{"id":22377,"date":"2018-12-10T22:10:55","date_gmt":"2018-12-10T12:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=22377"},"modified":"2018-12-10T22:10:55","modified_gmt":"2018-12-10T12:10:55","slug":"top-ten-video-games-of-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=22377","title":{"rendered":"Top Ten Video Games of 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"toptengames2018\"<\/a><\/p>\nV<\/span>ideo games are great.<\/p>\n

I mean, I’m obviously preaching to the choir if you’re reading this list of TOP TEN VIDEO GAMES OF 2018 but honestly, when I look back at some of the titles in the last twelve months, there has been such an amazing variety of entertainment on offer – whether you want to play as a cowboy, a super hero, a Norse God or even if you just want to play some good old Tetris.\u00a0 There really are some incredibly talented people in this industry and I feel like the current market offers something for everybody.<\/p>\n

This moment – when we’re four or five years into the lifespan of a game console – is also a fantastic time to be a gamer.\u00a0 All three major game platforms on the market have dozens of great games in their library and a lot of them are now super cheap.\u00a0\u00a0You shouldn’t need to pay any more than $30 bucks to play modern classics like\u00a0Horizon: Zero Dawn\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0Bloodborne<\/em>.\u00a0 Even new games coming out in 2018 seem to drop to half their launch price after 3 months or so.<\/p>\n

My favourite gaming experiences in 2018 mostly came from the big budget releases on the Playstation 4 (Spider-man 4, God of War<\/em>), some surprise hits on the Playstation VR (Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Tetris Effect<\/em>) and a number of fantastic independent games which you can play on any platform (Celeste, Dead Cells, Hollow Knight<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Although Microsoft had very little to get people excited about on the Xbox One, I think they’re doing some interesting things with their Game Pass service, which is basically Netflix For Video Games.\u00a0 I gave it a trial (for a monthly fee of $10.95 you get access to roughly 170 games) and was impressed with the concept, even if the selection of games isn’t quite where I’d like it to be just yet.\u00a0 Looking at the direction that the music and film & television industries have gone with subscription services, I wouldn’t be surprised if Game Pass is a sign of the direction that the whole industry will be headed in a few years time.<\/p>\n

With that said, here are my ten favourite games of 2018.<\/p>\n

\"astrobotthumb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Astro Bot: Rescue Mission<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

GAME OF THE YEAR<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

SIE Japan Studio, Playstation VR<\/em><\/p>\n

Astro Bot Rescue Mission\u00a0<\/em>is a killer app for virtual reality gaming.\u00a0 It is, by some ridiculously large margin, the best game on the Playstation VR platform.<\/p>\n

Venture Beat games journalist Jeremy Horowitz turned heads back in September when he announced a teaser that the Playstation VR was going to have its \u2018Super Mario 64\u2019 moment.<\/p>\n

It seems like an absurd statement to make and an unfair burden to shoulder on a game.\u00a0\u00a0Super Mario 64<\/em>\u00a0is one of the most critically acclaimed and influential games of all time.\u00a0 It established and popularized analogue stick controls and 3D movement as we know it today.\u00a0 It sold millions of copies.\u00a0 What hope did\u00a0Astro Bot Rescue Mission<\/em>\u00a0have to compare?<\/p>\n

Having played the game since it launched, I think I understand Horowitz more clearly now.\u00a0 I think he was being much more literal about what\u00a0Astro Bot Rescue Mission<\/em>\u00a0accomplishes and how it compares to\u00a0Super Mario 64<\/em>.\u00a0 It is a 3D platforming game that has incredible<\/em> level design and ridiculously charming character animation.\u00a0 It gets right so many of the little things.\u00a0 The way the Astro Bots interact with the player.\u00a0 The pixel perfect controls.\u00a0 The jaunty music.\u00a0 The visually arresting worlds that you explore.<\/p>\n

All of it comes together beautifully and feels like a game that has that Miyamoto touch.\u00a0\u00a0The Nintendo magic<\/em>.\u00a0 After a session with\u00a0Astro Bot Rescue Mission<\/em>\u00a0(particularly stages like 2-2), it\u2019ll feel like you\u2019ve played a Nintendo platformer in virtual reality.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s that good.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be real.\u00a0\u00a0Astro Bot\u00a0<\/em>will be lucky to sell a million units.\u00a0 It will only be played by a fraction of the audience that it deserves to reach.\u00a0 Its clear that at the current price point and with the current technology available (wired headsets, limited movement) that virtual reality gaming won\u2019t become a mainstream form of entertainment.\u00a0\u00a0Yet<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But when that time comes, I hope\u00a0SIE Japan and\u00a0Astro Bot<\/em>\u00a0are re-released so it can\u00a0reach that wider audience.\u00a0 It really deserves it.\u00a0 It\u2019s maybe the best designed game I\u2019ve played in 2018.<\/p>\n

FULL REVIEW<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Celeste<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Matt Makes Games,\u00a0Nintendo Switch<\/em><\/p>\n

C<\/em>eleste<\/em>\u00a0is a platformer with rudimentary graphics and gameplay mechanics that could technically have been made twenty, even thirty years ago.<\/p>\n

But beneath the surface is a deep platforming game, which draws inspiration from the likes of\u00a0Super Meat Boy<\/em>\u00a0and speed run videos on Youtube, and the narrative package surrounding the game is a surprisingly thoughtful story about a young woman named Madeline who wants to reach the summit of Celeste Mountain, but struggles to overcome her anxiety.<\/p>\n

Video games can be many things.\u00a0 They can be toys and they can aspire to be art.\u00a0 To take a retro-styled platformer and wrap it around a storyline involving mental illness could have gone very poorly if executed clumsily.\u00a0 But I think\u00a0Celeste<\/em>\u2019s careful handling of its subject matter earns the game the right to go down the paths that it does.\u00a0 In fact, the way the game ties some of its narrative themes to its game design is particularly commendable, taking full advantage of the interactive nature of the medium.<\/p>\n

Celeste\u00a0<\/em>may look slight at first glance but it quickly reveals itself to be a cleverly designed platform game with plenty of warmth and wit in its storytelling beats.\u00a0 Don\u2019t pass up the chance to give it a go.<\/p>\n

FULL REVIEW<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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God of War<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

SIE Santa Monica Studio,\u00a0Playstation 4 Pro<\/em><\/p>\n

I always thought of\u00a0God of War<\/em>\u00a0as the quintessential Playstation 2 game.\u00a0 I know the series has popped up on several other platforms since (PSP, PS3, HD remakes on PS4\u2026) but really, he seemed right at home on the Playstation 2.<\/p>\n

At the time, the game was a graphical showcase for the system and the character of Kratos \u2013 a raging demigod who angrily and shoutily murdered his way through Olympus three times over \u2013 was the perfect embodiment of what made a cool video game character in the early 2000s.\u00a0 He was an iconic\u00a0character for teenage boys.<\/p>\n

Santa Monica Studio has achieved the improbable and re-invented Kratos for a modern audience.\u00a0 They’ve dialled back his anger about one hundred notches and rebuilt the game from the ground up with a satisfying new combat system and a more thoughtful story centered around his relationship with his son as they travel to the top of the highest peak in the Nine Realms to scatter his wife Freya’s ashes.<\/p>\n

God of War<\/em> looks absolutely incredible (play it on a PS4 Pro if you can), offers much more depth to its gameplay when compared to its predecessors and has a refreshing coat of paint as it trades in the classical Greek trappings for Norse mythology.<\/p>\n

FULL REVIEW<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Dead Cells<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Motion Twin,\u00a0Playstation 4 Pro<\/em><\/p>\n

I was this close to giving up on\u00a0Dead Cells<\/em>\u00a0when it got its hooks into me.<\/p>\n

Developer and publisher Motion Twin refers to\u00a0Dead Cells<\/em>\u00a0as a a \u201croguevania\u201d, which is a pretty fair summation of what you get with the game.\u00a0 It\u2019s rogue-like in that every time the player dies, the environment is randomly regenerated.\u00a0 And it\u2019s a Metroidvania style game where you aquire new abilities which gradually expands your moveset and subsequently how much of the island you can explore.<\/p>\n

Not unlike\u00a0Hollow Knight,\u00a0<\/em>which I played earlier this year,\u00a0Dead Cells<\/em>\u00a0takes part of its inspiration from\u00a0Dark Souls<\/em>\u00a0and prides itself on its difficulty.\u00a0 There\u2019s a pretty steep learning curve you have to get to grips with and I can see how some players will bounce right off it.\u00a0 I was pretty close.\u00a0 Then on one particular run the combat mechanics began to click with me and I went on a decent run, making my way through the Promenade of the Condemned, the Ramparts and ultimately the Black Bridge where I was easily defeated by the first boss.\u00a0 By that point I was hooked.<\/p>\n

Over time I came to appreciate everything from the tight controls, the charming pixel art style, right down to the soundtrack which is well suited to a game that demands constant repetition.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard as nails, I don\u2019t know if I will ever finish it, but I respect the hell out of what Motion Twin have created.<\/p>\n

FULL REVIEW<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Tetris Effect<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Monstars Inc. Resonair,\u00a0Playstation VR<\/em><\/p>\n

Tetsuya Mizuguchi\u00a0is a genuine video game auteur with an impressive resume starting from his early days at SEGA producing\u00a0Sega Rally<\/em>\u00a0titles to his recent work producing interactive music titles\u00a0Rez<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Lumines<\/em>.<\/p>\n

With\u00a0Tetris Effect<\/em>, Mizuguchi has brought the\u00a0Lumines\u00a0<\/em>formula to\u00a0Tetris<\/em>.\u00a0 In Journey mode, players run through a \u2018playlist\u2019 of stages, each bursting with colour and sound.\u00a0 Dropping tetriminos\u00a0produce a musical note so its possible for the player to provide a beat to the soundtrack as they play.\u00a0 This interplay of music and gameplay will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played\u00a0Rez<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Lumines<\/em>.\u00a0 Each time the player clears thirty lines, the\u00a0playlist moves onto a new stage.\u00a0 The soundtrack changes, the visuals shift and the journey continues.<\/p>\n

Conceptually, it sounds pretty simple.\u00a0 What makes\u00a0Tetris Effect<\/em>\u00a0such a sensational experience is the ability to play the game in virtual reality and immerse yourself in Mizuguchi\u2019s light and colour show.\u00a0 The man has an incredible talent for composing music tracks that are emotionally engaging and meld with the visuals in a way that is genuinely affecting.\u00a0 Reading player feedback on social media, its not uncommon to find people who have been moved to tears by the\u00a0Tetris Effect\u00a0<\/em>experience.\u00a0 It is perhaps one of the few examples I can think of of video game induced synesthesia.<\/p>\n

FULL REVIEW<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"spider-manthumb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Marvel’s Spider-man<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Insomniac Games, Playstation 4 Pro<\/em><\/p>\n

At long last we have it.\u00a0 Another great\u00a0Spider-man<\/em> game.\u00a0 A spiritual successor to Treyarch’s\u00a0Spider-man 2<\/em> on the Playstation 2.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how long the development team put into making the swinging in\u00a0Spider-man<\/em>feel right.\u00a0 Was it a hundred hours?\u00a0 Was it a thousand?\u00a0 Whatever it was, the investment has paid off handsomely.\u00a0 Insomniac have brought to life a brightly lit and faithfully reconstructed digital version of Manhattan which the player can explore at their leisure by swinging around from high rise to high rise.\u00a0 You want to swing over to the Empire State Building?\u00a0 No problem.\u00a0 Did you want to wall-crawl up the side of the World Trade Center building or see the view from the top of the Avengers headquarters?\u00a0 You absolutely can.<\/p>\n

The graphics on the Playstation Pro look absolutely stunning and the orchestral score is exhilarating.\u00a0 The story told in\u00a0Spider-man<\/em>\u00a0absolutely nails the essence of Stan Lee\u2019s original series, as Peter Parker struggles to balance his time and attention between fighting crime, his relationship with Mary Jane and being a good nephew to Aunt May.\u00a0 Not only that, the game also includes a decent subplot involving Miles Morales, the heir apparent to the Spidey mantle.\u00a0 I really appreciated that the game avoided retelling his origin story and actually explored some new villains.\u00a0 Having said that, with the monumental success of this game, I do look forward to future iterations that could potentially feature the likes of the Green Goblin and Venom.<\/p>\n

Marvel\u2019s Spider-man<\/em>\u00a0is a sensational game.\u00a0 It is Insomniac Studio\u2019s finest game to date and is just reward for a studio that has produced some decent games in recent years that haven\u2019t received the recognition they deserve.<\/p>\n

FULL REVIEW<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"reddeadthumb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Red Dead Redemption 2<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rockstar Studios, Playstation 4 Pro<\/em><\/p>\n

Rockstar Games\u2019 long anticipated sequel to\u00a0Red Dead Redemption<\/em>\u00a0is an epic in the truest sense of the word.\u00a0 It has been eight years in the making.\u00a0 It is rumoured to have cost over a quarter of a billion dollars to make and has over three thousand names in the credits.\u00a0 The fruits of this labour is an enormously detailed open world environment the likes of which has never been seen before.\u00a0 Even ignoring the hundreds of activities, side quests and hours of exploration you could do in\u00a0Red Dead<\/em>, the main story will take most players somewhere north of fifty hours to complete.\u00a0 This thing is absolutely gargantuan.<\/p>\n

I was very much in awe of\u00a0Red Dead Redemption 2<\/em>\u00a0right from the opening chapter.\u00a0 The production values are absolutely astounding.\u00a0 The wide variety of different environments \u2013 the snowy mountain peaks, the arid desert, the dense forests, the foggy bayou \u2013 all look extremely impressive running on the Playstation 4 Pro.\u00a0 Rockstar Studios are now well versed in creating convincing, cohesive open world environments and\u00a0Red Dead\u00a0<\/em>is no exception.<\/p>\n

Once the game loosens the reigns on the player and lets you begin exploring in Chapter 2, it really is a joy to just get out and immerse yourself in the world.\u00a0 I quickly realized that a lot of the game\u2019s systems \u2013 your hygiene, camp morale, bonding with your horse \u2013 are generally window dressing features that encourage role-playing life in the Wild West.\u00a0 Nothing in the game will actually break if you decide to completely ignore these trimmings.\u00a0 Its all there to provide the player with a sense of place.\u00a0 When I made that discovery, I found even though they weren\u2019t a necessity, I still enjoyed making time for Arthur to do these optional activities \u2013 fishing, gambling, singing around the camp fire \u2013 because I so enjoyed that feeling of immersion.<\/p>\n

One of the high points of\u00a0Red Dead Redemption 2<\/em>\u00a0is that not only does Rockstar have the ambition to tell a meaningful tale with genuine emotional weight and grativas about it, we have arrived at a point with technology that these characters are able to communicate subtle, nuanced expressions to the player.\u00a0 Just look at Arthur\u2019s eyes as it begins to dawn on him the type of man that Dutch Van Der Linde is.\u00a0 Or revisit a scene when\u00a0John and Abigail Marsden exchange verbal spars about his choice to remain an outlaw.\u00a0 We can see they have a heated but loving relationship not because they say so, but in their body language.<\/p>\n

When this game hits its highs, it is unmatched amongst its contemporaries.\u00a0 Arthur Morgan is one of video gaming\u2019s most brilliantly conceived protagonists and the grand adventure that he goes on \u2013 which explores themes of greed, corruption, family and of course redemption \u2013 is told to the player with a level of cinematic flair and sophistication that is finally beginning to rival its contemporaries in film and television.\u00a0 Maybe this isn\u2019t the video games industry\u2019s\u00a0Gone With The Wind<\/em>\u00a0but its not far off it.<\/p>\n

FULL REVIEW<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Level-5, Playstation 4 Pro<\/em><\/p>\n

Level-5’s Ni No Kuni II<\/em> is a colourful, vibrant role playing game with Studio Ghibli inspired visuals in which players travel to the kingdom of Ding Dong Dell and experience the tale of Evan Tildrum, a boy-king who is thrust into power when his father, the former king, is murdered.\u00a0 Evan must quickly bring himself up to speed with how to deal with a divided\u00a0landscape\u00a0which has a race of cat folk and mice folk who have a long history of hostility towards one another.<\/p>\n

Ni No Kuni II<\/em> is very much a modern iteration of the classic JRPG formula.\u00a0 For fans of this genre, this is a fantastic game that delivers memorable characters, an entertaining story and gameplay that frequently throws new modes and challenges at the player over the course of its 40 hour story.<\/p>\n

Ni No Kuni II<\/em> isn’t a particularly innovative game but it takes a time honoured format, lavishes it with some charming visuals and provides a satisfying experience for anyone craving a modern iteration of those classic 16-bit fantasy titles on the Super Nintendo.<\/p>\n

\"yakuza6thumb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sega,\u00a0Playstation 4 Pro<\/em><\/p>\n

Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, has been fighting yakuza, singing karaoke and playing arcade games in the streets of Kamurocho for seven titles over the last thirteen years.\u00a0\u00a0Yakuza 6: The Song of Life<\/em> is his final chapter.<\/p>\n

I have absolutely adored Toshiro Nagoshi’s crime saga and nothing pleases me more than the recent success of\u00a0Yakuza Zero<\/em> which seems to have introduced a whole new generation of fans to this franchise.\u00a0 There really is nothing quite like Nagoshi’s incredible mix of crime melodrama, absurdist humour and appreciation for the little things in Tokyo – ramen joints, karaoke clubs and\u00a0whisky bars.<\/p>\n

Yakuza 6<\/em> offers more of the same.\u00a0 It’s not really a suitable game for newcomers to jump in on as the story assumes knowledge of the previous\u00a0six<\/em>\u00a0chapters.\u00a0 But for longtime fans who have enjoyed Kiryu’s exploits for over a decade (i.e me), this is a brilliant final instalment that has all the ingredients that make a great\u00a0Yakuza<\/em> game – a compelling mystery, hundreds of goons to fight, quirky humour, entertaining side quests.<\/p>\n

If this really is to be Kiryu’s last stand (I can’t quite believe it), I think Nagoshi has sent him off in style.\u00a0 What a series it has been.<\/p>\n

\"bannersaga3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Banner Saga 3<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Stoic Studio,\u00a0Nintendo Switch<\/em><\/p>\n

The Banner Saga\u00a0<\/em>trilogy is a criminally under-appreciated fantasy series.\u00a0 Stoic Studio’s tactical RPG franchise has some incredible looking Ralph Bakshi inspired artwork, fun and engaging gameplay and a wonderful\u00a0Lord of the Rings<\/em> style storyline about humans and giants working together in a desperate last stand against the world conquering Dredge.<\/p>\n

The Banner Saga 3<\/em> is the final chapter of the series and instead of taking players on a long journey like the two previous instalments, Stoic has set most of this finale in a single besieged city as Alette\/Rook (depending on who you chose) and their friends reach the end of the line.\u00a0 The story is intense and filled with a sense of dread.\u00a0 It’s obvious not everyone will survive this final battle.\u00a0 In fact, it’s not even clear if the heroes will survive at all.<\/p>\n

There are only very minor changes to the gameplay in\u00a0The Banner Saga 3<\/em>.\u00a0 It more or less plays the same at the previous two chapters.\u00a0 This is fine by me.\u00a0 I think the real draw card for anyone playing this final instalment is seeing how the story plays out and to that end, Stoic haven’t disappointed.<\/p>\n

Considering its modest origins as a Kickstarter project, what Stoic have achieved with this series is quite an accomplishment.\u00a0 I’m delighted they were able to secure the funds to see the series through to its conclusion and I can only hope it does well enough that they can start projects anew in the future.\u00a0 This is clearly a development studio of seriously talented people.<\/p>\n

Honourable Mentions<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"donutcountythumb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Donut County [Playstation 4 Pro]<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/em>a quirky little game about meddlesome raccoons that cause chaos in a city.\u00a0 The gameplay, which involves moving around a hole in ground to swallow up everything, is apparently inspired by\u00a0Katamari Damacy<\/em>.\u00a0 Its short, simple and has plenty of charm.<\/p>\n

Shadow of the Tomb Raider [Playstation 4 Pro]<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 <\/em>a fun, if by-the-books, closing chapter to the latest trilogy of Tomb Raider<\/em> games which explores Lara’s origins.\u00a0 I still love using that bow and arrow and laying waste to hapless guards.<\/p>\n

Shadow of the Colossus\u00a0[Playstation 4 Pro]<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/em>One of the best games on the Playstation 2 got a surprise remake (it already had an HD re-release not long ago) in 2018.\u00a0 The gameplay sticks very closely to the original game but it had new life breathed into it thanks to the update visuals which make the towering colossi look better than ever.<\/p>\n

Detroit: Become Human [Playstation 4 Pro]\u00a0<\/strong>– David Cage’s games have been pretty hit or miss for my tastes (okay, mostly miss) but I really enjoyed his latest creation\u00a0Detroit: Become Human<\/em>.\u00a0 It has by far the most interesting characters created by Quantic Dreams and the story – although very indebted to the likes of\u00a0Blade Runner<\/em> – is a joy to play through.<\/p>\n

Hollow Knight\u00a0[Nintendo Switch]\u00a0<\/strong>– This game would easily make my Top Ten but technically it came out on PC in 2017.\u00a0\u00a0Hollow Knight<\/em> was developed by a small Aussie studio but it represents probably the greatest value proposition for any game I played this year.\u00a0 It was a measely $17 bucks when it launched on Nintendo Switch and for that you get an incredible Metroidvania style game with charming visuals and incredibly satisfying gameplay that lasted me around 40 hours.<\/p>\n

Biggest Disappointments<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"2017xboxones\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lack of Games on Xbox One<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last year I bought a single game for the Xbox One (Cuphead<\/em>).\u00a0 This year I bought zero.<\/p>\n

Microsoft have had a calamitous time in the last couple of years.\u00a0 Their first party exclusives have continuously been delayed, cancelled or released to commercial indifference.\u00a0 2018 was pretty much as bad as 2017.\u00a0\u00a0Sea of Thieves<\/em> didn’t really have enough content to keep people coming back.\u00a0\u00a0State of Decay 2<\/em> was released to critical and commercial indifference.\u00a0 Crackdown 3\u00a0<\/em>got delayed again, this time into 2019.\u00a0 And at the end of the year, we got another\u00a0Forza<\/em> game.<\/p>\n

Obviously in the background, Microsoft are buying a lot of studios and investing plenty of time and money to fix the situation with the successor to the Xbox One but man…what a train wreck this system has been.<\/p>\n

Nintendo Switch<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Nintendo Switch’s second year was always going to struggle to match up to its first.\u00a0 When you launch a system with an amazing new Mario<\/em> and Zelda<\/em> game, whats left in the pipeline for 2018?\u00a0 The answer, as it turns out, was not much.<\/p>\n

To be honest, there was actually some interesting looking titles (mostly re-releases) that came to the Switch this year but a lot of them ultimately passed me by.\u00a0 It’s hard to get excited about spending $80-$90 for\u00a0Octopath Traveller, Mario Tennis Aces<\/em> or\u00a0Super Mario Party<\/em> when you can get titles like\u00a0Spider-man<\/em> on the PS4 for nearly half the price.\u00a0 I think what stung more about the Switch’s second year was the premium pricing of mid tier games.\u00a0 I want to play\u00a0The World Ends With You<\/em> but it seems insane to pay top dollar for a game thats nearly ten years old.\u00a0 Lower your damn prices Nintendo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Best Platform of the Year<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"ps4pro\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hands down the best system to own in 2018 was the Playstation 4.\u00a0 It had the best library of exclusive new games –\u00a0God of War, Spider-man, Yakuza 6, Astro Bot, Tetris Effect etc\u00a0<\/em>– and the experience was even better if you enjoyed these titles on the Playstation 4 Pro (which I finally bought) or owned a Playstation VR (which went for crazy cheap prices over the holiday season).<\/p>\n

Sony has been the market leader for this console generation right out of the gate when Microsoft badly whiffed the launch of the Xbox One and never really recovered.\u00a0 There are some signs of the arrogant old Sony from ten years ago creeping back when you look at their attitudes towards backwards comparability (total indifference) and cross-platform online play (begrudging acceptance), but there’s no doubting that their studios have been absolutely killing it where it matters most – the games.\u00a0 I was especially pleased with how fantastic their support of the Playstation VR has been, which had a quiet 2017 and could easily have slipped into irrelevance.<\/p>\n

There’s plenty of good stuff to look forward to in 2019 for Playstation owners too with\u00a0The Last of Us 2, Ghosts of Tsushima\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Death Stranding<\/em> all on the horizon.\u00a0 Oh, and a highly anticipated but not officially confirmed announcement of the Playstation 5.<\/p>\n

Archives<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2017<\/a>
\nGame of the Year\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Super Mario Odyssey\u00a0(Nintendo Switch)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013\u00a0Nintendo Switch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2016<\/a>
\nGame of the Year\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Stardew Valley\u00a0(Playstation 4)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Playstation 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2015<\/a>
\nGame of the Year\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0The Witcher 3\u00a0(Playstation 4)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Playstation 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2014<\/a>
\nGame of the Year\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Wii U<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2013<\/a>
\nGame of the Year\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0The Last Of Us (Playstation 3)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Playstation 3<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2012<\/a>
\nGame of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The Walking Dead<\/em>\u00a0(Xbox 360)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013\u00a0Xbox 360<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2011<\/a>
\nGame of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Clash of Heroes: Might and Magic (Xbox 360)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Xbox 360<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2010<\/a>
\nGame of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Xbox 360<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Video Games of 2009<\/a>
\nGame of the Year \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves (Playstation 3)
\n<\/em>Platform of the Year \u2013 Playstation 3<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My list of the ten best video games of 2018<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":22378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1801,3],"tags":[2780,2717,2804,2737,2618,1702,2799,2615,624,1592,501],"class_list":["post-22377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-of-the-year","category-gaming","tag-astro-bot","tag-celeste","tag-dead-cells","tag-god-of-war","tag-nintendo-switch","tag-playstation-4","tag-playstation-4-pro","tag-playstation-vr","tag-red-dead-redemption","tag-tomb-raider","tag-yakuza"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22377"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22433,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22377\/revisions\/22433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}