LogFAQs > #914981049

What was your GOTY for 2018?

It was a tough year, without question. There is basically a Big 6 (IMO) that you can't really argue the technical merits of. God of War, Spider-Man, Red Dead Redemption 2, Smash Bros Ultimate, Celeste, and Monster Hunter World.

If I'm just picking the game I played the most, Monster Hunter World would be it. Awesome creature design, fun fights, the grind is not nearly as bad as in previous games, and playing it on a powerful system for the first time was awesome. But, also, a lot of that fun is based off other people playing it with me. Once my friends were not available, my fun factor went down.

Same goes with Smash Bros.

So then we go to God of War, Spider-Man, RDR 2, and Celeste.

Spider-Man is fun, but nothing about it again was innovative. It was exactly what I wanted, which isn't a bad thing, but it doesn't make it GOTY. Not with the others.

So then you had 3. God of War was magnificent, telling a personal story about the last character I'd have ever thought I'd care to hear a "personal story" about. Humanizing Kratos from basically being a rage monster hell bent on destroying the gods to what happened in GOW 4 was impressive. Damned impressive.

Red Dead 2 being almost as much a simulator as it was a "Rockstar" game is somewhat unexpected. I wasn't expecting a more core Wild West sim from the likes of "SHARK CARDS!!!" Rockstar. It was appreciated despite the odd controls at times.

Celeste is a very good platformer with an affecting storyline that hit me harder than I was expecting. It's unexpected that in a genre that is mostly dominated by "Get to the end of the level because that's how the game works/rescue the person in distress/get the macguffin" is an amazing story about the effects of depression and anxiety on a person, and learning to accept those issues with yourself.

I think my GOTY is Red Dead 2, overall.
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