N4G Contest - Day 20: The Winner Is

For information on the "20 Days of..." contest, please see https://n4g.com/user/blogpo...

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Congratulations to SegaGamer, our nineteenth day winner.

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On the twentieth and final day, the question we have for you is "What is your Game of the Year and why?"

Oh, and bonus for everyone today, each valid entry actually counts for three entries towards the grand prize. And we will be allowing responses up until the end of the 25th of December. Good luck!

God of War was great, but the annoying camera did bother me. Spider-Man was fun, but man, those side quests were not good. Red Dead Redemption 2 was amazing for open world immersion, but man, way too realistic with the travel and side quest stuff.

Why couldn't these three have a baby and produce the best?

But, for me, the one game that was the most fun and tickled my favorite elements of gaming was actually Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

I'm hearing a lot of moaning there. But, let me reassure you, this is a game that has turned into something completely made for people like me. I know it's not for everyone, but it is for me. It's an open world that focuses on exploring but not dealing with tons of time sink travelling. It's got a good amount of RPG mechanics from leveling up, unique equipment, skills, and player-focused decision making. More importantly, I enjoyed almost every single minute of the game. It was fun. I put more hours into Odyssey than I did Destiny 2 this year and I didn't think that would happen with any game, especially not a single-player one.

The game isn't the best at any one thing, but everything it put in was extremely enjoyable for me and for me, this year, that's what mattered the most. It was a hard year to find something as engrossing for me even though there were many great games.

[UnicornMyst]

Red dead redemption 2 just shows R* are miles ahead of anyone story/graphics got it all.

[IamTylerDurden1]

God of War has better graphics than RDR2 and i highly doubt the story is miles ahead of The Last of Us. In fact, i'd argue that God of War has better visuals, art design, combat, and voice acting to name a few. Story is pretty objective, but God of War had an excellent one. God of War also dared to innovate upon the tride and true formula that originally made the franchise such a powerful success, whereas, R* just used the same old formula with little in the way of true evolution or meaningful change. R* employed the same old clunky control scheme with auto lock shooting and sprint button mashing. The same tired mini map from GTA, archaic lip syncing, average in-game character models, and a broken GTAO inspired Online. Obviously R* has the best open world tech and their horse riding is top notch. Their games are huge, impressive spectacles of open world design, but some things are getting long in the tooth and it might be time to use that 500 man team and 200 million dollar budget towards a little innovation.

[capjacksparrow]

Hard disagree. But that's the beauty of opinions.

[cl1983]

Smash brothers ultimate

[Geobros]

For me too!

[Nucler100]

EDIT:

[Nucler100]

Can’t delete or edit my comment so just count this one lol.

Hollow Knight was my game of the year. Yes, it released on PC in 2017, but it also ‘just’ released on Switch this year. That was the version I played.

This game is a f*king masterpiece. I was so skeptical because I initially thought it looked “cheap”, but mannnnn was I wrong. This game is so damn beautiful. The combat is flawless, the lore is deep, the aesthetic, atmosphere etc. the MUSIC. It all just looks and feels so good.

I was so engrossed in Hollow Knight’s world man. Something that hasn’t happened for a while. Since something like Bloodborne. I wish Hollow Knight got a AAA type of push. But yeah, phenomenal game. Classic level.

[The 10th Rider]

Would be my GOTY this year of it hadn't released last year. It may be a 2D indie game, but it's just that good.

[Nacho_Z]

I played it on PS4 for the first time this year and I think I'd agree that it's my game of the year too. Hauntingly beautiful music, perfect gameplay and fantastic graphics. One of those games that only people who've played it can understand how great it really is.

[Chris092]

God of war. It gave an emotional story of an matured Kratos and Atreus is such a good character and companion in the game. The music is so fantastic and I have it on my phone. Leviathan Axe is so awesome to use!

Personally i loved the camera how its "one shot" and never cuts during the game.

[monkey602]

God of War was my game of the year and it had my vote. I was torn between it and Spiderman for so long.

The last two weeks however I've been glued to Divinity Original Sin 2 and it's all I can think about gaming wise. It has completely pulled me away from Red Dead. Only because I haven't spent enough time with it am I going to stick with God of War but a bit longer at it and I could have said Divinity 2

[blaziliuz12]

Hands down, my Game of the Year for this year is without a doubt, God of War. Everything from the story, the amazing Stranger boss fight in the beginning, the amazing chemistry between Kratos and Atreus, the genuine smooth flow of the combat system where it feels grounded yet incredibly satisfying where you know that you are playing a God of War game. It’s crazy how Cory and his team were able to make this game and pull it off into being one of the most amazing games of the year. Props to Sony Santa Monica Studios for making the Game of the Year for me, personally.

[dedicatedtogamers]

It's a tossup between Monster Hunter World, Octopath, and Flinthook.

I'll have to go with Octopath, though.

[IamTylerDurden1]

School me on Flinthook, it's on sale for 6 or 7 bucks on PS4 and i'm tempted to buy.

[dedicatedtogamers]

If you like roguelike platformers like Spelunky, it is in that same vein.

However, instead of just grinding endlessly to unlock more stuff (which there's still stuff to unlock, admittedly), you have to actually get better at the mechanics and learn how to use your tools.

[Necron]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for me because it had almost everything smash bros. should.

[slang201V]

RDR2.I Have already put 170 hours into it and I haven't even played online.Amazing story & characters,the liitle details of the open world are something else.Countless animations for every little thing.Overall a gorgeous game.I can't stop playing it

[ninsigma]

God of war hands down. It told a fantastic story. It really grew the character of Kratos into something deeper and more relatable. It was visually stunning. The gameplay was just so damn good and a massive achievement. The single shot camera worked really well. The voice acting was also top notch. The world it built for exploring was also really well done, combining linear with open world. It just did everything right.

[Jorjk]

Definitely GOW. Unlike other games which seem to nail either the Story/characters aspect or the Gameplay aspect of a game, GOW perfectly gets all elements right. Its an amazing game from start to finish and sets the standards high for all other developers.

[Kainbrightside]

Super Smash Bros Ultimate. A monument to gaming in this content packed game that'll last for years and enjoyable to any and all ages.

[Kribwalker]

just finished the main story in RDR2 and man that game is amazing. It’s my personal Overall Game of the Year.

For just Xbox i’d pick Forza Horizon 4, Playing that with friends was the most fun i had playing any game this year

For the PS4 i’m gonna go with The Shadow of the Colossus. It was my first time playing that game and i found it to be an incredible experience. I really enjoyed my time with that one.

For the switch it’s Smash Bros. They’ve built on a great foundation and brought the ultimate package of fighters and levels on the switch. Great fun

[ichizon]

I'd generally like to put forward some ingenious and fun indie game, but God of War really deserves the spot, in my opinion.

There have been many great games coming out this year, but like the last few years most of the best games are either re-releases or remakes of already successful games on different hardware. I'm not sure these deserve to compete for the game of the year, in my eyes. There have also been some quirky and memorable new games on PC, but none of them really good enough to measure up.

Edit: On Smash Bros. Ultimate, obviously a contender, I'd just like to say that I haven't had enough time with it to make up my mind about it, yet. It's a great party game, like it's predecessors, but there's definitely something off about the controls. I don't like that Nintendo pushed their paid online service prior to essential games like this.

[oasdada]

Hands down God of war for me.. after that e3 2016 reveal i totally avoided any sort of info on the game and just waited patiently for the release date, i knew it was gonna be good but god damn i didnt expect it to give me the feels that i got from playing games when i used to be young good! i found my self looking at the clock in the office so that i could go home ASAP so i could play the game and go see what was gonna happen next in the adventures of kratos and son. I found my self skipping errands and not wanting to leave home so that i could get a few more hours in that amazing world that SSM built. Rarely i would get up early in the weekend but during those days i would wake up early and could wait for the game to start even though it had brisk loading times i could wait to get control of kratos and use what i belief was one of the best and most satisfying weapon i could remember in recent times.. and dont even get me started on the narrative and voice acting.. yes the game wasnt perfect but whatever it did it just nailed every thing!

[bluefox755]

God of War. It just nailed everything. Other GOTY contenders made a great world, or had great music and story, but came up short in gameplay. God of War just perfected nearly everything. From the fluid, and deep combat, to the memorable characters. The brilliantly inspired world, to the genuinely interesting stories that fill it. Just amazing all around from the sound, music, graphics, everything. One of the best games I've played in years. And all without tacked on online mode, microtransactions, dlc, etc. Just a mastercraft in game design. It should be a class in game development school. I hope it influences more games going forward.

[Platformgamer]

god of war.
top notch in gameplay, story, narrative, soundtrack, everything... there is no game in 2018 that can match it.
RDR2 is boring on the gameplay and story side, spiderman is awesome but not like GOW and assassin's creed odyssey is shitty as the previous games, sorry christopher ;)
god of war is already a masterpiece... and changing the controls from default to classic makes it perfect, aside for the camera (gorgeous RE4 POW, perfect choice for a refreshing sequel) and the fact that you can't jump, the gameplay has the same feeling as the previous games with classic controls, try it.
the characters are funny and/or fascinating, i never get bored by none of them, atreus is also the most useful companion in videogaming history since elizabeth from bioshock infinite maybe, the dwarfs are the best side characters you can have in a game too.
god of war is also the only 2018 game that made me hyped for at least another 3/4 sequels, the macrostory settled is too fascinating and cannot wait to SPOILER IN THE NEXT SENTENCE explore other phanteons.
i'm glad that for once the best game (god of war of course) won GOTY this year and not the most popular...
do you remember when uncharted 4 lost against overwatch? or HZD and super mario odyssey lost against breath of the mediocrity? ugh.
looking for the future, i cannot wait for other GOW games that will deserve another goty for sure, and i'm looking forward for an awesome ludic 2019! too much awesome games, expecially from playstation studios.

[mkis007]

God of War. Took the rage monster and made him human in a believable way. Molded mythology to fit a cohesive story. So many twists. Everything was tight. No controls issues at all.

[Tzuno]

None, weak year.

[Christopher]

One of them has to be better than the others. Even if they're all weak.

[Tzuno]

I was about to say God of War but the game began epic and got mediocre in the middle.

[noxeven]

The new spiderman was my game of the year. There wasn't any other game that I play this year that just made me smile and want to go back to play. It was the first game in a long time that I bought all the dlc for. Which is something I never really do anymore.

[oasdada]

It the first game for which ive bought dlc ever!

[Razzer]

God of War. Best story, best direction, best music, best voice acting.....it excelled in every area I can think of.

[UCForce]

It’s definitely God Of War.

[stefd75]

There have been so many good games this year and this is the hardest question yet, but for me it's out of Forza Horizons 4 or Super Smash Bros...but I would have to say Super Smash Bros as I find it really satisfying punching Pikachu in the face and then kicking Princess Peach in the womb for blue shelling me in Mario Kart.....the bitch.

[ISHU]

Red Dead Redemption 2. Just my type of game where i can take things slowly and nicely. The game always had something to surprise me till the end. The story, characters, dialogue are top tier. Wish the gameplay was a little smoother but i got used to it after a few hours. And the details...man the details are incredible. Truly ahead of it's time and deserves every praise it can get.

[Jakens]

I will go with my personal which is The Crew 2. (Edit-I haven't played the other big hitters)

As I waited for the game released late June, I posted a few comments of excitment.
The game released and it was awesome. Driving model was fun, the exploring was fun, the changing vehicles from aircraft to car and back was fun. The game is giving a huge driving playground and then filled it with more events than I expected. On top of all that, The Crew 2 has been adding vehicles and modes for changing the types of fun to be had.

My GOTY.

[-Foxtrot]

God of War

[william_cade]

RDR2 has enough systems to keep me interested. I played this game for almost a month straight. I'm going back for my 3rd play-through. Bloodborne and TW3 are the only games that have kept me gaming like this.

But please R* fix the weapon issue. If you want us to use certain weapons then don't let us choose and upgrade only to switch them out. fuuuuuck

[ThePsychoGamer]

Honestly I think I would have to go with Monster Hunter World, I was not expecting to even like the game when I rented it do how little I enjoyed other games with similar mechanics, but something about World just clicked with me and I ended loving the game a lot.

[-Ghost]

God of War. Loved everything about it from the story, acting, graphics, and gameplay.

[DarXyde]

I've not had much opportunity to play games this year, but I can say with certainty that my Game of the Year is none other than God of War. Following the third installment, I found myself burned out of this game and its play style. And I never felt any entry captured the magic of God of War II, which, in my opinion, eclipsed any other game in the series. Then I come to realize the director behind God of War II has returned to make this entry, complete with Norse gods, completely overhauled gameplay, an interesting new story, and witnessing Kratos try his hand at a family again. The best part? It's a pure bred, no frills, single-player experience without microtransactions. It's a game that really checks all the right boxes for me, and is truly a quality experience.

(P.S. , Since this is the last time we can enter, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Cheers. )

[death83x]

God of War, no one can denys that this came exceeded expectation. Coming into this generation were a lot of gamers grew tired of God of War and it invents itself and turn things around. Few games can achieve that and get braised for it even more than the original.

[IamTylerDurden1]

God of War was easily my Game of the Year. The visuals were the best that console gaming has seen, the combat was an incredible mix of strategy and visceral delight, and the story was beautifully told through a unique single shot method that made you feel closer to to the world.

God of War always had great combat, but this game brought a new level of strategy to the franchise. The axe shield provided a near endless amount of options going into battle. Then through in upgrades, modifiers, "other weapons", and a robust skill tree and it was a murderers dream. The ability to influence Atreus in combat and the joy of going barehanded only added to the variety. God of War had the best combat i have ever seen in a action game.

[anonymousfan]

My pick would be Detroit:Become Human. I love video games for their ability to tell a good story but beyond just a movie, to make you feel you were a part of that story. Detroit did this better than any other game I know and it seems it was very successful in the process too which I think is very encouraging for that type of game!

[IamTylerDurden1]

Detroit is the finest adventure game ever made. The production value and sheer amount of meaningful choice elevate it above the likes of Tell Tale and Lucas Arts. It is a better production than Heavy Rain and far deeper than TWD. It's sad that the media's disdain for David Cage has taken a bit of shine off this illustrious title, it truly deserves recognition. QD put incredible work into this game and it shows. It's deep, robust, beautiful, and polished. It sold 2 million, but deserves better. If you enjoy Tell Tale games, Until Dawn, or any narrative driven adventure featuring the element of choice you owe it to yourself to play the best that the genre can offer. Detroit.

[Emilio_Estevez]

It's Red Dead.The looks, the sounds, the world, it's got it all. Truly top notch in every way.

[pabadamus1]

I haven't played Red Dead yet so my choice is God Of War. Even if I played RDR2 I believe GOW would be my choice for 2018. The poignant moments abound in this game and the voice work only helps to punctuate these moments. I've played and thoroughly enjoyed every GOW to date (even the PSP versions) and I may be one of the few that never had any issue with the prior characterization of Kratos. So he was angry, selfish and 1 dimensional. His character was also unstoppable and singularly focused even in the most impossible situations.

2018's GOW adds maturity, empathy and selflessness to those aforementioned qualities to create an extremely well rounded character. In my eyes Kratos didn't need redemption but his current iteration is congruent with his former characterization...and before I forget. The game is mechanically flawless and fun.

[thorstein]

Detroit: Become Human.

Amazing world with actors who were fully in. Performances weren't over the top but the characters seem to exist seamlessly in that world.

And actually having choices that affect the game and what happens was quite amazing. I actually got a gameplay part that only 2% of all players saw.

Definitely GOTY.

[IamTylerDurden1]

Detroit really excels in a high volume of meaningful choice that dramatically impacts the outcome. The flow chart was brilliantly implemented as well. You can really see how much work QD put into the game and it's shocking how truly deep Detroit is when compared to the lack of depth from a company like Tell Tale.

The performances were excellent as well. The game features a tremendous voice cast and superb performances. QD has always done a fantastic job of injecting real acting talent into their games and Detroit is imo the best overall cast that Cage has ever had. Clancy Brown, Jesse Williams, and Lance Henrickson are all accomplished film actors who translated brilliantly to the genre.

The setting in DBH is a somewhat realistic depiction of a semi-dystopian, future Detroit. It's a fleshed out world where robotics and automation have replaced a staggering amount of the American workforce. Say what you will, but i thoroughly enjoy the themes in this game. Perhaps not the Androids, but robotics and automation are already taking American jobs and it's only getting worse. This is relevant subject matter and it's quite interesting. Slavery, bigotry, and hate are also themes that permeate throughout not only the game, but the world. I don't understand why people take such issue when a game decides to tackle meaningful subject matter? I love high fantasy, but i also appreciate mature, thought-provoking themes that actually have real depth. Call it "heavy handed" if you want, and go enjoy some mindless Battle Royale, but i'd rather enjoy intelligent interactive drama.

Detroit truly is an excellent game and it deserves that recognition with no caveats. It's a genre heavy of narrative and choice, every genre is different. If you have no interest in storytelling then play PUBG, but if you do, Detroit is a spectacular game. It is every bit as much a game as CoD or Forza, and it's extremely well made. Detroit is certainly a worthy Game of the Year and i can understand why you would pick it.

[BrayanA]

Red Dead Redemption 2 for me. Excellent open world, story, characters and jaw-dropping visuals. Riding a horse in RDR2 is soooo enjoyable. There are no enough game of this type in gaming business now a day and RDR2 just fills refreshing and unique.

[Elwenil]

For me personally, I will have to go with Red Dead Redemption 2 on story alone. I still hate Rockstar's antiquated controls and there were a lot of slow parts that dragged on, and I honestly didn't like the Arthur Morgan character at first but by the end of it I was drawn in and [SPOILER ALERT] I really missed playing him. My emotions about what was going on around him were the same as his and it drew me into the story in a way that only a good RPG usually does. To me it was far from a "perfect game" and admittedly I have not had the chance to play God of War, Assassins Creed Odyssey and some others that people have chosen, but out of what I personally experienced, Arthur's story will stick with me for a long time and that is a sign of a good game to me.

[Garethvk]

Red Dead Redemption 2. The size and versatility of the game sets new standards for open woeld gaming. The campaign is vast and visually appealing and the online mode offers unlimited long term potential.

[TheGoodestBoi]

Torn between God of war and Spiderman. But for me Kratos beard comes out on top

[DarkOcelet]

Monster Hunter World is my game of the year. Superb and incredibly deep gameplay mechanics. Every weapon has its own quirks and none of the weapons feel boring to use. Hunting a monster is super satisfying even after a 100 hour in and the support Capcom has been showing the game is excellent and i hope this kind of support stays for a long time.

[xHeavYx]

It's a hard choice. I don't remember having as much fun as I had playing Spiderman and RDR2 is a great game, but I think that my GOTY is God of War.
The way they rebooted the franchise, the story, the graphics.GOW is unmatched

[Dark_Knightmare2]

GOW because it was truly the complete package. It had an amazing story,made Kratos a liked and relatable character which was no easy feat,had amazing combat,outstanding graphics and level design,Great supporting characters,tons of content and the single best new game mechanic of the last few years the axe throw and recall with the best use of haptic feedback in a game.

[ThiagoMysterio]

Celeste

From the moment I took my first jump, I fell in love with the satisfying way its protagonist, Madeline, feels to control; soon after I fell just as hard for the charming world she inhabits. But Celeste also caught me off guard with a relevant and emotional story about the pressures of modern life. What’s remarkable is that the story isn’t told in the background or overlaid on top of the action with constant interruption, but seamlessly and thoughtfully blended into the level design using both subtle themes and overt conversations. That’s especially astonishing in a genre not known as a vehicle for such delicate messages.

[johndoe11211]

God of War. Apart from it being one of the most exciting fun filled games of the year, it was also a surprisingly great change from the standard gameplay of the other games in the series.

[Arty84]

Rdr2, one of the few games to get a emotional response from me

[JLynn943]

Disclaimer: I haven't played any of the leading candidates on the ps4 this year, so I can't give them proper consideration.

My personal GOTY is Smash Bros Ultimate. It was already the class of fighting games to me, and they delivered everything this time around.

[SegaGamer]

Dragon Quest 11, I felt like I was waiting for this game since DQ8 and it didn't disappoint.

[Relientk77]

Yeah, Dragon Quest XI is fantastic, hoping we don't have to wait that long for the next DQ.

[Dirtnapstor]

God of War.
Loved every minute of it, the environments, the atmosphere, the characters encountered. I never once felt like this game was dragging on and on. The story was engaging and fleshed out enough to keep you hooked.
I didn’t even realize the end of the game was the end until I saw credits rolling!
Really hoping Santa Monica does an expansion story for this prior to anything they do for the PS5.

[victorMaje]

Thinking about it I was very pleasantly surprised by Spiderman this year, had a lot of fun playing that game, but when it comes to it, it would have to be GoW or RDR2, & the bar was very high for both, & both raised it even higher.
I had very high expectations for both games. God of War made the greater impact for me. It checked every box, with a vengeance, & then some.
& Immersive mode, just...wow.
God of War.

[Yi-Long]

There have only been a handful of 2018 games I've played, so I wouldn't be surprised if my choice for GOTY 2018 changes after I played some of the others, but from those I played, I have to go with Red Dead 2. Amazing detailed and convincing world, which is fun to drop into and just experience and enjoy what it has to offer. It's not perfect, and if your goal is to just rush through it, you'll never fully appreciate it, but it's simply an experience in a seting we are rarely offered, and if you treat it as a nice getaway and are open to all it has to offer, there is so much to discover and enjoy.

Technically, it's mostly amazing. From the detailed horses, the incredible wildlife everywhere, to how the snow reacts to your movement.

[Yi-Long]

Weird, seems like half my original comment was somehow lost when/after posting it, but I believe there was originally more that I wrote (sent it from mobile while waiting for my food to arrive yesterday). Anyway, technically almost flawless, soundtrack fitting, voice-acting (mostly) excellent, and it's a world that rewards you for just being there, with so much wildlife, activities like hunting & fishing, some mysteries, etc.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ass Creed Odyssey is a better GAME, but like I said, I haven't played that and some of the other contenders yet (still playing and enjoying Ass Creed Origins, so Odyssey will most likely be bought and enjoyed next year, and very much looking forward to playing it, as well as Detroit and GoW), but something like RDR2 is something that only comes around every 5-10 years orso, so that was always gonna be a Day 1.

All in all, it's been yet another amazing year, after the already excellent 2018, and the future (well, the future of gaming) looks brighter than ever...

[Plyzz]

God of War

[gangsta_red]

Divinity Original Sin 2.

Great game that does not disappoint. It has everything an RPG lover could ever want in their game. My only complaint would be the sadness you feel when you start to realize how close you are to finishing the game.

[Blobfish69]

Although not released this year my favourite game this year has easily been enter the gungeon. I've never really been into roguelike games but after buying this earlier in the year I'm hooked. Haven't played a game in years that keeps bringing me back in for one more go. Opened the door to dead cells too which is also am excellent game

[voidviper]

God of War. Feels like a complete game, don't have to worry about microtransactions, story is told well, and game seems to do all the little things right. It truly made me feel like I was playing a game that I knew they didn't leave out parts of the game to sell later.

[TheGamez100]

God of War of course. Game just had so many wow and memorable moments.

[Relientk77]

God of War, it was an absolute masterpiece. I loved the combat system, story, RPG elements, atmosphere/locations, characters, enemies, and boss fights. Exploring in the game was always rewarding with you finding new gear and treasure.I loved finding giant dragons, fighting trolls, etc.

Runners up: Dragon Quest XI, and Spider-Man

[bigmalky]

Yakuza Kiwami 2. I've spent more time with it than any other game this year (And I played RDR2 for 100+ hours). So addicted to Cabaret Club, Golf and Mahjong.

The story is epic too.

[phoenixwing]

My game of the year would have to be dragon quest 11. I've played the most hours on it and it is a great put together jrpg for me at least. The classic jrpg feel never gets old for me. Runner up would have to be ni no kuni 2. That game has an awesome art direction. It was so close between these two games i almost put ni no kuni 2 as the game of the year but changed my mind.

[mockzer0]

God of war for me. The fact that I can think back with such wonder and awe about so many moments from that game solidifies it for me. I also loved hollow Knight this year as well.

[capjacksparrow]

God of War is not only my game of the year, but my favorite game from this generation. Every aspect of the game shines, from its visuals to its art style, from its storytelling to its superb gameplay. The game evolves Kratos as a character, one who I never though would bring emotional depth to a video game. While it hasn't topped The Last of Us as my favorite game (due to some slight pacing issues), it comes up right behind. God of War made the entire game seamless by interjecting incredibly well written dialogue throughout the game. Every aspect; side quests, errands, and main narrative all felt like a cohesive whole because of this. Not only that, but Mimir's history lessons were superb. Loved this game and look forward to playing it again.

[ziggurcat]

God of War was great, but there were things about it that bothered me - those godawful trials (a PS2/OGXbox era mechanic that needs to die along with time-based challenges) was a big ugh for me. Amazing story, fun gameplay, incredible graphics.
Spider-Man was also great, but again... more godawful PS2/OG Xbox era mechanics (combat challenges are also terrible, IMO). Story was really good, excellent graphics, and the gameplay was super fun. - I did not use fast travel at all the entire time I played the game, too (only post-game when all of the story had been completed, and only enough to get that one trophy).
AC: Odyssey, thankfully, didn't have any of the aforementioned things, but it was pretty evident while playing that things were geared towards getting people to buy MTs, and it was even more obvious that they put the actual release date behind a more expensive paywall (it's no coincidence that the "early access" date fell on the same day that the online store content update occurs). Story was very enjoyable, but it wasn't my favourite era (I was a huge fan of the 18th/19th Century era games even though Unity itself wasn't great). Given the scope of the game, it could have also used an extra year's worth of development time - too many bugs happened to me in this game (there's still a quest that I can't finish because something broke somewhere along the line since I tend to explore every possible thing before moving onto the main story). The forced enemy auto-scaling was a bit of a problem, too, as it kind of rendered leveling up or having level requirements for each specific area practically pointless. Also, if they're going to stick with the RPG-style of gameplay, they really have to adopt a longer development cycle for these games. 1 year is too short, and the overall quality of the game compared to Origins (which had a longer cycle) showed.
Red Dead Redemption 2, while I haven't finished the game just yet (just started Chapter 5 last night), I have sunk an incredible amount of time into the game. And though it implements a mechanic that I absolutely abhor, which kept me from starting right away because I had a lot of trepidation about that part, I quickly realized that it can be largely ignored (which makes me think why it's even in there to begin with?). The 1890's - 1950's is also my absolute favourite historical era, so the game sitting within that time frame has been wonderful for me. They've also managed to include an incredible amount of variety in the content as well, and none of it has really felt like a grind (with, perhaps one exception that's sort of a spoiler I won't mention), and that's really important if you're going to make a game that is the scale/scope of RDR 2.

TL;DR: Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to end up being my GOTY.

[Theknightofnights]

Dragon Quest XI is my game of the year. The world, the RPG mechanics, the characters...all a return to form. Takes me back to my PS2 days with Dragon Quest 8!

[capjacksparrow]

While it's not my game of the year, I've really been enjoying DQ XI. It's got the same charm that made me fall in love with DQ VIII. My tastes have changed a bit since then, Persona taking up my number one favorite JRPG series spot, but this game has helped solidify DQ as my second favorite. Once I get home from vacation, I'm gonna clean up and get the platinum.

[Segata]

Fist of the North Star Lost Paradise on PS4. I'm already a huge Yakuza fan. I'm not much of an anime fan esp modern stuff but I really do appreciate 80s anime with the incredible shading and detail to the art and anime of that era was hardcore. Yakuza team took Yakuza and re-skinned it with FOTN. They go as well together like Chocolate and Peanut Butter. It's hardcore. Balls to the wall craziness. Complete with the 80s anime melodrama. The game made me a fan of the anime. The music is amazing from new stuff to songs from other classic SEGA games. It took over 30 years to get a great FOTN game. Look, Iike Last Battle on Genesis but it's not a classic by any means. I can make heads explode and beat them up using their own word bubbles! It had a giant desert Mad Max style overworld. Like Yakuza it balances the serious moments with insanely silly side stories. The Yakuza team has spoiled me this year.

[Tross]

Spider-Man, because swinging through New York is so much fun that it's difficult to go back to walking in games.

[SNACK_SHARK_TROLL]

God of War, because it's a nice take on the Norse mythology, it's something that is different and refreshing. The story is emotional, and engaging. Also you can see how far kratos has come in terms of maturity (Especially if you played the older games). The acting, voice acting, and graphics are top notch. The Gameplay also is very fun, and it's a bit challenging (depending what mode you put it on), balanced felt balanced, it wasn't too hard, it wasn't too easy. Also that one shot camera was amazing, also the way they hid loading times, when teleporting between places was pretty cool too.

[GameBoyColor]

Smash bros for me

[gobluesamg]

God of War. Easy. Graphics. Emotional and engaging story. The fact that the developers had the guts to reinvent and reinvigorate the series.

[LOOK_AT_THIS_I]

Really liked Spiderman,and God of War was great. RDR2 is beautiful but the controls are just way too heavy. I have tried playing with the settings to find a a happy medium but I can't find a sweet spot. Assassins Creed Oddysy was a nice surprise for me.

Of all the games mentioned I'd have to give God of war the win here as they did a full reboot and got it right. Cameras positioning at times was frustrating but something you can live with. The story is really good and I'm glad to see this mythology route finally come to light.

Great year to be a gamer.

[notachance]

God of War.
Between all the titles that impressed me this year, it's the only one I couldn't any jarring flaws to speak of. In terms of story and narrative RDR2 won by a slight margin for me against GoW, in fact it would be my GOTY if not for the clunky and slow control and lack of innovation on its part. In terms of fun? I've clocked over 400 hours in MH:W, if that's not the proof of having fun, I don't know what is. Somewhat buggy online experience and lack of monster variety leaves me wanting for more though, definitely can't wait for Iceborne DLC next year. Octopath Travellers and DQ XI on the other hand, brought me straight through the nostalgia lane to the past, where my middle school self would sit in front of my TV after school and ate up every JRPG I could get my hands on, PS1-PS2 truly was the golden era for JRPG.

Yet against all those titles, GoW stands as the most iconic title this year for me. The perfect example of reboot success story, with excellent narratives which showed Kratos' depth of characterization more than any past titles. It also didn't skimp on the gameplay part, ditching the arcade-y hack and slash for slower and more strategic combat, it fits all of my gameplay preference as hardcore Soulsborne fan. It is without a doubt, the first game that comes to my mind when I'm thinking of 2018.

[redniku]

Red Dead Redemption 2.
It was the little details that keep me coming back to it. I love the fact that I can go at a slow pace and not worry about finishing the story if I don't want to. I do find myself procrastinating on finishing the story which tells me it's not as engaging as some but the world keeps me occupied enough that I don't care about that.

[Glphy77]

I would have to go with a monster Hunter World. I believe they really revitalized the series to make it more approachable for more people to play. The controls felt great and they added additional features that actually felt like upgrades. I believe they also simplified some of the mechanics/screen menus as to not overwhelm players and make it feel as if you were failing if you couldn’t understand them. The monsters are great as well as the animations. The environments actually feel as if you are in a biome with living organisms and you are just apart of the ecosystem. They added content and change up quests constantly to help keep the game fresh. Plus you don’t need to create a brand new character just to use a different weapon. You can change at nearly any time and have a completely different game experience.

[DemonChicken]

Mine has to go to God of War, except for a few niggles this is my almost perfect game in terms of gameplay, music and narrative. This and also Spider-Man were the only games this year that kept me glued to the TV and also 100%.

[Skankinruby]

I play games for the story and characters, Red Dead 2 takes this one. God of War perfected gameplay but the story was underwhelming and anti-climactic.

[Fist4achin]

Dragon Quest XI Echoes of an Elusive Age. They have stuck to their working formula, developed a great story, and it was great to see this series return to a console again for a western audience. Thank you and i hope to see more. I think it should be released on all consoles to get this series out there to all rpg fans.

[SaveFerris]

Spider-Man. I enjoyed the story and gameplay. And I haven't played God of War or RDR2 yet.

[Skankinruby]

You should play them when you get a chance, both great. God of War has fantastic gameplay and RDR 2 has top notch characters and story. I still need to play spiderman myself. Great username btw one of my favorite bands as a teenager

[Artemidorus]

Cod for still a managing to rip off other people's ideas and gaining lots of money.
It's very impressive.

[Geobros]

I have finished about 30 games thise year. The bigger one was Xenoblade Chronicles 2 but i cannot vote it, unfortunately.

I will say though Octopath Traveler because i am a very big fan of 2D jrpg and this game reminds me the snes era with secret of mana, chrono, ff, draqon quest, terranigma, soulblazer etc..... This game could easily have been released this era, an epic adventure for jrpg fans!

Please square, give us more of those wonderdul games. I liked also that there were no dlc for the game. You buy the hole game once!

[robtion]

Assassins Creed Odyssey. Though the microtransaction are inexcusable the rest of the game was enjoyable.

I would have picked God of war however I don't like that it has gone for political correctness compared to the previous games.

Overall not a great year as games seem to have 'matured' too much for my taste and the SJW influence seems to be strong within the industry. Developers seem too scared to offend people and games are worse for it.

[TiredandRetired]

I would say my game of the year is God of War, but I still haven't finished it. I was leaning towards it. I still have barely put any time into Red Dead Redemption 2, so I can't vote there either. Spider-Man was awfully good and I also enjoyed Forza Horzion 4, BUT...

Since I'm not bound by rules of official sites and shows which only count titles until a certain date, I will include a game that came out here at the end of 2018.

My game of the year (I don't expect everyone or anyone to agree with me) would be Super Smash Bros. Ultimate which came out here in December. (so it's a 2018 game in my book) It's just the culmination of what Smash Bros. has been building towards all this time, and I honestly can't see how they'll ever top it.

I wasn't even going to get it this soon. I didn't buy it at launch, but a little bit after, my reason is because I'm not a huge MP player... at least not online. But I'm absolutely in love with the whole rpg-like Spirit adventure mode, the way you collect the spirits, experiment in equipping different ones for different results. Leveling up the skill tree. This game has really spoken to me as a huge RPG fan. I also do look forward to having some get togethers with some of my friends. Local multiplayer has always been and will always be my favorite type of MP.

While many of us will finish and move beyond other games out there, SSBU will be a great game to keep returning to for years.

[MaverickBabyGirl]

Astro Bot is my game of the year, from gorgeous and breath taking levels, a handful of worlds and crevices almost unnoticeable if one is not paying attention. This game is absolutely beautiful in every way with no flaws nor bugs.

This game is both creative and innovative. Robot Rescue Mission on Playroom VR was a demo for Astro Bot before the game was even a thought.

The work put into the small details of Astro Bot were also highly impressive, from big things such as bosses, enemy's, and gadgets to the smaller things like the vending machine inside the spaceship that gave you "toys" which were used to create small levels inside the ship and a challenge belt that gave it a little extra charm.

The game was not overly hard nor was it overly easy and it had a nice gradual increase of difficulty. The control flow was smooth and the concept of the game was easy to grasp.

[Shani]

It's going to be Celeste for me. It's a challenging great game. It's absolutely brilliant in every aspect.

[Hardiman]

God of War. I was 25 the original came out and having grown up reading and loving many different mythologies the game was an easy choice. Part 2 really was the high mark of that original trilogy for me and when the new one was announced I was both excited and hesitant. How would Kratos translate to a more narrative driven experience with softer moments? How would the combat be handled? There were many more but I must admit my excitement outweighed my skepticism and I was standing in line early for it this past April!

The first thing that caught my attention was the image of Kratos standing with his ax beside a tree. He looked as if he'd lost his best friend and he had for sure! I knew the basics of this new story and I knew he was going to cut down that tree and use it for his wife's funeral pyre. I knew he and his son would go on an adventure to spread her ashes from the highest peak because I'd read just about every preview that wasn't too spoilery. What I didn't know and wasn't expecting is how must this journey would affect me and how emotional it would be! I wasn't expecting this level of nuance and character development! There were moments I was on my feet during a battle, there were others where I had chills and yet others where I had tears in my eyes and when the credits finally rolled I felt like I'd experienced something important and had not just played a game. No this was art and it affected me and it was so relatable because I too am a father and there are times where it's hard and we don't see eye to eye but we work through whatever so that we can come together because they are the future and it's my job to be there for them and help to teach them.

I can't say enough about it and I've commented about it at length on here and I get it that some think it's overhyped but sometimes something comes along that is that damn good and GOW is and it deserves all the praise it gets! It nails character, story, design, combat and it is absolutely stunning to look at! It's not a cop out it's earned and while I had fun playing many games this year none affected me like this did and for that I will never forget that first play through!

[Minus2trill]

Spiderman, Even though God of war won the award and deserved it Spiderman is my personal GOTY i enjoyed every bit of it and Insomniac made me feel like i was really spiderman, only thing missing is if i could play it on my psvr and it would blow my mind.

[Smokey55511799]

There's so many to chose from, but Red dead 2 I think is my game of the year. I didin't like it at first, but the game grew on me over time. My daughter absolutely loves the game. We have fun telling each other about what we do in each others save games. The story gets pretty good after chapter two, beautiful photo realistic graphics. gameplay is awesome. The super realism is a hindrance and refreshing at the same time. Overall the game is really good if you can get past some of its minor issues.

[SephFF]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

[rainslacker]

For me, it's a toss up between GOW and Spider-Man(although I'm working through Silver Lining now, so I'm probably biased)

But ultimately, GOW really redefined the series, and was exemplary throughout. It did exactly what I always thought GOW needed, and that was make Kratos more human, and I loved every minute of it. It had some flaws, but they were minimal, and if any game kicked off the start of a great year of games, it was certainly GOW.

Anyhow, Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope everyone gets some good games for the holidays.:)

[Hardiman]

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

[BlackDoomAx]

Monster Hunter world. Beautiful, challenging, best coop game,you really have a sense of pride accomplishment when you defeat a monster ;) Free dlcs, regular events, great community. Just perfect.

[DerekFlint007]

It's between Spiderman & God Of War for me. I enjoyed spidey more and it was immense fun throughout but in the end, I'd have to give it to Kratos by a bearded whisker.

It took the series in a bold new direction and had innovation in abundance, with special mention going to the single camera tracking shot from start to completion.

Although Red Dead had a spectacular world to play about in, the game ultimately fell flat for me, with it's poorly implemented, blurry iteration on Pro, cumbersome pacing, and it's horrendously convoluted control scheme.

[BioDead]

God of War.

The game has absolutely beautiful graphics, intriguing story, fast, diverse and brutal fighting, single-shot cinematography camera, diverse gameplay and top notch voice acting. Developer must've dug deep into the legends of Scandinavian myths as the game contains detailed tales of ancient Norse mythology. Games like God Of War is made from head to toe from scratch and it must've taken sleeples nights, overworking, marriage divorces, laugh and cries, redo things that already took months of work and tons of coffee get it done.

(Many games nowdays comes out half done and with year of patches and updates untill it is playable, but God of War was completely done when it came. That shows how professional and talented the developer Sant Monica Sudios is.)

[coolbeans]

Congrats to SegaGamer.

So...I'm going to have to do some caveats, as my backlog of 2018-released games is embarrassingly large. I should've jumped on more '18 titles. Anyways, the caveats focus on games I haven't played enough of or haven't touched yet. That means the expected RDRII, Spider-Man, GOW(4) are out. I feel it'd be dishonest to list when I've still so much to play from them to get something resembling my final thoughts. There's also certain indie games like Return of the Obra Dinn and Celeste I'd like to get the jump on.

With these contenders out of the way, my choice is A Way Out.

Josef Fares (along w/ Hazelight) is still batting 1.000 when it comes to 'gamifying' a classic story. Starting with something ripped out of Grimm's Fairy Tales (Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons) and now moving to 60's/70's buddy action flicks that were a dime a dozen. The forced co-op for the experience is EXACTLY what I've wanted to see developed since Never Alone's indie debut a few years back. To see a mid-tier priced studio make such a creative decision was great to witness and it deserves everyone's support. The way scenes flow in & out is complemented by the unique gameplay scenarios & great camerawork. For an industry that's been known to desperately plead for respect like movies, I love how Hazelight shamelessly celebrates & incorporates old cinema staples while looking for opportunities to maximize co-op player expression.

But, again, this is coming from someone who simply hasn't put in the time into any of the big contenders (yet). Best of luck to everyone and happy holidays. :)

[SegaGamer]

Thanks coolbeans, although I haven't actually recieved any notification that I have won anything yet :P

[coolbeans]

Did you get notification yet (as of now)? It took a couple of days for my ticket to go through too.

[Jurat]

2018 has been a vintage year, but Red Dead Redemption 2 is my GOTY - such a cinematic experience that I can easily forgive the minor issues that crop up.

Wishing everyone in the N4G community a happy and healthy Christmas and all the best for 2019

[aleccherkov]

My 1st game of a year would have to be pokemon lets go the reason for this because with all the pokemon hype and all the new products they are releasing for pokemon not just in japan but worldwide as well it was only fitting that the nintendo switch was given the pikachu and evee treatment for the both console releases and the two games and lets not forget to mention the pokeball plus that is the best thing they have ever brought out for a pokemon game i enjoy playing pikachu a lot when he's inside the ball its almost like a game in its self unique and quite enjoyable hours of fun,

For a second best game of the year would be RD2 because that game engine truly shows us what we are capable of creating for such a game the environment is rich and memorising its almost feels like your living that era when you play the game. I am looking forward to what 2019 brings us in gaming history and i think it will surprise us all.

Finally my third best game of the year would be spideman releasing on the PS4 I don't know how many fans dreamed of it happening but I did what i love about marvel is they push and push until they get every detail correct not just for the fans sake but also the licensing as well sony owns spiderman licence and they didn't want it being tarnished I think a lot of developers can learn from sony on how they approached spiderman universe and then they release the DLC content not only paid but free updates as well with new suits and abilites its a marvel fans dream for such a game with so much content without compromising anything the game plays and looks beautiful how I approached tackling NYC was to do all the side quest first as there is a lot to do and then the story missions.

2018 has surely been one hell of a ride for gaming and its only going to get better as long you dont one put loot boxes in games add a battle royale mode to everything and three listen to the fans listen to the community for what they would like to see and make it happen in the game making the overall game even better than release.

And finally I would like to wish all those who is apart of the N4G Family and its members a wonderful christmas and new year and hope 2019 will be even better for you.

[DuckOnQuack35]

Red dead redemption 2 is my GOTY for sure. I was so into the story the whole way. Arthur's character was one of the best in games.
I loved GoW too but it felt like it just stopped abruptly. The story just ended even though there was other world's to explore. Now I have to wait years to play the rest of the story. GoW just felt unfinished to me.

[agent13]

it's a tough choice between gow and rdr2
but my goty choice is god of war because it has a more exciting and original game play it's also more creative

[UltraNova]

GOW.

Show me another game that got everything right...

[Jimboms]

Honestly mine has to be Destiny 2. I fell out of love with it in the beginning of the year, and back in love with it towards the end. Somehow it keeps me coming back when any other game would be long gone from my memory by now.

[TheOnlyMastrx]

Red Dead Redemption 2 hands down for me. To be honest I didn't like it when I started and it felt slow just like the first one felt to me. But sticking to the missions and forgetting about all the extra things to do, I really enjoyed the story and progression of the game. I didn't play God of War so I can't speak for it. From the games I did play, definitely RDR2.

[Bourne414]

I just beat RDR2 a few days ago, I'm at 88% completion, and I still believe God of War deserves game of the year. I dont own a PS4, but when God of War launched a buddy bought a copy, and lent me his system. And when the title screen starts and your watching Kratos in a cutscene for almost 5 minutes before realizing you're not in a cutscene, you're in the game controlling Kratos. That was incredible. The game had a great pace, and every little side thing you found, from collectibles, to random encounters felt like they were apart of the world whether you were going to find them or not. Both RDR2 and GOW have incredible stories, audio, graphics, and both voice work and mocap. I'm an Xbox gamer through and through, but God of War really is a masterpiece. A gamer will understand that, a fanboy might not.

[neutralgamer1992]

Fist of north star lost paradise is the most fun game in a long long time

It is one thing many games are not Fun. Why is it that games need to be more realistic because that usually means less fun. Story fun. Gameplay super fun, fun open world but not too gigantic to make it boring(perfect size game world)

RDR2 is amazing but you know what if they actually patched the game and made proper improvements it would be one of the best game ever release

More people need to play fist of north star lost paradise. It's sad that below average games sell millions of copies yet an excellent and one of the most fun game is being over looker because it's not a huge known IP

[TGGJustin]

God of War was my Game of the Year for 2018. It has just as good a story, graphics, audio, and characters as any other game in 2018 but unlike certain other games it has top notch gameplay as well. I don't know if I've ever enjoyed another weapon in any other game as I did the Leviathan Axe. It's the most well rounded game this year and one of my favorites of all time now.

[Shadowtaster33]

God of war

[Purrfection]

Great year, we had God of War, Spiderman and Red Dead 2 but I'm going to pick Hitman 2. It needs more love! The level design is fantastic and they just put up another Elusive Target.

[Soy]

Red Dead Redemption 2. It has so many minute yet great details.

[septemberindecember]

My Game of the Year is a split between God of War and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

God of War is just fantastic in all aspects. The only real improvement I can think of would be enemy variety.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the definitive Smash Bros. It’s a culmination and celebration of video game history, and the Adventure mode is way more addicting than I thought it’d be.

Both amazing games.

[MasterofMagnetism]

God of War for me. Loved just about everything about that game. The story, the setting, the characters, the hard ass Valkyrie fights, etc.

[Cikatriz_ESP]

It’s not a novel answer, but God of War really delivered this year. It has my favorite combat system in years, and though I wasn’t blown away by the story I was in love with the characters.

[The 10th Rider]

Really tough to say. So many good games in different genres. Red Dead 2 takes the cake for open world games, God if War has the best story. Indies have been rocking it with games like Celeste and Dead Cells. Soul Calibur's 2018 entry is an awesome fighting game. Smash Ultimate is the best with friends and doubles as the best Smash entry yet for competitive play. Forza Horizon 4 is an amazing racing game and the best entry in the series yet. You have Dragon Quest XI as a JRPG and Pillars of Eternity 2 as a Western RPG.

There's just too many amazing games in different genres to really label any one my GOTY. Many genres got their best entries of the generation this year.

[TheColbertinator]

Congrats SEGAGAMER

[SpaceRanger]

My game of the year was Shadow of the Colossus.

I know it was a remaster but it was an experience I had only heard people rave about when it had initially come out. The experience I got from it was beyond memorable. I searched online for lore or anything else I could find because the story was so simple yet delivered just enough to made me more curious as to why things happened the way they did. On top of the story, the massive scale felt from fighting the colossi made it even more memorable. Each one was so different and took gameplay to a level that most games don’t allow, and that’s allowing the gamer to have a little bit of creativity to pass an obstacle (and for that creative way to actually work). There were so many times that I thought “I wonder if this would work?”, something that I wouldn’t expect the game to actually react to...yet time and time again I was surprised at how diverse the solutions were for each colossi. Nothing too predictable.

I had wished long ago that I could have experienced it with my friends. Unfortunately at the time my family simply didn’t have enough to spend on buying me many games. I was satisfied with what I had game wise, but I had always had this hope (especially around Christmas time) that it would show up under the tree. I was beyond excited when I found out that they were remaking this game! So as an adult, I got to splurge a bit and got to experience what I had longed for back then. It was well worth the wait in my opinion!

So, on top of the mysterious story, the superb gameplay (from the remaster) and my own personal bias based off of my childhood...this is my game of 2018.

[ldurham]

God of War was epic but Red Dead Redemption 2 had an epic single player AND multiplayer game with incredible attention to detail. RDR2 is my game of the year but God of War is a close second.