Games of the Year (according to other people)
Gaming in 2019 was like any other year, it had very high highs and also very very low lows. We saw a games with huge expectations fall flat on their faces and we saw the opposite of that, we even saw cold reboots from many classic games that gave their franchises new life regardless if it was tapping into the nostalgia reserve, plus many games now have a much longer life span so games that came out a few years back have life in 2019. So this year was kind of bad but at the same time, we got some great games.
This list below has been compiled from friends, co-workers, and anyone in my life that plays games and knows a thing a two about them. There may be games on the list that are my favorite but other people have added their opinions on them so it’ll be none of my preferences but rather what the consensus likes.
Without further ado, here are the top ten games that have come out this year and have left a positive impression on the people who played them.
10. Apex Legends.
Apex Legends is a battle royal game that came from Respawn Entertainment when it first launched back in February it toppled the juggernaut that is Fortnite for many months. The battle royal genre was getting stale, Call of Duty and Battlefield tried their hand at it but couldn’t break the ceiling, even PUBG was left in dark because Fortnite managed to capitalize on it. Apex Legends is, however, a different beast, like Fortnite it’s free but what makes it stand out so much is that it changed the formula, adding the ping system which allows you to communicate with other players without saying a word.
The ping system helps you and your team point out weapons, things they need, other enemies and help navigate your team by pinging a certain area and it was the first to allow your team to pick up your tag and revive you if you died, a mechanic like the ping many other battle royals including Fortnite “borrowed”. Like the other battle royals including Fortnite which characters had no personality, Apex took the Overwatch route and gave their roster of characters rich backstories with their unique abilities and powers, for example, I used LifeLine she’s healer and can quickly heal herself plus her teammates and quickly bring back downed teammates while being protected by her trusty STIM bot. Pokemon Sword and Shield.
9. Pokemon Sword and Shield
This game was met with backlash because the Pokedex was smaller which many called for a boycott of the game. Despite that, it was well-received because of the game design, the Pokemon design and how the game plays.
With it being the first game in a while to be on a console it makes sense that it plays on a hybrid console which is the Switch. Being on the Switch allowed the game to look much prettier than its predecessors the combat was almost more simple and the transition from battle to exploring was streamlined allowing players to get used to these new features easier. The boycott didn’t work because Pokemon Sword and Shield became the fastest-selling Switch game in Japan and the US.
8. Sekiro Shadows Dies Twice
FromSoftware the maker of the iconic Soul games brings a game that shares the same foundation of the Soul games but puts a heavy emphasis on defense. While it’s a very difficult game to master, in comparison to the Soul games it’s much more accessible and has a less steep learning curve than one would imagine. The main difference in Sekiro compared to the Soul games is that the Soul games rely on you attacking your enemy to wear it down, however, in Sekiro it’s much deeper than that it relies more on your parrying attacking their posture and balance to ultimately landing the killing blow and in turn has a much deeper fighting system than the Soul games.
The subtitle Shadows Dies Twice is a mechanic as well, when you die instead of respawning at the checkpoint you have the option to revive yourself using resurrection power, granted you must have it to do it, to get it you have to kill enemies. Another reason why it’s on the list is because of how challenging it is and having no difficulty level but get harder and harder as you go along, which was one of the minor criticism of the game for being “too hard”
7. Links Awakening
This one’s a remake of an older game but deserves to be on the list mainly because of how good the remake was. The toy-like design looks pretty damn good from the top-down perspective, and that most of the puzzles translated well onto the Switches screen.
The main thing that stood out when playing the game was how well it controlled which was 1 to 1, moving Link and using his fighting mechanics was a lot easier and smoother than Breath of the Wild. Links Awakening originally came out on the Game Boy Color, and it was decent then, but playing it on the Switch does the game justice, as mentioned before the colors and the art style pop out and makes the game seem like this is an original game and not a re-release.
6. Mortal Kombat 11
This long-running fighting franchise has had its ups and downs. Since Mortal Kombat X (10) came out in 2015, the series has been getting better and bigger. Ten was set up to whoever got the combos done first, it dictated the fight and set the course for who was going to win often the ones who could get their power moves faster. In 11 you have to be more strategic and figure out how your opponent fights and the combos would do less damage over time the more you hit your opponent making it fairer.
The introduction of Fatal Blows and Krushing Blows gives you an edge, a Fatal Blow is much like an X-Ray moves you deal a large amount of damage and you see which part is being broken, but unlike X-Ray moves then can only be used once and only can be used if your opponent is under 30 percent. Krushing Blows are a lot like fatalities, they’re cinematic and can only be triggered once you meet all the things needed to activate it. Also what’s new is the Flawless Block mechanic, if you block an attack or attacks you get a window for a comeback to time your follow up attacks properly, you will do more damage.
5.Outerworlds
Made from the people who made the better Fallout games Obsidian Entertainment put out this open world, action Rpg, a first-person shooter which feels like a spiritual Fallout game. When you mix Mass Effect, Borderlands and Fallout you get Outerworlds and it makes sense because the mechanics are so much of those games, from your party system to your gun customization, to Fallout mechanics by slowing downtime and thus can aim better.
Each world you go to has it’s own identity and characteristics, the vivid colors and the plant life help differentiate the planets and gives more of an emphasis on the world that inhabits it. The vibrant and diverse cast of characters you meet help make the game feel more alive, your party will easily be one of your favorite characters
4.Gears 5.
The Gears game like Halo has slowly climbed the ranks in becoming a household name, Gears 1, 2, 3 were one the highest-rated and top-selling games of last-gen and left an impression, it even pioneered the cover-based shooter mechanic.
While Gears of War 4 didn’t progress the story that much and had a generic white dude as the player in a time where now everyone can represent, it sort of left the series in purgatory, but Gears 5 which feels like a true sequel. It moved the story along effortlessly, adding so many mechanics that shouldn’t work but do. The online is also massively overhauled making it harder to use a shotgun, but I still do.
3. Metro Exodus
This game is a massive departure from the 2033 and Last Light both were remastered onto current-gen, but this entry made from the ground up for the current-gen and holds a special place in many people’s hearts.
For the first time in the series you spend on the surface rather than just going through the eerie tunnels of a post-apocalyptic Russia, you travel to a wide selection of different places from the dried out Caspian Sea to the deep forest of the Russian outskirts. While it does stay true to its foundation, by going through underground tunnels, still holding on to the horror aspect of it — it does emphasize the open-world part which is also a first for the series you’re exploring, finding upgrades but still stays true to what keeps it a Metro game.
2. Control
From the makers of Quantum Break, the original Max Payne and Alan Wake come their next game called Control. The game takes place inside the Federal Bureau of Control which controls and protects this world against the other dimensions.
The gameplay is a third-person shooter, but with a twist, you play as Jesse Faden who acquires supernatural abilities that are flight, push, slow downtime and speed herself up, the weapon you get in the game is a gun that is a life form on its own and has many forms, likes a shotgun or machine gun. The reason why this game is up here on the list is that it’s how it tells the story, at one point you keep on going back to a motel room and have to use the light switches to make it out. The building you’re in is a character as well, it changes and the more powerful you become the stranger the building is.
- Star Wars Colon Jedi Colon Fallen Order
This is the definitive Star Wars game, set after Episode 3 the Revenge of the Sith, the game is a welcoming surprise from years of many “okay” games from the franchise. Borrowing a lot of mechanics from the Souls games and Sekiro making it a challenging game, and it forces you to try other tactics to beat your enemy. It isn’t a hack and slash type of game either: you use defense and force moves to kill the bad guy and a lot your attacks must be timed to win. Coming from the makers of Titanfall 1 and 2 it employs the free-running ability and wall-running so without being all badass you are but in a much more subtle way. As you progress through the story, Cal the Jedi you play as tries to save a list of Jedi for future generations to use and stand up against the empire and by that it does connect itself to the overarching narrative.
So there it is, the “Peoples Games of The Year”, some of these games have brought up the standard in how the games can be amazing art forms and other games show off mechanics that can make their game stand out. Regardless of what console you play or what games you liked it was a better year in the industry.
