5. Red Dead Redemption 2
I don’t believe there has ever been a more detailed video game ever created. It’s so detailed that it can turn some people off to the game. If you’re willing to take your time and truly enjoy the experience, good luck trying to think about anything other than the Wild West. The gameplay is so polished and realistic, so realistic that it can feel a little too clunky at times. That is my one and only major complaint about the entire game. There are very minor things that can get on my nerves like maneuvering your horse or the antiquated way you sprint (tapping A like crazy). Those few minor issues are dwarfed by this…. dare I say masterpiece of a game? There is no game that has ever looked this good graphically; and to pair that with a one of a kind soundtrack, boy talk about immersion. With Red Dead 2 being a prequel, it can be hard to keep fans who played the first one on the edge of their seats. But I thoroughly played and beat the first game, and this sequel/prequel never failed to keep me fully into the story. Not only does it have a strong main story, but Red Dead 2 also implements the wacky and fun side missions that Rockstar has always been excellent at. If you get bored of doing missions, go out and hunt or fish. RDR 2 does that better than any Cabelas game ever has. If you’re not into hunting then you can go and start a fistfight at the local tavern, if that’s what gets you going. There is more to do here than you would ever need, some people think that’s unnecessary, and that’s fine, but I feel it’s a way to keep the game fresh even after months of the game being on shelves. I feel like if you want to showcase this generation, Red Dead 2 is the game you should be showing off.
4. Bloodborne
Another game that to me, won’t be nearly this high on your average list, if it’s even on there at all. I must admit, I’m a little biased. The Soulsborne series is by far my favorite collection of video games that have ever been created. So with that being said, I felt like I should pick between Bloodborne or Dark Souls 3. Bloodborne is a pretty easy choice between the two. There is still, of course, the difficulty curve of a From Software game, so it’s not for everyone. But for some who like a challenge or an H.P Lovecraft/Edgar Allen Poe inspired world, this is heaven for you. It ramps the speed of the combat up from its predecessors by about 75%; making the boss fights something you just about can’t blink during. Even during the moment to moment gameplay of just exploring the world, you still might not want to blink a ton. There are pesky enemies lurking in the dark, a few Gatling guns here and there as well as giant pigs that you can stick your hand straight into their bums. That last one being an acquired taste. Another big change from the previous Souls games is the implementation of firearms. From Soft put various guns in the game, and not for offense, but mostly for defending yourself. If you have good timing you can parry most enemies with a shot from your gun, then execute an attack similar to backstabbing in Dark Souls. The weapon variety is definitely lacking, I found myself really using only one or two weapons throughout all of my playthroughs. But that’s the only variety that is less than great. Enemy variety is excellent as well as boss variety; two of the most important characteristics in any Souls like game. Bloodborne takes what From Software does best and turns it up, even more, I feel it’s the strongest game overall of the 5 (6 if you count Sekiro), and I know it has all of its fans eager for a sequel that hopefully one day we will get.
3. Marvel’s Spider Man
This is most likely the most fun and satisfying game I’ve played this generation, and there is a strong argument for the most fun I’ve ever had playing a video game. Everyone will rave about how they got Spider-Man’s web swinging down better than you could ever hope for. All of that praise is damn well deserved, and I believe it will stand the test of time. Not only did they get the feel of being Spider-Man right, but they built New York City better than ever before. The city is riddled with cool collectibles and fun side missions; fighting crime is done right as far as I’m concerned. I found myself just swinging around the city just to take a break from all of Peter Parker’s stress. Leveling up is simple but done right, and gaining a new suit to put on was more satisfying than I can put in words. There is all this fun in the general world that would typically make the main story hard to get done, and in some cases that is true, but I could not get enough of the main story. I don’t think a story of Peter Parker has ever been done better in games or movies for that matter. I can’t speak to the comic books. I really felt for Peter and all his friends throughout the story, and I wanted Peter to just not screw up so bad. Same goes for the Spider-Man side of things, the city is conflicted about their feelings for the hero, and sometimes you understand. When I finally got to the end, it was hard not to be emotional about what was unfolding in front of me. When the credits rolled I just sat there and took it all in; and what I determined there, and still feel almost a year later, is that Marvel’s Spider-Man is the best superhero game I’ve ever played. This is the first PS4 game I would recommend to anyone and something I look forward to returning to in the future.
2. God of War
You probably thought this was going to be first at this point, and I can’t blame you, it is first on many lists I’m sure. I wouldn’t argue with that either, it deserves all the praise it has gotten. I think it’s as close to a perfect game as you can get. When you reboot a franchise, this is the way to do it, talk about a complete 180 in terms of how the game was played previously. It almost felt like Naughty Dog was given the rights to God of War and made their own interpretation of what it meant to them. God of War has that high a level of storytelling, truly some of the best I’ve ever witnessed in any form of media, not just video games. To go along with the story you have incredible combat that feels so “metal”, that’s the most fitting word I could think of to use to describe the combat. With Voice acting that is second to none and graphics that are straight jaw dropping, I get that word comes with cheesy connotations but I mean it, you just stop and stare so much in this game. There’s not much more to say that you don’t already know, this is a serious must play game, if you have a PS4 and haven’t even tried it, what the hell are you doing.
1. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
I knew the outcome for the number one spot on the list the minute I thought of doing it. I beat this game over 6 months ago and I still think about it every other day. It easily falls under my top 3 games of all time and depending on what day you ask me, it’ll be number one. AC Odyssey built off of the new formula for AC Origins. Even though Odyssey came out only a year later, you wouldn’t be able to tell that by looking at the number of things to do in either game. AC Odyssey is bigger and bolder. That isn’t always a good thing, being bigger that is, but Odyssey does a great job of filling its space up with meaningful things to accomplish. I was always a short walk or horse ride away from doing something fun. Ubisoft also brought back the ship combat and upgrading that made its debut in AC 4. We got a little taste of it in Origins but with Odyssey, it’s back in full. I felt that bringing the ship back brought an extra layer of depth; something you could work on upgrading when you wanted to mix it up. Something that was completely new to Assassin’s Creed was the implementation of dialogue choices. This allowed you to have your character (I chose Kassandra of course) act more how you wanted them to act. For their first go-around they did it pretty darn well. Something else they did well was creating Greece, one of the most beautiful places in the world. So much blue! The graphics really shine when you’re roaming around the map on your horse or climbing a viewpoint. AC Odyssey is everything you need to make a great RPG thrown into a melting pot and blended to perfection. I believe it set out to achieve something and did better than even the developers could have imagined. That is why Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is this humble writer’s game of the year.
This is one article of a three-part article series for the Top 15 Games of this Generation see the other parts below.
