The Top 5 Games of 2018

Here we are fellow Otaku & Metalheads. The end of 2018.

2018 was trying hard to be like 2016. It was trying really hard to be just as depressing & garbage as 2 years ago. It fails, but it’s not far off either. More shootings, more bullshit from Trump & the right, the death of Stan Lee, and just more bad stuff in general. Luckily, it’s the start of the best time of the year, and the time where my annual end-of-the-year top 5 lists get put out. This year’s lists are fulled with interesting things, so maybe they’ll help get some good energy put back in. With that out of the way, here are my top 5 games of 2018. Enjoy!

5) Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle (Trailer)

We begin this list with one of the most bizarre titles I’ve ever come across. Produced by the team that made Slayaway Camp, it takes the violence & gore of the iconic Friday the 13th horror movie series, and gives it what I can only describe.....as a “Cutesy” makeover. It’s also incredibly funny, as the spectral head of Jason’s mom is constantly around giving you advice, the premise of some of the episodes are out-there, and some of the kills are hilarious. The puzzle element of the game is pretty challenging. There are times where it can get irritating (I had to resort to looking up videos for some of them), but figuring out how it all works is part of the experience. If you like your murder more on the cerebral & cartooney, then Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle will be for you!

4) Call of Duty: WW2 (Trailer)

I think it’s a safe bet to say that no matter how much damage is repaired (Or is attempted to be repaired), Call Of Duty will probably never be the same. It’s a crying shame, as Infinite Warfare from 2016/2017 was pretty damn good, and WW2 from 2017/2018 was great as well. Returning to the franchise’s World War 2 roots after nearly a decade of absence, we get an engaging singleplayer with lite squad tactics & some old-school elements (Health Packs anyone?), and a multiplayer that had it’s faults, but proved to be incredibly entertaining by the end. Coupled with a Zombie game mode that brought things back to it’s darker roots (Infinite Warfare’s zombie mode was considerably campier, even though I liked it), and you have a modern WW2 game with roots in the past. If you can get past some issues, you’ll enjoy this game.

3) Dark Souls: Remastered (Trailer)

I’m genuinely conflicted about this one. On the one hand, it’s great to see the original Dark Souls game get a re-release in 2018. I was still riding on my Dark Souls high from the year before (Thanks to Dark Souls 3) when the re-release came out, and it was great to see the game that started the franchise that’s known the world over come back. On the other hand, not much has changed with this remaster. Apart from a few small things, the gameplay still comes across as dated & clunky, the sound hasn’t changed much, and while the graphics have indeed been improved, they’re just as dated as almost everything else. I can certainly see why some fans would be critical because of these issues, but for me I’m happy it’s around because I’m so new to the world of Dark Souls & it’s lore. If you never played the original, then Dark Souls: Remastered is worth the purchase.

2) Nekopara Extra (Trailer)

Kinda like last year, 2018 needed an injection of rainbows & sunshine, and we got that injection in the form of Nekopara Extra. My only complaint is that it plays much faster than any other title in the series. Possibly even more than Nekopara Vol 0. Apart from that, this is one of the most charming games to have been put out this year. Catching a glimpse of the crew of the Minaduki household at a much earlier time, seeing Chocola & Vanilla at a time when they’re just kittens just causes the warm & fuzzies to well up inside. Seeing everybody else in a younger state is charming in it’s own right as well, and the game is an overall “Awwww” fest to the 10th degree. Even if you haven’t played anything else on this list, Nekopara Extra isn’t one to miss simply due to how incredibly happy it is. Nya! 

Before we get to my no. 1 game of 2018, I wanted to cover some honorable mentions. These games are, while definitely fun, had some issues that kept it from getting onto the main list. Development quality, flawed features, and more could have kept these titles off of the card. With that out of the way, here are 2018's honorable mentions.

HM1) Baldi’s Basics (Trailer)

It’s been a while that a game has left me scratching my head, feeling confused after witnessing what I’ve seen. I confess I’ve never played it: after witnessing Markiplier’s playthrough, it’s difficulty really pushes me away from trying the game out. That being said, I kind of have a great deal of respect for Baldi’s Basics. An ode to the creepy & bad educational games of the 1990s, there’s a weird reverence for the good educational games as well. I might consider getting Baldi’s Basics sometime in the future, but it’ll all depend on how masochistic I am at the time.

HM2) Destiny 2 (Trailer)

Funny story about this one: I had avoided the original game like the plague whenever I hung out with friends, and I pretty much did the same thing when I found out that Destiny 2 was coming to PC last year & running through Battle.net. When I found out that Blizzard was giving the game away last month, the seeds were planted in my head to download it, and I wasn’t sure at first, but realizing it was a free game, I finally bit the bullet. I haven’t completed everything, but I can say that it’s been strangely fun. While the story is a little weak & the characters are a little bland, the gunplay is great, and the graphics are nice to look at. If you haven’t gotten into the game yet, I’d say give it a try.

HM3) Heroes of the Storm (Trailer)

I know I’ve already talked about this game before way back in my top 5 Games of 2015 (Which you can see here), so I find it a little silly to put it on the main list again. That being said, the HotS team really has been hitting it out of the park this year. Starting last year with the huge 2.0 update last year, they’ve introduced many wonderful characters, awesome maps, and plenty of cool events to participate in (Still loved the Lucha Libre event from about the middle of the year). I recommended the game 3 years ago, and I still recommend it in 2018.

1) Hellgate: London (Trailer)

I.....uh.....WHAT!!??

PC Gamers from the late 2000s might recall this infamous RPG title. Created by a company headed by one of the original members of Blizzard North, Hellgate: London showed massive potential back in 2007, but fell hard onto it’s face just a year later when Flagship Studios closed and it was re-acquired by it’s parent company, HanabiSoft. So when it was announced that it was coming back onto Steam, and with it’s rather tacked-on Multiplayer removed in an effort to deliver a more solid Singleplayer experience, I was shocked. Then when I got the game, I was shocked again....but in a good way!

A lot of memories came flooding back into my head upon playing. There was so much I was able to recall from late last decade, but thanks to the many gameplay & graphics improvements (It was a little rough at the beginning), it almost feels like a brand new experience. It might taking some getting used to (Especially for people who were disenfranchised with it last decade), but I’m not kidding when I say that the resurrection of Hellgate: London somehow manages to become the number 1 game of 2018. That’s no joke, and I’m telling you with all sincerity it’s genuinely worth your time.

So these were my top 5 games of 2018. A motley bunch of titles, but ones in which I enjoyed to various degrees, and some releases that surprised me. Be sure to stay tuned for my top 5 movies post, which will come out in a few days. Until they, stay warm, and game on!

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If you like to know what I thought of last year’s games, check out the link below:

Top 5 Games of 2017

Also, if you’re interesting in acquiring Baldi’s Basics, check out the link below:

Baldi’s Basics in Education & Learning