Cole Carver’s Game of the Year 2019
2019 has been a pretty great year for videogames. Whether you’re a fan of AAAs, Indies, or Mobile there was definitely something new and exciting released this year, and there were even some pretty great remasters. This list, however, is not a list of games that came out in 2019, but a top 10 list of games I played and loved in 2019.
MOBILE mention - dota underlords
Last year I came clean in confession that I actually like the concept of DotA, but have stayed true to never playing it. DotA Underlords takes some of my favorite things about DotA and sheds away some of my biggest problems. Underlords is a great strategy and deck building game that revolves around positioning units on chessboard while building alliances based upon the units purchased each round. Once you position the units on the board, you do none of the battling. Each unit has a determined set of rules to determine what they do in each battle. There’s great incentives for hoarding gold vs. spending it, picking and counter-picking Heroes and Alliances, and all the strategy of a “Wizard’s Chess” like game without the need for quick reactions and high APMs. It’s the brain-game of DotA, but without the technical skill floor that I will never breach. The skill of the game comes from understanding how each unit works, and what you can do to counter what other players have placed on their boards.
I love the art style, character designs, and the voice work that has gone into the characters that make each game feel unique. It really scratches my Trading Card Game itch that I wish Artifact had satisfied. It is also constantly receiving balance updates and reworks, and I feel like the development team is doing great work to try new things and keep the game viable. Plus, the mobile app is fantastic for playing, and the new Knockout Mode is a perfect 10 minute max game to play on my phone. There is no greater feeling than being on a 10-round losing streak, building up a 3-Star Unit or finishing that Alliance bonus, and watching it pull you out of the dirt and into a winning streak.
#10 - Crypt of the necrodancer: cadence of hyrule
Best soundtrack of the year – without a doubt. I wish Nintendo would make more partnerships with small indie groups to make weird experimental games, because this turned out to be one of the best surprises of the year. A successor to Crypt of the Necrodancer, Cadence of Hyrule takes everything wonderful about its predecessor (A bangin’ soundtrack, a fast rhythm based roguelike, a brilliant equipment/item system) and overlays a traditional top-down Legend of Zelda game on top of it – somehow!
Crypt of the Necrodancer was mostly a dungeon crawler, working your way through 4 levels of growing intensity and slowly unlocking new weapons, armors, and abilities to help you along your way. Cadence of Hyrule takes that idea, but introduces a Hyrule overworld, rife with classic Zelda enemies, Rupees, heart containers, and every other thing you expect from a traditional Zelda game. Each screen of the overworld has some kind of puzzle to it, really lending itself to the Zelda formula. And of course, Zelda has Dungeons to explore, and once you enter those it feels very similar to a traditional Crypt of the Necrodancer level.
Every game has its own uniquely generated Overworld, as well. So when I wasn’t rhythmically hopping my way through Hyrule Swamps, I was watching Meg claw her way through the Gerudo Desert. There are multiple characters to unlock, each with their own rules regarding following the rhythm or how much damage you can take. It was great to discover a solid Link build I was comfortable with, and then find Meg playing as Zelda and using an entirely different set of weapons to find success.
Also that soundtrack, holy hell. You could absolutely hate the game, but DannyB’s remixes of the Zelda tunes are absolutely phenomenal and worth a listen. If you’re going to make a game where playing to the rhythm is the key component, the music has to be good, and Cadence delivers in spades.
#9 - Tetris 99
What a surprise! I love it when studios do the “and you can play it right now” type of reveal. A free Tetris game releasing out of nowhere is always welcome. In a year where Battle Royales starting with “99 dudes drop onto an island” was starting to get stale, seeing 99 Tetris Boards on a screen at once was anything but. This is another classic example of Nintendo having a weird idea and running with it. This is absolutely my favorite Battle Royale game.
It’s actually got a ton of strategy to it – it’s not just play Tetris. You can target who receives the garbage you send away via your combos, and you can play defensively to take away garbage you have incoming. Still, the core of it is playing Tetris, and when you get to the top 10 it gets incredibly fast paced. The best I’ve ever done is #7, but I’ve seen Meg hit #3. Even if we were to hit #1, I know this is a game we will be playing for years to come.
#8 - Dead Cells
Dead Cells is some high octane action, with brutal decision making, and a good slow drip of progression. I love a solid roguelike, and Dead Cells is easily the best I played this year. In a year of games where I’m saying “satisfying combat” many times, Dead Cells definitely makes that list. The goal of the game is make it to the King’s Chambers in a rundown, diseased, and undead kingdom, and kill the King. With each run you start with a simple short sword, but will grow your arsenal and abilities as you make your way through the randomly generated levels each time. Within the levels you’ll find hidden scrolls, which will level up a color classification of weapon, making you choose between what you have now, what you know you like, and the unknown of what weapons will drop. As you kill powerful enemies they will drop Cells, which you keep with you between lives to upgrade the weapons that can be dropped in the following runs. You can also gain Cells via completing challenges per level, such as making it to the exit in less than 3 minutes, or killing 15 enemies before leaving. Do you want to stay in the levels, destroying every enemy to up your Cell count, or try to get a large bundle of Cells for racing to the end? Dead Cells is built upon these choices and working with their outcomes.
I absolutely adore the artstyle and sound design for this game. It’s fast paced, visceral, yet very easy to read – which is absolutely crucial for the flow of the game. The combat becomes so fast paced that you enter an almost Flow-State while you play, becoming one with your ghostly avatar while you force your way through the kingdom. The development team also continues to support this game, adding tons and tons of free DLC, adding weapons to unlock and entire new environments to explore. I sadly have not actually finished the game yet – I’ve made my way to the King several times now, but have yet to actually beat him. I’ve been itching to get back into it though, and I believe that time is rapidly approaching. I play on my PC via Steam, but it also seems like it’d be a fantastic game for Switch.
#7 - Link’s awakening hd
Remake of the year! When I was but a small child in elementary school, I remember a best friend of mine telling me about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and my imagination ran wild. I wanted it so bad, and I remember asking my family for it for my birthday or Christmas, or some other gift-receiving event. And one day, my Grandmother gifted me my very first Zelda game, but it wasn’t Ocarina of Time for the n64, it was Link’s Awakening for the Gameboy Color. I also remember not knowing the difference, other than “this is that Zelda game” and being absolutely stoked to play it, and I did. I remember finishing it as a small child and being so proud – despite how difficult some of the puzzles are, even for an adult.
Fast forward 20 years, and here we are with the Switch remake of Link’s Awakening, with a brand new tilt-shift art style and a cleaned up soundtrack. And boy, what an absolute pleasure to play.
Link’s Awakening is a beautiful game set in a the Not-Hyrule world of Koholint Island, with a rad dark secret that I was far too simple to understand as a kid. They were so faithful to the original game and I appreciated that, as I am so nostalgic and fond of the original that I didn’t want to see any changes befall it. Between finding the 8 Magical Instruments to Do-The-Thing across 8 different dungeons that give you 8 different items to assist in their specific dungeon, collecting all the overworld seashells, and doing one of my favorite Trade Item Quests in gaming, this game is an absolute joy. I am keen to believe that everyone’s favorite Zelda is their first Zelda, and for Link’s Awakening that absolutely holds true for me. I will be playing this through multiple times.
#6 - Tetris Effect
I know I’ve already covered one Tetris game this year, but I’ve gone on record to say that Tetris is a perfect videogame and I could play it for hours without hesitation. The Tetris Effect may very well be the best Tetris has ever been. What makes this one so unique is the blend of sight and sound that moves around and through the actual playing of Tetris. Each level has a visual and audio theme, with the sounds and effects occurring when you move, spin, or drop pieces. In Tetris, you can already enter a mental Flow-State while you play, but when you become part of the composition of sight and sound around you it really pulls you in.
Each level has three phases, separated by clearing a third of the total lines required for the level, and the song and visual aesthetic evolves to match your performance. Between camels walking through the dessert evolving to a moon rover overlooking earth, to small jellyfish of light floating around the Tetris board becoming dolphins that jump from the water when you score a TETRIS. This game is what I imagine is the closest I’ve come to an acid trip, and I’m here for it. I’ve played through each level multiple times, and sometimes all of them in one sitting. The entire soundtrack, if you can call it that, is phenomenal some even evicted an incredible emotional response from me it would bring me to tears.
#5 - Pokemon Sword
Dexit be damned! Pokemon Sword/Shield is the best Pokemon game to date! What an absolute blast to play. The EU Setting is super rad, and the language the characters use to each other is so stereotypically wholesome-y British and I love it. From the get-go of picking my new firey Scorbunny, we were off to the races (with Meg and her Sobble at my side) to complete the Gym Challenge, Catch ‘Em All, and become the Very Best.
It’s mostly the same concept as every other mainline pokemon game. Catch, raise, and breed a team of cool ‘mons, and get the 8 gym badges across the region to become the Champion. The best change to that concept, in my opinion, is the emotional weight of each Gym. They make it out that half of the country is coming to watch this huge Football(Soccer) replacement that is Pokemon Battles, and the hype during each gym battle is tangible at every gym battle. The way the music adapts to how many pokemon are left in the battle really gets me amped up each time.
The notable new features in this gen are the Dynamaxing, The Wild Area, and Raid Battles. Dynamaxing is the allowance for once-a-match a Pokemon can get REAL BIG for 3 turns and do Dynamax Moves, which is just one move per type. Some of the Pokemon change appearance for their Dynamax, and it is called Gigantimaxing – such as Meowth becoming quite literally LongCat. I think it’s a fine mechanic, and is integral to the plot, but I don’t forsee it sticking around with Pokemon for much longer – quite like every new battle mechanic in every gen. The Raid Battles are a chance to team up with players online to work together to take down a wild Dynamax’d Pokemon, reaping rewards and said pokemon for taking them down. They range from pitifully easy, to dreadfully hard, and Meg and I have had a blast working through them together. The Wild Area, however, has completely changed the game for me, and has sucked up most of my gametime. Being able to fully explore an open area with pokemon that rotate based upon the weather in each region is absolutely incredible. It offers up the chance to catch a huge portion of the pokedex and can even set you up with really unique teams for each individual playthrough – something that really increases replayability and is a first for the pokemon series. I genuinely cannot be upset about the removal of so many pokemon in the controversial Dexit decision, because there are so many pokemon in the game, with a huge portion of them available right from the start. At this very moment I’m excited to turn on my Switch and see what kind of weather the Lake of Outrage has going on, so I can see which Eeveelution I can catch today! As of right now I have 297 of the 400 Galar Pokemon, and I think this may be the very first mainline Pokemon game where I catch them all, and actually attempt to make a competitive team to take online.
#4 - Jedi: fallen order
This game is incredibly unoriginal, but man, does it do well with all the ideas it took from other games. This has the platforming and climbing of Uncharted, the upgrade system of a Metroidvania, the combat and bonfire/exp system of Soulsbourne, the movement of Titanfall, and the sweet sweet overlay of Star Wars. Sometimes unoriginality is a good thing, when you’ve mastered the pieces that make the whole.
Fallen Order is a game about a Padawan who survived Order 66 and is trying to survive during the purge of the Jedi Order. Unlike most Star Wars videogames where you play as a Jedi, you do not immediately feel like a superhero. You are a Padawan who has lost his connection with the Force, and you are thrust into a very important mission where even a single Stormtrooper can give you a hard time, and this lends itself so well to the Dark Souls style deliberate combat. It is challenging, yet increasingly rewarding as you overcome enemies and bosses that have given you trouble for the last hour. I recommend this game to Star Wars fans and Souls fans alike. Even better if, like me, you fit both!
The game is just fun to play. The upgrades are handed out at a great pace that encourage you to go back to worlds previously explored to see what new nooks and crannies you can get into. Things like Force Push and Force Pull aren’t just used for combat, either. But cleverly used in puzzles throughout the game, and integral parts of traversal. There are some neat surprises in what you can unlock and at no point does any one upgrade negate something else you’ve had before. You continue to build until you’ve become a suitable Jedi Knight by the end game.
My favorite part of the game is the excellent level design and set pieces. Between moving through the trees of Kashyyyk, the temples of Dathomir, or a downed Venator Destroyer, we get to see some of our favorite Star Wars locations and ships in a way we’ve never seen before, and they’re really a delight to navigate and fight through. The soundtrack is spectacular in its traditional Star Wars horn-fueled fashion, and the story is captivating through to the end. I got something out of it that I’ve wanted to see since I walked out of Rogue One.
#3 - Hollow knight
Other best soundtrack of the year! It took me three attempts, but this year I finally sat down to play Hollow Knight and it absolutely gripped me. It’s a classic 2D Metroidvania with a strong emphasis on combat, and it’s even got a little Soulsbourne-y vibe in there! It is a dark and sad tale, which is almost not even told, but conveyed to the player strictly through inference, lore descriptions on items, and very, very minimal dialogue.
You play as a small bug, as all of Hollownest’s residents are, on an undetermined quest, slaying bigger bugs, gathering geo (money), and sweet new abilities as you fight your way through the disease destroying this peaceful world. If you die, you drop all your Geo, lose the max amount of mana you can gather, and are forced to retrace your steps back to your Shadow, which upon killing it will reward you with what you’ve lost.
At first it took me so many tries to get into the game because I did not like the feel of it. It is definitely the most overtightened control scheme I have ever felt, as your character has no momentum whatsoever. With the combat being so harsh and unforgiving, and the movement so controlled, it can be very brutal to ease yourself into. An hour or two in, upon discovering the second area of the game, Greenpath, something clicked. I fell in love the world, my knight, and everything about the discovery. I was genuinely moved upon first stepping foot into some of the environments I would discover. The hand drawn world is incredible to look at, and so full of lore-piece clues. The enemy design is so varied but logical, fitting them into the world nicely. The bosses are tough, and the satisfactory upon victory is immeasurable. But the shining star here is the soundtrack. Christopher Larkin achieved something absolutely beautiful with this soundtrack, from the blood-pumping battle themes to the beauty and majesty of the City of Tears. If Hollow Knight is not your thing, I would still recommend the soundtrack for everyone. Spotify’s yearly wrapup tells me it is my most listened to album of 2019. I am absolutely onboard for whatever Team Cherry does in the future, and I cannot wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong.
#2 - Bloodbourne
I think this is the year I have to admit that I actually really love Souls-like games. This game got its hooks in me and I could not stop until I saw it through. Even after working through many hours of optional side-content, upon finishing the game I was immediately interested in starting over in New Game+, which is not a feeling I often get when completing a game. Sadly, to talk too much about the game is to ruin it, but I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fast paced Souls-like game.
I do want to touch upon the “story” and the world that the game takes place in. Quite like the above mentioned Hollow Knight, the story is few and far between, but shared through in-game item descriptions and from inference around the actual construction of the world. You may learn about the Hunters, the Church, the Old Blood, and more about the beautiful gothic, victorian London setting through light dialogue throughout the main story, but the real revelations come from really searching for answers in hidden details. Once I finished the game I downloaded a literal novel that the fan community put together that laid out the entire Bloodbourne story and lore in chronological order.
I am absolutely enthralled by this world and I really hope FROM gets to revisit it in the future. From the excellent score, the beautiful world, and the fast-paced hard-as-nails combat, this game checked all the right boxes for me. For right now I impatiently await my copy of the Bloodbourne tabletop game I kickstarted this year - just to give me a taste of the good blood.
#1 - Red Dead redemption 2
Most game of the year!
Wow, what a game.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the slowest videogame I have ever played.
Can we even call Red Dead Redemption 2 a videogame? It’s closer to a 1900’s Western Simulator than it is to a videogame.
I’m not even convinced that when Rockstar was working on this game that “Fun” was one of their key targets.And yet, I couldn’t stop playing it. I think this game took up roughly 8 months of the year as my primary game, as I slowly whittled my way through the incredible life of Arthur Morgan, and I think that is what makes this game so special.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to the super-popular Red Dead Redemption, which I have never played. This game follows Arthur Morgan, the right hand man of the gang leader Dutch Van der Linde. It starts with heavy story exposition, introducing you to this gang, and reintroducing those of you who have played the original Red Dead Redemption to some familiar faces. The game allows you into the open world to do what you want pretty quickly, but what makes itself apparently immediately via the opening story missions is the incredibly deliberate pace. Every single action has a long animation that cannot be skipped. The game is built of systems upon systems that establish the rules of how this game plays. It can be incredibly confusing to get your hands on a controller and attempt to do even anything conceivably simple. And yet, I loved every second. The game absolutely does not respect the player’s time, and yet, I relished each bit of it. When you play poker at a table, you watch as each player shuffles and deals the cards at each turn. And yet I wanted more!
The magic of Red Dead Redemption 2 exists in the story, and I believe it’s one of the best character driven stories ever told in videogames - it’s definitely the best Western film (because it practically is one!) I’ve ever seen. There is so much fun to be found in hunting, robbing, poker-ing, fist fighting, drinking, and horseracing throughout the 1900’s America, but the real star is Arthur Morgan himself. The story of a good man in a bad world, and in a gang that is getting worse by the minute. I became so invested in the character and really cared about every little thing that happened to him. The effective use of the soundtrack during long horse rides, or after pivotal moments of Arthur’s life lead to some of the most memorable moments of the year. D’angello’s Unshaken still puts me to the verge of tears, and immediately transports me back to those moments.
Red Dead Redemption 2 will stay with me for a long time, as something that I invested hours in doing almost everything to do, but also emotional invested in the characters, their backgrounds, their relationships, and the conclusions of their stories. It’s a wild thing to say, but: Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the greatest stories ever told, I loved every second, but recommending this “game” to anyone seems almost impossible. I can’t wait to hop back in.