Your top 10 of 2018?

[Shareefruck]

I'm not as in love with the aesthetics and feel as others are (I actually found the sound design and soundtrack pretty grating), but The Messenger's a pretty fun game.

Well, I picked it up on the Steam sale.

I'm only half an hour or so in, but I'm really liking it so far.

Awesome. Keep me updated. It's one of those "now you're thinking with portals" games that become more satisfying the more you become comfortable with it.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

14. Dead Cells - 1.0 (Negative)

Was it mainly the random generated environments that turned you off? I've been meaning to get around to it given the praise it's been receiving, and comparisons of play style to Dark Souls.

 

[Shareefruck]

Was it mainly the random generated environments that turned you off? I've been meaning to get around to it given the praise it's been receiving, and comparisons of play style to Dark Souls.

Probably an unpopular opinion, but I just wasn't into the way it looked, sounded, and felt, and it struck me as very soulless rather than creatively interesting (which yeah, probably has a lot to do with the experience being auto-generated rather than meticulously hand-crafted). Some things are impressive, but I wasn't into it.

Keep in mind that I didn't play through that much of it, though (decided not to continue after a few hours). Those were just tentative impressions of everything I tried.

I'm also not the biggest Dark Souls guy (though I respect it), so you may want to get a second opinion on that if that's what you're looking for.

 

[Pilky01]

Since I just beat The Messenger, I'm making that my game of the year, everything else in my previous list can get knocked down a notch.

It’s sale on the Switch eshop. It’s definitely on my radar.

 

[Frankie Spankie]

It’s sale on the Switch eshop. It’s definitely on my radar.

I actually found it by searching "Best Switch Games" a few weeks ago when I mentioned I haven't touched my Switch in a couple months to a friend of mine. I ultimately got it on PC because I prefer all my games there and got it last week when it was on sale. It's so good I wish I just got it right away. I ended up 100%ing it in 3 days over the long weekend, took me about 15 hours total. It would have been quicker if I knew about a couple achievements that you can only achieve in certain points of the story and are easily missed.

 

[Morozov]

Is God of War really that good? Because I was choosing between that, Last of Us Remastered, and Monster Hunter: World. I ended up buying Last of Us Remastered.

It's fantastic but Last Of Us is an absolute must play so you can't go wrong there.

 

[RandV]

I couldn't recommend it enough. Call me crazy, but I would legitimately argue that it's one of the strongest pure platformers of all time, right up there with Super Mario World and superior to most SNES era platformers that are considered classics.

• the controls are inherently tight, satisfying, and addictive
• the mechanics are deceptively simple, clever, and intuitive while oozing richness and complexity if you look for it
• the sprite-work, animation, and music are flawless/infectious/inspired
• the level design, bonus advanced level design, and placement/breakdown of secrets and collectibles is absolutely clinical
• its balance of challenge, accessibility, learning curve, frustration, rewarding improvement, and gameplay-enhancing storytelling is perfectly considered.

The moment I finished it, I felt an immediate compulsion to run through it again with a speed-runner's mentality (even though I've never speed-run anything). It doesn't completely re-invent the wheel or anything, but it just completely nails the magic of platforming in a way that I've been wanting for decades.

How would Celesete be from the perspective of someone who didn't care much for Super Meat Boy or just the 'die a lot platformer' genre in general?

 

[Tonneau]

How would Celesete be from the perspective of someone who didn't care much for Super Meat Boy or just the 'die a lot platformer' genre in general?

You probably wouldn't like it.

 

[Shareefruck]

How would Celesete be from the perspective of someone who didn't care much for Super Meat Boy or just the 'die a lot platformer' genre in general?

I thought Super Meat Boy was mediocre compared to Celeste, personally. Didn't care much for it at all at the time and still don't today. In my eyes, Celeste is an example of something taking what I felt was a forgettable genre that I had previously dismissed and actually making a surprisingly worthwhile version of it (although on a surface level, obviously it has similarities).

Meatboy felt like an endless stream of mindless and pointlessly frustrating tough-to-execute-for-its-own-sake exercises in precision to me. Celeste is definitely demanding and requires reasoning, dexterity, precision, timing, and ability to judge distances, but I feel that it's more of a well designed, considerate, intuitive/discover-able, puzzle-y kind of tough that has way more aesthetic charm, inherently satisfying controls, and cerebral reward.

That said, if you have no appreciation for platforming or have no patience for "dying alot", you may not be receptive to it.

 

[Frankie Spankie]

How would Celesete be from the perspective of someone who didn't care much for Super Meat Boy or just the 'die a lot platformer' genre in general?

I've played both and didn't really like either for the same reasons. I bet you wouldn't enjoy it.

 

[God King Fudge]

Is God of War really that good? Because I was choosing between that, Last of Us Remastered, and Monster Hunter: World. I ended up buying Last of Us Remastered.

For me it wasn't even a question being number 1. God of War was superb in every way for me. As someone who rarely finishes games (I have a big issue with that) I was completely glued to GoW until I beat it. I couldn't put it down. The action is good, the optional stuff was actually good, it looks incredible and the story was really good too.

 

[HanSolo]

Well given that this has been my year of the Switch I didn't play a whole lot else so this is mostly stuff I played this year even if it didn't actually come out this year.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2 (had to play on a friend's console as I haven't actually gotten it yet) 9/10

2. Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 9/10 (an imperfect masterpiece. I think the issue is that once you've done most of what there is to do, sure there's still experimentation possible with the game engine, but the emptiness of the world in the name of natural serenity really starts to sting after 50 or so hours. Also the bosses are too easy once you're well geared enough. Past that, I would say it's a masterpiece though)

3. God of War 8.5/10

4. Hollow Knight 8.5/10 (still unfinished, there are times my inability to figure out what to do next gets annoying and I quit)

5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: 8.5/10 (I know it's quite old at this point, but I felt with Mario Kart 7 I could hold off, and now I'm glad I own this title. One of my best offline pure time killers. MK drifting has always been immensely satisfying to me)

6. Spider-Man 8/10 (I didn't buy the hype as much as everyone else but it was still solid)

7. Celeste 8/10 (the B-side missions make me want to chuck my Switch into a cement grinder, but otherwise it's a damn solid pixel style platformer. I know people are gonna tell me to get Dead Cells but I still haven't finished this, Hollow Knight, or Shovel Knight. My patience for side scrolling platformers wears thin easier than others. Except for Super Mario World, I could spend a whole day playing that.)

8. Super Mario Odyssey 7.5/10 (People absolutely loved it but I felt it was shorter than I was expecting, some of the gyro requirement for the full experience gets on my nerves. I also felt the more open world approach made the game feel unfocused when it could have used more focus)

9. Paladins Switch 6.5/10 (I feel it deserves some mention, first cause I've put in something close to 300 hours into this game since release. Second, because I think it gets underrated as a Switch port. The graphic fidelity and gameplay are amazing for what the console is capable of (Warframe is also a very impressive port) and the fact that it's free or 30 dollars to unlock all the heroes make it a great option for people looking for some competitive FPS/Overwatch like gameplay. It gets a lower rating because it is a more basic package of content despite its price point. It doesn't quite have the polish of Overwatch (though I'd argue that it's a more than competent replacement) and the high hardware demands does result in game crashes which is especially annoying in ranked matches. But, it's a game that runs great both docked and portable. I've sunk an insane amount of hours into it, and given its nature as a more ability based than pure FPS, I was able to break into Platinum rank just on joycons (even if I do insist on the pro controller now that I have it)

10. Fortnite Switch 5.5/10 (Fortnite being here goes to how few games I actually played this year. On the Switch it has had a really troubled start. It took roughly 5 patches to get the game working properly. The first day it was out was fun because I was able to get 14 kill games easily, but it was because everyone else had the same problems as me with the FPS and controls. At this stage it isn't too far off the other console versions in terms of how it plays (though it still runs rougher visually, not as bad as at the start when it ran the mobile version's graphics, but certainly not the high textures of the PS4 and Xbone). I put it on the list over some other titles I at least TRIED, because the Halloween event coinciding with the gliders from everywhere experiment (which in my opinion should have been a permanent change) was the most fun Fortnite has been since its early, pre worldwide phenomenon days. Now that I've finished the most recent battle pass, and despite the fact that I've gotten a lot better in the process, I'm pretty done with Fortnite. I might fire it up from time to time, but I've gotten bored of the formula.

 

[542365]

I haven't played ten games thoroughly in 2018 I don't think. The ones I played most:

PUBG-I haven't played in a couple of months, but this is the game I've spent by far the most time with. I basically built a gaming PC just to be able to play this game better. It is far from perfect, but I absolutely loved it. The final few battles were always intense and incredibly exciting. .My friends and I have never played a game this extensively for this period of time. We also all made substantial investments in gaming PCs just for this game. It is probably my second favorite game of all time right behind Borderlands 2. I just love it, even though I recognize the flaws.


Super Mario Odyssey-I played through it with my wife and we had a lot of fun. She's not a big gamer, but even she was asking me regularly to play the game for a bit. She enjoyed all of the unique elements and fun costumes, and I really enjoyed how surprisingly deep the mechanics are and how challenging some section could be.

Red Dead Redemption 2-Not as awesome as I was expecting, but a very fun game and great story. I think they went a bit over the top with the realism and in some ways lost sight of the fact that they were making a game, not a cowboy simulator. I completed it and thoroughly enjoyed my time with it, but it's far from my favorite game.

Battlefield V-It's good. I don't think it does anything that will really blow you away, but if you have a competent team and are facing another competent team the battles are very intense. I like the vehicles, though i still suck at flying. I wish some areas were balanced better, and I don't love every map, but it's still an enjoyable experience. I don't have a lot of experience with the Battlefield Franchise, but I got this through Origin Access so I decided to give it a shot and I'm glad I did. It's a good time.

Rust-Meh. My friends and I had some fun with it for a bit, but at some point it just got boring constantly rebuilding our base and making sure someone logged in every day to make sure everything was still standing. Server wipes were the most annoying part. I know they're somewhat necessary, but I thought they occurred too often and made building a base seem pointless.

Madden 19-The animations in this game make absolutely no sense. It doesn't really seem like user input has as much of an impact on teh game as it should. It seems like sometimes the game decides you're going to score a touchdown or get an interception, and while the plays are fun and exciting, it doesn't feel like I did anything particularly well to earn that play. The fumble recovery animations are the worst. I've seen the same fumble animation probably 100 times in my 100 games played. It's a solid Madden, but nothing to write home about.

NHL19-The game started off in an okay state. The new skating allowed for better turns and acceleration and made various player classes in EASHL feel different from each other. The poke check was basically an automatic penalty, and that was super annoying, but I thought the improvements to goaltending and skating were substantial and made the game better than 18. Since launch they have nerfed skating to the point of it being almost identical to 18, and goaltending is back to the broken state it's always been in. I honestly believe they intentionally make their games worse and worse over time to entice customers to purchase the next version. It's the only explanation that I can come up with to explain why this happens in NHL every year.

 

[Dolemite]

Destiny 2: Forsaken
Red Dead Revolver 2

 

[Commander Clueless]

Awesome. Keep me updated. It's one of those "now you're thinking with portals" games that become more satisfying the more you become comfortable with it.

I'm on chapter 6 now.

This game is incredibly gripping. I'm supposed to be finishing God of War, but this has my attention.


I think I'm pretty awful, but I can see what you mean about wanting to speed run it. Once you've got it down, it's very satisfying to speed through it.


This game finally makes me understand the "difficult but satisfying once you beat it" feeling that a lot of people associate with Dark Souls (I strongly dislike Dark Souls ).

 

[Shareefruck]

I'm on chapter 6 now.

This game is incredibly gripping. I'm supposed to be finishing God of War, but this has my attention.


I think I'm pretty awful, but I can see what you mean about wanting to speed run it. Once you've got it down, it's very satisfying to speed through it.


This game finally makes me understand the "difficult but satisfying once you beat it" feeling that a lot of people associate with Dark Souls (I strongly dislike Dark Souls ).

I think Chapter 6 is my favorite part and primarily what first skyrocketed the game into a favorite for me. The final sequence gave me a high that's just total euphoria.

Definitely check out some speed runs on Youtube at some point. It's pretty insane.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I think Chapter 6 is my favorite part and primarily what first skyrocketed the game into a favorite for me. The final sequence gave me a high that's just total euphoria.

I beat it tonight. Absolutely fantastic, and one of the best games of the year no doubt. It takes the indie crown for me (even as much as I enjoyed Hero-U).

I'm editing my post to place it slightly below Spider-Man (heresy to you ) and slightly above God of War (heresy to everyone else ).


For anyone interested, I'm not a big platformer, but I highly recommend it. It conveys emotions just with mechanics. Top marks.

Definitely check out some speed runs on Youtube at some point. It's pretty insane.

Holy crap!

I think I died something like 1400 times

 

[Pilky01]

Celeste looks like a highly demanding 2D, jump focused platforming, which really ain’t my jam. Love the aesthetic. I also loved Meat Boy’s, but that gameplay ain’t for me. I may eventuall play it though as it’s on Switch and surely one day it will be on sale for $8 and I’ll say ‘why not’

I love Dead Cells though. Right up my alley.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I wish that I could afford to, or had the time to, buy 10 new video games in a year.

I'm sure that RDR2 would be at #1 on my list though, regardless of how many games I could buy, lol.

 

[The Macho King]

OMG this Battle Brothers expansion is #1.

 

[God King Fudge]

So I need to add Return of the Obra Dinn to my list. It's gonna go to number 5, everything else will slide down and Ni No Kuni II will fall out of the top 10.

It's so simple but so engaging. Awesome game.

 

[Pilky01]

Spider-Man - Yes it is "videogamey". It isn't breaking any new ground and sometimes the camera/controls aren't the greatest but as a kid my #1 cartoon was Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The only comic books I ever collected was for maybe a year in like 1995 or 1996 or whenever the clone saga was going on so I love the Scarlet-Spider costume. Anyway this game delivered on "Arkham but Spider-Man" and exceeded it. Its the best superhero videogame ever made. 10/10

Red Dead Redemption 2 - A tremendous game. I understand where the complaints come from and totally understand that it will push some people away. Even I have felt discouraged while playing it, but something about it keeps drawing me back. It genuinely is a masterpiece. 10/10.

Dead Cells - Its a tremendous game. Its "perfect for the Switch", and it saved my favourite videogame podcast from a charmless dolt. 9/10

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - Yeah its a port, but I still love it. Its still a great game. And for some reason, it is still $20 cheaper than tons of full priced trash. 8/10

NHL 19 - I like it and its fun. Lots of old sweaters. Leafs are good. 8/10

Octopath Traveler - A good classic JRPG. Didn't play a ton but I adore the art style. Lack of cohesive intertwining story was disappointing. Im too casual an RPG fan to pay full price but will definitely buy on sale. 7.5/10

Super Smash Bros Ultimate - I know I will like it since I like Smash Bros. If it really delivers it could be my personal GOTY but I will wait until we presumably do the HF Board GOTY vote. TBD/10

Honorable mention

Hollow Knight - Own it on Switch, bought it on sale. Will play it eventually.

God of War - Sounds great. Didnt get a PS4 until Spider-Man though, and there is just too much else to play. Will definitely play it some day.

Forza Horizon 4 - Looks so good. Really tempting but cant justify buying a third console for.

Tetris Effect - I can't ignore the buzz. And I love Tetris. Will buy on sale asap.

 

[Osprey]

So I need to add Return of the Obra Dinn to my list. It's gonna go to number 5, everything else will slide down and Ni No Kuni II will fall out of the top 10.

It's so simple but so engaging. Awesome game.

I just played it for an hour or so. It's interesting. I like that it's a bit like Clue, except expanded because you're deducing the fates of everyone on the ship rather than just one victim. It also reminds me a lot of those old black-and-white Macintosh detective games from the late 80s, which is likely intentional, since the default palette mimics (and is named for) the Macintosh. I'm not really a fan of the structure of the game, which feels very linear and makes the game more of a walking simulator with occasional note taking, but maybe I'll get used to and more comfortable with it.

 

[God King Fudge]

I just played it for an hour or so. It's interesting. I like that it's a bit like Clue, except expanded because you're deducing the fates of everyone on the ship rather than just one victim. It also reminds me a lot of those old black-and-white Macintosh detective games from the late 80s, which is likely intentional, since the default palette mimics (and is named for) the Macintosh. I'm not really a fan of the structure of the game, which feels very linear and almost makes the game a walking simulator with occasional note taking, but maybe I'll get used to and more comfortable with it.

I can definitely see it not hitting everyone. During my first half hour I was close to just requesting a return on Steam because it just wasn't grabbing me, but once I started identifying people and discovering more stuff it just kinda hooked me.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Red Dead might be the most important video game of all time when it comes to storytelling. IMO, it is the first game to break down the wall that separates games from movies. This is currently the most cinematic experience you can get from a game. Not just the amazing graphics, but the writing, storyline, and cinematic camera that is surprisingly versatile when playing the game make it feel like an interactive movie.