It seems like each and every year, video games keep breaking new ground. Just when you thought it can’t get any better than 2017, here comes 2018 to blow off the hatches. This year saw the release of huge, heavy-hitting titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and more. It also saw the release of equally compelling indie titles like Into the Breach, Celeste, Return of the Obra Dinn, and many, many others. We even got a few year-end surprises, like Supergiant’s fantastic Hades.
No matter your gaming preferences, 2018 saw some remarkable games that players won’t soon forget. So what games made the biggest impressions on the Gamepedia editorial team? Read on to find out!
Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Empire, Complex, IGN, GamesRadar, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, Shacknews, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. Like a fabulous shooter once said, get psyched!
Tetris Effect
Platform: PlayStation 4
As a massive Tetsuya Mizuguchi fan, I instantly fall in love with just about anything the man touches, so I knew I’d be enamored with Tetris Effect as well. Taking the classic puzzler and switching it up in so many meaningful ways meant a new marriage of music and line-clearing that was positively transcendent.
From the trippy visuals to the soaring, thumping beats that accompanied each level, I found myself even further drawn in the more I played. I’ve never cried during a game of Tetris, but when I reached the end of the game’s “story” equivalent, I shed more than a few tears at the sheer beauty of it all, thanks to the visuals and the music joining together as one. It has to be experienced. Do yourself a favor and play it.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Platform: PlayStation 4
Kazama Kiryu, former Yakuza, is finally released from prison after taking the heat for the events that occurred in the fifth Yakuza title, and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is his swan song. When he returns to the orphanage he calls home, he finds that his adopted daughter, Haruka has gone missing and his journey to find her will take him back to the criminal underbelly of Japan.
Yakuza 6 gives a fitting end to Kiryu’s final adventure and is an emotional rollercoaster. The poignant story, along with the game’s great sense of humor and a plethora of things to do make it an unforgettable adventure that anyone should experience at least once, but they shouldn’t make it the only Yakuza game they play, not by a long shot!
Detroit: Become Human
Platform: PlayStation 4
Detroit: Become Human is a sci-fi masterpiece which taps into great robotic characters of the past to pose a vital question: What does it mean to be human? The game follows three robots in a near-future Detroit and puts us into a world where artificially-created beings are far more compassionate and vital than the humans who built them.
Marcus, and advanced prototype; Connor, an android detective; and Kara, a housekeeping unit, are all on the brink of consciousness, and it’s up to you to make sure they survive long enough to self-realize and break free from the chains that bind them. I fell in love with all three characters immediately, and fully immersed myself in yet another amazing world from David Cage that I wished I never had to leave. It was a gripping thrill ride from beginning to end, and I can’t wait to see what the next project from Quantic Dream consists of.
