Link to Part 1
I had wanted to put Kingdom Hearts 3 on here. But we all know it doesn’t deserve that.
2015
This one was the first real ball-buster. There were so many amazing games from this year! Undertale, Until Dawn, Life is Strange, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Rocket League are all just a few examples, all of which I’d happily put at the top! But there are two particular games that stand out, even among all of those. Those two being The Witcher 3 and Bloodborne.
Fuck me. I desperately want to put both of them on there. I don’t want to choose between them! I loved playing both of them so damn much! But if I have to give it to one, as painful a task as it is, I do think that Bloodborne is a slightly better game.
Only slightly though. The Witcher 3 is fucking amazing.
Bloodborne had everything that I loved in Dark Souls and then some! The combat was snappy, quick, adrenaline-pumping, and challenging! The world was grim and interesting, with each corner practically begging to be explored! Each boss fight (yes, including the Living Failures and the Witch) is fun and memorable!
Every single corner of this game is amazing! It looks great, sounds great, and plays great! It is my absolute favorite game on PS4 and the single reason for me having bought the console in the first place! It is a masterpiece, a game that I will undoubtedly revisit for years to come!
Even if it will still kick my ass. Fucking Orphan of Kos…
2016
Once again, we’ve got another tough pick. Dark Souls came to a beautiful end this year with Dark Souls 3. The Last Guardian finally came out and it was… divisive (I thought it was good). Both Hitman and Superhot were games that I played the living hell out of when they came out.
But if I had to give it to one game, it would have to be the one I’m still playing. That one being Stardew Valley.
This game isn’t super action-packed. Nor does it have an interesting and engaging story. The visuals are extremely charming, sure, but they’re not anything special. So why is this game on here?
Easy. This game is so much fun! It’s simple, easy (though it’s kind of hard to lose a game that you can’t possibly lose) game. One that is built to make you feel good in every possible way! It’s colorful, cheerful, relaxing, and it’s a ton of fun!
I’ve bought this game on basically every platform it’s available on. I’ve played the living hell out of it each time. It is an amazing game, one that I will never get tired of playing. Out of all the indie games that came out this decade, this one is easily my favorite! It is my go-to game to relax!
In fact, I think I’ll go play through a few days right now! Excuse me for a moment.
2017
Fuck. Me. This one was hard! You’ve got Horizon: Zero Dawn! You’ve got Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey! You’ve got NieR Automata and Resident Evil 7! Sonic Mania made Sonic good again! Sonic Forces undid all that good in one fell swoop! Cuphead revolutionized animation in video games! Hollow Knight perfected the Metroidvania genre! How could I pick just one of those fantastic games?
Quite easily, actually. All I had to do was remember that Persona 5 came out this year.
This isn’t just my favorite JRPG. This is my second favorite game of all time! I love every single thing in this game! The visuals are incredible! The music is amazing! The combat is simple but challenging and addictive! The story, while it can be a bit too long and sloppy at times, is engaging from start to end! The dungeons are the best in the entire Persona franchise! I could go on and on forever!
But I’ll save all that for the review. Which will likely be up around the same time as the Royal version comes out. Which I will also get to!
Fun fact: I picked this game up in the tail-end of my senior year in high school, when I had reached the ultimate peak of ‘fuck it’. I’d sleep through school, go to work from three to midnight, then go home. Then, instead of going to bed, I’d go down to the basement, where the TV was set up, and play Persona 5 until four in the morning.
One time, I had a day off, so I just played Persona 5 from dawn to dusk. My dad came down while I was playing and asked me what the game was about. When I explained, he looked at me like I had just spoken to him in Namekian and said: “So… you’re failing high school because you’re busy going to anime high school?”
I then proceeded to nod and go back to playing the game without a care in the world. I feel like that’s a good testament to the quality of the game.
2018
Thankfully, this one was a lot easier. Mostly because I already talked about it way back in the day and my opinions haven’t changed much. They almost did. But I still need to give 2018 to God of War.
This game took me completely by surprise! I thought it would be a fun but forgettable adventure with a classic game character. But it proved to be so much more than that! It proved itself to be a compelling story, one that reminded me why I loved video games in the first place!
This game plays so fucking well! The combat is snappy and responsive! Each hit has tons of weight and power behind it! The enemies, while they are often recycled, are unique and interesting, with each one posing a unique challenge! The puzzles, while they can kill the pacing, they do spruce things up in an interesting way.
Everything about this game works super well! It looks great! It plays great! The story is amazing! The music is phenomenal! This is, without a doubt in my mind, the greatest game of 2018! It is a must-own for any PS4 owner!
If for no other reason than to get an excuse to scream “BOY” at the top of your lungs. Which is always fun.
2019
I’ve already talked about this one in length in a dedicated article, so I’m not going to waste much time repeating myself. But for those of you who didn’t read it and won’t bother clicking the link below, I’ll make it quick.
Like, really quick. Because I’m pretty sure you guys are getting sick of me ranting about Devil May Cry 5.
Although Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is making a pretty firm argument.
Here’s that link if you want to know more. Give it a click! I mention some other games that don’t have half-demon bad-asses!
Conclusion
That’s it. Those are the best games of the decade. Those ten games are the ones that I’ll look back on fondly for decades to come. Go ahead and tell me I have trash taste. I’ll stand by my opinions until the day I die.
Until my opinion changes. I’ll get back to you if that happens.
2020 is looking to be a great year! We’ve got DBZ: Kakarot, which looks like a ton of fun! We’ve got Persona 5 Royal coming, which will give me an excuse to play that all over again! Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake are both coming out, both of which are remakes of some of my favorite games! Most importantly to me: we’re (hopefully) getting Psychonauts 2, the sequel to my favorite game of all time!
Farewell to you, the 2010s. You were a great decade for games! Now, here’s to the 2020s! Hopefully, it’ll be just as great!
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