What are the must play games this year so far? (Especially on console.)

I added the 'especially on console' only because for me personally, it's all I can really experience games on as my PC isn't really a gaming PC, but I didn't want to neglect PC games since many (or seemingly most here) play games on PC and would probably like to know themselves. Currently, I've just been going back to older games when I can play. The only games I personally have in mind that I haven't played that might be considered 'must plays' are Iconoclasts and Celeste, and maybe Detroit. What are other ones? The ones I've played so far are God of War and Far Cry 5, which I think some may mention. God of War was okay: not my favorite God of War, but it was good nonetheless. Far Cry 5 was pretty great. I think I liked the soundtrack above all though; I finished everything in it aside from the Nixon stuff.

Edit - To be clear, I'm not necessarily asking for recommendations for myself specifically, it's for everyone.

Edit 2 - Oh yeah, I played the Shadow of the Colossus remaster as well.

Nothing for me so far really. Far Cry 5 was pretty fun and God of War is really good but I kind of fell away from it after taking a break for a couple of weeks.

I gotta say, maybe it ain't for everyone, but for a good few months there Monster Hunter: World kinda consumed my life.

Dragonball FighterZ is also a damn great time.

Besides those the only other thing I can think of is God of War, but that's only speaking from what I've heard.

I can't 100% recommend anything from this year. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is the best game for me, so far, but it's hard to recommend.

Monster Hunter is decent but it's impenetrable and too much of an investment for a casual gamer. I bounced off it.

Far Cry 5 is fun, but it's not doing anything new.

I've played Star Wars Battlefront 2 more than anything because I hate myself and haven't learned how to deal with it. It was last year's biggest disappointment, but they fixed the progression system a couple of months ago and now I love it.

Monster Hunter World.

Playstation wise it's God of War Yakuza 6 Monster Hunter World and Detroit Become human so far. PC Wise i am really liking Battletech recommend it if your into Xcom Gameplay.

Into the Breach. It's not on consoles, but don't worry, you'll easily be able to play it even with the shittiest computer from a decade ago.

God of War

I'd like to echo @beachthunder and say Into the Breach, especially if you're into puzzley strategy games. And even if you haven't been before, this might surprise and convert you with its simple yet satisfying gameplay with an array of tough and interesting tactical decisions, and an overall polished presentation. Very low system requirements as well so it'll run on basically any PC.

Pixel junk Monsters 2

Monster Hunter World and Dark Souls Remaster.

Celeste and God of War are the only things that I could really get behind so far this year. Hoping it's a busy autumn.

God of War and Battletech have been the best games so far.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

It's cheap and it's awesome!

God of War is amazing, probably the most accessible, high production game from this year.

Monster Hunter World consumed my life for a couple of months. if it looks like something you'll enjoy then it's a must have.

God of War. Doesn't matter if you haven't played any of the other ones. Its truly an incredible experience. I recommend it highly. The the first one to jump out to me as a "must play" from this year so far.

Into the Breach as others have mentioned is also very good. It definitely runs on most any PC so I wouldn't worry there.

I don't know that it's a "must play", but I've had a ton of fun with Far Cry 5. It looks good and plays well, and chaotic, gif-worthy shit is constantly happening. There seems to be a common complaint from those who have played most of the other Far Cry games that it's more of the same, so if that's true for you, maybe skip it, but as my first Far Cry game, I found it to be a blast. The characters and story are crap, but it's a terrific sandbox, especially if you play it co-op. It's well-worth a look if you're up for some dumb fun.

Depends entirely on what you're into. For me, Pillars of Eternity 2 and Battletech are must play, but they're very specific types of games which probably don't appeal to most people.

Man I looked over what actually came out in 2018 so far and not much that I personally played. I had my fun with God of War but wasn't absolutely blown away by it. Thats about it. I spent what seems like an eternity actually beating Persona 5 that I bought on sale ages ago and had a great, if not extremely long, time with it. Thats it for me so far, and frankly I don't even know whats the next big release on the horizon.

have you heard of a game called god of war

Still hoping that Octopath Traveler is as good as its demo.

Otherwise God of War, I guess, though I don't think it's that amazing. Definitely great, maybe not oh my god this is incredible.

Monster Hunter: World and Celeste. Very different, both essential.

I don't know anything about it other than the 20 minutes or so I saw of Patrick playing it on a stream, but Yoku's Island Express looks real promising.

The pitch: What if Sonic Spinball was a Metroidvania (but maybe secretly also Mass Effect*?)

*I don't know if it's a big mechanic later on, but at one point in the stream, Patrick had to make a Paragon/Renegade style moral decision (you have to find a mushroom for an NPC, but there's also a poison mushroom hidden nearby that you can give to them)

Also, the game is cute as hell

God of War is a definite. Celeste I really dig. Although I'm not super far into it, I would absolutely recommend it. Great music, great premise for a platformer, good characters, and, of course, it plays really well.

I haven't been playing a ton of games in general this year, and my living situation changed a couple of times, so that's about all I got. I want to try A Way Out even if it has its problems, and I feel legally obligated to have an opinion on Detroit, but based on some of the minor things I've heard about that game, I feel like I can't recommend people buying it, unless they're dying to know themselves.

The "best" games for me I haven't picked up yet are probably Ni No Kuni II and Yakuza 6.

@meierthered: I feel the need to point out that battletech is not for consoles and will try to murder a slow pc.

Detroit

OP wrote:

as my PC isn't really a gaming PC, but I didn't want to neglect PC games since many (or seemingly most here) play games on PC and would probably like to know themselves

That's why I included Battletech.

I only have a PS4 and not an Xbox One, so my answer is limited to that.

Yakuza is my favourite franchise ever, so they are an easy recommendation if you have a PS4. Yaluza 6 is probably my favourite in the series. To some people the Yakuza games are all about the action and siliness you can do in the game, but for me they are all about having characters with lots of depth, superb voice-acting, and well-written interesting storylines.

Detroit: Become Human, I would also consider 'a must'. The camera angles can be a minor irritation, but the storyline, characters and mere concept is awesome. It's one of the more unique games you can get your hands on in my opinion.

The Shadow of the Colossus remaster, one of my favourite games growing up. I've rebought and played it on every new Playstation system. It's the atmosphere or mood that really gets to me.

Ni no Kuni II, a super-charming game with lots of personality. It's not as grindy as I expected and the added gameplay elements made things more fun than just having combat.

God of War. It certainly has more layers and depth than the previous titles, you feel much more connected to the characters, place, and story. Fully comparable to the Last of Us and Horizon Zero Dawn in my eyes, on the same level.

Dragon's CrownPro. It has a luxurious narration and visual presentation for a game of this nature, in this category. The gameplay too is more complex than the first impression gives you.

Monster Hunter: World, even though I think it is a tad too reptitive, it is still very unique in what it offers, a game of this nature is rare. It plays really well too.

Yeah, I think that holds for the Giant Bomb team as well, they don't really cover as much on console as they used to, especially newer games. 'It is what it is'.

For me just God of War so far. It's holy shit awesome. I haven't played Monster Hunter World yet. I have been playing some Far Cry 5 but I must admit I don't like it very much. I enjoyed 3 & 4 way more. I'm guessing you don't have any sort of VR, but if you did I would have to give Beat Saber a mention. It's pretty damn fun.

Yes, to be clear, though I made the thread and asked the question, I don't want the recommendations merely focused on giving me options. I just want people to name off games that they think are worth playing, regardless of whether the other person had played it or not. The person reading it can see the list and pick and choose through the list of games mentioned.

The Dragon's Dogma remaster if you haven't played the original.

Gotta echo the people saying Monster Hunter World. I really didnt think it would stick with me the way it has.

Yakuza 6 is also pretty good but I wouldnt recommend it if you havent played 5.

Dragon's Dogma remaster. I'll have to look into that game more as I know very little and have seen very little of it, but might be worth it. I wouldn't mind playing Yakuza, but I haven't played any of them and don't like starting a series late into it, so I'd have to go back to older ones. Didn't the developer say they're putting out remasters of the old ones (looks like 3, 4 and 5)? The only Monster Hunter I've played is Ultimate on the Wii U and I only put about an hour into it. I never really cared for the main draw of the games, which is going out and hunting monsters (as the title suggests); it just felt like it was the main draw, and perhaps the only draw. My issue actually comes with the 'only' part. In the new one, is there some kind of story or characters to latch onto, is there a great world to explore with fun things to do that isn't just repetitively killing things? Also, another thing to bring me into it as any game would, how is the soundtrack?

Man. It was hard to think of one that hasn't been said before, though this will be familiar ground.

Strange Journey Redux for the Nintendo 3DS.

It does what any remake strives for, keep the original intact but add a layer of freshness to it all. It adds a extra dungeon, new UI and gameplay elements, along with additional endings. Its honestly a must for the SMT fans of fans of the genre. Its more on the difficult side so hard to recommend for beginners.

I think the last game released I’d call “must play” would be Hitman. Certainly nothing in 2018, as much as I’ve enjoyed some releases.

I think “must play” is a HIGH bar, though. Mass appeal games can be diluted of factors that make them stand out. Really cool and unique games can wind up very niche.

Hitman’s sandbox levels are amazing playthings that can be explored over and over for hours on end.

God of War deserves all the praise it's gotten and the Shadow of the Colossus remake is breathtaking.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Celeste

Monster Hunter World

God of War

Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze

Those are all the must play games of this year.

I think God of War is the only huge and accessible game that I could do a blanket recommendation for.

But other than that, Monster Hunter, Pillars of Eternity 2, Battletech and Dragonball FighterZ are all awesome in their niches.

I've played a lot of games so far this year. I've got to say that my current game of the year would be Subnautica. I haven't been so immersed in a game for a loooooong time.

Honorable mentions go to God of War, Battletech, Monster Hunter World, Pillars of Eternity and Cultist Simulator.

I don't believe either is available on console, but I'd say Frostpunk and Slay the Spire (technically entered early access last November and still isn't in full release yet, but with the third character now out it's basically done) are both must-plays, if you like the genres they are in.

Frostpunk is a city-builder with an absolutely fantastic atmosphere and setting (though only a challenge until you properly understand the mechanics) and Slay the Spire is a card-builder rogue-like (with a very tiny bit of -lite).