I never got around to putting this list up last year, even though I had finalized it in January. Some of the titles I've grown more fond of as time has moved on, but this was the list I put together while 2019 was still fresh in my mind.
Never has a game so perfectly made me feel like I was a samurai in a thrilling action movie. Going in for the killing blow simply never got old, and I get goosebumps just thinking about the final boss.
It's quite astounding that we got a new DMC at the same time as Sekiro, and that it was so good as well. And even though I thought Dante had never been more complicated to play, I ended up having the most fun as him.
The art style in Grindstone made everything pop and making ever longer chains in the puzzle boards was always exciting.
Outer Wilds had a rough middle chapter where I didn't know what to do next, but when memories of that hurdle started to fade, I truly started to appreciate the masterpiece it was.
Control was some of the most fun I had in 2019, and it was so beautifully crafted as well. You could feel this was a world Remedy loved building, and Jesse Fanning was a great lead character.
I didn't expect this game to hook me like it did, and for this mashup of MineSweeper and Picross to work so well.
Where to begin. This was both much better than it had any right to be, and it was truly a departure from the army and gun propaganda that Kojima has been criticizing through his whole Metal Gear ordeal whilst that series gameplay could, in isolation, promote it. It's a game that makes backpacking across rugged terrain a challenge and exciting. And it's basically set in my backyard, here in Iceland.
Just looking at the cover makes me smile. This was such a goof! It was so much fun being a mischievous goose for a while, even if it was short. The charm more than made up for the length.
This was the first Fire Emblem I played for more than half an hour, and I had a lot of fun getting to know its systems. I did find it too easy after a few missions, and because the difficulty setting was locked in stone, I had to restart the game. This probably lead to me not even making it to the second half, which was unfortunate. But I liked what I played enough, even though the tactics layer doesn't hold a candle next to Xcom 2.
Such a weird game, but so many puzzle solutions that blew my mind.
