It’s that time of year again when we start talking Respawning’s official Game Of The Year! Here’s a quick rundown of how it works this year..
Each content creator here at Respawning will list their Top 10 games of the year across all platforms. Each place gets awarded an amount of points depending on where they come. So for example the 10th place game gets 1 point, 9th place gets 2 points all the way up to 1st place which gets awarded 10 points, you get the idea!
Then come the end of the week we’ll add up all the scores to confirm Respawning’s official overall Top 10 and our Game Of The Year in a special video over on our YouTube channel! Next up, it’s Stuart aka Codename Bigbear!
Ok so this is my own game and it may be cheating but the film this is hasn’t ever been fully realised and seeing it in the FMV format is just so damn cool.. also it was recently banned on steam so it’s a bit rock and roll!
Check it with this link. https://lets-go-to-the-grindhouse.itch.io/sinister-vibrations
Singled out is a game by Matt Glanville where you hunt a villain by looking at three of their defining features. It’s a challenging little game that you can waste 5 minutes on or 5 days on. Playing it on the switch means you can take advantage of the touch screen or the controllers and generally have a blast. Also at time of writing I am 3rd in the world on Normal worlds leader boards and 6th in Memory mode.
Me and football do not mix so I am genuinely surprised I enjoyed this game so much to pop it on a top ten list but this game is ace. It’s a top down arcade football game where you use RPG elements and a ludicrous plot full of stupidly dumb characters.. you name your team captain and team, mine are called Ball Fondler 1 and the team is called Big Ball Kicker United.
Battletoads came back in a big way this year and then sadly faded back in to the ether. This game is so much fun, the new look of the Toads got people all annoyed but I love the look and the fact it is fully voiced with a story that acknowledges its past and video gameness. The game itself is a collection of different styles but mainly a beat ’em up. If you’ve ever played Battletoads in the past play this.. same goes for if you have never heard of them to be honest.
Sam & Max are brilliant and S&M STW is a hilarious point and click adventure from the guys at TellTale, this Remaster looks and sounds shiny with a new aspect ratio to fit modern TV’s. Its ridiculous characters have me chuckling away far too much and seeing these Freelance Police on the Switch is awesome.
This pseudo sequel to Mallrats is a side scrolling beat ’em up based heavily on games from the NES era. I love Kevin Smith’s work and retro gaming. This is highly competent and challenging and is full of references to the View Askew universe including the Easter Bunny and chocolate covered pretzels.
Never have I played a game that makes you feel like this much of a super hero in all my life. Flying around as Iron-Man, blasting baddies out of the sky using repulsers and firing missiles from your gauntlets is honestly the best, not only that the flying is so smooth and genuinely exhilarating. If this game had a little more polish I could easily see it topping this list but as it stands.. if you have PlayStation VR you need this game in your life.
If you are old enough to have ever played the originals then you will probably understand why this is this high up on the list. Tight controls with modernised flare (manuals and reverts) with the ability to go in with old school flare, all the classic Levels, create a skater, THE MUSIC and you can unlock Jack Black as Officer Dick. After THPS 5 I was worried this would suck hard but it’s honestly the game as I picture it in my head, the nostalgia washes over me but this is basically the perfect Tony Hawks game.
What a game. This is a faithful 3D remake of a game that hadn’t been released in the UK until the Collection of Mana. You play as up to 9 different characters through an interconnecting story that will grip you from beginning to end with gorgeous visuals and cracking combat. It’s a JRPG Lite so if you are new to the genre or are cautious about it, it’s a great place to start. I would recommend playing the original 2D versions of both Secret and Trials as well but that’s because I love retro gaming and want everyone to know why I love it so much. This Version of Trials of Mana even has a new epilogue that is so worth playing too.
Oh oh here she comes, watch out boy she’ll chew you up!! I’m not Kidding about it’s position on this list, Maneater is brilliant. I played for 60 hours just swimming around eating people and finding all the secrets in the ocean, levelling up my mega bull shark to bad ass levels and exacting vengeance on the hunter that killed my mother. This game is so so so fun I cannot praise it enough, it was everything I expected and more.