DJ’s Top Ten Favorite Games of 2019
For a supposedly weak year in video games, 2019 in hindsight has had a strong line-up on what is likely the eve of the new console generation. With tantalizing hints about both the next Playstation and X-Box beginning to drip out directly from the source, and the Switch hitting its third year in stride with the newest installments from some major, beloved series, not to mention VR continuing to slowly inch forward, it was a wide ocean of new games to cast a net into. The only real problem – if you could even call it that – was trying to figure out the bottom part of this list. While the top games for me are absolute locks, trying to figure out what stayed on the back part of this list and what couldn’t hang took a bit more thought. At this moment at least, these would be my top ten favorite games of 2019.
10. Sayonara Wild Hearts (Playstation 4/Switch/Apple Arcade/PC)
I’m not really a fan of EDM, and in all honesty, this game shouldn’t have resonated with me at all, yet here it is. A pretty simple but effective stylish game about a woman dealing with a relationship in a trippy, music infused trip where you fight masked bandits with lasers while riding on motorcycles and various other vehicles, narrated by a familiar voice, it’s just a cool, catchy song-filled journey. There’s a couple weird choices that I find puzzling, like how the main story campaign of the game is broken up into chapters – that part is fine, but it stops you after each portion and makes you select the next part instead of flowing from one into another. It seems unnecessarily jarring and kind of ruins the mood a little that I was getting into while playing. Still, it’s a fun, chill, and interesting game that conceptualizes just how someone might deal with a broken heart, turned into a musical adventure. Good enough to get to the bottom of the list.
9. Tetris 99 (Switch)
It’s become something of a joke to keep expecting yet another game to get turned into a battle royal version of itself – 100 Gray Wardens Jump off dragons into the Fade! 100 members of the yakuza get locked in the Millennium Tower! 100 Shadows get stuck in a human’s heart! And so on. Still, of all the cheeky and lame jokes thrown about, who knew that the one about 100 people playing Tetris would be the one that would be real. What’s more, who knew that it would in fact be excellent? After being treated to cool, stylized Tetris last year with Tetris Effect, now we get Tetris 99, which single handedly justified Nintendo’s on-line service with a shockingly tense multiplayer experience where you duke it out against 99 other people on-line. It’s the exact opposite of last year’s chill, relaxing puzzle game, since here you’d best make sure your Tetris skills are up to snuff, or else you will get stomped by the stone cold killers who populate this game’s servers. I am not a great Tetris player at all, but I loved the exhilaration from playing against everyone, and I even felt myself becoming better by necessity to even try and hang with the crowd. I will almost certainly never win more than the once I have, but it’s fine, I’ll take the one win and just keep playing while it’s fun. That’s now two great Tetris games two years in a row – ball’s in your court 2020.
8. Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch)
Super Mario Maker was a brilliant game where Nintendo gave players the reigns to create their own levels with their beloved mascot, and created an amazing, creative, and addictive storm of fervor on the lowly Wii U, being one of the only games to completely justify that second screen with an intuitive yet powerful creation tool. Mario Maker 2 is that again, except…a little less so. It’s still more Mario, and more Mario making, so in that end it’s still great. I still find a lot of joy in firing it up and doing just random levels and feel satisfied after a play session. I also appreciated the small sliver of a story they put into place for why Mario has to do all these levels and collect all these coins – it’s completely unnecessary fluff, but it’s still charming and welcome. Ultimately, the greatest flaw in Mario Maker 2 is that Mario Maker 1 existed and was pretty much the one and only time that the Wii U Gamepad proved itself to be a superior controller for use in level creation. The creation controls on the Switch aren’t bad at all, but it just feels less intuitive then the first game just by the nature of the systems they’re on. If you don’t have that hang up, then it’s not a problem at all, but I couldn’t help but keep thinking of it whenever I sat down to play this iteration of the game. Otherwise, the game itself still feels good, and if you just want Mario levels to play, then hey, here it is.
7. The Outer Wilds (Playstation 4/Xbox One/PC)
After how extremely disappointing and unforgivably buggy Fallout 4 was, it was nice to finally have “one of those” games on a current gen system that, while not particularly groundbreaking or impressive, is still worth playing and engrossing given the right circumstances. The Outer Wilds is not that game but is just a distressingly similarly named game that is nothing like it other then being set in space and a couple different letters in the title. You are a solo space explorer, ready to rocket off into the stars to explore the solar system seemingly for fun, but before long it becomes readily apparent that there is something much bigger then you out there that demands to be discovered and unveiled, ‘least you end up wandering the stars forever. It is extremely hard to explain why and how brilliant I think this game is without completely spoiling and ruining the surprises in store, so I’ll keep it brief. This game does have a story, and a beginning and an end, but it is entirely up to the player to find it and figure it out. Early on, as you wander around your home planet in preparation for your launch in a somewhat cozy looking rocket, you run into a strange artifact in the planetarium that gives the smallest hint that something is amiss, and from there, the game leaves you be. Getting to each planet in the system, meeting your fellow explorers, and finding the secrets contained around the various planets, asteroids, and ships floating about and seeing how it all comes together is the game. As a result, there are plenty of people who won’t find it worth it, and I get it. On the other hand, there are people who will devour this game and get upset with me for having this so low on the list, and I also get it.
The journey, the characters you meet, and ultimately, how the ending plays out is what eventually completely won me over as I looked at the game as a whole, but in a way, I feel like I’m in the same situation as Nier Automata a couple years ago – playing the game to its conclusion is what makes it meaningful, but having someone tell you what happens completely robs it of its impact and weight, even if just by a little bit. If you like the idea of exploring a small slice of space and are okay with it being just that with essentially zero conflict besides the narrative, then it’s well worth diving into. In a lonely galaxy where the vastness makes individuals feel like nothing, the smallest flicker of acceptance can be the biggest comfort.
6. Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch)
With the first game not aging great and Dark Moon overstaying its welcome far too long, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is easily the best of the series is just about every way possible. Looking great with the typical bright, sharp Nintendo style and playing intuitively in your hands, Green Mario’s third outing dealing with ghosts and various specters is just fun. While technically a hotel rather then a mansion, the splitting of varied and completely unlikely themes between the different floors of the building leads to an enjoyable adventure as Luigi tries to find his missing brother and friends. The multiplayer mode itself is kinda crummy, but the co-op with Gooigi is a pretty great experience, especially if you have a younger gamer playing alongside you. Even without that, Gooigi is genuinely helpful and not a huge pain to use, and honestly feels a little broken with how he can do more then Luigi, provided water is not involved. Boos fight are mostly fun and easy to figure out if not a little simple (besides the one at the end), and several are charming and fun in their gimmicks. Just the way the world reacts to the Poltergust G-00 from the drapes getting ripped off its pole or tablecloths swaying in the vacuum’s pull despite being weighed down by what’s on the tabletop is somewhat hypnotic to watch. It’s just a solid game and a great rebound after the disappointing Dark Moon, and continuing to see Nintendo games in HD is a delight, even two systems in.
5. Daemon X Machina (Switch)
Sometimes when you build one off these lists, you put in games that are just for you. Even if it’s specifically a list of your own personal favorite games, sometimes you feel bad about putting one on there that so few people will like, and honestly, could not possibly suggest to the vast majority of people out there. Daemon X Machina would be on of these. For anyone who misses the days of Armored Core 3 (specifically 3, others in the franchise are wildly different) this game is pretty much there for you. A third person action mech game, it’s set in a post-apocalyptic world and is unapologetically anime as hell, and doesn’t even pretend to be ashamed about it. The action is fast paced and challenging, and if you can’t get a handle on the flight and movement controls it might be a problem. It’s big on customization, as through the story you can take parts from any other mechs – Orbital Frames, as they’re known here – you’ve defeated and continue to upgrade and replace parts on not only your Orbital Frame, but also on your pilot themselves. Characters are pretty much just archetypes with amazing names, like my personal favorite “Guns Empress,” but a lot like the story, it honestly goes places after a while, and by the end it tells an interesting tale with a few twists, both obvious and surprising regarding certain characters and the narrative. You have to be a very specific type of gamer to play this game, but if it’s your cup of tea, it’s genuinely great. Add in some patches that actually address player issues the dev team actually listened to, and some goofy free DLC that lets you play as characters like Ciri and Geralt from The Witcher, and it’s sure to satisfy that mecha anime craving.
4. The Outer Worlds (Playstation 4/Xbox One/PC/Switch TBD)
So all that stuff I said about freedom of exploration and the journey to discover mysteries up there about the other game with an astonishingly similar name to this one? Yeah, that’s not The Outer Worlds. It is, however, a great comfort to anyone seeking out a Fallout 3/Skyrim style RPG that tells a compelling story in a competent game that doesn’t reach for anything great but does what it sets out to do very well. It’s far smaller in scope then those gigantic and let’s be honest, a little bloated Bethesda games, but as a result can tell a better story with a greater focus on what it’s trying to say. It’s certainly not at all subtle in what it’s proclaiming, but the amount of flexibility you have in creating your protagonist and the amount of charm and likeability that the potential party members ooze makes for a fun experience. You are absolutely on a fixed path, but there’s just enough choices that actually matter on that path that makes the game feel maybe more personal then it really is, and you’re never seemingly punished for playing a “wrong” build. The shorter length also makes it all that much more tempting to play again as a different character without committing another 100 hours to the game, which is the biggest problem from the games this takes inspiration from. Unfortunately, the biggest weakness of The Outer Worlds is that the seams on this manufactured world start to fray and fall apart a bit in the last third of the game, where it becomes clearly obvious they just ran out time and money to do much more with the last world, and you start to see the not-so-unique paths merge together a little too much. Still, the story wraps up logically and with some questions that deftly tie into something that had been slowly building since the beginning of the game, and ultimately, it’s a satisfying serving of comfort food. Kudos to Obsidian for making a game that doesn’t burst into flames and is stable, and I’m looking forward to the story DLC in the future. Sometimes a game doesn’t have to be pioneering or crossing uncharted territory, it just has to be good, and that’s enough to get it up here. That said, for another game like this, you can’t do it twice, so here’s hoping they’re a little bolder in their design choice and writing now that they’ve proven they can make a good one of these.
3. Control (Playstation 4/Xbox One/PC)
Control is a game I should really hate, what with its needlessly convoluted and obtuse story that is based on the success of other, similarly mysterious and obtuse narratives, that runs into the problem of it being obvious that it’s trying to copy those tales instead of being its own thing. Yet, I found myself interested despite itself, in no small part to having a weakness to goofy FMV sequences starring actual human beings and a legitimately strong performance from both the lead actress who portrays the competent and no nonsense Jesse Fadden and the actor playing the 100% self-aware and silly Dr. Darling. Just about most of the cast pulls in strong and memorable turns in their roles, which maybe helps soften the increasingly deranged blow of the story’s twists. Jesse, after arriving at what is essentially the government bureau in charge of supernatural events, finds herself not only suddenly the director of the whole organization, but having to deal with some sort of invasion at the headquarters, charmingly known as the Oldest House. What ultimately helped the game turn the corner for me and kept me from walking away are easily the powers that Jess slowly unlocks through the game, and frankly, they unlock a little too slowly. Shooting is…fine, but nothing compelling, but once you unlock throw and pour those points into your power meter, the exhilaration of picking up that nearby lamppost and chucking it at the group of baddies swarming are you is great, to the point when you can start mixing and matching those powers to further screw with the hapless enemies is what makes the game. Mind control a group of guards to form a distraction, while you pick up another one, turn him into a bomb, and throw him at his comrades in a satisfying explosion? Form a shield and use your once mediocre firearm to now just blast missiles out of midair before flinging everyone about the room? For the most part, combat encounters in the game are a joy, though yes, by the end it does turn into kind of a slog. Still, I even began to appreciate how silly the immersive sim-esque paperwork you find scattered around the Oldest House are, while at the same time getting more and more tired of the lore readings that are more serious. While I’m not 100% sold on this like seemingly a lot of the game’s defenders are, I still had heaps of fun throwing people around, and if the DLC lets me use one particularly great but criminally underused power more, I’m in.
2. Judgment (Playstation 4)
After having marathoned through the rest of the Yakuza games in the summer (3 – 6, for the record), you’d think I’d have needed a break from the series. Instead, not only did I go on to play this spin off game from the Ryu Ga Gotoku team, but I enjoyed it to the degree that it rocketed up this list and became a close second for my favorite game of the year. In Judgment, you don’t play as a member of the crime family like in the main series, but as ex ace attorney Takayuki “Tak” Yagami, who after a ridiculously and brutally tragic incident following his first win as a defense lawyer, has become a private investigator instead. Wallowing about taking random cases in the red-light district of Kamurocho, Tak finds himself embroiled in what ends up being a twisted, multi leveled tale of a serial murderer where there’s more than meets the eye. I can’t begin to stress how the main story of the game ends up being one of the best mysteries I’ve played in a game in maybe ever, with believable twists and turns that leads to a great conclusion for both the bigger picture and Tak’s own personal story. Much like previous games from the developer, as deadly serious the crime drama in the main story is, the side quests are just as goofy and charming as ever. Tak deals with a range of cases such as a gang of perverts running amuck in the city, an extremely visible ninja, or trying to get two socially inept workers at the same café to finally hook up. Some of the cases are, shall we say, a little tasteless, but overall despite those very few missteps, there’s a sense of knowing goofiness to the side cases where the characters who need to take it seriously do so, while others are incredulous at what is even happening. Combat is the smoothest its been in the series, and it works well enough to a satisfying degree, and as usual the heat moves are just as creative and brutal as ever. If you’re okay with the story telling style of Japanese crime dramas, I can’t recommend this game enough, maybe even as a one and done situation compared to playing through all of the Yakuza series. It’s great.
1. Fire Emblem Three Houses (Switch)
Ah, and here we are at number one. I knew that I would like Fire Emblem: Three Houses since I just like the series in general, but I was not prepared for just how Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo would absolutely knock it out of the park with this game. Visually it’s a little simplistic for even what the Switch is capable of, and it’s deceptively simple at first glance, but man, who knew that the writing and characterization would be what pushed this game from “I like it” to “One of my favorite games of all time” to me. Gameplay-wise, it’s a solid Tactics game, as expected, with all the bells and whistles added onto a new iteration of the series, and with the promise of the last game’s different paths finally used to its truest, full potential. Just the sheer amount of work that went into writing and creating all the different characters across Garreg Mach Monastery’s three classes and its staff is still surprising, especially for “an anime game.” Typically, these games will nail all the archetypes, give them a little bit of focus, and leave it at that. Three Houses’ most impressive feat is setting everyone one of these guys and gals with those archetypes and stereotypes, but then doing right by all of them. You understand why they are the way they are, see them grow and change as the game goes on, and ultimately end up genuinely liking and caring for all these losers. Everyone gets called out for their negative character traits rather then having it be shuffled off as a joke, and they struggle to deal with and overcome them. You get very different views of the characters depending on which path you choose, and it’s extremely compelling to go through and play again using the different paths just to see more of the story. Of course, that comes with the added bonus of having to slaughter your previous students after you’ve come to know and understand them in another life, and I won’t lie, it makes it hard to have to put them down because of that. As a result, the story itself also ends up being compelling, with the different factions being painted as actual groups, no one being the outright evil side despite what atrocities they end up committing. Everyone has their reasons for what they’re doing, and you honestly understand them. The game itself isn’t too difficult barring some occasional nail biting battles where everything gets cranked up to 11, the music is fitting and gorgeous, to the point where in the final battle for my first playthrough as the Black Eagles, hearing the various leitmotifs come up as the drama begins to swell and soar hit me right in the spot, and in the end, the game makes up for all its shortcomings by just coming together as a great, full package that left me satisfied. I can’t think of any other game I’d call my favorite game of 2019.