ResetEra Games of the Year 2019 - Voting Thread (READ THE OP) [Ends Jan 26th 8:59am EST]

[Ryo]

I'm only going to list my top 3 as those are the only ones that deserve to be in contention IMO.

1. Death Stranding - Incredibly engrossing lore and story that is unlike anything I've ever seen, told through fantastic cinematography and combined with a gameplay loop and social strand system that is just as unique. And as always with Kojima games the characters and soundtrack are top-tier.
2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Not my favourite Fromsoft game but it didn't have to be, there are still some awesome boss fights, the world is beautiful and sword fighting has never looked and felt so satisfying. That's one thing Fromsoft have mastered, combat that looks good while still feeling very deliberate.
3. Resident Evil 2 - I have never played the original, the game was short and I wasn't a massive fan of the sewer area but outside of that it's hard to fault the game, a good story, it runs amazing, an incredibly detailed gore system, excellent survival mechanics, puzzles that weren't too obtuse but still required a brain and pretty much perfect third person shooter controls for a horror game.

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[Roytheone]

Kinda in 2 minds about my placement of sekiro in my list. If I see the game as is, I would not put it in my top 10. it wasn't fun enough for me. However, by tweaking the difficulty with cheatengine I did have a lot of fun in the end, and that experience (sekiro+cheatengine) would be in my top 10. So I am kinda struggling if that means I should put it there or not. Kinda curious how other people here would handle that.

Not dissimilar with my opinion about skyrim actually. Non modded skyrim is only ok, but modded skyrim is one of the best games of last gen.

 

[EarthPainting]

1. Shovel Knight: King of Cards - King of Cards gives you a lot of options, and its level design asks you to explore and play around with them. While it ends on a downer, it was still a great final entry in the series. Shovel Knight was already an excellent game by itself, but each expansion elevated it every single time. Also really liked its card game, Joustus.
2. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Fire Emblem tends to be a hit or miss series for me, where I usually lose interest after a few sessions. Wasn't a problem for me in this one. Not all the campaigns were as satisfying as they could have been, but I had a great time with the blue and yellow boys and girls. I saw a lot of folks criticise that the school mechanics stopped working for them during the final few weeks in the calendar, but I didn't suffer from that problem because I mixed up my party for every mission..
3. Life is Strange 2 - Didn't start playing it until the final stretch of the year, since I was waiting for all the episodes to be out. Glad I managed to still find time for it in 2019, because it's a powerful experience. The writing in this entry became stronger, the locations more varied, and it did a way better job at handling player choice.
4. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - I'm a sucker for these types of games, and Bloodstained gave me exactly what I wanted. The castle itself was decent, music and atmosphere were good, and the abilities were fun. The only thing I didn't really enjoy as much, were the bosses, but that's par for the course in Castlevania games.
5. A Short Hike - Late addition, but I adored it. It's this chill mixture of Animal Crossing and Celeste. Exploration's fun, thanks to solid controls, lots of elevation in its level design, plenty of stuff to find, and rewarding the player with more double-jumps. It's a short experience, much like the game suggests, but I loved being in that world.
6. Luigi's Mansion 3 - Don't care much for Luigi, but the game's creativity kept surprising me over and over again. I rarely try to 100% a game, but this was one of those games where I went for it anyway. I dabbled a little bit in the online, and while I'll probably not touch it again any time soon, it seemed cool too.
7. Cadence of Hyrule - Came out of nowhere. Didn't know I wanted it, but it turns out I certainly did. It's a cute mashup that doesn't overstay its welcome. I might even prefer it over vanilla Necrodancer, due to how much more casual it is.
8. Dragon Quest 11 Definitive Edition - Was planning on skipping it, but had it gifted to me, so I ended up making some time for it. It's still good, but I'm ready for the series to start mixing things up a bit more. The series used to be so bold, but has shackled itself to its traditions for almost two decades now. I'm still having a good time with it, but the lack of ambition bums me out a bit.
9. Astral Chain - This game felt like it was salvaged from other projects, with how generic its writing sometimes was, and how rarely it ever bothers to dig deeper into what it had to offer. When it does get in the zone though, it shows how much it could have been. It's one of those games where I see tons of potential in a sequel, and hope it comes.
10. Kingdom Hearts 3 - Disappointed me in the sense that it didn't give me anything that I wanted, and instead focused on all the bits I did not care about. Putting that aside, I did have a good time with most of it. Had some great new Disney worlds, and the combat, while simple, was fun.

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[AshenOne]

1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Absolutely lovely combat, outstanding level design, great boss fights and filled with environments that make you totally go in awe. It really feels like a one in a decade sort of a game that its a must play. 100% deserving of my personal GOTY.
2. Remnant: From the Ashes - A very interesting game that is a mixture of Dark Souls and other great games as it mixes in different stuff to make it feel extremely enjoyable in some cases and a lot enjoyable in general along with its loot system. Weapons feel really good and the enemy design feels really nice as well. Despite the fact that it was a passion project by a relatively small team, its definitely up there as my 2nd best game of the year.
3. Halo: The Master Chief Collection - Someone who is new to the Halo series on PC, the start of Reach really straight in puts you deep into the atmosphere of the series and the gun-play feels really great. Level design feels nice as well and makes me really appreciate how the game was tailored by the devs even if a decade has passed us by!
4. Metro Exodus - Iam a huge fan of the Metro series and this iteration of Metro really feels as much of a metro game as the past ones, absolutely nailed the atmosphere and story of metro and this time we get a relatively open world entry of metro unlike the past game and some of the places you go to really chills you to the bone! Loved the game and i hope the devs keep churning up more takes on the metro series!

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[Saint-14]

Reading the lists I forgot (and so did everyone apparently) KH3 even launched this year, it seems like it won't even make it into top 10 holy shit.

 

[Ramathevoice]

Control - Or the lack of it. It's fitting that this game both handles so beautifully and surrenders reality so readily. A tight and challenging third person shooter that feels kind of like The Matrix and The X-Files took David Lynch out for drugs and used a Ouija board to summon the ghost of Lovecraft to ask him where the best club is.

Click to shrink...

Can I steal this description? It's one of the best I've seen for this gem of a game. Bravo!

 

[vastag]

1. Total War: THREE KINGDOMS - The setting, the visual style, the posibility to play a romanticed or historic approach... after Warhammer II I thought that Creative Assembly had reached their zenith, but they continue to improve. Can't wait for Warhammer III.
2. Slay the Spire - Fun, replayable, with a great mod scene in PC... just a fantastic game.
3. Baba is You - A great puzzle game with intelligent mechanics. I was very impressed with the deep of the puzzle design.
4. Resident Evil 2 - Perfect remake, just as great as the original.
5. Devil May Cry 5 - A nice return to the roots.
6. Ace Combat 7 - Over the top air combat, just what I expect from Ace Combat games.

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[S1kkZ]

1. Control - By far Remedys best game yet. Its like they took all the great elements of their prevoius games and mashed them together. Fantastic controls (that shit all over fallen orders), insane visuals, best soundtrack of the year and a good story.
2. Death Stranding - Finally, Kojima achieved greatness (to me). This is the game where all of his trademarks come together (and dont cancel each other out) and form an absolute masterpiece. I was sure i would hate the game...but i didnt. I loved every (sometimes painful) minute of it. The last 3-4 hours is some of the best shit i have experienced as a gamer, ever (in terms of story and how everything comes together).
3. Resident Evil 2 Remake - While its not without flaws (not enough racoon city and the story is a massive step down from the original), i finished it 8 times in like 2 weeks. That speaks for itself. The game has almost no fat/filler, insane replay value, amazing visuals and sound.
4. Bloodstained - Many have tried, but none of the countless "copies" came close to match an igavania in terms of feel & quality. Bloodstained did. Thats all that needs to be said.
5. Days Gone - I hated every trailer, gameplay video and just everything about the game pre-release. Then i got my hands on a cheap copy and fell in love. While the game is a bit too long (its basically its own trilogy) and takes 5 hours to get going, its fucking briliant. the world, the characters, the visuals (THE showpiece game for 4k/hdr!), gameplay loops and the hordes. the fucking hordes!

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[Acquiescence]

Resi 2's got this.

 

[GokouD]

1. Super Mario Maker 2 - No contest with this one for me. I loved the first one, and I managed to play over 200 hours of this in the first couple of months, while only slightly neglecting my family, and recently topped out at ranked 21st in the world for Maker Points. I had to take a break when I got tennis elbow from holding the Switch too much... The new additions to the game may look a little slim on the surface, but stuff like vertical levels, scroll lock and a much more generous limit for ground blocks massively expand what's possible.
2. Baba Is You - a proper puzzle game, you can scratch your head for hours over some levels only to feel like a genius when you get it. The graphics are perfect too, I love everything about this.
3. Tetris 99 - This came out of nowhere and is just so good. Pure, refined, digital crack, and I've never even won a game.
4. Katana Zero - It feels like it ends a bit too suddenly, but the pixel art is exquisite, the music is fantastic and the gameplay is great too.
5. Luigi's Mansion 3 - I was genuinely surprised by how slick and polished this is. Probably the best looking game on the Switch, and really fun to play too.
   
   
6. Untitled Goose Game - Short and sweet, but utterly charming and properly funny. HONK!
7. Astral Chain - Really interesting take on the action genre, and luckily silent protagonists don't bother me.
8. Pokemon Sword/Shield - Despite it being really quite stripped back and almost unfinished in places, I just had a ton of fun with this. The UK setting helped.
9. Sayonara Wild Hearts - What a trip. Short, but just a beautiful piece of art. Contender for best title screen of all time.
10. Yoshi's Crafted World - Not as tight a game as Woolly World was, but I love the art style and it was great fun to play in co-op with my wife. Surprisingly challenging in the later stages too.

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[bushmonkey]

1. Control - I played through Control in January and loved it so much, I had to go back and change this list. I loved the atmosphere, the lore, the story, the feeling of the combat. The only thing that lets it down is the unresolved story beats by the end and the performance on consoles.
2. Death Stranding - This game is so much more than the sum of its parts. There is no feeling like the start of a delivery, stepping out into the world with nothing but your backpack (vehicles be damned) and when the game decides to start playing a song as you're walking, the noise of the shuffling cargo on your back in the background and the desolate lonely world in front of you, I get goosebumps every time. Beautiful.
3. days Gone - Talk about surpassing expectations. I really thought this was going to be a mindless third person shooter in the Ubisoft mold with no redeeming features and I was so wrong. The gameplay is amazing, the world interesting to explore and the story (whilst very cliched) is entertaining and the characters endearing.
4. Return of the Obra Dinn - This game came out on PS4 this year and I finally got a chance to experience it. It's not quite as good as I was expecting from the PC reviews last year and how much I enjoyed Papers, please. It is too easy to be stuck and there aren't enough parallel threads to explore at any 1 time when that happens which can be really frustrating but it is still a fantastic game and the 3rd best of the year despite the flaws.
5. Blood and truth - The VR killer app. I love my PSVR and this game stands tall above the rest (well outside of Robot Rescue but that game transcends VR and is GOAT so it's unfair to compare really).
6. Stellaris: console edition - I didn't think it was possible but they translated the mouse and keyboard to the PS4 controller beautifully. The controls become second nature after 20 or so minutes of playing. The fact that this is coupled with 1 of the greatest strategy games of all time is just a bonus.
7. Vacation simulator - Just as fun as the first one but this time it's actually a game with a progression system and unlockables. It could still do with being a bit more challenging but still a great game.
8. Devil may cry 5 - The gameplay is fantastic and the characters iconic and it's a blast to play. I just wish there were more varied environments to play in
9. Apex Legends - I don't normally like multiplayer shooters but Apex Legends is just so fun to play.
10. The outer wilds - The loop is brilliant and the adventure intriguing. I just wish it would be easier to control the ship.

Games that are just below the top 10 but I still really liked:
Cardpocalypse
Sayonara wild hearts
What the golf


Honourable mentions (games I didn't play enough of to qualify but feel would be on the list if I had:
Resident evil 2
Metro exodus
Kingdom hearts 3
Control


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[Deleted member 18951]

1. Gears 5 - it's the best campaign in the series and Horde is as good as ever, pretty much the complete package.
2. The Outer Worlds -
3. Outer Wilds -
4. STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order -
5. Afterparty -
6. Metro Exodus -

I need to have a think for the rest, will come back to it.


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[Luke88]

1. Astral Chain - I've played my fair share of Platinum Games, I enjoyed them, but I was never an hardcore fan, you know what I'm a fan of ? Riding a Beast Legion while wielding a Sword, controlling 2 characters without the game turning into a mess, a killer soundtrack and, surprisingly for an Action game, a lengthy campaign. The story isn't mindblowing, it's very much something you'd expect, what you don't expect is a well built world with charming characters (including a lovable K-9 pup) that screams set-up for something greater to come. This game also has a fair ammount of Anime references that are well implemented and very satisfying, it never dips too much into it though, so if you don't follow the medium it's not like you're missing out, it's just a novelty for those who saw the likes of Neon Genesis Evangelion or DBZ.
2. Luigi's Mansion 3 - You know when a game you've been anticipating for years is announced with very little gameplay shown and then it goes radio silent for what feels like ages and you're just praying it turns out good ? Luigi's Mansion 3 is that game, 9 months passed from its reveal in the September 2018 Direct until its proper E3 2019 reveal, and you know how it turned out ? Exceeding all expectations, being one of the best looking games on the Switch, exploding with ideas, environments and secrets. Luigi's Mansion 3 is not a game about defeating ghosts, the title isn't "Luigi Phantom-Hunter" (although it would be a sick title) the title mentions what's the most important thing: the Mansion, and boy did they deliver with the Hotel. You can't play this game without feeling greedy, because sucking money in this game is so addicting that you'll keep doing it even if the game gives you little incentives to use your money. Next Level Games had 2 burdens stacking on top of this game: the first was redeeming themselves from Federation Force and the second was living up to the legacy of the first Luigi's Mansion and in my book they nailed both of them.
3. Control - I'm writing too much, so I'll get to the point: this game is UNDERRATED, more people need to play it, it's the best game Remedy ever made and it's also a an Action-Adventure shooter with Metroidvania influences, which despite the Metroidvania renaissance aren't all that common.The Lynch inspirations are blatant but exceptionally executed, the Oldest House is one of the best settings you could visit in a game in 2019. The best time to play this game was when it launched at the end of August when nothing else came out (other than my #1 but you probably didn't play either since they both sold poorly), the next best time to play it is now, after patches for consoles and PC came out improving performance and adding a new mode for free, so give it a shot.
4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - This was my first Fire Emblem game and it was pretty much everything I expected from the series, despite several tweaks made for the first time in this installment (leading to a lot of rough edges) it was a great continuation from Wargroove earlier this year. Personally I would prefer a higher ammount of battles in proportion to the exploration and lecturing activities, but the quality of the characters, discovering details about their personality and their past was extremely entertaining. I know people love the replayability of the three (+1) paths the player can take, but honestly I hope the next game (or the one after that since we're probably going to get a Remake first) choses to have only one main story with choices for the player algonside it.
5. Dragon Quest 11 Definitive Edition - Much like #3 I think DQXI S hasn't sold nearly as much as it deserves, as a Pokémon fan I LOVED exploring Erdrea, killing its goofy monsters and rallying a memorable group of heroes to take down the forces of evil, having a good story, with very surprising twists is something Pokémon rarely did, while this game makes me think all Dragon Quest games probably have a similarly epic tale, what I'm certain of is that I anticipate the release of DQXII, likely to arrive in 2030 in the west :p
6. Gris - While in Astral Chain's case it's great to have a lengthy campaing with lots of cool environments to explore, not all games need to be lengthy, Gris is a short, emotional journey unlikely to leave you unaltered, a wonderful artstyle and a good soundtrack complement a small, colorful jewel.
7. Shovel Knight: King of Cards - An outstanding closure for one of the best indie games of the generation, one of the best post-launch supports ever for a singleplayer game and one of the most successful Kickstarter Campaigns (not because of the money they recieved but the accomplishments they made by delivering what they promised to their fans)
8. Super Mario Maker 2 - I never played Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2 is one of the jolliest games I played this year, I created a handful of levels (including some devilish ones), I loved the campaign for it's creativity and I wish this game got more support, I'll definitely get back into it after the latest update but I can't help but feel like this was a missed opportunity to let Mario Maker become one of Nintendo's biggest franchises.

 

[Flevance]

1. Resident Evil 2 - A remake that satisfied even a huge fan of the OG such as myself, that in itself say it all.
2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Hard to imagine anything would top this in both the setting and combat.
3. Ciconia When They Cry - Another masterpiece from ‏Ryukishi07 and a worthy new entry to the WTC series. Also, OST of the year hands down.
4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - My first game in the franchise, but it wasn't as confusing as I thought! Solid battle system with a memorable cast and story. An experience I won't forget anytime soon.
5. Shenmue 3 - Would've been my GOTY if not for that rushed ending! The rest of the game tho? Exactly what I wanted from Shenmue experience.
6. AI: The Somnium Files
7. Super Mario Maker 2
8. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
9. Astral Chain
10. Death Stranding

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[Dark_Chris]

1. Resident Evil 2 - Highest rated new game this year and the best RE game since RE4. capcom is on roll lately and this is their magnum opus this gen.
2. Disco Elysium - best RPG game in years. It went largely under radar until release so it's also the surprise of the year for me.
3. Metro Exodus - an epic finale entry in this trilogy, yet it's now largely forgotten which I'm never going to understand
4. Ghost Recon Breakpoint - yep I went there. Breakpoint is a great mil shooter, I put more than 270 hours into it. Game failed thanks to clickbait reviews and lies about mtxs. A huge shame for me. It's secretely best Ubisoft game in years.
5. Days Gone - Intersting story, likeable main character, great horde mechanics. I'm glad game sold as much as it did and we'll definitely get DG2 down the road.
6. Jedi: Fallen Order - Best Star Wars game this gen imo. Can't wait to see what will they do with sequel.
7. Devil May Cry 5 - Another Capcom game, another GOTY contender. Tho it's not anywhere as good as RE2 imo, it still deserves to be on my list.

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[weekev]

1. Luigis Mansion 3 - My favourite way to play games is curled up on the sofa cuddling my wife with some kind of Coop adventure where we both have a seperate role to play. I loved Rayman Legends on WiiU because of the asynchronous multiplayer and this is as close as anyone has gotten to that gameplay. Playing together taking on the role of the lesser loved Mario bro whilst my wife took on the role of a jellified repolice was a joy from start to finish. The varying puzzles from floor to floor were satisfying, the atmosphere was spot on as a cheesy spooky vibe and the OST was heavenly. Charles Martinet was the star of the show with what must be his most involved game yet. To top it off my kids absolutely love it too.
2. Tetris 99 - How do you do anything different to the most released game on any platformer in the history of gaming? Turn it into a battle Royale mode of course! Who knew there was more life in Tetris? This game is incredibly fun. It's so tantalizingly frustrating when you make it into the last 5 and just fall short, it's absolutely exhilarating when you make it all the way to get the win. It's got that "just 1 more game" appeal. The steady flow of Tetris Maximus with prizes varying from eshop credit to new themes is an example of how games as a service should be done.
3. Yoshis Crafted World - As above couch coop is king in my house. Yoshi is a lovely game. If it was food it would give you diabetes it's so sweet. It's also got that Nintendo collectable deviously trickiness to it. Then all of a sudden you hit the level "Are you afraid of the dark" which a bunch of spooky clowns start attacking you with axes. All of a sudden the cuteness is gone and there is pure nightmare fuel. It was such a random change of tone that caught me off guard. This level is the sole reason this game us 3rd on my list and not somewhere nearer the bottom. I dunno, it just kind of grabbed my attention more and I loved it.
4. Mario Maker 2 - I loved the first one and this one is even better. One of the surprises to me was a robust story mode which made the game better in my mind because let's be honest, I'm shit at creating levels. My 5 year old son, however, is even shitter. However we both have a bloody good time trying!
5. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - It's Fire Emblem Hogwarts. I love Fire Emblem and this is probably my favourite entry in the series. I know Edelgard is Era's favourite but Go Blue Lions!
6. Astral Chain - It's Platinum in a cyberpunk future with a robot/mutant salve that you control simultaneously to your character. The control system takes some getting used to after Bayonetta and it definitely reminded me of Wonderful 101 which is no bad thing. Anime Cops is definitely a fun time that is recommend to anyone who is a platinum fan.
7. Pokemon Sword - Yes there is controversy around Dexit and a few design choices but fuck it, there is nothing more relaxing than wandering round the wild area catching Pokemon, doing dynamax battles and setting up camp to jingle toys at my favourite Pokemon.
8. Dragon Quest Builders 2 - An absolute triumph of a game. I find it bizarre that Minecraft does so well when this game exists. The base building elements are amazing, the story is surprisingly deep. It's a great game and probably shows just how great that it's my top rated Dragon Quest game this year.
9. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Beatifully remastered, it's the cutest Zelda game ever made. Gave me nostalgia pangs as well as just being a gorgeous remake. I had a great albeit brief time with this masterpiece.
10. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered - I never got to play this game first time around, so I was delighted when the switch port was announced because I had heard good things. I was glad to see those things were right. Great story, brilliant voice acting and just a good old fashioned adventure.
11. Dragon Quest 11 Definitive Edition - The only reason this game isn't higher is that I've not finished it and it is currently backlogged. Loving my time with it though. Beautiful game and looks great in portable mode.
12. Cadence of Hyrule - I'd never played Crypt of the Necromancer so to see these guys given the chance to put their gameplay into the Zelda universe piqued my interest. It's a fiendishly difficult game that to be honest I suck at. But give very much enjoyed my time trying to get good at it. Obviously the soundtrack is the standout of the game and I can see why Nintendo felt so confident in allowing their prized franchise to be handled by this studio.

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[weekev]

Now that my list is done I am scowering all of your lists and making notes on the gems I have missed this year. I love this time of year!

 

[Xiaomi]

1. Devotion - One of the finest pieces of adult storytelling and horror, not to mention a perfect snapshot of life in 1980s Taiwan, and it's a damn crime it's not still available.
2. Disco Elysium - It has elevated writing in the CRPG genre to new heights. Absolutely stellar writing, music, and characterization; gives you everything you need and stays with you for months.
3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Incredible combat, high production values, and spot-on atmosphere make the game an instant classic. Controls like a dream and keeps you banging your head against it just to see what's next.
4. Death Stranding - Gorgeous art direction and cinematography allows this weird story to affect you, even when you're sure it's just silly. Great controls and collaboration keep you tuning in day after day.
5. Apex Legends - Fast and frantic, finally a Battle Royale with gunplay on the level of Titanfall and the accessibility of Overwatch.
6. Devil May Cry 5 - Mindblowing visuals, great combat as expected, and a fun story make this a must-play, even if its awkward parts might slow it down for some.
7. Hunt: Showdown - PvPvE is a great mix, and the setting and atmosphere are unique in the Western genre. Punishingly difficult combat design might turn some off, but others will find something immensely satisfying.
8. Ring Fit Adventure - The surprise of the year: Nintendo's fitness game isn't just good, it's damn good. A decent workout and a fun diversion for anyone who keeps an open mind.
9. Total War: Three Kingdoms - Beautiful theming and musical design, along with fantastic voice acting, make this a must-play for anyone with a passing interest in Chinese culture.
10. Ape Out/B] - SImplicity of design and satisfying controls make this game just pure fun to play. The reactive soundtrack is also one of the coolest creations in years.
11. Code Vein - Okay, the character design is bad. Which is a shame, because the game underneath is a great take on the Souls-like formula. Nice visuals and good combat design allow for a lot of fun to be had with this one.
12. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - A great first-outing for Respawn in the third-person action-adventure genre, Jedi is unfortunately held back by some of its jank, but has production values and great visuals. One of the best lightsaber games ever devised.

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[rahji]

1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Nothing beats the feeling when you beat the final boss for the first time. I played hour after hour to beat this boss and I let out a scream of joy when I beat him. Another roadblock was the guardian ape. I still remember it very clearly that I spent a whopping 6 hours on a Friday night to beat him. The memory feels so fresh when I think about it. Memories like these qualify it as my game of the year. I also platinumed it so I spent a lot of time with this game.
2. Death Stranding - It is more than the sum of its parts. Initially I didn't fully get the story the first time playing through and I had to read some threads here to fully understand it. But there are some elements in this game that hit something in me especially the story of cliff and his perspective on fatherhood.
3. Monster Hunter World Iceborne - It is the return of one my favorite monsters of the series! It is that good.
4. Devil May Cry 5 - Initially I beat it and went on another playthrough until Sekiro came out. Every time this year I went to another game I first started DMC5 and S-ranked some levels, beat higher difficulties and had some really great time with it. It was my default go to game this year.
5. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair - A really good 2.5 D platformer. It has the momentum very few platformers have. Rockstable 60fps performance, tight controls and a good soundtrack made it a real surprise for me to be on this list.

It is neat to watch through my trophies on PS4 to see what I played this year.


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[Won]

This has been quite the year for me. I skipped posting lists in the past years, because there usually weren't enough games that grabbed me to even make a top 3, but this year it felt every genre has something great waiting for me.

1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Kinda tricky and a bit unfair having to hand someone the sole number 1 spot, but I give it to Sekiro. I only played a short bit of Dark Souls 3 before, which didn't grab me at all, so there was a bit of uneasiness going in. What I got was easily the best swordfights I ever got to play in a videogame. The combination of its great sound design and animations paired with the games difficulty manage to create these intense, fast back and forth swordclashing action set pieces. As such the reward of learning the all the patterns and tricks of a difficult boss isn't just the act of overcoming it, but also watching the magic unleashed on the screen. On top of that is the great art design, creating some beautiful and often eerie locations. Oh, and there is the movement too. As someone who belives that every game, no matter the genre should have grappling hooks, scaling the castle was just a delight.
2. Oxygen Not Included - I purchased this on a whim, liking the premise, not knowing what it actually is. It ended up one of my most played games of the years. It is just a joy digging through the enviroment, manipulating the gasses and fluids to create the perfect place for your colonists. All packaged in some great and humorous visuals. Plenty of nights were lost.
3. Resident Evil 2 - The original is one of the most defining experiences of my youth. It teached an important thing about me. I don't like horror. Boy, did it ever give me nightmares. Over the years, growing older, I of course learned that there is nuance to it and there is horror I actually enjoy. And this remake hits all the right spots. It, for the most part, avoids cheap tricks and jump scares and relies on the atmosphere modern technology can create. Pair it with the great level design of the iconic police station and you have one of the best games I played in a long time.
4. Disco Elysium - At the time of this post it is a work in progress, so I'm not going to write many words about is. Especially since others do it better anyway. But after a few hours it is clear that this a very special kind of game.
5. Gwent - It isn't on the spreadheet, being officially released last year. But with an iOS release recently, making it mobile, and 4 great expansion, I put it here anyway as my best ongoing game. The developers put a lot of work into it this year, with some very big changes that other developers wouldn't dare to undertake, to make Gwent actually work and having a future. Add its great art, especially the unique animated cards, it's reasonable business model and it has become my go to digital card game over the year.
6. Untitled Goose Game - Honk
7. Ring Fit Adventure - Oh yeah, I lost close to 40 kg not too long ago and while I'm always slacking, regular excercise has become a staple in my life. Ring Fit Adventure is perfect for the cold and wet days. A very fun and imaginative piece of software.
8. Apex Legends - Oh, this was released this year? A great spin on the whole Battle Royal genre. But I didn't like the business model at all and haven't touched it in months. A good game that deserved better.
9. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - This year produced a couple games that were good, but by the end I was glad I'm done with them. Among them were The Outer Worlds, DMCV and Jedi: Fall Order. I give a last spot to Jedi. It was janky and buggy, but by the end I felt satisfied with the story and characters. It could have been more, but it always can.

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[Son of Sparda]

1. Judgment - I think Judgment might be the victim of RGG studios consistent and frequent output. This game is such an impressive title and does so much on so many fronts, yet it barely gets any recognition. Judgment makes Kamurocho actually feel fresh. It also has one of the best stories I've experienced this generation, alongside and incredibly well done cast of characters. Amazing side cases, unique and fun activities and gameplay systems and a simple yet satisfying combat, makes Judgment the best game of 2019 for me and one of the best RGG studio games ever made. If you even think for a second that you might like this detective/murder mystery don't hesitate to give it a try. Bonus points for having an incredible English dub.
2. Devil May Cry 5 - When you wait for something for over a decade that thing will disappoint you. Well unless you are talking about a Hideaki Itsuno made Devil May Cry sequel. DMC5 is the best action game ever made and it's also a love letter to the fans. But the most impressive aspect of DMC5 is the fact that after all these years of expectations and anticipation, it manages to answer almost al of those expectations.
3. Resident Evil 2 - Best RE game I've played. Even better than RE4 in my opinion.
4. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled - Seeing this game from afar I thought this was a lootbox/MTX ridden bullshit but I was so surprised after buying it on sale. So many different modes, free tracks getting added every month, free characters and karts and costumes that you can earn in game every month and how easy it is to earn it all and how fun the game is on a basic level, CTR is one of the best kart racing game out there.
5. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - I enjoyed my time with Sekiro but I think it is one of the weaker FromSoft games out there. Combat is pretty simple and lacks much variety, the level design is nowhere near as good as Bloodborne or Dark Souls and the bosses aren't really as iconic either. I think the biggest offender on PS4 Pro was the performance which made this game really tough to enjoy at times. Still a fun game tho, I just wish it was better so I could enjoy it more.
6. Death Stranding - Walking can be fun and the story is interesting. I wish you could clear the map of BTs and Mules tho, or that they'd at least stay gone for much longer. Also the action in this game sucks.
7. Days Gone - Surprisingly fun. The Hordes and zombies in this game make for some of the most thrilling moments of my gaming in 2019. It's also pretty dynamic with how you can use zombies against normal enemies. Characters are also very very well done and the story wasn't too bad either. I just think the game suffered from some pacing issues. It didn't really need to be that long. But other than that, it's really fun.
8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Fun Star Wars game with a lot of performance issues. Other than some stuff like a fast travel option on the planets and more combat variety, I think more than anything this game just needed more time in the oven. Hopefully we'll get a more polished experience with the sequel.
9. Trials Rising - It has a lot of bs around it with the whole cosmetic and leveling up system, but it's still a Trials game and I LOVE Trials.
10. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition - Lots and lots and lots of repetition and problems, but there is just something about those characters that keep you going. More than anything, this game made me hype for NMH3.

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[Herey]

1. Resident Evil 2 - I echo the statements about it being the best RE since 4, and although the later areas don't match the design and intensity of the police station, those first few hours were horror perfection.
2. Sayonara Wild Hearts - Short and sweet with a soundtrack I listen to pretty often, definitely one I'll replay over and over.
3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - The watermark for the samurai/ninja combat system. Art design is great and the bosses are unmatched.
4. Apex Legends - I fell off it pretty quickly when taking into account the life cycle of successful 'live services', but I rarely stick with multiplayer shooters long. What I did play is the best battle royale I've experienced, in which I had a ton of fun.
5. Control - Weird and wonderful. Lobbing chunks of wall at enemies heads is fun. Go play it.

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[Son of Sparda]

rahji Please change "Devil May Cry V" to "Devil May Cry 5" because it won't be counted otherwise. Thanks.

 

[ara]

1. Disco Elysium - I'm not entirely comfortable with calling Disco Elysium The Very Best (C)RPG Ever just because I tend to enjoy RPG combat so much and this has none of that, but fuck if it isn't close. Quite simply the pinnacle of video game writing, easily rivaling other media including many books I've read, DE is likely the most human game I've ever played, and it flows between hilarious and tragic, light-hearted and dramatic, poetic and blunt, heartwarming and heart-wrenching with such ease that it'd probably be my GOTY pick any of the past 5+ years.
   
   
2. Apex Legends - Never thought I'd have a BR game on my GOTY list, but here we are. Apex Legends feels absolutely marvelous to play, and it's the main reason I've put like 250 hours into it. By now I've moved on since I'm not a huge fan of the new map and the game didn't really evolve fast enough to keep me constantly interested past the first 6 months (plus the business model was pretty damn off-putting), but I can only hope AL will be around for years to come so I can return to it every now and then, to relive the glory.
   
   
3. Halo: The Master Chief Collection - I loved Halo Reach on the X360 back in the day, I still love Halo Reach on PC now. It's certainly flawed and it's gonna be interesting to see if 2 or 3 manage to dethrone it for me, but right now, I'm super happy to be playing this again. Had they shipped it with non-fucked audio, a less uninteresting progression system (should've at LEAST had daily/weekly challenges in) and the friggin' multi-team playlist (WHERE THE FUCK IS IT, 343i?!), this would've likely been on the second spot for me. All definitely fixable, so I really hope the devs shape up and shape MCC Reach into something special. I hope we'll one day move on from loadout-based multiplayer shooters, back to the good old days of varied and interesting arena shooters. In the mean time, I'll stick with the classics.
   
   
4. Judgment - Not going to lie, this ended up being fairly disappointing when compared to my lofty expectations. The combat was dreadfully dull and too frequent, the side stories were pretty weak compared to recent Yakuza games (lots of repetition and reused and uninteresting gameplay mechanics) and holy shit - absolutely fuck chasing and tailing and investigating. It's the main story and cast that really elevate this for me. Yagami is fantastic and it's been quite a while since I've been this utterly absorbed in a game's main narrative.
   
   
5. Slay the Spire - I don't really know what to say about StS. I dropped it after 30-ish hours and never really had the motivation to go back, but those 30 hours I spent with it were amazing. The sheer amount of ridiculous synergies made starting over again and again incredibly easy, and experimenting was an absolute ton of fun. That said, it could be a bit too frustrating and slow at times, which is why I'm having such a hard time going back to it.
   
   
6. Kingdom Hearts 3 - This is only here because I absolutely loved the combat - if it weren't for its lack of difficulty (or terrible balancing) and way too frequent theme park attacks, I'd probably call it my favorite ARPG ever.. Gameplay-wise, that is. The rest is pretty fucking weak, unfortunately. I'm a massive fan of KH2's batshit insane story, but sadly, it seems like its perfect mix of Disney, FF, original content, hilarious sentimentality, absurd plot and fun character interactions was a real lightning in a bottle event for the series, since every game that's followed it has been increasingly worse in almost every way. The story in particular was such a disjointed, rushed and bland mess that I seem to have forgotten what even happens in it. Shame, but it's not like I was genuinely expecting anything close to KH2 after all these years.

That's it. Aside from the top three (Judgment, StS and KH3 were teetering on the edge between GOTY candidates and "honourable mentions"), it's been a pretty dreadful year in gaming for me. Disappointments one after the other. "Honourable mentions" - meaning games I played, possibly finished and enjoyed to an extent but don't think deserve a GOTY spot - include a lot of games I highly, highly anticipated, like Sekiro, Astral Chain, The Outer Worlds, AI: The Somnium Files, CoD: MW and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Cold Steel 3. Better luck next year, I hope.

Still got plenty of games to play, though, stuff that might've made it onto the list easily - certainly looking forward to checking out stuff like Outer Wilds and Control (thanks, exclusivity fuckery), Pathologic 2, Oxygen Not Included (downloading this one right now, actually), Death Stranding and Ape Out.


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[rahji]

rahji Please change "Devil May Cry V" to "Devil May Cry 5" because it won't be counted otherwise. Thanks.

Click to shrink...

Thanks for the heads up but I just checked the VoteBot receipt and it will be counted if I write it this way.
edit: Nevermind: Apparently there is a difference between Devil May Cry V and Devil May Cry 5. Thanks!

 

[Son of Sparda]

Thanks for the heads up but I just checked the VoteBot receipt and it will be counted if I write it this way.

Click to shrink...

Yea the votebot will count it as "Devil May Cry V" which is not eligible.

VoteBot will count anything as long as you follow the correct format but the vote won't be counted in the final tally if the game's name isn't said correctly.

 

[ara]

Thanks for the heads up but I just checked the VoteBot receipt and it will be counted if I write it this way.
edit: Nevermind: Apparently there is a difference between Devil May Cry V and Devil May Cry 5. Thanks!

Click to shrink...

Yea the votebot will count it as "Devil May Cry V" which is not eligible.

VoteBot will count anything as long as you follow the correct format but the vote won't be counted in the final tally if the game's name isn't said correctly.

Click to shrink...

It's extremely likely DMCV is one of the valid alternate names for DMC5, as per the second-to-last question in the FAQ in the OP. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Son of Sparda]

It's extremely likely DMCV is one of the valid alternate names for DMC5, as per the second-to-last question in the FAQ in the OP. I wouldn't worry about it.

Click to shrink...

Yea, but better to be safe than sorry :)

 

[Pellaidh]

1. Outer Wilds - I've been playing games for so long that I've reached a point where not a lot of games manage to truly surprise me anymore. Sure, something like Breath of the Wild is an incredibly well made game, but when you boil it down, it is essentially just another take on the open world formula that has already seen a hundred other entries before it.
   
   But Outer Wilds is a game that did give me that feeling of surprise. A game truly unlike anything I've played before. A game that isn't afraid to just let the player go off on their own, explore, and figure things out by himself. A game where you truly feel like a detective trying to figure out its mysteries.
   
   And how great those mysteries are. Outer Wilds is by far a standout when it comes to well written science fiction games. The universe is vast but also incredibly unique, every planet has something cool going for it, and the way the game incorporates actual science into its storytelling is second to none. It's easily the best game I've played this year, and one of the best in the decade.
   
   
2. Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers - Final Fantasy XIV is the game I've spent by far the most time playing this year. Despite feeling like I'm completely done with the MMO genre, it somehow managed to pull me back in. It feels like a celebration of everything I love about MMOs (instanced party based gameplay, crafting, exploration, and a feeling of community) without all of the garbage that drags down the genre as a whole (endless grinding, game design focused around elitism, and feeling like you have to dedicate your whole life to the game just to get anywhere).
   
   And it's all thanks to the hype behind Shadowbringers that got me to actually check the game out. So it earns a spot on my list despite not even reaching its content yet. But anyway, if it's at least as good as the rest of the game (and by pretty much all indication, it is), it deserves the spot anyway.
   
   
3. Sunless Skies - Sunless Sea was my goty the year it came out, and I was incredibly excited for its sequel. Thankfully, it managed to completely deliver on its premise. Sunless Skies is a game that can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with its predecessor as one of the best written games of all time. Really, the only big negative I have with it is that it mostly ends up feeling like just more of the same thing. Which isn't bad when that thing is something as incredible as Sunless Sea, but it does put it slightly lower on this list just for the lack of excitement.
   
   
4. Slay the Spire - When Dominion first came out and started this whole deckbuilding genre, I didn't really care for it at all. It was a boring, both thematically and strategically, and I abandoned it after playing just a couple of games with it.
   
   Slay the Spire somehow managed to completely turn around my opinion on the entire genre. It's just such a brilliantly designed game that incorporates everything good about deckbuilders into an addicting roguelike shell. As far as pure game design goes, it's easily the best game on this list. And thanks to mod support, it also has a gigantic amount of content.
   
   
5. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Three Houses finally manages to be a Fire Emblem game to make me care about its characters and story. Mostly the characters, who are all entertaining and backed up be surprisingly great voice acting. On the gameplay front, it's also one of the better Fire Emblem games. The lack of prepromotes brings in some much needed strategy, the divine pulse mechanic means that dying is no longer incredibly punishing, and the hard difficulty added post launch gives the game a much needed challenge. All in all, it's the most well rounded Fire Emblem game to date, even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of Conquest gameplay wise
   
   
6. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Sekiro is the best game From Software has ever made, and manages to fix pretty much all of my complaints with Souls games in general. The lack of magic and focus on swordplay lets the developers focus on what really matters: the melee combat, while the lack of leveling mechanics actually lets them balance the game properly (which makes Sekiro the only From game that doesn't get incredibly easy in the late game). Add to this the best bosses in the genre and great visual design, and you get what I'd consider to be pretty much the perfect soulslike. Plus the parries just feel so incredibly satisfying to use.
   
   
7. Tetris 99 - With Tetris 99, Nintendo somehow managed to actually make online Tetris feel good to play. At a glance, turning such a beloved game into a battle royale seemed incredibly silly, but after playing it, it's my favorite take on the well known formula.
   
   The biggest problem is the game's price. Paying a monthly fee just to play Tetris is a bit much, to be honest. Sure, I guess Nintendo online also lets you play other games, but I don't really care for those at all, so the only reason to buy a sub would be for Tetris. And I'm just not sure that's really worth it when unlike with FFXIV, the money I'm paying doesn't actually go towards making the actual game any better.
   
   
8. Dirt Rally 2.0 - Nothing much to really say here, other than that Dirt Rally 2.0 is pretty much exactly what I wanted out of a sequel to the original. More of the same incredible racing. Although I could do with less of a focus on Rally Cross, and way more content.
   
   
9. Elsinore - As much as I liked Outer Wilds, one of the biggest problems I had with it is that it's time loop mechanic isn't really all that well explored in terms of gameplay. Elsinore is another time loop game, but this one has the best gameplay implementation of a time loop story I've played so far. The setup is fairly standard as far as time loop stories go: you have three days until you get murdered, and you repeat these three days before you can figure out how to stop this from happening. What makes it interesting is that it's all set in the context of Shakespeare's Hamlet, with you playing as Ophelia.
   
   The game really shines in it's gameplay part. There's just so much freedom to how you can get through these three days, with tons of things you can change and influence, all driven by a simple but flexible topic based conversation system. Characters all have set routines they go through, which you can manipulate in a ton of different ways. Really, the biggest flaw with the game is that there's so many possibilities here that the game ends up feeling pretty overwhelming.
   
   It's pretty good story wise too. I'm a big fan of works that put a new spin on classic literature, and Elsinore mostly succeeds here from what I've played, even making certain changes to some of the characters to, for example, make the cast much more balanced gender wise. The game really manages to make the castle where the story takes place feel alive, and each character has actually interesting relations both with the protagonist as well as with other characters, and the game does a good job of fleshing out all of its characters.
   
   
10. Disco Elysium - Disco Elysium was my most frustrating experience of 2019. I was really excited for the game ever since it was announced, as it seemed to do everything I want from an RPG. And after playing it, there are clear flashes of brilliance here: mostly great writing, really good atmosphere, some of the funniest moments I've seen in a video game, as well as the great idea of having your characters skills talk to you.
    
    But the gameplay just drags the entire thing down so much for me. For a game where skills are supposed to be the main draw, so many of them feel so incredibly boring and useless, and the main game's critical path requires you to invest into a very specific subset of them if you actually want to progress without either reading a guide or save-scumming. It made me feel like I wasn't playing the character I wanted to play, but the one the game wanted me to play. Which isn't really something you want in a roleplaying game. For me, one of the most interesting things about playing narrative focused games is seeing how they can use gameplay ideas to enhance their storytelling, but in Disco Elysium the gameplay just feels like it's holding the story back. And sadly, the writing didn't really effect me in ways it did seemingly everybody else. Certainly not enough to make up for the above shortcomings.
    
    There's still a good game hiding under all of this stuff though, so it manages to just barely squeeze in at number 10.

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[cowbanana]

1. Days Gone - A thoroughly enjoyable game set in a visually stunning world. Fantastic gameplay mixed with a good story. The hordes are an absolute blast to fight.
2. Disco Elysium - Simply the best written game since Planescape Torment. A journey in words and interesting concepts. Stayed in my head a while after I finished the game. I will undoubtedly try a different approach the next time I play this wonderful game.
3. Death Stranding - A new experience. Fresh and wonderful. A story that really pays off by the end of the journey. BB's Theme.
4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Edelgard <3 A great mix of tactical gameplay and story driven character drama. Edelgard <3
5. Darksiders: Genesis - A game that punches above its weight. Some of the most fun action gaming of the year. Visually stunning and easy on the ears.
6. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne - Not your average expansion. A full game's worth of great content, packaged with the amazing base game.
7. Devil May Cry 5 - Unrelenting, over the top action, with an impressive visual presentation. What's not to like?
8. Ace Combat 7 - It's been a long time since I played a flight based game and this one delivered on all fronts. Highway to the Danger Zone.
9. Resident Evil 2 Remake - Good old fashioned zombie survival fun. They put a lot of love into this remake.
10. A Plague Tale: Innocence - The underdog of the year for me. A bit stiff in execution, but overall I really liked my time with this game. Great characters and environments and the game tells an interesting tale that keeps you moving forward to the satisfying conclusion.
    

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[Forgotten in Space]

1. Control - After decades of trying Remedy finally made the perfect Remedy game. I love Max Payne and I love Alan Wake, but Casper Darling is the new GOAT.
2. Void Bastards - When Jon Chey's studio releases a game that wears its System Shock heritage on its sleeve you pay attention. If you didn't I only have one thing to say to you: "Oi, spunky McFuckface!".
3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - It's not Bloodborne 2 but it'll do for now.
4. Death Stranding - I usually can't stand Kojima's games but Death Stranding is different. Despite his often painful writing and countless other annoyances this game is compelling, atmospheric, brilliantly original and overall an astonishing achievement. It's brilliant both because of and in spite of Kojima.
5. Red Dead Redemption 2 - I played a few hours on PS4 at launch but it felt just horrible to play. The PC version solves most of the mechanical issues I had with the game and I felt like I could actually enjoy it at last. It's pretty good.
6. Metro Exodus - Beautiful, eerie, tense and thoroughly engaging from start to finish. For me easily the best Metro game so far.
7. A Plague Tale: Innocence - Rats don't squeak like that.
8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Probably my favourite Star Wars game since Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (and before someone mentions KOTOR, I didn't actually like it all that much ok?). Anyone who played the Titanfall 2 campaign already knew Respawn were pretty good at this sort of thing, but hopefully this has put them firmly on the map as a studio capable of crafting excellent single player experiences. I'd love to see something original from them next that isn't Titanfall.
9. Borderlands 3 - I still prefer Borderlands 1.
10. Halo: The Master Chief Collection - Reach is actually my least favourite Halo campaign, but playing it on PC was thoroughly enjoyable and made me excited to replay all the better ones again when they land, not to mention Infinite.

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[Deleted member 18857]

1. Disco Elysium - Are video games art? Yes, but only when they are extremely political.
2. Baba is You - Not only is it the smartest puzzle game I have ever played, it's also one of the rare puzzle games where, once you go online to check the answer because you're too dumb to figure it out yourself, you actually learn something new and can actively use it to solve future puzzles.
3. Heaven's Vault - The artstyle and slow movement unfortunately make replays annoying. If you had a way to fast-forward the heroine, this would have been first of the list. It's a marvelous non-violent game with a woman of colour as a MC, exploring the multilayered consequences of colonialism on history and people's everyday lives. The most amazing part is that, as an archeologist, you actually shape the past as you explore, and thus decide the lore with your hypothesis, something the world reacts to and reflects to you. A game that makes you look at the very concept of history and challenge it.
4. SaGa: Scarlet Grace: Ambitions - GOTY in 2014 when it was announced. GOTY 2015 when it was supposed to release. GOTY 2016 when it actually released. GOTY 2017 when it released on Switch. And now serious contender for GOTY 2019 for its PC release. A game that's smart, pushes the medium forward, cuts down all the unbearable fat you didn't know you hated, and polishes the heart of what makes a game good with more innovative ideas than most game creators have in their entire career. The game shows Kawazu is not done with being Kawazu, and the madman still has more curveballs to throw directly into our delighted faces.
5. Sunless Skies - another game with a marvelous writing, hilarious and haunting at the same time. This team can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.
6. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice- After being disappointed in DS2 (which, on a second playthrough, is not that bad) and 3 (which only becomes more disappointing the more you play), I was happy to see From try something new. They gave us the best Tenchu game that has ever been made (and made Ghost of Tsushima irrelevant even before it was properly shown). Keep being you, From.
7. Astral Chain - On one hand, DMC5 is a better game. On the other, DMC5 made me hate Dante, so fuck DMC5. Astral Chain may not be the best Platinum game, but I think it's their most interesting. It recycles some concepts from W101 (drawing shapes to do stuff) and put them into good use in ways that don't make the combat "the best ever", but make it unique. Another thing that makes the game better than, say, Bayo2, is daring to question Platinum's framework and give the character something else to do than fighting (something everyone already knows Platinum excell at). The result might not have been perfect, but I'm happy to see Platinum question themselves like that. It's also a hilariously 90s game, and so Japanese. Typical american cop game: discount Judge Dredd shooting brown people. Japanese cop game: pick rubbish from the street, don't cross the road when the traffic light says you shouldn't. I can't not love that.
8. Blasphemous - A game for art nerds and people familiar with Southern Europe catholic faith. It's so rare to see a game discuss religion from a non-American perspective it's refreshing (and also staggeringly beautiful).
9. Later Alligator - A small, unambitious game, but so damn charming and funny. Quick games done in an afternoon that know when to stop without dragging on for hours are the best thing this decade has brought us.
10. Resident Evil 2 - I guess? I need a 10th game and it was quite good, all things considered.

Edited to have the same spelling as in the Spreadsheet.


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[Deleted member 4976]

A couple of games I just haven't put enough time into this year (E. G. Disco Elysium) but still a pretty fantastic year overall.

1. Death Stranding - Let me get something out of the way immediately. I was not a fan of the story or even the characters aside from some specific beats later on. With that said, the gameplay in Death Stranding is incredible and highly addicting. I found myself lost in the world for hours on end wandering from one delivery to the next. One of the best and most unique experiences all generation.
2. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne - One of the best expansions that improves and adds upon the best Monster Hunter game. I put more game time into the expansion than I did even the base game.
3. Total War: Three Kingdoms - While there is a lot of depth to the game, what impressed me the most were the guided narratives you could create through the way you played.
4. Resident Evil 2 - An excellent reimagining of the original that will slot in nicely as a companion piece to the original, rather than a replacement.
5. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Excellent bosses and combat are a From staple and they are present here. However, a weak story and a relatively plain world hold it back from From's best work.
6. Control - Remedy's best title. A combination of everything they do well all in one game. Excellent atmosphere, great combat, an intriguing world and story, all brought together in a cohesive, well paced package.
7. Luigi's Mansion 3 - Charming, beautiful and a sequel that takes some of the best elements of the prior two games. Poor controls holds it back from being ranked higher.
8. Devil May Cry 5 - Another Capcom title with absolutely fantastic combat. It is extremely repayable, fluid and gorgeous to boot. Poor level and mission design run contrary to the other improvements found in the game.
9. Slay the Spire - An addicting rogue-like card game. It revels in its simplicity to create an enticing core loop where all you want to do is one more combat encounter.
10. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - In many ways, far too similar to Symphony of the Night. But when the base you are harkening back to is so strong, that's not a bad thing.
11. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - A good course correction for the Series after how poor Awakening and Conquest were. That said, better story, characters and map design are still needed before FE matches the games of old.
12. The Outer Worlds - The strength of this title comes from how good the writing is and how short it is. In all other respects, this game is superficial: a series of motions through gameplay subsystems that barely exist and engage.

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[Mórríoghain]

1. Disco Elysium - What a game son.
2. Control - For the vote to be counted I need to put one game on top but don't make any mistakes, I can't choose between Control and Disco Elysium.
3. Resident Evil 2 - I can't remember a single linear game I've replayed this much in such a short time. I can't wait to play the RE3 remake.
4. Metro Exodus - What a way to end Artyom's story. Open and linear level designs were great but the English voice acting was horrendous.
5. Borderlands 3 - I played it with only one character and had my fill with it. Might return back to it when Gearbox releases all the DLCs.
6. The Outer Worlds - Thought it was going to end up in my top three but I started to lose interest around halfway through. Still a great RPG.
7. Total War: Three Kingdoms - One of the best Total War games ever made. I only wish the factions were more different. It got stale so quickly.
8. My Friend Pedro - What a lovely little game. There isn't much to it but I loved every second I spent with it.
9. The Sinking City - There are so many bugs, bad design decisions, and budget restrictions but the ambition is there.
10. DARQ - Art of silent storytelling.

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[Ryu]

1. Dragon Quest 11 Definitive Edition - It's been 84 years GIF. But the wait was worth it. Not only my GOTY but also contender for my GOT decade.
2. Luigi's Mansion 3 - Beautiful game. Severely overlooked because it's not Mario and probably will never be a high rank GOTY. Still, this game would've deserved it. It was SO GOOD!

That's literally it. I only played through my backlog otherwise or bought older games that I didn't have yet (BOTW, ...). Still wait for my Pokémon Sword and Shield preorder to arrive, lmao.


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[Kolx]

1. Disco Elysium - One of the best written game of all time. The humor is on point, and the world building is expansive and excellent.
2. Outer Wilds - Best sense of exploration of any game I played.
3. Sekiro Shadow Die Twice - Great combat system and bosses hindered by repetitive areas.
4. Resident Evil 2 - My first ever RE game that I finished. Scenario A was remarkable but B needed a bit of work.
5. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - A nostalgic title for me, despite the short development time it turned out just what I wanted plus the music kicks ass.
6. Devil May Cry: 5 - Really great gameplay, really bad level design. I was in for killing demons, and that's exactly what I got so eh.
7. The Surge 2 - yes it's a ripoff of From's titles, but it's one damn good ripoff.
8. Halo: Reach - Best Halo campaign, and the remaster just made it even better.
9. Control - The story fell a little short, but everything else was good to great.
10. AI The Somnium Files - Not as engaging as ZE (the fan service is a lot more and worse), but the story was decent and the plot twist at the end wasn't rehashed from ZE so bonus point for that.
11. Total War: three kingdoms: Same formula with small changes, but since it's been quite som time since I played a TW game I enjoyed it quite a bit.

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[eponymous]

1. Resident Evil 2 - I never played the original but I always wanted to. This new version perfectly mixed the classic resi gameplay with modern gameplay mechanics and I loved it.
2. Luigi's Mansion 3 - The best LM game by far. I adored the setting with each floor having a theme and the puzzles and gameplay was fantastic.
3. Super Mario Maker 2 - Making my own levels is such a joy. Having people all over the world play and enjoy them is such a unique experience and is one of my favourite gaming moments this year. This game somehow manages to be better than the Wii U version.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - an amazing remake of probably my favourite 2D Zelda. What's not to love??
5. The Outer Worlds - This is a really fun rpg.
6. Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy - a fun revival of one of my favourite franchises. I love solving puzzles and the story is wacky.
7. Yoshi's Crafted World - I really enjoyed this game. The mechanic of doing the level again in reverse was very fun.
8. Cuphead - very fun but challenging
9. Baba is You - this game is very clever but my god it is hard lol
10. Tetris 99 - This was a fun little surprise.

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[Bioshocker]

Could add a few more, but they're not really worth adding to a list like this because they were disappointments.

1. Shenmue 3 - This game, albei far from perfect, is a game funded by the fans and made for the fans. It's a beautiful thing, really.
2. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair - The best 2D platformer in five years took me completely by surprise.
3. A Plague Tale: Innocence - A surprisningly well told and played story that does nothing new but borrows with such care that the end result is still impressive.
4. Gears 5 - Although it's an Xbox One game, it feels like Gears for a new generation.
5. Resident Evil 2 - A complicated but terrific balance between old and new.
6. Control - Control sums up what Remedys's been doing for the past ten years and is likely the game they wanted to make all along.
7. Dead or Alive 6 - I needed a seven year break. Dead or Alive feels fresh and engaging again.
8. Metro Exodus - Not without obvious flaws, but it's something about this world that keeps me coming back.

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[Deleted member 135]

1. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - The dictionary definition of return to form if there ever was one, Ace Combat 7 represents the pinnacle of the series in terms of gameplay, graphics, music, and story.
2. The Outer Worlds - New Vegas and Mass Effect 1 had a baby and BioShock was the midwife.

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[BADMAN]

1. Disco Elysium - Some of the best writing I've seen in a video game. Shout out to Marx and Engles
2. Pathologic 2 - A beautiful game. It's unlike any game that's come before it besides Pathologic 1
3. Sayonara Wild Hearts - It's hard to nail an Aesthetic. Sayonara Wild Hearts makes it look easy
4. Baba Is You - Brilliant game design. It's extremely unique.
5. Devil May Cry 5 - It's one of the best DMC games of the series. It easily rivals DMC 3
6. Resident Evil 2 Remake - An absolute blast of a game. The tension it creates is near perfect.
7. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - It takes the Dark Souls formula and adds a completely different feel and it works.
8. Untitled Goose Game - HONK! Screwing with the English had never been so much fun.
9. Luigi's Mansion 3 - Beautiful aesthetic, fun bosses, and the drive to find all the secrets. It's one of the best games for the switch.
10. Death Stranding - This game deserves a higher spot on the list. It makes me question the usefulness of a top 10 list. I can't even compare it to the other games of 2019. I platinumed it and enjoyed every second of it. And yet here it is. At the bottom of the top 10 list.
11. Control - This is at number 11 because I haven't started the game in earnest. If I played the game for real I imagine it'd be higher on the list for sure.
12. Fire Emblem Three Houses - This would be higher on my list if they included ACTUAL GAY RELATIONSHIPS.
13. Hypnospace Outlaw - Everyone who has nostalgia for late 90's - early 2000's internet needs to play this game.

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[WestEgg]

Fire Emblem be poaching votes like Byleth poaches students from the other houses.

 

[Zedark]

1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - It's the grand return of Fire Emblem on the big screen! My favourite Fire Emblem before this one was Path of Radiance, a game I have played to death on the GameCube back when I was like 10 years old. The customisability present in that game was what made it the most interesting Fire Emblem I had ever played. Three Houses takes that aspect and amped it up to eleven. Every character can become any class you want them to become - assuming you give it enough effort - and there was an incredible variety in the amount of classes available to you. This customisability really speaks to me, and I spend hours upon hours figuring out what classes suited both my strategy and the pool of characters that I was working with. The reward that resulted from these hours of customising was a war machine that was nigh invincible, and that sense of Pride and Accomplishment really made the game for me. I also loved the characters and the story. The strategy gameplay was quite good, though not quite at the heights of Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade or even of Path of Radiance. The package as a whole, though, was something extremely special, and it has elevated the game to the no. 1 spot on my list of best Fire Emblem games, and no. 2 on my list of best Switch games. The game was incredible, and the wait was absolutely worth it! I have finished two routes (Golden Deer and that route), and I plan on playing through the Blue Lions route in the coming months.
2. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition - This game is my third favourite game of all time - right behind TES VI and TES V. The quality of the story, the incredible well-written characters, and the great artstyle and combat system make it a classic, and playing through this game again was a joy! The extra elements added from the Japanese version were rough, though: Patty does not deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as the other characters. Other than that, the game holds up incredibly well, and I am sure I will play through this version another 2 or 3 times in the long run.
3. Dragon Quest 11 Definitive Edition - What a game (and what a title)! It's a very classic JRPG, with simple but fun combat and a long, extended story that does not eschew going in a very fantastical direction - and I love it! The characters are interesting, though very typical, and the story is a lot of fun to follow through. Besides that, you can see that this is a really big budget JRPG: a lot of fun little quirks have been worked out (like dancing dogs!), and the quality all throughout is really high.
4. Pokémon Sword - Another grand return to the big screen for a new mainline entry in a franchise (see what I did there?). The game has been roundly criticised, and some of the criticism is absolutely fair. That said, it is an epic Pokémon adventure: the promise of searching for and finding Pokémon in the open world-like Wild Area does not disappoint - though it helps that I hadn't played a new gen Pokémon game since Diamond and Pearl, and as such many of the Pokémon were new to me. I had a ton of fun gathering a party, training them, and completing the story and searching for Pokémon. I will not gather all of the Pokémon in the game - that's a grind I am not willing to commit to - but I will likely go on to play some more when I return to the game later on.
5. Astral Chain - It came out of nowhere during the February Direct, but man, was it a great game! I adore the combat: they really tried to make something unique and fresh, and they succeeded in that aim and in making the game feel great and fun! The story was not anything special, but it got the job done. The battles I fought were of great quality, though, and the chaining mechanic never got stale during the 28 hours I spent in the game. I hope they have another go at this franchise, since its quality is high enough to warrant being a series on its own.
6. Ori - I recently got to play it. At first, I had some difficulty getting into it, and I thought it was a bit slow. I've never been a big fan of 2D platforming, so that didn't help, either. But somewhere before the first "boss", things started to look up: the moveset expanded, and some really platforming challenges presented themselves. By the first escape sequence, I was in love: it was an incredibly exhilarating section, and the platforming continued to be challenging but fun and rewarding. Overall, I loved the game, and I am looking forward to playing the sequel soon!
7. Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt - An all-time classic, this game. The Switch version turned out to be quite playable, and having such a magnificent game on the go was really incredible, similar to how it felt to take Skyrim with on the Switch. The Witcher 3's story and characters remain of high quality, and the open world remains outstanding, as is the quest writing. Overall, it deserves a spot in the list, although I didn't want to put it too high up there since it is a very straightforward version (and because I have only dedicated 2 hours to it so far - I'm rather busy at the moment!).
8. Wargroove - The game caught my eye way back during the first indie presentation. Now that it finally released, I can say the wait was worth: a content-rich release with fun combat scenarios and a lot of fun little mechanics puzzles as a side mode! All of it was really fun, and I hope they get to make another game in this genre.
9. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled - I was looking for a new kart racer after dedicating 160 hours to MK8D, and CTR was the best option available. It did not disappoint: a solid kart racer with a lot of content. It is a bit more challenging than MK8D, but that's no problem at all. All in all, I had a lot of fun with the title.
10. Luigi's Mansion 3 - I got this game for my birthday. I haven't finished it, put a few hours in. It's a slow and methodical but ultimately quite fun game. Nowhere does it present any challenge, and the exploration feels limited and not all too engaging to me. Overall, a fun enough game that's worth a look.

All in all, I had a fun time playing games this year, and there are plenty of exciting titles coming out next year as well for me, so I can't wait!


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[Forgotten in Space]

Ok what did I do wrong, where's my receipt? :(

 

[janoGX]

LEEEET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

1. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice - It's FromSoft's most polished gameplay, it's like they learned to fix most of the issues with DS and BB and pushed it without too much RPG stuff so it could sell to everyone, still one of the hardest FS games, on par with Bloodborne need to re-learn combat. Lore is interesting. Art is beautiful. Multiple endings. Already GOTY on TGA. What else?
2. Resident Evil 2 - What happens when you grab a beloved game, twist it around, fix the issues and you elevate the graphics to 11? The best remake ever. Capcom grabbed their already powerful RE Engine and they proved that they are really back into the fray, pumping classic after classic, and this is a living breathing example of this.
3. Apex Legends - Already the #2 BR in the world, Respawn might never catch to Epic and Fortnite, but they did one of the best BR experiences by doing a hero based game as a twist and having more speed and gun skill matter in the game. Spent tons of hours, felt rewarded.
4. Control - Remedy are mad men and did one of the most crazy TPS out there, good story, great twists, the same Remedy quality since Alan Wake, total recommendation
5. Luigi's Mansion 3 - I'm a big fan of Luigi's Mansion, every day ever since I got a GCN when it launched I played the first one daily until I finished that game, now, almost 20 years later I get to see a 3rd game in the series, and it still wows me. Beautiful graphs, the story is simple and effective, Gooigi is a welcoming addition, and I love this game.
6. Death Stranding - Here we are, that game that everyone hyped, but I don't feel it's GOTY worth, it suffers some of FFXIII's syndrome where it takes a lot to get going, still the graphics, the music, bb, the story when it gets going, the side stories, are amazing, Kojima really knows how to direct a game and do it in spades. He still has a lot to offer in this area, just, let him be crazy, and have someone to filter some of his inconsistencies.
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - IW just brought it back, even tho I hate the MP balance, the game has this feeling that it just improved, a lot, campaign is rock solid, spec ops "matters", and you have no loot boxes, free maps on MP, they listened and hell, even if there's a battle pass and a shop for the FOMOS, it's still better than gambling like an addict. I hope they tune the MP more so we get a much robust game.
8. Kingdom Hearts III - This was the first "new game" I played on 2019 and it was a solid experience from beggining to end. The closure of one of the biggest arcs in KH comes, we see the resolutions, emotional returns, a game that has fixed most of the endgame, and now we're waiting for what's next in the DLC. Also Let it Go in KH3 is worth it.
9. Untitled Goose Game - H O N K

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[KernelC]

Reading the lists I forgot (and so did everyone apparently) KH3 even launched this year, it seems like it won't even make it into top 10 holy shit.

Click to shrink...

I didn't forget. I wanted to put it in but I honestly, as a huge KH fan, don't think it deserves it. The pacing is all over the place and the DLC coming out next month feels like it should have been part of the game. I still adored it but I must admit it's only because I love KH.

 

[Psychonaut]

I've update the list (1/26) and the only game to sneak on here was Disco Elysium. I was frustrated by certain aspects of Later Alligator and Hypnospace Outlaw to the extent that I avoided putting more time into them. and Outer Wilds was just totally not my jam.

1. Slay the Spire - This is the most a rogue-lite has ever devoured my life. Typically, these sorts of games give me the impression that each run is just the same boring interactions with different map layouts. Slay the Spire is different because there are so many layers of variability between the card drops, relic drops, and (yes) map layouts that each thread feels genuinely fresh. From one run to the next, the whole damn ruleset can change, and that makes it a pretty good forever game.
2. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - This is the game I played the most this year. 2/5 runs, back to back. The tactical gameplay is still fantastic, despite my fears about the removal of the weapon triangle. The ensemble of characters is the most compelling I've experienced in an RPG this side of Persona, and the game recognizes this and accommodates players via the recruitment mechanic. I love the branching story because, even though I would have preferred if its individual branches were a bit more diverse, the effort lends the game a tremendous amount of replay value and I am eager for them to push this idea even further next time. The game's biggest issues (light screen-tearing/frame drops in free roam, low quality jpeg backgrounds) are small potatoes compared to all that there is to love here.
3. Disco Elysium - I hope this game ends up being wildly influential. I hope RPGs in the next decade are this rich and layered. I hope games in general are willing to be this explicitly political. I hope that we can move away from binary choices and structures in games.
4. Life is Strange 2 - Episode 1, which came out during 2018, was an amazing and touching experience which set an extremely high bar for subsequent episodes to meet. Those new episodes... didn't quite match the quality of the first, but Life is Strange 2 is still an eminently thrilling story with a lot of heart. This is still the most I've ever felt seen by a game.
5. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - I can't tell you anything that you don't already know. This game has the highest highs of the year. I will never beat it.
6. Kingdom Hearts 3 - Life is Strange 2 may have made me cry a whole lot, but not as much as Kingdom Hearts 3. This game is about what Kingdom Hearts has always been about: friendship. Just because it's simplistic doesn't mean it can't tell a meaningful and touching story about what it is to be human.
7. What the Golf? - This game is just really good and funny. I 100%ed it.
8. Pokemon: Shield - Ah, so we've entered the zone of "games I don't actually like that much." I hate the decision GameFreak made to cut most of my favorite Pokemon out of the game's code, and this will likely be my final time purchasing a Pokemon game. I just had to fulfill my lifelong dream of playing a 3D Pokemon RPG on my TV and... it was fine. I am mostly ambivalent about this game. The Wild Area sucks, as anticipated; Dynamaxing is not as dumb as I expected; the story feels like a patchwork mess; the characters in the story are pretty cool, even if they are just broad archetypes. Based on content, it's in the middle of the pack in terms of Pokemon RPGs. Based on legacy, fuck this game.
9. Luigi's Mansion 3 - This game is an enigma. It made me grow tired of something I thought I would love-- themed floors. I love the idea of having cordoned-off areas that all adhere to a specific style, but in practice I got bored by the time I hit floor 8. It's simply too long, and the backtracking that they throw in toward the end made me want to pluck my eyes out. None of it ever felt like it fit together. A more RE2 (or LM1) open layout approach that is still split into themed wings might have been better, I don't know. The controls also aren't built for what they want you to do with them a lot of the time. The exploration just wasn't as fun as I'd hoped.
10. Dragon Quest Builders 2 - They overcompensated on my complaints about the original DQB's length. I appreciate the expanded focus on story, but I would have appreciated a condensed version of this.

And now... every single other game I've played so far this year, ranked:

Spoiler: The Rest!

11. Supraland
12. Resident Evil 2
13. The Outer Worlds
14. Astrologaster
15. Later Alligator
16. Untitled Goose Game
17. RingFit Adventure
18. Outer Wilds
19. Ape Out
20. Heave Ho
21. Boxboy! + Boxgirl!
22. Dicey Dungeons
23. Dreams (Beta)
24. Ghost of a Tale
25. Grindstone
26. Baba is You
27. Tetris 99
28. Picross S3
29. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
30. Sayonara Wild Hearts
31. Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled
32. Apex Legends
33. Control
34. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

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[BrassDragon]

1. Planet Zoo - Not one real guest comes / To see animals but I: / Enriched by zoo care
   
2. Control - The sister assaults / A secret brutalist maze / Her authority
   
   
3. Greedfall - A settled island / Ruled with an infected fist / What BioWare left behind
   
4. The Outer Worlds - In colony space / Quest for profit and meaning / Bethesda of old
   
5. Fire Emblem Three Houses - Spirit of deer gold / In lion resignation / An eagle covets
   
6. Disco Elysium - In the tree murder / Crashing cabinet of thoughts / Seek detective's soul
   
7. Untitled Goose Game - Bothersome rampage / I am human frustration / Hear my honk, honk, honk
   
8. Baba is You - From tele to right / How to sink before the move? / The lonely is you
   
9. Jedi: Fallen Order - Metroidy souls-light / The plucky Jedi wall-runs / To bring franchise hope
   
10. Resident Evil 2 - Those police undead / In claustrophobic flashlight / Head-shot to explore
    

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[Xavi]

Always fun to read ERA's thoughts on their favorite games. Will have to write mine down later.

 

[Deleted member 10737]

1. Planet Zoo - Not one real guest comes / To see animals but I: / Enriched by zoo care
   
2. Control - The sister assaults / A secret brutalist maze / Her authority
   
   
3. Greedfall - A settled island / Ruled with an infected fist / What BioWare left behind
   
4. The Outer WorldsD - In colony space / Quest for profit and meaning / Bethesda of old
   
5. Fire Emblem Three Houses - Spirit of deer gold / In lion resignation / An eagle covets
   
6. Disco Elysium - In the tree murder / Crashing cabinet of thoughts / Seek detective's soul
   
7. Untitled Goose Game - Bothersome rampage / I am human frustration / Hear my honk, honk, honk
   
8. Babe is You - From tele to right / How to sink before the move? / The lonely is you
   
9. Jedi: Fallen Order - Metroidy souls-light / The plucky Jedi wall-runs / To bring franchise hope
   
10. Resident Evil 2 - Those police undead / In claustrophobic flashlight / Head-shot to explore
    

Click to shrink...

omg the haikus!
btw you have an extra D at the end of the outer worlds.

 

[Nugnip]

1. Control - Remedy is back with their best game yet, I loved everything about it. The gameplay, the mood, the story, the performances, and also, it's the first time I saw what Ray tracing was really capable of.
2. Judgment - Great point of entry into the whole Yakuza universe for anyone who wants to dive in. Great story, great cast of characters. Welcome to Kamurocho.
3. The Outer Worlds - Everything I love about this king of RPG condensed into one tight experience, with nothing superfluous. Amazing experience.
4. Resident Evil 2 Remake - They took one of my favorite games ever, and made it even better. This is the first remake I actually understand why they made it.
5. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - My second favorite Soulsborne game. #BloodborneWasRobbed
6. A Plague Tale: Innocence - Gorgeous game, beautiful story, great characters in a setting you don't see every day in video games. And man, those rats.
7. Disco Elysium - Out of fucking nowhere, here's the best written RPG I've played in a long time, with refined old school mechanisms. I love it.
8. Death Stranding - Yeah, Kojima missed the mark on that one, that game is all but a masterpiece, and the first third of the game is a slog, but in the end, it's been one of the best experience I've played all year.
9. Luigi's Mansion 3 - Luigi is a goddamned star. This game oozes with charm, and Luigi absolutely steals the show. A playable animation film.
10. Days Gone - Fuck the haters, this game is great. Sure, it has pacing issues, and it's maybe 15 hours too long, but the setting is great, it looks amazing, the zombies hordes are terrifying, and even the characters grow on you.

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