Board 8 > Game of the Year presented by B8 and...

(+) Yeah! (+)

...4 other discords I shared voting with. What originally started years ago as a joke between me and another freelancer of we'd do our own Goty with blackjack and hookers has become a tradition of voting with our friends, former colleagues, and this year the communities that I spend the most time in. Voting was open for around 35-45 days!

47 lists were received
25 Different Games voted #1

I'm tallying them up now then I'll do the reveal the Top 25 games starting with #25

---

Tag
---

I was probably the only person to nominate 80% of my list, but at least I am expecting my top two

---

Tag

---

Tallying taking awhile so I'll share what has won over the years that I still have records for!

2011: (10 Voters)
1.Arkham City
2.Saints Row The Third
3.Portal 2

2012: (15 Voters)
1.Halo 4
2.Asuras Wrath
3.Borderlands 2
4.The Walking Dead S1
5.Sleeping Dogs
6.Final Fantasy XIII-2
7.Journey
8.Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
9.PS All Stars
10.Fez

2013 (14 Voters)
1.GTAV
2.Pokemon X/Y
3.The Last of US
4.Bioshock infinite
5.Tomb Raider
6.AC New leaf
7.AC4
8.Beyond Two Souls
9.FE Awakening
10.Saints Row IV

2014 (17 Voters)
1.South Park Stick of Truth
2.Mario Kart 8
3.Smash Wii U
4.The Wolf Among Us
5.Destiny
6.Shadows of Mordor
7.Shovel Knight
8.Dragon Age Inquisition
9.Hearthstone
10.The Evil Within

2015 (16 Voters)
1.Fallout 4
2.Metal Gear Solid V
3.Bloodborne
4.Undertale
5.Life is Strange
6.Halo 5
7.Super Mario Maker
8.Rise of the Tomb Raider
9.Batman:Arkham Knight
10.Witcher 3

2016 (15 Voters)
1.Overwatch
2.Final Fantasy XV
3.Dark Souls 3
4.Dragon Quest VII
5.Titanfall 2
6.Gears of War 4
7.Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth
8.World of Final Fantasy
9.DOOM
10.Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

2017 (13 Voters)
1.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2.Persona 5
3.Super Mario Odyssey
4.Resident Evil 7
5.Nier Automata
6.Cuphead
7.Horizon Zero Dawn
8.Sonic Mania
9.Prey
10.Injustice 2

2018 (10 Voters)
1.Spiderman
2.God of War
3.Smash Ultimate
4.Shadow of the Tomb Raider
5.Monster Hunter World
6.Dragon Quest 11
7.Detroit Become Human
8.Astro Bot
9.Forza Horizon 4
10.Yakuza Kiwami 2


---

KCF0107 posted...

I was probably the only person to nominate 80% of my list, but at least I am expecting my top two

---

KCF0107 posted...

I was probably the only person to nominate 80% of my list, but at least I am expecting my top two

Honestly that happens every year no matter who votes (returning or new).

---

I'm sad I didn't get to vote but excited to see the results nonetheless.

---

Top 30 is a Go

#30 Life is Strange 2
Life is Strange 1 finished 5th in 2015
Life is Strange Before the Storm finished 16th in 2017
"Life Is Strange 2 is a graphic adventure played from a third-person view. The player takes control of Sean Diaz, a Latino-American teenager. Sean can interact with the environment, obtain objects, and talk with non-player characters via dialogue trees."

The game that recently wrapped up and caused an extension got some interest but it barely scratched in here. One B8er, one of my longest voters, and a newer voter from another discord were the only voters for this. But they all regarded it very well. I personally haven't played this series yet but just picked it up on a recent sale on Black Friday. Woo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az_5gK92EoY

---

#29 Hypnospace Outlaw (PC)
Received a #1 Vote
Hypnospace Outlaw is a 2019 adventure game developed by Tendershoot and published by No More Robots. Set in an alternate-history 1999, the game takes place inside a parody of the early Internet called Hypnospace

I had not heard of this until people started voting on this. Went and checked it out, I can see the humor. Personally this just brings back 90s internet nightmares for me. It's a pretty neat looking adventure game but yeah just falls into that realm of I'd rather watch than drive myself insane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_LsTnwjosU
Instead of music watch this GB Quick Look But man the music is like alternate reality Earthbound. trippy stuff

---

I've been slowly playing through the episodes through game pass and LiS2 does have its powerful moments (especially in episode 4 I think) but overall it's just not as interesting as the first game. Max definitely was the glue that held everything together. I mean, I think she had the most perfectly relatable power that many people dream and fantasize about the most and it was interesting to be placed in the actual shoes of someone with this power and see first hand how we could affect that world and other peoples' lives in an impactful way. Plus, Max's personality was defined yet moldable where nothing could be seen out of character too majorly, while with Sean (and definitely Chloe in BtS) some choices just legit don't fit the narrative all that much. In LiS2 I feel like I'm in the passenger seat at almost all times and just watching a more interesting character impact the world without really much input from us.

---

@Snake5555555555 wonder if thats why they are ditching the moniker for the next game

---

#28 Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Crash N-Sane Trilogy finished 11th in 2017
Received a #1 Vote

Like the original Crash Team Racing, Nitro-Fueled is a racing game featuring characters from the Crash Bandicoot series. Players must avoid obstacles and navigate the various tracks to reach the finish line, performing boosts via power sliding and jumping to gain speed, and using power-ups scattered across the track to give themselves a boost or hinder their opponents. The game supports local quick races and grand prix circuits, multiple battle modes, and online multiplayer, as well as featuring a full adventure mode with new areas, characters and boss battles being unlocked as the player progresses.

One of the least surprising announcements but a solid game. I enjoyed what I touched of this in 2019 but it isn't for the faint of heart. The difficulty is outright punishing, usually these games get easier when remade but they went in a different direction here. Still the game adds enough to be worth playing in 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ixGqX_YMA

---

MegamanX posted...

@Snake5555555555 wonder if thats why they are ditching the moniker for the next game

Could be! I think LiS2 would've been better served with a new title too!

---

#27 Monster Hunter World Iceborne
Monster Hunter World finished 5th in 2018

"When a mysterious song is suddenly heard across the New World and spurs a mass flock of Legiana, monsters native to the Coral Highlands, to suddenly migrade beyond the sea, the Commission decides to investigate."

The most gated entry on this list. Either your a PC player who must wait til next year, or your a new player over your head. This is the rare game that really only plays well to those that played the original game. You can hop across to Iceborne right away and get caught up gear wise, but there is a level of skill and learning really required unless you want to be carried. It's part of this series hellbent ways to teach by trial of fire, it works in some aspects and causes misinformation in other ways. I think this is a beautiful expansion that justified its separate release. Part of me also feels this could have been a 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puXj9Dcv6qE
This song is beautiful

---

#26 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Star Wars Battlefront finished 35th in 2015
Star Wars Battlefront 2 finished 48th in 2017

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is an action-adventure game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. The game is set in the Star Wars universe, 5 years after the film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and 14 years before Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, and follows a young Jedi Padawan named Cal Kestis as he is being hunted through the galaxy by the Galactic Empire, namely an Inquisitor known as the Second Sister, all the while trying to complete his Jedi training and restore the now wiped out Jedi Order

A victim of its late release date sure but it also came out the same day as Pokemon. I got to play small bit of this last week and it seems great but this reads like the classic game that launches after September that some play right away but most people flock to next year. That was 2018s monster boy and the cursed kingdom for me this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCa9jfGIHBY

---

25th Astral Chain (Switch)

Astral Chain is an action-adventure game where the player assumes the role of a detective from the "Neuron" special police task force, who are tasked with solving cases and investigating incidents that take place in "The Ark", the game's main world

Haven't gotten to play Astral Chain yet but I watched a decent chunk of the later half. If you like hack n slash affairs and Platinum weirdness you'll enjoy this one. It is a very weird game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcwwDihccJU

Dev History
Metal Gear Rising finished 24th in 2013
The Wonderful 101 did not rank in 2013
Bayonetta 2 finished 6th in 2014
Legend of Korra did not rank in 2014
Transformers Devastation finished 41st in 2015
Star Fox Zero did not rank in 2016
Nier Automata finished 5th in 2017

---

24th Metro Exodus
Metro Last Light did not rank in 2013

The game continues the story from Metro: Last Light's "Redemption" ending. Similar to the previous two entries, the player assumes the role of Artyom, who flees the Moscow Metro and sets off on a continent-spanning journey with his allies to the far east, on a locomotive called the "Aurora".

I don't have much to say on this one. The serious and realistic esque fps fallout concept game isn't my thing. I can say that for the people that did buy this rave about this series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYRvlaCsRqQ

---

23rd Dragon Quest Builders 2
Dragon Quest Builders 1 finished 40th in 2016
Received a #1 Vote

Dragon Quest Builders 2 takes place some time after the events of Dragon Quest II, and centers around a group called the Children of Hargon, who seek revenge for the defeat of Hargon and Malroth by the descendants of Erdrick, by ensuring that all builders are eliminated and that no one be allowed to create anything.

The crazy thing about this game is that it actually takes place after the second game in the series Dragon Quest II (NES/GBC/ios/Switch). instead of being just a sequel to the first Builders. This game featured co-op and a return to the blocky minecraft esque building rpg.


---

22nd Slay the Spire
Received a #1 Vote

"Slay the Spire is a combination of roguelike-like gameplay with a deck-building card game"

This was the year Slay the Spire left early access and hit all major systems. There was definitely a period where this game was all over twitch like a virus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS-cHjKIObw

---

21st The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 (PS4)
Trails of Cold Steel 1 did not rank in 2015
Trails of Cold Steel 2 did not rank in 2016
Received a #1 Vote

I'm just gonna let Shines words guide us on why this seems like a cool series but also a daunting one

"The only place really to start is the first Trails in the Sky on PC/PSP. It lays down 90% of the world building that is used for the rest of the games in the series although it can be slow at times because of this and its all one big setup for the 2nd game.
Its very much an MCU approach to storytelling theyve been attempting for the past 15 years and the latest game in the series (Cold Steel 3) is basically the Infinity War of the whole thing with its currently Japan only sequel Cold Steel 4 being the Endgame."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRMIWqx76eo

(20-11 will be tomorrow afternoon)

---

MegamanX posted...

The only place really to start is the first Trails in the Sky on PC/PSP.

Bah humbug.

That's all true about LoH. Cold Steel 3 still got my #1 vote basically by default this year, considering the number of games I enjoyed but failed to live up to expectations.

Astral Chain is criminally low, but whatever.

colliding posted...

That's all true about LoH. Cold Steel 3 still got my #1 vote basically by default this year, considering the number of games I enjoyed but failed to live up to expectations.

Astral Chain is criminally low, but whatever.

I sit here with cold steel 1 and 2 on my shelf wanting to play but knowing shine will send me to the shadow realm if I don't treat his baby proper

---

The lowest performing games that still got at least 1 point no order to these
Far Cry New Dawn
Raging Loop
Pic-a-Pix Classic
Anodyne 2
Lonely Mountains: Downhill
Power Rangers Battle For The Grid
Layers of Fear 2
Mario Kart Tour

---

MegamanX posted...

I sit here with cold steel 1 and 2 on my shelf wanting to play but knowing shine will send me to the shadow realm if I don't treat his baby proper

he's absolutely right. you gotta play trails in the sky first.

Naw

20th Cadence of Hyrule (Switch)
Crypt of the Necrodancer was not ranked in 2016

"Cadence of Hyrule combines the rhythm-based gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer with settings, characters, and music from The Legend of Zelda series. Players play the majority of the game as either Link or Princess Zelda, with other characters such as NecroDancer protagonist Cadence becoming unlocked by progressing through the game or completing certain quests, each with their own unique abilities. Players venture across the overworld, composed of predefined regions and map layouts related to Zelda lore such as Hyrule Castle or Death Mountain, but whose relative placement is procedurally generated for each new save file."

Earlier in the year this was getting a lot of talk as a huge dark horse favorite but as time went on the talk about this game kinda teetered off. Cadence is a very cool game for rhythm fans who like that randomness Necrodancer had. The entire soundtracks nuts and well worth listening too even if you don't wish to play the game

https://youtu.be/sh1hqY2qXO0

---

19th Disco Elysium (PC)

Disco Elysium is a role-playing video game that features an open world and dialogue-heavy gameplay mechanics. The game is presented in an isometric perspective in which the player character is controlled. The player takes the role of a detective on a murder case who suffers from alcohol-induced amnesia

I don't have a lot to say about this one as I'm waiting for next years console release personally. I've seen and heard nothing but great things that make me excited to try this cyoa esque rpg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCknM3ex0v8


---

18th The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch)
Link Between Worlds finished 29th in 2013
Tri Force Heroes was not ranked in 2015
Breath of the Wild finished 1st in 2017

Link's Awakening is a remake of the 1993 game for the Game Boy. The game features a "retro-modern" art style unique within the series with toy-like character designs, diorama-like world designs, and tilt-shift visuals that evoke the original game's presentation on the Game Boy. It also features customizable dungeons which the player can create and then complete for rewards.

This was a very strange entry on the list. A Zelda game that had very high hype leading in that ended up drifting off pretty fast. For gamers that played this game on GB or GBC or Virtual Console what was presented for you was the same game with such minimal changes that the release got passed. For gamers that never played it, grats you got one of the best zelda games ever made and got to have a new paint coat to make it even more memorable. The dungeon maker or beta Zelda Maker Nintendo put us thru will not be invited to the afterparty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx_LHsiv3-M

---

17th Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers
Final Fantasy XIII-2 finished 6th in 2012
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call finished 47th in 2014
Lightning Returns: FFXIII finished 41st in 2014
Final Fantasy Type 0 HD finished 21st in 2015
World of Final Fantasy finished 8th in 2016
Final Fantasy XV finished 2nd in 2016
Received a #1 Vote

I haven't heard such enthusiasm from the MMO community about this game since A Realm Reborn was going to be a thing. The continued praise this has gotten from the players of this game and the MMO community really makes sense why this game lands so high. That being said the fact it is an MMO is likely why it didn't get the attention that 15 received.

https://youtu.be/4tyuIh12_HU
Also this whole soundtrack is A+ listen to it

---

16th Devil May Cry 5
DmC finished 32nd in 2013
Received a #1 Vote

The game takes place five years after Devil May Cry 4 and follows a trio of warriors with demonic powers: Dante, Nero and a new protagonist named V as they attempt to stop the Demon King Urizen from destroying the human world.

The long awaited return of DMC could have easily been a short pop of excitement before fading away. This is a game that has remained talked about all year and well with awards and sales to back it, Devil May Cry is for sure back. New protagonist V adds enough change to shake up the formula and returning characters are as over the top as ever. The cutscenes are what you want from this, pure insanity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULe5cIVxcCo

---

15th Dragon Quest XI S (Switch)
Dragon Quest XI finished 6th in 2018
Received a #1 Vote

This is the rare case where a game from last year qualified immediately the year after. Well that's what happens when you beta test apparently on the PS4 for your super release with new story, new features and an overall better Quality of Life experience. But because it is on Switch and a lot of people played it last year, this game had not much chance on scoring into the top 10.


---

14th Apex Legends
Received a #1 Vote

Apex Legends is a battle royale game in which up to 20 three-man squads land on an island before searching for weapons and supplies to then attempt to defeat all other players in combat. The final team alive wins the round. The game is set in the same sci-fi universe as Respawn Entertainment's Titanfall franchise.

The advantage a game like this had is that it is free so it gets a ton of people willing to try it a shot with no money down. The disadvantage of a game like this is popularity fades. While die hard Apex Legends fans are out there, things have cooled off from the start of 2019. The side effect of this? Titanfall 2 became a bustling game again and has remained populated all year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq0joZ24D9Y

---

13th Baba is You
Received a #1 Vote

Baba Is You is a puzzle video game created by Finnish indie developer Arvi Teikari (known professionally as Hempuli). It was released on 13 March 2019 for PC and Nintendo Switch. The game centres around the manipulation of "rules"represented by tiles with words written on themin order to allow the titular character Baba (or some other object) to reach a specified goal.

Baba is You is one of those everybodys playing it fad games that actually manages to prove itself beyond that (sorry Remnant From Ashes you were filler this year). The game is one of this years most simple but sneaky difficult puzzle games. By bending the rules you have to change the way your brain approaches what things are defined as, it seems simple until you have to actually do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X98pchrBVu0

---

tagg

---

12th Death Stranding
Metal Gear Rising finished 24th in 2013
Metal Gear Solid V finished 2nd in 2015
Received a #1 Vote

The game is set in the United States during the aftermath of the eponymous Death Stranding, which caused destructive creatures from a realm between life and death to begin roaming the Earth. Players control Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus), a courier tasked with delivering supplies to the fractured and isolated colonies that remain and reconnecting them via a wireless communications network.

The love it or hate it game of 2019 with no inbetween. For some it is one of the greatest games ever made, for others its boring repetitive dribble. I'm just gonna leave it at that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGq92BYmt4
(this songs banging)

---

11th Judgment (PS4)
Yakuza 5 finished 19th in 2015
Yakuza 0 finished 16th in 2017
Yakuza Kiwami did not rank
Yakuza Kiwami 2 finished 10th in 2018
Yakuza 6 did not rank

Judgment is an action-adventure game with a third-person perspective. The game, a legal thriller set in Kamurocho's yakuza world, follows private detective Takayuki Yagami as he investigates a serial-murder case

As the Yakuza franchise gets bigger in the west so do the rankings for this franchise. This spinoff flips the script and has you trying to solve crimes while only committing minor street violence (this is a lie). Otherwise it essentially functions as a different style Yakuza with all the minigames and side stories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=277QWssg7D4

---

I'll be posting the top 10 in a few hours

---

DMC5 too low but other than that good list.

---

Murphiroth posted...

DMC5 too low but other than that good list.

I liked what I played but i wont play thru it until I play the series, chronology an issue for me

---

darn, didn't vote in this. looking forward to the top 10!

---

MegamanX posted...

I liked what I played but i wont play thru it until I play the series, chronology an issue for me

DMC1 is a bit dated but you can definitely see the roots of it originally being an RE4 prototype, DMC2 is a lesson in rushing sequels, DMC3 is probably the best game in the series competing with 5, DMC4 is also quite good but they had to rush it out so there's a lot of backtracking, and DMC5 is the culmination of everything they've put into the series thus far.

The reboot is OK, especially the definitive edition, but the characterization is so far off from what it should be that it really throws me off.

---

DMC definitive is a pretty fantastic character action game in a vaccum.

Like, it's better than DMC1 (dated) and DMC2 (trash) at the bare minimum, and I enjoy it a lot more than DMC4.

Tonally it's...mileage may vary I guess. There's some stuff I really like.

It's way worse than DMC4 and personally I like DMC1 more. Nero >>>>> Donte.

DMC2 is bottom of the pile though.

---

I'm loling today, had this up at all locations for the last 45 days. I receive two goty lists today of course, they arent counting but lol

---

I thought DMC3 was very good and hated DMC4 (mostly for the terrible level design - nothing to do with the repetition). Will I like DMC5?
---

DMC5 is the best one so yes you should like it.

It feels like what we could have gotten if the DMC4 team had all the time and money in the world to work on the game, but even better because Itsuno and his team have a firmer grasp of the genre's mechanics than ever.

---

Tag

10th Untitled Goose Game
Received a #1 Vote

Set in an idyllic English village, players control a goose that can honk, run, flap its wings, and grab objects with its beak to bother various human villagers.

I kinda wonder how this game performs if people didn't like the meme aspect? It's a fun idea but its one of those will people still like this game a few years later (Undertale) or forgotten for good reason (Flappy Bird). I like to hope that the former considering how much more interesting its post game is beyond honking geese.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pm6p0Y5c_0

---