There sure were plenty of good games in 2019, I’ve clocked endless hours on some PS4, PC, 3DS and Switch titles, even going in the triple digits for some of these games. Remakes and remasters were a plenty as well, but I had a great time, gaming-wise, in 2019. On a more personal side it has been a year of change and internal turmoil, but I still had these ten great games - and more - to get my mind off things. Here are my top ten favorite games of the year, because these lists are fun!
10 - Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
I have kickstarted this game back when the project was announced and I had high hopes for it. I have played all of the igavanias over multiple years and many systems, so I knew exactly what I was going for. Then it appeared that the switch version - the one that I decided to grab because of the potential for portable play - had issues. So I waited and waited until finally a patch came. Now that I compare this version with its PC counterpart, it’s somewhat night and day. I was still left with a very neat metroidvania with everything one could want for - a ton of secrets to find, weapons and upgrades to craft, good music and strange enemy design, but in a form that soured me a little. The performance, although not making the game unplayable, ruined a bit of the experience for me, so it’s not higher on my list.
9 - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
I think I remember the original Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on the original gameboy pretty well. It must be one of these games that I have beaten a few times. I never completed the seashell quest or played the gameboy color version, but I was in familiar territory with this switch remaster. The new content they added felt a bit superfluous at times - I didn’t have much fun with Dampe’s dungeon maker lite - but everything else was as stellar as I remembered, with a rocking visual style as well. This is a classic game with plenty of quality of life improvements and a re-release on a system that can be bought and played today, so it’s a good one.
8 - Yoshi's Crafted World
I remember having fun with Yoshi’s Wooly World on WiiU when it came out a few years back, but Crafted World really took me in. You’re still playing a fairly straightforward platformer as Yoshi, shooting eggs and eating enemies left and right, collecting flowers, red coins and stars. I 100%d this game, it took me a while because some challenges - defeating pretty hard bosses under a certain time limit - were quite difficult, but I managed to do everything. Certain aspects of the game - collecting items for NPCs - can feel a little repetitive because you need to replay levels a few times but this whole AND there’s only a few handful of music track for the whole game, but this cute gem is packed full of style and content to go through.
7 - Devil May Cry 5
I’m not the biggest DMC guy, I’ve played the fourth one when it came out on the PS3 a thousand years ago and I did beat DmC, but everything Capcom had shown us about DMC5 looked great and oh boy did that game deliver. Going through strange environments with Dante, Nero and V was a blast, combining exploration, over the top cutscenes and fight sequences with really tight gameplay really left me with a positive impression. I’ll admit I didn’t replay much of the game, didn’t delve into the optional content and didn’t get good scores, some of the one-off challenges really frustrated me, but overall yeah, Devil May Cry is back, and it rocks!
6 - Resident Evil 2
I’m almost going to say the same thing about Resident Evil 2, except that I am a big RE guy, I’ve played more or less all the older ones, so seeing this one getting remastered made me pretty pumped. I’ll admit I’m not super good at survival horror - at least the first time through games - but I gave RE2 a shot and went through the whole thing a few times. What a nice re-imagination of an older game with modern sensibilities. A stressful experience through police stations, sewers and other strange laboratories that just smacks of good game design and execution. The other modes were neat as well, but I didn’t go through them much. Resident Evil is back - they’re remastering RE3 as we speak - and it also rocks!
5 - Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
I played the original Tales of Vesperia on the XBox 360 when it came out, millennia ago, and it was one of my top Tales game back then. For a few years we had hoped the PS3 japanese edition with more characters and content would came out, but it never did before this edition that launched this year. I 100%d that game as well. Completing grueling optional dungeons and sidequests while using pretty much exclusively the new characters. Tales Of Vesperia still has a great story and a good cast of anime protagonists, the battle system is still pretty good - even if it lacks the depth of more modern tales - and it’s just an all around classic. Love it!
4 - Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
I’m a big fan of Etrian Odyssey games and Persona as well. I remember never finishing Persona Q back in the DS days - it was a period of my life where I sometimes didn’t finish games - and I had decided I would give this one the time it needed, and it was well worth it! Blending demon collection and fusing with challenging SMT combat, exploration, crafting weapons and completing quests, this was a pretty neat game - and the last one on 3DS? - that I wholeheartedly recommend to JRPG fans craving a portable fix.
3 - Fire Emblem: Three Houses
I’ve stuck around for most - but not a hundred percent - of Fire Emblem Three Houses, and I mean the whole four stories, clocking in at about 300 hours. Three houses is really good on almost everything it does. The almost persona-like school setting where you talk to your characters and get to know them and do errands all day is great because you get attached to these people and you want to learn everything you can about them and watch all those skits. The teaching segments where you plan out how your pupils will grow are an interesting take on the genre. The battles themselves, while a bit too easy and forgiving - and also a bit samey after a while - are also well executed with a few tricks and twists here and there to keep you on your toes. There is still some DLC I haven’t gone through - I’m waiting for everything to be out before jumping back in - but the fact that I’m still looking forward to more Fire Emblem after spending so much time with it speaks volume.
2 - Dragon Quest XI S
Talk about a game that dares going places! I’ve 100%d this one as well even with the high number of side-quests and pretty bogged-down Tickerton missions. The 2D/3D paradigm might be a wasted opportunity here, but that didn’t deter me at all for thoroughly enjoying this JRPG masterpiece. A great cast of characters with plenty of deep combat mechanics, a story that goes places, and then goes to even more places when you think you’ve seen it all. Really good pun work, a classic soundtrack and enough challenge for you to throw your gaming chops at, this is just a great game. I waited for the switch version - the PS4/PC editions came out last year if I recall - and my patience paid off in spades. Go play DQXIS!
1 - Ring Fit Adventure
I remember playing Wii Fit in another lifetime and loudly proclaiming that it was neat but needed to be a real game and do more. That an experience combining video games and exercise was possible, but out of reach for that specific product. My good stars aligned because Ring Fit Adventure with it’s strange Ring-Con accessory is one of my dream games. It’s a great, classic JRPG combined with a pretty exhaustive exercise program. They made the ‘game’ part of the game really good, with a ton of gear to collect, a crafting system, side quests, a pretty huge skill tree and battle mechanics that keep you engaged while at the same time going through a wide motion of movements for you to work certain parts of your body and just exercise a bit more. I’m at day 50 right now and I’m still having a ton of fun with it! Some parts are not perfect - a few side quests rely on such imprecise metrics that you’ll fail a ton in frustration before you magically succeed, all the while getting exhausted from exercising and I wish you could skip some tutorials that re-appear randomly, but these are very minor issues. Ring Fit Adventure is my game of the year and I hope I’ll still be playing it for the year to come!