The title says it all. As long as you played it this year (any platform), you can list it.
I'll start off:
10. Tales of Zestiria (PS4) - It's not a top tier Tales game, but was nice JRPG comfort food.
9. Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch) - It may not have much in terms of difficulty (outside of it's absurd post game world), but with a multitude of creative level themes which go beyond the typical cliches (and are enhanced by the charming craftwork aesthetic) & branching paths mid game that add some unexpected non-linearity, this was quite an enjoyable romp.
8. Batman: Return to Arkham Asylum (PS4) - Moody and oftentimes almost horror-ish, this superhero themed Metroidvania always has you on edge even when you're safe. The beat'em up gameplay is solid fun, and the game's only major flaw is that they could have done better with the boss encounters.
7. Onimusha Warlords (Switch) - Another horror tinged Metroidvania outing, this time with a dash of survival horror. Some bosses can be a bit of a pain with the fixed camera angles, but overall this one had me hooked from start to finish, and I loved the Sengoku Jidai setting.
6. Astro Bot: Rescue Mission (PSVR) - Charming VR exclusive 3D platformer which stands with Mario at his best, with tight controls, varied environments, and inventive use of the perspective of the medium, it shows VR is capable of standing with the best offerings "pancake" gaming can provide.
5. Dragon Quest XI (PS4) - Fantastic JRPG which sticks to it's tried and true roots while providing modernization in key areas (including it's wonderfully realized world), it's a wonderful adventure with a fun cast and a charm you won't find in any other series.
4. Final Fantasy X HD (Switch) - The game that got me into JRPGs, I was wondering if it would hold up years later, and I'm glad to say I was as hooked today as I was all those years ago.
3. Link's Awakening (Switch) - A truly wondrous re-imagining of a classic. I have no specific nostalgia for the original, but this was a magical experience, while it may be brief by some standards, as far as I'm concerned it's proof that sometimes less is more, and it had me smiling from beginning to end.
2. Astral Chain (Switch) - Amazing action game with a sci-fi flavor, it shows that the Switch is capable of bringing some pretty stunning worlds to live, and with in-depth combat, as well as a variety of gameplay to shake things up (such as some surprisingly fun stealth sections), this was the big surprise of the year.
1. God of War (PS4) - Truly an epic adventure. The action gameplay and game world are crafted to perfection, it has production values that'll make your jaw drop, and the story of father and son bonding is as good as it gets. And hey, throwing and recalling the Leviathan Axe is just pure fun.
Honorable Mentions (alphabetical): Arca's Path (PSVR), Blaster Master Zero (Switch), Devil May Cry (Switch), InFamous: Second Son (PS4), Katamari Damacy Reroll (Switch), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (Switch), Moss (PSVR), New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Switch), One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 (Switch), and Tearaway Unfolded (PS4).
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
Haven’t played The Outer Worlds, Shenmue 3, Control, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Pokémon Sword/Shield, Telling Lies, Bloodstained, or Disco Elysium yet but I’m sure some would make the list if I got around to them.
1- Sekiro:Shadows Die Twice
A great and sprawling entry to Soulsborne games that is as frustratingly/maddeningly difficult as it is intense and heart pounding. Another enjoyable curb stomping to the face from From.
2. Death Stranding
The most original game of the year and also probably the most memorable. It is clearly a labor of love for Kojima and company and a treasure amongst the samey and formulaic sandboxes that are littering the shelves. Haven’t completed it yet, but I only expect it to keep getting better. Like unique online components and planning required to complete objectives.
3. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
One of the best games on Switch by far. Love the character interaction, progression system, and battles. Every hour spent with the game doing various tasks feels rewarding and worthwhile. Perfect game to settle into while lying in bed or relax to with a coffee or beer. Pretty intense and nerve wracking at times too when you permanently lose a trusted companion in battle. On hour 20 right now but I’m still really enjoying the gameplay loop.
4. Resident Evil 2 Remake
A great remake to one of the best Resident Evil games. It shows off the strengths of the traditional RE formula with an modified control scheme and some very breathtaking graphics. It did feel like more of the same though and the story, characters, and gameplay felt a bit like an old hat. An old and comfortable hat though.
5. Link’s Awakening
Another remake and probably the most comfortable of hats. Classic LoZ 2d gameplay with brilliant puzzles and a beautiful charming art style that feels like a child’s toy box. Loved every minute of it, but an expansion to the dungeon creator and the original LA as an added bonus would’ve been nice.
6. Blasphemous
Stunning Metroidvania with enough originality and atmosphere to separate itself from the pack. Got slapped and thrown around like an old dishrag at times, but after you’ve powered up you can really show those baddies who’s boss. I’m eager to jump back in and get the “good ending”.
Honorable Mentions: Astral Chain, DMC 5, Cadence of Hyrule, Baba is You, Katana Zero, something else I forgot...
I've kinda lost track of what I've been playing this year. Still working on Hollow Knight, so that's definitely up there, and I've really liked the small amount of Astral Chain I've played so far, but I put it on hold to run through The Witcher 3, which in turn I've put on hold to continue my World of Light run in Smash Ultimate, and which has just been bumped aside by the update to Super Mario Maker 2.
I shouldn't really because I haven't played enough of any single game to make a reliable ranking, but if I was pushed for a GOTY top 3 then I'd go with:
3. Astral Chain
2. Super Mario Maker 2
1. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
PS. Obligatory honourable mentions: Labo VR - haven't played it enough but really enjoyed the experience of making the goggles, trying out the mini games, and playing BotW in VR.
Mario Kart 8/D - cos I still play it and it's still my GOAT.
I like the concept here, given that I've played plenty of games that weren't released this year. I may yet edit this list, as I have only just started Astral Chain, and I've got a couple of other things on the go.
8 - Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (iOS). Wonderful, old-school RPG. Proves that a good game stays a good game, even nearly thirty years later. Good characters, simple but satisfying battle system, and easily grasped to the point where I didn't need to consult a FAQ at all, which is extraordinary for what was originally a NES title. Also, I beat the final boss with literally my final hit - if he had attacked first, it would have been game over - how satisfying is that?!
7 - Celeste (Switch). Finally bit the bullet to see if the hype was justified. I guess it was. Not a 10/10 for me (unlike this site), and nowhere near as good as Hollow Knight, but the level design and storytelling still make it pretty special.
6 - Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (First Chapter) (PSP). A thoroughly charming RPG. The combat has a slight SRPG feel to it but, other than that, there's nothing really that different about this title - it's just really well made, and the characters are truly something else. So pleased that Cold Steel is coming to Switch.
5 - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS via 3DS). Scribbling on the touchscreen to beat bosses is one of the worst gaming mechanics I've come across, but this is still an excellent Metroidvania.
EDIT: 4 - Astral Chain (Switch). Now that I've had more of a chance to play, I'm really getting into it. Took me a while to get my head around the combat - and, in fact, I'm not really quite there yet - but I love the exploration, world-building, side quests and hidden secrets possibly even more than the action.
EDIT: 3 - Baba Is You (Switch). Magnificent puzzle game. I've only just started playing around with it, but even within the first ten levels, I have felt my brain melting. Truly outstanding design.
2 - Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch). Bit too easy (on normal difficulty), drags on too long, and the way it handles inventory is AWFUL - but still my second favourite game of the year, and easily my top pick from 2019. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
1 - Persona 3 Portable (PSP). One of the oldest games I played this year (from 2006), but hands down my favourite. Good story, brilliant characters, excellent voice acting, great soundtrack, and outstanding combination of visual novel and RPG. And considering it's 13 years old, it even still looks pretty good.
Honourable mentions: Dark Souls Remastered (Switch); Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon (3DS - TBH, this is probably worth 2nd or 3rd spot for me, but I'm only halfway through the second mansion, so didn't feel I could rank it); The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, via Switch).
My top five (with 2019 releases underlined):
5. Pokemon Sword/Shield - an excellent game, despite the controversy. Galar feels fresh and well-realised as a region, and Game Freak continues to come up with creative new monsters. It's not a revolutionary game by any means - but it's a solid Pokemon game.
4. Octopath Traveller - this game absolutely perfects and modernises the classic JRPG formula. The game is absolutely gorgeous in both looks and sound. Each path was intriguing in its own way, and the battle system was truly addictive, proving that turn-based battling isn't necessarily a thing of the past.
3. Luigi's Mansion 3 - I didn't really play the original until this year, and I must admit it didn't blow me away. But this is a different story. This game has truly taken the series to AAA levels - it just has so much charm and polish, and every new floor and every new discovery feels so exciting.
2. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - very rarely do I complete a game and want to immediately play through it again. And again. Much like Luigi's Mansion 3, I think this is a game that took its series to another level. The character- and setting-driven story-telling with multiple paths makes this game so incredibly engaging, and I found myself wanting to learn every little detail about the world; experience everything there was to experience in the game. This game became so much more than the tactical gameplay the series is known for.
1. Persona 4/5 - it's hard to choose out of these two, as I've only finished Persona 4 Golden, but after doing so I had to immediately jump on to 5. This series is stellar. The social link system, freedom to perform daily activities, and a narrative led by some very likeable characters make what would otherwise be some fairly standard dungeon crawlers into a couple of my favourite games of all time. These qualities increase immersion to the point that these titles really feel much more than just video games.
Honourable mentions go to Link's Awakening, Super Mario Maker 2, Cuphead, Spyro Reignited and Resident Evil 4.
10) New Super Mario Bros. U: Finally got around to trying this (on the Wii U, lolol). It's a pity people didn't give this a fair shake when it first released, because it easily betters previous NSMB platformers and, taking cues from Super Mario World, manages to craft one of the best 2D outings the plumber has ever seen.
9) Tetris Effect: A hypnotic and engaging take on Tetris that is set to lovely music. A variety of fun side modes, and the main campaign mode is surprisingly meaty. This is my preferred version of the classic game.
8) Resident Evil 2: An excellent remake of the PS1 survival horror classic that intelligently mixes classic survival horror resource management and ammo conservation with excellent controls and a terrifying, revamped take on Mr. X. A lack of zapping system features somewhat disincentivizes multiple playthroughs, and enemy variety has been drastically reduced, but what's here is still modern RE at its best.
7) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: It took me a long time to get around to playing this game, but I finally have, and, even four years from launch, it's still a marvelous experience. This gritty, cinematic open world game is full of gorgeous environments, fun combat, well-crafted characters, and excellent side-quests that sometimes even affect the main plot of the game. I can see why this game is so loved.
6) Horizon: Zero Dawn: This one actually surprised me. I'll admit, I wasn't sure how I'd feel going in, but 2017's head-on BotW competitor actually really managed to impress in a lot of ways. There's a lot of depth to the lore of this future fantasy world (major By the Waters of Babylon vibes from this, actually), along with some great music and gorgeous, almost photorealistic visuals (complemented by a robust photo mode). The real star of the show, though, are the robots you hunt throughout. They're intelligent, cunning, vicious, and it's a complete blast figuring out ways to take them down. If the open world wasn't quite so rote in design, there was less of the uncanny valley weirdness with the character designs, and there were more overall memorable characters, this might have even been higher up. If Horizon 2 is a thing, it'll be a major reason to opt for a PS5 next gen.
5) XC2 - Torna: The Golden Country: This DLC prequel to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is pretty much a full (if somewhat short) JRPG in its own right, and can be played separately from the full game. With a new rendering system that makes the game somehow look even more beautiful on the TV than XC2 did, smart changes to combat that make encounters a lot more dynamic and fun, a unique camping system, gorgeous music, a memorable cast of characters, and a gripping, tragic storyline, this is Xenoblade at its best, and I'm here for it.
4) Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice: A shockingly good trilogy capper after two decent but overall mediocre entries in the series, this game presumably brings Apollo's story to a close. Lots of well-written mysteries, engaging new mechanics, a fascinating new setting in the form of the theocratic East Asian country of Khura'in, fun new characters, the return of a few fan favorites (including Maya Fey!), and another terrific final case that sends the entire experience through the stratosphere.
3) Cuphead: The best (former) Microsoft exclusive (I played it on PC, like, a month before the Switch port was announced, lol) to date. Cuphead is a tight, satisfying action-platformer that is elevated by an utterly phantasmagorical presentation which makes it feel like a 1930s Merrie Melody toon come to life. This is, of course, only achieved by the developer's commitment to furnishing the entire game with lovingly crafted, hand-drawn animation.
The last two... I can't decide between them as to which is the more enjoyable release for me this year. So I'm not ranking them. They're definitely the top two for me, though.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition: The first game ever announced for release on the Switch (back when it was still the "NX" and we had no idea what it was even going to be), and while S-E took their sweet time developing it, the end result was worth it. DQXI S is one of the most wonderfully optimized games on the entire system, with smart nips and tucks made throughout so that it could run well on much less powerful hardware. Despite worse lighting and foliage density, though, the full fat DQXI experience is here, and without any of the severe sacrifices many (including myself) would have to made for the port to work. And it's not just the full fat experience, it's a significantly enhanced version of the game: almost every aspect of the experience has been touched up or improved upon in some way, to the point where it doesn't feel right to just call it a port. The list of changes is too large for me to even touch upon here, but the most consequential changes are the addition of symphonic music, new story content for every character, and a 2D mode which makes it play like an SNES game! That mode even has a good deal of content exclusive to it. Anyway, anyone who has played DQXI already knows what a wonderful experience it is, and how masterfully it brings classic JRPG game design to life with modern-gen visuals.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses: In the vein of Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, yet another long-running Nintendo exclusive series gets reimagined on the Switch. Three Houses is probably close to what you'd get if you stuffed Trails of Cold Steel, Persona 4, and elements of both classic and modern FE games into a blender and turned it on the highest setting. The worldbuilding is some of the best in the entire series; the game quadruples down on the social sim elements of Awakening/Fates while simultaneously excising nearly all traces of the creepy otaku pandering and dating elements that came along with that change; character building is more customizable than it has ever been; the soundtrack is fantastic; the tens of hours of voice acting is almost always excellent; and the sheer scale of the battles and visual presentation is also a massive upgrade from previous Emblems. It has a number of little flaws in almost every aspect of its design, but none of them are enough to take away from how engaging an experience this is. And the sheer amount of content! Somehow I'm 90 hours into (and just started my second playthrough of) Nintendo's fantasy epic and yet I still feel like I've only scratched the surface of everything it has to offer.
I think I've only played eight newly released games this year (all on Switch) so I'll just rank those:
8. Watermelon Party - I bought this because I had gold points about to expire and it was on sale for about 80p. It's rubbish, don't buy it.
7. Submerged - A 'walking simulator' set in an abandoned, flooded city. There's not a lot to the gameplay - you just sail around and climb buildings to find supplies to help your injured brother - and I would have liked it more if there was a more fleshed-out storyline, but the sailing is relaxing and it looks nice considering its low budget.
6. Nintendo Labo: VR Kit (starter set only) - This was fun to build and the VR effect is very impressive when you first try it. There's not much reason to come back to it once the novelty's worn off and you've played every minigame (unless you're creative enough to make your own minigames, which I'm not) but it works well as a tech demo of sorts. The Blaster game is great too.
5. Super Mario Maker 2 - This doesn't really add a huge amount over the first game, and I haven't really had the inspiration or motivation to make many of my own levels like I did on Wii U. However, the story mode is good fun and the new course parts, 3D World theme and the many great levels created by the community make this a worthwhile purchase.
4. Yoshi's Crafted World - A gorgeous and inventive platformer from Good-Feel. My biggest issue with it is that the main game is pretty short, which would be fine if it was fun to go for 100% completion but unfortunately the extra collectible goodies are just tedious to find. Despite this, it's a lovely game that made me smile all the way through.
3. Astral Chain - A unique sci-fi story, deep combat, highly varied gameplay, hidden toilets and cats - what's not to love?
2. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - While the sheer number of variables initially makes this game quite overwhelming for someone like me who is only familiar with the comparatively simple GBA and DS Fire Emblems, stick with it and you'll find an incredibly deep and rewarding character-driven RPG. I'm only around 25 hours in, and probably at least half of that was spent doing optional battles and just wandering around talking to people, so I can't judge it properly yet, but what I've seen so far is excellent.
1. Pokémon Shield - I'd hesitate to call this a better game than the more original Astral Chain or Three Houses (though there's a chance Fire Emblem might overtake it once I finish it), but I just really like Pokémon so I'm enjoying this game the most. Yes, it's not a huge step forward from the 3DS games; yes, the mandatory Exp Share is annoying; and yes, it doesn't have every Pokémon in it (though that doesn't really bother me personally) - but to me, those issues are more than made up for by the great new Pokémon designs, the new features such as the Wild Area and Raid battles, and just the core gameplay of the series still being great fun even after all these years.
There are plenty of other games that came out this year that I want to play but haven't yet due to time and/or funds, but this is my 'top 8 games of the year' list as it currently stands. As for older games I played for the first time this year, I can't remember them all off the top of my head but the best ones are Celeste and Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. Honourable mentions also to Ever Oasis, NSMBU, Captain Toad, and Super Castlevania IV.
Thank you Nintendo for giving us Donkey Kong Jr Math on Nintendo Music
In no particular order, my top 11 of 2019:
Contra Collection-Switch
Castlevania Collection-Switch
Super Nintendo Switch app
Super Mario Maker 2-Switch
Daemon x Machina-Switch
Pokemon Shield-Switch
After Party-Xbox One
Mortal Kombat 11-Switch
My Big Sister-Switch
Deltarune-Switch
Blazing Chrome-Switch
10. BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!
9. Astral Chain
8. Devil May Cry 5
7. Katana Zero
6. Gato Roboto
5. A Plague Tale: Innocence
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
3. Pokémon Shield
2. Resident Evil 2
1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
I haven't yet gotten to The Outer Worlds, or Control. I have a sneaking suspicion both of those would have made my list if I'd had time to play them.
Switch friend code: SW-7938-2538-6283
Now playing:
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5)
Fantasy Life i (Switch 2)
Squeakross: Home Squeak Home (Switch 2)
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA)
1. Vader Immortal (Quest)
2. Doctor Who The Edge of Time (Rift)
3. Asgards Wrath (Rift)
4. Thrill of the Fight (Quest)
5. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (Switch)
6. Fire Emblem Three Houses (Switch)
7. Disco Elysium (PC)
8. Beat Saber (Quest)
9. Resident Evil 2 RE (Xbox One X)
10. Age of Empires 2 DE (PC)
My year has been consumed by a lot of VR games since getting the Quest in May. Quest/Switch/PC/Xbox is quite an awesome combo. I haven't got to play Astral Chains, Control or Outer Worlds (have it on Gamepass) yet, but they all look good and could take top 10 spots.
1. Celeste: Amazing platformer, storytelling that as it went on meant a lot to me specifically. An actual masterpiece. I think. But ask me again in a year or when I finish the rest of the content.
2. Luigi's Mansion 3: Best Luigi's Mansion that I liked exactly as much as the other two Luigi's Mansions. But maybe because I haven't gotten online. Luigi's Mansion is underrated as a great Nintendo series. I mean people still play Yoshi and Star Fox games, and both of them only had 1 truly amazing game each. This is 3 for 3.
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Also haven't gotten online, but I adored Smash Melee's single player back in the day, and this is 2nd best of the series in that regard even at worst. This should objectively be number 1 every remaining year of the Switch's lifespan just for what it does as a love letter for video games.
4. Shovel Knight: King of Cards: The 3rd best Shovel Knight campaign as the 4th best game sums up how great Shovel Knight is. This one is the Wario Land game you didn't know you needed.
5. Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice: Much of what made Ace Attorney great is still here, but for a while, I was not feeling the fake foreign nation feel of it. It's way too similar to...every Ace Attorney game on 3DS outside of the Dual Destinies. But its grown on me, and the fact that it has slowly morphed into being an Apollo Justice sequel in disguise (without the parts of Apollo Justice that sucked) had elevated it a bit. Still not my favorite in the series, but like Shovel Knight, that's only praise for how great the series is as a whole.
6. Astral Chain: This could've been Platinum's best game ever. It's not, because it's awkward in ways that feel less justified than Wonderful 101's awkwardness (which is still Platinum's best imo). So yes, half this list is "its not as great as the high standards set, but its still great and you should play it". But that's honestly how I feel. But if you like cool, over-the-top action games, you should play most of Platinum's games tbh. This is just a new take on that.
Nothing after 6 is great enough to be in a best of list, unless I'm forgetting something. I played slightly more games this year than last year, thank god. But quite a bit of what I played was decent to mediocre, I have to admit.
1. God of War
2. The Witcher 3 on Switch
3. Call of Duty Modern Warfare
4. Apex Legends
I liked Apex Legends the most because I spent about 700 hours in just one year. I liked this game for this excellent battle Royale. I also apply for a place in apex legends ranked. I want to take some honorable position on the list.
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Topic: Your Favorite Games of 2019
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