It's the final day for you to cast your Game Of The Year votes, you have until midnight today (Sunday) to vote, this is your final warning - no complaining if you don't vote.
In the meantime, let's look at which games our members of staff voted for across the very same categories. This year we decided to create categories for Switch Retail, Switch eShop, 3DS, Developer, Art Style, Multiplayer and Overall Game Of The Year.
Remember, only games that were released in the UK or US first in 2018 were eligible for voting.
Switch Retail Game Of The Year - 2018
Winner: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo)
Was there much doubt for this one? Arguably this category isn't a competitive as 2017, but Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been synonymous with 2018, we've had countless Directs, news and leaks related to the game. Thankfully, the release just about lived up to the hype as we awarded this game 10/10 in our review earlier this month and is a firm favourite amongst staff.
Runners Up: Octopath Traveler (Nintendo), Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu! and Eevee! (Nintendo), Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Ubisoft).
Switch eShop Game Of The Year - 2018
Winner: Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
A title that was originally created during a game jam, Celeste has grown into a full release that has been hugely popular on Switch, selling over 500,000 copies to date. As you make your way up the mountain you'll have an array of obstacles in your path, which we encountered during our review, awarding the game 10/10.
Runners Up: The Messenger (Devolver Digital), Hollow Knight (Team Cherry), GRIS (Devolver Digital).
3DS Game Of The Year - 2018
Winner: Luigi's Mansion (Nintendo)
A spookily quiet year for 3DS, Luigi's Mansion resurrected itself following on from the sequel released a few years ago and ahead of the third instalment due to hit Switch in 2019. Yes, it's a port of an old GameCube game but it still served as a stand-out release this year, which we awarded a healthy 8/10.
Runners Up: WarioWare Gold (Nintendo), Detective Pikachu (Nintendo), The Alliance Alive (Atlus).
eShop Developer Of The Year - 2018
Winner: Matt Makes Games (Celeste, TowerFall)
What a fantastic year for Matt Makes Games, first releasing new game Celeste to critical acclaim, followed by a Switch version of TowerFall later in the year. Celeste has been picking up plenty of awards throughout the year and we're happy to add to that list with eShop Developer of the year.
Runners Up: Sabotage (The Messenger), Nomada Studio (GRIS), SEGA (SEGA Ages)
Art Style Game Of The Year - 2018
Winner: GRIS (Devolver Digital)
If you have an appreciation of art styles in games you probably already know about GRIS, a gorgeous adventure game that has stunned critics and gamers alike. It's no surprise that it has won this category in the staff vote.
Runners Up: Octopath Traveler (Nintendo), Forgotton Anne (Square Enix), Pokemon Let's Go (Nintendo)
Multiplayer Game Of The Year - 2018
Winner: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo)
The competition didn't stand much of a chance this year, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has taken over the mantle as best multiplayer game on Switch. People in arenas, offices, living rooms and bedrooms around the world will be settling arguments for years to come with Smash Bros on Switch.
Runners Up: Overcooked 2 (Team 17), Super Mario Party (Nintendo), Warframe (Digital Extremes)
Overall Game Of The Year - 2018
Winner: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo)
The final award is the most prestigious, no prizes for guessing that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would win this category. It's attention to detail is phenomenal and we don't see how Nintendo could really improve upon the game significantly, this truly is the ultimate Super Smash Bros. game.
Runners Up: Octopath Traveler (Nintendo), Pokemon Let's Go (Nintendo), The Messenger (Devolver Digital)
Thank you to all our staff members that voted and more importantly to all the developers that released games in 2018, we firmly believe that gaming has never been better and we're already looking forward to 2019.
Do you agree with our staff choices? Don't forget that you have until midnight Sunday to vote as part of the readers choice awards. Let us know what you think of our choices in the comments below.
Comments 81
Deserved - Smash is fantastic.
I mean, I'm not surprised you chose Smash and Celeste, but bah. Probably Let's Go Pikachu (unless Diablo counts) and Horizon Chase Turbo for me.
Hopefully next year will be more competitive. Fair results this year, wouldn’t have expected otherwise.
Big up for octopath traveller !
For me, GOTY is ......
Dragon Quest Builders 2. (9 / 10 so far)
I love to watch the gameplay before i buy that game.
Octopath path is the best Switch game of the year.
Smash Ultimate is worthy of the title. Great game, great fun!
Overall I think 2018 has been a good year for the Switch. Not as great as 2017, but far from bad. I’ve had a lot of great gaming experiences this year and seeing as I only have had my Switch since last December, I personally also had a lot of 2017 goodies to catch up on.
South park for me. I have never been a Nintendo fan but the switch I love.
Meh. When Smash is the run away, clearcut winner, it's a pretty sad year. Hopefully better things to come
Not even a mention of Torna... for shame
So happy to see the messenger involved in almost every category
Giving a game with a completely broken online experience a rating of 10 and a “Multiplayer Game Of The Year” award is silly.
Smash is definitely a good game. However any multiplayer AAA game needs to have a rock solid online experience and it doesn’t. In fact its so bad that it reflects poorly on Nintendo.
@daveh30 agreed
@daveh30 While I enjoy my time with Smash, I take solace that Octopath Traveler was two times runner up.
I like smash and all but it gets old really quick especially if you are unlocking characters via classic mode. I would say that my top 5 are
Dark Souls Remaster
Diablo III
Dead Cells
The Messenger
Celeste
Not too many complaints with that overall. Celeste is by far my favourite game of this year so I would have definitely given that the overall award but Smash is pretty good. A lot of great stuff this year, particularly from the indies, but not a lot of real contenders.
Smash and horizon chase turbo have taken up most of my time recently after getting frustrated with octopath traveler Im gonna take the plunge and get the messenger tonight
A year where we knew what the three or four memorable games were going to be, but I will admit I had the majority of my fun with sleepers like Ys 8, The Octopath expansion, portal bridge Constructor and a bunch of Picross.
Yep, didn't think there'd be enough votes for Just Shapes & Beats to register It's a good'un!
Torna, Ys VIII, and Valkyria Chronicles 4 are all more memorable experiences this year.
@dartmonkey I absolutely love Just Shapes & Beats. It's my second favourite game of the year behind Celeste.
Dark souls game of year for me I thought it was amazing. Never played it before.
Why wasn't Celeste a runner up for overall GOTY when The Messenger was and Celeste won for best eShop title?
Probably Ys VIII for me. Smash and Let's Go were fun just because I play them with my kids but I would not have bought them just for myself. Good year overall but I'm excited for the likely epic 2019.
Smash is a 10 outta 10 in my opinion as well, amazing game . The game that has taken me by complete surprise though is
STARLINK: BATTLE FOR ATLUS ., I literally cannot quit playing I would highly recommend it to anyone on the fence it is an absolute joy to play and the Nintendo Switch version's Star Fox content makes it all the better. I would go as far as to say it is a must have for any Star Fox fan you will not be disappointed and you can get a copy of the game for half off about anywhere at the moment even if you want to buy the ships they are 12.59 at GameStop and they are made of good quality you can even just go digital and not mess with the ships if you choose which the starter pack for Switch comes with the physical Arwing, Star Fox , Mason Rana, two weapons and a digital download of the Zenith ship and extra weapon for 39.99 I think it is a fantastic deal for a fantastic game I don't think you really even need to purchase anything else other than the starter pack to play the whole game . I hope more people will give it a go. it is definitely in my top three games for the year.
The fan list will be pretty similar, I bet.
@colinjack
Local multiplayer is more important. I've had ten times more fun with friends in person than I ever did with them online.
I can see how good Dark Souls can be for a first timer. The obvious choises are indeed the best imo, but Octopath was phenomenal and my most played (and enjoyed) eshop game was Into the Breach.
And Super Mario Bros. 2 does it again babbyyyyyyyy, GotY yet again, 30 years and running.
Where's Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom? That game is amazing.
Smash wins by default. No competition, last release of the year, no competition, six months worth of hype and no competition.
I think Hollow Knight was the best Indie.
@geox30 Just bought Into The Breach and looking forward to it. So much I didn’t get to this year. I reckon next year will definitely need a ‘Best 2018 Game I Playing In 2019’ category
Predictable results, yet still decent overall. Apparently I need to look into GRIS at some point.
Lovely selection this year. Couldn’t agree more.
Not too bad a list, but very shocked Pokémon Let's Go for a runner up for art direction over Hollow Knight. It doesn't look bad, but it's very passable, whereas Hollow Knight's handdrawn visuals are stunning. Also quite surprised about no mention of Dead Cells.
WarioWare Gold not getting 3DS game of the year is robbery. It's the Breath of the Wild of micro minigame collections. No lie... for a diversionary little title, I've spent more time chasing achievements and doing all manner of goofy things (CUTSCENE KARAOKE!) with this beautiful, adorable masterpiece.
@Frenean not surprising given the online multiplayer is broken
Celeste is a great game but I enjoyed other eshop games like Ms. Splosion Man and Hollow Knight much more. Check them out if you haven't. Great values
Could not get into Celeste's gameplay at all, Hollow Knight was basically GOTY for me.
Smash online is broken? Maybe everyone is right about that. In my experience I go online, connect with someone, get the snot beaten out of me and then repeat. I thought I was just bad but maybe I can blame it on the broken online now.
@Kainbrightside Totally agree... in terms of art dir second to none
@dartmonkey
Best strategy game I played in years, has the depth of chess! Great for short play sessions that can stretch to hours!
@Muddy_4_Ever Yeah I don't get it. It even got a better rating on the site (9/10) and has original stuff in it. Luigis Mansion is just a port.
WarioWare Gold got robbed indeed.
Monster Boy for realz.
no alarms and no surprises
@Frenean
I agree that local multiplayer is the most fun but that's no excuse for how pitiful the online play in smash is. I wonder if Nintendo will ever change.
Best indie game - hollow knight
Best game - dark souls remastered
Couldn't sit through the end of octopath... seriously overrated in my book.
Smash looks great but... I've got no capable gaming friends coming over regularly. Haven't bought it for that reason.
Love my switch, but this year has been quiet and saw me play ps4 more with mhw and the like. Switch gets lots of fortnite time though, as I've got no gaming pc system:)
I feel that either Octopath Traveler or Dragon Ball FighterZ should've won Best Art Style. Hell, Dragon Ball wasn't even a runner up! That was surprising
@erv Same here. I've been playing Smash obsessively over the past few weeks since launch, but my overall GOTY would either go to God of War or Spider-Man
Well I do not have Celeste, but for me personally right now, I only agree with Gris!
I loved this year for the Switch and I loved Octopath, Pokemon Let's Go and Smash were also 3 of my favorite games.
The games I have spent the most time with and enjoyed the most this year would be Celeste, Hollow Knight and Dead Cells. Not really got into the messenger as yet.. maybe I'll give it another try.
Well deserved to Smash. I’m still playing through Classic.
Diablo III and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate are my most played games this year and the ones I've had the most fun with.
Not that it is the eShop game of the year, but Donkey Kong Arcade Archives was also a nice surprise this year.
2017 owned by Nintendo....
2018 PS4 all the way.
Unfortunately I haven’t had too many compelling reasons to pick up my Switch this year. Hopefully 2019 will be a better one and we don’t have a return to Wii U droughts.
I've played Civilization 6 more than anything in the list. I'm glad we're getting good third party games on switch.
Especially because I had a day one WiiU with 50+ games, so much of the Switch library feels like "been there, done that."
To be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of Celeste. I thought the game was clever but I thought the levels were too long and the whole experience was a slog. After I finished a level I would turn the game off and the thought of going back to it became less and less enticing.
Of the games on the Nintendo Eshop I liked The Messenger, Dead Cells, Into the Breach, and Hollow Knight.
If I were the look at what is the best game released on Switch this year regardless of age it would be Dark Souls. No matter what version you play it is the game of the decade and in 2020 will probably get that distinction.
Gee obvious winner is obviously the win, super smash re-run who would have ever guessed that? :
@Rafke Celeste is available for free on Xbox now. I just downloaded it
Smash, Dragonball FighterZ, and Starlink are the 3 best Switch games this year.
Got to give a shout out to Yoku's Island Express. I know its on other platforms, but its a great little game. Warframe, Paladins, Dead Cells, Towerfall, Horizon Chase Turbo, Starlink, Armello, Octopath- so many great games.
I'm not surprised by GOTY either, but I would've liked to see Kirby Star Allies or even Mario Tennis Aces get an honorable mention somehow. Sure, they weren't much to look at during launch, but the updates made a huge difference for them, similarly to Splatoon and ARMS and Super Bomberman R.
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is my Multiplayer of the Year with Xenoblade 2 Torna my game of the year!
Yes I like Smash a lot, but we've had more fun with Playgrounds 2! And Xenoblade keeps me happy during all my work trips
Octopath should've had the art style award.
Panic button should've at least been a runner up on the eshop developers. The accomplishment of porting a game like Warframe to Switch deserves some credit.
Smash Ultimate has definitely earned the rest.
@AJ81 Just finished Yoku last night, and it was so much fun! I love that the NPCs let you go for 100% post-story, unlike so many other modern games that revert you back to a checkpoint right before beating the final boss.
My GOTYs on Switch would be Yoku's Island Express and Hollow Knight, Subnautica on PC, and Red Dead 2 on PS4.
Octopath traveler ( Nintendo )??? I thought it was Square Enix.
@starspawn85 No Hollow Knight? If you havent enjoyed it, thats cool but if you havent got to play it yet, you definitely should.
Was there any doubt? Smash is phenomenal.
@VmprHntrD Gee, obvious sarcasm is sarcasm. Just kidding. Everyone's entitled to their opinion.
Don't get why valkyria chronicles 4 is generally ignored. Definitely one of the top retail releases. It could at least be mentioned for it's art style.
@Rafke I had to go online and redeem it. The Xbox one doesn't make it free til the 1st.
@Vepra
I have played Hollow Knight. I played it on PC and I keep forgetting it is on the Switch too. Excellent game.
@colinjack I've personally never had a problem with it. I don't have a wired connection, and I've even played with friends on the opposite side of the country who were using a phones mobile data hotspot, and we still didn't have any lag.
Also with randoms, I've played 170 matches and only one time have I gotten a free for all match, when my prefrrences are 1v1. I'm not mad at that one bit.
@-DG weird, my preferences get routinely ignored and even when it does match me correctly the matches lag randomly. I am also wired.
@colinjack it is strange. I see a lot of people saying the connections are bad, but everyone I know personally and some online have had the opposite experience. Evwn some Youtubers I've watched have had opposite opinions on it.
Maybe some are just lucky I guess...
@-DG yeah could be, out of interest do you recommend quickplay or arenas?
I found quick battle ignored my preferred rules and in arenas it was lots of waiting and people rage quitting. Maybe one is worth persevering with though?
@colinjack arenas are amazing for battling with friends obviously. I haven't tried crashing a random arena yet though... I've had such good luck with Quickplay that i never considered it. Maybe I'll try some arenas tonight and report back.
@-DG wow thanks yeah I would be very interested.
How come Into the Breach wasn't even mentioned? It's the top ranking indie game of 2018 on Meta Critic (PC) and its simply wonderful on Switch.
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