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

[Mandos]

Actually I haven't looked at the spreadsheet of eligible games until now and got to say, some interesting choices for certain games having certain genres. I've always thought of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown more as an action game, but I can sort of see why its under simulation since there are sim elements in accessing more aircraft and parts in the aircraft tree and then picking the right jet and upgrades before the mission. Also I think of Untitled Goose Game as a stealth puzzle game, but perhaps your actions as the jerk goose simulate the reactions of the villagers. That being said, I say let both games stay under simulation because looking at the competition of both best action and puzzle if they were in those respective categories I talked about, they each have a better shot winning Best Simulation game or cracking the top 5 in that genre.

Also, not sure if I agree with Death Stranding and Ring Fit Adventure both being under action when I thought Death Stranding was Action-Adventure and Ring-Fit looks more like an action RPG. Granted I haven't played those games so someone who has might agree with the genre categorization with both.

Click to shrink...

FYI pretty sure the list isn't exhaustive considering Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 isn't on there

 

[KeRaSh]

1. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice: Finally a modern FROM game with great mobility! Loved the setting, combat, atmosphere and story.
2. Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers: Amazing expansion with a great Final Fantasy Story that can stand on its own.
3. Super Mario Maker 2: SMM1 was great and this added so many cool new things into the mix. The Zelda update is the cherry on top.
4. Cadence of Hyrule: Had a ton of fun with this game. The music is amazing. I wish the game was longer.
5. The Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening (2019): Great remake of a great game. Unfortunately it had performance issues but it was still very enjoyable. ALttP next?

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[Enstikto]

1. Kingdom Hearts 3 - An epic conclusion to one of the best series of all time, but I have to admit that it was kinda "safe".
2. Death Stranding - The most original game of the last decade. Very good story, and very emotional.
3. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - A Star Wars game done right FINALLY. Excellent work though I would prefer more interesting collectibles.
4. The Outer Worlds - Best "Fallout" game of the recent times. Excellect characters and dialog! The ending came a little bit too soon though.
5. A Plague Tale: Innocence - Its amazing that such a good looking game came from such a small studio. Interesting story.
6. Days Gone - A game that I played to full completion and I had a good time playing it but with the worst protagonist in recent game history.

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[Klaw]

1. Outer Wilds - A big surprise. I loved nearly everything about it
2. A Plague Tale: Innocence - Great story, great setting. Loved it too
3. Tetris 99 - I didn't know I wanted a Tetris battle royale. I even laughed when it was announced. And then I tried it.
4. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Another fantastic From Software game BUT it lacks builds
5. Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers - Another great expansion for Final Fantasy 14. Definitively the best Final Fantasy since a lot of time for me. And perfectly playable solo
6. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - A good Metroidvania game in a superb Star Wars environment.
7. Metro Exodus - My most anticipated game for 2019. And I wasn't disappointed.
8. Luigi's Mansion 3 - Another surprise. Maybe the Nintendo game I least expected in 2019, but a perfect execution and a very fun game in the end.
9. Judgment - Just began it some days ago. Really liked what I played, but it's no surprise as I'm a big fan of the Yakuza series. Maybe it could be higher in the list, but I'm not far enough yet...
10. Astral Chain - A great game from Platinum, but with some pace problems.

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[ThereAre4Lights]

1. Kingdom Hearts 3 - An epic conclusion to one of the best series of all time, but I have to admit that it was kinda "safe".
2. Death Stranding - The most original game of the last decade. Very good story, and very emotional.
3. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - A Star Wars game done right FINALLY. Excellent work though I would prefer more interesting collectibles.
4. The Outer Worlds D - Best "Fallout" game of the recent times. Excellect characters and dialog! The ending came a little bit too soon though.
5. A Plague Tale: Innocence - Its amazing that such a good looking game came from such a small studio. Interesting story.
6. Days Gone - A game that I played to full completion and I had a good time playing it but with the worst protagonist in recent game history.

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Click to shrink...

Might want to fix The Outer Worlds title (remove the "D").

 

[Enstikto]

Might want to fix The Outer Worlds title (remove the "D").

Click to shrink...

Thanks!!! I didn't catch that. I fixed it.

 

[Thorrgal]

1. Death Stranding - A masterpiece by Kojima, We'll be remembered as this years GOTY once all the dust is settled for sure
2. Blood and Truth - Wanted to showcase a VR game as second, as it's a wonderful device and we spent hours playing both B&T and Beat Saber, which is not elligible
3. Days Gone - A fantastic adventure. Can't wait for the sequel
4. Borderlans III -The most fun I had this year as an online co-op experience, so it had to make the top 5
5. RE2 Remake -A trip down memory lane playing it with a friend and remembering the old days. Day One for RE3·
6. Metro Exodus - Playing it on Hardcore felt like the Survival Horror I needed. More of this, please
7. Gris -Beautiful
8. Control - Great game, but still plagued with frame rate issues. A shame
9. Greedfall -Somewhat flawed, but the greats were really great
10. Sekiro - Somewhat disappointing. Lost part of what makes From games so good; atmosphere, sense of discovery, exploration, etc

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[mrfusticle]

Alright let's do this.

Caveat: I'm including my children's (9 & 5) playtime as I do more watching and playing with them than I do solo these days.. Also, it won't be like two games then.

1. Mario Maker 2 - Nintendo are at their best when they make games with multiple overlapping mechanics creating rich and diverse gameplay that all kinds of people can enjoy. MM2 is the best example of this I've seen them produce (Splatoon was close). From the very opening of the game where you decide to make or play.. It's not just choice for choice's sake rather a way to quickly get to the gameplay you want to enjoy. I never had the WiiU version so can't comment if it's improved or not but I have no doubt that this will be a game that will forever be near the top of recently played in my house.. Or at least until the new version/console arrives.
2. Ring Fit Adventure - My partner and I used to do the Wii Fit thing and have fun in the noughties .. RFA is a massive improvement on that. For me it's the adventure mode.. Slapping an RPG on the game was a master stroke to push my level up buttons and get me returning every day. The missus isn't interested in that but is more than happy with the functionality of the custom sets.. and we all enjoy a laugh with the mini games.. I'm genuinely surprised Nintendo seem not have realised what a banger they have on their hands looking at the current stock situation. Again, another game we're going to get huge amounts of value from .. definitely the biggest plus for someone who buys more games than he gets to play.
3. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition - So, here's my GOTY if you count it by actually playing a lot of the damn thing. As I've got older and crankier my tastes have "refined" (ie. I buy games then get bored of them after hardly playing) but DQXI held my interest for a good couple of months which is by far the longest since Xenoblade 2 I think. Beautiful graphics, jolly and traditionally shallow/easy to digest story but most of all it's the QOL improvements like the auto-battling and speed ups that are genius in this game. I do have to add one negative though.. I know it's tradition but the sexism in the game is very off-putting and embarrassing in front of my children. Jade in particular suffers from this.. I deliberately didn't fill in the "sexy" part of her skill tree because it didn't seem to relate to her character at all apart from in some creepy objectifying way.. I also nearly quit playing when I had to go and rescue her?! in the story when everyone else had managed to look after themselves. I do hope Japanese game makers finally arrive in the 21st century in 2020 in this respect.
4. Tetris 99 - Oof.. So good. We love a bit of Puyo Tetris and this was a no-brainer. It's lower down because, to be honest, the game stresses me out after a short time so I haven't actually played it a huge amount but I do come back fairly regularly to try and crack that top ten one more time!
5. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - My eldest is the reviewer here.. I played the original but haven't really started this yet (apart from a crack at the fishing ofc). Looks beautiful, we can't see the slow down problem (sorry, maybe I should hand in my Gamer ID after 40 years?) and it's Link's Awakening = The best handheld Zelda.. looking forward to having a good go when I get a chance.. It's also teaching the boy how to surf the net while he looks for answers to some of the more ahhh obscure puzzles :P
6. Unravel Two - I've spent all year trying to find a good co-op other than MM2 (which the eldest doesn't like (because he hates losing to his brother)).. Unravel Two was just the ticket. Nice intuitive and precise controls, pretty environments, tricky but not too tough on the puzzles and the ability to give the other player a piggy-back is obviously perfect for playing with kids.. A charming and, relatively, stress free co-op experience.
7. Pokemon Shield - This is my first mainline Pokemon so I have no frame of reference but it seems fun enough. The eldest did drop it quite quickly but I think that was more to do with the Civ VI expansion coming out and I'm sure he'll return once him and his mates get the perennial Poke-fever with the TCG and cartoon in the spring/summer. For me it was strangely simplistic in how it played yet sort of daunting in the depths of breeding and training.. Weird but to be expected from a twenty year old franchise I guess.. the character models are a whole lot of cute including the new ones.. My favourites without doubt are the fossil abominations :D Wouldn't say it's my cup of tea overall but at least I've tried one now.

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[WightnNerdy]

1. Control - The Oldest House is one of the most fascinating game locations I've ever explored and the powers were a blast to use.
2. Resident Evil 2 - Definitely one of the best game remakes of all time—I loved Resident Evil 2 in 1998, and I still love it today.
3. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda - If you said earlier in the year that I would like Cadence of Hyrule more than Link's Awakening I would've said you were crazy.
4. The Outer Worlds - As a long-time Bethesda RPG fan, The Outer Worlds really scratched that same itch for me.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - A fantastic remake of one of my least favourite Zelda games, mainly because of the new control scheme.
6. Gears 5 - You could argue that the new open world elements are just roadblocks to Gears of War shooting levels, but I found them to be quite refreshing.
7. Pokemon Sword - It's not the big, new, extravagant Pokemon game I wanted to see on a home console, but it's a new region with new Pokemon, so I still had a ton of fun.
8. Apex Legends - I'm not a huge fan of online shooters but Apex Legends was a fun game to play with friends. Winning a game is still one of the most satisfying things I did in 2019, especially because I'm terrible at the game.
9. Wolfenstein: Youngblood - I think I'm in the minority when I say that this is one of my favourite Wolfenstein games, and I had a ton of fun playing this game with a buddy.
10. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - As a spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, I would say that Bloodstained is a pretty faithful recreation of the classic Metroidvania formula, and I really liked it.

I'm sure that Jedi: Fallen Order would be on this list somewhere, but I'm waiting for it to go on sale somewhere. You may also notice that the Outer Wilds is missing from this list too and while I do agree that it's a fascinating, incredibly crafted world, I found the time-reset mechanic to be too frustrating.

 

[Amibguous Cad]

1. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Wasn't this a 2018 game? In its original form maybe, but since all playable content is now eligible for nomination, I can give this game its due. PoE2 released its turn based mode this year, and it's one of the best tactics games ever created. The system turns its chaotic and nearly unmanageable fights into slow, methodical, tense affairs, where systems that were previously ignored as too unwieldy or manageable make for a huge variety of factors that must be carefully managed. If you slept on it in 2018, keep an eye on it for the new year.
2. Disco Elysium - Pretty words write good. I want to see China Mieville's take on this world.
3. Outer Wilds - I love a game that isn't afraid to let you get lost.
4. Steamworld Quest - Card game JRPGs rule, and this is the best one since Baten Kaitos.
5. Dicey Dungeons -
6. Slay the Spire -
7. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep -
8. Baba is You -
9. Dauntless -
10. Fire Emblem: Three Houses -

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[Noisepurge]

1. Resident Evil 2 - Such a well made game on all fronts, from 60fps to the thrilling gameplay, instantly played both chapters and 4th Survivor etc. and eagerly waiting for RE3R this year
2. Death Stranding - Being a Kojima Fanboy this was a no-brainer and i´m glad it didn´t disappoint either. Such well realized new world and lore that actually does explain even the first original reveal trailer by the end.
3. Ace Combat 7 - Perfect return to form, i only wish they would have made the entire campaign available in VR mode
4. Mortal Kombat 11 - It´s insane that a game can boldly call itself the 11th part and still be totally legit and awesome
5. Bloodstained Ritual of the Night - Castlevania Symphony of the Night 2 was finally made and it did not disappoint. Curse of the Moon is also the perfect companion piece.
6. Call of Duty Modern Warfare - COD4MW4 has the best gunplay of the generation and i found the more tactical gameplay refreshing
7. Baba is You - Such a smart puzzler that starts off simple and is basically pseudo programming, insanity
8. Control - Also a greatly presented new world and lore with cool powers and visuals
9. Shakedown Hawaii - Best GTA clone since Saints Row 3, just for the SNES
10. The Outer Worlds - Was so glad to see and play a new Fallout! :D
11. Terminator Resistance - For Terminator fans this really brought the feels back of Future Shock and Skynet of old
12. Blazing Chrome - Funnily enough we also did get a new Contra this year, they just forgot to add the title to this one

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[Kalentan]

1. Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers - An amazing expansion pack that truly elevated the story to new heights with some of the best bosses and dungeons encounters to date.
2. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne - Giving the game new life, Iceborne resolved a lot of the issues with World. While some issues do remain, the support they have been giving World has been great.
3. A Plague Tale: Innocence - I never expected the story to be so good and I tend to be wary of games focused on children characters but it was great and it was able to not outstay it's welcome and kept things fresh.
4. The Surge 2 - Outside of Nioh, Surge 2 is probably the best Souls-like thus far. It still has a problem with weak bosses but the level design and combat are top tier. Decapitating enemies for loot will never not be great.
5. Resident Evil 2 - Great follow up to RE7. As someone who never played the original RE2, this still felt incredibly fresh and exciting.
6. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - I really can't wait for a sequel. Fallen Order was fun but it's clear where they need to improve. That being said the way the story tied stuff in from Clone Wars was fantastic and I loved the cast of characters.
7. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - I had never gotten deep into any of the modern Fire Emblem titles until this one. Three Houses was gripping and outside some odd spikes in difficulty was a fun ride from start to finish.
8. Mortal Kombat 11 - Netherrealms still the King of Single-Player fighting games. The cinematics in Injustice 2 were a huge step up and MK11 even more so. I'm still a bit cautious where the series moves on from here but in the moment it's probably my favorite story mode.
9. Remnant From the Ashes - This came out of nowhere for me. I had vaguely heard about it before launch but it was the OT that made me bite the bullet and so glad that I did. First Souls-like to radically change the gameplay and actually succeed with it. Playing through it in coop with my friend now (after originally playing solo) and it's even better.
10. Code Vein - I've made my issues with Code Vein clear (combat/level design) but despite those issues I still had plenty of fun with it and I'm actively looking forward to the DLC. If not for Shadowbringers, this might have been #1 on my Best of 2019 OST list.

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[Violence Jack]

Putting this up in case I don't finish The Outer Worlds in time.

1. Resident Evil 2 Remake - A beautifully done remake of an already excellent game. Filled with tense moments, fun gameplay, and just gives off the vibe of old school survival horror while feeling completely updated.
2. Devil May Cry 5 - Insane graphics, amazingly fun & varied gameplay, hot women, good story, and just an overall blast to play.
3. Astral Chain - When Astral Chain was announced, I really didn't care much for it. Then I learned it was going to be made by Platinum, and the gameplay trailers finally got me to preorder the game. I'm so glad I did for two reasons: First, the game wasn't in stock for very long as most places around me only received roughly 10-15 copies. Second, I'm having so much fun with this game even if I do fumble with the controls every now and then. The soundtrack is fantastic, and I love how the game slowly eases you into learning the multilayered combat system. I had to drop the difficulty to easy for my first playthrough for this reason as I just wasn't picking it up fast enough to enjoy the game. The story is alright, but I wish the side characters had been filled out a little more. The enemy designs are varied and very detailed. The only reason its not my #1 pick for GOTY is due to other than the gameplay and soundtrack, the game doesn't excel in areas that other games do in my list.
4. Sekiro - I loved 99% of Sekiro. Learning how to defeat bosses, enemy patterns, and gaining more confidence as I went along. However, the only reason it's not at the top of my list boils down to one thing: the final boss. I'm fine with bosses that have multiple phases that you must go through. What I wasn't fine with was having to go through those phases from the beginning every time I died. It was no longer fun, and started to get tedious and frustrating for me. So this is the only game on my list that I haven't beat, and don't feel the need to. From the rest of the game feeling like a fair challenge, the final boss just ramped up the difficulty too much for me.
5. Bloodstained - Proof that a Kickstarter can work, Bloodstained is the Castlevania game I've been wanting for years. I had so much fun playing this game to the point that I got the Platinum on it. The only reason it's not higher is due to some bugs and glitches that just made it feel unpolished at times.
6. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Score another win for a Star Wars side story. Fallen Order had a good story, nice character development, great voice acting, a great companion droid, and fun lightsaber combat that borrowed heavily from Dark Souls style of gameplay. Best of all, it was a purely single-player experience with nary a microtransaction to be seen. It would have been much higher on the list if not for the ending feeling a bit rushed and weak compared to the rest of the game, and for the insane number of bugs, glitches, and outright crashes that I encountered during my session. I hadn't experienced a crash on a console game since No Man's Sky, and it's infuriating that EA didn't put the game out in better shape than it was. Still, I very much enjoyed Fallen Order and I hope that EA brings out more Star Wars games like this.
7. Control - The combat system was a lot of fun, great voice work, varied approaches to enemy encounters, and good graphics. The maze section might be my favorite overall gaming moment of 2019. But the story just wasn't memorable for me, and I found myself mostly ignoring it after a while.
8. Death Stranding - This was the most polished game I've played in years. I have no complaints whatsoever about the controls, and there were zero bugs or glitches encountered. Everything just felt smooth and handled with a level of care that I wished all game developers would employ in their releases. The soundtrack is beautiful, filled with emotion, and soothing. It's definitely my favorite of 2019. The graphics are jaw-dropping with tremendous detail. The story got very weird and convoluted, but I got the basic gist of what was going on. However, apart from the very brief moments of combat, it's a walking simulator. But it's the best damn walking simulator that I've ever played, and what it does with its online component is innovative and amazing. I did find myself getting quite bored at times, and that's something I can say I never experienced with any of the games listed higher on my list. Some of the cutscenes went on for so long that I just started skipping over certain parts that I found to be repetitive or unimportant to the overall story. Maybe it's just that since this style of gameplay isn't for me that I didn't enjoy this more, but it is without a doubt a technical masterpiece.
9. The Outer Worlds - Truth be told, I never finished a single Fallout game. By the time I learned about Fallout: New Vegas, I was into so many other titles that I just haven't had the time to go back and play it. However, many people suggested that I play The Outer Worlds to get a similar feel to what New Vegas ended up being. If that's the case, then I need to revisit New Vegas in my backlog sooner rather than later. This game is fun, mostly bug and glitch free, good voice acting, missions that I actually want to complete, and I just want to keep playing in the world. I'll definitely be keeping tabs on Obsidian going forward.
10. Mortal Kombat 11 - It's a familiar, formulaic fighting game, but it still does everything well and I had great fun going through the story mode just as I do for all Netherrealm games.

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[JasoNsider]

1. Outer Wilds - One of the greatest exploration games I've ever played. Just jam packed with amazing experiences. This year's best game by far!
2. Untitled Goose Game - Biggest surprise of the year. I hoped it would be good but was worried it might just be quick memes. It's actually amazing and clever. It's also very relaxing to play.
3. Resident Evil 2 - An absolute blast. This game is super polished and is the new high bar for remakes. From here on in we're going to hope for not just a visual overhaul, but to also bring thrills for those who have played the original.
4. Slay the Spire - Brilliantly designed. I'm not one to even play card based games at all, but the various decisions you are forced to make in this game add to one of the most compelling designs in years.
5. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - First Fire Emblem since the first GBA one that I played to completion. The addition of relaxing exploration in the monastery is a revelation and is a huge huge step forward. A must play!

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[Deleted member 283]

1. Disco Elysium - Disco Elysium is a truly wonderful experience all around. Wonderful writing, wonderful set of characters, and it's definitely a game where I felt like my choices ended up mattering. The only grievances I have with it are a few annoying skill checks/dice rolls along the way, but those are minor flaws well worth dealing with, especially for the pay off of seeing how everything tied together and wound up at the end. Just a wonderful experience.
2. Elsinore - Hamlet + Groundhog's Day: The Video Game. Sound's like a crazy concept, but it works, really, really well. The writing and characters are great, and, well, I did read Hamlet back in the day (though not recently), so I can't say for sure what knowledge I did have of the play didn't play a role, but nonetheless it seemed standalone enough and something that should be just fine even if you've never read a page of it. Plus, the game itself is gorgeous. Just a lovely little game.
3. Judgment - The new IP from Ryu Ga Gotoku studios, and it's just as good as any Yakuza game. Wonderful overarching mystery, great writing, great characters, lots of fun sidequests and stuff all over the place. Just all kinds of great stuff around every corner, and just an all around great package.
4. Songbird Symphony - A very wholesome, heartwarming and adorable rhythm/puzzle-platformer game. It's extremely difficult to actually master the rhythm portions of the game, since they definitely get really hard, so if challenge is your thing, there's plenty to find. On the other hand, if you're terrible at rhythm games like I am, don't let that deter you at all, since I don't believe it's actually possible to fail the rhythm portions at all, no matter how terrible you do, the story will still continue. And at least for me, despite being terrible at rhythm games myself, just the wholesome story and characters kept me going, along with the puzzle/platforming segments. So yeah, definitely recommend checking this game out if any of that sounds interesting at all.
5. A Short Hike - As the title suggests this game is indeed short, but that doesn't make it any sweet, and what a sweet little ride it is. This game is packed full of charm as you track up the mountain, collecting feathers and engaging in various other activities like fishing, races, and several other activities. Just an all around great experience, and being able to check out a game like this as an essentially free bonus for subscribing to Humble Monthly/Humble Choice once, as it's part of the Humble Trove, was a very pleasant surprise. Very worth checking this game out, as it's a wonderful just sit-back-and-relax/destress for a few hours kind of game, and it's very beautiful to boot.
6. Baba Is You - Absolutely fantastic puzzle game, and an absolute must for any fans of puzzle games whatsoever. Such a creative and brilliant game, that will have you stumped so many times over but when you have that "aha" moment, it makes it so worth the while. Just wish I wasn't so bad at puzzle games myself, but even so, I still had a lot of fun with what I've played it and would definitely recommend others check it out if they're at all interested in the idea. Even if you're not good at puzzle games, I'd still be heavily tempted to recommend it anyway just for the sheer creativity of it and having your mind blown numerous times over all the crazy things you can do; wonderful stuff.
7. Cthulhu Saves Christmas - This one kind of sneaked in at the last second there, but is definitely more than worth checking out itself. A very charming and humorous RPG. Really enjoyed the writing in this. Also appreciated a lot of QOL features in this game, such as being able to just force encounters to happen directly from the menu if you like. Plus, having an encounter-counter in the bottom corner that ticks down and, once it reaches zero, while still allowing you to have even more encounters from the menu if you like, otherwise lets you freely explore without worrying about any further random encounters, is great. But yeah, I really liked it and was something I'm glad I checked out.
8. Dicey Dungeons - Terry Cavanagh has done it again. Just a wonderful gem of a game. A great rougelike that's very difficult to master but still a lot of fun even if you have no idea what you're doing. Great stuff.
9. Later Alligator - In this very charming point-and-click adventure game, you meet an alligator named Pat, who is completely convinced that later tonight, all his friends and relatives are hatching a plan to have him assassinated, and totally, definitely 100% not doing anything normal like having a surprise birthday party instead. And so, with Pat being convinced of this, but not able to get anything out of anyone himself about what's going down tonight (and with him being too afraid to ask besides), it's up to you to go around town to go around town and get all the deets instead. But of course, they aren't going to give up the secret for free, and you have to help solve various puzzles and do other kinds of tasks for them to get them to cough up what they know so you can relay it back to Pat. It's all very silly, but in a very wholesome, charming sort of way with a very unique artstyle and some good music to boot.
10. Pilgrims - The latest point-and-click adventure game from Amanita Design, the creators behind games like Machinarium and Samorost. The way the game works, is that both items and companions alike turn into "cards" in your inventory which you can use to solve the various puzzles needed to complete the game, with most puzzles having various different solutions to them depending on which characters/items you use. However, the one catch with this game is that it's very short, in no small part to encourage you to see those various different solutions. But it only takes you a few hours at most to see everything. Nonetheless, while the ride lasts, it's definitely very charming and more than checking out as it's definitely a great, beautiful ride while it lasts.

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[makonero]

1. Elsinore - My favorite game of the year and NO ONE PLAYED IT! A small kickstarter release that bridged the gap between old-school adventure games, Shakespeare, and time loops, this is a game that was made only for me. It makes me sad that no one else experienced the anxiety of making a final choice or explored each well-written and well-rounded character, or got to experience the joy of discovering whole new areas of the game on a late playthrough. Seriously, please, go play this! Even after I was done, I still couldn't get it out of my mind. It's incredible.
2. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Just finished my first route, and I loved it! While the monastery's charms wore off towards the latter half, I really enjoyed this, much more than the Fates games. In fact, I think it beats out Awakening as my favorite in the series. I'm going to take a break, but eventually I'll come back and try one of those other paths.
3. Dragon Quest Builders 2 - I loved the first when I played it, and when it came to this or DQ11, I went with this one. It certainly didn't disappoint! It feels so good to play and smooths over a lot of the rough edges of the first one. The endgame gets a little long and I'm not one for the minecraftiness of the post-game, but I really loved my time with it.
4. Outer Wilds - Just about done with this one! Love love love the setting, music, atmosphere, and pretty much everything but the wonky controls. Or maybe I'm just bad? I dunno, but hitting that comet while trying to get to a different planet and breaking my ship apart and slowly dying in space, while funny, took too long. In fact that's my major gripe: everything takes too long and then I have to repeat certain things sometimes. But I'm close to finishing it and I really am glad I picked it up.
5. A Short Hike - Got this in one of Era's giveaways and holy crap am I glad I did! What a joyous few hours I spent with it. I loved traversal, the general relaxed mood, the animal crossing aesthetics, everything. Short and sweet!
6. Neo Cab - Got this on launch, and really enjoyed it! Near future cyberpunk dystopias are definitely in style these days, but this has some clever gig-economy twists. The ending I got was unsatisfying though and even though repeat playthroughs are encouraged (and awesome; so many little character side stories you miss in only one!) I got the same ending the next time through! I wish it was better signposted as to how to get different endings. Ended up googling it, which isn't ideal. But I highly recommend this to people who liked VA11-HA11A and other similar games.

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[makonero]

Of course as soon as I post I see the post above me also has Elsinore, lol! What are the odds? Good taste, ShironRedshift

 

[Deleted member 283]

Of course as soon as I post I see the post above me also has Elsinore, lol! What are the odds? Good taste, ShironRedshift

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I happened to just come across it by chance myself as it popped up in one of my daily set of Steam recommend game Queues, as I was grinding them out for trading cards during the sale. When I saw it I was like "huh, this seems like a pretty neat concept and it looks like it has some great artwork to boot" so I decided to add it to my haul from the winter sale pretty much in a whim and I'm definitely glad I did as it was one of those games that's hard to put down once I started it.

Like I have to admit I was s bit worried at first because of how once you get into the time loop when you're not in menus/dialog time is constantly advancing and I tend not to like games like that, but it's absolutely fine in Elsinore and you have plenty of time to do whatever you need to on a given day, so those few worries I had quickly faded after that and I was hooked.

But yeah, just a great game all around.

 

[makonero]

Yeah, I happened to just come across it by chance myself as it popped up in one of my daily set of Steam recommend game Queues, as I was grinding them out for trading cards during the sale. When I saw it I was like "huh, this seems like a pretty neat concept and it looks like it has some great artwork to boot" so I decided to add it to my haul from the winter sale pretty much in a whim and I'm definitely glad I did as it was one of those games that's hard to put down once I started it.

Like I have to admit I was s bit worried at first because of how once you get into the time loop when you're not in menus/dialog time is constantly advancing and I tend not to like games like that, but it's absolutely fine in Elsinore and you have plenty of time to do whatever you need to on a given day, so those few worries I had quickly faded after that and I was hooked.

But yeah, just a great game all around.

Click to shrink...

Not the place, but I gotta ask: which ending did you pick ultimately?

 

[Deleted member 283]

Not the place, but I gotta ask: which ending did you pick ultimately?

Click to shrink...

I went Peace for Survival I believe it was in the end.

Spoiler

From what I saw there was indeed no way to keep everyone both alive and happy. And didn't feel it right to sacrifice anyone, not even Claudius considering in thisgame he too was being manipulated by Quince, just so Ophelia would survive/be happy, especially since she kind of has an unfair advantage in that regard with the Book and all. So if the lot of various bad or pro/contact options, the one where everyone is alive but no one is really happy seemed the most "fair" given the options (especially since in a lot of the endings either you're deliberately getting characters killed yourself regardless which I didn't feel was right or the wars likely going in regardless but Ophelia just personally "nopes" out of there before then, etc). Not a glorious ending by any stretch, but the most fitting for that world/the game in general I felt. Wrapping up in a monkey's paw wish kind of way like that--giving Ophelia what she wanted most throughout the game, to both escape and keep everyone alive, but at a price.

 

[makonero]

I went Peace for Survival I believe it was in the end.

Spoiler

From what I saw there was indeed no way to keep everyone both alive and happy. And didn't feel it right to sacrifice anyone, not even Claudius considering in thisgame he too was being manipulated by Quince, just so Ophelia would survive/be happy, especially since she kind of has an unfair advantage in that regard with the Book and all. So if the lot of various bad or pro/contact options, the one where everyone is alive but no one is really happy seemed the most "fair" given the options (especially since in a lot of the endings either you're deliberately getting characters killed yourself regardless which I didn't feel was right or the wars likely going in regardless but Ophelia just personally "nopes" out of there before then, etc). Not a glorious ending by any stretch, but the most fitting for that world/the game in general I felt. Wrapping up in a monkey's paw wish kind of way like that--giving Ophelia what she wanted most throughout the game, to both escape and keep everyone alive, but at a price.

Click to shrink...

I did Prestige for Family

Spoiler

I felt like this ending made the most sense for Ophelia herself, and after everything her family were the ones that I thought she would trust over everything else. I was really happy with it overall, and it felt the most natural to me and ultimately it feels like a happy ending. I love talking with people about the endings because everyone seems to make a different choice!

 

[mrmickfran]

1. Devil May Cry 5 - DMC IS BACK!! It was a long 11 year wait in between the mainline Devil May Cry games. And within 5 minutes of playing the game I am reminded of why that wait was so excruciating. The combat, the freaking combat. I never thought that DMC3 and DMC4's amazing combat could have ever been topped but here we are. Dante is better than ever, Nero's new additions added some much needed variety to his combat and V's summoner-like combat adds an exciting new twist to the standard formula. And what's a great combat system without some bosses to really test you? The boss fights were some of the best of the year- scratch that, some of the best in the gen. They are challenging, they are exciting and they allow me to learn more and more about the game. There was a boss fight where I was one hit away from death and the boss had at least 30% of its HP left. Something just awakens in me like it was some anime power and I manage to win the fight by the skin of my teeth. It's that exhilarating feeling that I missed so much. It took me back to my childhood days playing DMC3 on the PS2 and just taking the time to learn the ins and outs of it. I have spent hours upon hours playing this game despite already completing it just because I love how it feels. Most satisfying time I had playing a game in years. Games from this genre are rare nowadays; and games this damn good are even more rare. CAPCOM IS BACK
2. Resident Evil 2 - I was never a big fan of the horror side of Resident Evil, I always liked the action side more because I like action and I could never get into the control scheme. Then I tried out the remake for Resident Evil 2 and I was floored. I just had so much fun exploring the RPD and clearing out every room. I loved solving the puzzles in the lab and finding out the best ways to avoid and go through crowds of enemies. The atmosphere and dread just really brings this world together. I can't believe that it took me this long to try out the horror side of Resident Evil, and all it took were better controls and a manageable camera.
3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Miyazaki can do no wrong.
4. Blazing Chrome - We had two Contra games this year and only one of them was good. This is the good one. Blazing Chrome brought satisfying fast-paced 2D action with very fun weapons and exciting boss fights.
5. Shovel Knight: King of Cards - I'm voting for this here to make up for my foolishness of taking so long to finally play Shovel Knight and also because King of Cards is a damn fine campaign.
6. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
7. Kingdom Hearts III
8. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
9. Astral Chain
10. Judgment

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[serbootybottom]

Long time listener. First time caller.

Really disappointed for the lack of Children of Morta on all these lists.

 

[MajulaDream]

1. Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark - Loved Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre back in the day? PLAY Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark and fall in love once again! :) For the first time in 20 years, a SRPG has captured the Final Fantasy Tactics magic that drew me in as kid on the Playstation console. Developed by 6 Eyes Studio, their love for Tactics style gameplay and customization is made apparent from the very start. I LOVE the 50+ hours I've put into this title, and highly recommend to anyone who loved Final Fantasy Tactics or looking to get into the genre for the first time! It will scratch an itch that is largely absent from modern gaming while offering a beautiful title that also stands on its own gameplay systems as well. My game of 2019! I know I'll be back for more with DLC coming in 2020.
2. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Another AMAZING game by From Software. Innovative swordplay, a seamless world and that special sauce that makes FROM the greatest developers this side of Lordran! :D
3. The Outer Wilds - A fun and unique adventure that you definitely will not soon forget! Great game!
4. Disco Elysium - One of the more unique and groundbreaking games in recent memory! The writing deserves all the praise. Play it!
5. Resident Evil 2 - What more can one say? Simply the best remake of a classic title perhaps ever.

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[hersheyfan]

1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - A tactical RPG so outstanding, it challenges the original Final Fantasy Tactics for its long held position as my personal favorite TRPG ever. Whether it actually beats FFT in my view or not isn't the question - the fact that I can even muster a comparison to such a legendary game speaks volumes. Games this good don't come out every year.
2. Death Stranding - I came for the KojiPro mindfuckery. I stayed for the surprisingly engaging gameplay, the amazing OST, the beautiful graphics, and the entertaining social elements. It doesn't feel possible that I had as much fun as I did, but I did. I'll never slander Kojima again!
3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - While I enjoy Souls games (DS1 and BB in particular), no other From game has ever been quite as suave in terms of character movement and general feel as Sekiro. The impeccable handling helps the challenging but fair gameplay go down very smoothly - when you pull off a big win it makes you feel like an absolute ninja badass.
4. Resident Evil 2 - A stone cold classic like RE2 only making 4th on my GotY list really highlights what a great year for videogames this was for me; in many other years, RE2 would have taken the top spot without much effort. Capcom successfully updated Resident Evil 4's pin-sharp TPS setup and melded it with classic RE2's tense survival horror gameplay.
5. Dragon Quest Builders 2 - Despite Death Stranding's higher placement, DQB2 was hands down the game I played the most of on my PS4 all year. I adored the original DQB's "Minecraft, but with quests and objectives" structurr, but it had some annoying issues keeping it from being truly amazing. DQB2 plays like somebody took a checklist of complaints fans of the first game had, and crossed off every damn one. Easily Square's best new game of 2019.
6. Devil May Cry 5 - While certain parts were a wee bit repetitive, DMCV still stands as a strong statement from Capcom that they still have what it takes to make top tier character action games. V's gameplay was a fun change of pace, and they successfully differentiated Nero and Dante enough to improve variety further. Loads of replay value.
7. Tetris 99 - If you told me prior to Tetris 99's release that mashing Tetris with a battle royale conceit was a fucking outstanding idea, I would have laughed in your face and dismissed it as another overly enthusiastic industry attempt to milk a hot gaming trend... and I would have been very, very wrong. Tetris 99 is a phenomenal game, and I'll happily eat all the crow necessary.
8. Control - I'm a big fan of Remedy's work, and Control might be one of their strongest titles yet. The whole idea of the Bureau is a fantastic setup for a game, and theres lots of lore to dig into if you're so inclined; Remedy's trademark high quality TPS gameplay remains present and correct. This game was so good it made me buy a new video card to allow me to play it with high visual fidelity (Disclaimer: I hate EGS too, dont kill me, I bought this key at regional pricing + a 10$ voucher for a net loss to Epic).
9. Raging Loop - What do you get when you cross Danganronpa with concepts from Werewolf/Mafia (the social game)? Apparently, one of the most tense, thrilling visual novels I've played in a while. Raging Loop is a must play for all visual novel obsessives, particularly fans of Kotaro Uchikoshi style death games. Although it peters out a bit near the end, this is still well worth your time.
10. Untitled Goose Game - It's very rare that any game manages to elicit more than a chuckle out of me across its entire playtime. Untitled Goose Game scored a laughing fit out of me within the first 30 minutes! Maybe its because the asshole in my subconscious empathizes with the titular goose more than I'd like to admit? I can't exclude this game from my 2019 top ten, its impossible.

Honorable mentions: Dragon Quest XI S, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Dicey Dungeons, Gears 5, The Song of Saya


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[babuchy]

1. Resident Evil 2 - Best remake ever, incredible atmosphere.
2. The Outer Worlds - Great RPG, the "fallout" we deserve.
3. Metro Exodus - Good graphics and story, dont like so much open world areas.
4. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Metroidvania with good exploration and some good boss fights.
5. Gears of War 5 - a lot of action and good multiplayer.

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[komlesopp]

1. Slay the Spire - Best card game ever made. Fight me!
2. Tetris 99 - I didn't think anyone could ever make a battle royale game I could enjoy. I was wrong.
3. Dragon Quest 11 Definitive Edition - It's Dragon Quest. It's fun.
4. Ring Fit Adventure - Really really good. Should have been higher but haven't been able to play it much yet.

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[ghostcrew]

1. Outer Wilds - This has been pretty firmly in my number one spot for most of the year. One of the most unique games I've ever played. Crafted to perfection. 5 stars out of 5 stars.
2. Heaven's Vault - If my avatar didn't give it away - I love Heaven's Vault. I love languages so it was always going to be intriguing but slowly figuring out and making educated guesses on words and symbols was incredibly addictive and the story kept me hooked right to the end. Love it from top to bottom.
3. Disco Elysium - I adore Disco Elysium and Kim is the greatest sidekick in the world. It's funny, clever, has a wonderful plot and it's really nuanced. It's a true role-playing game that absolutely allows you to play the way you want to play and craft the character that you want. Could've easily been my number one in a different year.
4. Death Stranding - Delivery games are absolutely my jam and I still maintain that DS is the perfect mix for me of Kojima wonderfulness and great, lonely, intense delivery mechanics that I love in games like Sea of Thieves and Euro Truck Simulator. Sometimes I feel like this game was designed specifically for me. It's so to my taste.
5. Tetris 99 - I'm always gonna struggle to not include a Tetris game in my list if one came out. Tetris is my favourite game ever. Nintendo have kept iterating on Tetris 99 throughout the year and they've built it into something wonderful. I play it almost every day.
6. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - This one came in super late for me. I actually bought it on release day on PS4 but didn't touch it until about three weeks ago. The last three weeks have been all Bloodstained all of the time. I think it's incredible and that's no real surprise considering it's lineage.
7. Gears 5 - Gears 5 is one of my favourite games of the year and I still haven't started the campaign. I've 're-upped' four times purely from playing Versus online every single night since it came out and rinsing Escape and Horde with friends. Gears is one of my favourite franchises and they've tuned it to such a fun place. Gears 5 has the most options for multiplayer that Gears has ever had and that's undeniable awesome for someone like me that favours online play. Perfect. I'll get to the single player one of these days. But meh. Rainy day mode.
8. Apex Legends - Like many I was incredibly sceptical of Respawn doing a 'Titanfall' Battle Royale with no titans or wall running. I was already pretty down on Titanfall 2 multiplayer compared to the first game. But they nailed it. They made BR accessible and super fun to play with buddies without the learning curve of a PUBG etc. It's reall great and one of the shining examples of the genre.
9. Super Mario Maker 2 - In a lot of ways Super Mario Maker 2 is actually a bit of a bummer. There's a lot of untapped potential in the game that is criminally unrealised. But this isn't about what it does wrong! It's still incredible. It's still Mario 1, 3, World and NSMB (and 3D World now!) with unlimited levels. I still play it all of the time and the (long time coming...) updates at the tail end of the year have been wonderful for the game. I really hope they continue down the path of the Zelda stuff with other IPs.
10. Dirt Rally 2.0 - The one I probably wouldn't have called at the start of the year. Dirt Rally 2.0 is one of the best racing games of the gen and, I'm sorry, IT'S THE DARK SOULS OF RACING GAMES. It's tough and unforgiving. But it's amazing when you nail a race. It's nail biting. It performs great and is a wonderful upgrade over the first game in virtually every way. I'd recommend it to (almost) anyone.

VIDEOGAMES!


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[Bladewolf]

1. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - This is the spiritual successor to Metal Gear Rising in my eyes. The most fun I've had in a long time.
2. Resident Evil 2 Remake - A masterpiece remade. Can't wait for RE3.
3. Astral Chain - The best looking game on Nintendo Switch and great fun.
4. Devil May Cry 5 - DMC is back! Great action game.
5. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - My favourite metroidvania from the last few years.

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[shinbojan]

1. Control - My dream game.
2. RE2 Remake - How remake should be done (with worse music and A/B unfortunately).
3. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice - Not the best souls game, but still great.
4. Metro Exodus - Excellent game with even better DLC.
5. Devil May Cry 5 - Close but no cigar (damn monotone environments).
6. Blood and Truth - Time Crisis for a new era with a solid story on the side.
7. Disco Elysium - Words can be fun.
8. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair - DKC4 with a worse art style.
9. The Outer Worlds - Great Fallout clone.
10. The Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening (2019) - Great remake.
    

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[CampFreddie]

1. Disco Elysium - You know how people often say a game has great writing and then add... for a videogame. Well this one doesn't need that qualifier. The characters, story and world building are both novel and brilliant. I love the stats system and how having a really high skill isn't always 'better'
2. Outer Wilds - An incredibly imaginative game that has revolutionised what an "adventure" game is.
3. Baba is You - I'm not normally a big puzzle game fan, but this is an amazing concept. It makes you feel really smart when you solve a puzzle by changing the rules of the game.
4. Monster Hunter World Iceborne - a brilliant expansion to my GOTY from 2018. Improves on the base game in every way. It's amazing that this only makes 4th on my list with all the hours I've put into it.
5. Untitled Goose Game - Another puzzle game with an interesting concept. The animation and art style are perfect and being a naughty goose is surprisingly fun

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[F-Pina]

1. Death Stranding - Kojima, I never doubted you.
2. Luigi's Mansion 3 - Is Gooigi sentient? Can he feel pain? Who cares, Luigi rocks!
3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Shadows may die twice, but the character dies, like, a million times. Cool.
4. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair - Make more of this, please. Thank you.
5. Untitled Goose Game - HONK, HONK, HONK, HONK!
6. Astral Chain - Those crazy Japanese. As if controlling just one character wasn't already tricky.
7. Borderlands 3 - Multiplayer fun with what seems like infinite different weapons. Fun.
8. Days Gone - And here I thought I was tired of zombie games. Seems not.
9. Blood and Truth - Triple A VR? Yes, please. Thank you.
10. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - You think you're out but they keep pulling you back in, huh?

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[Pangorogoro]

1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - My favorite game this year. I can't imagine loving this game even more, it met all my expectations and is the happiest I've been with the series since Awakening.
   
2. AI: The Somnium Files - The Zero Escape series is one of my top of all time, I think Uchikoshi is a wonderful writer, even if ZTD left a slightly sour taste in my mouth. AI felt really fresh while keeping the Uchikoshi style, and I adore Date and Aiba, and the positive LGBT rep in the game. It makes me really positive for any future projects Uchikoshi-san has.
   
3. Pokemon Sword - Despite some problems, I really enjoyed the new Pokemon and the region.
   
4. The Outer Worlds - Fallout: New Vegas is my no. 1 game of all time, and I feel like this game lived up to it fairly well. Good to see Obsidian is still making really well written games :)
   
5. Baba is You - Super enjoyable puzzle game, I haven't gotten this stumped in a while. It's really clever and me and my fiance spent a lot of time figuring out the puzzles.
   
6. Steven Universe: Unleash the Light - Very enjoyable game with a Paper Mario/Stick of Truth like battle system. I adore the TV series and this felt like a great addition, with lots of voice acting and content.
   
7. Untitled Goose Game - Hitman is one of my favorite game series. This felt like PG Hitman with a Goose. I had a toooon of fun with it, even when it got frustrating.

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[Canucked]

1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses – I have played all of the translated fire emblem games and this one was the most fun. DLC is way too slow. By the time more is released I will have moved on. But I will probably give it one more play regardless
2. Death Stranding – For most of my time with death stranding, I wanted it to be my GOTY. There were brilliant parts of it, and I loved making my zipline delivery network. I could look beyond the bad menus and story but what keeps this from being my number one game is the BT shit. Not only are they not threatening (they give you multiple chances to escape) but the unskippable animations were so annoying and constant. I made me take longer routes just to not have that jarring interruption. An interruption that would have made sense if the BT areas were even a remote threat.
3. Control – Great game, loved the puzzle premise. A bit too hard for me to launch it to game of the year. Some atrocious load times and boss deaths made me drop it a few times. But there is something about it that makes me want to see more.
4. RingFit Adventure - I thought this was just going to be a side thing, but both me and my partner enjoy it. He has never played a game in our ten years so for him to jump into one was great. And it's cute and fun! Abs for days!
5. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 - A blast to play all around. I want more!
6. Devil May Cry 5 – I don't love this type of game like some fanatics do, but getting a little stoned and playing this on an easier mode is a blast.
7. Mortal Kombat 11 – I just love a cheesy fighting game story. Get rid of Rhonda! She can't pull off voice work.
8. Kingdom Hearts 3 – It was fun and I beat it. But it's nonsense.
9. Days Gone – It was a disappointment, and bland as hell but I got the platinum so I guess it can have my last spot. I didn't play much else.

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[Uncleslappy]

1. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
Let me get this out of the way up front: I stink at Souls style combat. I want to play every action game like God of War or Devil May Cry. That being said, the souls-lite style combat of Fallen Order really gave me the time and space to learn the patience and skill of this combat style. Outside of the combat, the amount of care and detail that went into the locations, character development, story, fitting within the existing cannon in an interesting way is all top tier. Plus BD-1 is the cutest goddamn thing in gaming.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
I have such fond memories of the original game. I got it for Christmas one year and cherished the tone, atmosphere and charm, but it was a little too obtuse for me to fully enjoy as a kid. Going back to the gameboy version as an adult sparked the nostalgia, but I was quickly met with frustration over the limited item slots and constant swapping. This game changed all that. I was somewhat disappointed to hear that it was a 1:1 remake of the original, especially after the excellent RE2, but they made the right decision. The core game design, overworld, dungeons and secrets hold up against any other Zelda game. The new art style is immediately engaging and interesting - it captures the feeling of the original while giving it a modern sheen. And thanks to the streamlined elements like more item slots, the editable map, and more convenient warping, I finally woke the Wind Fish and saw the ending, and even shed a couple of tears.

3. Resident Evil 2
2019's other big remake, RE2 knocked it out of the park. I never really spent too much time with the original, but still felt immediately at home in the RPD station. Everything is pitch perfect. The new map, the stronger, smarter zombies, well written and acted dialogue, beautifully gory graphics and outstanding level design. I loved every controller clenching, heart-pounding, Mr. X fleeing moment of this gem.

Big Hitters that Didn't Connect with Me

Control
I wanted to love this game so badly. The world and characters are fascinating and I love all that wild Sci-Fi weird stuff. For me, it fell apart in the level design and combat. I understand that the bureau is designed in a weird way where it feels like a maze, or like the Overlook Hotel where the layout doesn't make sense, but that's not fun. I hated feeling constantly lost and turned around and I never felt like I really got a strong handle on the layout. I ended up bouncing off of it HARD after trying to

Spoiler

get that giant screaming blob locked in a room

.

Untitled Goose Game
I have never been more enthusiastic in the first hour of a game. I have never laughed louder or more consistently at a game, purely based on the gameplay elements! I shared it with my non-gamer friends. I talked about it constantly. I wanted to be a goose. But the further and further I got into the game, the more frustrated I became at how obtuse the solutions to some checklist items were or just how specific you had to be. I feel like I would very much enjoy a mode where I could just randomly run around and create my own mayhem. I never finished it.

Mario Maker 2
Such a bummer. Mario Maker 1 was one of my most hyped games ever. I was one of those kids who used to draw levels on paper and think about the possibilities. And now with a full featured portable version, I could not be stopped! Unless they refused to fix the level sharing components and somehow made the interface clunkier and harder to navigate. It actively worked against my sensibilities and ultimately led to me selling it only a couple months after getting it. Such a shame. If they keep updating it, maybe I'll dip back in, but I was bummed about this one for sure.

 

[Deleted member 2533]

1. Supraland - Honestly, probably not actually my GotY, but certainly in my top-3, but I choose to put this #1 just to weight it up a bit more. I think that's fair, because it was a pleasant surprise for me. I heard nothing about this game until people started recommending it on Era, plus there's a free demo on Steam which is quite expansive. I played the demo, fell in love, and completed it in a very tight 18-hours spread over only a handful of sessions. Great 3D puzzles based on clever mechanics and physics, a deceptively expansive world with hidden secrets around every corner make it worth exploring places that initially seem like they're just visual filler only to be specially curated places. Amazingly, this was the product of largely one developer. Sure the tech and some of the models and graphics aren't anything to write home about, but the puzzles are some of the best of the year. None of them seem "broken" and many of them have "eureka" moment.
   
   
2. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne - This is another cheat. I'm a PC player so I haven't even played this yet. This is more of a vote for my most played game of the year in MHW. I think this makes sense for me to put this game in this spot, because MHW is still one of the most tightly designed games I've ever played. There is such complexity built into this game that I'm still learning new things after over 130hrs. What I really appreciate, beyond being able to learn new things after so much time, is that even if I hadn't learned those things, I don't think my enjoyment would have lessened at all. Every improvement to your skills or build is iterative and incremental. You never go from "this is impossible" to "this is easy," you go from "this is manageable" to "this is manageable and now I've made it more efficient." Even amongst your gear, you will find yourself having to craft many different sets, situational by hunt, weapon, and role.
   
   All the weapon systems are deep and rewarding, and largely based on combinations of two face buttons and a shoulder button. How Capcom were able to develop 14 wildly different combat styles and map them onto three buttons is masterful. The matchmaking is brilliant. The hunt-time is perfect. The quest/gear/equipment loop is satisfying. Aside from the deep endgame meta that requires farming for low-percentage drops, this is an incredible example of taut game design. And fortunately for me, I am just brushing up against the endgame now, and will avoid it because I'm going to be thrust into the bottom of the MR bracket for Iceborne.
   
   
3. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - While being a bit of a graphical hodge-podge with an unfortunate weapon balance (most types being essentially useless) and an uninspired equipment set that basically boils down to "equip the thing with the best numbers," in contrast to MHW. The boss encounters are crowded in the middle section of the game, I remember having to face half-a-dozen bosses in a two-hour stretch at one point. The exploration is well done, with the challenge being quite high for a metroidvania. I played on hard mode from the start, and did find myself dying to mobs while exploring quite regularly, and often pushing forward blindly in the hunt for a save or teleport room.
   
   Compared to a game like Hollow Knight, RotN gives you no way to easily heal back up. Healing items are rare and expensive, passive abilities are uselessly slow. The best option when threatened it to use the "ticket" to teleport yourself back to the village, but then you will just need to navigate the area you fled again. This makes exploration feel risky and rewarding in a way that many other games fail to achieve.
   
   It's been a long time since I've been challenged in a metroidvania. Nothing in it was up to the level of the most difficult bosses/challenge rooms in HK or Guacamelee!, for sure, but RotN is one of the few games where you risk death just traversing the main world.
   
   
4. Tom Clancy's The Division 2 - Loved The Division. Only about 30hrs on this game, most of that played during a free month of uPlay+, although I did just buy this game during the winter sale. There is something so satisfying about playing such a detailed, graphically impressive game. The main story design is excellent, and owing to a "shepherd" system, veteran players are rewarded for co-oping with newer players, so that the campaign isn't a ghost town of matchmaking. Enemies have been redesigned with staggers and weakpoints that visually signal that your attacks are working, and TTK has been reduced, so that enemies don't feel nearly as "spongy." Unfortunately, I feel that Div 2 came too quickly after the original, and may have fractured the playerbase and dampened enthusiasm. This is a game that came out this year, is excellent, and is largely forgotten.
   
   
5. Apex Legends - Another game I put about 30hrs into (my traditional attention span), played heavily when it was new, and have had to backburner for games like MHW and my preferred single-player experiences (and the 30-day trials of various subscription services). A tight, arcady FPS that owes more to Quake than to Counter-Strike, this was the first BR I really enjoyed. The ping system instantly became a standard, and the built-in callouts when performing actions and picking up items are clear and informative. A team-based game where communication is almost automatic, and because of that encouraged emergent co-op moments.
   
   
6. RAGE 2 - RAGE 2 tops the second part of my list. These are games that, basically, I've merely "played" this year.
   
   While the three mission-types scattered across the world, each with their own independent meters didn't compel me, they were almost always interesting distractions. After beating the game, I did find myself crossing off a few places of interest just out of enjoyment of the gunplay. While offering a variety of weapons and attacks, the shotgun was overpowered and so satisfying to use both close-up and at-range, that I found myself largely relying on it. My biggest criticism is that a lot of skills required combinations of keys or holding certain keys, which definitely recall being designed around a controller as opposed to KBM. Thus, pulling off some of the more spectacular combos proved awkward, and without combo bonuses, or if you cleared an area out of too many trash mobs and were left with just the overpowered mobs, healing in the flow of combat or getting combat powers was removed as an option, leading to pick-and-pop tactics of chipping away from behind cover.
   
   
7. The Outer Worlds - Worlds, not Wilds. Haven't played Wilds. This game was a perfectly serviceable Obsidian RPG, with an amusing world, and a fun story. However the systems sucked, the perks uninspired, mechanics simplistic, and the challenge non-existent. Even in RAGE 2, while I never felt challenged, I at least felt I needed to pay attention. TOW is one of the worst examples of "click until they die" combat. While initially weak, you become overpowered way too quickly. Plus there's so much stuff to pick up and store in your inventory, and almost nothing to do with it once you have it. By dumping your stats into a few key areas, the odd snack and the right helmet for a given situation will have you passing all your skill checks. The very definition of an "AA" title, TOW is lovingly crafted with a beautiful world and cohesive art direction with close attention payed to story-telling, but it sadly comes up short when it comes to the "gamey" parts of the game -looting and shooting. There is a great base here for a sequel and I hope we get one.
   
   
8. Metro Exodus - Split up into four chapters, two linear ones sandwiching two open-world chapters that make up the bulk of the "meat" of the game, Exodus is a foray into the open-world after two largely linear entries in the series. Beautiful graphics and impressive tech don't save what is merely an ordinary game without any standout moments. Exodus lacks the gunplay of RAGE and the story of TOW and rightly slots below them.
   
   
9. Gears 5 - Another pretty game, Gears 5, while being an action-focused romp, shares Exodus' DNA of mixing linear and open-world chapters. However, Gears' open world is even less interesting and consequential than that of Exodus. Just okay, there's nothing too memorable for me here.
   
   
10. Guacamelee! 2 - Rounding out my top-10, G!2 actually qualifies as it saw a delayed XBO release in January of 2019. While it feels a little unfair to call it a 2019 game, it is technically allowed in here, so I'll include it at the bottom, just so I can say my list made it to 10. The original Guacamelee! was an unexpected surprise for the metroidvania genre. A game that blended its exploration skills into combat moves, it offered a simple way to traverse new areas without relying on key-combinations or menu-fiddling. The sequel keeps the fun-factor up, but doesn't offer any new gameplay innovations, worth it to anyone who's played the original, but doesn't surpass it.

I played (sorta!) ten 2019 games this year! That's the first time I've ever done that, thank you to Gamepass and uPlay+ for letting me play so many current-release titles for free. I usually wait for deep discounts to play games, so I'm generally a couple of years behind, but this year I was able to be part of the conversation.

Results were... mixed. I'm still playing some excellent games in my backlog, but overall, my front-seat view of 2019 was fun. I would say it's been a pretty average year, some big AAA franchise releases, but none of them moved the needle during what will prove to be one of the last years of the current gen. Greatness awaits!


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[Legacy]

1. Sekiro - The best game FROM have made so far and that is quite the achievement. Combat was hard as nails but simply the best when it all clicks. Not much not to like about this game at all
2. Control - Well... This was a surprise. Bought it on sale despite not having any interest at launch and was simply blown away the story and gameplay. I would say this is the most fun game of 2019. The latter parts are truly amazing when all the abilities come together.
3. RE2 Remake - A truly brilliant remake. I never played the original RE2 so this was a extra delight for me to play in full 1080p and experience the story first hand for the first time. Seeing Mr.X for the first time gave me the chills. I completed this game around 6 times.
4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - One of the best JRPGs around and my personal favourite after Awakening, which I didn't think could ever happen. Tactics are as great as ever and great replayability.
5. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order - I was pleasantly surprised by this game and foolishly did not remember Respawn are incapable of making bad or mediocre games. One of the best plots of 2019 and made lightsaber really cool and fun.
6. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne - fantastic DLC for an already fantastic game. Scored lower only because I didn't like the grind in guiding lands and ultimately stopped playing
7. COD: Modern Warfare - Best COD game since Black Ops and a brave direction for story, rather than just copying the original. Multiplayer is great too
8. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - fantastic homage to SOTN. I loved the characters, weapons and gameplay
9. Apex Legends - I had no idea about this game until it released and wow, I was hooked for months! Fantastic gunplay and maneuverability. A fantastic battle royale and a breath of fresh air at the time
10. Saga Scarlet Grace: Ambitions - story wasn't the best but the combat design is brilliant and fun every time

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[ashbash159]

1. Resident Evil 2 - Never played the original but I think this may be my favourite RE game now. Played through it twice in a row and I never do that with any game.
2. Judgment - The story is very good and kept me going for a long time.
3. Control - The style of this game is incredible, the story spread around through documents you find are great and flying around throwing around chunks of concrete or very satisfying.
4. Death Stranding - Another game that I really stuck with until I beat it even though it was very long. I loved everything about traversing around the world but really didn't care for the story.
5. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Was very surprised by this even though it felt janky and isn't really the best game in any aspect. I really liked the story and the metroidvania aspects.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Never played the original this is the only game I played whilst on holiday and it was perfect for that. The dungeons aren't that memorable but everything else is very charming and I really liked this.
7. Luigi's Mansion 3 - The only game on this list I have yet to finish (will probably finish soon). My favourite of the 3 I've played. I like how each floor is self-contained and is a really nice surprise every time you reach a new one.
8. Life is Strange 2 - This is nowhere near as good as the first game but by the end the story really gets interesting and the main characters are really well realised. I like seeing more games that talk about different issues people with different background have.
9. Call of Duty Modern Warfare - I haven't played a COD for a good long while and got the itch. The itch was very satisfyingly scratched. The campaign was surprising great and the multiplayer is good and I want to play more of it. It also looks very nice on my OLED, the HDR is amazing.
10. Untitled Goose Game - Played this when it came to Game Pass. Wasn't the most pleasant game to play but it was so short and I loved the goose animations.

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[Arcana Wiz]

Reading everyone lists i realized that i only beat two 2019 games.
And both of them are indies (Sayonara Wild Hearts and Shovel Knight: King of cards)

Next year i'll a lot of catching up lol. But i'm always jump to the next gen +-2 years later, so at least i'll plenty to play.

 

[Zolbrod]

1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - The absolute best game in the series. An insane amount of content, a huge cast of varied characters to love/hate, and the game plays out really differently depending on which side you choose. I honestly don't know how they're ever going to top this.
2. Kingdom Hearts 3 - Look, I know it's not perfect, but here's the thing: I don't care. I had a total blast playing this, and there was a dumb grin on my face from beginning to end. It's some of the most fun I've had this year, even if it's mostly button mashing.
3. AI: The Somnium Files - Looking at my Top 3, I guess I really like games with anime-ass stories? And it doesn't get much more anime-ass than the Somnium Files. Hilarious writing that deftly blends incredibly dumb puns with a sincere, moving story full of twists and turns. Uchikoshi at his best!
4. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne - I've been a Monster Hunter fan for years, but World was the evolution of the series I've always wanted: faster, more open, and a ton of QoL improvements. Iceborne expands on this with a shitload of extra content, cool monsters, and cute cats. So many cute cats.
5. Resident Evil 2 - This is how you do a remake, people.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - This is also how you do a remake if you don't want to shake things up too much.
7. Yoshi's Crafted World - I think the fact that this isn't on the spreadsheet (yet) just about says it all. It was hugely overlooked and I guess a lot of people also forgot it came out this year? Which is a shame, because it's a strong entry in the series that deserves all of the love it can get.
8. Super Mario Maker 2 - What do I even need to say about this? It's more Mario Maker, with more options, and even a proper offline mode this time. If they ever decide to introduce a world map builder, we'll probably never need a new 2D Mario ever again.
9. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair - Hey, next to games with anime-ass stories, I guess I also really like platform games? I never played the original Yooka-Laylee, but the buzz (teehee) around the sequel was very positive, so I decided to check it out, and it's great! You can tell it was made by a lot of the same people who worked on classic DKC games. I even like it better than the Returns series. Sure, it may have less level variety (smaller budgets will do that), but the hub/world map is one of the best I've ever seen.
10. Cadence of Hyrule - I loved Crypt of the Necrodancer, and this is basically that with Zelda characters, music, and items, and not quite as insanely difficult. It slaps.

Edit: Is there going to be a Game of the Decade voting thread as well?

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[Hungry Nom Nom]

1. Slay the Spire - I have no interest in card games and fell in love. It transcends the genre by adding rogue like elements.
2. Pokémon Sword / Shield - classic Pokémon game on a home console, been wanting this for 20 years and we finally got it.
3. Children of Morta - rogue like with a strong story and beautiful retro graphics. This type of game was made for the switch.
4. Bloodstained - completely out of left field, so much could have gone wrong but it all went and felt so right.
5. Tales of Vesperia : Definitive Edition - classic JRPG that kept my attention longer than most
6. Fire Emblem 3 - I really appreciated what it tried to do even if it didn't grab me entirely.
7. Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition - the second definitive edition on my list, I sunk so many hours into the original I was honestly surprised how it hooked me again.
8. Sunless Skies - my favorite narrative driven pc game of the year.
9. Resident Evil 2 - An absolute classic remastered for the new generation of gamers. Makes my heart warm.
10. Devil may cry 5 - a lot better than dmc2

 

[Gerwant]

1. Resident Evil 2 - I have never played the original, so I don't know if it's better than the remake. But what I do know is that this game is fantastic and gets number 1 on my GOTY list.
2. DiRT Rally 2.0 - Hard but rewarding and addicting. I still play it almost every day.
3. Call of Duty Modern Warfare - Second best CoD campaign this gen. Fantastic visuals, sounds and fun gunplay. Oh, and finally - no season pass for maps.
4. Days Gone - One of my favorite open worlds this gen. Fun gameplay loop.
5. Control - Throwing stuff at bad guys never felt so good. Cool surprise after disappointing Quantum Break.
6. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - My first contact with the AC series and and I liked it a lot. It brings back good memories of one of the first PC games I have ever played: F-16 Multirole Fighter.
7. Metro Exodus - I loved the underground areas and the first open world level, but wasn't a fan of the desert area. I would prefer to spend more time in the tunnels instead. Guns customization options deserves a mention. Didn't like the silent protagonist.
8. Civilization 6: Gathering Storm - This is actually vote for the Civilization 6, because it was the first time I have played this game, when it finally released on the PS4 last year.
9. A Plague Tale: Innocence - Georgous visuals, interesting story.
10. Wreckfest - Spiritual successor to the FlatOut series.

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[Party Sklar]

1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - This is simply the most fun I had playing a videogame this year. Yeah, it's not the most beautiful game out here, but the music, the story and the gameplay more than make up for that. I love how they were able to create so much memorable characters. I only played one route yet, and I think I'd be able to name most of the teachers and students. That's a sign of good writing.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - I know this might be a divisive choice, but this is the sequel to my favourite top-down Zelda and I love everything they done with it. The art direction is absolutely gorgeous and suits this world so well, and the simplicity of Ryo Nagamatsu's music is perfect. Can't help it, it makes me tear up everytime.
3. Kingdom Hearts 3 - Once again, I know that some people won't agree, but as a fan of the series, this episode didn't let me down. It's the most fun Kingdom Hearts has been in a while, the most moving too. Can't wait to wait ten years to play the fourth one.
4. Astral Chain - I was a bit skeptical of the whole "investigation" stuff at first, but it won me over. Love the whole anime vibe this game has and obviously the incredible combat gameplay, who's just as hard as it should be. Hope that Platinum will come up with a sequel.
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hope this is valid since it's a re-release on Switch (btw, incredible work on the port from Saber). I know I should've played this in 2015. But I'm not a fan of western RPGs, didn't really got into Witcher 2, and many people around me were saying that this game is overrated. It is not. It may be my favourite western RPG of all time ; it has everything I liked about Skyrim and improve on everything I didn't like about Skyrim (mostly by having great characters, especially the main one). I want to take my time and not rush this game. Explore its world. Play every little secondary quest. It is so good.
6. Untitled Goose Game - It's very difficult to make good comedy. This game made me, and everyone around me, laugh so much. That's why it's on this list. HONK.
7. Neo Cab - Not quite a fan of the character design on this one, but love everything else about it. It's a very well written (and very well translated too – at least in French) visual novel that moved me a lot. And it has a great replay value, too, since you can't explore every character on one run. It also may be the more soothing game of the year, even if I can't really explain why.
8. Tetris 99 - One hell of an idea, and a very addictive game in the end.
9. Ring Fit Adventure - This is what Wii Fit should've been : a real game (that can even be a little hard if you're not well-leveled or well-equiped), and, mostly, a real fitness program. They had professionals in their team this time, and it shows. Helped a lot, including me, to get active again, and I can't wait for some future content for it.
10. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy - If I didn't played these games to death a billion times, they would've been higher... but they still have it. Great stories, great characters, great music. What else do you need ?
11. Dragon Quest 11 Definitive Edition - I wasn't going to put it there at first, because it's a game of the past : too rigid, too formulaic... It's Dragon Quest, so it's still good, but the series should be taking more risks at this point. But I thought it'd deserve a spot just for the siren quest because it moved me so freaking much. I just love to cry while playing a game.
12. Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order - It's not as good as all of the games it takes inspiration from. But I'm a sucker for Star Wars and I really missed playing a good game from the franchise.

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[NintenDOOM]

2019 has been a great gaming year for me, especially on Switch. I enjoyed a lot of games which did not release originally in 2019 such as Cuphead, The next Penelope, Ori and the Blind Forest, Sea of thieves, etc. I wish I could have played to some 2019 games like Disco Elysium, DaemonxMachina, Outer Wilds, Sekiro, Dragon Quest Builders 2 but I did not find the time.

1. Luigi's Mansion 3 - I was disappointed by Luigi's Mansion 2 despite some good ideas, so I was super excited when Luigi's Mansion 3 showed up and seemed to come back to the previous things I liked in the serie. I loved the game since everything seems so polished : fantastic animations, outstanding artistic direction, most of the floors were a pleasure to come across and the game was (almost) fully playable with a friend !
2. Astral Chain - A very good action game that makes me want Bayonetta 3 even more. I'm looking forward to a sequel, the lore has a lot to offer and the characters are good.
3. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - A very good Fire Emblem games with some interesting additions such as melee attacks and the way you have to manage with your students to make them progress.
4. Dragon Quest XI S: Definitive Edition - One of the best J-RPG of the generation. The game was already very good on PC and PS4, but it became incredible on Switch witch all the additions.
5. The Legend of Zelda : Link's Awakening - I dropped the original game when I played it on Nintendo 3DS. The remake was an opportunity for me to give a second chance to the game and it was a good idea ! The aestetic of the game is fantastic, as well as the music. The story and the dungeons are very good points as well. It would have been higher in my list if Grezzo would have patched the framerate issues which can be really annoying.
6. Super Mario Maker 2 - The recent free update made the game even better. Always a pleasure to try to beat the good levels from the community.
7. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 - I am not a big fan of Marvel, but I really enjoyed my time with the game and my friends. You have a lot to do and a lot of character to play with, and to story is long enough to allow you to test a lot of characters.
8. Valfaris - A very good run and gun game, with a good OST and a lot of different weapons.
9. Blazing Chrome - A lesson to Konami on how to make a great Contra game, especially after the release of Contra Rogue Corps this year...
10. Heave Ho - A pretty stupid game but so funny in multiplayer. Laughs guaranteed.
11. Gears 5 - I enjoyed the game a lot, but it has too many technical issues to be on my top 10 (crashes, huge bugs of sound or weapon) but I wanted to mention the game since I found it to be one of the best of the series so far, with pretty good ideas.

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[sushimonster85]

1. The Outer Worlds - As someone who had started to give up hope on Obsidian getting to make a follow up to New Vegas, this was most definitely my jam. It is the combination of Mass Effect and New Vegas that I never knew I needed. Also, being 34 now (as opposed to 24/25 when New Vegas launched) I actually appreciated the more focused story. Were it another 100 hour RPG I'd probably still be playing this way into 2020.
2. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - A good EA Star Wars game, who'd have thought. Scratched both my Metroidvania and Dark Souls itch, all while providing one of the more interesting Star Wars stories (across all mediums) in recent years.
3. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - My first Fire Emblem, kind of gutted I had skipped them up to this point. Love how much control you have over your chose house. Also, Petra.
4. Shenmue 3 - It exists. It's Shenmue 3. These facts alone make it my sentimental game of the decade.
5. Tetris 99 - If you told me this time last year there would be another battle royale game in my GOTY list I would've been surprised. If you told me that it would be a Tetris battle royale I would have backed away from you slowly. Welp, here we are. Gaming crack. Sit down to play a round or two, and suddenly an hour has passed.

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[hideousarmor]

1. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice - Fromsoft's at their most confident. Its like the team had one very specific vision of what they wanted to do and went straight for it without hesitation. Sure, its more limited than past souls titles, but the things it does, it does better than them with a whole new level of polish. On top of that, they are finally branching out from their usual gameplay systems and bringing some welcome changes like jumping, swimming, the grappling hook, climbing, the stealth system and the incredible new combat system that puts every other parry system to shame.
2. Disco Elysium - A game with lots of personality and one of my favourite RPG systems ever. The writing and art direction are also great, only thing I complaint I have is that the ending felt sudden.
3. Death Stranding - Have a love-hate relationship with the title but ultimately it deserves a mention for how out there and unique it is for a AAA title. On the one hand I love the gameplay loop in the first few episodes when you are toying with the systems and I love when the game has fun with itself and goes full experimental and weird in chapter 9. But on the other hand It has a TON of lackluster moments that are nothing more than visual spectacle and I hate when it starts taking itself too seriously and feels like it wasnt to be a movie more than a game.
4. Astral Chain - Style over substance but also a lot of fun. Great to see Platinum games trying new things with the combat and openworld sections.
5. Nier: Automata - Game of the YoRHa - Definitive edition of my second favourite game ever.

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[chimpsteaks]

Only played three 2019 releases and spent the rest of the year on my backlog, but here's how I liked them:

1. Death Stranding - This one took me by surprise because I thought I'd hate it. Kojima Productions built an immersive, beautiful, unique and mysterious world that will have you in awe most of the time. What seems like a simple (but addictive) gameplay loop at first grows more on more complex at the perfect rate as more tools and funtions are trickled to you. Plotting a route is like nothing else: "oh, looks like there's gonna be some rough terrain, better bring some ladders and climbing equipment. Mules on the route too, gonna need a bola gun and a smoke grenade. Rain doesn't pass through my route for the next 20 minutes so I can get away without packing any extra anti-BT weapons as long as I move quick". Then the building mechanics start unlocking, and you're rebuilding the world with a bunch of strangers which was also really fun and unique. Definitely an experience worth having and I'm very glad this game was allowed to exist. If anyone likes games but has been on the fence about playing this because of the polarized reviews, you owe it to yourself to give it a try and at least see for yourself whether it clicks with you.
2. Resident Evil 2 - A remake that improves upon a classic in every way
3. Gears 5 - More Gears. But that's a good thing because Gears has been one of the most consistently great 3rd person shooters of the past 15 years. This is the most fine tuned and polished entry yet.

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[Irrotational]

1. Outer Wilds - A lot has been written about this game already. Like The Witness it's a game where your only takeaway is knowledge...but arguably better than the witness because the sense of wonder and exploration is amazing.
   
2. Ring Fit Adventure - The only game that's genuinely getting people fit. Some of the hype may blow over but it is straight up a greatgood game and a great exercise tool for people who like seeing numbers go up.
   
3. Trials Rising - I love Trials games and have played them since the 360 days. There are some issues which stop the game being higher on the list but it's still an amazing game! Also shoutouts to Professor Shady for doing excellent tutorials and getting me from "average" to "passably decent"
   
4. Apex Legends - Came out of nowhere and is a good middleground between the hardcore pubg and the weirdly difficult to build, Fortnite. Great traversal options and I moved it higher on the list because of the ping system - should be mandatory in all shooters.
   
5. Tetris 99 - I genuinely want more battle royale modes for different genres and Tetris shows why. I'll never win a match but I love that this exists, and is executed so well. Bring on SBMM!
   
6. Call of Duty Modern Warfare - Russians got a very shit deal in this game, and americans look politically insensitive at best...but...but...I haven't played a triple A campaign in a long time and the quality and budget is obvious everywhere. Multiplayer is also very good, with it being the most cod-like cod experience. P.S the shipment map should be a permanent feature for grinding unlocks!
   
7. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - It gets a lot of praise when it goes well and tons of flack when it doesn't...but there is no shlooter like D2
   
8. Guacamelee 2 - A decent, solid, game and follow on to the original. I don't think it has the hit factor of the first game because it's more of the same...but some new mechanics and they made a lot more of the chicken mode! So it's on the list.
   
9. Tom Clancey's The Division 2 - It's a very decent solid game, with a lot of fun and some good co-op moments...so it just about makes my top 10.
   

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[Aleh]

1. Pokémon Sword and Shield - the Pokémon game that did almost everything I could have hoped for. Big open area with roaming Pokémon, beautiful artstyle, memorable OST, tons of replayability and the charm to wrap it all up.
2. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - my first Fire Emblem, I was hesitant going in but it totally hooked me. Amazing story but especially amazing characters, again a phenomenal OST and the gameplay is very addicting. Could have been more polished and less repetitive in some ways but now I can say I am a fan of the series.
3. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition - the characters are some of the best in terms of characterization and personality, the dialogue is often fun and interesting, the gameplay is pure traditional turn based goodness. Too bad for the bad music, but the game is really special. Also my first foray into Dragon Quest, can't wait for more.
4. Cuphead - (switch version) amazing game with perfect mix of style and maddeningly difficult bosses.
5. Luigi's Mansion 3 - Super charming game, each level is masterfully crafted and unique. Gooigi and Polterpup are the MVPs.
6. Untitled Goose Game - hilarious and charming all the way, I just love honking and harassing people. You're next!
7. Tetris 99 - super addicting and a fresh take on tetris. Would rank higher if I wasn't so bad at it lol. Love the constant updates.
8. Final Fantasy IX - (switch version) the best game ever, now portable and with extra features. Obvious pick.

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[Roarer]

1. Disco Elysium -
   
   
   
   The world of Revachol and the characters populating the run down streets of Martinaise are some of the most interesting things to emerge out of gaming in 2019. I like good writing in games and tend to prefer strong stories over skill based gameplay. Disco Elysium is not only a well written in comparison to other games, it clearly stacks up against writing in other kinds of medium - having actually literary ambitions and the chops to deliver on them.
   There is a deep set melancholy vibrating through the core of Disco Elysium. Its world is broken by the promises of a still born revolution, crushed by laissez-faire doctrine and only held together by human tenacity. The same melancholy is found in the game's protagonist, whose past forced him into a bender so great it wiped his memory. He is a sad and sorry character in a sad and sorry world. The game's soundtrack is at times a sad, droning, hum that blankets the world in fading yellow.
   
   Yet the game still had me coming out of it hopeful and energized. There is the possibility of redemption, for the protagonist and perhaps even for the world. The game holds up a mirror and asks you to reflect. Through its myriad of choices, Disco Elysium offers a path of hope and connection. I don't really know how much of this is down to the way I played the game, because the game really does give you the option of pursuing wildly different paths, especially in terms of how your character perceives the world. But I feel that the game's underpinning morals and theories actually has something to say about the world and there is an ever present humanity to the characters (often expressed or interpreted through your partner Kim) that cuts through any awful choices and steers the game clear of nihilism or centrism.
   
   I hope that Disco Elysium becomes one of those games - the ones we constantly refer back to, that spawns off shoots and new terminology. I want a world where games dare to be explicitly political. I want games with actual world building and literary ambitions. I want more of this and I hope it's not just lightning in a bottle.
   
   
2. Outer Wilds -
   
   
   
   Every once in a while a game comes along that defies expectations and definitions. A game that makes you want tell everyone to go play it right now, without looking anything up, so that you can share the experience of it afterwards. A game quite unlike anything before it. Outer Wilds is that kind of game.
   
   A game about exploration and discovery free from all the clutter of modern games design - not a single progress bar to be seen, nothing to collect, no stats to manage. Just a wonderfully and intricate world to explore and figure out. Outer Wilds is an actual journey and its discoveries are real. You, the player, learn and piece together the puzzle and the story all on your own.
   
   Outer Wilds has had some of the most amazing moments I've ever experienced in a video game, from the thrilling ways that the planets in the solar system operate to the mind bending discoveries of time/space/physics. There are so many eureka moments, so many times where I was grinning with excitement at the discoveries I'd made.
   The game also strikes a very nice balances between great sci-fi concepts and emotional stories. Its world is filled with personalities whose individual stories and fates feel just as impactful as all the sci-fi spectacle. A fantastic soundtrack and a meaningful ending makes this an outstanding game.
   
   
3. Control -
   
   
   
   Stylish, sleek and seductive - the world of Control is immediately engrossing. Featuring a fantastic host of characters and an interesting narrative that sprinkles just the right amount of humour into its self-serious sci-fi story, Control is Remedy's best game to date. The gameplay gets better the further along you get, adding physics defying powers and world bending set pieces to the mix, but it's the narrative and the world that really makes the game shine.
   
   
4. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice -
   
   
   
   Enough has been said about Sekiro's combat (it's sublime), but what really makes the game shine is its level design. While the aesthetics might not be as diverse or fanciful as those of other From Software titles, the physical layout of each level is still meticulously crafted and it's always such a treat to spin the camera around and trace your steps back the way you came and see how it all fits together - how the road twisted in an unexpected manner over there; how a statue hints at a secret down below and how, way beyond the mountains, you can make out the village you left a few hours ago and notice how it fits together with the bridge you had to take a detour round.
   
   As mentioned, the combat is outstanding, rewarding aggression and finesse. I had such a good time learning how to parry and the thrill you get from finally beating a boss is exhilarating.
   
   
5. Resident Evil 2 -
   
   
   
   A remake of one of my all time favorite games. I played through the original a gazillion times, to the point of trying to speed run it (though that concept wasn't really a thing back then). This remake takes everything good about the original and amplifies it. Together with RE7, it makes me happy to see Resident Evil returning to form in both a traditional and a forward thinking sense.
   
   Resident Evil 2 looks great and oozes with atmosphere. I'm really impressed by the way Capcom managed to update the gameplay to modern standards while still keeping a lot of the old school feel of the original. There are still weird puzzles to solve, nonsensical keys to collect, inventories to manage and herbs to mix, while the tank controls and awkward camera perspectives are gone. A weighty gunplay system combined with some erratic enemy animation makes the action feel both satisfying and tense.
   
   My only complaint is the handling ot the A/B-system. This was one of my favorite features of the original and I had really hoped it would have been expanded upon with more interplay between the different scenarios. On the other hand, we got a revamped and revitalized Mr X instead, adding so much terror and tension to this fantastic game.
   
   
6. Untitled Goose Game -
   
   
   
   I love this game way more in theory than in practice. For chrissakes, the game is called Untitled Goose Game. That is enough to love it. Everything about the premise, the presentation, the humor, the memes and even the music had me loving the game even before playing it. Then I played it and I loved it slightly less. That is not to say that the Goose Game is bad. I wouldn't throw shade on the goose, no sir. It's just that it's not quite as fun as the idea of playing a horrible goose wreaking havoc upon a quiet village. I did enjoy most of the sneaky stealth based puzzle gameplay, but sometimes frustration took over due to stiff controls or obtuse objectives and some of the magic disappeared. Nevertheless, the goose is good and there is a lot of enjoyment to be had from the game, both in practice and in theory. HONK!
   
   
7. Devil May Cry 5 -
   
   
   
   I fell off Devil My Cry after the first game. I loved that one, but couldn't ever get in to 3 for whatever reason. I liked DMC just fine, but it never clicked with me either. So I was a bit surprised to see myself enjoy Devil May Cry 5 so much. The action is really good and the combat offers a lot of depth and variety, especially with Dante. I didn't really care for V as a playable character and most of the level design is pretty bad, but there are enough over the top set pieces and ridiculous story moments to tide over any of the less interesting parts of the game. The soundtrack is fantastic as well and has one fo my favorite vocal songs of any game ever. It's just the kind of cheesy metal-meets-dance music that I love.
   
   
8. Sunless Skies -
   
   
   
   Sunless Skies started off as a profound disappointment and ended up as a shaky triumph. I loved Failbetter's previous game, Sunless Sea, and consider it one of my all time favorites. This game initially came off as a weak clone of its predecessor, and in some ways it is, but it does have an identity of its own.
   
   While the writing and story telling in Skies felt like it aped the cosmic horror of Sea, it slowly evolves into something different. Sunless Skies is more interested in the power dynamics of its world and the political structures governing it. Oh yes, there are still plenty of tentacles, other worldly houses and bizarre creatures to contend with, but you are as much a pawn and player in the world of the Weird British Empire as you are a traveler among the horrors of the world.
   
   I still think the rogue-lite elements are the games biggest weakness and I wish they had found a better way to keep up the tension of surviving. Still, the atmosphere is superb, the writing is excellent and the loop of hauling cargo and chipping away at the stories is still satisfying.
   
   
9. A Short Hike -
   
   
   
   This is such a charming and positive little game. A perfect combination of exploration and character interactions.
   
   
10. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order -
    
    
    
    I'm so glad I got to experience a good modern Star Wars story, even if it came in the form of a game and not a movie. A lot of the actual game part is not that very good actually (the combat never clicked with me), but the story, the characters, the Star Wars lore, all of it is so compelling and just pulls on all the right strings for me. A lot of the visual design is fantastic as well.

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