#goty 2019

[spitblaze]

if you're wondering why my brain has a stranglehold on octopath traveler of all things: me too. i have no idea how this happened. my hyperfixations are unpredictable and hit like oncoming freight trains and ive stopped trying to pretend i understand how/why outside of like one or two common threads

[waywardsalt]

Persona 5 Royal for Game Of The Year 2023

[thatneilj]

Game of the Year 2019

Originally Posted January 2020

2019 saw a lot of change in my life. I’m not sure I can say any of it has been… pleasant. I had to move back to the USA. I have been unsuccessful in finding new or better work. And let’s not even get started on what my living situation has become due to all of this. Suffice to say, games in 2019 were a much needed escape for me throughout the year, and here are the top 5 games I played this year.

Honorables

Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire IS a top 5 game this year. Every part of the game is wonderfully tuned; the flexibility of the decks you can make even within each character class, the pace of the encounters, and the challenge of the bosses. So why isn’t it up there? Well… I spent most of my time with this game in 2018 during its early access and I just don’t feel right putting it IN my top 5 because of that.

Gato Roboto

Metroid games are all about exploring to find new items and abilities and using those to go explore even more. Gato Roboto manages to hit those beats and nail those feelings despite being a fourth of the commitment those games usually ask. It was surprising, charming, and just an all around wonderful experience.

World of Warcraft: Classic

Ok, yes, World of Warcraft did originally release in 2004, and no this wasn’t some kind of remake. That is a part of why it isn’t on the real list. Back in 2005 I spent way too much time with this janky game. Despite all the rough edges, confusing choices, and much slower pace than I remembered, the game still managed to be surprisingly immersive. While I have moved past this game, again, it was a nice way to escape and pretend it wasn’t 2019 anymore.

5. Apex Legends

When Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds hit the scene in 2017 it took the industry by storm. Now, two years out, we have franchise shooters putting in Battle Royal modes, a bunch of other full releases in that style, and even Tetris 99 putting a very silly spin on it. Apex Legends really managed to stand above the rest with its UI design, great feeling movement, and its unique characters. Adding in the special abilities for the handful of characters, and defaulting the game to a squad based format, means that even if you aren’t the best shooter in the world you can still be a huge benefit to your team. Then you add in the incredible contextual pinging system to point out enemies, items, and more allowing extreme ease of communication with strangers even without voice chat.

The whole package just adds up to being the best Battle Royal experience out there.

4. Anodyne 2: Return to Dust

Anodyne 2 is such a strange blend of early 3D exploration and 2D puzzle solving. What’s magical about it is how it begins to build the connections between them. Forging connections with each other character by diving into them cleaning away the nano-dust starts to reflect back on how these raelms are connected to. Only to figure out that while the connections are good, maybe the cleaning isn’t. As the game turns into a story of self-discovery and living up to being who you want to be instead of who others intend for you to be, it becomes clear just how earnest the developers at Analgesic are in exploring all these themes.

One section in particular resonated with me so strongly the game had to be on this list. Before I get into it though, here is your big SPOILER WARNING.

In one segment of the game you seem to glitch out while trying to start the connection to go nano-scale. Instead of coming to the 2D plane you end up in an isometric environment. An apartment, with a rather normal looking person as your avatar. In this segment themes of depression, fear of stagnation, and the desire for escapism are all explored in such raw detail… In this segment the game built a connection with me, the player, as if I was one of the characters who needed nano-dusting.

3. Outer Wilds

A few years back I found myself entranced by The Witness. A small island full of puzzles that slowly but surely teach you a sort of language that the whole world is speaking with. Outer Wilds steps away from the overt puzzles, to instead open up a tiny solar system full of mystery for you to explore. Instead of teaching you the language this world speaks with, it sends you through time-loop after time-loop to discover everything you can about the highly advanced but dead culture of the Nomai. Unfortunately the learning curve for the janky controls and the sheer openness of the solar system does create a slow start. Once you explore a planet or two enough to see the interconnectivity of everything the game starts to shine.

I got over the hump when I realized the information I just discovered on Brittle Hollow could grant me access to new places on Giant’s Deep. I was hooked. Why were the Nomai looking for this Eye of the Universe? How can I find my way onto that station speeding so dangerously close to the sun? How can I traverse this mind-bending space inside of the core of Dark Bramble? Answering these questions and more was extremely satisfying.

2. Teppen

In 2018 Android: Netrunner, a tabletop card game, had a licensing agreement expire causing the end of official support. I love that game, and while I have all the officially released cards, I don’t really have a place or people to play it with anymore. There are lots of other card games out there, but none of them grab me that same way. Teppen doesn’t quite get there either, but there is some DNA in the way deckbuilding function that scratches a few of those itches. Capcom completely blindside me with how much I like this game, particularly considering I am generally not very big on mobile gaming.

One of the biggest draws about Teppen is that it is not a turn based game. This real-time flow brings a fast-paced style of play to the game that I have not experienced in any other card game before. They make some really smart moves with simplicity of card types, only two, letting the deck construction and the timing of piloting that deck be where the complexity and depth shine through. Building a deck is super fun because the game really allows you to lean into the style you want. I’ve loved my time with the controlling style of my Morrigan Temptation deck full of ways to stun the enemy units and chip away at my opponent, or my Chun-li Kikosho deck where my units gain multitudes of defenses to allow them to slowly gain strength and overwhelm my opponent.

In six months they have already introduced two new sets of cards, and I can’t wait to see what they add next.

1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The first time I started banging my head against a FromSoftware game, I thought “maybe this just isn’t for me.” I had gotten through that tutorial zone of Dark Souls with the lesson that I needed to observe and wait for my chances to attack, only to walk into a graveyard full of skeletons that seemed to have more HP and do more damage than the fucking boss I just killed. I’ve come a long way since then. I fell in love with FromSoft’s careful encounter design, the sprawling environments, and even the use of death and punishment to teach. But after three Dark Souls games, I really wanted to see them do something different.

With Sekiro, they finally did. While they did pull forward many of the house design choices that shot them to popularity, this time they made a pure action game. The combat a true masterpiece that, even after 70+ hours of play and going through something like six layers of New Game+, never stopped being engaging in every moment. The big system at the heart of this combat is the posture gauge, which everyone in this world adheres to. When posture is broken the target will be stunned granting the opportunity to perform a deathblow. However, because posture recovers quickly you must be learn to be aggressive, or you will get stuck in long fights that whittle you and your resources down. Sekiro isn’t about waiting to find your windows of attack, but about making them through relentless attacks and quick thinking defense.

This whole system turns every fight into a dance of clashing swords, both parties wrestling back and forth to lead the steps. Time after time I would find a new dance partner who was better than me. I would work and work to learn their steps so I could lead rather than stumbling as I tried to follow. Then, when I would feel like the moves are just too hard for me, I would start the music one more time. Each of my movements would put them in just the right place, every parry they performed would flow right back into my own, and when they were desperate I would step on their blade, completing the dance flawlessly.

All that said, the game does have some issues. The world is full of beautiful vistas looking out across the mountains of Feudal Japan, and it goes into the spirit realm to explore the magical Fountainhead Palace full of fish-like people. Unfortunately the game tends to shy away from the fantastical, while I wish it had embraced more of it. And out of the fourteen bosses in the game, four of them are remixed versions of previous ones. But I never got bored of these fights, I just wanted more.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is now my gold standard action game. I want to dance to the sound of metal striking metal as it rings out over the mountainside again.

Glance, glance, CLANG!

[rivaiin]

started the descent dlc for the first time ever and i had a bit of a hard time pinpointing it but renns va had me like

[tigerlyla-of-metinna]

I'm doing a tag game!

What are your 3 historical gaming moment?

Anything related to videogames: be it achieving the highest score in the arcade, defeating that final boss after 100 tries, winning a PS5 in a raffle, getting a photo or autograph of a VA, cosplaying a videogame character... anything!

Then tag 5 people (minimum) and let's reminisce. Spread some positivity!

🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Here are my 3 personal best (in no particular order)

1.Tekken 3

The first time I truly enjoyed playing a fighting game (I still hate playing PvP in fighting games cuz an actual human is way better at it than me) was when I finally approached a real Tekken pro. A big arcade opened up in my city and I was the only girl who went there every weekend and buy 30 tokens (Php 90.00) to feed the various machines. I saw this tall college dude play King and I was mesmerized watching him pull all of Kings grapples. After several months, I watched him from behind, playing Tekken 3 until I muster up the courage to ask him how he pulled off all his moves. The college dud pulled a piece of paper and pen and began to write down all of Kings' combos and grabs, and gave it to me! Since then I have practiced on every Tekken 3 machine, pulled off all Kings' impressive grapples to a growing audience who couldn't believe their eyes that this little highschool girl is playing Tekken 3 and beating it! Oh and I became good at the games that I reduced my 30 tokens to 5.

2. Resident Evil 2 (PS1)

This game came with the console my mom gave me. First time I popped the disc in and chose Leon S Kennedy on normal mode, I was piled upon by zombies and died. That game over screen traumatized me and I did not pick up RE for months! When I did gave it a second chance, I notice there was a 3rd mode: ARRANGED. It made the game ridiculously easy by giving me all the weapons, and so I plowed through Raccoon City with my machine gun and rocket launcher. It was fun until it wasn't. I decided to play the game on Normal, got eaten and died, then powered through it. Finally beat the game on Normal and Hard. Also went for the S Rank and bonus content. Now I love all horror and survival horror games (Silent Hill, Outlast, Evil Within, etc). It became my favorite genre.

3. The Witcher 3

Had it not for this game, I wouldn't have made The Nilfgaardian Collection or started digital art. I think it was December 2019 (or 16 I dunno, it was Xmas), my brother gave me two choices: TW3 or FF15. I wanted FF15 cuz I have always been a fan of Final Fantasy and TW3 was hyped to the heavens. I wanted to know if the hype was justified and so I got TW3 GOTY edition. The hype... was well deserved! I was hooked, I plat the game, I decided to make fanarts of my fave character (Emhyr) and gave myself a goal: to have the biggest collection of Emhyr and Nilfgaard pics and be known as that crazy chick with an unhealthy obsession to Emhyr and his Nilfgaardian empire. Thus cemented the Nilfgaardian Collection in the fandom!

I taggeth @bittersweetbark, @alphagravy, @rotatingremains, @regis-favorite-raven, @oblakovka, @smehur, @laurikarauchscat, @jawanaka, @traumschwinge, @valandhirwriter

[gem-is-still-bored]

after playing outer wilds yesterday I was so shocked to the core that I had to just sit back and say "game of the year" while like 90% sure it did win goty when it was released in 2019. I only played it for 1 cycle and it was an instant game of the year

[quinsixtridrupled-k]

Looking back on the Game of the Year lineup for TGA (both for 2024 and years before) is very, very fascinating because:

- Despite their long and illustrious history with being one of the most innovative gaming minds, Nintendo has only won ONE year with BOTW in 2017.

- On that note, It Takes Two and Astro Bot are the only platformers so far to take the Game of the Year award.

- I just find it incredibly funny how in 2018, everyone was actively rooting for God of War to win over Red Dead 2, then in 2022 people were clamoring for Elden Ring to beat GOW Ragnarok, and come 2024, nobody wanted an Elden Ring DLC to win.

- Not gonna delve too much into this but Overwatch winning 2016 GOTY is... something to look back on, certainly.

- As far as I know, there has been only ONE indie game winner, with It Takes Two winning GOTY 2021. Celeste was nominated for 2018 GOTY but lost to Dad of Boy, Hades was in the running for 2020's GOTY but lost to The Last of Us 2, Stray made it to 2022's nominees but lost to Elden Ring, and finally Balatro got the 2024 GOTY runner-up, and surprisingly took a lot of awards to its name and got very close but ultimately lost to Astro Bot.

- Sony has been present as GOTY nominee for every show, sometimes even butting heads in the same year like with Dad of Boy and Spider-Man 2018, or with Ghost of Tsushima vs. TLOU2.

- PUBG was nominated for Game of the Year 2017 and I don't know how to feel about this...

- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate so far is the only fighting/party game that has been nominated for a GOTY, and the only game that was nominated a year after its actual release (first released in 2018, nominated in TGA 2019).

Uhh I think that's all really, idk just got curious and went yapping about it lmao

[sapphire-weapon]

I guess I'm just doubtful bc RE9 (from what I've seen so far, and I do wanna preface that it's nothing substantial yet) feels more like a continuation after RE6 than RE8. Not in its story or anything, I know it'll probably be a separate thing, and that's honestly the best way to go. In a game structure way. As in, 'we're going back to what RE always was'. I do wonder where they will go with it. Whether it'll feel in any way connected to RE7 and RE8, or it'll just be somewhat of a standalone game.

And the thing is, I feel like either of those options feels risky. Specifically because they chose to make RE8 a direct continuation to RE7. Or maybe I'm just talking out of my ass here lmao. I do wonder what they'll do in terms of gameplay too, mostly because RE4R was so amazing. Would be pretty sucky if the original title's gameplay turns out feeling less advanced than one of the remake!

But yeah. Honestly I wouldn't be having all these doubts if RE9 wasn't in development for that long, either. It all boils down to that issue in the end of the day.

here's something to consider:

at the time that RE9 entered development, RE7 was plateauing on sales, hovering at around the 3-4 million mark, which is WELL BELOW average for an RE mainline title, and was not considered for GOTY

since then:

RE2make was nominated for GOTY in 2019 and has since become the highest-selling RE title of all time

RE8 was nominated for GOTY in 2021

RE4make broke records for the fastest-selling RE title ever released and was not only nominated for GOTY, but was the fourth highest-rated game on metacritic in 2023 (losing out only to baldur's gate 3, tears of the kingdom, and metroid prime remastered)

it's also helpful to note that RE8 was pretty obviously built as a beta test/blueprint for RE4make

so when RE9's director says they're going to take RE back to what it always was, my take on that was that they, after a long session of hand-wringing back and forth trying to decide on what to do after RE7's release was lukewarm at best, decided to try to make RE9 a mix of RE2 and RE4, which are the two highest-regarded titles in the series and have now twice-over brought capcom massive success, both financially and critically.

my best guess for RE9 is that

when it started production, that was when co-op team shooters had seen a huge re-emergence in the form of overwatch and destiny, and so capcom's initial thought was to try to capitalize on that. that's probably where the initial idea of a leon and jill co-op game came from. remember, that's what andy reported that the game originally was.

but then they changed that when they saw what happened with RE2make, RE8, and RE4make.

and so what's caused such massive, massive delays in production was a complete restructuring of the project, and now instead of a co-op, we may very well be getting a dual scenario system closer to RE2. and if not two scenarios, a switching back and forth between leon and jill, sort of like how RE8 handed off to chris about 3/4 of the way through.

the most optimistic take on this is that RE9 will be what RE2make should have been and will have not only a full zapping system, but an improved one that will not only affect gameplay between campaigns but also possibly story sections.

the more realistic/pessimistic take is that they've been trying to make RE9 into what RE2make should've been and have been failing at it spectacularly, and they're now just trying to cobble together something that at least passes the bar of being both complete and playable.

i could be wrong.

but that's my best guess.

we'll see what happens.

[desertdollranch]

They're no longer making mini character dolls, which happened very quietly with no announcement. The last new mini character doll to be produced was Luciana in 2018. Then there was no mini Blaire doll in 2019, and no mini Courtney in 2020, and no later historical or GOTY dolls have had minis. The only new mini dolls since then have been Truly Me dolls. Back in 2019, American Girl released 6 different accessory kits to go with their Smart Girl's Guide books.

The only one after that is the mini TM #88 that comes with the Day at the AG Cafe play set.

This lets you give your doll a doll-sized birthday at an AG Place cafe, so the mini doll is wearing a matching Take the Cake birthday party dress.

did american girl ever explain why they’ve stopped making mini dolls or even announce it? or did they just stop and not say anything about it?

[theclubhero-blog]

Baldur’s Gate 3 vendeu “quase o dobro” de Divinity: Original Sin 2

Por Vinicius Torres Oliveira

Fundador daLarian Studios destacou que o aclamado RPG teve um desempenho além do esperado

É claro que a notícia da participação da Larian Studios na GDC 2024 foi a revelação de que a empresa não irá produzir um DLC para Baldur’s Gate 3 e nem trabalhar na sequência do RPG. Contudo, em meio à repercussão desta bomba, o CEO da companhia, Swen Vicke, falou sobre outra coisa bem relevante do RPG: suas vendas.

Em fevereiro, o título havia superado a incrível marca de dez milhões de jogadores, e agora o executivo indicou que este número pode estar muito maior, superando as próprias expectativas.

“Está quase o dobro Divinity: Original Sin 2 agora, então está se saindo muito bem, já que Divinity: Original Sin 2 foi muito bem-sucedido. Portanto, ultrapassou o que esperávamos”, disse.

Os dados exatos de Divinity 2 nunca foram revelados pela Larian, porém é possível fazer uma breve conjectura aqui. O primeiro jogo, segundo o póprio Vicke em apresentação na GDC 2019, chegou a 2,5 milhões de cópias. No ano passado, ele comentou que o segundo teve “o triplo” disso. Ou seja, cerca de 7,5 milhões. Multiplicado por dois… 15 milhões para Baldur’s Gate 3?

O sucesso do game não é pra menos. O título fez “a limpa” nos prêmios de fim de ano, levando não apenas o famoso GOTY do The Game Awards, mas também seu título de melhor do ano pela premiação da DICE. Além disso, Baldur’s Gate 3 é o Jogo do Ano do GDC Awards 2024! Para a surpresa de absolutamente ninguém, ele leva mais um troféu bem sigfnicativo para casa.

Se você quiser fazer parte desta estatística, o RPG está disponível para PS5, Xbox Series e PC.

[chrismcshell]

as we all know, my 2022 Game of the Year was The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006). and now i am pleased to announce my GOTY for 2023: Death Stranding (2019)

[stormfr0nt]

Devil May Cry 5 - Game Of The Year

edit: no

[contrary55]

For the love of god make your own damn decisions on what games are good make you own GotY list it will mean so much more than the oscar bait games constantly winning nominations and awards.

I have my own list going back to 1996 and it looks nothing like mainstream choices of because my opinion and taste in games is unique to me and different from literally any one else here is my list

1996: Quake

1997: Fallout

1998: Fallout 2

1999: System Shock 2

2000: Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2

2001: Halo: Combat Evolved

2002: Resident Evil Remake

2003: SSX3

2004: Halo 2

2005: Need For Speed: Most Wanted

2006: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

2007: Mass Effect

2008: Dead Space

2009: Dragon Age: Origins

2010: Mass Effect 2

2011: Dark Souls

2012: Mass Effect 3

2013: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

2014: Dragon Age: Inquisition

2015: Soma

2016: Dark Souls 3

2017: Prey

2018: Pathfinder: Kingmaker

2019: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

2020: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2

2021: Halo Infinite

2022: Elden Ring

The Game Awards thoughts, I could say more but I don't want to allocate too much time to thinking about a damn awards show of all things. Go play the games you love, fuck the mainstream media etc.

[nocicepti0n]

research sector plant life

[ghostofashina]

SEKIRO: Shadows Die Twice elected Game of The Year by The Game Awards

[videogametim]

My Top 10 Games of 2019

It was pretty hard to narrow down the list this year. 2019 was a lot stronger for video games than 2018 and I feel a LOT more confidant about my picks and GOTY choice. In addition, there were also a lot of indie games not mentioned here that I think I will highlight in another post a bit later. For now, here’s the Top 10.

10. Sayonara Wild Hearts (Simogo)

Sayonara Wild Hearts is something special. Although clocking in rather short at just under an hour long, I would best describe the game as an Album Video Game. Each of the game’s 23 or so levels has its own song. The actual gameplay consists of mostly on-rails segments where you have basic movement and avoid obstacles and collect pickups to boost your score, but every level has a unique take on that concept with major climax levels being full tracks with vocals. It’s incredibly stylistic and tells a heartwarming story about dealing with heartbreak. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys musical games.

9. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems)

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the first game in the series that managed to grab me. It’s a very competent tactical RPG with one of my favourite casts of characters this year (especially the Black Eagles house). I was consistently impressed the most with just the sheer amount of content and detail that went into it. An unnecessarily large amount of the dialogue is voiced, the second half of each of the three selectable house’s routes are totally unique, and each route takes around 60 hours to complete. I really never thought a Fire Emblem game would be my new most played game on the Switch by a mile but here we are. 

8. AI: The Somnium Files (Spike Chunsoft)

Kotaro Uchikoshi’s (creator of the Zero Escape trilogy) latest work might be his finest. AI: The Somnium Files is the game on the list this year with the most heart put into it. Consistently funny and over-the-top, a wonderful cast, and a really well executed sci-fi murder mystery. It makes me hope that Uchikoshi continues to make the kinds of games he wants to make, because you can definitely tell he had the most fun making this one.

7. Resident Evil 2 (Capcom)

Resident Evil 2 is the new gold standard for game remakes. I could go on and on praising it for how good it feels to play, the sound design, and the painstaking detail of recreating the original game from the ground up to be a third-person shooter. Quality of Life changes like the map marking items and telling you when a room is cleared and telling you when it’s okay to throw away key items are such fantastic additions. It gives me really high hopes for the RE3 Remake next year. Capcom’s hotstreak continues.

6. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software)

Sekiro rightfully earns its spot as my second favourite FromSoft game. The Souls formula is still there, but the gameplay is fairly different now. Taking Bloodborne’s aggressiveness encouragement another step forward, Sekiro rewards not giving the enemies a chance to breathe more than ever. Boss battles are a tug-of-war of trying to break each other’s posture and perfect blocking to mitigate it. The dodge button pushes you forward by default and you often hope to have your attack blocked more than a it be a direct hit. Some of my favourite FromSoft bosses reside in this game with the final boss perhaps being my favourite overall. Level design is also at its best with the game finally giving you a greater range of movement and verticality with jumping and grappling. There’s even decent stealth mechanics. Sekiro was a really pleasant surprise and I hope they continue The Wolf’s story.

5. Judgement (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio)

Judgement is a Yakuza game in all but name, and RGG Studio’s first one set in Kamurocho without Kiryu as the main character. After giving up being an attorney, Takayuki Yagami becomes a freelance detective and investigates a series of murders in the city with the help of his former law office and ex-Tojo clan friend Masaharu Kaito. Substories are framed as side cases that Yagami can take on to earn some extra money, and new mini-games like drone racing and the Paradise VR board game are incredible additions. Anyone who is a fan of the Yakuza series should really check this out, and newcomers can jump right in without prior knowledge. 

4. Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)

Disco Elysium has some of the best writing I have ever seen in a video game. As an amnesiac detective, you explore the rundown post-wartime district of Martinnaise trying to find who was behind the lynching of a mercenary before the situation gets out of control. What sets Disco Elysium apart from other RPGs in terms of gameplay is its character builds. As there is no combat, the 24 skills that you can put points into when you level up are all social skills. The higher you have various skills leveled, the more you will hear advice from them during conversation trees. A high Authority level will constantly remind you to tell people you are The Law, where a high level in Inland Empire will let you talk to inanimate objects to gain new perspectives. I also feel I have to give a nod to your partner throughout the game, Kim Kitsuragi. I’d rather not give anything away but they could not have written a better character to support you throughout your journey. I’ll likely be thinking about this game for a very long time.

3. Control (Remedy Entertainment)

I think Control flew under a lot of people’s radars until the publicity from the overwhelming number of Game Awards nominations. Control is a game for people who like SCP, psychokinesis powers, cool architecture, and a bit of Alan Wake. It wears its inspirations very blatantly on its sleeve and wraps a very cool story and even better side quests around them. It’s very stylish and has phenomenal lighting. Perhaps this is my Remedy bias but I really really adored this game and featured the coolest moment of the year for me. Please check it out if you get the opportunity.

2. Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix)

Kingdom Hearts III has been a long time coming and what I think it nails best are the size and scale of the worlds. Olympus is the best its ever been with how much of the area outside the Colosseum you get to explore. The Caribbean is more expansive with boat combat that’s better than it has any right to be. Monstropolis has a great original story with some incredible tie-ins to the Kingdom Hearts plot. There’s a ton of incredible fanservice moments too for everyone waiting to see their favourite characters again. I still think a lot of it is really hype albeit cheesy, and it finally puts to rest an arc that has been going since the very first game. Kingdom Hearts isn’t over, but KHIII wraps a lot of things up in as satisfying of a way as they could for a story so expansive and often times convoluted. It’s very rare when a game that has been anticipated for so long not only doesn’t fumble it, but delivers on what I had hoped for, so I’m really glad it got to finally release this year.

1. Devil May Cry 5 (Capcom)

Speaking of games that I’ve been waiting a very long time for, DMC IS BACK! Every moment of DMC5 is a treat. Dante and Nero are at their most fun to play in this game, and V is a very cool addition both story-wise and gameplay-wise.This is the game from this year that I’ve kept going back to the most whether it’s for getting good at harder difficulties, or playing through bloody palace until floor 70 and give up ,or practicing with different weapons. It makes me happy to know that Platinum haven’t just been relegated to being the character action studio and that Hideaki Itsuno’s still got it. There’s no question that this is my Game of the Year and anyone who loves action games but hasn’t ever jumped into this series really needs to address that because DMC5 alone is worth it. 

That’s all for my GOTY 2019 Top 10. If you’ve read this far, thanks for doing so. I really enjoy writing these and there’s a lot to look forward to in video games next March year, so please join me again next time when we can do this all over again!