We've already shared our very own 2019 Game of the Year choice, and you lovely lot have done the same in our Nintendo Life reader GotY poll, but what about the super talented folk who actually make the blessed things?
Well, thankfully a recent Famitsu feature has gathered the thoughts of those very people, with a total of 132 Japanese game developers and industry-related celebrities all being polled on their top 2019 games. We'll kick things off with the top 30 games that were voted for across the board (thanks, AnimeNewsNetwork):
- Death Stranding
- Dragon Quest Walk
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- Ring Fit Adventure
- Pokémon Sword and Shield
- Days Gone
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
- Dragon Quest Builders 2
- Apex Legends
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
- Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- Judgment
- Persona 5 Royal
- Resident Evil 2
- Kingdom Hearts III
- Astral Chain
- Borderlands 3
- Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Tetris 99
- Archer Densetsu
- Fate/Grand Order
- Splatoon 2
- Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
- Samurai Shodown
- Detroit: Become Human
- moon
- GRIS
We can also see some of the votes shared by individual developers themselves - no surprises seeing PlatinumGames' Hideki Kamiya vote for Tetris 99, huh?
- Yoko Taro (NieR Automata director): Astral Chain
- Toshimichi Mori (BlazBlue series producer): Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Death Stranding, Devil May Cry 5, Project Sakura Wars
- Shinjiro Katsuda: (Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Producer): Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- Katsura Hoshino: (Persona 5 director): Diablo III: Eternal Collection, Star Luster, Death Stranding
- Kazuhiro Tsuchiya (Mega Man producer): Death Stranding, Ring Fit Adventure, Princess Connect! Re:Dive, Tetris 99, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
- Hideaki Itsuno: (Devil May Cry series director): Power Pros (Nintendo Switch), Nintendo Labo, Ise Shima Mystery Annai: Itsuwari no Kuro Shinju, Battle Princess Madelyn, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
- Keisuke Kikuchi (Atelier series producer): Persona 5 Royal, Super Robot Wars T, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Toro to Puzzle: Doko Demo Issho
- Kenichirō Takaki (Senran Kagura series producer): 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Katana Zero, Samurai Shodown, Resident Evil 2
- Yoshinori Kitase (Final Fantasy VII Remake producer): Days Gone, Marvel's Spider-Man, Prepar3D, Death Stranding
- Ryūtarō Ichimura (Dragon Quest series chief producer): Dead by Daylight, Uni's on Air, Death Stranding, Dungeon Maker, Dragon Quest of the Stars
- Tetsu Katano (Sonic series producer): Judgment, Sega Genesis Mini (Mega Drive Mini), Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk, Persona 5 Royal, Puyopuyo!! Quest
- Sohei Niikawa (Disgaea series producer): Dragon Quest Walk
- Katsuhiro Harada (Tekken series producer): Gris, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Payday 2, Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection, theHunter: Call of the Wild
- Hiroshi Yoshimura (God Eater director): Dragon Quest Builders 2, Puzzle & Dragons, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Red Dead Redemption 2, Warframe
- Takanobu Terada (Super Robot Wars series producer): Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Pokémon Ga-Olé
- Hideki Kamiya (Bayonetta designer): Tetris 99
- Ken Motomura (Yōkai Watch series director): Death Stranding, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Borderlands 3, Resident Evil 2, Astral Chain
What do you think? A decent list overall, or are you surprised by their choices? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
[source animenewsnetwork.com, via gonintendo.com]
Comments 30
I voted for Dragon Quest Builders 2
and
Pretty Princess Magical Coordinate as my GOTY 2019. 😉
Remakes and expansions shouldn't even be counted as GOTY. Also Splatoon 2? Seems like a few people still think it's 2017. My top choice for GOTY would be these:
Switch - Astral Chain
3DS - Shakedown: Hawaii
Wii - Just Dance 2020
Wii U - Drop It: Block Paradise
PlayStation 4 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Xbox One - Control
PS Vita - Romancing SaGa 3
PC - Red Dead Redemption 2
@retro_player_22 It can still be someone's favorite game to play in 2019, even if it came out earlier.
That’s an interesting list. I’m surprised that no western indie developed games got on there. Even Bloodstained is a no show.
@NorseGamerTommy Even so it shouldn't be put on the list for 2019 as other deserving title need that spot or mention.
I supposed from a developers point of view Death Stranding really is an impressive game. It's a shame that the game really looks like a total snore-fest to me. Even I can acknowledge that an incredible amount of work went into it and it is technically impressive. It's just the game play doesn't look fun, the setting looks dull and bleak and the story just doesn't sound interesting to me.
@retro_player_22 Out of curiosity would you consider Resident Evil 2 which itself is a remake, a game that also shouldn’t be on the list, even though it’s a brand new interpretation of the original?
@NotTelevision I'm pretty sure Gris is western developed? Bloody good game too.
Surprised to see Sword and Shield so high on the list.
Would have thought from a developers point of view, that game would have been perceived as underwhelming and under developed.
No one likes Luigi's Mansion 3? Boo.
surprised death stranding is number 1, also no one played bloodstained?
@retro_player_22 no mobile? oh i think a couple gameboy games and a reproduction of nes cart came out last year. maybe mini console or was that before?
@Bliquid Well that's fine if you say so. I don't really see it. Maybe playing it myself would change my opinion, but I've only seen clips, read about it and seen pictures. It just doesn't look remotely worth it to me.
It's a shame Japan don't seem to care about Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fuel.
I didn't realize Ace Combat 7 got released last year. Might have to buy a copy.
Death Stranding deserved the win. It's original, brave, creative, and is the type of focused vision we need. It's easily the best game of last year and one of the top 2 or 3 of the entire generation.
Ew, Death Stranding.
Gris deserves to be way higher but whatever. The fact it's a indie and even on here is cool.
@ramu-chan
LOL
What an inciteful response. Did it take you long to compose?
@ramu-chan
like this one, no.
@YagaMaki Yeah missed it there at the bottom. I liked Gris as well.
@Heavyarms55
Don't worry.
I voted Pretty Princess Magical Coordinate by Nippon Columbia on Switch as GOTY 2019. 😆🤣
No one ever think about that game but me.
unpopular opinion i like Death Stranding but not enough to say its one of the best 2019 games
Any idea what Archer Densetsu is? I Googled it, and the only results seem to be various sites reposting this poll result.
@Heavyarms55 On the flip side, Death Stranding is a snooze fest filled with micro-management that makes doing anything a chore. The story is great, but imo the gameplay is so repetitive and bland that I couldn't bring myself to play through it any further. I wish I could like the game, there is a lot of love from the developers put into it, but I just cant.
Not surprised on Death Standing. What I tell people at work. Hate it/Love it... but something you need to experience in gaming.
I'll maybe try Death Stranding when its released for the PC, to me though Fire Emblem was easily the best game I've played 2019.
Kenichirō Takaki (Senran Kagura series producer): Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
The stereotype for COD reigns supreme!
Death Stranding is the new Shenmue. It's a cinematic micro management simulator that you either love or hate.
@Anti-Matter I'm sure at least the devs of the game think about it. Don't worry!
iceborne number 1...fire emblem has to be top 3 honestly if dragon quest walk were in UK i'd have voted for that too
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