The Questyen

Another year of gaming completed. I actually ended up playing less games than last year due to selling our old house and moving into a new one which kept me busy for a lot of November and early December. I also played through a bunch of 50+ hours games this year and a couple that I almost hit 100 hours with. But still another great year for videogames. Here's the link to my lists from the previous years:

Here's a link to my 2017 thread
Here's a link to my 2016 thread
Here's a link to my 2015 thread


I don't include ports or remasters in my numbered list so I'll mention some here that I loved this year:

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Switch) I played through this on the Wii U and now again on the Switch and I loved it just as much a second time. This would end up in my top fifty games of all time most certainly. Highly recommended.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (Switch) Another Wii U to Switch port and if you're a Legend of Zelda fan this is a must play. I'm not a Dynasty Warriors fan but this game is packed with so much Zelda goodness I can get over some of the repetitiveness of the combat/gameplay. I played through the 25-30 hour story mode and there is still tons of content in this game that I never got around to.

Gorogoa (PS4) I played the demo of this on mobile a couple years ago when it came out and enjoyed it and it got ported over to the consoles this year. It's a really striking looking puzzle game and works your brain differently than any other puzzle game I've ever played. It's only a couple hours long but highly rewarding.

mattysemo247

Looking forward to your list

Speaking of remasters, did you not play through Shadow of the Colossus?

The Questyen

I've now bought and played Shadow of the Colossus on 3 systems because I feel that it's the type of game that I should love and I very strongly dislike it. I had high hopes for the PS4 version to give it one more chance but I still don't like it.

The Questyen

20. Overcooked 2 (PS4) (listing the system I played it on)



Overcooked is the only game my wife and I play together and the only multiplayer game I play period. The sequel feels tighter and throws in a bunch more recipes and some new game mechanics to keep it from feeling too similar to the original game. It's a great feeling when you're playing a level and thinking you'll never beat it and then you both get in the flow and 3 star it easily. My only negatives are the massive difficulty spike in the first DLC (we 3 starred everything in the main game yet got frustrated easily and quit playing after the first couple levels of the DLC) and the downgrade in quality in the plot/story scenes. There was some cute stuff in the original with some genuinely funny dialogue in between levels but it's almost like they didn't try with this one.

The Questyen

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.

Dan

I always appreciate these threads of yours. Glad to see you're doing it again, and I'm excited to see what else has made the cut.

I downloaded The Gardens Between on a whim just this month and couldn't have been happier with it. A fun little puzzle game that gives you just enough levels overall to make it enjoyable without ever feeling like it's beating a dead horse (in this case: its mechanics) so it never feels like it's too long or too unfair.

Michael Corvin

I always seek out a few games from your lists Questyen, so I appreciate you doing them. Hellblade was one of my favorite games I played this year, which I got from your list last year.

Deftones

While I hardly ever play any of these games, as always, I appreciate these threads.

The Questyen

18. Kirby Star Allies (Switch)



Kirby isn't one of my favorite Nintendo franchises (I'd consider Kirby's Epic Yarn the only game in the series I've loved) but I find most of them enjoyable enough. Kirby Star Allies amps up the core Kirby sucking up enemies gameplay loop with a total of 4 characters on screen that you switch between (or be controlled by actual people if you have friends/family). Their are new friends/enemies you can befriend and have join you throughout the levels to take advantage of their powers to solve puzzles and unlock secret areas. The game looks fantastic and gets quite chaotic when all 4 characters are jumping around shooting or using their abilities. Like most Kirby games just getting through the main story is on the easy side but it's filled with extra modes for people who want a challenge and Nintendo has been doing free updates for over 6 months adding new characters (from throughout the series history) and modes pretty regularly. I've seen alot of reviews mentioning it's preferred to play with 4 people but I played solo and had a lot of fun with it.

OldBoy

I know almost none of the games ever mention, but gdamn if Quest doesn’t sell a good game I may never even heard of, let alone check into and possibly buy. Nor could I ever imagine playing more than 3 games per year. Yeah, I have backlog dating back to GameCube

The Questyen

17. Deltarune (PC)



I loved Undertale back when it came out but had heard nothing about a followup and then this "sequel" was stealth released for free a few months ago. While not a sequel according to the creator it definitely feels like a new Undertale game with some more fleshed out puzzles to solve and new characters (although some returning ones also). The character designs are weird in the right ways and the colors used in the world help add some pop to it's otherwise basic Earthbound-like artstyle. One of my favorite aspects of the original is the ability to make it through the game without violence (a pacifist run) and using your smarts and kindness to win JRPG style battles and that same system is available here. I might have placed this game higher but it's really just a 3 or so hours long teaser (chapter 1) for the full game which according to the creator is years off but for free I highly recommend it. It's also a standalone story and not necessary for you to have played Undertale to enjoy it.

fumanstan

I keep forgetting to play Deltarune after loving Undertale. One day i'll get around to it.

The Questyen

16. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit (PS4)



The second free game in my list Captain Spirit is made by the Life is Strange team and is in the same universe. Dontnod had a busy year with the release of Captain Spirit, Vampyr, and then the first chapter of Life is Strange 2. Captain Spirit plays pretty similar to the Life is Strange games with the focus on dialogue choices but this ones adds in more quests and light puzzles and feels more like an old school adventure game than the previous titles. The music is great and even though it feels more like a "bottle episode" than their other games it held my attention throughout and is a must play for fans of their previous titles.

The Questyen

15. A Case of Distrust (Switch)



I can safely say A Case of Distrust is the best noir detective game on the Switch. You play as a down on her luck ex-cop and current PI trying to solve a case. The writing is great, the characters are engaging and it has a look that fits perfectly. You scour for clues at locations, interview suspects, and have deep conversations with taxi drivers in between. It's only a couple hours long but is a ton of fun and I had a couple moments which really worked my brain trying to connect the dots.

The Questyen

14. Florence (Mobile)



I almost never play mobile games and when I do it's because they end up on someone I likes best games of the year list. Florence is that title this year and while it is the definition of a game that is not for everyone if you like slice of life games this one is great. It's a short story about relationships from the creator of Monument Valley. The gameplay revolves around very light WarioWare minigame-esque activities to move you through the story. It has a charming colorful artstyle, great writing and you can play through it in one sitting.

The Questyen

13. Tetris Effect (PS4)



I had thought I was done with Tetris but after hearing the creator of Rez was going to be putting his spin on Tetris I knew I would be checking it out and it doesn't disappoint. I never thought I would call a Tetris game beautiful but Tetris Effect fits that bill. It goes from relaxing to panic quickly and the music is a key part of the experience (best played with headphones). The game is packed with content. Besides a "story" mode to play through, there are tons of different modes, challenges to unlock, and a leveling system. I'm not the greatest Tetris player but everytime I turn it on I get pulled in and have a hard time turning it off. If you have even the slightest appreciation for Tetris this is a must play.

ultimaton

I got this one for my wife for Christmas, and we just got a chance to try it out tonight -- that was three hours ago and it's 2 in the morning and she's still playing. So it's definitely a winner in her book.

spainlinx0

Arstechnica wrote up that Tetris game, and says playing it in VR was like a religious experience.

The Questyen

12. Donut County (PS4)



I loved the first couple Katamari games and Donut County gave me the same vibe as those titles. The core gameplay is you moving around a hole and trying to get stuff to fall it in all the while the hole grows the more you collect. It stays pretty simple throughout although it does add new mechanics and wrinkles as you progress but just like the Katamari titles it oozes charm. From the art style to the goofy humor the story gets wackier as it goes and is short enough that it doesn't wear out its welcome.

The Questyen

11. Vampyr (PS4)



When I played Vampyr at launch it had some issues that popped up in most of the reviews I read (bland combat, no fast travel, technical issues) and while all 3 of those thing annoyed me at times during my 30 or so hours with the game (although some of these issues it looks like were fixed with updates in the time since) I was able to overlook them. Vampyr sucks you in with a well written story with actual interesting characters and locations. I had originally planned to play good and not kill anybody but some of these people were so scummy I couldn't help it. Like most Dontnod games they are experts of dialogue and choice and the consequences of your actions in this game are stronger than most rpgs I've played.

Decker

I keep eyeing Donut Country when it goes on sale. I will pick it up after your recommendation. I so loved Katamari back in the day. Thanks Q!

brainee

I'm glad to see you liked this. It sounded really good in principle, and I loved Vampire: Bloodlines ... but early feedback was disappointing. I had too many unplayed purchased games to justify getting this in 2018 (especially when problems sounded like the sort of things that could be fixed by patches). But maybe in 2019 when it hits a really good price point (like under $20, which I think will happen).

The Questyen

10. Quarantine Circular (PC)



Last year I had a game on my list called Subsurface Circular by the creator of Thomas Was Alone and this year he released a sequel on PC and Switch. They are both short 2-3 hour text adventure style games. There is no player movement you are just making dialogue choices. Quarantine Circular starts off with you being the first human to make contact with an alien. Throughout the game you switch to playing different characters and the conversations quickly get more heady with discussions about humanity and you are forced to make increasingly tough decisions. Both these titles have some of the best writing in games and Bithell is a master at videogame dialogue. These games are not for everyone but for people who like a good story I highly recommend both titles which are now on PC and Switch.

The Questyen

9. Detroit: Become Human (PS4)



I really enjoyed David Cage's last two games (Heavy Rain & Beyond Two Souls) so I was intrigued to see what he could do with a better engine for his first PS4 title. Detroit plays similar to his last two titles or similar to Until Dawn for people who have played that game although what stands out with Detroit is the massive number of choices you can make and at the end of each section it shows you a flow chart of where your choices split off in different directions. This is easily the most polished of any of Cage's previous titles besides it looking fantastic it controls well and I didn't have any technical issues. You switch off between multiple characters and they're all well thought out with distinct personalities and storylines. The story about androids just trying to survive and not be slaves is not new but I was quickly invested in it and it wrapped up nicely.

Dan

I'll probably grab Vampyr and Detroit when they're $20 or less.
Looking forward to the rest of your list.