This year 2018 will go down in the eyes of many as one of the best years of gaming. Many games of all shapes and sizes made their debut and now here we are at the end with our Top Games of 2018.
That’s right ladies and gentlemen I have ordered/asked my colleagues who have joined me this last year to give their number one game of the year. From there we will show you our Top Games of 2018.
I guess I’ll start with my number one and I hope I haven’t gone too obvious with my choice.
Graham – Marvel’s Spider-Man
That’s right my Top Game of 2018 is Marvel’s Spider-Man. It’s an incredible experience. If Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the quintessential Spider-Man film than Marvel’s Spider-Man is the ultimate gaming experience with Spider-Man. From the word go you are webbing across New York like a pro. Include an emotional and engaging story with gameplay mechanics honed over decades of previous video game outings by the infamous webhead and you have one hell of a game.
Couple this with that rare element that I find in games, you want to Platinum it. You want to get every trophy, beat every challenge, and defeat every villain that crosses your path. It’s just phenomenal.
What makes this the number one for me though is the strangest of things. I love swinging across the skyline of New York. I kid you not I’ve logged in more time swinging around New York doing nothing but listening to my podcasts. It’s fantastic and I can’t recommend it enough if you’re looking to relax. It also helps that there’s a new DLC (with varying degrees of success) that bring in sexy new duds for Spidey.
Manus – Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia
My favourite game of 2018 was Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia. In the context of the series, it’s not a massive step forward from Atilla. There’s no single big gameplay or graphical element you can point to and shout “Look! A shiny new thing!” But it’s an absolute delight for me. It creates a beautiful and detailed world out of Britain and Ireland, inhabited by every conceivable faction from the age of the Vikings.
For some time I was so engrossed in it, I was perfectly happy to ignore the strains it placed on my three-year-old laptop. The real-time battles jerked and stuttered, you could read three pages of a book during the loading screens, and after hitting the “End Turn” button you’d be as well to put the kettle on. The fact that I put up with this for any length of time should indicate how much the game draws you in. But as time wore on, I had to leave the game to one side. My machine isn’t able to do it justice.
So there you have it: my favourite game of 2018 is one that I won’t be able to play until I get a new laptop – which will be, at the earliest, well into 2019. I regard it with a strange combination of feelings: I’ve already enjoyed it so much, but I feel the same expectant yearning as if it hadn’t even been released yet.
Brian – Battletech
Mechs? Awesome. Turn-based combat? Awesome. Strategy layer? Awesome. Mech customisation? Awesome! There ya go, not even a full sentence written and I’ve reached four awesomes already. That should suffice for any Game of the Year.
BattleTech was developed by Harebrained Schemes, and released in April to fairly rave reviews. I gave it a 4.4/5 score, while bigwigs such as PC Gamer and Gaming Trend scored it at 85 and 95/100 respectively.
The game sees you take command of a lance of mech pilots, aboard an interstellar ship. Planetary governments will you offer you kill/secure contracts, and you willingly oblige; launching up to 4 mechs to surface, and stomping whomsoever gets in your way. There’s depth to the tactical layer, and a wealth of mechs and weapons to outfit your lance.
Added to this the recently released Flashpoint DLC, and the mods available, namely the excellent RogueTech, and you’ve got yourself a winning formula. Just watch out for those AC/20s, they’ll get ya.
Marcus – Super Daryl Deluxe
My top game of 2018 is,
Drum roll!….
SUPER DARYL DELUXE.
Take a spoon full of Castlevania, a pinch of napoleon dynamite and a fist full of fun, and you have yourself the most unique, entertaining Indie RPG of the year.
Play it, you won’t be disappointed.
Cora – Fallout New Vegas
Because I’m impoverished and reluctant to spend money on much else aside from pints, my game of the year selection will be a little different. Rather than selecting my favourite new game of 2018 (having played precisely none of them), I will select the game I played this year that has impressed me most. If this irks you, please feel free to buy me an Xbox One or a great laptop.
My selection is Fallout New Vegas. I bought it because I kept whining to my friends that I had done all I could do in Oblivion and Skyrim, and they kept telling me that if I love walking around endlessly in virtual worlds so much, I should give Fallout New Vegas a shot.
It’s goddamn lovely. I’m so late to this party that some key features have gone over my head big time (only JUST discovered V.A.T.S. today because I started a new playthrough and the game kept prompting me). I’m really enjoying how natural it feels to discover new places, how each town has character and every mission is complex.
I started a new playthrough because I realised at the end of the main quest that I’d rushed it so fast I’d never really known what I was doing and suddenly I’d caused massive consequences. The reputation and karma systems make me feel as though my character is infinitely customisable. The fact that everything is old and defective means that you’re never too attached to armour or weapons like in other games. It feels more real not to be given a glowing divine sword that shoots magic bullets but to find a rusty old rifle and make it work for you until you find something better.
This is a game that invites the kind of obsessive detail-hounding that I find really rewarding, and my journey with it is only just beginning.
Dave – Monster Hunter: World
2018 is a tough year to pick a best game from. Everywhere you look, the popular trio for the top spot are God of War, Spider-Man and Red Dead 2.
I completely agree with all of those choices. On top of that, Yakuza 6 brought the story of Kiryu to a heart wrenching conclusion. Destiny 2 has largely redeemed itself with the launch of Forsaken.
The indie scene is going from strength to strength with bangers like Celeste and The Messenger. My pick is for the game I think equals all of these games but seems to be a bit lost in the mix, probably due to it’s early release this year.
Monster Hunter: World was my first foray into this wild series, and quickly took a high spot among my favourite franchises. There is no finer example of a game that encourages the player to explore, experiment and just have fun. Probably my favourite thing about Monster Hunter: World is that its one of those games that marches to its own beat. Its not quite like any other game, so other than saying its a game about hunting monsters, there’s really no way to fully describe it to someone who hasn’t experienced it.
This is a great game for newcomers, being one myself, and one of those games you can pick up for half an hour, six hours, an entire weekend, and it’s always great. With regular updates of new content and a massive expansion coming in 2019, Monster Hunter: World is not only my game of 2018 but a game I recommend for everyone now that we’re heading into 2019.
So there it is everybody. Our Top Games of 2018. It’s been a crazy year. One of the best in my opinion.
There’s a few questions to take from this.
- What has been your top game of 2018?
- What will the games of 2019 be like when they stack up against 2018?
- Most importantly of all. Why doesn’t Manus Cora’s brother buy her a current gen console? It’s quite worrying
Well guys. This is our last article of the year and we look forward to your continued support in 2019.
Stay tuned to GamEir for all your upcoming 2019 gaming news, love ya 😉
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