The votes have been counted and, unlike last year, there was very little in-fighting among your Pure PlayStation team when it came to putting the list together. Last year was a blood bath. A literal blood bath.
We’ve played and reviews hundreds of games, but only one can take the title of Pure PlayStation‘s Game of the Year 2018. But before we get to number one, we should at least have a look at what else made the list. There’s a diverse bunch of games listed down below, so have a peek at the 20 games we thought were the standout releases this year. And as I’m the one who’s been lumped with this task, expect some silly commentary and poor jokes.
#20 Sprint Vector – Survios (PSVR)
Did you think that you would ever be able to truly run in VR and get real-life tired? You can in Sprint Vector as Survios found a way to combine VR, Jet-Set Radio, and sweat-inducing exercise. It’s the only reason Kyle isn’t using a mobility scooter anymore.
#19 Yakuza 6: The Song of Life – SEGA CS1 (PS4)
Jason is a big fan of the Yakuza series and so his influence has rubbed off a little bit on all of us. Not enough to get this one to the top of the pile, mind you, but enough that it has earned a place on our Game of the Year list. If you’re partial to the weird and wonderful world of Japanese games, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life should make its way to your library.
#18 The Gardens Between – The Voxel Agents (PS4)
Internally referred to as ‘pretentious wanky art shite’, The Garden Between is actually a very, very good game. None of us will admit it to each other, apart from Max, but its placement on this list proves that we’re all a bunch of pretentious wankers.
#17 2MD VR Football – Truant Pixel (PSVR)
Truant Pixel’s output usually consists of PS4 themes, so it was a nice surprise to see the developer throw out a decent American Football game for PSVR. I can’t speak for it myself but Jeremy has the platinum trophy, so read his review.
#16 Celeste – Matt Makes Games (PS4)
For reasons I do not know, this game is revered among the Pure PlayStation team. We didn’t review it, though, so I’ll trust Hannah when she says it’s worthy of a place on her personal Game of the Year list.
#15 Beat Saber – Beat Games (PSVR)
There’s no decent Star Wars games for the PSVR and it doesn’t look like there will be anytime soon. There’s also no Rock Band VR, unfortunately. What we do have, however, is Beat Saber. You swing around light sabers and smash boxes to the beat of the music. It’s simple but tiresome fun. Just watch out for smacking folks in the face; it’ll ruin whatever score streak you were on.
#14 We Happy Few – Compulsion Games (PS4)
It may have been a bit of a buggy mess on release but its odd charm and compelling story gets it a spot on our list this year. Still, there’s a feeling here at Pure PlayStation that if the game was to have released a little later, it could have earned a higher place on 2019’s list.
#13 Ride 3 – Milestone (PS4)
A motorbike game in the top 20? Who’d have thought it, eh? If it’s good enough to make our list, it’s good enough for your hard drive. Get to it.
#12 Shadow of the Colossus – Bluepoint Games (PS4)
Who says remakes and re-releases are a waste of time? Not us, by the looks of it. Bluepoint proved it is one of the best at taking old games and making them great again. It’s still drenched in Japanese game design but it’s faithful to the original game in every way. It can be picked up for pennies these days, so take a look if you’re after something a little different.
#11 OnRush – Codemasters (PS4)
Seen as great game by some but a failure by many, OnRush did enough to get a decent review out of Kyle. It’s a bit of mindless fun that looks great, plays well, and could have been a higher placement on the list if it did more to keep us playing for longer. Sadly, a sequel is probably not on the cards as many of the game’s developers were given their marching orders not long after release.
#10 Dragon Quest XI: Echos of an Elusive Age – Square Enix (PS4)
Dragon Quest XI: Echos of an Elusive Age is the other oddity of this list. Why? We didn’t even bother reviewing it, so now I have no idea as to whether it’s actually any good or not. It must be decent if it got enough votes to sit pretty at #10. Maybe read a review elsewhere and then buy it? I dunno. I’m just the list writer.
#9 Astro Bot Rescue Mission – Sony Japan Studio (PSVR)
Sony Japan Studio knocked it out of the park with this PSVR platformer done perfectly. Well, almost perfectly, but it’s as close as we’re going to get to perfection this generation. Could a sequel be in the works? We’re all rooting for the little Bot that could.
#8 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – Ubisoft Montreal (PS4)
Assassin’s Creed is nearly unrecognisable from what it once was, but enough of us here at Pure PlayStation enjoyed the turn from action-adventure to full-on RPG to get this one into the top ten. I hated it, but the rest liked it, and as we’re a democracy I’m being forced to include it here. Maybe I’ll edit it out in a few months time once nobody gives a damn about this article anymore…
#7 Spyro Reginited Trilogy – Toys for Bob (PS4)
Three games for the price of one? We’re a bunch of penny pinchers here at Pure PlayStation so this one was naturally going to end up pretty high on the list. It’s not just there by nostalgia alone. Toys for Bob did a great job in recreating the original Spyro trilogy and this game deserves every sale it gets. It’s just a shame that money ends up in Activision’s coffers.
#6 Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Eidos Montreal (PS4)
Divisive on launch, Jason found Shadow of the Tomb Raider to be an excellent game worthy of a 9.0/10 in his review. Lara’s story has come full circle and it’s time for the inevitable reboot, but give this one a go when you get the chance.
#5 Far Cry 5 – Ubisoft (PS4)
Another Ubisoft game, another open-world. It’s more of the same but it’s done so well you’ll look past its glaring shortcomings. At least there’s no towers this time around… Just weirdo some weirdo hipster and his mental family. Fair trade.
#4 Firewall Zero Hour – First Contact Entertainment (PSVR)
Take Rainbow Six: Siege, strip it of most of what makes it good, throw it into VR, and you’ve got Firewall Zero Hour. That may sound dismissive, but it’s just brutal honesty. Yet it’s one of the best games the Pure PlayStation team has played this year. So good, in fact, that I often stay up until 5am just to play with Jeremy who lives six hours behind me. Hey, I’m not the only loser; Jeremy gets up at 6am to play with me.
#3 God of War – Sony Santa Monica (PS4)
I can’t personally say anything good about this game, but the rest of the team saw fit to waste their votes on it, so here’s your number 3. No, I don’t like God of War. And no, I never will. Didn’t stop me throwing a copy to one of our readers in Mexico, though!
#2 Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games (PS4)
Rockstar’s insistence that we do everything their way pissed us off more than anything this year, yet it’s still high on the list. Why? Because buried beneath the annoying controls, the push and pull gameplay, there’s an excellent story being told and, dare I say, the best-looking game of the generation. Just a shame the online is an utter turd.
#1 Marvel’s Spider-Man – Insomniac Games (PS4)
Who would have seen this coming… Everyone. Insomniac may not have broken new ground when it comes to open-world gameplay (it’s very by-the-book) but we did get an excellent Spider-Man game, and that’s something we’ve not been able to say for years.
And that’s another year done and another list kicked out the door. What did you make of our little list? Go on down to the comments below and explain to everyone how we’re stupid for not having God of War as the top game.
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