together with friends.
  5. Deltarune Chapter 1 - Even though it's only a teaser for something bigger it was damn great. If you liked Undertale, you will also like this.
  6. The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence - The House in Fata Morgana was my GOTY 2016 and to this day it's still one of the best stories I've experienced in any medium. A Requiem for Innocence is a "fandisk" to the original game that expands on a part from the main game and comes with a couple of smaller stories as well - and a fantastic Epilogue. It does not reach the heights of the original game but is still highly recommended if you liked that one.
  7. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Incredibly pretty, a fantastic cast and story, but also a good number of things I have mixed feelings about. (And the music alone would prevent me from placing this high on a GOTY list anyway).
Honorable Mention:
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - because there still hasn't been a better JRPG I've played
 

Guilty of Being

META MAN
Dec 5, 2018
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Texas
I don’t have a lot to write in this category. I didn’t finish many new games this year; basically, I dabbled with a bunch of games on console. I’m for sure my #1 and #2, but it’s very muddy after that because I didn’t finish a lot of games. So, I guess I’ll jump in now...

3. I don’t know...
2. Far Cry 5 (PC)
1. Mega Man 11 (Switch)
 

CrazyJuan

Pirate Legend
Oct 9, 2018
92
124
33
Sea of Thieves. - Over 50% of my gaming hours went into this game this year. I've got all these memories of playing with various friends and our journey over months of play to Pirate Legend. It became our hangout, where we met to socialize and bullshit and laugh during downtime or grindy bits. Simultaneously though it also gave us tense and exciting and frustrating and PvP, and that's where we found the hidden progression within the game.

We made no levels, we increased no stats, we unlocked no gear that would offer any increase in stats or abilities. It could be argued that the only progression we made was in coins for cosmetics but that would be very wrong. We found that we progressed in terms of game knowledge, tactics, ability to predict other players behavior, and the basic ability to operate as a tight knit crew that only comes with hours played together.

We found that we had progressed to the point where we could give a good account of ourselves in battle with just about anyone who wasnt cheating and it lead to some really great encounters but also allowed us to stop being the aggressors to a certain degree. When youre confident you can take what they dish and give it back you dont have to hit first. so we actually had more encounters teaming up with other crews to increase income for all or take on new content that was released.

And released the new content was. Since launch the Devs have done a great job of incorporating things the community was asking for and bringing free updates with new content both time and permanent to the game. The recent shrouded spoils update kinda ties all those things together into quite an experience (that some could argue it should have been from launch). I'm still playing it nearly daily, as theyve added new rewards for Legends to work toward and to help friends work on their legend. And it remains one of my most anticipated games for 2019.

Honorable mentions.
-Forza Horizon 4: its gorgeous and nearly perfect. If not for SoT it'd likely be my GoTY. It really deserves widespread consideration for it but its "just a racer".
-Kingdom Come Deliverance: I love being in the recreation of 14th century Bohemia, the sounds, the sights. Its my RPG of the gen beating out OctoRpg.
-Mutant Year Zero: I love turn based strategy games and this is a good one. An interesting dark story and innovative inclusion of stealth mech.
-Dead Cells: Fantastic action/slasher metroidroguevanialike with a completely addictive gameplay loop. Strong OST and fluid play feels great.
-Laser League: Frenetic futuristic team based arena play with a cool tron like aesthetic. Team dynamics and ability to adjust tactics to opp are key.
-Bomber Crew: I'm a sucker for warbirds, and this cutesy sim scratches that itch with challenging sim gameplay. Great little game for quick hits.
-Xbox Game Pass: I know its not a game, but 3 of my honorablbe mentions were from it, 2 of them on day one. its more than good value now.

Need to play more.
-Ashen. I like it but it came in a rush of games from Game Pass for me and got shuffled but I think I'm going to really like it.


Thanks for reading :)
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
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1) EXAPUNKS
It's my favourite Zachtronics game both in terms of setting and in terms of gameplay, And I love Zachtronics games.
EXA. PUNKS.

2) Pillars of Eternity 2
I love absolutely every aspect of this other than its main quest. In most years this would have easily made my GotY, but EXAPUNKS sniped it.
I can't really write more about it than I already have here.

3) Valkyria Chronicles 4
I never thought that we'd get this game, and then I never dared to hope that it would be this good. Tons of great gameplay improvements and tweaks, and even more importantly, extremely varied and well-designed missions.

Those first three are easy, I'll have to think about the rest a bit more.
 

Rei dos Vermes

Junior Member
Dec 7, 2018
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3. God of War - I've never played the old games, despite knowing a little bit of the lore. The story was OK (ish), but what I liked the most was the combat system and the challenge aspect of it. I started playing on Hard right off the bat and I died dozens of times in the tutorial. I completed everything but the grind for mist in Niflheim.

2. Dusk - My favorite action-oriented FPS since the '90s. The gameplay is flawless and the level design one of the best I've ever seen, especially in the second and third episodes. The only thing I didn't like was a couple of scary levels that felt too much like a horror game. There's one particular enemy design that's a "nope" for me.

1. Kingdom Come: Deliverance - A history-based RPG that really feels and plays like nothing else. Every time I launched the game I felt like I was transported to another time and place, completely unaware that I was sitting at my desk playing a video game. The setting, the historical context, the story, the visuals (the game looked photorealistic at times), the soundtrack, the characters, the character progression, quest designs, combat system, everything in this game is incredibly detailed and well thought. The experience was so memorable that the bugs and the overall jankness never bothered me.
 

Alexandros

Every game should be turn based
Nov 4, 2018
2,670
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Well, the only 2018 games I played were Football Manager 2019, Phantom Doctrine, Bard's Tale IV, NBA Playgrounds 2 and Just Cause 4. None of them were GOTY material, although I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Bard's Tale IV so there's that.
 
OP
Panda Pedinte

Panda Pedinte

Best Sig Maker on the board!
Sep 20, 2018
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Well, the only 2018 games I played were Football Manager 2019, Phantom Doctrine, Bard's Tale IV, NBA Playgrounds 2 and Just Cause 4. None of them were GOTY material, although I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Bard's Tale IV so there's that.
If you have enjoyed games from past years feel free to list them. :)
 

Ex-User (307)

MetaMember
Dec 11, 2018
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I love making my own GOTY lists! I'll add some images to make it a little more official.


GOTY: Tetris Effect

Two games made me emotional in 2018, and one of them was Tetris. Wait! Back up and re-read that! Tetris made me emotional. Admittedly, Tetris Effect already had a leg up on being my GOTY just by virtue of being a new version of my favorite game of all time. However, even though I kind of expected to enjoy this version, I didn't expect to find the game genuinely moving. The visuals, the music and the message that both convey around the Tetris are just beautiful, There have been so many variants, from Grand Master to Puyo Puyo Tetris, that it's hard to imagine that there's still a way to make Tetris feel fresh 32 years later, but Mizuguchi found a way.


Best Game for Weebs: 428: Shibuya Scramble

Calling this the "best" game for weebs is probably a lot of projection on my part. But I am suuuuuuuper sick of the common cliches you find in VNs, and the anime tropes you see repeated throughout Japanese games. I don't mind having some of the tropes, but it feels like Japan is so nostalgia-focused that they feel the need to repackage the same tropes in nearly every game, spit back out at the player in the same way over and over. Shibuya Scramble felt refreshing (although I admittedly didn't finish it!) because it was unapologetically weird, so staunchly Japanese, and actually felt novel in the way it uses tropes and storytelling. I'm also a sucker for FMV games, and a VN that uses real-life still photos is just up my alley. If you're sick of the same things I am, this is a good game to get your weeb needs sated in a refreshing way.


Best Adaptation: Spider-Man

I said two games made me emotional in 2018, and this is the other one. I don't think I could ever in good conscience call this a great game, especially not compared to the quality of open world games we're getting in 2018. In fact, the open world design and missions feel like they're almost ripped right out of 2012. It's not horrible, it's just severely lacking compared to the competition. Where it does excel is in giving a good Spidey story, and I firmly believe it's the best adaptation in the last two decades across all the movies, TV shows and games that have come out (granted I haven't seen Into the Spider-Verse). The way the game trusts the viewer to be familiar with some basics of the lore, the fact that we get to start with a fairly established Spidey, and the heart it shows in its writing of characters (both villains and heroes) is really remarkable for a superhero game.


Game I Played the Most: League of Legends

I hate League. I want to stop playing, BUT I'M FREAKING ADDICTED. If you haven't started, please don't play this game, or you'll end up like me and find yourself spending a couple hundred hours playing the game and a considerable chunk of cash unlocking stupid cosmetics.


Best Game Critics Ignored: Rimworld

Last time I checked, Rimworld had less than 5 reviews on the aggregators. I understand the Dwarf Fortress-esque gameplay isn't for everyone. I understand there was that minor brouhaha with questions about how Tynan had coded sexuality. I understand the game has been in Early Access for like five years, and many might have even missed the 1.0 release this year. I understand that the game isn't exactly hurting for attention as most enthusiast PC players probably know it exists.

Blah blah blah, whatever. The game still deserves more attention, even in the mainstream press, and the fact that it has so little written about it feels to me like an indictment on the state of journalistic coverage of PC gaming.


Best Dumb Game: Detroit

Detroit is a pretty stupid game, especially in regards to one of the three POVs you play (Markus). But dammit if I didn't enjoy playing through a fairly sprawling sci-fi story. The story isn't going to blow anyone's mind away with innovation (there are a few twists that'll probably make you roll your eyes actually), but the pulp-ish story is generally enjoyable, especially when you're in the detective POV. I doubt anyone has the budget to make it work, but I hope someone can take this amazingly intricate branching framework and marry a really good story to it.


Best (semi) Historical Game: AC Odyssey

I don't want to rant about cultural portrayals in video games too much, but AC Odyssey seems like a mildly appropriate place to do it. As someone with Greek heritage, it's pretty frustrating to have almost every portrayal of Greek culture be through the lens of mythology. It's also fairly frustrating having the default white or "European/American" story basically be a Western European one. I'd love to get games set in Greece, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, etc in the modern era (or say post-Byzantine era), but I'd even settle for getting some games simply set in AD rather than BC.

That said, I still really appreciate that Odyssey actually attempts to do Ancient Greece justice beyond mythology. For someone living in the Greek diaspora, it's much appreciated, and the visual care that Ubisoft puts into their open worlds is pretty laudable. The fact that they went to the trouble of even actually hiring some Greek voice actors (in fact the cast is heavily of Greek descent) is also pretty commendable in my opinion, and it's nice to see a specific European culture not be treated as just something interchangeable where you can throw any nominally white/European actor into and still do it cultural justice.

Rant over.


Best Game I don't have patience for: Monster Hunter World

In another life where I had the time and patience to learn these controls, I'd do it. As it stands, I don't have either, and although I bought the game, I'd rather just admire it from afar. Maybe someday they'll put in a ridiculous amount of accessibility options and I'll be able to play, but for now I'll just settle for saying it's a cool game that people should give a try. Maybe you'll have the patience I didn't.


Best Mobile Game: Dragalia Lost

2018 was the year that FEH lost the plot. Not literally, in fact the plot actually probably improved a bit, but with all the power creep, alternates of units that already have alts, and all the annoyances that came with the IV systems...bleugh. It was time for a new mobile game to waste some time and money on. Dragalia does a lot of things right, mostly because Cygames brought their experience with GBF over and used their background to make something that feels and looks good.


Best Sequel: Hitman 2

This is a sequel in the most direct way you could mean it. There are some added QoL changes, nice visual improvements, some storytelling improvements, but for the most part this is just more Hitman 2016. And that's a great thing, because Hitman 2016 was my GOTY that year. If I was making an ordered list instead of goofy categories, this game would easily be Top 3. Miami is also easily my favorite level I've played in a video game this year, and I really hope that somehow IO Interactive finds a way to continue making these games because levels this rich in detail are pretty rare.
 
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Parsnip

Riskbreaker
Sep 11, 2018
3,028
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Finland
1. Return of the Obra Dinn
2. Hitman 2
3. Iconoclasts
4. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
5. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
6. La-Mulana 2
7. Hidden my game by mom 3
8. Metal Gear Survive


I expected Hitman 2 to be my goty this year but Obra Dinn came out of left field and blew everything else away.

Darksiders 3 would probably be on that list if I had had the time to play it.
 

Routa

Non-Stop MMO Searcher
Dec 22, 2018
861
3,797
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Well, the only 2018 games I played were Football Manager 2019, Phantom Doctrine, Bard's Tale IV, NBA Playgrounds 2 and Just Cause 4. None of them were GOTY material, although I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Bard's Tale IV so there's that.
If you haven’t already, The Bard’s Tale Trilogy Remaster is well done. It should be finished January when Thief of Fate releases. Recommended.
 

Alexandros

Every game should be turn based
Nov 4, 2018
2,670
11,487
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If you haven’t already, The Bard’s Tale Trilogy Remaster is well done. It should be finished January when Thief of Fate releases. Recommended.
It's on my wishlist, I'll buy it for sure. I have fond memories of trying to play the originals as a kid and failing spectacularly. I had no idea what I was doing.
 
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Parsnip

Riskbreaker
Sep 11, 2018
3,028
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Finland
I'd like to, but I can't remember what else I played this year :( Is there any way to see what I played on Steam in chronological order?
I wish there was, but then again all the card idling would just break that for me.
The added side effect of doing the 52 games a year challenge has been that I actually keep a list of games I've played and finished, so when goty discussions come around I have a good way to remind myself what I even played.
 

suiko

saviour of worlds
Nov 12, 2018
307
650
93
I use very simple solution to this problem that steam provides, I make a steam category for games I play in a particular year, that's 3 clicks per game, surely beats spreadsheets, lists, or congregate sites (cme actually shows your game list by games played, so you kinda have it there). If you want, you can even keep two, like 2019 and 2019_old, for games played in 2019 that released that year and older games you play. I just keep one category, it's good enough.
 

Deleted member 113

Guest
I don't remember most of what I played this year. :p

I really enjoyed playing games like The Wolf Among Us, and playing through the Pinball Arcade classic tables (and later, playing the Williams/Bally tables on Pinball FX3), but those aren't really 2018 games.

Of the games that launched this year (and I'll surely forget to mention some obvious game I really enjoyed), I would say my favourites are, in no particular order:

-HITMAN 2
-Overload
-SOULCALIBUR VI
-Far Cry 5
 

Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
5,120
11,978
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I use very simple solution to this problem that steam provides, I make a steam category for games I play in a particular year, that's 3 clicks per game, surely beats spreadsheets, lists, or congregate sites (cme actually shows your game list by games played, so you kinda have it there). If you want, you can even keep two, like 2019 and 2019_old, for games played in 2019 that released that year and older games you play. I just keep one category, it's good enough.
Yep, I do the same. With a separate list of non-Steam games (but that always ends up very short, haha)
 

Krakn3dfx

Sean Murray Apologist
Dec 17, 2018
63
134
33
Denver-ish, CO
1. Hitman 2 - Hitman was my GotY in 2016, and I kind of knew going into 2018 if the sequel was just more of the same it would likely still be my GotY this year. I love everything about what they've done with the series, and I've spent dozens of hours grinding my mastery on each level without even thinking about it. It's the ultimate puzzle stealth game and after I type this, I'm probably going to go play Hitman 2.

2. Bard's Tale 2 - Shaky at launch, but iNXiLe did the work and it shows. A perfectly modern take on the original Bard's Tale series with appealing characters, satisfying combat, and an interesting world.

3. State of Decay 2 - As someone who could never get into the original game, the sequel pulled me in pretty quickly. The base building and missions were a lot of fun, and having a wide variety of characters under your command who you could pretty easily lose in battle after spending time battle hardening them was both infuriating and satisfying when everything went right for you. 2 huge maps and a ton of exploration as well, and a fun experience in coop.

4. Ten Point Hospital - I played a ton of Theme Hospital back in the day, didn't even know Ten Point existed until the day it launched, and bought it instantly when someone mentioned "Theme Hospital spiritual successor" in a Discord chat. The game feels like a true, long overdue sequel to the original, great conditions to cure and an enjoyable hospital management system. It doesn't stray too far from what made the original game so good, and that's probably the best thing about it.

5. Warhammer: Vermintide 2 - Didn't spend a ton of time with it, but a medieval Left 4 Dead with character progression has been a ton of fun. Definitely need to hop back into it in 2019 and probably pick up whatever level expansions are out for it.

6. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Felt like a slimmed down version of the original PoE in some ways, but brought some new QoL stuff to the table that made it feel fresh as well. Hopefully Obsidian gets to continue revisiting the Pillars universe under MS, it would be a real shame if Deadfire is the last game in the series.

Games that would probably make my list if I put in more time with them:

Atom RPG - After 4-ish hours, Atom RPG seems like a true successor to Fallout 2 with legitimate QoL improvements that make it a must have for fans of the franchise. Was hoping to get more time with it over the holidays, but got consumed by other things. Still have 2 days off though, so fingers crossed!

Frostpunk - Played it for 2-3 hours, game looks great and the game play loop is equally satisfying and depressing in the decisions it presents you with to keep your community alive, although never really thriving.

Most disappointing:

We Happy Few - picked it up cheaper in early access, still feel like I was taken for a ride with the final product. A distinct scaling back of the survival elements, along with a mediocre story and a huge number of game breaking bugs at launch left a bad taste in my mouth.

Metal Gear Survive - coming off of MGS5, Survive feels every bit like a cash grab that doesn't really know what its market is other than to slap "Metal Gear" on a box and hope people buy it. A horribly limited selection of enemy types with no real AI to speak of combined with a senseless grind to no good end. What a shame.

The Crew 2 - Basically like driving cars made out of papier-mache, No weight to the game play combined with a bad to mediocre story and progression system. The original game had promise, but it was squandered in the sequel.

Fallout 76 - Too many disappointments to list here, essentially a Fallout game that consists of everything that happens between interesting story points. Makes me wary of anything that comes out of Bethesda in the foreseeable future.
 
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Ex-User (307)

MetaMember
Dec 11, 2018
1,105
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I forgot to add two other categories:


Best Mobile Game: Dragalia Lost

2018 was the year that FEH lost the plot. Not literally, in fact the plot actually probably improved a bit, but with all the power creep, alternates of units that already have alts, and all the annoyances that came with the IV systems...bleugh. It was time for a new mobile game to waste some time and money on. Dragalia does a lot of things right, mostly because Cygames brought their experience with GBF over and used their background to make something that feels and looks good.


Best Sequel: Hitman 2

This is a sequel in the most direct way you could mean it. There are some added QoL changes, nice visual improvements, some storytelling improvements, but for the most part this is just more Hitman 2016. And that's a great thing, because Hitman 2016 was my GOTY that year. If I was making an ordered list instead of goofy categories, this game would easily be Top 3. Miami is also easily my favorite level I've played in a video game this year, and I really hope that somehow IO Interactive finds a way to continue making these games because levels this rich in detail are pretty rare.
 

Jeff6851

Junior Member
Dec 31, 2018
6
18
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1. Celeste - Another year, another indie game is my favorite for the year. I had a feeling after finishing this back in January that it would be near the top of this list. Normally if a game gets too difficult, I'll decide it's not worth the stress and put it down and move on to something else. Instead, I felt the drive to make it through Celeste and that THIS time I was going to get that jump. Not only did this make the game rewarding but it was the story for the game. It's not often that the mechanics of a game also play an allegory. Can't wait to see what they do next.

2. Life is Strange - I know it didn't come out this year and, yes, I've played it before, however, when Captain Spirit was announced at E3 I decided I should probably play Before the Storm. While I think that title has its problems, something clicked in me during Episode 2 that made me care about Chloe (and Max) much more than I had when playing back in 2016. I went back to replay the original and was very careful with every dialogue choice and wound up 100%ing the game as well. Also had a big effect on my music tastes this year. Pick bae, shaka brah.

3. Overwatch - Another that didn't come out this year and that I had played before. I initially bought Overwatch on PC and wasn't very good at it. I had one or two heroes I could reliably play as and didn't even dare touch competitive. I decided to play the trial in November with a friend on Xbox and we had a blast. We even said we were having fun but wouldn't buy it (we did). We put hours in the game together and I started to feel comfortable with lots of heroes. I started back up on PC and my comfort with the other heroes transferred pretty well. Quick Play sucks.

Honorable mentions:
Forza Horizon 4
PUBG Mobile
Night in the Woods (not finished yet but getting there)
 

His Majesty

Junior Member
Dec 31, 2018
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Didn't really complete that many 2018 games this year. My favourite:


An extraordinarily beautiful open world that truly feels like a real place...Warhorse Studios have set the bar very high with their interpretation of 15th century Bohemia. The splendour of all the forests, towns and hamlets is even more highlighted by the vibrant graphics and day and night system that significantly contribute towards the immersion factor.

Next to that the game also features surprisingly good writing and all of the main characters are very well written and have their own side-quests which spin off from the main story. The game at times feels like a blend of the more sandbox like approach of The Elder Scrolls games and the more narrative focused The Witcher 3. Kingdom Come aims to combine the best of both worlds and more often than not succeeds in this enormous undertaking. The combat is impactful and satisfying and there is a lot of choice and consequence present in the various main and side quests.

Negative points? There are still some bugs left, some parts are not executed that well (thinking about infiltrating the camp, the monastery) and the combat lock can be very annoying in fights against multiple enemies.

But overall Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a massive success, especially considering this is Warhorse's first try at creating a gigantic historically inspired open world RPG. Count me in for the sequel.

Shoutouts as well to: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Spider-Man and State of Mind.
 

Silius

My own title?! I feel spoiled.
Dec 31, 2018
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Game of the Year - Into the Breach
I remember listening to the Nintendo direct on my headphones at work, I was taking a leak and almost fell over with excitement. I thought I was going to never have a chance to play it since I didn't have a PC at the time and mainly played on my Switch. Mixed with the perfect blend of strategy, puzzle elements, and pressure to make the right moves ITB is flipping incredible. I love mechs and kaijus! And it's from Subset games?!? Yes please. I always got this badass feeling playing this game like I was in like Blue Gender or Starship Troopers destroying bugs.

Runner Up- Celeste
A platformer with incredible control and wonderful mechanics, Celeste was pretty incredible. The story really resonated with me since I grapple with depression myself. I also really enjoyed the music. Beautiful. I've been meaning to revisit this one to get the B and C side tapes. But knowing that it will be grueling kinda is holding me off.
 
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Derrick01

MetaMember
Oct 6, 2018
1,037
3,129
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My goty is Hitman 2. Despite only playing each level a couple of times so far I've seen an incredible amount of diversity in its level design and trying to figure out how to get everyone in the right position to pull off these kills is as fun as ever. I feel like the overall design is stronger than Hitman 2016 with 3 of the levels rivaling sapienza as the best (Miami, Mumbai, Sgaill...hope I spelled that right). Even the level that Sumo worked on, Colombia, is better than their 2016 level (Colorado). It's a crime that a game this good is struggling to sell.

Other games that would appear on a list if I had more than a handful of games would be god of war, spiderman and yakuza kiwami 2. I still need to play games like Battletech, Dead Cells, Celeste and technically Just Cause 4 (put like an hour into the ps4 version before being grossed out by how bad it looks, so I got it on PC) but I doubt I'll get to most of them in the next few weeks.
 

Teggy

Patiently waiting for Wet 2
Dec 2, 2018
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I played a lot of good games this year, but for some reason nothing stands above all the others. There’s a bunch of games I didn’t put enough time into or finish (Monster Hunter, RDR2, Dragon Quest, Dead Cells) or play at all (Pillars of Eternity 2).

God of War was great, Spider-Man was great, Monster Hunter was a big surprise having never even understood the concept before. They were not goty material, but I really enjoyed playing Shadow of The Tomb Raider and Darksiders III.

To be quite honest the game that I might have enjoyed the most all year was Yoku’s Island Express.
 
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My goty is Hitman 2. Despite only playing each level a couple of times so far I've seen an incredible amount of diversity in its level design and trying to figure out how to get everyone in the right position to pull off these kills is as fun as ever. I feel like the overall design is stronger than Hitman 2016 with 3 of the levels rivaling sapienza as the best (Miami, Mumbai, Sgaill...hope I spelled that right). Even the level that Sumo worked on, Colombia, is better than their 2016 level (Colorado). It's a crime that a game this good is struggling to sell.
You're right. Hitman 2 is also my game of the year.
It's sad to see a company like IO Interactive struggling with their games, since they have a great output, and offer great, continuous, post-launch support.
Thankfully, from what I read, it seems like all the current sales and price drops the game has been having lately have increased sales quite a bit.
Hopefully enough for them to continue with their original plans for a 3rd season worth of content.
 
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their original plan wasn't that .... it was actually multiplayer stuff ... lots of it
Really?
I always heard that the recent games were thought out as a trilogy, 3 seasons. :giggle:

Hopefully, we'll get more single player content.
At least, we should get two more locations and new sniper maps, considering they were announced as part of the Gold Edition and the Season Pass. (y)
 

Kuro

"Oh yeah? Aren't you gonna punish me?"
Dec 22, 2018
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My memory is not so good to remember everything I've played or even enjoyed this year but I'll say: Kingdom Come, God of War, Monster Hunter and Red Dead Redemption 2 all have had lasting impressions.
Dragon Quest XI and now Builders have been great too.