by Brandon Perkins
For me, 2018 was the year of comebacks. We had the comeback of franchises, such as God of War and Valkyria Chronicles. We had the comeback of prized developers, such as Toby Fox and Lucas Pope. And we had the comeback of genres once thought dead, like the old-school JRPG or the Western. It also showed the significant changes in the gaming industry, not the least of which being the exposure of bad working conditions and talk of unionization. However, due to many of the major releases being moved into early next year, it also meant that my year-end list was a small bit conservative, with mostly independent and niche releases crowding out the major ones.
Either way, here is my Top 10 for the year 2018. Maybe 2019 will blow it out of the water.
10. Just Cause 4 – PS4, Xbox One, PC
Proving once again that you don’t need a good plot to make an entertaining game.
9. Return of the Obra Din – PC
Leave it to the creator of Papers Please to make a mind-blowing narrative mystery.
8. Spyro: The Reignited Trilogy – PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Take the old Spyro trilogy , and redo it from the bottom up with Pixar-level graphical upgrades, and you have a masterpiece.
7. God of War – PS4
It takes a real genius to take one of the most two dimensional protagonists in gaming, and give him a heart and soul.
6. Dragon Ball FighterZ – Multiplatform
It took the greats of Arc System Works to finally make the perfect DBZ game, and they finally accomplished it.
5. Soul Calibur VI – PS4, Xbox One, PC
This reboot of the franchise brought the spark back into this saturated series, and delivered an amazingly customizable fighting experience.
4. Deltrarune – PC
The ongoing sequel to Undertale. Need I say more?
3. Red Dead Redemption 2 – PS4, Xbox One, PC
A dark and cinematic deconstruction of the Western genre, with amazing writing and addictive gameplay.
2. Valkyria Chronicles 4 – PS4, Switch, PC
An amazing return to form for this amazing Simulation RPG franchise.
1. Octopath Traveler – Switch
Not only is it an amazing throwback to old-school JRPGs, it also comes with amazing characters and writing with a strong contemporary edge. Easily my favorite of this year.