Having been burnt on pre-orders/new games in 2017 and being appalled at the number of unplayed games I'd ammassed in my back-log, this year I made the decision to save my money and buy no new games. I kept my promise and with the exception of Marvel's Spider-Man (which I received as a birthday gift), I've only been playing titles from 2017 and earlier.
This has made my personal GotY list a little unorthadox!
I was lucky enough to receive a Super NES Classic Edition for my birthday in 2017. Despite being an avid player of video games before I could even form complete sentences, I have never owned a Nintendo console prior to the Wii (I grew up as an MS-DOS PC kid and later moved to the PlayStation). I eventually bought a 3DS and have played "A Link Between Worlds", "Ocarina of Time" and attempted "Majora's Mask" (that game is far too stressful!) but I've never played any of the original 2D Zelda games.
It will surprise no one to hear that "A Link to the Past" is still one of the greatest games ever made. I'm so thankful for the SNES Classic providing me with the perfect way to experience this game in 2018.
I took a dive into my PlayStation Plus backlog and wanted something for my Vita to play on the way to work (and on sneaky bathroom breaks). I was using Giant Bomb Quick Looks as a way to sort the wheat from the chaff and I was sold on "Proteus" the second I started the QL with Jeff & Brad. Suddenly the Jeff/Patrick GotY 2013 shenanigans all made sense.
This game is fucking weird in the best possible way. I escaped through my Vita screen from the doldrums of work and only returned to reality for the necessity of food and drink.
I've been a fan of Danganronpa for many years. The first 2 games justified the purchase of my Vita alone. Even though this was available at launch to play on PS4, I still picked up the Vita version because that was what felt right. I wasn't in the right headspace for despair in 2017 but in 2018 I had turned a corner in life and was ready to take on Monokuma and fight for hope once more.
Whilst the trials were not always as engaging as the previous games, I think the cast of characters (Kaito, in particular) is by far my favourite in the franchise. As for that ending...wow...I still don't think I've fully processed it all, but I do know that it was bloody fantastic.
I actually played "Darksiders II" first, due to the platforms on which I own the games (my PS4 was more accessible than my old Xbox 360) and I'm glad this was the case. "Darksiders" is the better game of the two by quite some miles and I think I would have been disappointed playing the sequel afterwards instead of being able to play and love both games.
The gameplay was a little janky at times but the puzzles were brilliant, combat was a blast and overall it was just a fun game to play.
As mentioned above, this PS+ backlogger whilst not as good as it's predecessor, benefitted from me playing it first. The Deathinitive edition had a number of frustrating bugs but nevertheless, this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for me.
I'll be keeping an eye out for a good deal on "Darksiders III" next year. I'm aware of its flaws but I really would like to show some support for the developers of this game. The universe of Darksiders has so much potential still left to be rounded up by the four horsemen.
Ah, the game that killed Mass Effect.
On my initial playthrough I bailed on Andromeda at about 20 hours in. This was the last game I have ever and will ever pre-order.
I'm not sure if it's due to the patches, the time between playthroughs or just my desperation for more Mass Effect but I actually found myself enjoying this game a lot when I decided to return last month.
It is definitely more "Dragon Age: Inquisition" than a true Mass Effect game, but for all its flaws and simplifications, there is a lot to find and love in this new galaxy and at the conclusion, I actually found myself sad knowing that this is likely the last we'll ever hear from Ryder and the Tempest crew.
Another game from my previously abandoned pile of shame. Unlike "Mass Effect Andromeda", I had no issues following the storyline when I jumped back into my old save - mostly because I completely ignored it. It's bonkers and Lara is...kind of an arsehole! The best of this game lies within its gameplay. Fighting, platforming and collecting throughout the open world is pure joy. I only wish the plot and characters were a likable as the mechanics.
Speaking of fun mechanics - wow. This is the first game I've played that makes me wish I had VR. If it was that much of a trip on my PC monitor, I can't even imagine how incredible "Superhot" is in a fully immersive VR environment.
It was much more of a puzzle game than I'd been expecting and this only furthered my enjoyment of dodging bullets and hurling swords around.
I haven't liked a Telltale game since "The Walking Dead - Season 1" and I was hesitant to even try this game (I'm not a fan of "Borderlands" either). I'm so glad that I gave it a shot after finding it in my PS+ backlog. Even with horrible mechanics, bugs and all the trouble surrounding Telltale this year, I absolutely loved playing it. Comedy is incredibly difficult in video games, but "Tales from the Borderlands" nailed it.
A freebie on Steam that had been sitting in my library, untouched. I'm not sure why I picked this as something to play in January of this year. My chemo-riddled brain had left me unable to focus on anything, even my hobbies like video games. I started the year depressed, in a pit of anxiety and feeling lousy about everything in general (part of the reason for not buying new games was that I'd been unable to complete/enjoy anything that I'd bought in the last 2 years).
It's not the best game I've played this year but "Psychonauts" was the first game I was able to play from start to finish since cancer had nearly finished me (I'm incredibly fortunate to be in remission now for 3 years!). The writing and characters were hilarious and charming, the janky-ass gameplay was frustratingly fun and the ridiculous number of collectibles nearly drove me insane in my inexplicable compulsion to 100% this game.
Not only did I finish, I got every bloody achievement to boot. "Psychonauts" made me love to play video games again and for that, I will always be indebted to Tim Schaffer and the wonderful folks at Double Fine.
A dishonourable mention to my one cheat of the year.
In my defense, it was a gift from my family who knew I was desperate to play it but still would not buy it for myself. This game was incredible. I made a slight mistake of going for the easy (but grindy) platinum and the tedium of the multitude of crimes required for the 100% did threaten to ruin my overall enjoyment. Putting aside the secondary content, this game is absolutely perfect. I felt like a web-swinging, web-slinging hero and I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried at the end of the story.
I haven't bought any of the DLC (that would be against the rules!) but I may have to treat myself at some point in 2019 when my spidey-senses start tingling for a return trip to New York City.
