THE BEST OF 2024 - The Best GAMES Of The Year

      

- If you think it's tough keeping up with all the latest TV shows and movies ... try keeping up with what's new and buzzworthy in the world of videogames. It's pretty much an impossible task, and yet ... thanks to listening to podcasts like Triple Click, I constantly feel like I'm missing out. There's so much cool new stuff, all the time - especially in the world we now live in where there's an almost constant stream of interesting new indie games to check out. 

So let me talk about ASTRO BOT. I'll spoil my list below and reveal that Astro Bot is 100% my Game of the Year for 2024. It won GOTY at the Game Awards earlier this month. And it premiered to nearly unanimous rave reviews. And yet ... I still hear people talk about it with a bit of condescension. Why? Because the game isn't a 100+ hour behemoth that requires a black belt in gaming to master and defeat? Because the game emphasizes awe and wonder and delight and fun over grimdark storytelling and endless lore? Because it's a 3D platformer in an era when the genre is less popular and considered somehow less-than? 

Honestly, I think the games industry needs way more games like Astro Bot. Games that provide escape without taking over your entire life. Games that are simple yet challenging. Games designed to make you feel something. Games that are in the spirit of the kind of stuff that made my generation fall in love with games in the first place, in the days of the NES, Super NES, and Playstation. I've always loved the 1-1 controls of a great platformer. There's something so satisfying about pressing a button and causing an instantaneous reaction, rather than what you get in so many games today where a button press activates a pre-programmed set of animations to play out. The feeling of pressing the "jump" button and your character just, you know, jumps. It can't be overstated how good that feels and how immersive it makes gameplay. There's also something to be said for games that can be played in relatively short bursts, that don't require a a multi-hour commitment and don't require the memorization of or mastery over multiple complex systems in order to really get in the groove. Not that there's anything wrong with that ... but sometimes, less is more.

And that, I think, was evident when it came to some of 2024's high profile bombs. The recent Suicide Squad game will forever be the quintessential example of this. The game tried to be SO much. It was a single player action adventure game, but also a loot shooter, but also an online co-op game, but also ... Why do game publishers think this is what people want? Hopefully, game successes like Astro Bot help to swing things in the other direction. I mean, when Nintendo made Super Mario Bros., were they thinking "gee, I bet we could create better longterm monetization opportunities if only we put ___ in this game"-?! No, of course not. Great games always win out at the end of the day. As we inch towards new console generations and even more advanced tech powering these games ... it's a lesson the industry could stand to remember.

I played a lot of great games in 2024, and of course, a lot of those games were not from 2024. I played through Astro's Playroom in preparation for Astro Bot's release and realized it has the most amazing videogame soundtrack ever ("S-S-D ..."). I finally got to the end of Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which I really enjoyed. I also finally played Life Is Strange: True Colors, which I loved. What an incredible and affecting narrative experience. 

But as for my favorites of 2024, let's get to it.

DANNY'S FAVORITE (NEW) GAMES OF 2024:

1.) Astro Bot

- Astro Bot is just pure coolness and joy wrapped up in a shiny futuristic package. It's a platformer on par with the greats in terms of gamplay, level design, and tightness of its controls. It has numerous moments that are there simply to wow and delight. And its techno-synth musical score absolutely rips. But bigger picture, it also feels like a throwback to the optimistic Y2K Futurism of the late 90's and early 00's - the era of Space Channel 5 and SSX Snowboarding and Daft Punk. There's something inherently happy and cool and inviting about this game that feels needed in this day and age. At a time when joy and escapism was much needed, Astro Bot answered the call.

 

2.) Animal Well

- Animal Well is a mind-blowingly magical and inventive indie game - a brilliantly clever and imaginative Metroidvania. It looks simple and charmingly retro on one hand (with its 8-bit style graphics) - but it's a game full of complex puzzle design that demands creativity and thoughtfulness and discovery on the part of the player. Inspiring, absorbing, and endlessly surprising. If you haven't given this one a whirl yet, you've really got to check it out.

 

3.) Life Is Strange: Double Exposure

- I love the Life is Strange games. I spent a solid chunk of gaming time in 2024 playing through True Colors, which I can now say is incredible and hugely underrated. And I'm just now dipping my toes into Double Exposure - which brings back original series protagonist Max Caulfield, continuing her story from the first Life Is Strange game. It's great to check in with Max again, and already I can tell that the same eye-popping visuals and absorbing narrative design from True Colors have carried over into this one, via developer Deck Nine. Those classic Life Is Strange emo-punk vibes are back again, and that to me is a wonderful thing.

 

4.) Tekken 8

- I'm a longtime fan of the Tekken series. I love the insane characters, the even more insane storylines, and of course, I love the bone-crunching fighting game action. Tekken 8 brings back pretty much all the best characters and gameplay innovations from the previous game - while also upping the ante in terms of graphics and fighting play styles. But at the end of the day, this is just the complete Tekken package. It's one of those series where each new installment helps to make a Playstation generation feel complete. Finally, there's Tekken on PS5 (now I just need Soul Caliber).

5.) Dragon Age: The Veilguard

- I'm not a hardcore Dragon Age fan, so I don't have strong opinions on the overall direction of the series or anything like that. But I decided to give this new installment a go, as I was especially intrigued by its shift to action-heavy gameplay. And so I recently fired up the game and got totally lost in its fantasy universe. The game feels a lot like Mass Effect but high fantasy, except in this case, the combat is nicely crunchy with a Horizon: Zero Dawn esque flow. I'm into it.

6.) Star Wars Outlaws

- It was always going to be a bit of an uphill battle for a brand new take on a Star Wars adventure game to win me over, so close to the release of a new game in the super-fun Jedi Fallen Order series. But this one quickly drew me in because it allows you to just sort of hang out in Star Wars in a way that few other games ever have. Sure, the various missions are cool, as is the narrative - but even more cool is just stumbling into a Star Wars dance club and checking out the scene. 

7.) Loco Motive

- I'm a sucker for a great, old-school point-and-click adventure game, and Loco Motive hearkens back to subversively funny LucasArts classics like Day of the Tentacle or Sam & Max Hit The Road. The game features some really amazing pixel art, some really nice jazz music, and that classic LucasArts-esque charm and wit that makes all the puzzle solving that much more enjoyable.

8.) Stellar Blade 

- If you enjoy quirky Japanese sci-fi action games a la Nier Automata, then Stellar Blade will likely float your boat. The game has an out-there story about an android protagonist navigating a post-apocalyptic world, and it's got fast-paced, stylish action that calls to mind the likes of Bayonetta or Devil May Cry. In fact, the game feels like a bit of a throwback to the PS2 days. Which to me, made it instantly appealing.

 

9.) Epic Mickey: Rebrushed

- I missed out on the original Epic Mickey game, so I was super curious to finally try it out via its new remaster ("Rebrushed"). From what I've read, this new version not only gives the game an amazing-looking visual refresh, but it also polishes up the gameplay substantially. Suffice it to say, the game now looks and plays fantastically, and so far I've really been enjoying it a lot. The Disney magic is strong in this one.

10.) The Plucky Squire

- The Plucky Squire is one of the most graphically innovative games I've ever seen. The central conceit is that you play as a cartoon-ish character from a children's storybook, who can leap out of the 2D plane of the book and into a more realistically rendered 3D space. Not everything works here, and there can be some clunkiness. But there is a sense of real visual magic on display in this game that you don't often see. It's worth checking out for the wow factor, but overall I found a lot of fun and charm from this one.

THE BEST OF 2023 - The Best GAMES Of The Year

  

- 2023 was a landmark year for games - but, if you weren't a games journalist paid to play games for a living - it could all feel a little overwhelming. I mean, 2023 saw the release of huge, massive, open-world adventures like Starfield, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Spider-Man 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty, and more. How could anyone possibly play through all of those games in one year's time? 

Personally, I spent a lot of time catching up in 2023. With Tears of the Kingdom set to release, I decided to finally go back and finish the previous Zelda game, Breath of the Wild. I'm still working on that ... Meanwhile, I also spent a good chunk of time playing through Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (which I did complete!), because I wanted to be all caught up for its sequel (which I'm currently in the middle of). I went through a similar exercise with one of my favorite games of recent years, Control - revisiting it so that I could play the remastered Alan Wake (which I'd never played, and is now, apparently, part of a shared universe of games from developer Remedy), so that I could play the new Alan Wake 2 (which I've yet to play, but really want to!) ... which perhaps would have made my Games of the Year list had I gotten around to it in 2023. I also played more of Spider-Man: Miles Morales so that I could eventually jump into the new Spider-Man 2. But alas ... one man can only do so much, and today's videogames are too big, too long, and too all-encompassing. It's why I still value more contained experiences (hello, Super Mario Bros. Wonder) and the indie games scene. It's a lot to simply go from one 100+ hour epic to another, ya' know?  

As for the games industry, it was another year of corporate consolidations, mass layoffs, massive leaks, and many questions about how sustainable this all is and where it's all going. The PS5 chugged along as the market leader in consoles - and I still love my oversized Sony wonderbox - even if Sony's first-party offerings seem a lot slimmer than in years (and eras) past. XBOX has been innovating with Games Pass and making moves with continued developer acquisitions. And I admit I was jealous of a few XBOX exclusives this year, notably Hi-Fi Rush (which sounds like a total blast). But Microsoft still seems to struggle with its tentpole releases having the same sort of fan appeal as Sony or Nintendo's big titles. Starfield, from Bethesda, was this year's big hope to lure new users to the XBOX ecosystem, but the lukewarm reviews kept it from being a needle-mover. As we head into 2024 though, all eyes will be on Nintendo, as their successor to the Switch is likely to be revealed soon. The Switch got a lot of playtime from me this year, but I'm definitely curious to see Nintendo games with true next-gen (or current-gen, I suppose) graphics. It's going to be interesting to see to what extent Nintendo tries to innovate with their next console vs. stay the course. Finally, it does feel like Valve's Steam Deck is continuing to change the game. It's ability to deliver high-end PC gaming on the go makes it an attractive option, and the fact that so many big games (as well as a thriving indie scene) are playable on it adds to the mass-appeal. 

E3 ended this year, officially. I grew up reading about E3 and dreaming of going one day. And somehow, I did get to attend for several years in a row via my work - and it was always exciting and exhilarating. I get that it was becoming semi-obsolete in recent years, but still, it's kind of sad. E3, at its peak, brought with it a level of hype and fan enthusiasm that other media industries would kill for. The Game Awards have sort of taken E3's place as the source for new content reveals and such. But it's not quite the same. E3 pitted each major company against each other in real time. Show us what you've got, Sony. Nothing else can quite match that. 

Where I sometimes worry about the games industry is that it feels like it can be alienating to people who aren't the hardest of the hardcore. Like I said, the big games now are so big and so time-consuming and in many cases so complex ... that playing through them is not feasible for many. At the same time, those same games are incredibly expensive and resource and time intensive to produce. So why are these games now the bread and butter of the industry? I continue to believe that the industry needs to take a step back and assess what the consumer - across various demos and levels of dedication - really wants. And I think there should be more medium-level experiences that are fun and challenging but also easy-to-grasp and contained. Games that take the same time to play as the average Netflix TV season takes to binge-watch. 

I'm glad I'm still into games though and that I try my best to make some level of time for them. There are few activities more relaxing and mind-clearing than playing a great videogame and getting into some sort of flow state. Of feeling immersed in this other world. It's a feeling you just can't get with more passive entertainment, and it's an experience that's helped me greatly through these crazy years of the pandemic and Long COVID and <waves hands> all of this. I still believe, also, that the storytelling possibilities of games are endless. We're only just scratching the surface. And I can't wait to see where we go from here.

DANNY'S FAVORITE (NEW) GAMES OF 2023:

1.) Baldur's Gate 3

- On the surface, Baldur's Gate 3 didn't feel like "my kind of game." I've never been a CRPG player, nor a D&D player. I tend to shy away from games that feel overly complex in terms of their systems. But I got caught up in the BG3 hype and wanted to give it a go. And what's true here is that this game is ultimately made great - and accessible! - because of the writing and story. The world, the characters, the dialogue, the voice-acting - they're all so top-notch that they make you want to immerse yourself in this world and challenge yourself to learn the systems so that you can see more of this game. In that sense, it's a monumental achievement.

 

2.) Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

- I was a big fan of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and spent a lot of time earlier this year playing through it. I gave myself some breathing room, and then finally got started on its sequel, Survivor. And yeah, it pretty much rules - building on the first game's formula but with smoother controls, improved (and often mind-blowingly cool) graphics, better storytelling, and an overall more polished feel. There are still little things that annoy me (those difficult to decipher maps!), but overall this is about as good as a Star Wars game can be.

 

3.) Super Mario Bros. Wonder

- At first I was only moderately excited for this one, given that Nintendo's more modern forays into 2D Mario have been only-okay (ex: New Super Mario Bros). But, this is something different, and it's something special. Wonder took me right back to the magic of playing Super Mario World as a kid. The creativity, ingenuity, level design ... and that music! All off-the-charts good. And Elephant Mario rules.

 

4.) Metroid Prime Remastered

- I never had the chance to play Metroid Prime upon its original release, so I was eager to finally give it a whirl all these years later. And man, it still holds up! Which is saying something, because I'm not typically huge on first-person games in general. But this one has that Nintendo magic, bringing that classic Metroid exploration, sense of discovery, and foreboding alien atmosphere to glorious 3D life.

5.) Final Fantasy 16

- I grew up on Final Fantasy, and each new numbered release in the series was, for a long time, a seismic event. It's been a while since I've felt that way, but I was curious about FF16. Building off the success of recent FF spin-offs, this one eschews the series' traditional RPG trappings, instead going full Devil May Cry-style action. Somehow, it works. You still get a big, sweeping, Final Fantasy story - but paired with fast-paced hack-n'-slash combat that's a lot of fun and suitably epic-feeling. Something different and surprisingly cool from a long-running, beloved franchise.


6.) Street Fighter 6

- I've been a fan of Street Fighter since the Super Nintendo days, and it's been fun to see Capcom really revive the series over the last few years and get its newer entries back to a place of prominence and respect in the gaming world. SF6 is very, very solid. Crisp controls, fun new characters, lots of modes and customization options, nice graphics, and an overall top-tier fighting game experience. 

7.) Slay the Princess

- I'm always fascinated by the narrative possibilities of videogames. Slay the Princess is a uniquely constructed mind-trip that hearkens back to old-school text adventures, with a similarly arch sense of humor that reminded me of classics like the Zork series - while also taking a page from modern narrative faves like Disco Elysium. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers, but suffice it to say this is a really unique, fun, and smart narrative adventure.

8.) Sea of Stars

- If Final Fantasy 16's foray into action-based combat left you yearning for some good, ol'-fashioned JRPG adventure, then Sea of Stars had you covered (note: I didn't have a chance to play Octopath Traveler 2, another old-school RPG that got great reviews in 2023). Sea of Stars features amazing retro-style pixel art and gameplay reminiscent of classics like Chrono Trigger. Anyone feeling nostalgia for that era should 100% give it a play through.

 

9.) Super Mario RPG

- For whatever reason I never played Super Mario RPG upon its initial release, despite being a big Mario fan and a big Final Fantasy / Square fan at the time. But now, with Nintendo's new remaster, I was excited to finally check out the game. It's definitely another nostalgia rush for a simpler time - and yet, all the craftsmanship that went into the game is still very much evident. Square during that era could do no wrong, and this one, despite the cutesy characters and world, is very much a top-notch Square RPG.

10.) AEW Fight Forever

- This one got pretty middling reviews, and I can definitely acknowledge a lot of the game's flaws. The graphics feel last-generation and clunky, the controls don't always work like they're supposed to, and a lot of key wrestlers from the vast AEW roster are missing. But hey, I love wrestling games and I'm a huge fan of AEW - so I still got a lot of fun out of this one, and found it a nice change of pace from the increasingly hard-to-love WWE2K series. If you want some simple, fun wrestling action (or just really want to kick ass as Danhausen, which I do!), it's worth a look.

THE BEST OF 2018 - The Best GAMES Of The Year

THE BEST GAMES OF 2018:

- 2018 was a great year for games. For one thing, this was the year that several long-awaited AAA games finally came out - and many of them more than lived up to the hype. God of War, Spider-Man, and more have been on people's radars for years ... and yet, the games were so good that it ultimately didn't really matter if they'd been overexposed prior to release. For another thing, the amount of great indie games we're now getting is staggering. It's hard to keep up ... but on the other hand, these smaller games are a great alternative to the at-times overwhelming scope and length of the big blockbusters. Going from giant open world game to giant open world game is not necessarily sustainable for most, so the glut of great indie gems is a real boon for people like me. It's allowed me to sample a lot more new games than I otherwise would have in recent years. It also doesn't hurt that so many of these games are available on Switch. While the Switch wasn't exactly an AAA powerhouse in 2018 (after 2017's incredible launch year, one-two punch of Mario and Zelda) - but man, it was an indie-lover's dream. I almost didn't notice or care about the absence of big first-party exclusives on Switch, when amazing indies like Hollow Knight, The Messenger, and Celeste were available.

I've often talked about how it's hard to keep with games as a busy adult who's trying to balance so many things. Especially when we're talking about a world in which the gold standard for blockbuster games is 60 - 100 hours of open-world epicness. More on that in a second. But for now, let me give a shout-out to the always-entertaining Kotaku Splitscreen podcast. This has become one of my favorite podcasts, and has really kept me excited about the world of gaming and attuned to new games I should be playing. The team of Kirk Hamilton, Jason Schreier, and Maddy Myers talk about games with passion and intelligence, and it's not unusual for them to take conversations about games into the realm of the philosophical, political, or abstract (bonus: they have good takes on movies and TV and books as well!). While there are undoubtedly still many toxic elements of "gamer" culture out there, there are also places (like Splitscreen) that are a forum for really smart, interesting discussion about games - and super helpful for navigating what's out there and worth playing.

But back to the subject of these huge open-world games ... it's funny, despite not being a regular purchaser of the Assassin's Creed games, I bought a copy of Assassin's Creed: Odyssey after I saw it highly discounted on Amazon over the holidays (and after it came highly recommended on Splitscreen). Part of me was eager to dive in, but it arrived as I was still finishing up Horizon: Zero Dawn (which I've been playing since early last year), and still working my way through God of War *and* Spider-Man ... among other games. These are all massive games, and there are way too many of 'em. And it's an interesting discussion as to whether we need our games to be this expansive, or this detailed, or this complex. Case in point is arguably 2018's biggest game release: Red Dead Redemption 2. I've played a decent amount of the game so far (and I'll talk more about it below), but you do definitely wonder if the obsessive attention to detail and detailed systems is "worth it." From a player perspective, you have to wonder if the scope and detail in a game like Red Dead 2 truly adds anything material to the gameplay experience, or if it's more a novelty that is better off being streamlined. And you also wonder if it's worth the "crunch" - the insane hours and crazy work conditions that go into making a game like this. Personally, while I can admire the detail of a game like RD2, I also wish that games would stop trying to earn medals for length and complexity. Sometimes simpler is better. Sometimes artistic vision trumps number of side quests. Sometimes we don't actually need crafting systems (let alone multiple crafting systems). And yet this is now the norm. I'm not taking anything away from these games - but I am suggesting that there's a legit discrepancy between what developers think they need to put in games vs. what the majority actually want. Because while a game like Red Dead still sells like gangbusters, it's also the kind of high-profile game that, I worry, helps alienate a lot of people from gaming. I mean, as big as Red Dead is, look at Fortnite - easily the biggest gaming phenomenon of the last few years - in comparison. Fortnite is simple and streamlined. It's pick up and play. In some ways - despite being an online multiplayer shooter - it's a throwback to the kinds of social multiplayer games that have been popular across multiple gaming generations. So my hope here is that Red Dead and games like it are not the new template for what is considered a viable AAA game. I think many of us are okay with shorter, simpler, and more streamlined.

With that in mind ... it's going to be an interesting year for games up ahead. In 2018, I was lucky enough to once again attend E3. The show is still a sugar rush and total sensory overload - but it does feel like this year marked the end of an E3 era. Sony has pulled out of the 2019 show - so it will be the first show without them since the launch of the original Playstation. I'm a total Sony mark, but even I'll admit that they tend to get overconfident and foolish towards the end of console generations that they're leading. Sony is the clear leader right now, but they had better not get too cocky. This year, XBOX bought up interesting developers left and right - developers likely working on cool games that will finally give Microsoft some compelling exclusives. And Nintendo, unpredictable as they are, is getting a lot right this go-round with the Switch. And they likely have some big guns loaded up for next year (Metroid, anyone?). There's still totally a chance that Nintendo could blow it - they could under-deliver on new games and lose major momentum. But still ... Sony needs to end this console era strong. Time will tell if skipping E3 turns out to be a major slip-up or a big nothing. It could very well be the latter ... some of my most anticipated games are Sony exclusives, from The Last of Us 2 to Death Stranding. This competition though ... this is part of why it's so fun to follow the world of gaming. And why it's sad that Sony won't be part of E3. I love the hype and excitement of it all - it's a shame to lose part of what makes this industry special. That said, no question there will be many big surprises in 2019. You never know which big blockbuster may reign supreme, and you never know which under-the-radar indie title could become the next word-of-mouth sensation.

So with that, let's look at the best new games I played in 2018. Keep in mind, I spent plenty of time in 2018 still plugging away at 2017 holdovers like Horizon, Mario Odyssey, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And keep in mind, I'm still knee deep in games like Spider-Man and Red Dead 2, so opinions could change over time. But let's get to it:


DANNY'S BEST GAMES OF THE YEAR:


1.) GOD OF WAR

- I was pretty skeptical of this one for a while. I was a *huge* fan of the God of War series in its previous incarnation, and was definitely worried that Sony's semi-reboot was going to make one of the best action games of all time just like every other big AAA open-world game out there. When I first started playing it, I felt like my fears might be justified. Gone was the blistering arcade action and button-mashing goodness of the old games - replaced by more methodical gameplay that took a lot of getting used to. But once I did acclimate and accepted that the series had evolved, I found myself enthralled by what is, I think, one of the best action/adventure games of this generation. Sony Santa Monica's new God of War is still action-packed, but it's also got a giant world to explore and a surprisingly deep and affecting story to tell. On the action side, there's a great new axe-throwing mechanic that makes you feel like Thor. On the narrative side, there's a touching story of father and son that adds a lot to the gameplay as well. I guess I should have known not to doubt Cory Barlog and the talented team at Sony Santa Monica - these guys are among the absolute best in the biz, and they made a new classic in God of War.


2.) MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN

- I'm a longtime fan of Insomniac. The Ratchet & Clank developers have an uncanny knack for combining kinetic action with best-in-class storytelling - and they outdid themselves with Spider-Man. The game takes a lot of what worked about the Batman: Arkham series but gives everything a new level of polish and fluidity. Namely, the web-swinging mechanic is awesome - you truly feel like Spider-Man as you swing through the skies of New York City. Additionally, the story here is not just great, but legit one of the best modern Spider-Man stories, period. Intrigue, romance, and even a great Stan Lee cameo that might just bring a tear to your eye. The voice-acting is universally excellent, and the score rivals that of any recent MCU movie. Between this and Into the Spider-Verse on the big screen, it's been a landmark year for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.


3.) HOLLOW KNIGHT

- Technically, Hollow Knight came out in 2017, but no one played it. It was a PC-exclusive, and ... who plays platformers on PC? In any case, the game got ported to Switch in 2018, became a word-of-mouth sensation, and became perhaps *the* indie game of note this year. Now, so many "Metroidvania" games have come out of late that it's honestly becoming a glut. It's one of my favorite genres, so it's hard to be upset about it ... but man, it's hard to keep up. That said, if you make time for one Metroidvania, Hollow Knight should probably be your go-to. It's amazing. It's got an eye-popping, ethereal, hand-drawn art-style. An incredible, haunting musical score. Tight controls. Tough but not unbearably tough challenge level. And a shockingly huge world that's easy to get totally immersed in. This one doesn't hand-hold, so you need to give it a little time. But soon enough, this game will consume you. And it's 100% the perfect Switch game to boot.


4.) RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

- Keep in mind: I've still only barely scratched the surface of this one. And I definitely have some mixed feelings overall, as described above. But my experience so far is this: for every annoying thing in this game that feels overly complex or non-intuitive, there are many more things that this game does mind-blowingly well. The level of storytelling here is jaw-dropping. Rockstar has never had a better narrative than this one. When the core missions work, they work amazingly - immersing you in cinematic moments that truly put you in an alternate Old West reality where you're the star of your own personal action-packed Western-adventure.


5.) SOULCALIBUR VI

- I've always loved the Soul Blade / Soulcalibur series of fighting games. Back in college, I spent many, many hours squaring off against friends, family, and roommates as Cervantes, Voldo, Sophitia, and the rest. And now, after a lengthy absence, we finally got a new game in the series in 2018. While not revolutionary, the sixth entry in the series was extremely polished, loaded with single and multiplayer modes, and a ridiculous amount of fun to play. The Soul games have always been distinguished by their weapon-based combat, and that returns in full force here, as good as ever if not better. Namco-Bandai had a winner on their hands last year with the return of Tekken, and now they're two for two with the triumphant return of their "tale of souls and swords."


6.) THE MESSENGER

- There have been a lot of retro, NES-style indie games of late ... but none grabbed me quite as much as The Messenger - a hilariously subversive take on old-school games that has some really crazy twists and surprises. First of all, the game starts out as a Ninja Gaiden-esque 2D platformer, only to become ... well, I won't spoil it. Except to say this game totally subverts what you think it is. Secondly, The Messenger is funny. It's not just an homage to classic games, but a satirical take on them. There's some major winking-at-the-audience going on here. It's a ton of fun. And great on Switch, too. For anyone who grew up as I did in the NES and SNES eras, this is a must-play.


7.) UNAVOWED

- I got my first new PC in several years this past year, after my old one finally conked out. I didn't spring for a powerhouse gaming PC, but my new computer runs well enough that I finally started dipping my toes back into the world of PC gaming a bit. My first order of business was scouring Steam for old-school favorites. It's crazy how much is available for download, often for insanely cheap prices. But loading up on old-school LucasArts adventure games made me curious about whether there were any really good *new* point-and-click games I should be checking out. Enter Unavowed - a new game that's exactly the kind of thing I LOVED back in the day, in the vein of the old LucasArts or Sierra classics. But it's got some great storytelling too that is decidedly modern (going to some very dark places), and some big twists to boot. If you're looking for a new game that channels the spirit of stuff like Gabriel Knight, download this one asap.


8.)  DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ

- Okay, so I know basically nothing about Dragon Ball Z - so I was probably not the target audience for this new fighting game. However, I am a longtime fan of the insane pedigree of fighting games from developer Arc System Works (creators of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue). I love the way their games look like action-packed cartoons brought to life. And I love their games' over-the-top energy and insanity. Dragon Ball FighterZ my be their craziest game yet. It looks like nothing else I've ever seen - the graphics are truly something to behold. And the gameplay is pure button-mashing goodness. It's no wonder that this one has quickly become an e-sports fave.


9.) ICONOCLASTS

- Another really cool indie 2D platformer, Iconoclasts was created completely by one man - Joakim Sandberg, who spent seven years crafting this one from the ground up. And it's clear that it's a labor of love - an ode to the games of yesteryear that still feels fresh and modern due to its eye-catching and screen-filling sprite-based graphics, memorable music score, and innovative gameplay. To top it off, not only is the game just plain fun, but it's got an interesting story that has some surprising thematic depth.


10.) CELESTE

- Rounding out the list is one more 2D indie platformer that garnered a ton of critical acclaim in 2018. I'll be honest, while I really enjoyed the time I spend with Celeste ... I also found it to be challenging as hell. At the same time, I 100% admired the game's devious devotion to meticulously-timed platforming, as well as it's distinct aesthetic, great music, and resonant themes of overcoming adversity. If you managed to beat this one, hat's off - you're a true platforming champion. But for everyone else, this one is still a game that begs to be experienced and appreciated.


Other New Games I Enjoyed in 2018:

- Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - when the creator of Castlevania makes a loving homage to his own Castlevania 3 - a concentrated dose of old-school fun.

- Mega Man 11 - not quite the masterpiece I was hoping for, but a cool return for the blue bomber nonetheless.

- Gris - a gorgeously-rendered arthouse game for Switch, this Journey-esque experience is a visual delight.