2018 Community Game of the Year

MrDeVil909 wrote:

So far I have one game on my list.

It’s Warframe, isn’t it?

Eleima wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:

So far I have one game on my list.

It’s Warframe, isn’t it? ;)

well, there have been some expansions, so it would be valid.

Spoiler:

But it's not.

Man, pressure's on now...

MrDeVil909 wrote:

So far I have one game on my list.

Is it Witcher 3 again?

Vector wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:

So far I have one game on my list.

Is it Witcher 3 again? :D

I did play Blood and Wine this year...

Thank you pyxistyx, Maq, and Stealthpizza for your lists! Votes have been tallied.

I'm waiting 'til I finish AC Odyssey. 99 hours and I've had so much fun doing side activities I'm still only 43% through the main story. It's safe to say this one is going to be near the top of my list.

Thanks for doing this, Eleima!

Not much of a list this year. For some reason, I did not play as much as I usually do (probably has something to do with having moved to a new city, getting ajusted to a new job, and having some health issues). So anyway:

4. Yakuza 2 (PS2) (You haven't lived until you've beaten the crap out of a bunch of yakuza men wearing nothing but diapers.)
3. Undertale (PC)
2. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (Switch)
1. Monster Hunter World (PS4)

I played other things, but they are games I had already played in the past (Tomb Raider I and II) or started last year (Valkyria Chronicles 3, Dragon Quest VII).

I've been looking forward to this! Of course, my records show that I played 4 of my 2017 top 10 in December of that year. Recency bias? I'd best hold off for a bit and see how this December goes.

Lucky number 13.

Once again to the achievement list to see what I played!!! I have a game I plan on playing before the end of the year (as soon as I finished RDR2) that will probably be a contender because it is a sequel to one of my picks last year.

I've been waiting to finish my list until I finished some of what I'm playing, but I realized that of the five games I'm juggling, four aren't new to me this year and the one that's left wouldn't be on my list anyway. Quick! Find a new way to procrastinate!

I made my list of games I played for the first time this year and it's only 15 games. With Smash Bros Ultimate being 16 this weekend. And Warframe that I just started last night for some silly reason making 17. Should be able to shorten that list to 10 fairly easily. Maybe I'll even go back and finish a few of those 15 that I haven't yet to help decide.

Wanted to look back at my choices over the past threads, but was surprised to see I have only participated the past couple of years despite being registered since 2010. Kind of feel like I need to do a retroactive game of the year for myself going back in time as far back as I can remember. Would 1988 be Metroid or Mega Man 2?!?!? Though call.

It might be interesting to take all the data we have generated here and use it to get a top 10 of a specific platform or console generation (though I guess we don't even have a full generation of data since 2006 was the first year we did this but the seventh generation started in late 2005) and it might be neat to do a full decade after next year (2010-2019). Games tend to get the most votes during the year of their release, but some show up randomly years later thanks to people like me who don't always focus on the new hotness (I may include a game from 1995 next year as I plan to play it over the holiday break). Are the spreadsheets and stuff going back that far still available?

I actually kept a running list this year! But now I have to rank them! And of course there are late challengers... I do love this thread though. There have already been new (to me) games mentioned that I'll have to add to a wishlist!

Rykin wrote:

It might be interesting to take all the data we have generated here and use it to get a top 10 of a specific platform or console generation (though I guess we don't even have a full generation of data since 2006 was the first year we did this but the seventh generation started in late 2005) and it might be neat to do a full decade after next year (2010-2019). Games tend to get the most votes during the year of their release, but some show up randomly years later thanks to people like me who don't always focus on the new hotness (I may include a game from 1995 next year as I plan to play it over the holiday break). Are the spreadsheets and stuff going back that far still available?

Gravity and I started looking at some past data last year - would still like to do it, probably when my job search quiets down. I think we still have to scrape a couple threads to recover lost data... I guess anybody who wants to help with that can PM me and maybe that'll give me the boost to actually finish it.

1. God of War
2. Spider-Man
3. Assassins Creed Odyssey
4. ...

Really that is all I have played this year so I am going to stop there.

Thank you bobbywatson & farley3k for your lists!! Votes have been tallied.

Rykin wrote:

It might be interesting to take all the data we have generated here and use it to get a top 10 of a specific platform or console generation (though I guess we don't even have a full generation of data since 2006 was the first year we did this but the seventh generation started in late 2005) and it might be neat to do a full decade after next year (2010-2019). Games tend to get the most votes during the year of their release, but some show up randomly years later thanks to people like me who don't always focus on the new hotness (I may include a game from 1995 next year as I plan to play it over the holiday break). Are the spreadsheets and stuff going back that far still available?

Yeah, sure, there are spreadsheets, and I gather data about this last year already and posted stuff. Honestly, it's a bit of a moot point. Not to mention that there are so few true platform exclusives. I even did a graph with color codes per quarter.

Game of the Year 2018:

Although December is only just starting, I’ve already decided what I’ll be playing during this last month of the year and what games I’ll be considering hereon for 2019 rather than 2018. As such, I’ll be curating my list based on what I’ve played enough of during the running year.

1. Pyre

Hoo-boy! This was a tough choice for me; defining my number one game of the year. The games that occupy my top three picks were tied up until a few hours ago. It took some memory-searching and careful analysis to decide which one I would place into the top spot and why.

Pyre is a game from the developers of Bastion and Transistor, and it outclasses both of those games quite handily. The narrative is interesting and touches upon many common themes about politics, social class struggles, and dystopian societies. The characters are charming and deep, making it easy to find them endearing. The art style and musical score are simply wonderful; making the game’s setting come alive despite the visual novel-style mechanics of overworld navigation and character interactions. The real meat of the game, however, lies in its depiction of a fictional sport that’s reminiscent of Tlatchtli (pre-Columbian Mesoamerican sport), though some would liken it to more modern games like Football (soccer) and Basketball. Matches are exhilarating and challenging, with every different race possessing quite distinctive attributes and abilities. The RPG-like character progression system also allows for some degree of customization for characters and squads.

I bought the game finding the pitch intriguing, and soon found myself falling in love with everything about it. I loved the game and narrative of the story based on the decisions I made so satisfying that, in what may seem to some as a counter-intuitive move, I decided not to play the story mode again for many years as I don’t want to change my perception of the specific path I trod in-game.

Although it was an early pick for 2018, the impact that Pyre had on me as a game and as an experience outlived and outperformed any other of the many

2. Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Oh, the humanity! This game I got mostly out of liking the aesthetics of it, and having an interest in how it might depict WWI. What I found was a game of simple mechanics but great narrative that tugged at my heart strings throughout the entirety of my playthrough. I actually shed tears at the end and thought the doggo in it was the very best boy, yes he is.

3. Hollow Knight

I very nearly put this as my number one pick, but after weighing it and the other two in the top three, well… This is possibly the best Metroidvania style game I’ve been able to play in a good long time. The influence of the Souls series appears to have added just the right kind of spice to the tried and true formula. I have yet to beat the game, as it is monster in size and the difficulty can take some getting used to in some parts, but I’m quite confident that, given enough time, I will be completing the main game, the DLC, and maybe even getting every trophy for it.

4. Divinity: Original Sin

What a lovely little PC RPG… And by little, I mean the opposite. 111 hours is what it took me to run through the game in as thorough a manner as possible without a guide and knowing full well that I’d missed some possible companions.

The writing worked well despite what appears to be a rather haphazard approach to narrative. This was helped in no small amount by the humor permeating everything about the world of Divinity, which doesn’t take itself too seriously despite the inherently epic nature of its main plot. This game made me wish, more than ever before, that there actually was a Discworld PC RPG (with Monty Python voice talent added for good measure).

5. Monster Hunter World

Hunting huge monsters. In a semi-open world. With periodic updates and new beasties. I spent well over 200 hours on this game alone since I got it in May-June. It is the best Monster Hunter game I’ve played by a large margin, and it sits quite snugly in the fifth spot on my list.

6. Spyro Reignited Trilogy

My favorite 3D platformer series of the PSOne era gets a highly faithful and amazingly upgraded remake. Nuff said.

7. Nex Machina

I love twin stick shooters. I love neon and cyberpunk. I love challenging games. I think that’s succinct enough for ya.

8. Guacamelee 2

So many Metroidvanias, so little time. The Mexiverse is now a thing, and I hope there’s more to come from Drinkbox studios in this setting. Guac 2 is like its predecessor and doesn’t really change things up too much, but I found that it did just enough to mix up the original formula. Plus, the hammy humor and tons of references to other games always elicit chuckles aplenty out of me.

9. Dead Cells

What can I say? I like me some 2D platforming action. Fast-paced and predicated on a fail better fail faster philosophy, Dead Cells is some of the most fun I’ve had this year. I wished, at times that the story was a little meatier, but then again, if there’s ever a sequel, we might get that extra meat.

10. Abzu

Serene and beautiful. Simplistic in design but touching and evocative of deep feeling and meaning. I loved the time I spent submerged in Abzu’s oceans. The little hidden easter eggs within it were literally awe-inspiring to me in that way I was able to be amazed in childhood by the very idea of… Well, I won’t spoil it for anyone by saying exactly what, so there.

Honorable Mentions:

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Minecraft Story Mode Season 1
Last Day June
Ni No Kuni II
Steven Universe: Attack the Light
Pato Box
Minit
Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon

I loved Bastion and Transistor. Why don't I own Pyre?

It's quite good!

Stele wrote:

I loved Bastion and Transistor. Why don't I own Pyre?

Well if you're like me, you somehow missed knowing it existenced until now.

Yay Eleima and the best thread of every year.
Didn't play a lot since my pc was busted for quite a while.
I have a Switch but managed to not play it much.
Not my final list, just trying to think of things

Spoiler:

6. Rayman Legends (Switch)
5. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch)
4. Magic Arena (PC)
3. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Switch)
2. Nier Automata (PC)
1. Celeste (PC)

Mantid wrote:
Stele wrote:

I loved Bastion and Transistor. Why don't I own Pyre?

Well if you're like me, you somehow missed knowing it existenced until now.

That's it exactly. I blame you for not telling me.

1. Slay the Spire (Steam / Mac)

IMAGE(https://i.ibb.co/rcYCBkK/Screen-Shot-2018-12-04-at-3-56-45-PM.png)

This deckbuilding battler continues to push a lot of my personal favorite buttons: Turn-based combat. Fast, punchy battles. The ability to optimize tactics on each individual turn (via a mechanic of seeing what the enemy is about to do). An FTL-like branching paths map system. Tough and meaningful strategic decisions.

There was an indie tablet game a few years back on tablets, "Dream Quest," which featured hilariously amateurish graphics, but a deceptively deep and enjoyable system of battle/event selection, deckbuilding, and combat. Slay the Spire is essentially that -- but with far superior game design, balance, and presentation.

Where a lot of superficially similar deckbuilder/combat games have fallen flat for me in the past, Slay the Spire has wildly succeeded!

2. Hollow Knight (Steam / Mac) - This Metroidvania game and its classic-style 8-direction movement system was a great reason to bust out my SNES-like Pokken Tournament D-pad controller. Mechanically tight and balanced, Hollow Knight is also incredibly stylish, and achieves some solid world-building despite minimal exposition.

3. Octopath Traveller (Switch) - A great turn-based JRPG with a like-the-classics-but-better combat system. The battle mechanic of discovering and exploiting enemy weaknesses to specific attack types, and the mechanic of storing up a "battle point" each turn and then spending them all to unleash a huge attack, combine into a nicely satisfying whole. The main thing keeping this game from appearing higher on my list is the conspicuous dearth of interaction between the game's main characters, with all cutscenes playing out as though all of the protagonists except that chapter's own main character have temporarily vanished and been forgotten about; I hope we get a sequel that addresses that issue.

4. Celeste (Switch) - Like Hollow Knight, this game really shines when played with a solid, traditional 8-way D-pad. The tough aerial / platforming gameplay pairs nicely with the poignant story.

5. Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization (iOS) - This board game's digital implementation is excellent, right up there with classics like Ascension and Lords of Waterdeep. And even better than the aforementioned games, Through the Ages features a number of interesting single-player challenges to keep things interesting and fresh through repeated single-player games.

6. 7 Wonders (iOS) - My all-time favorite physical board game finally got a digital implementation! It's a solid one, too. I've enjoyed being able to bang out quick games of 7 Wonders against AI opponents. My only other desire for the game would be a single-player campaign or challenges mode.

7. Holedown (iOS) - A solid entry in the "launch rebounding balls to break bricks" genre, with a nice upgrades and difficulty curve system. The only other thing I might have liked to see is greater variety in the end-of-level challenges.

8. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch) - Continuing my 2018 trend of playing 8-way-movement D-pad games, I found this to be a solid game in the style of the classic NES Castlevania games, but it didn't manage to grab me enough for me to complete it.

9. Wall Kickers (iOS) - I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here a bit -- I played less new games this year than is usual for me! -- but I did enjoy this F2P one-thumb climbing game featuring a double-jumping mechanic, with its Crossy-Road-alike character unlock system, for what it was worth.

Not Yet Ranked: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch) - My 13-year-old -- who now beats me in 1v1 at Smash 4 (Wii U) at about an 80% clip -- have been really looking forward to this latest entry, which comes out in just a few days! I'll post again in this thread later this month with an update to where it slots into the list.

Update 2018-12-24: I've decided to just leave this list as-is for this year, and consider my personal Gaming Year as running from December 1 through November 30. I'll consider including Smash Ultimate and the other new games that I ended up picking up this month (Pyre; Shadows of Adam; West of Loathing) in GY 2019!

Previously: 2017 (GOTY: Zelda: Breath of the Wild). 2016 (GOTY: Stardew Valley). 2015 (GOTY: Super Mario Maker).

MrDeVil909 wrote:

So far I have one game on my list.

Command interface initiated
Mechwarriors: prepare for combat.

Thank you brokenclavicle, RolandofGilead & WolverineJon for your lists! Roland, I get that that's your first go at it, but I've tallied them all the same. Just be sure to tell me when you're posting your second version.
Brokenclavicle, I'm thrilled to see Abzû on your list, it was on mine last year I believe. And glad to see Pyre getting number one! I still haven't gotten around to that one, though it's on the short list.

Keep 'em coming, folks.

Eleima, thank you very much for running this event once again this year!

I noticed you have a link to the 2017 GOTY thread in your signature. Is it time to update it?

1. Tacoma
2. SOMA
3. What Remains of Edith Finch
4. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
5. The Alliance Alive
6. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country
7. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
8. Little Nightmares Complete Edition
9. Silence
10. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Eleima wrote:

Thank you brokenclavicle, RolandofGilead & WolverineJon for your lists! Roland, I get that that's your first go at it, but I've tallied them all the same. Just be sure to tell me when you're posting your second version.
Brokenclavicle, I'm thrilled to see Abzû on your list, it was on mine last year I believe. And glad to see Pyre getting number one! I still haven't gotten around to that one, though it's on the short list.

Keep 'em coming, folks.

Thank you for hosting this!

Yeah, Abzu was really enjoyable and I've been diving in here and there when I want to play something relaxing for a few short minutes since I first played through it. As for Pyre, I really can't stress how much fun and how engaging it was for me. For anyone that hasn't played it yet, I encourage you to do so and hope that you find it even a fraction as enjoyable as I did.

Looking at my past year lists, both 2017 and 2018 crowned indie games as my number one pick (Night in the Woods was mine for last year). It think it's been an issue of substance over style; I've played plenty of high profile, AAA games, but while those have been very enjoyable, the ones that have left the most lasting impression on me are indie gems. I guess labors of love, to one degree or another, do show through.

Dragon Quest XI

What a joy! It's not overly complex, it's not trying to be anything it isn't. It's a traditional-style JRPG which highlights everything great about the genre. While the lack of variety in music is a sore point, and the fact that you have to mod out the grating midi-soundtrack kinda sucks, everything else is sublime. I've been playing an hour each night, and I always look forward to that. It's got me excited about JRPGs again, and I just can't get enough.

No question, this is my #1 GOTY.

Pinball FX 3's Williams Bally DLC

Bit of an oddball inclusion, I normally wouldn't consider DLC but this is THREE whole games in one. Zen have worked some magic here, the physics are the best of any virtual pinball I've played. Hell, I swear they've even managed to code in ball spin. It's crazy how lifelike these machines are.

The icing on the cake is being able to play them all on Switch in vertical mode. Due to the portability, I've almost joined the 100-hour club with Pinball FX, and most of that's with their first foray into real-life tables. Medieval Madness is just such a perfect game -- I've barely touched Getaway and Junkyard!

They've just released their second real-life pinball pack, with re-recorded audio, and I'm in pinball-nerd heaven. Loving this stuff!

Celeste

The best platformer I've ever played. Each new stage brings in a fresh mechanic, and the level design never gets stale. Stage layouts are so incredibly creative, I was always shocked by just how varied everything felt. What really elevates this, though, is the charming story. I really appreciated how delicately it approached the topic of anxiety. Not many games have been able to effectively explore mental illness, and a brutally hard platformer was the last place I expected to see something like that. It struck a chord with me, and I still think about it regularly despite finishing it early in the year.

I've listened to the soundtrack countless times since. It's great!

Yoku's Island Express

Charming and unique! While I love me some pinball, that's not the sole reason for Yoku's Island Express being on my list. This deserves to be up there with Hollow Knight in terms of indie Metroidvanias. It's not too challenging, and the exploration is streamlined quite nicely. The pinball mechanic is used in a lot of cool ways and never grows old.

It's a one-of-a-kind game, and one I fear will be criminally overlooked.

Like Celeste, it has a fantastic soundtrack. How can you listen to this and NOT be happy?!

Subnautica

I wasn't sure about including this on my list because once I got my big submarine I just...Stopped playing. I'm not sure why, but something clicked and I never went back to it.

But, wow. WOW. I don't get spooked by games. Games are just codes, rules, and polygons. I honestly don't remember the last time a game made me feel absolutely terrified. There would be times where I had to turn Subnautica off because I was sweating and anxious. The deep water, not being able to see into the distance, and catching glimpses of movement. Maybe I just suffer from a bit of thalassophobia, who knows! My father used to take me diving when I was younger, so Subnautica just felt very real to me.

It's also the first "survival" game that I've had fun with. Totally blew me away. I need to get back to it, I want to see the end. Time to start over I think!

Surprised Total War Warhammer wasn't on your list Unicycle, I got the impression you really dug that from the forum (I could have totally confused you with someone else though!). Are you only considering games released this year for your list?