While 2018 wasn’t an especially great year for video games, there were a bunch that I had a lot of fun playing.
Here, in no particular order, are the best games I played in 2018.
God Of War
Developer: SIE Santa Monica Studio
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Systems: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Collector’s Edition
While this has many of the gameplay mechanics that have made this hack & slack action series so fun in the past, it’s how they updated some, added others, and seamlessly integrated them with ones they kept intact that made this so effortlessly fun. Though it also helped that they excised some of this series’ more annoying aspects, while making its intellectual challenges more situational and less puzzle-like.
SCORE: 9.0/10 (Click here to read my full review.)
Asphalt 9: Legends
Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft
Systems: iOS, Android
Admittedly, what makes this arcade racing game so much is its new control scheme, which makes this less like a driving game and more like an endless runner (though you can play with more driving-style controls as well). No matter, as endless runners go, this car-based one has so much variety, and such a good sense of speed, that it’s the most addictive mobile racing game I’ve ever played.
Strange Brigade
Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: Rebellion
Systems: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Though this was made to be played with friends, and works slightly better that way, this third-person shooter still works really well as a solo experience thanks to its solid controls — well, once you adjust them — interesting mix of gun fights, and liberal use of 1930s-style adventure serial motifs.
(Click here to read my full review of the game as a single-player experience)
Spider-Man
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Systems: PlayStation 4, PS4 Collector’s Edition
Though it has some issues — like an inconsistent difficulty and some less-than-interesting times when you were out of uniform — this third-person action game still ranks among Spidey’s better games thanks to its compelling story, engaging combat, and flawlessly web work.
SCORE: 8.5/10 (Click here to read my full review.)
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Systems: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Given how this has everything I loved about Tomb Raiderand Rise Of The Tomb Raider— which were among my favorite games the years they were released — it’s no surprise this is on this year’s list as well. Especially since this third game in the prequel trilogy adds so much, including bigger tombs to explore and new ways to take out bad guys.
SCORE: 9.0/10 (Click here to read my full review.)
Shadows: Awakening
Developer: Games Farm
Publisher: Kalypso Media Digital
Systems: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
At its core, this action-packed adventure game is basically just another Diablo IIIclone. But what makes it unique and thus addictive is that it adds the ability to switch between two parallel dimensions, and between up to three characters in one of them, and then uses this switching mechanics in clever ways during combat, problem solving, and navigation.
SCORE: 8.0/10 (Click here to read my full review.)
Diamond Diaries Saga
Developer: King
Publisher: King
Systems: iOS, Android
Normally, I find these kinds of link-3 puzzle games to be way too easy. And this one is too, kind of, since it highlights all the gems you can link together when you press on one. And yet, I still found myself playing round after round of it while watching the news. Well, that and…
Wonka’s World Of Candy
Developer: Zynga
Publisher: Zynga
Systems: iOS, Android
A good match-3 game is a thing of beauty. As is the movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (and, while we’re at it, the Primus album Primus & The Chocolate Factory With The Fungi Ensemble on which they covered the Wonka soundtrack). But like the movie (and the album), this stands above most by being really clever and inventive. Though, admittedly, not as much as…
Candy Crush Friends Saga
Developer: King
Publisher: King
Systems: iOS, Android
Right after getting hooked on Wonka’s World Of Candy and I got assigned a review of this similar match-3 puzzle game and found myself back and forth between it, this, Asphalt 9, and Diamond Diaries Saga. Which may explain why the battery in my iPad has gone to shit.
And that’s basically it. How about you? What were your favorite games of 2018? Tell me in the comments below or, y’know, be cliche and slam me for my choices. Whatever.
