Scott’s Top Ten Personal Favorite Games of 2018
2018 has been quite the year for video games. The jury’s still out as to whether or not it beats out last year’s massive list of high-quality titles, but it’s definitely a possibility. It was insanely difficult to narrow down the plethora of titles from the last twelve months to ten. Even tougher was putting them in an order that made logical sense. Nevertheless, after spending days poring over my list, I’ve finally nailed it down (I think).
Before I get to my top ten, however, I had some honorable mentions. Yes, it might be considered cheating. I did limit myself to only three, which proved almost as difficult as the actual list. But here you have it: my three picks that just barely missed the top ten spots on my list.
Honorable Mention #1 – Astro Bot Rescue Mission
I feel confident in saying that Astro Bot Rescue Mission would have graced my top ten if I had played more than the first world. This is a glorious VR platformer that gave me similar feelings I had as a kid playing Super Mario 64 for the first time. It shows that virtual reality has much more potential than tech demos and small “experience” titles.
There’s a lot of polish and love put into Astro Bot that makes it a very special game, including references to other Sony franchises. Plus, the characters ooze with charm and the bosses are incredibly clever and satisfying. This is one of the must-play titles for PSVR, and it deserves even more recognition than I’m giving it here.
Honorable Mention #2 – Tetris Effect
Tetris Effect is probably the game I reviewed the highest this year that didn’t crack my top ten. I went as far as to call it “the quintessential Tetris experience”, because it truly is that good. Never in a million years did I think that I would find Tetris to be relaxing, but it truly was. It’s also a game that begs to be played in VR with a good set of headphones. It is a magical experience that deserves more recognition so that more people will give it a try.
Why didn’t I have it on my list? As good as the experience was, at the end of the day it’s still Tetris. I had richer all-around experiences, but this one came very close to cracking the top ten. Don’t let that stop you from picking up Tetris Effect on PS4. You won’t be disappointed.
Honorable Mention #3 – Octopath Traveler
It seemed like it had been forever since I played a really great JRPG. Octopath Traveler, a Switch exclusive of all things, came out of nowhere and blew me away. At least it did with the first two-thirds of the game. Sadly, I hit a grinding wall that kept me from finishing it, and that’s why it didn’t make the cut. The game is still worth mentioning, however, because there’s a lot of magic to be found here.
Octopath Traveler offers the nostalgia of sprites, but gives the environment three-dimensional depth in beautiful fashion. The character development is outstanding, and their story arcs are genuinely interesting to follow. On top of that, the combat system feels familiar and fresh at the same time. If you’re a fan of turn-based RPG’s, you owe it to yourself to give this one a shot. It’s a very special experience.
I could have added another handful of titles, but rules are rules. Now on to my top ten personal favorite games from 2018.
#10 – Beat Saber
I’ve loved rhythm games since Amplitude released on the PS2. My passion for music has always made this genre click with me. Add that to my love of Star Wars, and that makes Beat Saber an easy must-play for me. It’s a tad crazy to me that a rhythm game with original synth-style music would make me feel more like a Jedi than any other game, but it’s true.
I first played Beat Saber on the HTC Vive, but was shocked at how well the game translated to PSVR. Quite simply, it’s a joy to play, and even more fun to introduce to new people that have never experienced VR. The music is infectious, the visuals are trippy, and it’s genuinely a fun workout. The biggest reason it didn’t make it higher on my list is because of the limited amount of time I put into it. It’s a fantastic experience in which I can’t wait to spend countless more hours.
#9 – Yoku’s Island Express
If you had told me last year that one of my favorite experiences of 2018 was going to be a Metroidvania with pinball mechanics where you play as a dung beetle, I would have laughed at you. And then I would have asked to learn more.
Yoku’s Island Express managed to combine two of my loves in gaming, and it did so in such a charming way. In my written review, I said, “It put a smile on my face better than anything else I’ve played this year.” And as the year closes, I stand by that statement. My team was even asked to be in a music video for one of the songs from the soundtrack. This is a joyous experience that I truly hope more people will give a shot. Because I want to see more from this developer, for sure.
#8 – Far Cry 5
Spoiler alert: I love the Ubisoft formula (a point you’ll see supported later in this list). I entered the world of Far Cry during the third installment of the series, and it immediately clicked for me. The latest entry, Far Cry 5, added the dynamic of a crazy religious cult to the mix. Is the game repetitive? Sure. Most titles from this publisher are. But clearing enemy outposts and revealing the giant map piece by piece never grew old for me.
The game also featured one of the most controversial finales of the year, which we spoke about at length on our spoilercast. I hated it in the moment, but grew to love it the more I thought about it. Now that it’s tying into the next installment of the series, I love it even more.
Check out Chris Behrensmeyer’s written review of the game for more. Bottom line, if you enjoyed the last two games, you can’t go wrong with this one. The gameplay is ridiculous at times and never takes itself too seriously. It also scratches my “checklist” itch better than almost anything else this year.
#7 – Iconoclasts
Zack’s review of Iconoclasts back in April piqued my interest, but I only recently took his advice and played it. Am I ever glad I did, because this is one of the best games that no one is talking about this year. On the surface, it looks like a standard indie Metroidvania. What I experienced was far more than that, however. The story and characterization were on par with games like Final Fantasy to me. The world was charming and intriguing, and its puzzles were incredibly satisfying and never overbearing.
Do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on this one like I almost did. It’s quite possibly the most original concept I came across this past year, and it’s well-worth your time.
#6 – God of War
Another game I finished just in time for the end of the year was God of War, which is another fantastic PS4 exclusive. I played the first three games as they were released and loved the cathartic, brutal combat. Despite everyone else’s glowing reviews (Zack gave it an 8/10 in his written review), I was apprehensive about the change in direction.
Thankfully, this experience could quite possibly be the best example of “video games as art” from 2018. Kratos and Atreus’ journey feels like a story that matters and has some genuine surprises, even for fans of Norse mythology. God of War also contains my single most-favorite moment in games from the year. If you’ve played the game, you know which one I’m talking about.
The fact that the entire game runs without a single loading screen alone is a testament to the technical fidelity of this masterpiece (yeah, I said it). The game is breathtakingly gorgeous, and I genuinely can’t wait to see the next offering from this studio.
#5 – Dead Cells
This is my last Metroidvania game on my list, I promise. Dead Cells is more roguelike than Metroidvania, and I’ve grown to love that genre over the past two years. What sets this one apart from others, however, is how it forced me to go outside of my comfort zone in terms of gameplay. Since you can’t choose your loadout on each run, you simply have to try weapons you never would have chosen before. This kind of experimentation is what I want to see more of in 2019. I learned a lot about my particular style of gameplay and surprised myself on numerous occasions on how comfortable I came with play styles that felt foreign to me at first.
The progression of Dead Cells makes this game one of the most addicting titles of the year as well. Death didn’t feel like a punishment in this one. New runs felt like new opportunities to try to think outside the box. Its tight controls never faltered and often made me feel like a god as I slashed my way through procedurally generated maps discovering new pathways, weapons, and bosses. I never tired of chasing the carrot.
#4 – Celeste
Celeste might have been my biggest surprise from 2018. On the surface, it looks like a very standard 2-D platformer, but wound up being way more than that for me. Celeste’s journey to the top of a mountain felt like a metaphor for life that taught me lessons about mental disorders. Sure, it might have been a bit on-the-nose with its message, but it was a welcome one from some great characters.
If that wasn’t enough, Celeste offered me one of the most satisfying challenges in recent memory. Although I didn’t brave the “B-side” challenges, completing the main game gave me one of the greatest senses of accomplishments all year. I loved staring at a room upon entry with this feeling of dread thinking, “how am I going to do this?” only to see what I had to do…and just doing it. Powerful stuff.
You can read my written review to hear more of why this game deserves such a high spot on my top ten list.
#3 – Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Remember when I said I loved Ubisoft games? Most people look at the map above and break out into cold sweats. I, on the other hand, get very excited when I see this much area to explore and level up my character.
I debated a great deal about whether or not I should put Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey on my list. As of this writing, I’ve “only” put sixty hours into it, so it seemed unfair to rank it so highly after only completing six chapters of the main story. At the end of the day, I realized that had I finished it, I feel confident it would have actually been even higher on my list. Despite Zack’s “aggressively average” review of the game, I fit into the category of people he mentioned who love checklists in games. This allowed me to look past his valid criticisms of this title, and also explains why I’ve been unable to put the game down for the past week.
I simply love clearing out question marks from the map, leveling up my character, exploring ancient Greece, and trying to figure out which side Kassandra is fighting for. The Creed lore is intriguing in a way that reminds me of the earlier titles that made me fall in love with the series. It’s a massive game world that looks incredible on the Xbox One X.
While I fully admit that this formula won’t work for everybody, it’s certainly working for me. I can’t wait to see this game to its conclusion.
#2 – Moonlighter
Another surprise for me this year was Moonlighter, the clever game that marries dungeon crawling with shopkeeping. This title felt like it was made for me more than any other title on my list. The formula simply never got old, and even after almost 30 hours of gameplay, I felt like I wanted more. In my written review, I said of the game, “it deserves to stand among the best roguelikes and is well worth your time.” I stand by that statement, and I beg fans of The Binding of Isaac or Rogue Legacy to give this game a shot.
#1 – Marvel’s Spider-Man
I wrestled a great deal in choosing my number one game of the year. It came as no surprise that Zack gave the score a perfect ten in his written review, but this was his Moonlighter, in that it was made for him. With that said, Marvel’s Spider-Man deserves my number one spot because of its complete package.
Zipping through New York as Spidey feels exactly like you expect it to. The combat works sublimely, yet offers its fair set of challenge as well. To top it off, the story and character interactions provide both die-hard and casual fans of Spider-Man with a treat. As we discussed in our spoilercast, the writers took some bold moves that both Zack and I appreciated a great deal. Tears were shed, and the finale left me more than excited for the inevitable sequel. It’s going to be a tough one to top, but after Marvel’s Spider-Man, I have complete faith in Insomniac Games to deliver the goods, whenever that may be.
And there you have it, my top ten personal favorite games from 2018. It should go without saying that I didn’t play every game that came out this past year. With that said, this is a “personal favorites” list of games, and not a “games of the year” list. It’s impossible to experience everything, but I did the best I could possibly do. These are my favorites of the games I played.
And what a year it was. Indie titles were obviously huge for me this year, which is something I didn’t expect. I think it’s fair to say that 2018 stands among the ranks of the best years of gaming. Let’s hope that 2019 delivers in similar fashion. Here’s to the coming year!
