I don't know what my top 10 would be (forgot to write it down), so I'll just list some of the games I liked this year:
- Monster Hunter World
I really enjoy the improvements they added to the gameplay, but my major complaint with it is that most of the weapons are JUST the Iron/Bone weapons with some monster bits glued on (WHICH INCLUDES WEAPONS YOU MAKE FROM THE FINAL BOSS). Part of the reason WHY I collected a lot of weapons in previous games is because I wanted to see the various cool, bad-ass and goofy weapons they came up with and World really lacked that in favour of being more 'realistic'. Hopefully Iceborne will fix this by adding a new rank to upgrade to so weapons can truly start to look unique across the board.
- Iconoclasts
A very fun Metroidvania that is more story focused than usual as well as some VERY nice spritework. Not the best indiegame I played this year, but if you haven't played it I highly recommend doing so if you like Metroidvanias.
- Kirby Star Allies
As a Kirby fan this was a day one pickup, but while I think it's the weakest game that uses this style it's still a very enjoyable ride. Though the true star of the game is the Guest Star Mode (ESPECIALLY after they added new Dream Friends) due to it essentially being a shorter version of the main game that you can play with any of the copyabilities without losing it.
- Code Realize: Bouquet of Rainbows
I'm usually not the biggest fan of reverse harem visualnovels (due to me being a dude), but I was intrigued by the Victorian-Steampunk setting and the main love interests being various literary figures (Arsene Lupin, Victor Frankenstein, Abraham van Helsing, Impey Barbican and St Germain). The various twists and moments of heartbreak made this game such a delight to go through. One more thing: Cardia is a sweet cinnamonbun who deserves ALL of the good endings after what she's been through.
- God of War (2018)
I'll say this now: I was not a fan of previous GoW games thanks to their clunky gameplay, their more 'dudebro'-style of maturity and thinking Kratos was an irredeemable piece of shit that I didn't like... and all of those issues were fixed in the new instalment. For one, Kratos is now a character I actually want to see succeed, not just to see the next setpiece but also because him calming the fuck down makes him a much more enjoyable character in general. I just hope that Mimir won't be removed in the next game.
- Guacamelee 2
If you liked Guacamelee you'll like this game as this is essentially the first again in gameplay. The returning stuff was still enjoyable and the new things fit right in. Would have preferred if they didn't use 'instant-death' sections so often. The original used them FAR less.
- Spider-Man (2018)
Game of the Year, hands down. The webswinging (while maybe not as involved as some would've liked) was so much fun to the point I barely fast travelled. The combat is satisfying to pull off and the story felt like it could've been it's own movie (I'd call it the best Spidey movie, but I haven't seen Homecoming or Spiderverse yet). Absolutely loved the Stan Lee cameo as well (RIP Stan Lee).
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey
A REALLY good open world game (as someone whose generally not a fan of that genre, that's saying something) that is given shit unnecessarily. (AS LONG AS YOU'RE PATIENT AND JUST EXPLORE THE WORLD WITHOUT RUSHING THE MAIN CAMPAIGN YOU DON'T NEED TO BOTHER WITH THE MICROTRANSACTIONS)
- Spyro Reignited
I used to own the first 2 games on the PS1 but I was never able to beat them. Now I finally did and I enjoyed my time immensely. Though I didn't 100% Spyro 3 because FUCK THE WHACK-A-MOLE ON CRYSTAL ISLANDS.
- Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Though I'm not that much into Smash Bros (due to not having people to play with), this still is a VERY enjoyable game. Most of my time with the game has been playing World of Light and, while I can see why it's not everyones cup of tea, I still enjoyed it immensely.
For those who wonder where RDR2 is: I'm not a fan of R* games, especially not if it seems the gameplay was made clunky for the sake of 'realism' (a trend I'm not fond of the past couple of years).
