2018 was a pretty alright year for video games, wasn’t it? And no, not just because we released DUSK and MonsterVine gave it a 5/5 and Best Indie Game (thanks guys) but also because when I was doing things other than working on DUSK and our other games at New Blood – I got to play (and even sometimes finish!) some of the best games I’ve played in years.
So without further ado – here are my top 5 games of 2018:
#5 – FarCry 5
The fifth numbered installment in the FarCry franchise has managed to keep its hooks in me longer than any since FarCry 2, and I didn’t even like FarCry 2 all that much! The change in formula that’s seen the franchise basically get more and more ridiculous since FarCry 3 has finally culminated in what I think is the best FarCry experience yet. Sure, “The Father” may not be as quotable as Vaas, but as y’all know – I sure do love killin’ me some cultists. And I love it even more when one of my companions is basically Kenny Powers with a rocket launcher and the other is literally a grizzly bear (love u Cheeseburger)
Sure, it can be repetitive at times and sure, sometimes it’s hard to suspend my disbelief at all the insane fuckery on display – but god damn if it ain’t a big, beautiful good time. Hit me with that bliss, baby!
#4 – Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
People who know me as a retro FPS guy are often surprised to find out my favorite game genre is actually CRPGs. Once I cut my teeth on the likes of Fallout and Baldur’s Gate back in the 90s? I never looked back. Luckily, as of late, the genre has had quite the resurgence thanks to the likes of the Pillars of Eternity series from the CRPG pioneers at Obsidian.
Pillars 2 takes the already solid Pillars formula on a tour of the islands. Eschewing the classical high fantasy RPG forests and dungeons for the high seas and sandy shores of the Deadfire Archipelago. The change of scenery makes for a very nice change of pace as well as some very interesting new characters. The Fishy-haired son of a sea goddess Tekehu taking my top honors in that regard. With apologies to my beloved Captain Aeldys.
I found everything in Pillars 2 to be tighter. From the combat to the conversations to the inventory and equipment systems. You could say the 80+ hours I spent in the Deadfire sailed on by. The sea shanties certainly helped.
Given the vast world Obsidian has created and the success of this franchise, here’s to hoping Pillars of Eternity 3 isn’t too far off.
#3 – HITMAN 2 (Not to be confused with Hitman 2)
One of the three games on this list I consider essentially perfect. Perfect look, perfect feel, perfect pace, perfect execution. The absolute peak of the Hitman formula. Everything fans of the series could ever and should ever want. And they even let you play the missions from HITMAN 1?! Glorious.
The amount of content and replayability in HITMAN 2 is staggering. The amount of freedom and choice in HITMAN 2 is equally staggering. This whole damn game is a testament to everything IO Interactive has learned over the course of 20 or so years making Hitman – and it’s never been better than this.
Also, you get to kill Sean Bean.
#2 – Marvel’s Spider-Man
A console game?! Surely, you jest! But no. Within the first minutes of Spidey PS4 you’re given all the exposition you need to know exactly who this Peter Parker is, where he is in his life, and the kind of Spider-Man he’s already become. Better yet? Mere moments later you’re immediately swinging effortlessly through a picture perfect recreation of New York City so legit I can navigate it without a map (I grew up there) and taking out Kingpin’s goons. Thwip thwip bang bang.
I thought the combat system so fast and fluid and precise that once I’d spent enough time with it, l found myself becoming one with my PlayStation controller in a way I haven’t felt since the Prince of Persia trilogy on PS2. It’s just plain tight.
The best part about Spider-Man is that it doesn’t fall victim to that tired open world formula of having too much to do. The map isn’t simply littered with objectives and side quests, there’s only ever just enough – and new, more varied ones will present themselves as you progress. And before you know it? It’s over. It’s a game you can easily 100% over the course of 20-30 hours and it’s a much better experience because of it.
Not only is this easily the best Spider-Man game ever made. It’s probably the best superhero game ever made as well. EXCELSIOR.
#1 – Subnautica
Subnautica is a game I had nearly no interest in until it was fully released after a very long tenure in Early Access. I’m not a fan of survival and crafting games and I’d always just foolishly assumed Subnautica was another one of those janky, open ended, sandbox snooze-fests.
Oh how wrong I was.
Not since Skyrim first launched in 2011 have I found myself so addicted and enamored with a single player game world.
The way it gates your story and progress by forcing you to keep going deeper and wider into the ever indimitaing depths makes for an absolute master class in game design. How it can feel so guided yet so open. Make you feel so helpless, yet so powerful.
I remember the Aurora, I remember the disease, I remember the fate of the Torgal family… poor Bart. I remember how great it felt to finally be able to build a tiny submarine… and then the first time a reaper leviathan grabbed my tiny submarine and shook me until I nearly pissed myself.
I remember all of this like it was yesterday. Which is wild since I haven’t touched the game since I beat it in January of 2018… and got every single achievement after playing it for nearly 60 hours straight over the course of a week to do so.
It is wonderful. It is horrifying. It is thought provoking. It is arresting. It is awe inspiring.
And it is the best game of 2018.
That’s all I got for last year…
Now go forth into the new year… AND BUY DUSK.
