2018 Video Game of the Year
November 10, 2018

It has been a tremendous year for video games, with fantastic AAA titles coming out back to back to back. But, as we approach the end of the year, it’s time to start thinking about which one was the best of the best.

The industry will soon have its say with the annual Game Awards taking place on Thursday, December 6, 2018, but we don’t need to wait for them. Take our poll below and cast your vote for the 2018 Game of the Year!! Voting will be open until 11:59pm on November 30, 2018. The Game of the Year Winner will be announced on December 1!

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Nominees (listed in chronological release order):

Celeste. Released on January 25, 2018. Developer: Matt Makes Games. Game Summary: A darling of the indies in 2018, Celeste is a single player platformer where players help “a girl named Madeline as she makes her way up a mountain while avoiding various deadly obstacles.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Monster Hunter: World. Released on January 26, 2018. Developer: Capcom. Game Summary: “The player takes the role of a Hunter, tasked to hunt down and either kill or trap monsters that roam in one of several environmental spaces. If successful, the player is rewarded through loot consisting of parts from the monster and other elements that are used to craft weapons and armor, amongst other equipment. The game’s core loop has the player crafting appropriate gear to be able to hunt down more difficult monsters, which in turn provide parts that lead to more powerful gear. Players may hunt alone, or can hunt in cooperative groups of up to four players via the game’s online services.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Sea of Thieves. Released on March 20, 2018. Developer: Rare. Game Summary: In this action adventure game from Rare (X Box and Windows exclusive),you (and your friends if you want) take the wheel of a pirate ship and sail the high seas. Spend your time looking for treasure on beautifully rendered islands and/or battling and looting other players in an open, immersive world.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. Released on March 27, 2018. Developer: Level-5. Game Summary: “The story follows Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, a young king who was usurped from his castle and sets out to build a new kingdom. While players can freely navigate Evan throughout the game’s overworld, other characters in the party can be freely controlled in battles. During these battles, players use magical abilities and are assisted by elemental creatures known as “Higgledies”, which are used to cast spells and grant other combat bonuses.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Far Cry V. Released on March 27, 2018. Developer: Ubisoft Montreal. Game Summary: An open world action adventure, FPS, Far Cry V has you playing as a new on the job sheriff, stuck in Hope County, Montana where the entire region is controlled by Joseph Seed and his Project at Eden’s Gate cult. Battle Seed and his Family and their devoted followers, some of which who are hopped up on the trippy Bliss (psychedelic drug).

God of War. Released on April 20, 2018. Developer: Santa Monica Studio. Game Summary: This PS4 exclusive was a massive hit in the first half of the year. You play as Kratos, and his son, Atreus, as they “journey to fulfill her promise to spread her ashes at the highest peak of the nine realms. Kratos keeps his troubled past a secret from Atreus, who is unaware of his divine nature. Along their journey, they encounter monsters and gods of the Norse world.” (Source: Wikipedia).

Octopath Traveler. Released on July 13, 2018. Developer: Square Enix. Game Summary: This Switch exclusive RPG from Square Enix was a big deal release over the Summer. “The game puts players in the role of one of eight adventurers, each of whom begins their journey in different ways. Each character comes from different parts of the world, each of which determines their job or attribute. Each character has a unique Path Ability command that can be used when interacting with NPCs that are divided into two categories:” (Source: Wikipedia) Noble and Rogue. The game uses a turn based battle system.

Spider-Man. Released on September 7, 2018. Developer: Insomniac Games. Game Summary: This PS4 exclusive is an open world adventure game that follows Spider-Man as he battles different kinds of villains and bosses (several pulled right from the comics). It was a huge best seller and really kicked off the end of year onslaught of top notch AAA games. The game was well received by critics and players because of its immersive narrative and common sense game mechanics. And swinging through the city was an amazing feeling.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Released on September 14, 2018. Developer: Eidos Montréal in conjunction with Crystal Dynamics. Game Summary: This action adventure game was published by Square Enix and was the third in trilogy of the most recent Tomb Raider reboot. It received mixed reviews (we liked it at PCR) but suffered the most from its tough release window coming out right between Spider-Man and AC Odyssey. SOTR is fairly linear with open world elements. In the main story, Lara is trying to save a South American village from the clutches of Trinity as well as the Kukulkan cult.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Released on October 5, 2018. Developer: Ubisoft Quebec. Game Summary: The latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Odyssey is going to be the last game published for a while. “Set in the year 431 BCE, the plot tells a fictional history of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Players control a male or female mercenary who fights for both sides as they attempt to unite their family and uncover a malign cult.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Released on October 12, 2018. Developer: Treyarch. Game Summary:The newest entry in the long running Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 4 was groundbreaking because it is the first without a campaign mode and also, because it introduces the first Battle Royale mode popularized by games like PUBG and Fortnite. “Black Ops 4 is the first Call of Duty title without a traditional single-player campaign mode. Instead, it features the Solo Missions mode, which focuses on the backstories of the game’s multiplayer characters, known as “Specialists”. The missions take place between Black Ops II and III chronologically.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Red Dead Redemption II. Released on October 26, 2018. Developer: Rockstar Studios. Game Summary: “Red Dead Redemption II is a Western-themed action-adventure game set in an open world environment. It is played from either a third or first-person perspective and the player controls Arthur Morgan, an outlaw and a member of the Van der Linde gang. The game features both single-player and online multiplayer components.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Fallout 76. Released on November 14, 2018. Developer: Bethesda Game Studios. Game Summary: This new entry in the Fallout series will be an online, multiplayer game where every other human you encounter will be another player (no NPCs other than robots). “Fallout 76 is a narrative prequel to previous Fallout games. It is set in an alternate version of history, and takes place in 2102, twenty-five years after a nuclear war that devastated the Earth. The player character is a resident of Vault 76, a fallout shelter that was built in West Virginia to house America’s best and brightest minds. The player character exits the Vault on “Reclamation Day” as part of a plan to re-colonize the Wasteland.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Battlefield V. Released on November 20, 2018. Developer: EA DICE. Game Summary: The biggest buzz about this game is that it too will introduce a Battle Royale mode. “Battlefield V will focus extensively on party-based features and mechanics, scarcity of resources, and removing “abstractions” from game mechanics to increase realism. There will be an expanded focus on player customization through the new Company system, where players will be able to create multiple characters with various cosmetic and weapon options. Cosmetic items, and currency used to purchase others, will be earned by completing in-game objectives.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Released on December 7, 2018. Developer:Bandai Namco Studios Sora Ltd. Game Summary: “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a fighting game for up to 8 players in which characters from Nintendo games and from other third-party franchises must try to knock each other out of an arena. Each player has a percentage meter which raises when they take damage, making them easier to launch in the air and out of the arena.” (Source: Wikipedia)