Welcome back to part two of my 2018 Game of the Year countdown. In this section I will be running down game 8 – 5 on my list. If you want to see what placed 9 – 10 and got an honourable mention check out part one here. Now on to the list!
A Way Out completely caught me off guard when it released back in March. I very rarely entertain a co-op or online games but the strong narrative peaked my interest and so I decided to play through it couch co-op with my better half. The way the game makes you work as a team is a real credit to the design and it is absolutely the best co-op experience I have ever had. My full review for this game can be found here.
I have always been a fan of David Cage and his style of gaming. A strong narrative to me is as important as gameplay and this delivers strongly on story. You follow the lives of three androids; Kara, Markus and Connor. It’s a time where the android community is on the brink of rising up against
oppression and tackles some hard hitting issues. It’s not for everyone and if you didn’t like Heavy Rain or Beyond Two Souls this is unlikely to change your mind on the unique brand of game that Quantic Dream produces.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is an evolution of the much improved AC formula we saw from Ubisoft last year with Origins. New to this particular game is dialogue options which aren’t as tacked on as they first seem. If you are not paying attention to the story and give an NPC the wrong answer it can lead to missions failing for example. Combat has been refined and while I don’t often like games taking a supernatural path, the gameplay loop of Assassin’s Creed in 2018 is so addictive that I am willing to overlook it. The amount of content in the game is off the charts as well. Easily 100+ hours for you to sink your teeth in to.
Two Point Hospital is the only non PS4 game to make the list, although I’m hoping we see it ported to the consoles in 2019. For those that aren’t aware this is the spiritual sequel to Bullfrog’s 1997 Theme Hospital and it may be the best example of a long awaited reboot hitting the mark that I have ever seen. The entire game is a love letter to the original with improvements in every department. It’s a game I have waited YEARS for and I can’t wipe the smile off my face any time I play. Developer Two Point Studios has been excellent in supporting the game post release as well. My full review for this game can be found here.
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That concludes part two of my 2018 Game of the Year countdown. Next up is the third and final part which will list my top four games. Let me know what you think of numbers five through eight in the comments below or on Twitter @PureDeadGaming.
-Craig ✌️
Review codes for some of the games listed were provided by the developer. This had no bearing on the placement of any game.