Fabulously Olivier Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 (edited) Let's get the big lists of the year out of the way all at once. What are your choices for the best games of 2018? The worst? What are you looking forward to next year? Why? My best: 3. Monster Hunter World I was never a fan of Monster Hunter, but the intelligent mechanics and insane ecosystems of this game blew me away. 2. Super Smash Bros Ultimate Damn, it feels good to get back into Smash, and this one feels the best to me both mechanically and in terms of content. I only really miss having SSBB's Subspace platforming sections. 1. God of War A beautiful, intense, thoughtful father-and-son tale that I will never forget. My worst: 3. Metal Gear Survive Konami's actions with and surrounding this game have been shameful and embarassing. This is a beating of a dead franchise that deserved to go out on the high note Kojima tried to leave it on. 2. Fallout 76 As someone who has been critical of Bethesda for years, seeing one of their releases publicly faulter and criticisms I've made become commonplace has been vindicating. This is a buggy, broken, boring game by a studio that has sat on its laurels for a long time. 1. Dynasty Warriors 9 Calling this game bad would be a gross understatement, as DW9 has no redeeming qualities. I'll leave it at that. Most anticipated: 5. Anthem A controversial pick and one that may require explanation. I like Warframe. I like looter shooters in concept. I like what I see here. I'm cautious and concerned that this may be as vapid and lacking as Destiny was, however. 4. The Outer Worlds Fallout New Vegas in space? Yes, please. 3. Devil May Cry 5 Does this need an explanation? 2. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 and 2 were delightful, nostalgic, highly replayable games for me and I can't wait to re-experience that with a new game. 1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses I have never been more impressed by and excited for a Fire Emblem game prior to launch. Edited December 21, 2018 by Etheus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingle Jangle Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Best: Spiderman PS4: As someone who loved Spiderman 2 this game was amazing Red Dead Redemption 2 Monster Hunter World Dragon Ball FighterZ Ni no Kuni 2 Worst: Fallout 76: I bought this crap at launch, can't get a refund and regret it Battlefield 5 Metal Gear Survive Most anticipated The Outer Worlds Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 Fire Emblem: Three Houses Kingdom Hearts 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zihark11 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 My best: God of war Ni no kuni Revenent Kingdom Red dead redemption 2 Octopath Traveler Super Smash bros Ultimate My worst: None i can think of cause i dont just buy random games. Most anticipated: Death stranding: Looks awesome and unique. im curious about a lot more details but my interest is certainly piqued. Fire Emblem Three Houses: As long as it isnt like fire emblem Fates i will be happy. even if its more like awakening id find it acceptable. If it was like Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn? hell id be so fucking happy but that wont happen cause they mainstreamed the franchise and less and less stuff is going into games, not getting my hopes up just yet without seeing more. Ghost of tsushima: may have misspelled that but yeah this game looks good and havent played a good action game in awhile. Days gone: love me some post apocalyptic games. that genre will never get old for me. Code vein: love the dark souls series/bloodborne so you bet ill be getting my hands on this game. The last of us part 2: Do i really need to say anything about one of the best game in history? Watching out for: Metro Exodus and biomutant are 2 games im keeping an eye on and probably wont get on release but maybe later down the line if i like the gameplay/story im seeing.Devil may cry 5 as well, its a badass series what ese can i say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slumber Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 (edited) Best: Red Dead Redemption 2. Warts and all, I enjoyed the ride, and the game is a technical marvel. Dragon Quest XI. I was upset with the seemingly flipped structure of the game compared to other DQ games, but getting over that, it was a very good DQ game. Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. It's only been a few weeks, but it's been a lot of fun. Spirit Mode has actually been a fun side attraction, and putting all of the references together has been fun. Being able to play with friends and family all the time has been great, too. Full disclosure for my worst games of the year, I didn't go out of my way to play any games I knew would be bad, so I won't be putting the obvious choices here. I could see games like Fallout 76 and Metal Gear Survive being bad from 10 miles away, so I avoided them. Sp despite this being a "Worst" list, I would still probably say all of the games here are still largely good games. Worst: God of War. Controversial pick, but I'm reaching my tipping point of "Everything games". I don't think putting EVERYTHING in God of War was for the best, and the combat was pretty eh. The camera's obnoxious, and fighting 20 trolls for boss fights isn't a good way to handle most of your boss fights in an action game. Points for making me actually like Kratos a bit, though, since he's been god awful since the original game. Monster Hunter World. Another controversial pick, but long story short, I just don't think this franchise for me. I knew this years ago, but so many people told me "Noooooo, it's different. This one is totally accessible. We'll play with you!" I still can't get into this franchise. I hate the structure of the games. I actively questioned why I bothered with the gameplay loop every time I did a hunt. Octopath Traveler. I enjoyed this much more than the other two on my worst list, but I just feel that there were so many missed opportunities for this game that it just ended up being disappointing. It's pretty and has a fun battle system, but the story's incredibly bare, and the characters aren't anything special. For a game structured around its cast, you'd think it'd do more with them. Most anticipated for 2019: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. I'm a big Fromsoft Stan. Sekrio looks like their first proper action game since they've exploded in relevance, and I'm really excited to see how it turns out. Everything looks very promising so far. Devil May Cry V. I've been asking for this game for 10 years, and it looks fantastic. Resident Evil 2 Remake. I've been asking for this game for 15 years, and it looks fantastic. Project Awakening. This one surprises me the most. While Capcom is off making other games I really want, I am now questioning if I'll ever get a game like Dragon's Dogma ever again. This game might fit the bill, combined with some Monster Hunter(Minus the gameplay loop that I can't stand). I actually doubt this will make its 2019 release, but I hope. I really want a good Japanese RPG for 2019. The Outer Worlds. On the flipside, a western RPG from one of the best WRPG makers in the business. I'm psyched for Fallout: New Vegas in space. Psychonauts 2. I put $90 into it. Psychonauts 1 is my second favorite game of all time. They're getting almost everyone that made the first game special back. All of their pre-release material has been great. I need it. Edited December 21, 2018 by Slumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anacybele Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 (edited) Sure! Best of 2018: Smash Ultimate is the most obvious choice, but it is my choice! Also, Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition deserves a mention as well for bringing me all the 3DS Hyrule Warriors content I missed and then some! And it was already a great game to begin with. :) Anticipated 2019 Games: - LUIGI'S MANSION 3. I've been waiting for this game to happen for five years now, so it's my most anticipated for 2019 by far. I love Luigi and his games so much. - Fire Emblem: Three Houses. We don't know much of it yet, but it's already looking interesting and I'm an FE fan, of course. - Yoshi's Crafted World. I absolutely loved Woolly World, so I'm hoping this one is as good! And it's already looking like it could be! I don't really have anything for worst, as I've enjoyed everything I've played this year to some extent. Edited December 21, 2018 by Anacybele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zihark11 Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 28 minutes ago, Slumber said: Best: Red Dead Redemption 2. Warts and all, I enjoyed the ride, and the game is a technical marvel. Dragon Quest XI. I was upset with the seemingly flipped structure of the game compared to other DQ games, but getting over that, it was a very good DQ game. Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. It's only been a few weeks, but it's been a lot of fun. Spirit Mode has actually been a fun side attraction, and putting all of the references together has been fun. Being able to play with friends and family all the time has been great, too. Full disclosure for my worst games of the year, I didn't go out of my way to play any games I knew would be bad, so I won't be putting the obvious choices here. I could see games like Fallout 76 and Metal Gear Survive being bad from 10 miles away, so I avoided them. Sp despite this being a "Worst" list, I would still probably say all of the games here are still largely good games. Worst: God of War. Controversial pick, but I'm reaching my tipping point of "Everything games". I don't think putting EVERYTHING in God of War was for the best, and the combat was pretty eh. The camera's obnoxious, and fighting 20 trolls for boss fights isn't a good way to handle most of your boss fights in an action game. Points for making me actually like Kratos a bit, though, since he's been god awful since the original game. Monster Hunter World. Another controversial pick, but long story short, I just don't think this franchise for me. I knew this years ago, but so many people told me "Noooooo, it's different. This one is totally accessible. We'll play with you!" I still can't get into this franchise. I hate the structure of the games. I actively questioned why I bothered with the gameplay loop every time I did a hunt. Octopath Traveler. I enjoyed this much more than the other two on my worst list, but I just feel that there were so many missed opportunities for this game that it just ended up being disappointing. It's pretty and has a fun battle system, but the story's incredibly bare, and the characters aren't anything special. For a game structured around its cast, you'd think it'd do more with them. Most anticipated for 2019: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. I'm a big Fromsoft Stan. Sekrio looks like their first proper action game since they've exploded in relevance, and I'm really excited to see how it turns out. Everything looks very promising so far. Devil May Cry V. I've been asking for this game for 10 years, and it looks fantastic. Resident Evil 2 Remake. I've been asking for this game for 15 years, and it looks fantastic. Project Awakening. This one surprises me the most. While Capcom is off making other games I really want, I am now questioning if I'll ever get a game like Dragon's Dogma ever again. This game might fit the bill, combined with some Monster Hunter(Minus the gameplay loop that I can't stand). I actually doubt this will make its 2019 release, but I hope. I really want a good Japanese RPG for 2019. The Outer Worlds. On the flipside, a western RPG from one of the best WRPG makers in the business. I'm psyched for Fallout: New Vegas in space. Psychonauts 2. I put $90 into it. Psychonauts 1 is my second favorite game of all time. They're getting almost everyone that made the first game special back. All of their pre-release material has been great. I need it. damn your list is for sure not what i would expect. Octopath Traveler was insanely good and well done, with amazing art. i diasgree with about the characters and story as well. 1 of the characters was pretty boring but the rest were all interesting. overall for sure controversial picks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slumber Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 13 minutes ago, Zihark11 said: damn your list is for sure not what i would expect. Octopath Traveler was insanely good and well done, with amazing art. i diasgree with about the characters and story as well. 1 of the characters was pretty boring but the rest were all interesting. overall for sure controversial picks. Like I said, I didn't go out of my way to play anything I knew was bad, or knew would be bad. The characters of Octopath are... fine, but due to the way the game is structured, and there being next to no character interactions, you get each character's 5 hours worth of personal quests, and that's about it. I think the static structure of the stories is what hurts it so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrightBow Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 (edited) Best: 5. Grapple Force Rena A charming little indie title. Though it didn't exactly blow me away. At least until the final boss battle which is basically the best depiction of fighting a high level D&D magic in an action game ever. Really makes me wish the entire game had such intense action. 4. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon A wonderfully crafted Classicvania that managed to avoid most of the pitfalls of the old games. Except the literal pitfalls that still kill you in one hit. Really wish the game's story would provide better context though. I mean, the only thing guiding the plot is that Zangetsu senses "a powerful demon" one night, so he guess after it because he hates demons. Although even that wouldn't bother me all that much if the game didn't have so much text filled with angsty 90s comic edgelord navel gazing instead of anything that makes you actually care about what's actually going on. 3. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection So many wonderful fighting games I never had the ability to play. 2: Road Redemption One of these games that's usually called "spiritual successor of X", even though it's kinda misleading because it's not like the game in question at all. In this case it's Road Rash. And while the inspiration is obvious, it's a very different game. It's more of a beat-em up on motorcycles. And man, is it intense and fun. And there are soo many ways to cause havoc. But it can be a bit overwhelming since there is so much stuff to keep track off. It's easy to get so caught up in combat that you forget your actual objective until it's too late. 1: Age of Empires II: HD Edition Maybe it's cheating because I played the original release, but ehhh... Besides, even though I went through several copies of that game, it was very rare that the soundtrack of that game would play. They apparently did a weird thing with the songs that caused a lot of drives to be unable to read them or something. It's so good to finally have the whole game actually working. In any case, it was amazing to come back to real-time strategy after all these years. And noticing how I oddly improved despite not having played them. In any case, it's a game that held up very well, both in gameplay and visuals. Worst: 2. Dragonball FighterZ Such a disappointment. When the game first launched it took ages to even start any sort of fight because of all the loading and the game insisting that I would connect online before doing anything else. And then I had to maneuver that godawful lobby because having convenient menus is apparently overrated. Once I finally was able to start any sort of game... well, it's a team fighter. You are always forced to play in teams of 3. But trying to learn how to play three characters at once is a bloody nightmare. How in the world is this game supposed to be beginner friendly? Mind you, some of those issues have been addressed since launch. You can now choose to stay offline immediately. And you can now do 1 vs 1 and 2 vs 2 matches. So that's actually really good. Except when I enter the character select screen now, like a third of the rooster is locked now. What makes it even more daunting is that the game's actual unlockable characters are not hidden behind locks. Their selection portraits simply aren't shows at all. This really highlights that Arc System did this on bloody purpose. They WANT to annoy you all the time with adverbs of their fancy DLC characters instead of simply letting you play the game and have some fun. And honestly, I find it difficult to enjoy a game whose developers have such contempt for their players that they can't even be bothered to pretend otherwise. 1. Street Fighter V Second verse, same as the first. Don't feel like going on any more about this topic, but maybe you've heard the news that Capcom literally plastered ads all over the fighters? Seriously, what is wrong with fighting game developers that they take their customers for granted like that? Especially in this case, seeing how SFV was in such a sad state at launch. Looking forward to: Freedom Planet 2 Freedom Planet is the best game I played in many years, and the sequel most certainly looks like it will go far beyond even that. Hopefully it will actually come out in 2019. Vestaria Saga So glad this game is getting an official localisation. The demo most certainly succeeded in raising my expectations that the game will have everything I loved about Fire Emblem before it became the fantasy version of Eromanga Sensei. Edited December 21, 2018 by BrightBow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodHoms Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 (edited) I didn't play a ton of games that came out year, but here are the highlights. Spider-Man - I don't have a PS4, but I did get a chance to play this game at a friend's house a few times and that was all I needed to know that this game is amazing. Octopath Traveler - I'm slowing making may way through this one, but I'm far enough in that I can safely say that it's a really solid RPG I'm looking forward to finishing. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - I truly believe that this is the greatest Super Smash Bros. game ever made, Smash 6 cannot possibly hope outdo it, whenever that is. As for 2019... Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Successor to the Castlevaina series? Yes please. Daemon X Machina - Piloting giant robots and blowing stuff up? Yes please. Hades - Developed by Supergiant Games? Yes Please. Edited December 21, 2018 by TheGoodHoms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armagon Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 I didn't play a whole lot of 2018 games so my list is rather short but here it is Best of 2018 Spider-Man PS4. Ok so i don't actually own this game (or a PS4) but i played it at a friend's house and it was really fun. If features both a great Spider-Man story and a great Peter Parker story and while the stealth sections where you play as Miles and Mary Jane were eh, swinging through the city as Spider-Man was fantastic. Torna ~ The Golden Country. So this is actually an expansion for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 that just so happened to be big enough to warrant having it's own separate release (if you wanted to get it physically). Xenoblade 2's DLC is honestly some of the best i've seen and the fact that they top it off with what is basically a new game gives me mad respect for Monolith Soft. I can safely say that they are my favorite game developers in the industry right now. Celeste. So while i sucked at this game, the writing was surprisingly good and the gameplay was fun. Curious to see what the devs do next. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: The game is amazing. Simple as that. There's so much content and while i don't fully like World of Light, it is a nice distraction. Have to dock points for the horrible online though. Worst of 2018 Kirby: Star Allies. I'd never thought i'd ever say this but there is actually an unfun Kirby game. And it's this one. You'll only get real enjoyment out of it if you play with friends. Compared to Return to Dreamland, Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot, Star Allies feels very uninspired. Level design is bland and it's too easy for even Kirby standards. Props to the free DLC updates though. Most Anticipated of 2019 Super Neptunia RPG: I got into the Hyperdimension Neptunia series this year and i'm eagerly awaiting the next spin-off. Super Neptunia RPG is the first in the series to make it onto a Nintendo platform and i gotta say, the artwork looks beautiful. I'm really digging the watercolor aesthetic. I just hope that they actually improve on the dungeon design. Compile Heart just really loves reusing dungeons and i will never understand why. Fire Emblem: Three Houses: I'm just a Fire Emblem fan waiting for the next game. Not a whole i really have to say about it though since despite releasing in a few months, we know barely anything. Daemon X Machina: It looks really fun and the style is nice. This will satisfy the lack of a Xenoblade X for a while. Wargroove: Advance Wars spiritual successor, what more can i say. Dragon: Marked for Death: Inti Creates is king of 2D Action Platformers so i'm positive this game will be good. It's a 2D action platformer RPG that even supports multiplayer. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night: Having played Curse of the Moon earlier this year (fun game btw), i'm excited to see how Ritual of the Night will turn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Branniglenn Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 (edited) My top 10 for 2018 Spoiler Marvel's Spider-Man: Putting personal biases aside this is the best, most worth-your-time game that came out this year. Every gameplay and visual detail is well considered, it's an adaptation where being a fan of the property only adds to your enjoyment rather than takes away from it. The only issue I have is the pathetically easy stealth sections as not-Spider Man. But twenty cumulative minutes of meh out of an eighteen hour campaign is far from a deal breaker. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I think this game has the most to offer for those who skipped an entry or two in this series. This is likely the best in the series in terms of single and multiplayer content, but there's a lot of expectations when you call a game "ultimate" in a long running series. I've been mentally prepared for the exclusion of bonus stages like Break the Targets, but removal of Stage Builder, Home-Run Contest, and especially Boss Battles were unexpected and felt downright cruel to a longtime fan. When they said Ultimate, they referred only to the roster, stages, and music. You know, the surface level pleasures. God of War: This series did not deserve a game this good, and I say that as a long time fan. 6 platinum trophies for every entry in the series on my PS3 to prove it!. I guess what keeps me from calling it GOTY is the gameplay not feeling fully realized. They even commit the cardinal sin of action games - having your abilities on cooldown rather than something you build up with skillful play. The characters and presentation of the story are excellent and I couldn't help myself from doing all the fun side activities and playing through again on the hardest difficulty all before the game was even a month old. Kirby Star Allies: This is a great Kirby game, but like most Switch first party offerings, I was surprised to find it not be the best Kirby game. This game's campaign has the normal length for the previous 3DS offerings, but switch games cost more than their 40 dollar price tag. There's so many characters and music pulled from previous games that it feels like a celebration of the series, but the lack of content hurts this game more than most Kirby games that are less ambitious. Still, 4 player co-op Kirby is as excellent as it was in Return to Dreamland, and it was very much missed throughout 3DS/Wii U era. With all the free DLC updates considered, I can't say definitively this is the best Kirby, but I'd be willing to consider a tie. Red Dead Redemption 2. Probably my most disappointing game of the year. I loved the first one to death, but this one commits a lot of that game's problems plus more I've never seen from a rockstar game. There's numerous side activities, but none of them feel especially rewarding. The decision to have restrictive fast travel and being out of range to call your horse discourages most side activities anyway. The cinematic camera lets the game play itself, allowing you to pull up your phone during the ride to a destination. But in doing so Arthur will stupidly run into carriages and rocks or stop in the middle of the road for no reason. My first horse death occurred during one of these sequences since the minimap is turned off. Bounty hunters rolled up on me, and killed me before I could save my horse that I had been riding for the entire game. You can maintain the conditions of your guns, but they function just fine at zero condition. Can you imagine a western where nobody's gun jams during a shootout? Blasphemy. If they were worried about making players mad, just don't have condition maintenance since it really affects nothing in the game. As for the online, I haven't played it, and from what I'm hearing there isn't much reason to. That all having been said, the story and characters are excellent, even when you can see each of the story beats coming. And several character interactions around towns and camp feel like they could have been slipped into the story in some way. Mega Man 11. Finally the Classic series evolves in a way that sets it apart from the superior X series. The double gear system is excellent for gameplay variety. And you know they made the game just barely beatable without it for challenge runners. Just a solid game. Celeste: This is basically an update of Ice Climber for the NES. Though, I empathize with people who relate to this story but this game felt weirdly shoehorned as the Indie Darling of the Year what with the other picks not having as much to say. Not saying it's a bad game, just saying that if this were an Ice Climber game directed by Masahiro Sakurai, it would not have been considered for GOTY. Bloodstained Curse of the Moon. I think this game has better gameplay than the previous entry, but not as much heart, and that's owed to Indi Creates' design for these retro revival games. There are interesting things to talk about regarding this game, but at the end of the day it's the best action/platformer castlevania game ever made - and that aint worth much. It's also annoying that I doubt the Bloodstained game we're waiting for can live up to this one's quality in game design or presentation. Warhammer Vermintide 2. Probably my most played game this year, but if Smash came out just a few weeks sooner, then that title would have been usurped. I didn't approve of having the same cast of characters from the first game, but the class system provides just the gameplay variety I had been asking for when I envisioned a new cast of characters. Excellent Co-op game that I will continue to play a lot of in 2019. Super Mario Party: Every new mode in this game is very inventive and fun with friends. I just wish the main party mode was as good. The Golden Pipe item breaks the game's balance and should cost at least 20 with the new coin economy. Partner Party also falls short of the mark, because you can be in a position where you need an even or odd number to land directly on the star space, and that's a 50/50 shot that can have you running circles for three precious turns. It actively discourages splitting up, since you want a chance at two stars a turn, or at least give your team a 75 percent chance of obtaining a single star. Still, this was the party game of choice during the wait for Smash. Worst games of 2018. I only have three more games that I played from this year so here they go. Spoiler Fallout 76. My friends and I decided to give this game a shot and we're all more than a little conflicted. As a loot and shoot co-op game, it's frustrating. The way quests progress discourages splitting up since you each individually need to complete objectives. Being overencumbered is a team issue rather than a personal one when somebody wants to start fast traveling. Quest narratives have to bend over backwards in order to be told in a perspective that accomodates the no NPCs or dialogue framework. There's a ton of story told in terminals and notes, but you don't want to keep your team waiting on you as you experience those stories personally rather than together like in a Borderlands game. My wonderfully creative camp was removed from the game when I logged into a server in which another player has their camp there. And I couldn't begin to list the amount of glitches from the funny ones to the depressingly common "sigh...I'll quit and log in again..." Shenmue HD. I think it's fantastic we can play this and its sequel with working data transfer on modern systems for a very cheap price point. Even after the Shenmue 3 kickstarter nobody believed wholly that such a collection could ever come. It's a piece of gaming history that deserves to be preserved, but I can't in good conscience consider this a good game objectively. You have to physically wait for appointments for several story objectives, and there aren't a ton of ways to kill time besides work on your collection or play Hang On. You can practice moves, but your basic attack combos are always your best options in a fight, and the move experience system was changed in a way where gain plenty of it just from sleeping. They should have put in the features from the sequel that allow you to skip to an appointment time or skip a day in order to trigger specific events. I'm also bothered by how much of the collectible' items are permanently missable. The sequel is also superior in that you can convert your free time into money by working jobs, which is not present in the first game. You get a lot of money from the final act of the game, but by that point you're in a railroad to the end of the story that cuts most of your free time opportunities anyway. Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! I hate this game a lot less than I did before release. Strip out a lot of Pokemon's mechanics meant to add greater depth to competitive play and what your left with is a more than functional pokemon game. And when it comes to innovations in the series, being able to choose which pokemon you encounter is top tier alongside Ride Pokemon in the last generation. Still the motion control catching mechanic is just unacceptable. The game does not tell you how to throw a curve ball in order to hit a moving target. And I've scoured online for the proper method only to realize the system just doesn't work fundamentally. Motion controls also can't be turned off until you play in handheld mode where you have free aim and throw with the press of a button. This is the most flawed pokemon game I can think of, but wow was I more engaged in this game than last year's Pokemon Ultra Moon cash grab. As for 2019, in no particular order. Fire Emblem Three Houses Resident Evil 2 Remake Kingdom Hearts 3 Outer Worlds Luigi's Mansion 3 I wish I could put Devil May Cry 5 on this list but it would be disingenuous since I failed to beat any of the previous games, instead beating every other character action game like God of War, Bayonetta, God Hand, etc. Edited December 21, 2018 by Glennstavos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lau Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 I got my Switch this year, so a lot of these games are from last year, hahah! Also, I'm loyal to Nintendo, so no XBox or Playstation ga,es from me, I'm afraid. Best: - Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild: The first Zelda game I ever played all the way through. I wasn't expecting it to be so good. The graphics and artstyle are gorgeous, I love how expansive the world is, and Link has a fantastic design in this game. - Pokemon Let's Go Eevee: I was on the fence on this until like...the last trailer which showed Red, Blue and Green. I love it. The graphics are beautiful, the new capture mechanic is a breath of fresh air, and the lack of random encounters is a godsend. Shiny hunting in this game is really fun, and I can't wait for a potential Johto remake in the same style. - Fire Emblem Warriors: It's a Warriors game, with FE. The story is crap, the graphics are nothing to write home about, but the music, the gameplay...also rekindled my love for characters like Niles, Leo and Lissa. I can't judge Smash Ultimate yet because I have to wait until Christmas, same for The World Ends With You Final Remix. Worst: Neither of these games are bad, I just didn't enjoy them as much as I thought I would. - Super Mario Odyssey: It's a good game, it's beautiful, the soundtrack is great, it's just...the moons. There's too many, and I hate collecting things, so I never advanced much into the postgame. Doesn't help that I'm not a big Mario fan to begin with. - Splatoon 2: To me, it pales in comparison to the original. I miss having the gamepad, it just made looking at the map and jumping to other locations much easier. Also, I dislike the new campaign, and the new weapons don't interest me. It's good for an hour or so, but...the Wii U version wins out. Anticipated: - Fire Emblem Three Houses: It looks good, it's Fire Emblem, of course I'm excited. - Animal Crossing Switch: I need something to be responsible for, hahah. - Pokemon Gen 8: Please be based on the UK, please be based on the UK. - Final Fantasy VII: I've been dying to play this. - A potential Switch port of Persona 5: I've watched clips of it, I know the story. Joker is in Smash, please port it. I don't want to buy a PS4 just for one game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ObviousCass Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 2018 didn't have a lot of games that intrigued me, but let's see here... BEST: Octopath Traveler: I loved and adored this game. It's music, it's characters, the gameplay, it's art direction... probably my most hyped game of 2018, and in all honesty, it didn't disappoint me. Obviously, I have a few complaints (I always do) but I genuinely love and adore this game, and I hope it gets a sequel or a prequel. I'd say GOTY, but I'm not quite done playing games this year yet. Smash Ultimate: I think this is on everyone's list (or close to everyone's, lol) but legit, I love this game, despite sucking at smash bros. I haven't had a game where I've had so much fun with friends in forever. Not only did they bring back everyone (including Snake my brawl playing heart is shaking), but it's. Just good?? It's hard to describe. World of Light could be a bit boring at times but it's enjoyable, and I missed story mode smash. Good game, glad it came out. The Shapeshifting Detective: This one isn't a big triple a title, but a small little FMV game that I bought and enjoyed. It can be a bit strange at times, but I enjoyed the game for what it was worth, and it was super DUPER aesthetic. As well, it's probably up here because I recognize a good chunk of the actors from other FMV games I've watched playthroughs of on youtube. WORST: Fallout 76: Fucking hell, this game was a nightmare. I was hyped during the announcement, got bummed it was a multiplayer game, got a beta key, it was unplayable and garbage. Not what I want from a Fallout game or a Bethesda game, but they've been nothing but letdowns lately (in my opinion). Monster Hunter World: Sorry, just don't care much for this one. For all of its hype and all the streamers I've watched played it (and played it myself), I didn't enjoy it. Just don't enjoy the style of game it is, really, so it's probably a fun game if you enjoy the playstyle. MOST ANTICIPATED OF 2019: Fire Emblem: Three Houses: I'm an FE fan, so, obvious reasons. Animal Crossing 2019: I love animal crossing, it's cute and chill, and I'm hyped for cute and chill on the SWITCH. Outer Worlds: It's like, Obsidian and the OG Fallout writers. I love it already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etrurian emperor Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Best Smash Ultimate: Duh. The Witcher III: This one wasn't released this year but I finally bought it and it has been keeping me occupied and engaged for over half a year. Every criticism I had with Skyrim this game addresses and its Polish roots give it a pretty unique flair. Xenoblade II Torna: Its short but it left a very great impression on me. Its nature as an expansion holds it back from true greatness but it still easily beats out every other expansion I played and can easily stand its own among the main titles. Berseria: Also a game from yesteryear. Berseria was a nice return to the Tales Series after I've fallen out with the series for a bit. Its technical quality is embarrassingly bad but otherwise I only have good things to say of it. Great story, great cast, okayish gameplay and generally very well developed. Worst I actually didn't play a terrible game this year and I generally don't. I'm intimately familiar with my likes and dislikes, and my standards aren't particularly high so I tend to like what I play and avoid what I don't expect to like. If I buy a bad or thoroughly disappointing game than its due to some horrible freak accident. I suppose I could give Metal Gear Survive a dishonorable mention out of disgust for the concept. Most looking forward to: Tree Houses: Duh Ghost of tsushima: The setting intrigues me. I like Samurai, I like medieval Japan and I've started getting into the Mongols as well. Combining all these things should really appeal to my taste. What little we saw of it at E3 looked really though I don't expect the game to actually end up like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulously Olivier Posted December 22, 2018 Author Share Posted December 22, 2018 As an aside, this is the age of livestreaming and let's plays. You don't actually have to buy/play something to be able to legitimately call it bad anymore if you can watch it being played. I mean do you really think I'd actually buy something like Metal Gear Survive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slumber Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Etheus said: As an aside, this is the age of livestreaming and let's plays. You don't actually have to buy/play something to be able to legitimately call it bad anymore if you can watch it being played. I mean do you really think I'd actually buy something like Metal Gear Survive? Considering the part that sets video games apart from other media is the part where you play it, I'd argue that you still need to actually have firsthand experience to concretely call a game bad. Somebody can become an expert at a bad game and make it look good. Somebody can suck shit at a good game and make it look bad. This is why I don't rate games I haven't played, since there's a huge disconnect when watching somebody else play a game. There are some games where this doesn't strictly apply, but I'd say for almost every single game, you need firsthand experience to give legitimate criticism. Edited December 22, 2018 by Slumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armagon Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Etheus said: As an aside, this is the age of livestreaming and let's plays. You don't actually have to buy/play something to be able to legitimately call it bad anymore if you can watch it being played. I mean do you really think I'd actually buy something like Metal Gear Survive? You're right but that also works to an extent. It's a lot harder to judge the quality of gameplay if you're just watching it being played but this is a case by case basis. The only thing in games that can be judged by simply watching is the writing. Edited December 22, 2018 by Armagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 Best Overcooked 2 ………. This thing was great in multiplayer, definitely a great showing from the makers of worms. My group liked it so much that we ended up buying Overcooked 1 afterwards just to expand the number of levels. Worst Starlink: Battle for Atlas.... I do appreciate some things... but you just see everything too fast, and much more damning, the combat is pretty much susceptible to circle strafing from beginning to end. Really strangely considering the space theming, space battles are almost entirely de-emphasized (they are also pretty easy anyway)… In the end, I find that the game feels like it's targeted at a age group to young for me, ala skylanders. Anticipated I guess the game I'm beta testing? NDA though.... I'm mostly buying up other late 2017 and 2018 games on PS4 and Switch I didn't play in their first year. Metroid Prime 4 and Yoshi's Crafted sound pretty good though. I will also tentatively look into Puyo Puyo Esports…. mostly to see if the server population of PPT falls below my "acceptable" range, although maybe it could trhow a curveball and include all of the historical alternate rulesets as a bonus to push it higher on my watchlists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interdimensional Observer Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 I'm actually having something of a hard time remembering what I played. Wonder what that says of me. Worst: I played only a little of Sonic Generations, only to learn it's too fast for me, even in the first world. Still, going to try playing it to completion. Maybe I'll adjust. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon- Not bad, just a little boring, albeit this is because I often deviated from just going where the game told me to to explore a given mansion. It was good, I just really wish the 4th mansion's boss was better. Best: XC2: TtGC is quite good. A JRPG that doesn't overstay its welcome. Now if only this DLC had its own DLC in Team Sagi. Digital Devil Saga 2- In spite of its flaws, I really liked this game's plot. Gameplay held up of course, but this is one of those rare cases where the story got me, I'm usually a gameplay person. Etrian Odyssey V. Quite fun, and much better than 2U. The only major issue is that, it starts I think late into the 4th Strata, and then become really obvious painfully felt in the 6th, is the absence of postgame content and Adventure Episodes. Honestly, reading the details about Nexus's classes, I think the 10 of V might be better handled than Nexus's 19. I bought Shovel Knight last year, but only this year did I play Plague Knight. At first, PK is harder than SK, the burst jumping is tricky. Yet after dropping after the first two knights because I was too nervous, the rest was so much fun! PK ends up being easier than SK, since the levels were designed for SK, the Vat arcana and floating burst make platforming a cinch. Meanwhile having a versatile ranged weapon in bomb chucking makes bosses from beginning to end so much easier. Super Mario Odyssey was great on the first run of it. But I don't think I'll ever go through it again, my memory prevents me from going blind on it again. Looking forward to: FFXII: The Zodiac Age- Not the biggest FF fan, but I like class systems, and this one from what I'm aware has a pretty world to boot. Although FFs have since at least 10 excelled in the visuals department. A Switch version at last spares me the need to consider a PS4. Tales of Vesperia- Supposedly one of the best Tales. I need to see about this, and I'm hopeful. Daemon x Machina- Not sure how good I'll be at it, and I'm not sure how the plot will go (I expect it to be bad, not like it is really relevant). I'd be willing to try this mecha game though; apparently its mech designer did... was it the original Macross? Perhaps surprisingly for an SF goer, I'm not really looking forward to 3H. Not to say I'm pessimistic about FE, I'm just nil on expectations, I still haven't watched the trailer once. It could be a 9 or a 7, and I would neither be jubilant nor disappointed. Maybe the fact that since Fates I've slashed my interest in future games in the series to just gameplay, I've hollowed out something of my love for it. Gameplay is important and all, but in letting characters and plot become irrelevant to me, I lose important sources of fuel for the thing called hype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterIceTeaPeach Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 (edited) Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Super Smash Bros Ultimate are the only games released in this year I've played / still play. Xenoblade is totally new for me. I couldn't play much yet, but my very first impressions are very positive. Love the overworld, characters and music. I needed some time to get used on the battle system, but I think I could overcome with it. Will definitely play further upcoming days. Smash is more or less what I expected. A brilliant multiplayer and online game with the huge cast of characters, but not really appealing for single players. Whilst the solo mode became more interesting by giving each single character an own theme mode, story mode is really boring. Just handicap fights (I find really tedious and annoying) and nothing else. I mean it's Smash, so definitely a great multiplayer game. But I wouldn't call it "game of the year" for sure. As for 2019 I'm only interested in Tales of Vesperia so far. Since I played the PS3 version I know the full content. Still it's a game I would like to replay at any time. And reading non JP textes and listening to Patty in English would be just great. It would also be the ultimate chance to complete postgame. In the PS3 version I didn't come very far in Telescopia Graveyard. Edited December 22, 2018 by Necrofantasia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSSKG151 Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 Best Super Smash Bros Ultimate: Self Explanatory Pokémon Lets Go: I would say it is the best mainline Pokémon game I enjoyed since Pokémon Emerald. Yes, the game is rather easy but just about all the mainline Pokémon games are easy (they are aimed to be played by children after all) plus easy games can still be fun to play. I personally like being able to chose which wild Pokémon I capture and I didn't mind no wild battles using False Swipe/Spore/throw balls got tiring after doing it for four generations. Seeing Red, Blue, Leaf and Archer again was also nice. Megaman 11: A fun throwback to the classic platformer. Simulates the difficulty the older games had but I can proudly say that Megaman 11 is the first game with classic Megaman I beat. Hopefully Megaman 11 was successful enough to make Capcom think about making a Megaman X9 in the style of the classic Megaman X games (1-3). Also might put Octopath Traveler, Mario Tennis Aces and Super Mario Party here or in worst but I haven't got around to playing those games yet. Worst Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon- Wanted to like this game but couldn't even get past the second level the first day I played and I just never found the time or motivation to go back to it. Blazblue Cross Tag Battle- Interesting concept but quickly lost interest in it after a week plus most of the characters I main like Hakumen, Izayoi and Yukari are either DLC or not in the game at all. 2019 Daemon X Machina: Seems like it could be interesting based on what was shown off so far. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney 7: Besides the original Ace Attorney Trilogy games being ported (again) next year I believe I heard somewhere that another Ace Attorney is in the making though I don't know if it will be released in 2019 or later. Final Fantasy 7: After beating FF6 recently I have been thinking about playing another Final Fantasy game and since Cloud's game is coming to Switch soon I have been considering playing his game to see what the big deal is about him though I have also considered playing FF4 on an emulator. Yoshi's Crafted World: Unless it gets delayed again I might pick up this game once it releases next year even though I still haven't beaten Yoshi's Woolly World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Mir Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 Can't say I have a worst. It would take a serious transgression or two for me to actually dislike a game, and I generally find most games rather enjoyable anyway. As for best, Smash Ultimate and Shining Resonance Refrain come to mind. Games I'm excited for next year include: Crystar Arc of Alchemist Dragon Star Varnir Atelier Lulua Granblue Fantasy Relink Granblue Fantasy Versus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armagon Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 On 12/21/2018 at 5:16 PM, Armagon said: Most Anticipated of 2019 Super Neptunia RPG: I got into the Hyperdimension Neptunia series this year and i'm eagerly awaiting the next spin-off. Super Neptunia RPG is the first in the series to make it onto a Nintendo platform and i gotta say, the artwork looks beautiful. I'm really digging the watercolor aesthetic. I just hope that they actually improve on the dungeon design. Compile Heart just really loves reusing dungeons and i will never understand why. Fire Emblem: Three Houses: I'm just a Fire Emblem fan waiting for the next game. Not a whole i really have to say about it though since despite releasing in a few months, we know barely anything. Daemon X Machina: It looks really fun and the style is nice. This will satisfy the lack of a Xenoblade X for a while. Wargroove: Advance Wars spiritual successor, what more can i say. Dragon: Marked for Death: Inti Creates is king of 2D Action Platformers so i'm positive this game will be good. It's a 2D action platformer RPG that even supports multiplayer. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night: Having played Curse of the Moon earlier this year (fun game btw), i'm excited to see how Ritual of the Night will turn out. Add Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX to this list. I can't believe i forgot this but then again, it doesn't even have a release date. It's likely a 2019 title but Dragon: Marked for Death was originally supposed to release in 2017 so who knows. Still though, it's a Gunvolt game which means it's bound to be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Branniglenn Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 On 12/21/2018 at 2:28 PM, Glennstavos said: snip Also for something else I've been ranking all the other games I played this year. Might as well post that, omitting the games I already ranked in my original post Spoiler Bayonetta 2 Bayonetta God of War 2 Yakuza 0 Call of Juarez: Gunslinger Pikmin 3 Spec Ops: The Line Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Xenoblade Chronicles 2 God of War 3 Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain God of War Ghost of Sparta Sonic Rush Mad Max Mega Man 5 Ratchet and Clank 2016 The Order 1886 Gunman Clive HD Collection Kirby Mass Attack Crash Twinsanity Lost Planet 3 Mario Super Sluggers Sonic Forces Kingdom Hearts 0.2 The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Rage God of War Ascension Lost Planet 2 Star Wars Racer Revenge Secret Agent Clank Deadpool Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions Chibi Robo Ziplash Medal of Honor Frontline Elite Beat Agents Bionic Commando Lego Racers Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Light Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickleKnight97 Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 Best: 5. Forza Horizon 4 (probably) 4. Detroit: Become Human 3. Spider-Man 2. Smash Ultimate (and I'm not someone who is usually into Smash) 1. Neir Automata (Does it count if it came out on Xbox this year..? Maybe not but I still friggin' loved it) Worst: I...didn't play a ton of games that were really bad. Ironically the game I just kinda dropped was... God of War. I got to a point where you needed an upgrade for the kid, and was kinda stuck, so I dropped it. Largely on me, and it's definitely not a bad game, but that's the one I don't really want to go back to. Most Anticipated: Tales of Vesperia Senran Kagura: Re;vival (thanks for makin' this a 2019 release Sony!) Fire Emblem: Three Houses Kill La Kill IF (And I'm probably forgetting some) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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