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Top 8 Games of 2018 (and more!)

Best Music

1. Celeste

This soundtrack just fits the game perfectly, and has been my go to OST to listen to outside of actually playing the game. The original tracks (A-Side if you will) fit the progression of your climb up the mountain, and discovering the story/meaning of Celeste. If that wasn't enough, the B-Side tracks take the original tracks and give them a totally different feel, which I would argue is even better than the original tracks (and they need to be, given how much you will be hearing them, failing at the B-Side and C-Side levels)

2. Battlefield V

Battlefield V is more Battlefield (but worse!). The one shining light to come out of this game was the soundtrack. I haven't left a game sat on a menu screen, just to listen to the music, for a very long time.

3. Into the Breach

Again, a brilliant soundtrack that fits the game perfectly. If you ever need to solve something in your life, put on this soundtrack. I am sure it will help you do it. (It is also great background music for work)

Top 3 Games I played in 2018 that were released in previous years

1. SteamWorld Dig 2 (Switch - 2017)

I had just bought a Nintendo Switch console for the 2nd time. Having completed Mario Odyssey and Oxenfree, I was in search for my next Switch game.

I took a gamble buying SteamWorld Dig 2, given I tried the first game on PC (probably from a Humble Bundle) and did not enjoy. It did not feel good to me, it did not look good either.

However, after looking at footage of this game, the reception it received, and knowing I will play it with "recent Switch purchase hype", I bought it, and I am very glad I did.

The idea is simple. You dig, collect resources, go back to base, upgrade your character, dig some more.

Beautiful art style. Relaxing, but sometimes challenging game, with a nice pace in player item progression/abilities.

2. Hollow Knight (PC - 2017)

I bought Hollow Knight on sale in August 2017, due to all the praise it had been receiving.

My initial thoughts were "I hate this game".

The reason I didn't like this game was probably because I had just recently finished Ori and the Blind Forest for the second time. Given both of these games were 2D platformers, and Ori just feels and looks amazing, Hollow Knight just did not seem as good to me.

I was going to request a refund, but (un?)fortunately, I had played over 2 hours, so that was not possible. One year later, when the Godmaster update rolled in (August 2018), I decided to give the game another shot.

After the initial pain of not knowing what the hell I am doing, since I had just loaded a save from a year ago, something finally clicked, and I understood why everyone enjoyed this game.

3. SteamWorld Heist (Switch - 2015)

It is no surprise that after enjoying SteamWorld Dig 2, I wanted to check out the original SteamWorld game.

SteamWorld Heist has the same art style, but completely different gameplay to SteamWorld Dig. It is a very good take on the squad turn based strategy genre.

List items

1. Celeste

(Switch)
I love pain..clearly. Super Meat Boy/The End is Nigh/Dark Souls... Pain and suffering come from playing these games. But it is worth it (I think?), when you accomplish something in these types of games.
Celeste is a 2D platformer, similar to something like Super Meat Boy. It has great level design, awesome music, a lot of dying (and restarting very quickly), and I would argue it has tighter controls than a Meat Boy.
The main campaign is pretty challenging, with each level having a different mechanic you need to overcome.
There are optional Strawberries to collect throughout the level, which can be found by a hidden path, or by doing some harder platforming sections.
Where the game gets brutal is in it's B-Sides and C-Sides, and that part for me is the most memorable. These are harder versions of the original campaign levels. You spend so much time trying to complete some of these challenges that it eventually becomes muscle memory. Your fingers just know when to press those buttons.
Eventually you finish these levels, and the feeling for accomplishment is unmatched for any other game in 2018. My Switch is filled with screenshots/videos of me grabbing the golden heart at the end these levels, to remind me of these moments.
Overall, I would say this is a near perfect game. Level design does not get much better. The story is surprisingly good (story is not something I generally think about when it comes to these types of games, but here it has a lot of meaning). The music compliments the game really well. I can't recommend this game enough.
I look forward to the free DLC next year!
2. Into the Breach

(Switch)
Into the Breach is a squad turn based game, which looks similar to games such as Advance Wars. You control a squad of three Mechs that you can move around a small grid map.
The aim of the game is to prevent the enemies from destroying buildings over 5 turns. You have an overall "Power Grid" meter that carries over from mission to mission. If any building gets damaged/destroyed, this meter will go down.
What makes this game unique is that you know what the enemies are going to do in their next turn, and in which order each enemy is going to attack.
Equipped with all this knowledge, you need to plan your turn to prevent as many casualties as possible (buildings / Mechs being destroyed). This does not necessarily mean you have to kill the enemy units before they attack. You can push them around the grid with your attacks/abilities, so that their attack will miss (or even hit the other enemies!).
It is this that makes it one of my favourite games of the year, because there is nearly always a way to prevent casualties, but it may not be obvious. When you find the perfect solution, man... it feels good.
Brilliant take on turn based strategy games, with great music and a perfect game to take with you on your commute.
3. Beat Saber

(PC - Early Access)
I think Beat Saber is currently the best VR experience you can get. It is so simple (just some blocks flying towards you that you have to slice in half), but executed so well.
Beat Saber gives me the same feeling that Guitar Hero gave over a decade ago. The feeling of knowing that your own personal skills are improving as you go through the difficulties. Expert difficulty seemed like it would be impossible for me when I first started this game, just like songs using 5 notes in Guitar Hero did, but it all eventually just clicks.
If I were to show VR to someone for the first time, it would be this game.
***
NOTE: I Must stress that what makes this game extra awesome are the mods. There are currently only 12 songs in the official Beat Saber line up, but there are already so many custom songs the community have made.
This is not the case on the PS4 version, and if I were stuck with just the 12 songs, I would not enjoy this game as much as I have.
It is still in early access. More official songs will be added, but it will be interesting to see where this game goes in the future.
It is a hugely popular game, and I would not be surprised if the Beat Saber devs will have to do something to stop Custom Songs due to copyright issues (or if they want to sell you DLC).
***
4. Dead Cells

(PC)
Dead Cells is a 2D platformer rogue like, a concept which has been done many times before (eg: Rogue Legacy). However, none of those games come close to how good this game feels to play. The controls are near perfect.
Looks great, feels great, decent music, and a great feeling of accomplishment when you beat a boss/level you have been struggling with.
It was also an Early Access game that was done right, with many many improvements along the way.
5. Cytus II

(Android/iOS)
I loved Deemo, a "Piano" sort of rhythm game made by Rayark. So when my mate told me they released another game, Cytus II, I had to try it.
Cytus II is also a rhythm game, but it is similar to an Ouendan/Elite beat agents, where circles will appear on the screen and you need to tap them when a timeline passes through it.
In the base game you get 3 characters (roughly 12 songs each), with each having a different style of music. There are then some (expensive) DLC characters you can buy.
You get most of the story elements from what looks like a social media platform such as Twitter. When you perform songs, your character level up. As they level up, new posts (from characters, fans, etc) can appear in the social media feed.
The story elements didn't really stick with me, but it is an interesting idea of how to get a story across.
I advise you to play it on the Tube/Train. You will look like an absolute mad man, smashing your phone screen with your thumbs at what feels like 2000bpm.
6. Red Dead Redemption II

(PS4)
I won't explain what Red Dead Redemption II is, as it probably one of the most anticipated AAA games of 2018.
Red Dead Redemption II is a great experience, I would not necessarily say it is a great game. I really enjoyed the story, it was just a shame it felt like a chore to get through it at times.
With the game being so huge, I could write a lot about it, but I will just leave some positives and negatives instead:
+ The world is huge, looks amazing and feels alive. Everything inside the game convinces you that you are in the Wild West
+ The main story and characters are great, with some epic moments
+ Some of the side mission moments are better than the main story
- The first 5-10 hours of the game
- Unnecessarily slow (walking in camp, animations of looting/searching drawers/skinning animals/etc)
- Unnecessary mechanics (Core system)
- Way too much shooting (especially near the end of the game), when the gun combat in the game is just not that good
- Epilogue
7. Forza Horizon 4

(PC)
Forza Horizon 4 had two things I was excited about:
1. It was based on the UK, where I live.
2. The changing of seasons (Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter) that occurs every week. This was supposed to change how the game plays in terms of the look, handling, car choice, access to certain parts of the map/events.
They nailed the first part. It looks like the UK, with all the iconic things you would expect (red telephone boxes/post boxes).
They also nailed the second part, but did not affect my experience as much as I thought it would.
I still found myself sticking to one main car that is perfect for everything (and you get it very early on in the game), the Subaru Impreza, which is known for traversing snow, mud, tarmac in its rally form.
The handling does indeed change a lot, depending on if it is raining, or if there is snow on the ground.
The transformation of the map for each season is great. I can't really distinguish much between Spring and Summer, but Autumn (leaves) and Winter (snow) are obvious changes. It is nice that this also affects where you can go on the map (frozen lakes can be driven on).
I would say this game was a big improvement over 3, and it ran perfectly on PC. It is probably the best Forza Horizon game.
However, this game does not have any lasting power for me, even with the weekly changing of Seasons. After I had finished all the single player races, and played a bit of multiplayer, I was done. Therefore, Xbox Game Pass is the perfect way to play this game.
8. God of War

(PS4)
I tried playing the original God of War trilogy, and I just did not get into it. It may have these epic boss moments, but I have played hack and slash action games such as Ninja Gaiden that just do the "hacking and slashing" way better. The character, Kratos, and the story just did nothing for me as well.
I decided to try the new God Of War, as it plays totally differently and focuses more on story.
The combat in this game also did not do anything for me. Even after I unlocked many new moves/abilities, it just did not seem fun. There were many of the same enemies.
What pushed me through the game was the story, the characters (apart from the kid) and exploring the World.
The game looks amazing, and that was just on a base PS4, so I can imagine it looks "Godly" in 4K on a PS4 Pro.