Best of 2019
Updated over the year.
List items
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Endearing, subversive, delightfully absurd and deeply human, Hypnospace Outlaw is the one that climbed into the back of my head in early 2019 and never went away. The setting, an alternate reality late 90's internet portal, is as good as it sounds on paper, a fully realized ecosystem of online presences that avoids the pitfalls of cheap parody with detailed and entertainingly original world building at every turn.
You're a new moderator on the Hypnospace team, a voyeuristic detective tasked with stamping out petty infringement. The pages you browse are lovingly crafted relics, hilarious one minute and heart tugging the next, an aesthetic nightmare in the best way possible. The desktop interface becomes a psychedelic funhouse of its own as you clutter it with useless customization, install weird apps and download in-universe music from questionable sources for your skinned mp3 player. The narrative surrounding the bickering employees in your inbox initially takes a back seat but as you solve puzzles, gain new abilities and time passes a central plot comes into focus, thematically reinforced by observing the interactions and page activity of the Hypnospace faithful and the corporate interests that reside alongside.
The game continues to evolve and surprise until the end, both mechanically and emotionally, peeling back new layers until it's all laid bare. Parallels to how far we've come in 20 years can be drawn but are never forced within the context of the world, which remains an earnest time capsule. And the impression it ultimately leaves - OS and browser fueled nostalgia from a dream, an internet rabbit hole in my parents' basement at 3am - is as comforting and haunting as the real thing.
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It was Day 3 by the fishing village when I became fully convinced that my horrific necktie had a plan, Contact Mike was the greatest prize fighter of all time and that Disco Elysium was pretty special. As an RPG that's secretly a point-and-click adventure with dress up and dice rolls, the way your character build and psychological profile comes to life by means of a sentient skill dialogue system is worth the price of entry alone. The writing, which there is quite a bit of, is not far behind - rich and lyrical prose, funny descriptions and response options, political quandaries, colorful characters and arguably the most effective portrayal of inner turmoil and insight that gaming has to offer.
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Anno 1404 was a revelatory city builder upon release in 2009, a leisurely pursuit of construction, trade and maritime exploration that consumed me in a way the genre hadn't since the heady Maxis days. 10 years later, Anno 1800 is the first in the series to fully recapture that magic, a triumph of iteration built for longevity. The uglier realities of the era are smudged out without feeling disrespectful and the impact of class on society as the world modernizes is a major theme. The extensive campaign is enjoyable but sandbox mode is where it's at - tinkering away at production lines and trade routes, squeezing out the competition and forging expeditions into uncharted territory deep into the night.
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A slow burn mystery with frontier spirit, one that understands the existential terror and awe of space exploration and embraces it with open arms. The clockwork solar system ticks away, meticulously designed to be poked and prodded at for shards of new information one Groundhog Day at a time, contextualizing itself as you understand more and the pieces start to fit. It sticks the landing too, elevating the entire experience along with it.
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Sometimes you just need a video game ass video game, a briskly paced third person shooter that scratches familiar itches while still feeling fresh and interesting throughout. Control is exactly that - a Remedy joint of the highest caliber complete with internal monologuing, paranormal intrigue, fast, powerful combat and some of my favorite narrative table setting in years.
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A sprawling and multifaceted strategy epic. The depth of themes, narratives and relationships are a high water mark for the series, and the varied gameplay mechanics all play nicely with each other, creating a symbiotic relationship between downtime and combat. Top notch presentation as well, with a cohesive look and feel and a strong cast across both language options.
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The most eclectic and elegant Total War to date, taking design cues from across the strategic landscape to bring to life a compelling and well known historical saga in style. With its 4X rhythms and focus on diplomacy and role playing, Three Kingdoms was the gateway I needed to turn an intimidating series into one that makes hours disappear on the regular.
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Dismantling interactive environments for secrets remains a strong hook and the third entry in the series is the defining one, with varied and creative level design that continually finds new ways to impress. It's also unexpectedly the closest Nintendo has come to giving us a Mushroom Kingdom CGI movie. Props to Next Level Games, animation gods, and Charles Martinet who brings his A game.
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The swordplay, feedback and movement systems are arguably best in class for the genre, built around a parrying mechanic that feels great to pull off. Focused brilliance.
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My first playthrough of Sayonara Wild Hearts was exhilarating, an arcadey audiovisual trip with genuine emotional payoff. The soundtrack wormed its way into my brain shortly thereafter. Like experiencing a vivid, interactive dream that leaves you satisfied and recharged.
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Elder Scrolls inspired design with painting and light crafting instead of pesky combat. Cozier than a warm blanket and some Earthroot Tea by the fire.
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Sets a new bar for fitness games, both in its RPG structure and clever use of the pilates ring peripheral.
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At its best the traversal takes on a meditative quality, one delivery at a time, as the harsh but beautiful landscape becomes slowly tamed by each new piece of infrastructure and manmade clutter contributed by the community. Mechanically dense, surreal and unique.
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RGG Studio are some of the best storytellers in the business and Judgment, a thriller at the crossroads of politics, medicine and law, just may be my favorite to date.
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The other contemplative delivery game of 2019, and a worthy sequel that's just as imaginative and intriguingly written as its predecessor. My appreciation continues to grow the more time I spend with it.
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