2018 was a pretty good year for mainstream games. While last year was dominated by indie games (mostly because several mainstream offerings failed to deliver), this year saw many of the big promises of the past few years finally deliver, and they delivered as big as they promised. What was particularly welcome was how many big games came throughout the year rather than falling into the typical release explosions we so often see in the summer and holiday seasons; some of the best games of the year came right at the beginning of the year, in fact.
My write-ups for each game will be brief this year. Feel free to comment under each image if you’d like to discuss. Otherwise, onto the list.
10. Marvel’s Spider-Man
It’s been over 10 years since Activision’s Spider-Man 2 swung into the hearts and minds of players. With it’s big open world playground littered with crimes, most of the fun came from just going between them with an intelligent, physics-based web-swinging system that made the act of traversing the city the hallmark of the game. Now, in 2018, we finally have a game that follows through on that concept with great momentum-based web-swinging tied in with fast-paced combat and a solid Spider-Man story.
9. Dragon Ball FighterZ
Arc System Works comes in hot and ready to show Dimps how it’s done. After so many years of mediocre Dragon Ball Z games, we have not only the best Dragon Ball Z fighting game ever released, we have a solid fighting game that stands on it’s own. With an art style that mimics the anime — even going as far as to directly draw from manga panels — and an air dash/anime fighting system that’s just simple enough to get into and difficult enough to reward mastery, DBFZ makes for a sublime first step in what could turn out to be a fantastic fighting game franchise. Let’s just hope Toei can stop being assholes about suing tournaments that advertise their games for free.
8. Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar finally released the hotly-awaited sequel to their 2010 open world wild west action game, and it delivered. The graphical fidelity is incredible, the voice acting is astounding, and the action is… well, pretty slow, but intentionally slow. From incredible snow displacement physics to some of the best horse handling mechanics I’ve ever played, RDR2 delivered on the promise of a sequel… for good and for bad. I have some misgivings on the mission structure, to be honest. It’s still not enough to knock this game off a top ten list.
7. God of War
If you told me that I would give two shits about a God of War game in 2018, I would’ve called you a liar. As a reboot to a franchise I’ve never felt particularly attached to, I was floored when Sony Santa Monica finally delivered on a promise I was certain they couldn’t keep. The detailed faces convey the emotions of the characters expertly as Kratos Man and Atreus Boy rampage through the Norse wilderness. While I was unimpressed with how several of the bosses were just reskins of earlier bosses, I was impressed with the sense of scale in some of the biggest boss fights. Bonus points for some really fun and challenging optional bosses that flesh out the world.
6. Return of the Obra Dinn
Lucas Pope, developer of Papers, Please, finally returns five years later to bring us a murder mystery puzzle game with a mystical twist. To discover the fates of the men and women aboard the Obra Dinn, you must use a magical pocket watch to warp to the frozen moment in time right when a person died. You must determine who each individual is based on logical deductions as well as the occasional informed guess. While the two-tone graphical style may turn some off, I found it quite refreshing. The story of what happened aboard the Obra Dinn is terrible and tragic, as well as pretty batshit crazy at times, making for one of the best nautical horror stories in video games.
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
I’ve been hype for this game since it was first announced earlier this year, and it delivered. With a roster of over 60 fighters, over 100 stages, over 20 hours of music, and features that fans have been asking for since the series inception, Smash Ultimate really does feel like the grand finale of the Smash franchise. It’s not all perfect; online matchmaking is a joke and the menus are rather messy, but once the gameplay actually starts, it makes for some of the best platform brawling since Smash Melee in 2001. Bonus points for the Spirits modes, which were far more fun than I thought they would be.
4. Hitman 2
One of my favorite games of 2016 makes a fantastic comeback. Building upon the framework of Hitman 2016, Hitman 2 improves the hiding in plain sight stealth gameplay in every direction. Whereas previously the only way to hide was to wear a costume or to crouch behind cover, 47 can now blend into crowds. The scoring system is much clearer, the experience system is easier to understand, and the bonus unlocks are… well, actually, some of those are just the same unlocks from the first game, which is kind of a bummer. What isn’t a bummer is the ability to import the entirety of Hitman 2016 as legacy maps you can replay in Hitman 2, improved with new features added to the sequel.
3. Dead Cells
A small developer who has made mobile and flash games since 2001 comes out of nowhere with an amazing roguelike action platformer. Dead Cells is fast-paced brutal fun that scratches that Dark Souls itch; each run gets you closer and closer to the finish line as you level up your character and equipment between runs and stages. The chunky pixel art style is appealing, the music is immersive, and the controls are tight and responsive. It would be criminal to rate this game any lower.
2. Into the Breach
Developed by the minds behind FTL, with music composed by Celeste’s Ben Prunty and a story written by the legendary Chris Avellone, Into the Breach’s simplified take on turn-based strategy merges with permadeath mechanics to make a brilliant strategy game. The simple pixel art style draws attention to the tactics at play and the immersive music pulls the player into the sci-fi aesthetic. Even with all the big hitters this year, there was no game I played this year that kept my attention much longer than Into the Breach.
1: Monster Hunter: World
Monster Hunter: World did the impossible: make the franchise feel fresh again. Monster Hunter has languished for years with PS2-era graphics on handheld devices. MonHun fans have been eagerly awaiting a new, high definition take on the gameplay that gives the gameplay the graphics to match the scale of the massive monsters featured. Now that dream has been realized. Giant monsters, high definition graphics, and multiple weapons to choose from that play drastically different from one another. Want to use weapons and gadgets on the go? Sword and shield. Want awesome levels of air mobility? Insect glaive. Want to just hit a monster in the fucking face? Hammer. With a rousing orchestral soundtrack, gorgeous vibrant visuals, solid controls, and fantastic monster slaying gameplay, Monster Hunter finally gets the mainstream respect it deserves.
808musings 