Overall Game of the Year 2018 - Article
by Evan Norris , posted on 07 January 2019 / 8,045 Views
2017 is a hard act to follow, but 2018 made an impact all of its own, with a host of spectacular action games. Celeste won over the hearts of many indie gamers with its accessible controls, daunting gameplay, beautiful art, and powerful message about reconciling with inner demons. The God of War franchise roared back to life after a brief hiatus, using a re-imagined world of gods and monsters to tell a new, more complete story. Red Dead Redemption 2 broke records and earned perfect scores from dozens of outlets, further enhancing Rockstar's open-world legacy. Fan-favorite studio Insomniac tried its hand at Marvel's most enduring superhero, turning in one of the genre's best in the process. And finally, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate pushed Nintendo's mascot brawler in new, more refined directions.
The Shortlist:
Celeste
God of War
Red Dead Redemption 2
Spider-Man
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The Runner-Up:
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Ultimate really is the perfect word to describe this latest, greatest platform fighter. Featuring 74 playable characters, over 100 stages, a deep, rewarding single player campaign in "World of Light," and immense replay value online and offline, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a gift that keeps giving. The huge roster of characters, borrowed from classic Nintendo, Konami, Capcom, Sega, and Namco franchises, is probably the most attractive outward feature, but don't sleep on the refined, smooth, fast fighting mechanics, the wealth of single player modes, and local multiplayer for up to eight players.
The Winner:
God of War
"I wanted to experiment with more deliberate combat," said Sony Santa Monica Creative Director Cory Balrog in April, "but I never wanted to lose that DNA of what God of War is." Truly, despite its less frenetic pace and greater focus on narrative and exploration, God of War retains that spark of fury that defined the series starting in 2005. Leaning into open-world conceits and RPG systems, Balrog and company crafted a more thoughtful, sweeping, story-driven adventure with amazing production design, memorable characters, and a modernized version of the violent gameplay that made anti-hero Kratos a star way back on PlayStation 2. It's a remarkable technical, mechanical, and artistic achievement, and it's our pick for the very best game of 2018.
Previous Winners:
2017: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2016 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
2015 - Rocket League
2014 - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
2013 - Super Mario 3D World
2012 - Journey
2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2010 - Mass Effect 2
2009 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2008 - LittleBigPlanet
2007 - BioShock
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God of War truly is a masterpiece of epic proportions. There's something about the gameplay that when you do great, you feel like you're on top of the world. This is the kind of thing that makes a game fun. It's just incredibly satisfying to play.
Congrats to Sony and Nintendo for creating two of the best games this gen!
Sony 5 GOTY in 10 years wow
If only they had bought the IPs for spyro and crash they would have even more power and they missed out on monolith soft too yet they still manage to release high caliber titles every year its uncanny
On this day and age with multiplayer-focused games having a lot of exposure, it's refreshing to see a game like this getting top accolades. Congrats to Sony and Santa Monica Studios for the Game of the Year.
Usual autocorrect stuff, but God of War is not related to LOTR, is it?
You shall not pass!
Congratulations to God of War and Smash Ultimate for being gaming gems on their own.
No Super Mario Party on the shortlist? :(
You guys are no fun.
My opinion largely aligns with matthewmatosis, but either way congratulations to the devs.
Smash did pretty good considering it didn't have the hype that games like God of War, Breath of the Wild, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Odyssey had.
This year has been pretty good for a Red Dead game to end up in third place. Good on God of War and Smash Ultimate, their devs really outdid themselves.
Haters gonna hate.
LoD was a miracle that cannot be replicated.
