2018 was a weird year for me for games. There were quality games but a lot of them came in the last 4 months of the year leaving the rest of the year to be fairly boring. Regardless some really great games came out so here are my Top 10 Games of 2018.
This is the JRPG I imagined when I was young and thinking about how this game genre would change over the years. A lot of modern upgrades to the formula really helped boost this game to the top of my list. Fantastic enemey design, story and characters as well. The battle system never felt grindy and the game even though long respected your time. I was always moving forward and I can't think of the last time it felt like that in a JRPG. Please if you have not played this game do so. Its the crown jewel of JRPGs.
Spider-Man is my favorite superhero but he has never really got his due with a fantastic game. There were games that were fun but not on the same level as this game. I will say this is the best Spider-Man has ever been outside his Comics. Better than the movies, TV Shows anything. This game is not only fun but does great things with the classic characters. Along with fun gameplay and perfect swinging mechanics. The combat is fast and fun and makes you really feel like Spider-Man. Looks really good in HDR too.
I have always been a fan of God of War but I was a bit concerned about this new direction. It only took me a few hours to realize this is the best its ever been. Great story and characters along with strong combat. Behind the back character action who knew it could work so well. The 4k HDR graphics sure do help the visual design of this masterpiece.
I have always loved the Assassins Creed series but the last 2 have been a master class in changing a series. Assassins Creed has never been better and Odyssey pushes it even farther. With the improvements from Origins Odyssey manages to master the new combat system and add choices into the RPG world that make it feel even more fresh than last year.
Red Dead Redemption 2 had a uphill battle with me. I loved the first but the 2nd took a long time to take hold of me. Its got long horse rides and slow gameplay but everything else about it is a masterpiece. The story and characters are amazing. Arthur is one of the strongest written video game characters ever. The environments and detail are stunning. You really do feel like a cowboy in this game. It should be experienced by everyone who cares about games. This is a instant classic.
Horizon is the best racing series out there even better than Motorsport. Its fun and crazy. Arcade racers seem to be dead for the most part and while this isn't a pure arcade racer its pretty close. A fun new environment with changing seasons and lots to do had me coming back to this every week and I still do. Lots of variety in cars and beautiful graphics. This is how open world driving games should be designed.
This is the fanboy fighting game to end all fanboy fighting games. So many characters, so much to do and perfectly executed. World of Light mode is a great addition and just fighting is better than its been in any other game in the series. Yes its better than Melee. No fighting game has ever had a roster like this and may never again.
This game had its hooks on me all year. Its one of the few games I consistently come back to. With a great Marvel like fighting system it was the perfect cure to that other missing fighting series. It blends anime visuals perfectly. It is a very accessible fighting game with playability for new and old fighting game fans. As a Dragon Ball fan its really a dream come true.
I loved the ending to Far Cry 5. I won't spoil it but its the only game ending that has suck in my brain for as long as it has besides the ending to AC2. The game was a lot of fun and had some good shooting. Not too many single player FPS these days it seems at least not good ones. I did everything the game had to offer because it was so fun and I can't say that very often. The story was dumb but that is all Far Cry games. I highly recommend this if you are looking to waste a lot of hours playing a high quality singe player fps or coop with friends.
Ni No Kuni 2 while not as good as the first still is a fantastic game in its own right. A great new fun action battle system and city builder really add to this game. I normally don't care for extra systems in my RPGs like city builders but this one was fun and easy to get into. The story and characters were a bit of a disappointment but overall the gameplay and beautiful visuals made up for that.
