10: Shadow of the Tomb Raider
When I originally bought this game, I had to put it down almost immediately. Not due to any sort of issue or timing, but purely because my original viewpoint was how...boring the game had become. Admittedly controls, animation, art style, graphics, or any major parts of this game were changed from sequel to sequel. But what helps this game reach the top of the list is the story. Still hunting Trinity, Lara now embarks to stop their leader's plans to reshape the world. But in doing so, her own hubris has set about the world's destruction, leading to the deaths of thousands of people. Shadow of the Tomb Raider takes a look at the darker side of Lara, as she slowly turns from this caring, naive woman to a ruthless killer, willing to do whatever it takes to make sure peace is restored and her goals are achieved. The gameplay, musical score and story still holds up incredibly well, but in a game called Tomb Raider, continuing to have so few tombs with meaningful story elements, and so few manditory in the story, shortens this game on the list
I'm glad to see the series end on something more closely lined to the original series, I do hope we see Lara return in a few years from now, so that the devs not only get an easier timeline but all game aspects can be improved.
9: Kingdom Come: Deliverance
While admittedly it had a rocky start, the game overall had a great promise: the ultimate RPG. Set during 14th century Prague, you are a simple blacksmith, aiding your father in your small community when your town is raided and killed by invaders. From yearning for adventure to a journey to deliver your father's sword to its heir, this game was every RPG fans dream. If you wanted to read the books you collected, you needed to learn how to read. Wanted to be the best knight (or sellsword/thief/etc) in the land? You had to train. Food and drink management, cleaniless, armor and weaponry upkeep, this game had you roleplaying in the greatest way. If you ever wanted to experience what true knighthood was like, I highly suggest picking up this game. Since the patches and the fixes, it definitely deserves your time.
8: AoT 2
Admittedly, it's harder to review games from series you enjoy and like, but for this my time was truly tested. Attack on Titan 2 (why they abbreviated it I have no idea) set players at the very beginning of Eren's story of the anime and manga, but with a twist; you had your own character. I carry a small soft spot for self insert customisation in video games purely because I adore how immersive this device becomes; well written characters hold much weight (as you can see further on in this list), but putting yourself into a beloved series is a fantastic way to not only retell the main story, but involving you the player in the characters too. While this does negate ever playing or purchasing the original game (if only to play as the characters/as a titan), AoT 2 is an improvement from the last in so many ways.
Now all I need is a sequel. That ending with my character was way too open for my liking.
7: Far Cry 5
Taking a break from the traditional "You're stuck on a island, go kill the bad guy" comes Far Cry 5: you're stuck in the middle of an American state, you're a cop, go kill this cult's leader who's a pretty bad guy.
Far Cry 5 does repeat a looooot of game elements from previous installments, but what sets this game above is how they're done; gameplay is heavily improved, ally aid is useful with the AI being clever enough to help out in complicated parts of the game (Cheeseburger is the best bear) and what truly makes this game great? You can fight alongside a bear, watch it rip apart some enemies, blow up their base, steal their plane, fly off to a remote little stream and immediately spend the next hour just fishing away. This game goes from 11 to 1 in a matter of minutes and I highly admire that in this game. Yes you can go all out and blow up your enemies, but yes you can also just simply stealthily take them out, avoid a massive ruckus of bad guys finding you and go back to fishing, hunting or simply exploring.
The story, the gameplay, the missions, all of it just clicks.
6: Detroit: Become Human
This was my first time with a David Cage game. I had barely touched any of his previous games (only viewing them through gameplay videos or memes - I miss the "SHAWN!" meme...) and I went into this game blind. I left it questioning my own humanity. Three androids in the future, three stories of all different meanings, all tied to choices and consequences of those actions. Yes, its a QTE heavy, point and click game, but I have always firmly believed that what makes a game great is how its told. Well running games with great stories, characters and mechanics will always take place over games focused on only one of those other aspects. Players resonated with Connor, trying to define what it meant to achieve his tasks by his morality, or with Kara as she broke through her barriers time and again to protect Alice from her father, or with Markus losing everything he held dear and rising himself up from near death to lead his followers to a better future the only way he knew how.
If you're searching for a heavy story chill out game, this is the place to start from this years lineup.
5: Pokemon Let's Go: Pikachu
When this spiritual remake of the original series, admittedly I was very skeptical of the reception this game would receive: the core mechanics were altered, the main goals were changed, and even though they were only changed slightly, it still resonated a modest amount of doubt within the older fans of the series. But I was happy enough to be proven wrong! I thought catching multiples of the same pokemon would become a grind, and at times it could be if you were after favourites, but what stood out was how it revamped the love of pokemon not just to battling, but to catching. I felt like a kid again pretending to capture pokemon in the playground, even more so when I used the pokeball plus (I would pay double for it to expand and shrink like in the show) and I loved every second of catching pokemon, battling trainers, discovering how to make Pikachu sneeze or giving him a new haircut. This title has revamped my love of the series, and I cannot wait to see what a new take to the series brings to the table.
4: God of War
As some of you may be aware, I never had much to do with Playstations in their earlier years. I dabbled in Crash Team Racing, tried out Shadow of the Colossus, but never had time to fully sit down with one of their titles back then. God of War was my first real taste of a game in this series, and while I went in expecting a third person fighter game, what I found was a meaningful story fighter with RPG customisation elements with a fantastic backdrop, gameplay, sound and score, all tied together with well rounded characters and acting. I didn't expect myself to spend so much time with Kratos and Atreus, and this was a welcome surprise for myself and old hats of the series. There's not much else I can say about the game without spoiling it, but this is definitely a must buy for PS$ users.
3: Assassin's Creed Odyssey
The predecessor Origins was meant to be seen as a soft reboot to a repetitive series, and in this they succeeded. Odyssey will forever be seen as the sequel that perfected that reboot. Gameplay was massively overhauled with proper weapon damage, animation and fighting styles. The massive world of the Greek Islands were littered with side missions, hunting tasks, and things to explore. Ship combat made a return to the community delight, massive player battles were introduced, RPG elements such as meaningful choices, huge customisation options, upgrading and world building were also improved, every aspect of Origins was enhanced and additional content from previous games were reintroduced here as well.
What sets this game so high on the list is how enthralled I became in the world. Just like God of War, I wanted to explore everything and experience everything this game had to offer, and I'm still finding things to this day. And when I messed up my original run and lost over 50 hours (due to me accidentally deleting old saves), while my immediate discouragement made me faulter, I still went back and played it again. And again. And again with Kassandra instead of Alexios to see how different the game played and felt. Admittedly I wish the historical facts still remained, or that the modern day story wasn't so cut and dry, but this is only a smudge on a clear piece of glass. Free content updates monthly, plenty of replayability, new things to explore, now free to keep your gear you like without affecting your stats, it's well worth your money and then some.
Now Ubisoft, I've asked, I've pleaded, now I'll beg.
Give. Me. Sengoku Jidai Era Japan. You've been teasing it for 5 years. I will spend all the money.
2: Red Dead Redemption 2
Now before you all click off for the simple fact that this isn't first, here me out. Don't get me wrong; I adore this game. I never got the chance to play RDR unspoiled, or when it first came out, and this was my first experience right from the get-go, and Rockstar went all out for this game. The only way to describe it is as the ultimate Cowboy simulator; you get dirty from being in a bar fight, you need to wash yourself. Your hair grown all out and looks horrible? Trim it, and your beard, get it stylised. Collect food for the gang, but deliver it before it spoils. Rob people, banks, train stations, anyone in sight. Arthur Morgan is yours to control, and watching him experience the life of a cowboy (and as a person nearing the age of the 20th century and all its comeuppance), any person can pick this game up and play it for what they want. Only care about horses? You can upgrade your relationship with your horse so it trusts you and whatever you need it to do, be it use firearms or explosives, or maybe track down legendary horses and tame them. Sick of being a gunslinger? Go fish for a time! Find a nice, quiet piece of america and fish until you can store any more in your bag, or even try to snag some larger game to sell for a new gun, but be careful of bears!
There is simply just too much to do in this game, but Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of those rare titles that come along where nothing gets tedious, or boring. If you care about being a neat and clean cowboy who obeys the law as much as he can, you can do that. If you don't care about your looks or smell, and just rob and kill everything around you, you can do that too. Now that the multiplayer has launched, players are flocking in drones to grief and tie up fellow cowfolk, or partake in the huge amount of side missions or gameplay aspects, trying to earn as much gold as they can and level up.
If Rockstar keep to this game as much as they have to GTA 5, I highly expect this title will not be going away any time soon.
1: Marvel's Spider-Man
Gameplay, voice acting, story, the massive upgrade and customisation options for a superhero game, and all of it canon! Everything in this game works and improves one another. Usually the lower the list I go, the more I write about the series (Which is kinda true here), but Marvel's Super-Man does not need it. If you have a PS4, this is a must own. If you don't, you need to save up for both console and game. This is above and beyond worthy of a console buy.
That brings us to the end of another gaming year! I understand not everyone will be pleased with my picks, but the top five was an incredibly hard choice, but I feel comfortable leaving it the way it is. I cannot wait to see what's in store for 2019, and I'll be there to show you what it's got!
