My 2019 Games of the Year

Another year has come and gone, and I played a few games that I want to highlight as some of my favorites of the year. It was actually kind of difficult to even come up with 10 games that I played this year that also came out in 2019 (a problem that I don't remember happening any other year... probably) so I've decided to not try and stretch this list out with everything that I played that came out this year. I'm just going to list the games that made a strong impression on me and that I (at least) really liked.

I think the difficulty that I had making this list just comes down to me having a little less time to dedicate to games. My drive to play games to completion (or close to) is definitely decreasing, as well. This isn't a slight against the games that came out this year; life just seems to be getting in the way.

But before I start my list, I would like to honour a few games here that may not have made this list for one reason or another:

Astral Chain - This is one game that may have made this list if I had put a bit more time into. As of this writing, I've only put in about 5 hours and that was in the early fall. Some things got in the way and I just haven't been in the mood to give it another try. The time that I did put in was pretty good, so I'll try to get back to it in 2020 (hopefully before Bayonetta 3 comes out)

Crystal Crisis - This is another game that I just haven't put that much time in to. I'll try to get back to it in 2020.

Wargroove - unlike the first two games, I did give Wargroove more time. It just didn't grab me. The gameplay was pretty good and I do like the GBA Advance Wars games (I've put some time into the second game, at least) but I just kind of fell off of it. Hopefully in 2020, I'll be in the mood for this kind of game.

Super Mario Maker 2 - I kind of got bored of it after 5 hours. I may try again, at some point in time - we'll see...

Anyways, on with the list.

List items

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  1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

  Fire Emblem: Three Houses is fantastic. Everything that makes the Fire Emblem formula work (and that I love about the series) is refined and polished to near perfection. I love the strategic gameplay. I love meeting, getting to know and recruiting new characters. I just really like most of the cast (I went with Golden Deer for my 1 playthrough, which was the right choice for me). I liked the anime cutscenes. I liked exploring Garreg Mach Monastery each in game day. I liked most everything about this game.

  Fire Emblem: Three Houses is probably tied with Awakening as my favorite Fire Emblem game. It is an easy choice for my overall game of the year.

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  2. Pokémon Sword/Shield

  I think Pokemon Shield is just a great Pokemon game. I like the new Pokemon; I like the Galar Region; the gameplay is still great; and the music is fantastic and really catchy.

  While I really enjoyed Let's Go Eevee, I think this is the best Pokemon game since Pokemon X and is an easy pick for my list.

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  3. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

  What a beautiful game. I really mean it. I loved the time that put in to this game. It looks great. It sounds great. It plays great. It checks all the boxes for me and is definitely one of the best games that I played in 2019.

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  4. Luigi's Mansion 3

  This one was a no brainer for me, but some mid-game headaches (cough* water level *cough) and some frustrating controls knock it down a bit.

  Still Luigi's Mansion 3 is a fantastic, gorgeous game and was definitely one of the best games that I played this year.

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  5. Ring Fit Adventure

  I've put almost no time in to any other fitness game. I've never played Wii Fit. I've never played any of those Zumba games. I've only played a little bit of Wii Sports.

  With that said, I can say that Ring Fit Adventure is the best fitness game ever made! I have loved the time that I put in to Ring Fit. The gameplay is so good, that I barely even realize that I'm actually exercising (until I start sweating profusely). It was a revelation for me, that has actually helped me in my everyday life. I have fallen off of it recently (mostly due to having a new job that pushes me quite a bit more physically) but once 2020 gets into full swing, I will definitely come back to it. I guess this is the game that New Year's Resolutions were made for.