The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
12-31-18, 05:14 PM
#27
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12-31-18, 09:07 PM
#29
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
8. Yoku's Island Express (PS4)
When I first heard about a metroidvania mixed with pinball I was skeptical but after the rave reviews started rolling in I decided to give it a shot and Yoku's Island Express ended up being one of my favorite metroidvanias ever. It eases you in slowly and in typical of the genre fashion you are getting new abilities and backtracking to get to new areas. There are interesting side quests, cute characters and it controls wonderfully even for someone like me with no real interest in pinball. My only negative is about an hour or so in the traversal back in to previous areas seemed like it was going to be really annoying but not shortly after that their version of a fast travel system unlocked for me and while not perfect made things quite a bit more manageable. I went back and got the platinum after finishing the game and really hope to see what they can do with a sequel.
When I first heard about a metroidvania mixed with pinball I was skeptical but after the rave reviews started rolling in I decided to give it a shot and Yoku's Island Express ended up being one of my favorite metroidvanias ever. It eases you in slowly and in typical of the genre fashion you are getting new abilities and backtracking to get to new areas. There are interesting side quests, cute characters and it controls wonderfully even for someone like me with no real interest in pinball. My only negative is about an hour or so in the traversal back in to previous areas seemed like it was going to be really annoying but not shortly after that their version of a fast travel system unlocked for me and while not perfect made things quite a bit more manageable. I went back and got the platinum after finishing the game and really hope to see what they can do with a sequel.
12-31-18, 09:15 PM
#30
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
I loved Yoku's Island Express! 
I was happy to play it on the Switch. Made my flight to Tokyo feel very brief. But I guess I miss out on the Platinum trophy.
I was happy to play it on the Switch. Made my flight to Tokyo feel very brief. But I guess I miss out on the Platinum trophy.
01-01-19, 01:32 PM
#31
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
7. Octopath Traveler (Switch)
2018 was a great year for JRPG's and Octopath Traveler (a Switch exclusive) is one of the best. It has a distinct artstyle and storyline with you choosing from 1 of 8 characters to start with and depending on how you want to play you can just play through that 1 characters storyline or you can join up with the remaining characters and take turns through each chapter and play through all their storylines (which is what I did). All the characters are unique and interesting with different abilities and combat styles (my main squad was Olberic, Tressa, Ophilia, and Cyrus). Some of the character paths I enjoyed more than others but all were worth playing. Octopath also has a great combat system which can make or break a JRPG and I never got tired of battles even after my 80+ hours of playtime. For fans of the genre this is a must play.
2018 was a great year for JRPG's and Octopath Traveler (a Switch exclusive) is one of the best. It has a distinct artstyle and storyline with you choosing from 1 of 8 characters to start with and depending on how you want to play you can just play through that 1 characters storyline or you can join up with the remaining characters and take turns through each chapter and play through all their storylines (which is what I did). All the characters are unique and interesting with different abilities and combat styles (my main squad was Olberic, Tressa, Ophilia, and Cyrus). Some of the character paths I enjoyed more than others but all were worth playing. Octopath also has a great combat system which can make or break a JRPG and I never got tired of battles even after my 80+ hours of playtime. For fans of the genre this is a must play.
01-01-19, 08:21 PM
#33
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01-01-19, 08:25 PM
#34
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
I love Octopath. Was disappointed that it didn’t show up on more year-end lists. It’s so fun to play and the music is GREAT,
01-01-19, 08:33 PM
#35
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
6. Gris (Switch)
Gris just released a few weeks ago and like I said over in the Switch thread it is the best looking game I've ever played. I'm completely blown away by how good it looks. At its core Gris is a puzzle platformer with a couple challenging sections but nothing too difficult. You get new abilities as you go but not a lot of back tracking so I wouldn't consider it a metroidvania. The gameplay is fun and engaging but combined with the look and music it becomes something truly impressive. I'm intentionally not going to mention much more than that because it really needs to be experienced and it's only a 4-5 hour long game but I can't recommend it enough.
Gris just released a few weeks ago and like I said over in the Switch thread it is the best looking game I've ever played. I'm completely blown away by how good it looks. At its core Gris is a puzzle platformer with a couple challenging sections but nothing too difficult. You get new abilities as you go but not a lot of back tracking so I wouldn't consider it a metroidvania. The gameplay is fun and engaging but combined with the look and music it becomes something truly impressive. I'm intentionally not going to mention much more than that because it really needs to be experienced and it's only a 4-5 hour long game but I can't recommend it enough.
01-02-19, 08:12 PM
#36
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
5. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (PS4)
It seems like forever since we had a DQ game here in the US. I played the original game on the NES and then played through Dragon Quest VIII on PS2 but the majority of the releases have been relegated to the portables if they even come out in the US at all. Which is unfortunate because the Dragon Quest team knows how to make top notch JRPG's. Everything about this game is top notch from the graphics, to the voice acting, to the characters (I love Sylvando so much). The enemy designs are adorable and avoid the boring repetitiveness that you usually get from JRPG's. I put about 70 hours into the game and finished the main story but still have post game stuff to get back to and I can't wait.
It seems like forever since we had a DQ game here in the US. I played the original game on the NES and then played through Dragon Quest VIII on PS2 but the majority of the releases have been relegated to the portables if they even come out in the US at all. Which is unfortunate because the Dragon Quest team knows how to make top notch JRPG's. Everything about this game is top notch from the graphics, to the voice acting, to the characters (I love Sylvando so much). The enemy designs are adorable and avoid the boring repetitiveness that you usually get from JRPG's. I put about 70 hours into the game and finished the main story but still have post game stuff to get back to and I can't wait.
01-03-19, 06:00 PM
#37
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
4. Return of the Obra Dinn (PC)
I loved Lucas Pope's last game Papers, Please. It was like nothing I had ever played before and that same feeling is at the heart of Obra Dinn. You play as an insurance adjuster who is sent to discover what happened on a ship where all 60 of the crew has died or gone missing. You need to find out their name, the way they died, and by who/what. You get a logbook to track stuff (with lots of helpful info stored inside), and a magic pocketwatch which when discovering a body allows you to see a moment right before they died and hear an audio clip of that scene. The first couple are pretty straightforward but it gets quite challenging soon after and feels like a hard sudoku puzzle where you're trying to figure out multiple things at once to narrow down answers. It has a very distinctive look (with lots of different old school computer monitor looks to choose from) and the story which starts pretty straight forward gets incredibly bizarre by the end of it. One of the most unique games I've every played.
I loved Lucas Pope's last game Papers, Please. It was like nothing I had ever played before and that same feeling is at the heart of Obra Dinn. You play as an insurance adjuster who is sent to discover what happened on a ship where all 60 of the crew has died or gone missing. You need to find out their name, the way they died, and by who/what. You get a logbook to track stuff (with lots of helpful info stored inside), and a magic pocketwatch which when discovering a body allows you to see a moment right before they died and hear an audio clip of that scene. The first couple are pretty straightforward but it gets quite challenging soon after and feels like a hard sudoku puzzle where you're trying to figure out multiple things at once to narrow down answers. It has a very distinctive look (with lots of different old school computer monitor looks to choose from) and the story which starts pretty straight forward gets incredibly bizarre by the end of it. One of the most unique games I've every played.
01-03-19, 08:26 PM
#39
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01-03-19, 08:49 PM
#41
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
Portables and handhelds usually aren't considered consoles. They're their own thing. But anyways I rarely play PC games but this was one worth it and would definitely not be as intuitive without a mouse and keyboard.
01-03-19, 10:45 PM
#42
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
19. The Gardens Between (PS4)
This was a good year for puzzle games and The Gardens Between stands out with it's time manipulation mechanic (you have to rewind and fast forward to make it through levels instead of actually controlling the characters) and music. Each island (level) has it's own theme and gameplay hook and you are trying to get the two children up to the top of the island. It starts off simple but gets more complicated as the levels progress but never becoming too frustrating. The narrative is engaging even with the lack of dialogue and at only 3 or so hours long it didn't wear out its welcome.
This was a good year for puzzle games and The Gardens Between stands out with it's time manipulation mechanic (you have to rewind and fast forward to make it through levels instead of actually controlling the characters) and music. Each island (level) has it's own theme and gameplay hook and you are trying to get the two children up to the top of the island. It starts off simple but gets more complicated as the levels progress but never becoming too frustrating. The narrative is engaging even with the lack of dialogue and at only 3 or so hours long it didn't wear out its welcome.
01-04-19, 05:30 PM
#43
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
3. Marvel's Spider-Man (PS4)
I've never really been a fan of any Spider-Man games previously even the ones like 2 that everyone really liked (Ultimate Spider-Man is probably the one I played the most). I liked the character in general but the swinging never felt good to me. So I wasn't planning on picking this up even though I like Insomniac but the previews were so positive I ended up preordering it and I'm glad I did. Insomniac nailed the swinging in this game and since you will be doing that for the majority of the game that was a big thing. The combat is fun (similar to the Arkham games), the storyline is engaging and the characters are well written and interesting (they did an especially good job with the MJ character). For all the complaints about the default white spider costume that ended up being my favorite and the one I stuck with the most although the variety of costumes they have in this game is impressive. It's an open world game done right where it's bright and colorful and is just fun to play which is what I want in a 20-30 hour open world game.
I've never really been a fan of any Spider-Man games previously even the ones like 2 that everyone really liked (Ultimate Spider-Man is probably the one I played the most). I liked the character in general but the swinging never felt good to me. So I wasn't planning on picking this up even though I like Insomniac but the previews were so positive I ended up preordering it and I'm glad I did. Insomniac nailed the swinging in this game and since you will be doing that for the majority of the game that was a big thing. The combat is fun (similar to the Arkham games), the storyline is engaging and the characters are well written and interesting (they did an especially good job with the MJ character). For all the complaints about the default white spider costume that ended up being my favorite and the one I stuck with the most although the variety of costumes they have in this game is impressive. It's an open world game done right where it's bright and colorful and is just fun to play which is what I want in a 20-30 hour open world game.
01-05-19, 04:08 PM
#44
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
2. Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4)
I was heavily anticipating this game since I loved the first Ni No Kuni and it didn't disappoint. I was addicted to the kingdom building aspect of the game it reminded me a lot of Suikoden where you recruit people on your travels to go work in your kingdom. You build out your kingdom and level up your residents and buildings allowing you to get better spells, items, and money. The residents also give you side quests to do at certain points. I spent so much time maxing out the kingdom stuff and never got bored of it. But my favorite part was the plot and characters. The storyline is one of the most engaging I've ever played in a JRPG with lots of twists and a great opening. The cast of characters you play as and the villains you face all have unique and believable motivations unlike the typical black and white bad guys you usually get in games of this genre and the voice acting is top notch. One of the major complaints I've seen leveled at this game is the lack of difficulty and while I didn't find it hard at any point I still died probably 50 or so times unlike the other two major JRPG's I played Octopath Traveller and DQXI where I don't think I died more than once in either of them except for postgame optional stuff. My only complaint is the skirmishes (where you fight military style battles in the overworld) which I never really got good at but the majority of them are optional and not connected to the story.
I was heavily anticipating this game since I loved the first Ni No Kuni and it didn't disappoint. I was addicted to the kingdom building aspect of the game it reminded me a lot of Suikoden where you recruit people on your travels to go work in your kingdom. You build out your kingdom and level up your residents and buildings allowing you to get better spells, items, and money. The residents also give you side quests to do at certain points. I spent so much time maxing out the kingdom stuff and never got bored of it. But my favorite part was the plot and characters. The storyline is one of the most engaging I've ever played in a JRPG with lots of twists and a great opening. The cast of characters you play as and the villains you face all have unique and believable motivations unlike the typical black and white bad guys you usually get in games of this genre and the voice acting is top notch. One of the major complaints I've seen leveled at this game is the lack of difficulty and while I didn't find it hard at any point I still died probably 50 or so times unlike the other two major JRPG's I played Octopath Traveller and DQXI where I don't think I died more than once in either of them except for postgame optional stuff. My only complaint is the skirmishes (where you fight military style battles in the overworld) which I never really got good at but the majority of them are optional and not connected to the story.
01-05-19, 08:07 PM
#45
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01-06-19, 04:49 PM
#47
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Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
1. God of War (PS4)
I never in a million years would have expected a God of War game to be my game of the year even though I've enjoyed the previous games in the series. The changes they made to what has become a pretty by the numbers franchise is remarkable. The game looks and sounds amazing. The combat feels extremely smooth (the feel when the axe returns to you after being thrown is so satisfying) and the loot/armor system adds depth. But the real surprise was how good the story is. The move from Greek mythology to Norse really allowed the creators to make this version feel fresh and original. The journey of Kratos and Atreus was far more interesting than anything in the franchise previously and I loved being able to spec Atreus to my playstyle. I can't recommend this game enough for people who love a good action game and a good story even if you've never played any of the franchise previously.
I never in a million years would have expected a God of War game to be my game of the year even though I've enjoyed the previous games in the series. The changes they made to what has become a pretty by the numbers franchise is remarkable. The game looks and sounds amazing. The combat feels extremely smooth (the feel when the axe returns to you after being thrown is so satisfying) and the loot/armor system adds depth. But the real surprise was how good the story is. The move from Greek mythology to Norse really allowed the creators to make this version feel fresh and original. The journey of Kratos and Atreus was far more interesting than anything in the franchise previously and I loved being able to spec Atreus to my playstyle. I can't recommend this game enough for people who love a good action game and a good story even if you've never played any of the franchise previously.
01-06-19, 05:54 PM
#48
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
Great thread again Questyen!
I agree with your number 1 as I loved the God of War series since the beginning but the evolution to this version was breathtaking. I was starting to get tired of Kratos by GoW III but the plot and addition of Atreus made me care for him again. I finished the main game but I still need to finish this 100%
I agree with your number 1 as I loved the God of War series since the beginning but the evolution to this version was breathtaking. I was starting to get tired of Kratos by GoW III but the plot and addition of Atreus made me care for him again. I finished the main game but I still need to finish this 100%
01-06-19, 06:16 PM
#49
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: The Questyen's Favorite Games of 2018
Great list and fun Thread again! PS4 exclusives for the top 3!