2018 didn’t quite reach the highs of 2017, but great, interesting games were still released. Let’s look through my top 10 — ranging from the AAA blockbusters of the year to free, 5-minute long walking sims.
10. Donut County
December 23rd, 2018. The number 10 entry has changed. A hole erupted out of the ground and took the previous #10 spot . It spat out a game I played through almost entirely on an airplane, LOL.
Donut County is charming, a Katamari adjacent title that is wacky, simple, short, and fun. I wish there was maybe a mode that let me play around a bit more but the core package is a marvel of its own and recency bias be damned, had to make it on the list.
9. Dragon Ball FighterZ
Goku vs Goku. It’s a dream we can finally live out in a top-tier game and finally the bar has been raised in terms of how many Goku's games need to have in them… okay I’ll stop now. Dragon Ball FighterZ is an incredible love letter to Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super (GT never happened, and Dragon Ball is great but isn’t really tonally similar to the rest of the franchise but regardless — neither are represented here) and it’s also an incredible fighting game. I suck at these games but found it hard not to love with a great “What if?” single player mode that introduces Android 21 and has a some pretty great moments (like everyone making fun of Lord Yamcha). The DLC roster, while maybe a bit heavy on Goku and Goku-adjacent characters is great and ArcSys has continued to support the game. Here’s hoping for another DLC season soon.
8. September 1999
Five minutes. Zero dollars (or, if you want — you can donate to support the creator). September 1999 doesn’t ask much of your time or wallet, and manages to offer an incredibly unsettling experience on par with Resident Evil 7 (one of my 2017 faves) or PT. I’ve become increasingly interested in shorter games that are incredibly effective, and my brief time with this one stuck with me. Play it over at itch.io.
7. Florence
Mobile games don’t really hit me, especially not the premium ones these days. I just have a hard time playing games on my phone — partially the form factor, partially that I like to use my phone more for music and communication than as a games device (though I do play a few F2P/gachapon titles). Florence is the first premium mobile game in a while to really hit me and is another short but sweet experience. It’s a very real situation and a very simple story of love and heartbreak and moving on and all the things that come with those done in a simple, interactive fashion. I loved this game.
6. Marvel’s Spider-Man
Look, the world’s in a darkplace. Marvel’s Spider-Man gets dark — we see NYC play host to the Sinister Six, we see betrayal, we see loss. But Peter Parker keep his head up and always try to do right, and that’s reassuring in this day and age. Sure there are maybe some tone issues (while Spidercop is funny it’s also maybe a bit problematic and also it is frustrating to see Peter Parker consistently note how he enjoys webbing up drug dealers). There are also gameplay issues (this is open world design circa but… the movement in this game is just so.damn.good. I only did fast travel for a trophy — this is worth noting if only because I do rely on fast travel fairly often in games. The stealth sections where you play as other characters are interesting, if maybe a bit too simple but they help flesh out the rest of the cast as characters with their own sense of agency. Insomniac may not have reinvented the superhero game wheel here but they’ve certainly come close to perfecting it.
5. God of War
As a 14 year old, God of War (2005) was the coolest, most badass shit. As a 27 year old man? Ugh. I’m not sure how time will look back on this soft-reset (it’s a sequel but in some ways a reboot) but this game definitely made me rethink my stance on the IP as a whole. The feel of combat and exploring was great, and if nothing else this a textbook example of how to breath new life into an aging franchise.
4. Tetris Effect
Tetris. Or, specifically, the Tetris Effect — that idea of seeing tetrominos after you stop playing has been something I’ve dealt with. And, similarly, I’ve had I guess the “Rock Band” effect where I’d see note gems when I close my eyes. I bring this phenomnom up because with Tetris Effect, Enhance Games has melded music and Tetris into an incredibly zen-like experience that has already helped me deal with anxiety on some rough days since its release. This is a remarkable game, and I haven’t even tried it in VR.
3. Celeste
I suffer from some severe anxiety issues (I have OCD and have dealt with panic attacks throughout my life). For the past few years they’ve come back in full force and each day is a struggle. Celeste is about overcoming those fears, that nagging doubt, that fear of the unknown, that fear of well, fear. I’m so glad I finished this game as I almost didn’t — this list would’ve been very different as a result. I also completed it sans modifiers, not because I wanted to be a #hardcoregamer but because I wanted to see if I could push through, relax in the moment and scale the mountain of my own determination.
I did, and it felt great.
2. Minit
What if you had one minute to beat Zelda? Except you don’t really have one minute — you just have one minute until you have to die and start over again. That’s kind of how Minit works (truthfully there’s more to it than that), and it’s an ingenious game with a striking 2 color aesthetic. Minit captures the vibes of a 2D Zelda game in hyper speedy form. More importantly though, at least for me, it also captures the world and feel of my GOAT — The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX. So kudos to the team who made it.
1. Yakuza 6
Kiryu. We’ve followed his journey in Kamurocho since 2005 in the West, with the release of Yakuza on PS2. I played it briefly (can’t remember how — Gamefly, maybe?). I liked the idea a lot and as a college student hopped back in during the Ps3 era.
This though, is the end of Kiryu’s story. It may not be the end of Yakuza, but Kiryu’s final chapter is heartfelt and full of that Yakuza charm (even if best boy Majima isn’t in it enough). Seeing legendary actor Takeshi Kitano show up was icing on top and the arc of his character is also fascinating.
But that’s just the performances and the story. The gameplay is, for me, a great evolution of Yakuza. Battles happen seamlessly on the streets, the experience system reworked, you can take selfies — the list goes on. It may not have as much excess and pomp as Kiwami 2 or Yakuza 0, but this title’s new engine laid the groundwork for the former and had a narrative that just resonated with me more. In a year of “dad” games, this one was my favorite.
As of this writing, I beat a lot of games this year — 41 in total. A good chunk of those completed games were released this year and I will return with a lookback on other standsouts (both good and not so good) like Destiny 2 Forsaken and The Quiet Man. You’ll even get to see my “2017 game of 2018”, my “2017 game of 2019?” and more. Stay tuned!
