mistercrayon wrote:

Ha. The #1 game only came out this year and we split hairs on “expansion”. It’s worth noting that edge counted it worthy as top 3 Nintendo game of the year.

Yossarian wrote:

Someone resurrect Muzzy’s thread.

Diluted Dante wrote:

Destiny 2 appears to still be in Early Access, so thats on my list.

regmcfly wrote:

Okay, here we go.

Honourable mentions to Spider-Man, Sea of Thieves, and Into The Breach, and shout outs to Obra Dinn and Donut County which I need to do.

5) Forza Horizon 4
It was Brexit Britain, it was our time. Forza finally came home, thanks to Playground Games, and as part of this, I long thought that I'd get to see my house in a game. Sadly, Newhaven was not as long as one would think, and Leith walk and Stockbridge both went a bit weird in the final product.
But that's a testament to the game itself. Everything else feels so real, so tangible, that you want to expect the world to conform to those rules too. Forza Horizon is always a blast. Sadly I only got online with others twice since release, but I am hopeful that will increase. For single player Forza though, the challenge is there - what else? We have had the same events every year, and they have run like clockwork. What's going to separate it from the pack next time, as the original Horizon did from Motorsports? Nevertheless, more wonder from Playground.

4) Celeste
Somewhat ignominiously dropped at the start of the year, 2018's best platformer is an incredible feat. Nevermind the banging soundtrack, the forgiving nature of the game, the overall message, my overall memories about Celeste are that it's incredibly fun to play.
Every loss feels like a lesson, and in the manner of other titles like Super Meat Boy or Guacamelee, it lets you go straight back to it without any thought of holding you to ransom. What a cool game.

3) Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Everyone is here. This is, in some ways, an understatement, when you consider that Ness from Earthbound's dad is also here, albeit in Spirit Form. I can't think of a single title that has had so much put into it from a video game history point of view. That every spirit encounter is fully thought through, with regards to not only enemy but conditions, is ridiculous in itself. Add to that 900 tracks of audio , every classic mode being tailored to the character you are playing, and a support spirit mode that adds completely cromulent additives, and this is probably the biggest celebration of videogames that has every existed. Whether you care for the Smash itself is another question (I've been onboard since GameCube) but you cannot deny that as a time capsule of games until 2018, there is nothing like Smash.

2) Xenoblade Chronicles 2 : The Torna Expansion
Okay. I'm sneaking this on here because of the technicalities of standalone titles. And I'm sure that I'll be the only person to vote for it, but I need to say - Xenoblade 2 deserves its props. The original title dropped at the tail end of 2018 and therefore I was about 4 hours into it when I listed my games. Dropping it for a bit in a new year lull, I went back with a renewed purpose, and one of the most transformative experiences I had was understanding the orbs, and breaking them during combat. Suddenly the game became this incredible chessmatch.
Along with that, I gained an affinity for Rex and Mythra, in particular, and a wider understanding of the world. The ending of the original game, finished in May, upset me, and when I got to the end of the Torna Expansion, a title that encouraged exploration, investigation, and imagination, I saw how everything looped around. I literally burst into a flood of tears as I realised it was the end of my Xenoblade experience.
Torna streamlines combat, levelling up, narrative, and exploration to an incredible degree. As it is a prequel, I'd recommend anyone who is curious about Xenoblade start there. All I can do is start the clock to Xenoblade 3 - but it is telling that it is the first RPG in decades I've wanted to NGP.

1) Hitman 2
Fuckin Hitman. Seriously. So when I get to drop a big ol' statue on a drug lord who is peddling Super Cocaine, I tend to notice the game. Hitman 2 is more of what I needed, without me realising I wanted it. It's a chaos simulator. If I do X then random Y and Z happen, how do I now contort them. The original 2016 reboot of Hitman was unstoppable, and introduced shit like Helmut Krieger. I'm sorry, Helmut, but a giant pink flamingo and Florida guy have taken you place.
Hitman revels in excess, in the challenge to do theost absurd thing possible. It was not enough to break Robert Knox's neck, I had to ride a speedboat out. Hitman is the silliest game of all time and dumping the first into that has only cemented it as a platform I want, nay, need more of. Game of the year.