2018 Top 10+
Somehow just as good as 2017 :O
Single Player gaming standing strong
Expansion of the Open World
Mythologies re-explored
PS4 continued dominance
Too many games, so little time...
Yakuza 3 way
List items
-
"The original God of War was one of the games that made me aware that I am missing out on some really cool games by being a PC only gamer, built a strong case for me buying a PS2 and ultimately reintroduced me to console gaming.
I actually managed to play every game in the series and followed it's evolution across all Playstation platforms (PS2, PSP, PS3 and now PS4). It's an icon of the platform, same as Halo is for Xbox.
This new God of War is a whole new chapter for the franchise: changing mythologies, gameplay, exploring new themes and giving Kratos some much needed depth.
It is one of the best and most refreshing "reboots" of sorts.
The game is stellar and even with all it's changes it still manages to feels a lot like the old God of Wars, at times. But there is also a lot of new that might just sway over people that weren't so fond of the series before.
This is the best and most personal story of all the series, with the best and most fleshed out characters. And it still provides amazing jaw dropping moments that only God of War can.
The developers did the impossible here and crafted a game that is: a must buy for all PS4 owners, a bold reinvention of a popular franchise, a redemption story for the character of Kratos and a mature new tale of fatherhood rarely seen in the medium of video games."
Game of the Year 2018
#TheSweetSpot: Having new areas of the map being revealed giving you and Atreas more places to venture to, kick ass and spend time together as father and son. Also the high production values and polish of the overall game.
-
Pros:
+ Amazing world that feels alive
+ The weather system and lighting is some of the best I've seen.
+ Very immersive and atmospheric
+ Great Characters and acting all over.
+ Story is the best Rockstar has made.
+ The music is the cherry on top of everything
+ Overall sound is also great
+ Crazy attention to detail
+ Plenty of other things to do in the world
+ Ending was pretty good and the Epilogue was a nice surprise (though it could have been more compact)
+ Read Dead Online has it's own story / side missions
Cons:
-The incredibly high bodycount and frequency of firefights towards the end of the story.
- Holds your hands a bit too much during story missions
- Some chapters aren't as good as others
- Epilogue felt too drawn out with not enough great story moments or missions to keep it interesting for that long.
- Having to go back and forth over great distances without any reliable form of fast travel can be tedious at times.
#TheSweetSpot: Spending time in camp with your gang listening to their stories and watching them interact with one another while a storm is slowly rolling in changing the entire scenery making the world feel alive like no other.
-
+ Iceborn Expansion
"This is the game I wanted ever since I played Monster Hunter Freedom 2 on the PSP. It's the ultimate monster hunting experience and quite possibly Capcom's best game this generation...so far.
The game's story is nothing much but serves as a nice connective tissue for all the hunting you're about to be doing, and to be frank it's a solid effort.
The hunts themselves are a blast especially with others and the rewards in the form of absolutely badass looking gear that you can craft is a compelling enough reason for you to be coming back.
Finally, it's Monster Hunter's time to shine worldwide."
#TheSweetSpot: Facing off a tough foe with the help of 3 other strangers trying to take it down only to have another monster enter the battle causing extra chaos and panic.
-
" Spider-man finally getting the Arkham treatment, this game is quite possibly the best Marvel branded game out there (maybe with a few exceptions) and will most likely pave the way for more quality Marvel releases in the future.
In a few years we may look back at this as the Iron Man moment of the Marvel Gaming-verse. The one that started it all.
Marvel's Spider-Man is a very well done video game, by far the best made Spider-Man game. It is also, I feel, Insomniac's best game to date.
Swinging through an amazingly recreated New York city as Spidey is truly breathtaking and zen like, it never gets boring and you will never want to fast travel again.
The combat is also nimble, hard hitting and satisfying. It's a joy to play.
As a small negative I would say that the game is pretty much a collect-a-thon (though not as bad or as meaningless as in other titles) but you still feel good doing all the various "chores".
The main story is very solid and has some hard hitting moment but it's no God of war or Red dead or Yakuza.
You feel not only like Spider-Man but also like Peter Parker, in New York..saving the day and being a hero. This is a good experience
-
" It was very nice, and kind of fitting, to have both Ni No Kuni 2 and Dragon quest XI in the same year. While They both have a lot of similarities, they walk quite different paths.
Dragon quest is far more traditional and doesn't try to innovate as much as Ni No Kuni, but it does end up executing on it's ideas much better.
I found the story to be better, the characters, the sense of adventure and mystery, the world and the overall pacing. It's a game that I will remember more in the long run.
The only element I think Ni No Kuni 2 does a bit better then Dragon quest XI, would be the combat system. Mainly because it's not turned based.
The game is quite large and will require many hours to beat (took me 48h to beat the main quest) and if you enjoyed Dragon quest VIII you will definitely enjoy this one. Also, the epilogue is really satisfying.
I do wish the soundtrack was a bit more memorable (and varied) and was symphonic just like DQ VIII's.
Next to Persona 5, these 2 are undoubtedly the best JRPG's available on the PS4 yet."
-
+ Some DLC
Pros:
+ Another solid entry in the franchise so soon after a great reboot.
+ Mercenaries add an extra layer of danger and tension
+ Hunting down the cult
+ Kassandra is one of the better protagonists of the series
+ Huge World with lots of verticality and diversity (land and sea)
+ Sea battles and sea exploration is back
+ The Greek world can look exceptionally pretty at times
+ Sneaking through encampments is still fun
+ Plenty of Loot to chase and keep things fresh
+ Dialogue tree and choices with consequences
+ Some cool "Boss" encounters
+ Story is pretty good and filled with twists
+ Most major side-quests are worth doing
+ Soundtrack is solid once again
+ Some of the ending are alright
+ Cool looking armor sets and weapons
Cons:
- Is very bloated (Quantity over quality). Didn't need to be this big.
- Combat is still not as good as it could be and can lead to some awkward confrontations
- A lot of the Synchronize points feel oddly placed
- The game isn't really about assassin's anymore
- The main story kind of just ends with little fanfare. And then you find out you aren't actually done.
-
"I liked the more intimate nature of this entry. The game follows only Kiryu this time, as he is on a very personal quest.
Chronologically this is the last game that Kiryu will appear in as main protagonist, so it was nice that he received all the spotlight. The game also uses the new Dragon engine which makes the world seem not only prettier but also more seamless.
The Combat felt simplified as well coming from Yakuza 0, but it was still enjoyable.
But as always it's the story and characters that will keep you glued to your screen as in past entries. Or all the wacky side quests and plethora of mini games (or full fledged games like Virtua Fighter 5).
Yakuza 6 delivers on all of them wonderfully."
-
Positives:
+ World is very beautiful and looks and feels like a genuine place
+ Some of the most realistic depictions of forests, Castles and countrysides in a game
+ Easy to get immersed because of the great atmosphere
+ Nights are pitch black and dangerous
+ Dedicated to a sense of realism (can be double edged)
+ Enemies can run in fear
+ Generally good voice acting and some solid writing and cutscenes at times
+ Story is quite good with quite a few memorable moments and quests
+ Some nice memorable characters
+ Music fits the era
+ Gets better the further you progress. Henry really grows on you as a character and a lot of the problems with the combat and other abilities die down.
+ Like some of the medieval inspired artwork that ornate the map or are featured in the codex
+ Lengthy and meaty in content
Negatives:
- Bugs and glitches that can ruin the immersion or ruin progress
- Some stiff animations and jank
- Lock picking, fighting and shooting a bow can be really off putting for a while before you get better at it. Making the beginning couple of hours really divisive.
- The Auto Save system is pretty hit or miss. Game also freezes for a good couple of seconds when it happens.
- Some annoying oversights (like bandits not having keys to their own chests)
- While the hud and menu are stylish, they are not the most intuitive and are quite slow
- Knocking out enemies from behind is quite broken
- Easy to fail quests because of invisible timers. Could have given the player some hints as to what is timed and what isn't.
-
Positives:
+ The maps are overwhelming and impressive at the same time. Feels like you have so many options and don't know where to start.
+ Levels are packed with people and stuff
+ Great atmosphere in most of the locations
+ Hitman has a certain charm of it's own
+ Highly replayable
+ Different play-styles
+ Good visuals and performance considering the large and packed maps
+ Neat hint system if you want it
+ You can add the missions from Hitman 1 to the package
Negatives:
- Could use quick save and quick load buttons, considering how often you will be doing that (see Desperados 3)
- Easy to miss out on the elusive targets which is a bummer for people jumping in later or just simply can't play anytime.
- The main plot still doesn't really do much for me.
- AI still has some kinks and can be exploited hard
- Isn't worth the full price if you are not going to replay the maps
- Ran into a crash that would happen all the time in the same spot
-
"One of my favorite indie games of the generation, loved the style that this game oozes. Every frame is gorgeous and worth hanging on your wall.
Loved the journey and all the small choices you can make along the way, all the beautiful lands you see and characters you meet. Just an amazing package."
-
+ Pacific DLC and other updates
Pros:
+ The chaos of battle can be intoxicating
+ The sound design is once again stellar
+ Guns feel great
+ Vehicles add a new dimension to the conflict
+ Visuals are really good for a game with such a massive scope
+ Gameplay feels a bit better then in Battlefield 1
+ Firestorm is a solid Battle Royale experience
+ Free content
Cons:
- Should have had a few more maps and content at launch
- No real desire to play the single player, same as with BF 1.
- Doesn't feel like a huge step above BF 1
- Needs more content
-
Pros:
+ The gameplay is fast, smooth and responsive
+ The guns feel great to shoot thanks to good feedback and sound
+ A plethora of game modes that can each take up hours of your time (PvP, Zombies, Blackout, Heist). Rich in Multiplayer content.
+ The best feeling PvP in the series (for me). I like the extra tactical layer added to the game (Healing syringe, Line of sight, Visible health bars etc.)
+ Blackout is one of the better Battle Royals I played (even though I suck at it)
+ The zombies offering in this one is solid. Character banters are great and so are the maps.
+ The tutorial missions are at least a bit funny thanks to the "Instructor"
+ Great Split-Screen offerings
Cons:
- The game is all online (you can play some bots at least)
- The game has some story elements but no real single player campaign, which is kind of a bummer since I usually liked those in most Call of Duty games
- Textures can sure take their sweet time to load.
- It has every monetization scheme under the sun (Season Pass, DLC, Progression, Loot Boxes, Microtransactions etc.). Way too greedy.
- Scorestreaks, specialist abilities (while fun) can lead to really one sided snowballed matches (but that's more of a CoD thing)
-
"Had a good time with this game, as was expected since I enjoyed pretty much every Far Cry title, but I really do wish they change things up considerably in the next one.
These games are good and worth playing though once, but are ultimately pretty forgettable. I'd like to see the series be more then just "Fast Food" and evolve into a 3 coarse meal.
I liked the setting for it's story and while I am tired of America in every video game, this one felt a bit more interesting and unique at least. However I felt that the subject matter wasn't done justice in the game.
Clearing out outposts, finding prepper stashes and random exploring are the highlights of the gameplay loop for sure.
Villains are overall better then in 4, though I think Pagan Min is more fun, also the ending is quite the sucker punch.
ARCADE is great for replayability, depending on the maps people have made it can lead to really fun experiences. It reminded me a lot of the old days playing Counter-Strike User Maps and Mods. "
-
Positives:
+ Playing as a vampire
+ The main Character being a doctor and actually sounding like one was a pleasant surprise.
+ Grimy, dark ol' London.
+ Writing is very solid
+ Voice acting is overall good
+ The temptation of power within the game.
+ Getting to choose who to feed off or help and the repercussions following these actions
+ Replayable
Negatives:
- The combat can get quite repetitive and in general just isn't the best. It sure does make you want to become stronger so you can be done with it faster.
- Long load times upon death
- Boss fights drag on too much sometimes
-
Positives:
+ One of the better 4 player co-op games out there
+ Loved all the various dark fantasy settings the maps were based on
+ Drop in and out co-op
+ Bots that assist you in case no one is playing
+ Love the banter between the main characters
+ Different weapons and equipment to keep things a bit more fresh
+ Hacking and slashing dozens of enemies feels satisfying
+ Soundtrack is fitting
Negatives:
- Wished the frame rate was smoother on console
- Repetitiveness sets in a couple of maps in.
- The gameplay just doesn't feel quite as good as it could have at times
- Could have used slightly better boss fights, and maybe more of them.
-
"Enjoyable experience, good game for people that might not be too good at performing complex actions with the controller.
The game plays like a movie that you get to influence. It can play out quite differently depending on your actions and there are multiple paths and endings to discover adding to it's replayability.
It tells an alright SciFi story, the characters and their acting are about as good as you can get from a game like this."
-
82-92 (85)
"Never played the first one but I have played and liked previous Level-5 JRPG's including Dragon Quest VIII Journey of The Cursed King and Rogue Galaxy, and Ni No Kuni II is in many ways very much a throwback to those games and if you've played all of them you can clearly see similar DNA running though them.
One element of this DNA is that Level-5 makes games with "heart", games that tell simple and not fairly new stories but ones that resonate and bring joy nonetheless.
Ni No Kuni II is not as good as Dragon Quest VIII (nor DQ XI) and in some areas neither as good as Rogue Galaxy,but it definitely has it's own areas that shine such as the combat, the kingdom building and overall beauty of the product.
A fairly above average JRPG by PS2 era standards, but in today's JRPG scarce market it's a very welcome presence indeed."
-
" The biggest surprise of the year. This game came out of nowhere, knew virtually nothing about it, looked like a game I would totally not be into and yet here I am.
The setup for the game was quite fascinating and I even like how the story progressed. This game raised my interest for art, history and politics and liked how all of these subjects were used it the game.
It's quite possibly one of the best Adventure games I played in a long time and recommend it to all fans of the genre. Also I hope this turns into a franchise and we see more of it."
-
Positives:
+ Gorgeous visuals at the right time of day/ location
+ Great draw distance
+ Music is pretty rad
+ Very fun to just grapple and fly around the world
+ Destruction is really fun and plentiful
+ World feels vast
+ The weather stuff is cool
+ Improvement over Just cause 3
Negatives:
- Graphics can also look kind of meh at times
- Glitchy and buggy
- Quite a bit of pop in
- Story isn't really all that interesting and neither are the characters.
- Driving any vehicle kind of sucks
- Repetitive objectives
-
Positives:
+ Love the setting
+ Some neat locations
+ Favorite soundtrack of the new trilogy
+ Some neat puzzles here and there
Negatives:
- Lara isn't very endearing in this one
- Does many things but doesn't really excel in any one area
- Still feels overly similar to the last 2 entries
-
Positives:
+ Beautiful 2D Artstyle
+ Plenty of charm and silliness
+ Funny
+ Quite a meaty package
+ Sense of adventure
+ Clever puzzles and secrets
+ Doesn't take itself too serious
+ Good use of the various different forms
+ Some nice attention to detail
+ Good individual tracks
+ Receive help during bosses if you fail a couple of times
Negatives:
- Some occasional odd design decisions and frustrations
- Listening to the same track in a dungeon over and over can get a bit tiring
- Tends to surprise you with some cheap hits/deaths
- Some checkpoint placement woes
-
-
Never played the original Yakuza 2
Positives:
+ Same gorgeous engine as Yakuza 6
+ New location
+ Great story and characters as always (though I prefer many of the newer entries)
+ Great selection of side stories to keep you entertained
+ Makes it easier to play the series in chronological order
Negatives:
- Can't sip your drink while walking like in Yakuza 6, why ?
- Not my favorite combat system in the series.
- Yakuza 6 in general just stole it's thunder for me this year. But it's solid on it's own for sure.
- Some fatigue is starting to set in
-
Pros:
+ Same cool aesthetic, in keeping with the previous ones.
+ Option for more classical style combat
+ Fury is a fine enough lead, and it's nice to see more of the other horsemen
+ Glad the franchise isn't dead and all of this will probably lead to the inevitable 4-player co-op Darksiders game.
+ More challenging boss fights
Cons:
- Feels (and most likely is) lower budget/quality then DS II
- I preferred the more open game design of DS II to this.
- Wished there was more character customization
- Didn't really need Darksiders to become another Dark Souls clone, but then again every other game in the series seems to borrow heavily from other franchises so I guess it's tradition at this point.
-
Pros
+ I like exploring the world
+ Atmosphere is still pretty solid
+ The music is good
+ Environmental variation
+ Meeting up with random players is cool and doesn't happen too often to become annoying
+ The community seems very nice and helpful
+ Building your own home is awesome and adds an extra element of immersion
+ I love exploring other people's structures
+ Free content
Cons
- Visuals are quite dated
- Combat is underwhelming
- Story isn't gripping
- Bugs, glitches and now online troubles. Don't expect a smooth ride.
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
Pros:
+ Very colorful and very appealing
+ Sticks close to the originals but takes some creative liberties that pay off
+ Awesome animations
+ 3 games in 1
-
"Never was really big into Dragon ball, but this game was enjoyable even for someone that isn't too familiar with the series and it did actually make me do some research on some of the characters.
They truly nailed the feeling and look of the show in this. And the game plays well and is fun."
-
"A cool arcade racer, with a twist. You are not racing to see who reaches the Finnish line first, but rather working with your team to take out the opposing team or score points in various game modes.
It feels like a mix between MotorStorm and Overwatch, I greatly appreciate the uniqueness.
Sadly the game isn't all that popular and seems like it has stopped receiving support.
It's also quite a bummer that it does not feature a split screen mode, that mode is sorely missing in today's racing titles.
I quite enjoyed what I played."
-
(Unfinished)
-
Positives:
+ Funny
+ Clever
+ Cool little premise
+ Cute artstyle
+ Relaxing and stress free
Negatives:
- Short
-
Pros:
+ Libra of soul is a great single player distraction and makes the whole package feel quite meaty.
+ Character creator is fun and silly.
+ Combat feels fairly good and most characters are fun to play
+ Music is pretty nice
+ The possibility of more cool guest characters and other DLC fighters
Cons:
- Graphics feel like they could be better
- The Story mode is totally forgettable
- Wished there were a few more characters in the roster from the start
- Same thing with the maps
- Wish I could have the option to change the music like in Tekken 7
-
" I was enthralled to hear that Dissidia was coming over to PS4, I loved the PSP version of the game and actually spent over 100 hours in it making it one of my top PSP games.
Sadly Dissidia NT is not the game I expected nor necessarily wanted. The game shifted from 1v1 to 3v3 and Multiplayer as it's focus, which is't an entirely bad idea but the execution left much to be desired.
As it stands Dissidia NT is a pretty game with lots of Final Fantasy nostalgia as it's biggest strength, the 3v3 multiplayer has promise and is quite unique but I feel like no one is really playing it and matches vary wildly from satisfying to utterly infuriating (lag is quite the issue).
Overall I enjoyed the handful of matches I had online and admit the gameplay has much more depth thanks to this new format but I can't help but feel quite dissapointed with the end product. "
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
+ Love the soundtrack
-
(Unfinished)
" Out of the 3 Yakuza like games that came out this year, this is by far the weaker one. But if you are a fan of the manga/anima I can imagine you will like this one better. It seems to do it justice and is fun for people new to the series as well."
-
(Unfinished)
" Creating myself in the game is fun. The graphics and animations are pretty awesome for sure."
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Unfinished)
-
(Still need to play)
-
(Still need to play)
-
(Still need to play)
-
(Still need to play)
Load Comments