Game of the Year Awards 2018

“The missions get better as the story moves along, even though they are somewhat limited in creativity given the historical setting. You’ll rob trains and coaches, stations and banks, free friends from the law or rival gangs, and occasionally experience some trademark Rockstar wackiness. The game takes itself seriously most of the time, and so the lighthearted moments come as a welcome reprieve. It always feels like you’re watching a high production Western, and these characters and their exchanges wouldn’t feel out of place in a blockbuster film.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: God of War, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Detroit: Become Human

“GRIS has rather great presentation. Its art design is lovely, with a unique style that may remind you of The Banner Saga, but is nonetheless its own. The visuals are sharp and the animations flow nicely together. The various regions have their own color palette and atmosphere, making them memorable. You’ll encounter collapsed ruins, strange creatures, and explore dark caves. The static camera effectively zooms in and out to showcase the wonderful art and background, and gives the game a sense of scale. The vivid colors of each environment are always great to look at, as they blend and contrast against each other depending on the situation.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: The Banner Saga 3, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Octopath Traveler

“Aside from the typically well made cutscenes, this is probably the best looking open world game of the year. From a technical perspective, the environmental visuals are rather astounding, and this is not a hyperbole used lightly. The draw distance is rather striking and the game runs at an unshakable framerate. Attention to detail is also a highlight – the way Arthur brushes leaves out of the way when riding, the detailed animal skinning animation, and the terrifying melee encounters with predators. Or the way that roads become muddy during rainfall and dry up again, puddles forming in crevices as you leave hoofprints behind.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: God of War, Forza Horizon 4, Marvel’s Spider-Man

“Celeste has a great soundtrack, a synth-y rhythmic melody that is equal parts emotional and inspiring. It’s electronic, but avoids the cliché chiptune sound, and is used to effectively help carry the game through some of the more emotional moments.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions: Red Dead Redemption 2, Forza Horizon 4, GRIS

“In competitive multiplayer, Black Ops 4 continues the series’ trend of having precise and balanced sounds for everything, from the decimating scorestreaks overhead to the hum of an incoming RC-XD. Voice work across the Specialists brings great distinction and maps have the perfect aural ambience. In Black Ops 4, everything sounds just as it should and this provides clarity and tactical awareness in every combat situation.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions: Red Dead Redemption 2, Subnautica, Insurgency: Sandstorm

“From the dry plains, snowy mountains and the swamps, to the centre streets of towns, the game’s visuals are unparalleled in their fidelity. But most impressive are the lighting and fog effects, creating a sense of atmosphere simply unmatched anywhere else, while retaining a very sharp look to the environment, and not just blurring out the background. Add to that an immersive day and night cycle, and occasional weather changes, and you’ve got an extremely well designed world.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: Monster Hunter: World, God of War, Kingdom Come: Deliverance

“Throughout the story, players will get to observe the dynamics of the gang, and spend plenty of time with the strong supporting cast that includes Sadie, Bill, Micah, Bill, and others. Everyone has their own thoughts on how the group should conduct themselves, but Dutch usually has the final word, and he is a passionate and charismatic leader that only wants the best for his people. A lot of credit has to go to the very good writing and voice acting; the dialogue is strong throughout and the line delivery is of very high quality.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: God of War, Detroit: Become Human, Marvel’s Spider-Man

“This open world sequel takes place in 1899, as players follow the story of Van der Linde gang and assume the role of Arthur Morgan, its prominent member and effective gunslinger. The gang is led by Dutch Van der Linde himself, while Arthur is his trusted advisor and almost like a son. Arthur is a memorable character, one with a strong personality, dedication to his crew, motivation to keep everyone fed and alive, and a strict moral code.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: Madeline (Celeste), Dutch (Red Dead Redemption 2), Father Godwin (Kingdom Come: Deliverance)

“Kingdom Come: Deliverance is the sort of game that only comes along once in a while. Possessing great ambition and loads of original ideas that make it charming and captivating, even if several aspects of the experience don’t quite come together as well as they could. In this case, it is a unique realism-driven approach to role-playing game design in regards to both subject matter and gameplay mechanics that allow Kingdom Come to really stand out from the crowd in a landscape that sees bigger games smoothing the edges off to make them as easily digestible as possible.” – Tim Reid

Honorable Mentions: Marvel’s Spider-Man, Donut County, Subnautica

“This reboot is steeped in Norse mythology, and it is as excellently adapted as the Greeks’ was in the previous games. Kratos and his son will meet a few different characters along their journey, some friend, some foe, and most being superhuman in one way or another. Just as most modern cinematic action games, you will explore a series of compact linear levels, occasionally finding a side-path for an extra chest. You’ll also need to sometimes overcome environmental puzzles, which are usually straightforward but still fun to solve. It wouldn’t be a modern action game without RPG elements, so God of War adds those as well. The combat has been redesigned to be slower paced with a new emphasis on blocking and dodging, though you can still successfully hack away at weaker foes.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: Celeste, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

“Modes staple to the series are back, including TDM, FFA, Kill Confirmed, Search & Destroy, Domination, and Hardpoint. Two new modes, Control and Heist, further emphasize the game’s shift towards tactical, team-based action. One big change to the combat is needing to manually heal after taking damage. Paired with higher time-to-kill, this elongates encounters and adds another tactical layer. There is one big map and it is used for the separate battle royale mode — Blackout. It is surprising to see such a large playable landmass in a Call of Duty game. Lastly, never fear, Zombies is still here. The upside of dropping the solo campaign is that Zombies is more fleshed out this time.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions: Forza Horizon 4, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Monster Hunter: World

“When you get to pick up the controller, Marvel’s Spider-Man begins to shine. The excellent animations smoothly chain together web swinging, parkour, and combat. The movement and web-slinging controls are rather excellent. The sense of speed, catching big air, swinging between buildings, and the excitement of performing movie-like pirouettes in the middle of Manhattan combine to create a purely enjoyable experience. The action in Marvel’s Spider-Man plays out similarly to the Batman Arkham series on a basic level, with some melee combos to put foes down. But the combat system goes way beyond that, with plenty of focus on web moves, and being able to swing freely in and out of battle, which is refreshing.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: Celeste, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Monster Hunter: World

“In Frostpunk you take control of a colony attempting to survive a meteorological anomaly – the plummeting of Earth’s temperatures and the beginning of a new ice age. Luckily, you’ve got the power of steampunk technology on your side. The game blends survival mechanics with the familiar set up of a city builder – think SimCity but set in Antarctica, and you have a good idea of what you’re getting into. Frostpunk is a solid entry into the city-builder genre with a unique survival twist, and one that’s bound to appeal to those who have enjoyed similar games.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Return of the Obra Dinn, Two Point Hospital

“A reinvention of the highly popular over the top action franchise from the PS2 days, the new 2018 version of God of War takes an entirely new approach, one that fits very comfortably in the modern big budget PS4 lineup. It features all the hallmarks of game design that first-party Sony studios have found success with, from a cinematic and dramatic storyline to the third person combat and new RPG elements. It succeeds on delivering the highly polished modern experience that fans have come to expect from a console exclusive.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: Marvel’s Spider-Man, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Detroit: Become Human

“Forza Horizon 4 brings the most notable changes to the series since the second entry. The franchise is always seeking for new ways to innovate, and it very much succeeds with its take on the weather seasons. This is a stunning game to look at – on the Xbox One X at 1080p, the lighting systems, the vibrant colors, and the art design are simply impeccable, without even going into the photo mode. This is likely the best looking game on the console this year. Also, if you do have an Xbox One X, you can trade away some of the visual fidelity for a new Performance mode. Just as the Quality mode runs at unshakable 30FPS, so does the Performance mode but at 60FPS, and is a great option to have for racing purists.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: State of Decay 2 , Ashen, Sea of Thieves

“Move over, Melee, there’s a new heavyweight champion in town, and its name is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It’s a decadent feast bursting at the seams with content, and sports an almost absurd array of customizable options, stages, and characters, along with the game’s standout new concept, Spirits. Ultimate is simply a non-stop pummeling of action-packed fun, along with plenty of warm and fuzzy nostalgia from Nintendo games and other iconic franchises. The best multiplayer game on Switch, and the richest, strongest entry in the Smash series, at least in terms of sheer content. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate should prove to be a near endlessly entertaining go-to for friends who want a fun, enduring party game.” – Stephen LaGioia

Honorable Mentions: Octopath Traveler, GRIS, Pokemon: Let’s Go

“Games don’t always need meaning, but when something like Celeste comes along that not only delivers an exceptional gameplay experience, but can tie that experience to a poignant lesson about adversity, you have to give it some extra props. Celeste definitely delivers where it counts. Its mechanics are wickedly brilliant and well crafted, and you might not even appreciate all of the platforming tools because they’re blended in so well. It offers a story that connects not only with the gameplay but the relatable struggle of overcoming adversity, both within and without, to accomplish something others told you was impossible.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions: GRIS, Octopath Traveler, Vampyr

“Last year’s Origins charted a new path for the long running action adventure franchise, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a direct continuation. The game offers further updates to the combat system, an improved main story with satisfying quests and the ability to hunt down the cult at your own pace. In a sense, it improves on everything that Origins introduced. If you’ve enjoyed last year’s game, then Odyssey is certainly an improvement and likely to satisfy.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Warhammer: Vermintide 2

“So if you’re like me, someone who is wondering what exactly Monster Hunter has to offer, I’m happy to tell you that Monster Hunter: World is an absolute delight and something that can be enjoyed by any player. That being said, it is a deep and challenging experience. It takes patience and a desire to learn the inner-workings. Even beyond that, with some elements being poorly explained, it might require you to find wikis, forums, or helping hands. Monster Hunter: World, while not being impenetrable, certainly isn’t going to make things easy for you. But as you start to learn the systems and the overarching mechanics that form of a loop of gameplay where you explore, battle, fail, succeed, craft, and improve, the game becomes addictively rewarding and deeply fascinating.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions: Super Mario Party, Valkyria Chronicles 4, A Way Out

“The Gardens Between is an elegant nostalgic puzzle adventure that has you watching two friends ascend abstract islands. Each island is part of a memory, providing wonder, imagination, and challenge. The simple puzzle mechanic of going back and forward through time is used extensively and customized for individual memories. While the story is minimal, the islands provide overt clues as to the scenes they depict. The Gardens Between will only take two hours to finish and there is not much reason to play it again, but once is certainly enough to create a good neighborly bond.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions: Iconoclasts, Unforeseen Incidents, Aegis Defenders

“Most of the Specialist characters return, with their unique hero-like abilities, but wall-running and boost jumping have been culled in order to appease the ground-huggers. Many prominent franchise scorestreaks reappear, including the wheeled RC-XD from BO1, which is not easy to control this time around. Apart from TDM and Kill Confirmed, which are both 6v6, all modes have been reduced to 5v5 which, surprisingly, provides enough action because players have unlimited sprint and maps are compact. Since all equipment has a cooldown, there is no grenade spam, which is fantastic.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions: Far Cry 5, Battlefield V, Dusk

“You’ll be mostly fighting creatures from the Norse mythos, and there are no humans to be found here, though many foes take on nearly identical humanly shapes such as Hel-Walkers and Primordial Draugrs. The large foes such as trolls and ogres act as mini-bosses. Bosses feature a few unique mechanics that are a neat gameplay challenge. Kratos also does some satisfying takedowns – whether it’s a boss or a regular enemy, filling their stun bar (by doing enough damage, especially with shield or Atreus’ arrows) allows you to perform an execution move. While the combat doesn’t quite match the intensity or scale of the originals, there’s still plenty of satisfying action to be had, especially in the second half.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: Marvel’s Spider-Man, Monster Hunter: World, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

“The arcade racing in Forza Horizon 4 has been nearly perfected at this point. All of the cars handle wonderfully well, balancing accessibility and realism effortlessly. Trying to control a Koenigsegg Regera at night on a twisted wet mountain road is exhilarating, as is perfectly nailing the corner slides with a Subaru in a tight dirt race. Changing weather seasons will alter the conditions, creating new experiences on the same tracks. All of the vehicles are meticulously recreated, and look/sound quite wonderful, from the classics to the modern hypercars. The new shared open world makes for a lively experience no matter what you’re doing, and Forzathon gives players a reason to keep playing and meeting up.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: Uncontested

Into the Breach is set in the far future where humanity fights against an army of giant monsters collectively called the Vek. To combat them, the player controls soldiers that operate giant mechs that can be equipped with a variety of weapons, armor, and other equipment. The game uses a turn-based combat system, allowing the player to coordinate the actions of their team in response to enemy moves and actions that serve to telegraph their attacks.

Honorable Mentions: Frostpunk, BattleTech, Two Point Hospital

“Detroit follows the story of three androids, caught up in a series of events that lead them down dangerous and unexpected paths. Player choices are obviously a huge part of Detroit, and the way that everything is interconnected is certainly impressive. The way that you handle the revolution with Markus will have an impact on how the characters respond to Kara; the results of Connor’s investigations can lead to new outcomes for both humans and androids. This is likely the biggest effort thus far from Quantic Dream, as far as the breadth of the story choices is concerned.” – Alex V

Honorable Mentions: Unforeseen Incidents, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Subnautica

“The gameplay mechanics and character progression also go a long way to immersing you in the world. As a Blacksmith’s apprentice, your skill set outside of this niche trade is extremely limited, meaning you will be quite ineffective at fighting, sneaking, shooting a bow or just about anything else you try early on. Outside of combat, you will need to worry about sleeping, eating and maintaining both the cleanliness and condition of your gear. It is easy to see that a huge amount of passion went into making Kingdom Come: Deliverance the game it is, and when it works properly it is easily one of the most unique, immersive and engaging role playing games I have ever encountered.” – Tim Reid

Honorable Mentions: Octopath Traveler, Monster Hunter: World, Dragon Quest XI

“When it’s clicking, The Show is still one of the most rewarding sports games to play. The difficulty and unpredictability of the game makes the successes feel all the greater. You can have your timing down and find the right pitch, but the result can still be a ground ball to shortstop or a line drive hit directly to the first baseman. I know that sounds frustrating, but it makes the success so much sweeter when you rocket an extra base hit to the gap or connect on a deep home run. The same is true for pitching. When you are spotting your pitches to perfection and dealing consecutive no-hit innings it feels excellent.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions: FIFA 19, NBA 2K19, Super Mega Baseball 2

“The core of the game is simply about Madeline and her battle up this treacherous mountain. A beautiful blend of mechanics makes this far from an average platformer. Not only do you have to time your jumps, but the game also forces you to consistently use a dash mechanic to reach seemingly impossible places. Each platforming challenge stretches and condenses the needed understanding of the controls to constantly test the player in different ways. Just when you think you’ve got the dash move down, you’ll find a level that focuses more on the precision of landing a jump or dodging an object. On top of the deviously brilliant level design, each chapter of the game has a specific mechanic it will use to challenge you.” – Josh Hinke

Honorable Mentions: GRIS, The Messenger, Spyro Reignited Trilogy

“Perhaps the biggest appeal to Ultimate though, is that the game contains every character ever featured in the series. The prospect of unlocking these fighters is usually sufficient to keep the player coming back for more – if the addictive, satisfying beat-em-up gameplay isn’t enough already. Not only do you have an almost overwhelming number of fighters to choose from, but the lineup is as diverse as ever when it comes to movesets and play styles. Each of the whopping 103 stages are available at your disposal right off the bat. Ultimate stands as the definitive version of Super Smash Brothers, surpassing the nostalgic charm of the original, the breadth of Smash 4’s content, and at least matching the intricate, tight mechanics and complexity of Melee.” – Stephen LaGioia

Honorable Mentions: Dragon Ball FighterZ, Soulcalibur VI

“The six hour adventure is not just one puzzle chamber after another; it’s more organic and the puzzle areas are dissimilar in shape. Given all of the elements, puzzle areas can resemble Rube Goldberg machines as balls bounce off blue springboards, catch fire, and transfer momentum to a box covered in oil. And, sometimes, you become part of these strange contraptions, standing on a box as it gets launched into the air from a repelling magnet. Many puzzles require active participation by placing colors (or deleting boxes) on the fly, although fast reflexes are rarely essential. While the solutions often involve a lot of physics interaction, the level design constraints ensure things play out as intended.” – Ben Thomas

Honorable Mentions: The Gardens Between, Donut County, Tetris Effect