Welcome to the my personal list of games I enjoyed this year. That’s right it’s my list, feel free to disagree with me but it won’t change anything.
Anyway here are the rules;

1. These are games that I’ve played and reviewed this year.
2. The only order to this list is the order in which I reviewed them, its not a top 10, these all feature because of how good I consider them to be.
3. The games don’t have to have been released this year.

With that all said, lets get into it.

Ori and the Blind Forest

Ori and the Blind Forest is a stunning looking game but beyond that also provides a challenging experience. There wasn’t a moment in this game that I wasn’t thoroughly enjoying myself and so it deserves to be in my list.

Darkest Dungeon

I was so sure I’d hate this game, all the media I’d seen about it had told me it would annoy and frustrate me. So imagine my surprise that not only did I not hate it but instead loved it! It’s got tactical combat, a bit of light city building and resource management… All things I love. Throw on top a dark and dreary story filled with eldritch horror and it had me hooked.

Doom Eternal

The sequel to 2016’s Doom this game had big shoes to fill. One could argue that it failed to do that, but that was always a going to be an incredibly hard goal to attain. What Doom Eternal did do was come at the right time for me, after being stuck indoors for most of a year it was exactly what I needed to vent out a bit of pent up anger and it did so with great efficacy.

Spiritfarer

Oh, this game… I loved this game. It made me cry several times not always from the feeling of loss but also the joy it inspired. I’m also impressed with how the developers have continued to support the game by introducing new characters (though they have now stopped doing so and, fittingly, they have said goodbye).

Chicory: A Colourful Tale

This is a game I backed on Kickstarter on a whim, and I’m so glad I did so! While the game does touch on several delicate subjects I found that it was incredibly positive in the message it was trying to deliver.

Titanfall 2

One of my friends badgered me into playing this game, right up to the point of buying it me because he knew I’d eventually get around to it. Well, I’m glad he did. This game was far better than it had any right to be and while the campaign may be short it definitely makes an great impression.

Metro Exodus

I’ve been a fan of the Metro series for as long as it has existed (as a game) but I worried how they were going to continue the series or even if the series would continue at all. Now having played this game I actually don’t want another. This game ends it all perfectly… Also it finally made me pick up the books the games are based off of.

Loop Hero

Loop Hero was unexpected, I’d heard about it a little from various podcasts but none had really gone into detail as to what Loop Hero ‘was’. Having played and completed it, I totally understand why, there’s really nothing like it, or at least there wasn’t. A unique concept well executed.

Dying Light: Enhanced Edition

When I picked up Dying Light I thought I was going to see nothing more than a rehash of Dead Island. In a way I was right, but I was also very wrong, when comparing the two Dead Island feels unfinished and lacking polish. The combat is frantic and gory and the scenery… Well its just stunning.

Griftlands

I’ve played a lot of deckbuilding games in my life, both virtually and physically. I’d like to think that it’s made me something of an expert on them, though perhaps that’s a bit arrogant. Griftlands is unlike any deckbuilding game I’ve seen before actually I can think of one game that has mechanics as in depth as this (even though its not strictly speaking a deck builder) and that’s Magic the Gathering. Then this game has not just one great story to tell but four!

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Normally I have little trouble working out which games will make my list, the games just… stand out to me. This year, however, I’ve had a much harder time of it. I’ve played some truly high quality games this year and I can’t wait to see what next year brings! That being said…
Last year I pointed out that there had been a lot of disturbing news coming from the likes of Activision, Ubisoft, CD Project Red and Rockstar. I had hoped they’d buck their ideas up but it seems that they just want to double down on the awfulness that they perpetrated and continue to do so. Thankfully there is a little bit of light in this dark time in the industry, it seems that there is some groundswell and that something like the start of a union is starting to form. I truly hope that this comes to pass, at this point collective bargaining is the only way things are going to change.
I wish I had more presence online just so I could perhaps raise awareness about issues like that. Perhaps that’s what I’ll work on as a project next.

Anyway, that’s enough for this year, I hope you all have a great time and stay safe!