Christmas 2019 is now over and only a few more days are left in this decade so if I was ever going to do a ‘games of the decade’ article now is the time! But picking a top 100, or even a top 10 across the entire 10 years is tough and personally I was more interested in how many games I actually played that came out this decade. So that’s what I have done.
Using a mix of Steam, what I have in my own cupboards and a Wikipedia list of games that released in each decade I compiled a list of every game I have played and picked out my top five for each year. Just to explain my methodology a little first, only games that first released in this decade. No ports so the likes of Final Fantasy VII releasing on Switch in 2019 would not count. Now remasters like Wind Waker HD and collections like the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection I am counting in my total new games played list (with collections being counted as simply one game) however neither are eligible for my top five of each year. Those have to be new.
I am also going by the western release date unless it doesn’t have one of course, and I am also judging on the year they came out, not the year I played them. For example, I played Hollow Knight in 2019 however the game came out in 2017 so if it does end up on this list it will be under 2017.
So with that out of the way let’s cover my top five games of 2018 with every game I played listed at the bottom. It goes without saying that if I didn’t play a game then it won’t be on this list. Simple.
2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019
5) Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Torna the Golden Country – Switch – September 14th 2018
I was debating whether I should even include Torna the Golden Country as it was pitched as DLC however considering its pretty much a full game and was released separately as well as a piece of DLC then I would say it counts. Plus it’s my list so I can do what I want. I liked Xenoblade Chronicles 2 but a lot of aspects of it lacked some of the charm that was found in the first title and I didn’t think the combat or environmental interactions were as thought out as in the original. Torna changes that for the better. This game has possibly the best combat of the series so far with a really likeable cast of characters that all feel useful. And because it keeps its cast more controlled you never feel like you get stuck in the environment, a big problem found in the original Xenoblade Chronicles 2. This is the second-best Xenoblade game and I hope any future titles look to this for inspiration and evolution.
4) Celeste – PS4/Switch/Xbox One/PC – January 25th 2018
It was quite a surprise to see an indie title be nominated for game of the year but having played Celeste I can say that it definitely deserves it. Celeste is a skill-based platformer like Super Meat Boy but far less frustrating with a bigger focus on pocket-size puzzles and exploration. The game has a ton of tricks and techniques to learn, to the point that the game doesn’t outright teach one until the final level of the post-game content. But all of these skills are available to the player from the start, they just need to learn it themselves. In addition to the great gameplay, the presentation is stunning with great use of color to convey the emotions of the protagonist and music that enhances the impact of each scene. It’s one of the stand-out indie titles of the decade.
3) Spyro Reignited Trilogy – PS4/Xbox One/Switch – November 13th 2018
Growing up I played both Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon but I always leaned more on the side of Crash. That’s were my nostalgia is but strangely enough with these remakes I found myself enjoying Spyro far more. It’s a visually great remake with some cool level ideas and challenges. It’s really interesting to see how the series evolved from game to game and for me it felt like going for 100% really did require some skill and thought. It does in Crash as well but with those titles, I feel like its more about hidden secrets and passageways you have to return to, whereas in Spyro if you have the skill as a player everything is open to you as you arrive at it and that feels more satisfying to me.
2) Astro Bot Rescue Mission – PS4 – October 2nd 2018
I’ve never been big on VR. I followed it from its basic beginnings and felt both the nausea of early games and the excitement of later games. Some really do VR well, especially with PSVR considering its less powerful than the others. But VR still feels like a novelty and needed a big game that shows that this is what VR can do. Some are saying 2020’s Half-Life Alyx will be that but in my opinion, Astro Bot Rescue Mission already does this. The game is fantastic and a great showing for VR. It puts the player in colorful and exciting worlds with a control scheme that makes sense. It is the Super Mario 64 for VR and the only VR game I have enjoyed so much that I went for that 100%, playing for hours at a time.
Honorable Mention) Kirby Star Allies – Switch – March 16th 2018
I was considering putting Yomawari Collection here but really its a collection of two previous games from different years so I changed my mind and went for Kirby Star Allies mainly because of how much it acts as a celebration of the series. I don’t consider the game to be as good as Robobot, it seems to be a step-backwards and falls back on the typical Kirby tropes however as a celebration of the series it is top-notch. It’s got good multiplayer, the return of allies from Super Star is a welcome addition and the Dream friends was a brilliant way of bringing back many fan favourites like Marx, Adeleine and Rick. It was a Kirby game for the Kirby fan and I am one of them so I appreciated this greatly.
1) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Switch – December 7th 2018
Of course this was going to be number one, Super Smash Bros Ultimate has been a major title for s here at Source Gaming and all of you reading this. It is the ultimate crossover game and is still growing with its DLC. While I don’t think community around Ultimate has been as fun as with Brawl or Smash For, it’s honestly gotten way too toxic, the game itself is great to play both alone, online and with friends. It’s not just ultimate in the sense that it tries to bring back as much from the whole series, or in the fact that it tries to be the biggest crossover, but it is ultimate in its fan service. Sakurai and his team did their best to appease as many long-standing fan requests as possible, add as much content as possible and address as much criticism as possible and truly it has made one of the ultimate pieces of software for the gaming industry as a whole.
2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019
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I also played both Crash and Spyro growing up, I leaned towards the Spyro side. 😉 SRT was of course a blast to play, nostalgia memories from the good old times filled my brain almost the entire time I played through the remaster collection.
Astro Bot Rescue Mission is really one of the best VR games out there right now, and many future platformer VR titles should take notes from it. I dunno if I would call ABRM the Super Mario 64 of VR but currently it is very close for sure.