Alongside our staff-voted Game of the Year awards, each of our writers have crafted their own personal lists, covering their top five PlayStation 4 titles of 2019. Today, it's the turn of reviewer Christian Kobza.
5. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
Impossible Lair deserves recognition for taking a doomed franchise and making something great out of it. I hated the original Yooka-Laylee largely due to its rickety replication of an already-antiquated formula without moving it forward in any meaningful way. Impossible Lair does just that - moves things forward. It may be heavily inspired by Donkey Kong Country, but its novel overworld puzzle-solving and surprisingly unique structural gimmick that makes the final level available from the outset give it a suitably sturdy and unique foundation to stand on. It’s an impressively substantive 2D platformer that’s more than just vapid nostalgia bait.
4. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro is an eminent example of From Software’s staying power. Despite Team Ninja beating it to the punch with the legitimately fantastic Nioh (which was also set in Sengoku Japan - go figure), From set out to make something different with Sekiro. More action than RPG, Sekiro’s superb combat stands out as one of the best sword-wielding melee systems I’ve ever experienced in a video game. Add to that a startlingly fast pace and a diverse assortment of well-designed locales, and Sekiro illustrates how far From Software is from being a one-trick pony.
3. Resident Evil 2
It took Capcom a good while to get to finally get to the second entry in the franchise, but this Resident Evil remake is so good that it almost justified the wait. Despite the shift to a third-person perspective, the pacing, scares, and dreadful tone are all kept intact. Things are tweaked just enough to provide returners to the police station plenty of fan service while still packing in lots of surprises. Whether you’re a newcomer or a Resident Evil veteran, this remake remains riveting and sets a new bar for the franchise.
2. Control
After I was left disappointed by Quantum Break’s lacklustre narrative and depthless shooting mechanics, I’m all the more awestruck by how legitimately great Control is. Its stark hallways drip with a tangible sense of foreboding, its sci-fi inspired setting is incredibly well utilised, and its intelligently-designed combat offers up a smart synthesis of traditional shooting and paranormal abilities that never wears out its welcome. It’s not an experience that’s inundated with modern sensibilities or needless open world traversal - Control is just a rock-solid third-person shooter in a world where such a thing is becoming increasingly rare.
1. Outer Wilds
Just like every narrative-driven classic, Outer Wilds takes advantage of the video game medium to tell a story that couldn’t have been told anywhere else. Unravelling its spellbinding narrative is eerily enthralling, but Outer Wilds also contains the best space-faring exploration I’ve ever experienced. Its simplicity and accessibility makes poking around each of the eight celestial destinations both effortless and exciting. Add to that the lack of overly-complex crafting mechanics typical of the genre, and what you’re left with is a journey that’s easy to recommend to anyone in search of a discovery-fuelled adventure in outer space.
Do you agree with Christian's personal Game of the Year picks? Whatever your opinion, feed us your thoughts in the comments section below.
Comments 16
2019 was kind of a down year. Nothing released this year seemed to blow anyone away. Hell, most new releases seemed to have been disappointments.
A bit more of an interesting choice of games than the usual. I really need to get round to Outer Wilds though.
@AhmadSumadi I dunno, RE2, Sekiro, Death Stranding, Star Wars and the like made it a better year for me than last year.
@nessisonett the 3 new games that I’ve liked this year are Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, The Division 2, and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Nothing else drew me in.
I really liked Greedfall. I know it had its limitations and the ending wasn't all that but I really enjoyed the ride.
I also think star wars was a better soulsbourne fix than sekiro and enjoyed it much more
Outer Wilds looks like a really interesting experience, I haven't heard much about it but might check it out soon!
@AhmadSumadi. Ghost recon is a horrible game.yuck.no taste playa.thats one of the worst games ever.😒.word up son
Control really is a stellar game. Definitely my GOTY. If you haven't played it yet, do yourself a massive favour and do so. It's stunning
@playstation1995 next time I wanna like something I’ll be sure to ask you first 😉
@AhmadSumadi. Word up son 👍
@AhmadSumadi Its like a reheated meal nothing special. I will not bore you about the horrible monetization with a speech.
But one good thing came from it Ubisoft stocks went down the drain and they pushed back releases too add polish or quality.
That shows what they think of the customers make a terrible game as long as they can get away with it. Not this time though the customers puahed back with horrible sales. 😉👍
PS im not telling what you should like its what i think about the game.
Thanks for letting me know about the Outer Wilds im going too get thar one.
PS Resident Evil 2 is not changed the 3rd person view is the original way. 😉
For me it's
Days Gone, Control, Ace Combat 7, Rage 2 and The Outer Worlds
@AhmadSumadi Not wanting to judge what’s clearly your taste in games but if you’re into the whole GaaS thing then this year probably has been an off year so that might explain it.
@nessisonett I’ve been playing ESO for roughly 5 years now and my buddies got into it with me. After that we all got into Red Dead 2 online, Division 2, and now Breakpoint. We just play and have fun. All the other stuff that people worry about doesn’t matter much. Anyway, playing with my friends and having fun is what draws me to these games. Especially since I’m mostly a player of single player games.
And here I came thinking this was a new type of articles: Top 5 Games Among Different Religious Beliefs.
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