Have We Played the 2019 Game of the Year Already?
At this point in both 2017 and 2018 we already had our hands on the Game of the Year. As we approach the midway point of 2019 we decided to revisit some of the top games so far this year and see if we have such a contender in the first half of 2019. Ready? Let’s go.
Right off the bat in January we were blessed with probably the two biggest games of the year, releasing only four days apart. Resident Evil 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3 both came in with solid reviews, but it would be Resident Evil 2 that really won everyone over. This remake did everything right. It was true enough to the source to keep fans of the original entrenched, while earning new fans at the same time. The debate still exists between fans of RE 4, 7 and now 2 over which entry is the best Resident Evil Game. For a franchise that had suffered pretty mightily since Resident 4 released three generations ago, it’s great to see them right that ship.
Kingdom Hearts 3 did enough right to keep the fan base happy and wanting more. Unlike Resident Evil, this series hasn’t seen a proper release since the PS2 era – so there was a lot riding on this game. Though not perfect, it seemed to be just what the fans were waiting for. Kingdom Hearts is a hard series to just jump into at the third installment. But with the Final Fantasy and Disney love spread throughout the convoluted story, it’s not impossible for you to have fun without knowing exactly what’s going on.
February had three big releases: Crackdown 3, Anthem and Metro Exodus. While two of the three would go on to be critical failures, Metro Exodus became the pinnacle of the franchise and one of the best games not only this year, but this generation. You can check out our review here. Fans of both Crackdown 3 and Anthem really enjoy both of those games. I myself had a blast with Crackdown 3, but it’s safe to say that neither will be in the conversation at the end of the year when GOTYs are decided.
March birthed two heavy hitters in the Game of the Year conversation. First came the wildly fun over the top action wet dream – Devil May Cry 5. When fans found out at E3 that they’d be pulling the devil trigger again it seemed too good to be true, but this game delivered in every way. Not just one of the best action games of the year, but of all time. A couple weeks later saw the release of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Anytime that From Software releases anything it becomes an event and Sekiro was no exception. Though not for the faint of heart, the game is a little more forgiving than some of their previous titles, but just a little bit. Expect to hear both of these titles mentioned at year’s end as major contenders.
April came and went and with it so did Days Gone. The big Sony first person title developed by Bend. There was so much hype around this game, yet the way it was marketed just gave you a bad feeling about the final product. Though a fine game, and one that will only get better through patches, it unfortunately failed to wow people in any way and pretty much makes it DOA in regard to receiving any sort of Game of the Year contention.
The last big game so far this year is a big one – Mortal Kombat 11. NeatherRealm has become the standard with regard to fighting games. Since Injustice they have just been releasing hit after hit and Mortal Kombat 11 is their best work to date. Not only is it bloody disgusting, the way an MK game should be, it has an incredible campaign that is way better than it has to be, especially considering it’s attached to a fighting game. I hope the genre as a whole takes notice, and we see more solo campaigns like this in the future.
So those are some of the bigger hits of the year so far. Unlike the Oscars we tend to get GOTY contenders early in the year. Will this year be the same? Only time will tell, but it definitely feels like a couple of these games will be on the short list come December.
