The title says it all. As long as you played it this year (any platform), you can list it.
I'll start off:
10. Tales of Zestiria (PS4) - It's not a top tier Tales game, but was nice JRPG comfort food.
9. Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch) - It may not have much in terms of difficulty (outside of it's absurd post game world), but with a multitude of creative level themes which go beyond the typical cliches (and are enhanced by the charming craftwork aesthetic) & branching paths mid game that add some unexpected non-linearity, this was quite an enjoyable romp.
8. Batman: Return to Arkham Asylum (PS4) - Moody and oftentimes almost horror-ish, this superhero themed Metroidvania always has you on edge even when you're safe. The beat'em up gameplay is solid fun, and the game's only major flaw is that they could have done better with the boss encounters.
7. Onimusha Warlords (Switch) - Another horror tinged Metroidvania outing, this time with a dash of survival horror. Some bosses can be a bit of a pain with the fixed camera angles, but overall this one had me hooked from start to finish, and I loved the Sengoku Jidai setting.
6. Astro Bot: Rescue Mission (PSVR) - Charming VR exclusive 3D platformer which stands with Mario at his best, with tight controls, varied environments, and inventive use of the perspective of the medium, it shows VR is capable of standing with the best offerings "pancake" gaming can provide.
5. Dragon Quest XI (PS4) - Fantastic JRPG which sticks to it's tried and true roots while providing modernization in key areas (including it's wonderfully realized world), it's a wonderful adventure with a fun cast and a charm you won't find in any other series.
4. Final Fantasy X HD (Switch) - The game that got me into JRPGs, I was wondering if it would hold up years later, and I'm glad to say I was as hooked today as I was all those years ago.
3. Link's Awakening (Switch) - A truly wondrous re-imagining of a classic. I have no specific nostalgia for the original, but this was a magical experience, while it may be brief by some standards, as far as I'm concerned it's proof that sometimes less is more, and it had me smiling from beginning to end.
2. Astral Chain (Switch) - Amazing action game with a sci-fi flavor, it shows that the Switch is capable of bringing some pretty stunning worlds to live, and with in-depth combat, as well as a variety of gameplay to shake things up (such as some surprisingly fun stealth sections), this was the big surprise of the year.
1. God of War (PS4) - Truly an epic adventure. The action gameplay and game world are crafted to perfection, it has production values that'll make your jaw drop, and the story of father and son bonding is as good as it gets. And hey, throwing and recalling the Leviathan Axe is just pure fun.
Honorable Mentions (alphabetical): Arca's Path (PSVR), Blaster Master Zero (Switch), Devil May Cry (Switch), InFamous: Second Son (PS4), Katamari Damacy Reroll (Switch), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (Switch), Moss (PSVR), New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Switch), One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 (Switch), and Tearaway Unfolded (PS4).
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
10) New Super Mario Bros. U: Finally got around to trying this (on the Wii U, lolol). It's a pity people didn't give this a fair shake when it first released, because it easily betters previous NSMB platformers and, taking cues from Super Mario World, manages to craft one of the best 2D outings the plumber has ever seen.
9) Tetris Effect: A hypnotic and engaging take on Tetris that is set to lovely music. A variety of fun side modes, and the main campaign mode is surprisingly meaty. This is my preferred version of the classic game.
8) Resident Evil 2: An excellent remake of the PS1 survival horror classic that intelligently mixes classic survival horror resource management and ammo conservation with excellent controls and a terrifying, revamped take on Mr. X. A lack of zapping system features somewhat disincentivizes multiple playthroughs, and enemy variety has been drastically reduced, but what's here is still modern RE at its best.
7) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: It took me a long time to get around to playing this game, but I finally have, and, even four years from launch, it's still a marvelous experience. This gritty, cinematic open world game is full of gorgeous environments, fun combat, well-crafted characters, and excellent side-quests that sometimes even affect the main plot of the game. I can see why this game is so loved.
6) Horizon: Zero Dawn: This one actually surprised me. I'll admit, I wasn't sure how I'd feel going in, but 2017's head-on BotW competitor actually really managed to impress in a lot of ways. There's a lot of depth to the lore of this future fantasy world (major By the Waters of Babylon vibes from this, actually), along with some great music and gorgeous, almost photorealistic visuals (complemented by a robust photo mode). The real star of the show, though, are the robots you hunt throughout. They're intelligent, cunning, vicious, and it's a complete blast figuring out ways to take them down. If the open world wasn't quite so rote in design, there was less of the uncanny valley weirdness with the character designs, and there were more overall memorable characters, this might have even been higher up. If Horizon 2 is a thing, it'll be a major reason to opt for a PS5 next gen.
5) XC2 - Torna: The Golden Country: This DLC prequel to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is pretty much a full (if somewhat short) JRPG in its own right, and can be played separately from the full game. With a new rendering system that makes the game somehow look even more beautiful on the TV than XC2 did, smart changes to combat that make encounters a lot more dynamic and fun, a unique camping system, gorgeous music, a memorable cast of characters, and a gripping, tragic storyline, this is Xenoblade at its best, and I'm here for it.
4) Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice: A shockingly good trilogy capper after two decent but overall mediocre entries in the series, this game presumably brings Apollo's story to a close. Lots of well-written mysteries, engaging new mechanics, a fascinating new setting in the form of the theocratic East Asian country of Khura'in, fun new characters, the return of a few fan favorites (including Maya Fey!), and another terrific final case that sends the entire experience through the stratosphere.
3) Cuphead: The best (former) Microsoft exclusive (I played it on PC, like, a month before the Switch port was announced, lol) to date. Cuphead is a tight, satisfying action-platformer that is elevated by an utterly phantasmagorical presentation which makes it feel like a 1930s Merrie Melody toon come to life. This is, of course, only achieved by the developer's commitment to furnishing the entire game with lovingly crafted, hand-drawn animation.
The last two... I can't decide between them as to which is the more enjoyable release for me this year. So I'm not ranking them. They're definitely the top two for me, though.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition: The first game ever announced for release on the Switch (back when it was still the "NX" and we had no idea what it was even going to be), and while S-E took their sweet time developing it, the end result was worth it. DQXI S is one of the most wonderfully optimized games on the entire system, with smart nips and tucks made throughout so that it could run well on much less powerful hardware. Despite worse lighting and foliage density, though, the full fat DQXI experience is here, and without any of the severe sacrifices many (including myself) would have to made for the port to work. And it's not just the full fat experience, it's a significantly enhanced version of the game: almost every aspect of the experience has been touched up or improved upon in some way, to the point where it doesn't feel right to just call it a port. The list of changes is too large for me to even touch upon here, but the most consequential changes are the addition of symphonic music, new story content for every character, and a 2D mode which makes it play like an SNES game! That mode even has a good deal of content exclusive to it. Anyway, anyone who has played DQXI already knows what a wonderful experience it is, and how masterfully it brings classic JRPG game design to life with modern-gen visuals.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses: In the vein of Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, yet another long-running Nintendo exclusive series gets reimagined on the Switch. Three Houses is probably close to what you'd get if you stuffed Trails of Cold Steel, Persona 4, and elements of both classic and modern FE games into a blender and turned it on the highest setting. The worldbuilding is some of the best in the entire series; the game quadruples down on the social sim elements of Awakening/Fates while simultaneously excising nearly all traces of the creepy otaku pandering and dating elements that came along with that change; character building is more customizable than it has ever been; the soundtrack is fantastic; the tens of hours of voice acting is almost always excellent; and the sheer scale of the battles and visual presentation is also a massive upgrade from previous Emblems. It has a number of little flaws in almost every aspect of its design, but none of them are enough to take away from how engaging an experience this is. And the sheer amount of content! Somehow I'm 90 hours into (and just started my second playthrough of) Nintendo's fantasy epic and yet I still feel like I've only scratched the surface of everything it has to offer.
Kingdom Hearts III may be my favourite game released in 2019 (and I'll talk about that later) but the very best game I played this year is Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Guns of the Patriots struck a nerve in a way few games ever have, leaving me feeling emotionally drained for days afterwards. If that's not the mark of at least a special game then I don't know what is. It is the culmination of everything that came before it. Characters and even locations return, and for me it satisfyingly weaves together a myriad of plot threads spun by the three previous canon games. It's themes, as with those of its predecessors, remain sharply relevant and probably always will given the collective stupidity of our species. Some of the delivery may at times be a little clumsy and some of it maudlin and overwrought, but by the end of the game it doesn't matter. The big, important moments consistently wow and the emotional resonance is intense. Cinematics are thrilling and impeccably produced; indeed, this is one of the most cinematic games I've ever experienced. Many gamers - and reviewers - have bemoaned the number of cutscenes, yet for me - as with the previous Metal Gear Solid titles - they form the core of the experience and do not disappoint.
Elements of the gameplay are dated, yet scattered throughout are flashes of brilliance. Battles against the B&B bosses are a consistent highlight, and then there are a slew of mesmerising late game set pieces that I won't spoil. I also loved the utilisation of the adorable Metal Gear Mk. II - a tiny robot that can scout areas and stun enemies - along with the evolution of the camouflage feature from Snake Eater.
Absolutely sensational and my favourite game of the year.
2019 has been, for me, a year to catch up a little on my backlog. I made fewer purchases this year than in previous years. In fact I can only think of two 2019 releases that I’ve bought; only one of those two I actually played at this point — that being Concrete Genie. The other I picked up is A Plague Tale and I haven’t got around to actually playing it yet.
So my personal 2019 gaming year in review is primarily composed of games from yesteryear. Most of them were 2018 releases, but there was a smattering of games from all the way back to 2015. There has been several good and solid games I played, but a few of them stick out in my memory as special experiences:
⭐️ PLATINUM LEVEL Red Dead Redemption 2 — I started playing this game shortly after its launch in October 2018 (gah, do you remember how packed last October was? Man, there was a ton of great stuff that dropped that month) but I didn’t actually complete the game until late February this year. The game is just so massive and I know there are still people who are working their way through it now, over a year later. I will admit that it took me a little dedication to push through toward the end; the game seems to go on forever. There were times when I became frustrated by its pacing. But as I reminisce about the game, it resonates in my mind as a superlative experience. What an enormous achievement in gaming. I don’t think it can be overstated just how impressively developed the game is. Some of the incredible dedication to detail and realism do make the game less fun and warrant the criticism that has come down from gamers, but the story, characters, and immaculately crafted world make it one of my favorites this year. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice — I wrote a fair bit about this game in my review earlier this year, so I won’t reiterate too much on it, only to say that it was quite powerful to me. Not only emotionally impactful, I legitimately enjoyed the gameplay as well, which many people have said is it’s weakest component. Nevertheless, it’s a game to remember for its technical and narrative achievement.
✨ GOLD LEVEL Marvel’s Spider-Man — Unlike the platinum tier games above, Insomniac’s juggernaut didn’t do much to push gaming forward, but it was just flat out fun to play. And for that reason I look back fondly at my time with it. Valkyria Chronicles 4 — With it’s unique combination of innovative strategy gameplay and compelling story, this game scratched an itch that I didn’t know I had. A wonderful time all-together.
🌒 SILVER LEVEL Tetris Effect — This game would probably be ranked higher if I was any good at it. For some reason I hit a wall in progression and couldn’t get past the more difficult levels. Nevertheless, the game’s Zen-like presentation is simply sublime. The audio-visual experience is well worth the time. Injustice 2 — Not being a huge fan of fighting games, this came as probably the most pleasant surprise of the year for me. I’m not even sophisticated enough with the genre to dissect out the reasons why the game felt so good to play, but I had a really great time with it. My enjoyment probably stemmed from the fact that I was smitten by the superhero setting and storyline. I really liked spending time with many of the lesser known DC characters (Blue Beetle FTW!). I still have IJ2 on my HDD just in case I want to drop in again to check on how my online team is doing in the AI controlled matches.
⚡️ BRONZE LEVEL Titanfall 2 — Playing a FPS is another rare move for me and TF2 got me excited to try more of them. The only other FPS I played this year was a Borderlands 2 revisit and I think I need to play more of them. TF2 is a very well polished product, with a really good campaign. Your Titan in the game, BT, is a better character than most games’ main protagonist. Persona 4: Dancing All Night — Another surprisingly good experience, P4DAN employs great characters, catchy music, and addictive rhythm based button mashing to deliver a unique product. The story is a little strange, but I really had a ball seeing Yu and friends again.
💥 LEAST ENJOYED Sonic Mania — I couldn’t get this retro 2D platformer to click with me. It was the rare disappointment for me in 2019. I’ve also been a little lukewarm with Rayman Legends this year. I liked Rayman better and still think I might go back to it, but I think I’ve decided that 2D platformers are amongst my least favorite genres.
Special mention of The Witcher 3, which most people know I’ve been openly dispassionate about here in the forums. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but it was a little disappointing, all things considered. Nevertheless I reserve the right to change my mind whenever I try to delve back into at some future point.
Probably the best combat I've ever experienced in a game. Fast, a variety of weapons, and mastering combos is extremely rewarding. Not to mention the amazing animations and soundtrack that compliment the combat, and Dante is such a great protagonist to play as. I really wish more developers could take notes from what this game does right, instead of copy and pasting Dark Soul's formula. My only complaints are segments that feel cheap, any time you play as V, and lacking the interesting gothic architecture of DMC1 (only DMC I've played, but aim to change that).
Best old game that I played in 2019 - Super Mario Galaxy
Why on Earth have I never played this game before. Granted, I've never owned Nintendo consoles myself, but I love SM64 so I figured I'd need to find a way. Now that I have finally played it, I can agree it is one of the best platformers ever. Fantastic controls, numerous brilliantly designed levels, clever mechanics, a beautiful artstyle, an amazing soundtrack and a lovely hub world. There is nothing this game attempts that it doesn't excel at.
Oh well, I think this year I relatively played fewer games than before, but anyway let's go.
1- Death Stranding -
I almost don't want to include Death Stranding in my lists for 2019 or the decade because it's relatively newer than other entries. But then again, I look back and see that it's been almost four years since it was announced and just waiting for this game has shaped my character enough. It's been one hell of a ride, man, I loved every second of this game (as I expected). Always was a Kojima-fan and enjoyed his weird games and this was a treat.
I've talked about this in most of my comments about the game, but I'll say it again, Death Stranding is hard to explain and hard to grasp by watching videos and reading reviews. It is a game you need to experience for yourself to know whether you'll love it or not.
I hadn't seen something this emotional since The Last of Us.
2- Days Gone
Now, this. If it weren't for Death Stranding I'd say Days Gone is Game of the Year for me. Joining Deek on his journey through the ruined world of Farewell - Oregon is an experience I will never forget. I was upset that it didn't win or nominate any awards at TGA. But ultimately it doesn't matter, the game was so much fun. I laughed with Deek, got angry at Skizzo, cried for Boozer and rode long hours on the broken road with my bike, crushing freaks and never looking back at them.
The "Morior Invictus" motto from the game found a new meaning in my life when after a month of playing the game, I fell ill and went to the hospital for lung surgery that almost got me killed. After the hospital, I knew for damn sure I was a survivor. I neither chose defeat nor death. Morior Invictus.
Also, what makes Days Gone such an amazing journey for me is the thrill of Zombie-Apocalypse. I love the Apocalypse, throw some zombies in it and you've got my attention.
3- Marvel's Spider-Man
One day after leaving the hospital bed, I found myself behind this game. It was mind-blowing how good the game and I couldn't believe. I was coming to the game about a year late but that also made it more amazing. It felt fresh.
From here on, I will only name the rest as these three were the most important ones and I don't wanna give y'all a headache. lol
4 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
5 - Control
6 - Untitled Goose Game (PC)
7 - Borderlands 2
8 - Crash Team Racing
9 - My Friend Pedro
10 - Dico Elysium
1. Super Mario Odyssey
2. Zelda Breath of the Wild
3. Red Dead Redemption 2
4. God of War
5. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
6. Mario Maker 2
7. Rocket League
8. Civilization 6
9. Mario Kart 8
10. Cuphead
5. Spider-Man - Gaming comfort food. A pretty standard open-world game in terms of how it's structured, yet Insomiac nailed the most important aspect - and that is Spider-Man himself. Intuitive, flowing combat and movement elevate the game.
4. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Given the reputation crowdfunded games have garnered in recent years I must admit to having momentarily faltered, questioning whether this would be anything other than another Mighty No. 9. Thankfully such fears proved unfounded. Bloodstained is a brilliant game and everything I'd hoped for. While the genre's namesakes have been largely absent in recent years, Metroidvanias have continued to thrive in the indie space - yet for me there is nothing quite like Castlevania itself. Castlevania in all but name, Ritual of the Night perfectly captures the essence of that series and as a result is a purer, unfussy take on the genre. The game feels immediately familiar; it's comfortable and fits perfectly, like an old woolly glove I thought I'd lost. Only really hard in places so I almost threw that glove out the window. But that's a good thing!
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - I received this as a gift last Christmas, but played the overwhelming bulk of it this year - so it counts!
Before Ultimate, Smash Bros. was a series I'd toyed with - and even enjoyed in local multiplayer- but it always felt like I occupied the very periphery of the fandom. It's something that's never fully clicked for me and as a result my reaction to Ultimate's announcement was quite tepid. I was even hesitant to put it on my Christmas list. However, something quite curious happened and once I started playing I became hooked.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a love letter to Nintendo fans. There is so much packed inside its tiny Switch cartridge; not just characters, music and stages, but decades of lore and gaming culture.
As expected Ultimate is great in local multiplayer, but it is also great in single player. The true magic of the game is in the "Spirits" mode, where various Nintendo (and select third party) characters - including the most obscure Japanese creations possible - "possess" the roster of fighters. This then creates an enormous selection of single player matches, each with a dizzying array of variables. The fighter, stage, music, rules and win conditions each change to match the spirit. Absolutely wonderful.
2. Kingdom Hearts 3 - I won't write much here given the other thread. All I will say is that it felt amazing to play an all-new full-fledged home console Kingdom Hearts game after such a long wait. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - See previous post for details. Gorgeous, wonderful, stupendously brilliant game.
@RogerRoger That's easy, I'm still only halfway through the Legacy Pack. Really enjoying it though. If I'd reached the end it would almost certainly have made my list, but I can't say where yet.
@RogerRoger Oh yeah, definitely the screenshot had a whole new meaning after all that.
Still, just the fact that I found an opportunity to show it to others is fantastic.
1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
2. Marvel's Spider-Man
3. The Outer Worlds
4. Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
5. Yoki's Island Express
6. Batman Arkham Knight
7. Far Cry 5
8. Resident Evil 7
9. Detroit: Become Human
10. Dead Cells
@JohnnyShoulder Jury's out on Shenmue III for me. I can't seem to make any real progress with it, since December has been so busy, so that's not helping. I need to really get stuck into it in the new year. What little I've played has been up and down though. Sometimes I'm playing it and loving it, sometimes I've got one eye on the other games on the shelf.
I just got Horizon Zero Dawn and The Outer Worlds for Christmas, so it's going to be even harder to see it through now...
Good job, Parappa. You can go on to the next stage now.
God of War III: After running through the previous games last year, and playing this this year, God of War III is the high point of Kratos' classic adventures. The combat is still enjoyable, with a major improvement in giving Kratos more fleshed out weapons besides his blades. Along with great PS3 era graphics, and a story at it's boiling point with Kratos' war against Olympus, leading to many epic moments, God of War III was a great end to the series' original saga.
Kingdom Hearts III: As a fan dating back to the series' 2002 debut, the wait for a proper console entry since the west got KH2 in 2006 was pretty crazy. 2019 finally gave me what I wanted and I was happy. While it was disappointing that the game didn't have the amount of content the other titles had, the great action RPG gameplay, graphics that are among the best of this generation, and ultimately seeing the end of a long running story arc that literally took up most of my life made the wait worth it for me.
Devil May Cry 5: 2019 was the year the real Dante stood back up, giving us the DMC action that's been wanted since 2008's DMC4. I can sing the praises of DMC's sterling action, but you can't hear it through text. Playing as Dante, Nero, and newcomer V is some of the most fun I've had playing a video game, and putting it together with a soundtrack to kill demons to, the RE Engine's gorgeously gory graphics, and a story for longtime fans like me. DMC5 was always gonna be here.
Horizon: Zero Dawn: I have been praising this game a lot recently. I'm honestly surprised at how much I like it considering I've been done with open world games for a while now. A well detailed world that feels alive despite being mostly populated with machines, enjoyable gameplay with plenty of approaches for combat, graphics that are nothing short of amazing, and a nicely done take on the usual "Hero's Journey" story make this in my opinion the PS4's definitive exclusive.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: As someone who only got a Switch last month, therefore having not enough time to finish Fire Emblem: Three Houses, I'll have to put my other favorite Switch game here. Ultimate is like a Nintendo fan's perfect game, and probably the most complete Smash Bros we'll get. Every playable character in the series and then some, many of the stages from previous games and then some, and plenty of Smash's extra game modes are here, ensuring that it'll be difficult to find nothing to do. I recommend it regardless of having played Smash Bros before or not.
Honorable Mention - Yakuza 0: I haven't finished this game, so it's not on the main list. You can blame Real Estate Royale for that. I've spent enough time on this game, it's hard to say I don't like it. Being able to see how Kiryu and Majima started out after playing Kiwami is a treat, and with the world being as lively as it was before, it's a difficult title to put down. Unless you dislike Real Estate Royale like I do, anyway. Aside from that, the minigames, including classic Sega arcade games Fantasy Zone and OutRun, are as fun as ever, the combat is great, the soundtrack is nice, and I'm as invested in the story as I was in Kiwami, which was my favorite part of that game, actually. Here's to finishing it in 2020.
"We don't get to choose how we start in this life. Real 'greatness' is what you do with the hand you're dealt." -Victor Sullivan "Building the future and keeping the past alive are one and the same thing." -Solid Snake
@Gremio108 The Outer Worlds is awesome, if you liked Fallout 3, New Vegas and 4 you will love it. It feels like the game 4 should have been, with the dialogue options from the previous games minus the rubbish base building. Plus less brown.
@KratosMD I not played any of the previous games and I fancied backing something on Kickstarter when it got annouced.
@Gremio108@Arugula It is not without it's faults as it sometimes can look a bit fugly and the missions can feel a bit samey. Maybe that was my fault as the way I levelled up my character, I didn't get to see the more zany powers until I respecced late in the game. There are a couple of other tips like playing the game on Hard as It gets quite easy on Normal after you reached about level 10, and to set your companions to Defensive as otherwise they end up killing everything before you get a chance to do anything. Which i found became a bit boring. I appreciated the fact that there were quite a few ways to approach most of the missions. I loved the whole B-movie feel of the game, it was like I was on the set of something like the original Lost in Space. Overall I really enjoyed and it got me out of my gaming doldrum that I was in.
I was waiting until the new year for this just in case anything squeezed onto the list at the last moment, so here's my list. All the things that made the top 10 are games that that I really enjoyed, and in particular choosing the order for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place games was very tricky.
10 - Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (N Sane Trilogy) (PS4): It's a good remake of the wonderful PS1 platformer. The difficulty has a better balance than the first game, and the levels are well designed. 9 - Xenoblade Chronicles 3D (3DS): 3DS port of the original Wii game. It took me a long time to really get used to the battle mechanics, but the story and the characters really made this game a great experience. 8 - Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Switch): It brings back all of the fighters from past Smash games along with some new faces, and has a wide array of arenas and different game modes. The game is packed full of content, making the Ultimate in the name well justified. 7 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (3DS): Remake of the N64 game. It's arguably the most weird and wacky of the Zelda games with it's repeated 3 day cycle and with a moon slowly crashing down to earth. Also one of the best Zelda games. 6 - Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PS4): It's an extension of World, featuring a new icy area along with various new monsters. Each fight with a new monster feels like an epic battle against a huge beast with deadly attacks. I felt that World was a bit lacking in the more unusual and wacky monsters, and Iceborne helps to resolve that. 5 - Hitman 2 (2018) (including the Hitman 1 (2016) levels in the legacy DLC pack) (PS4): Play as an assassin in large sandbox levels, trying to kill the target in any way possible. There's plenty of different items and uniforms that can be used to help achieve the kill. The areas are dynamic and have a lot going on, and the game encourages you to be creative and try different approaches. 4 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4): Play as a witcher, which is a sort of powerful bounty hunter who takes down evil creatures for coin. The story is excellently down, and goes plenty of detail. This is also true for side quests. No two side quests are the same, and there's generally a lot of depth to each of them, along with consequences for your actions. It's one of the best RPGs I've ever played. 3 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations (3DS): The third game in the original trilogy, and my favourite out of the three. It's so tricky to decide whether the first Phoenix Wright or this one is better, but I narrowly prefer this one mainly due to it having my favourite coffee guzzling prosecutor. The story is well written, and the characters are all fairly unique and fun. 2 - Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PC): It's a visual novel about some students who are locked inside a school, who are given incentives to kill each other. They'll have to try to figure out what's going on while trying to survive, along with working out who can and can't be trusted. Monokuma is a stuffed bear who seems to be running things, and can quickly switch between a goofy comic relief character and a more sinister character when needed. My main gripe with it was that there's not a lot of story choice, but possibly that was due to me expecting it to be similar to Zero Escape with it's various branching paths and alternate outcomes. But overall, I do really like my visual novel murder games, so really enjoyed Danganronpa THH. 1 - Persona 5 (PS4): A wonderful RPG where you play as a student, and switch between student life and heading into dungeons to battle evil creatures. Usually the player gets the freedom to choose between a wide range of actions each day, such as hanging out with friends, watching a movie, working at a part time job, studying, or heading into a dungeon and battling demons. Time can advance from doing actions, and there's deadlines to meet, so it's a case of trying to balance the time between the different interests. Story for the most part is really well done and the characters are well developed, making it easy to get emotionally attached to them.
Honourable mentions (alphabetical order): Half-Life 1 (PC), Hatsune Miku Project Diva X (PS4), Layton Brothers: Mystery Room (Mobile), Sly Cooper 1 (PS Vita), Splatoon 2 (Switch), Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
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Topic: Your Favorite Games of 2019
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