It’s that time of year again folks! 2018 is almost at an end so we take a look back at the games that had us hype to play and those that left a huge lasting impression.
It’s Respawning’s Favourite games of 2018!
Luke
I have been banging on and on about Spiderman since before it came out and it was the single game of 2018 that had me hype above all else and the game that, until November, I had enjoyed above every other game I have played in 2018. With this in mind then it should come as a bit of a surprise that my favourite game of 2018 was: Assassins Creed: Odyssey.
Not only was this my favourite game of 2018 it’s now officially my favourite game in the Assassins Creed franchise. Everything about this game was super fun for me – from sneakily infiltrating an enemy fort to simply just riding around on a fucking unicorn. EVERYTHING about this game was fun.
Will A
Does anyone really expect anything different?! GOD OF WAR!!! the boys own journey through the realms with papa Kratos and BOY (Atreus) was easily the highlight of my gaming year and I’m honestly upset I can’t run through it again fresh without knowing what’s coming. With gorgeous visuals, an amazing cast and a bad guy that will go down as the all-time greatest! God of War is definitely a must-have for any self-respecting gamer or fan of a little Norse mythology! Which could explain my weird love for it… since I’m both those things!
Joe
For me, no other title has come close to the quality and enjoyment I’ve had with Spider-Man so far; I’m by no means versed in anything Marvel, outside of having watched the three ‘original’ films, starring Tobey Maguire, the two Amazing Spider-Man films, starring Andrew Garfield, and Spider-Man Homecoming, starring Tom Holland – I have to say though that, out of all of these current incarnations of the web-slinger that I’ve experienced, Yuri Lowenthal just gels so well with the character of Peter Parker and makes him feel so much more believable… Much like Tom Holland’s more green-horned version of Spider-Man, this Peter retains a sense of wonder and joy to his job, whilst also taking it deadly serious when the need arises, and – unlike Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield – this Peter isn’t overly comedic or serious to the point of annoyance.
Salman
My favourite game of the year has got to be Monster Hunter World. That game pretty much took up all of my time when it came out and I still play it every once in a while when I wanna scratch a certain itch. The simple but effective gameplay loop is perfect for someone like me who just loves stuff getting bigger better and stronger. Learning new weapons that have deep and interesting things to figure out about each and every one. The slow and clunky looking animations that are actually some of the best looking and best feeling animations in any game I’ve ever played. The FUCKING TIER 3 GREATSWORD SLASH.
Javier
So this was genuinely a tough decision for me, I kind of have 3 games of the year for different reasons but I do have a favourite. First up is Red Dead 2, I only just finished the main game last night. This game is absolutely remarkable, it is a technical feat and is an utterly gorgeous and fantastic virtual world. The only issue is at times its just too slow and not enough of a game. That’s number 3. Next is Spidey, its really difficult to pick fault with this game, the city is amazing, the web-swinging and combat never get boring and its the first game I’ve ever bought DLC for, but sometimes the collectables felt they could have had more variation and the story slows a little in act 2, that’s my number 2.
So my game of the year is God of war. GOW has a long time been one of my top favourite series so it’s no surprise to me how much I fucking bummed this game. The combat was constantly enjoyable, it had an amazing nose storyline with some huge twists /reveals towards the end and just as a whole it felt really tight and never got tiresome. I didn’t want to put any of these games down this year but Gow just pips the others to the post. I also wanna give honourable mentions to Beat Sabre and Astro Bot on VR.
Will J
Confession time! I’m a poor student who rarely buys new AAA games. I usually leave them a bit or just give them a miss. I stick with titles for a long time and get to know them in depth. I’m more of an industry commentary man and a designer that I am a straight-up critic, I’ll tell you that.
What I can say, however, is that it’s been a fantastic year for a franchise close to my heart- Life is Strange. The first episode of it’s second true season was released in september, and it has me enthralled just as much as the 2015 season 1, a game so dear to me that It’s on of only 3 or 4 pieces of art I can truly say changed my life. Unfortunately, as brilliant as season 2 is so far, we only have 1/5 of the puzzle, so I can’t give it GOTY just yet.
So it’s ol’ reliable, I guess. Because for the first time in a quarter-dozen releases, 2018 was a good day to be a fan of Call of Duty. Black Ops 4 lacked a single-player campaign, and that did hurt. But I knew that going in, and instead doubled down on my hype for the multiplayer- which, it turns out, is the best it’s been this generation.
Black Ops 4 has the strongest Zombies experience, the most balanced PvP, and my honest preference of Battle Royale out there right now. A perfect blend of PUBG tension, COD rush, and Fortnite flare, Blackout mode was an absolute delight.
And so it is that I, a man who has played only 6 or so hours of Red Dead 3, unironically gives my GOTY award to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Long may it reign as the best military shooter on PS4.
(Oh, and honorable mention- Hearthstone is still as amazing as its ever been.)