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Last Active 04-16-20 5:00 pm
Joined 02-24-16

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 Lists
05.30.23 howdy yall ♦10.22.22 any other posers in the chat ♦
10.13.20 Rest in Peace, Timo Ketola02.14.19 The Legend of Zelda Ranked
01.21.19 cute slice of life/romcom anime12.10.18 Best Games of 2018 ♦
10.03.18 rock in opposition!!! ♦08.21.18 indie games
08.08.18 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct 8.8.206.11.18 E3 2018 ♦
04.26.18 art from artist03.09.18 Nintendo Direct 3.8.2018
03.08.18 The Legend of Borp02.03.18 self-congratulatory 2k comments list
11.30.17 Top 7 My Little Pony presentations10.08.17 crypto does a SPICY competition
09.06.17 big worderinos09.02.17 r/RoastMe
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Best Games of 2018

I know this is a music site but I sware'th unto Dog I've never seen a year end list that isn't "Top Ten Albums You Will See On The Next Top Ten List" or "Best Records of 20XX that aren't actually as good as I say they are but I think they are this good because you haven't heard them yet" so here's a compilation of some of my favourite games of 2018 in no particular order unless otherwise stated. Post your favs below if you want to and I'll update the list and mention your reasoning should you give any! Also feel free to tell me it'd be in good sense to wait til 2019 to post this list given games take more time to punch through than albums because I am refusing to take that into consideration until my inevitable comeuppance. I've likely covered a few of these titles in my indie games list but they are good so stop complaining dad.
1Gorgoroth
Twilight of the Idols

Gorogoa

Easily my favourite puzzler of 2018, and one of my favourite puzzle games period. I didn't really give it any time in my indie games list because I stand by it being something you should buy before taking the time to consider buying it. It is absolutely gorgeous. While a game consisting entirely of visual puzzles might feel like pure gimmickry, I never felt like I was taking it in the rear by a big braned nefarious dev team looking to spite the easily susceptible (cough cough the witness cough). Game sounds good, looks good, plays good, tells an interesting story, and if you are as big a Shaun Tan fan as I am you absolutely owe it to yourself to play this game.
2KEN Mode
Loved

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

It should come as no surprise Ultimate has already established itself as one of my favourite games of the year. I have a lot of issues with it. The buffer system, while interesting conceptually, feels half-assed and causes a lot of really, REALLY ignorant shit to happen. The elite mode in online play is borderline useless as it's essentially just standard quick play but with players who aren't always incompetent. The solo campaign is a glorified version of that Smash 4 board game that no one played. And yet, all things considered, this is chalking up to be the best Smash game ever made. I'm a die hard smelly Melee man but damn me to hell if this isn't a contender for the most rewarding combat system Nintendo has ever made. Bless.

"Ultimate sucks ass."
3Chthe'ilist
Le Dernier Crépuscule

Cultist Simulator

I didn't mention this on my indie list as I hadn't played it when that list dropped so fuck you here it is. I generally hate card games as I rarely get invested enough to ride that 65% win rate curve that all you Hearthstone nerds spout as indicative of skill because I've got the patience of fuck all. That being said, I do like some compelling, immersive story telling and somehow a game that ostensibly boils down to throwing paper on a table and reading shit might be the most intriguing narrative experience I've had all year. There are numerous characters with numerous stats and abilities, numerous narratives to experience that the game cleverly weaves between failures and successes, some pretty stunning visual design, and a learning curve that seems steep at first but becomes forgiving to those who pay attention and challenging for those who want it to be. It is very good and very unlike any card game I've played. Almost feels like a pseudo-RTS against yourself.
4Sophie
Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides

SoulCalibur 6

This game rules. I think the SC series' fundamental mechanics are naturally conducive to the game suffering over long periods of time in a competitive environment but if any SC game were to make a long term imprint, this'd be the one. Some of the mechanics feel a little whack (not naming any names!!!) and the comeback potential feels a little too excessive when you've got both a meter special (many of which move at light speed) and a meter super saiyan mode that can both be accessed at once if you play cautiously. That being said, the game feels pretty well polished in its current state. The customisation options aren't really a step up from the previous game but they are still top of the line for fighters. Every single character feels absolutely incredible to play and the movement options are both insanely fast and very precise, allowing for some ridiculous moments that you just won't find in any other game on the market. A perfect entry for 3D fighter newcomers.
5No Balls
Come Clean

Dragon Ball Fighter Z

And of course, the perfect entry for 2D fighter newcomers. I don't think it has nearly a strong enough emphasis on footsies to carry new players into general fighting game proficiency but as far as mixups, advantage states, team play, character tropes, and positioning is concerned, this is still a fantastic entry in the fighting game canon. Visually stunning. Gameplay is tight as a spanking new anal( )o(r)gy, and there's care placed in making the game as accessible on every level as one could possibly try. It has a feature complete training mode, a story mode that's strong enough to mean something, and a metric shit tonne of additional collectables for people who do that collecting stuff. I haven't gotten too much mileage out of it, but the time I have spent with it has been an absolute blast.
6Pacific Rat Temple Band
Wave Rave Pt 1 - Skelesand Extra-Earth Morph

Into The Breach

I don't really like games like Into The Breach. Or Faster Than Light. But I like Into The Breach and I like Faster Than Light so either I'm a big dumb or this dev team knows what they are doing. The fact it's written by Chris Avellone probably helps. Essentially, it is micro chess with robots and guns. Boards are tight and compact but never feel particularly bottlenecking. There's a heavier reliance on clever positioning than timing and brute force, and I feel it takes what makes games like Fire Emblem compelling (barring Waifu Simulator 6.9) and removes any redundancies. I likely won't be playing anything released in the same vein as Into The Breach that isn't Into The Breach until we get another Into The Breach. Try it maybe.
7The Notorious B.I.G.
Rap Phenomenon

Call of Duty: Black Ops III

I'm not a huge Call of Duty fan these days. The last time I bought a Call of Duty would have been a preowned copy of that one where they made sniper scopes look dumb and the last one I played would have been the previous Black Ops game. I haven't really found much intrigue in the campaigns since the first two Modern Warfare titles so I generally use the series as some dumb multiplayer fun. BO3 being purely multiplayer thus doesn't really surprise me at all as I feel many people share my sentiment. And, well, it's pretty good. It isn't outstanding but the game has that Call of Duty polish that means at its best you'll be blasting away with meaty weapons at meaty humans and/or zombies and at its worst someone will be heckling at your mom while doing so. It is another CoD game. You either love it or you are indifferent to it or somewhere in-between. Yep.

EDIT: Some absolute dilweed just informed me it is actually Black Ops 4. There was a 3??????
8Hillsong United
Live In Miami

Red Dead Redemption 2

I'll admit I haven't really played all too much of this game. I also never played the first one. A couple dozen hours in though, it isn't all that difficult to see why this game is rubbing so many players [I]sooooo guuuuud[/I]. Rockstar have an attention to detail that practically no one else has, and while I could never say this game is for me, I don't think it is entirely wrong to say everyone will have a good time to some extent with this game. For me, it's the cinema-grade quality to the narrative beats. Treating this game like a movie has been an absolute blast, and I have little doubt this game will be used as a benchmark for narrative quality in open world experiences for years to come.
9Bagman
Welcome To My Fucking Misery

Return of the Obra Dinn

Ok ok ok so I have been excited for this game for WAY too long and it kinda low key busts all kinds of nut. If Gorogoa wasn't such a perfect slice of pure puzzling, this'd likely be my favourite puzzle-ish game of the year but I'm more than content with going with "the best detective game I've likely ever played". Lucas Pope might be the best one man band game development team on the planet with his current streak; every single one of his last few games has been an absolute marvel to behold (48 hour competition games included). Where Papers, Please placed you in a fairly uncomfortable position of power dictated but a fairly uncaring system, Return of the Obra Dinn strips you of any knowledge and causes you to retroactively solve seemingly impossible scenarios time after time, and reward the hell out of your dumb ass when everything clicks once again. Idiots like me need something real damn compelling to get us through detective shticks and this game is it.
10The Newfound Interest in Connecticut
Tell Me About the Long Dark Path Home

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

This game is kinda a chore. A lot of people seem to be praising it as some form of epitome of the learning experience; you start weak and become strong or some bogus. It is true that come the mid point of the game you won't be feeling entirely useless in combat but honestly this combat system is not why one should play this game. As far as immersive story telling is concerned, this might be the closest to a real life fantasy one could experience in a game. Bohemia feels about as fully realised as is currently possible, and then some. It is supposedly historically accurate for the most part, and while I couldn't even try to verify this, I'm willing to believe it because it FEELS real. If you are willing to wade through the mud, there are some pure diamonds to be found in here.
11Blue Man Group
The Complex

Super Mario Party

I don't own this game but I've played enough of it with friends to know that you seriously can't go wrong with Mario Party. I'm a staunch (see: STAUNCH) proponent of Mario Party 4 supremacy but I can't deny just how much dumb fun is to be had when you've got a few grown adults partaking in the hazing ritual of a 3v1 in Mario Party. The Switch-based gimmicks are actually pretty damn solid, making the most of the JoyCons and often times the console's portable nature itself in some really creative ways. It isn't going to appear at any awards ceremonies any time soon but I have no doubt this game will never not be a fun time.
12Wormed
Exodromos

There are more than a few big titles I haven't gotten round to playing yet, and more than a fuck load of small titles that I'm pining after some playtime with so, as mentioned before, lemme know what games you "list is" jammed this year and why, and I'll add them up next. It's bee a nice year on this site and I hope you all enjoy your holidays unless you've got some excuse to not enjoy them that'll no doubt sour the mood at any given public function, to which I say more power to you Rowan. ily all
13Skillet
Awake (Deluxe Edition)

Gwent [Gyro]
14The Hallowed Catharsis
Solar Cremation

Monster Hunter: World [Dewinged]
15Kawaii Guts
Teach Children to Worship Azathoth

Celeste [Gyro, #metoo]

I didn't want to cover ground already covered in my indie games list (even though I kinda sorta did a few times) but yea, this was the best platformer of 2018.
16Kronos
The Hellenic Terror

God of War [Sinternet]
17Madvillain
Madvillainy

Diablo II (hm) [Budgie]

Can admit to putting 50 hours into Diablo /III/ for Switch on launch weekend and definitely not regretting it.
18Datacode
_error​.​0x17

Crosscode [Friv]

"Everything about Crosscode felt so fucking good - the action, the writing, the puzzles, the music, the characters - that I can't really pick anything else"
19Foxwarren
Foxwarren

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire [Zakalwe]

I concur
20Misthyrming
Söngvar elds og óreiðu

Dark Souls Remastered [Dewinged]
21Chon
Demo 2008

Spyro Reignited Trilogy [polyrhythm]

"Spyro Reignited is an absolute joy"
22Shiina Ringo
Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana

Shenmue I + II Remasters [Zig]

"Those games are legendary, and the hd remaster is very good."
23Chadrock Chin
Senpuu (Whirlwind).

Hollow Knight [DungeonBoy]

"Hollow Knight is the best game I've played since Super Metroid on SNES."

Game technically came out last year but the console port was this year and yea, it might be one of the best games ever made.
24Cock and Ball Torture / Libido Airbag
Zoophilia / Rosebud Rhapsody

Spider-Man [theNateman]

"Dude Spider-Man and Horizon Zero Dawn need to be on this list. Two of the best games I've ever played.



Also play DeltaRune."
25Earl Sweatshirt
EARL

DeltaRune [theNateman]
26Perturbator
New Model

The Messenger [Chortles]
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