So my games this year has been vast and many. I’ve been able to play a lot of games this year, probably more than previous years. There has been a new console with my Nintendo Switch, but also visiting a lot of previous games for two reasons – first is because I bought a Raspberry Pi recently and I enjoyed playing old games, and the second I’ve been streaming quite a lot on my Twitch Channel recently, which has seen me play and complete a variety of games. So I’ve been enjoying getting back into video games. As such, remembering what I played in 2019 was tough, so I’ve had a look and here have been the games I’ve enjoyed playing most this year.
Honourable mentions: Mortal Kombat 11 was excellent with an amazing story but kind of wasn’t fun playing online. Civilization 6 was excellent though I missed the Celts in the game, Baba is You is a lot of fun but gets really hard, and – a game I thought would win – Super Mario Maker 2 – was okay, but kind of spoiled by the difficulty curve. Also Zelda: Link’s Awakening & Untitled Goose Game is discounted as I played that this year. (The cut off point being the beginning of September.)
3. Apex Legends
So last year I posted my lack of enjoyment for Battle Royale style games. I have since decided I actually just don’t like Fortnite. Apex Legends was my battle royale game of choice. I played this game for a solid month or two. It took some time to get into it, but Apex Legends has been superb. I finally put Overwatch back in it’s box for possibly the last time this year, as the community on Xbox was toxic. Apex Legends allow character based team games, mixed with battle royale style games, and actually quite nicely allows you to play team games without having to speak thanks to the wonderful tagging system.
What’s nice about Apex is the characters. They’re not as well defined as something like Overwatch, but nevertheless I have my favourites. This, mixed with a cracking soundtrack. And the not that long games, and chances to actually win, makes this a compelling experience, a great pick up and play.
Apex Legends can be played on PC, Xbox and PS4.
2. Celeste
The most brilliant games in terms of storylines I played this year was Celeste. The story is the protagonist, Madeline, has to climb a mountain. However the story isn’t just about climbing a mountain. It’s Madeline also having to overcome her mental illness. Over her journey she meets many other characters, many of them having their own battles. If you have ever had people in your life suffer from mental illness, this story is absolutely engrossing.
A good story does not a great game make, but thankfully the game is great fun. Celeste’s game is a hardcore platformer in the Super Meat Boy style, but with plenty of places you can recover from, it’s unforgiving but easy to restart and rejoin the game. With the game being fun, you want to get to the end of the story. That’s, plus a cracking graphic style & amazing music, makes Celeste a must play.
You can buy Celeste on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PS4 & PC
1. Tetris 99
You know when you hear an idea that is so simple that you end up wondering why it was not done before? Then Tetris 99 is it. It’s Tetris. You know it, I know it, but it is mainly a battle royale game. You join a game with 99 other players, and you have to survive. There’s a strategy that you can attack certain players, but overall you can spend time trying to survive with Tetris.
This game has been my favourite I’ve played all year. The reason? It’s so pick up and play. You can play for 20 minutes, or you can play for hours on end. Winning is a genuine sense of elation, and the themes you can win adds some longevity to the game.
It’s so simple. It’s so playable. It’s free.
