Top 10 Games of 2019
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
It's been a long time since I felt truly challenged in a game like I did with Sekiro. From Software, the creators of Dark Souls, tend to keep things difficult. Actually not too long after this game came out there was debates over whether there should be a more casual difficulty setting because people were just not able to advance their playthrough on the standard difficulty. Sekiro is definitely tough but it doesn't feel random. Weirdly enough it almost becomes mindlessly easy once you start figuring out patterns that are used. A lot of people compare the combat system to a game like DDR or Guitar Hero where it seems super hard at first but once it clicks the muscle memory starts to take over and next thing you know your watching the credits.
In Sekiro you play a one-armed warrior who was rescued from the brink of death. You're goal? To protect a young lord who is from an ancient bloodline therefore making you the target of many enemies. The game is set in 1500s Japan where there is a constant battle between life and death. The world is dark, twisted, and a bit exaggerated but in a good way. This is the ultimate modern ninja game. Ever play Tenchu on the old consoles? Some say this is the true successor to that since Tenchu was also made by From Software. If you're into ninjas, stealth, character customization, Japanese culture, difficult games, or just wanna sink your teeth into something that won't leave you dissapointed then I highly recommend checking out Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Apex Legends
When I was playing this game I wasn't thinking "omg this is game of the year" or anything of the sort. See Apex Legends came out at a very interesting time. Fortnite was pretty much in its peak or near its peak and Battle Royale's were being printed like MOBA's were back in 2013. It was a hard time to stand out but also an easy time to make money if you had the foundation of a good shooter to work with. Respawn had the perfect shooter to work with and that was Titanfall. See not many people played Titanfall one or two but I can say this confidently that it is criminally underrated and one of the smoothest shooting experiences out there today. It just feels like everything works and there's no odd hand swaying or any clunkiness to the movement, the shooting, or anything of the sort. It just works. Titanfall 2's multiplayer to me defines how a modern day shooter should feel mechanically. With all that being said Respawn probably knew this too. While Battle Royale's are taking over it's nice to already have a made shooter you can basically just port over into a BR. Next thing you know Apex Legends is upon us. Now even though Fortnite was at its peak Apex Legends real competition would be PUBG, the only other true FPS Battle Royale at the time with a solid playerbase. With that being said Apex Legends broke 10 million players in just 72 hours of launch.
Apex Legends is based around a 3 man squad where you land on an island, search for weapons, and attempt to defeat everybody else through combat. There are playable characters that you choose from which all have a unique set of skills and even ultimate abilities. Unlike other hero based shooters you are not locked into a specific gun setup tied to a hero. All playable characters can use any gun in the game, their defining differences are their abilities and hitboxes. The game uses a ping system and was I think the first to do so in a Battle Royale. With the simple click of your Mouse 3 you could communicate with your teamates without ever needing to use a mic. Die on the battlefield? No problem you can be picked up by a friend and even better if you fully die even after being knocked down a teamate can grab your respawn banner and bring it to a beacon which then respawns you fully. This was a feature fully unique to Apex Legends. To this day Apex Legends has a healthy playerbase and is even venturing into the esport scene.
Crash Team Racing
A game like this feels special. Go-Kart style racing games seem to be few and far between because at the end of the day they are not Mario Kart. Crash Team Racing was a popular game exclusive to the Playstation back in the day but never got a sequel and was lost in time. In 2019 a year after a ton of Crash Bandicoot remakes came out Nitro Fueled CTR is released upon the world and its good, real good. This game has a singleplayer mode where characters are unlocked and past that are even customizable. To play them you have to beat them to unlock them, as it should be. This also includes kart unlocks, decals, wheels, and more unlocks. To me this is where CTR shines. It feels more then just a game you boot up, race, and turn off. It has progression. Something you don't see often in the few racing games styled this way. The best part it is also available on the Switch and Xbox this time around and is not exclusive to just Sony hardware. CTR has been a staple game I pull up when company is over and if you are into Mario Kart I highly recommend giving it a shot, in my opinion it's much better.
Tetris 99
Yes yes I know, another Battle Royale. But c'mon, did anybody see this one coming? When people were making Battle Royale games left and right based on their failed shooting games I didn't think Nintendo themselves would cash in on the genre with a game nobody would ever expect. Before this game I can't remember the last time I played Tetris but when this game dropped it got me addicted for quite awhile. The spin of adding 99 Tetris players in a gigantic FFA is one of the coolest things I have ever experienced in gaming. It's so simple yet it works flawlessly. It stays true to what it is, Tetris but adds so much more at the same time. To me sometimes simple games like this are the best ones and it would be a crime not to include it in a top 5 of the year.
Classic WoW
Okay this is a remake but I'm counting it. Classic WoW has been nothing but a gigantic success for Blizzard. The beloved style of old World of Warcraft was finally released upon us with their own dedicated servers back in August and the roller coaster ever since has been nothing short of amazing. At first there was leveling and seeing all the new meta's an old game would develop with a new aged crowd. Turns out 10 man dungeon raids were the way to go from like 30 onwards. After that we had the first 60's and layer abusing for materials and farming. A little bit later came Dire Maul and World PvP which have completely turned the game into chaos and kind of exploited how unbalanced most servers factions were after Blizzard offered non faction specific transfers. And were not even close to done. BG's, BWL, ZG, Elemental Invasions, AQ, Naxx, Silithus, and so much more is yet to happen and the game is already feeling like it did its job. Whether you were pro Classic or anti Classic there is no denying its footprint and personally I plan on chugging along casually and witnessing all the great stuff that lies ahead and of course the drama the comes with it because who doesn't love reading a Reddit post everyday about how Ironforge is now a Horde city on realm "XYZ".
Anyway, who is ready for BC?
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