It's time to draw a line under another year of gaming. Most people will remember 2018 as the year the massive online battle royale game Fortnite became a global phenomenon, but our round-up of the best games of 2018 is dominated by brilliant single-player games with strong narratives like God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Detroit: Become Human.
So, if you're looking for ways to fill your days off this holiday season, you should pick-up something from this list.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
For all the scale – 74 playable characters, 103 stages and countless non-playable characters, items and Spirits – the genius of Super Smash Bros: Ultimate is pretty simple: it’s the same game you grew up with, done better than ever before. It’s your favourite characters, your favourite stages, your favourite rules. It’s what’s kept you playing for almost 20 years. This is a tribute to your video gaming past. And it’s brilliant fun.
Available on Nintendo Switch | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar's massive open-world cowboy adventure is a sprawling, beautiful landscape full of things to do. Your actions ripple throughout the world and every back road and town is littered by short stories and diversions. It's often a slow contemplative experience (in a good way) and while some may find that pace not to their liking, it's a welcome departure from Rockstar's thrill-a-minute GTA games.
Available on PS4 and Xbox | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
There's no single-player campaign in the latest Call of Duty outing, but the renewed focus on multiplayer has delivered what many believe is the best battle royale around. The combination of Call of Duty's tight, responsive controls and fast-paced action creates quick, intense and addictive games and while there's just a single map for its battle royale mode, called Blackout, at present, more are bound to follow.
Available on PS4, Xbox and PC | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
A 2D, isometric RPG with a card-based battle mechanic doesn't some like a promising premise for a great game, but add a story in the The Witcher universe with development handled by RPG masters CD Projekt Red and suddenly things are looking up. The card battles, based on a much-enhanced version of Gwent from The Witcher III, are enthralling and the storytelling is outstanding. We only wish there was a Switch version so we could take it on the train.
Available on PS4, Xbox and PC (digital download only)
Marvel's Spider-Man
Games based on superheroes have a mixed history. There are several great Batman games, but Superman has an awful record and all previous efforts to do Spider-Man in a game didn't inspire. Enter Insomniac Games, who have finally broken that trend with a captivating open-world adventure. It finds a perfect balance in giving you a satisfying challenge, while also making you feel like a powerful hero, swinging from building to building with ease. It's exclusive to the PS4 and an exceedingly good reason to pick one up.
Available only on PS4 | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Banner Saga 3
The third and final instalment in this cult favourite turn-based strategy RPG, Banner Saga 3 combines fiendishly clever strategy with a brilliant narrative full of beautifully animated cut scenes and characters you'll grow to love and hate. If you haven't dipped into the series before, it comes highly recommended provided you enjoy a healthy challenge.
Available on PC, Switch, Xbox One, PS4 and Mac | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Detroit: Become Human
Quantic Dream has continued to evolve its signature genre of cinematic branching adventure games, and Detroit: Become Human is certainly its best so far. Playing as three different android protagonists, your choices can take the narrative of androids going rogue in different directions leading to several varied endings; even if you lose fights, fail objectives or even get killed. It deals with some heavy themes (albeit quite bluntly at points), and there isn’t a lot of gameplay beyond pressing the prompted buttons, but the real joy will come from exploring all the game’s different story paths and its near-future world, and appreciating the motion captured performances of the main cast.
Available on PS4 | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
The previous Pillars of Eternity showed that there was still an appetite for the older style of isometric RPGs, and Obsidian Entertainment was more than happy to cater for it again. Now taking place on a cluster of islands five years before the first game, you and your ship’s crew pursue a recently awakened god to discover its plans and save the part of your soul it stole. There are many places to explore and many people to meet along the way, giving it the satisfying feel of a well-planned tabletop DnD session. If you are looking for a lore and gameplay-rich way to sink your time, you should definitely look at Deadfire. It's available on PC and Mac now with console versions coming in Q4 2018.
Available on PC and Mac | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
God of War
There’s been a lot of changes made to the new God of War when compared to the original PlayStation 2 and 3 games. More inspiration has been taken from RPGs, with the addition of side quests a branching world map and more upgrades for weapons and armour, Kratos’ son joins the fight with his own abilities, and the Greek setting’s been swapped for a chillier Norse one. Happily, Santa Monica Studio have made it all fit together well. The game looks and feels great, especially the combat with its diverse range of abilities and powers. Read WIRED’s review of it here.
Available on PS4 | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Sea of Thieves
Rare Studios’ pirating adventure is a bit of a short voyage at the moment, as it lacks enough varied content for long-term appeal. What is there, however, is enjoyable both on your own or with a crew of friends. The game puts a lot of effort into making what could be just another competitive multiplayer game stress-free and fun, with plenty of opportunities for nautical nonsense as well as serious objectives like attacking sea monsters or rival buccaneers. There are also some interesting new ideas of how to punish trolling players, and keep the community shipshape and Bristol fashion.
Available on Xbox One and PC | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Shadow of the Colossus
Team Ico's giant-slaying classic from the Playstation 2 has been given a refresh for the PS4, courtesy of Bluepoint Games. In order to resurrect a cursed maiden, the player must roam the Forbidden Lands and defeat all 16 bosses who inhabit it, each encounter part-environmental-puzzle and part-combat-challenge. It's just as mysterious and fun to play as the original, but now looking better than ever.
Available on PS4 | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Into the Breach
From Subset Games, the creators of space-roaming rogue-like FTL: Faster than Light, comes another randomly-generated strategy adventure. Now piloting mechs instead of starships, you will face off against giant monsters in fast, turn-based skirmishes for the fate of the planet. When your likely defeat comes knocking, simply travel back in time to try the turn again, or send one of your pilots back to the start of the campaign to help you win the next time.
Available on PC and Switch (digital download only)
Monster Hunter: World
The Monster Hunter series has finally got the mainstream acclaim in the west that it deserves with Monster Hunter: World. Capcom's RPG series has made giant steps in progress by opening up its world and polishing its mechanics, while keeping the central loop of hunting monsters to get better gear to then hunter bigger monsters more engaging than ever before. It's easy to lose dozens of hours stalking the New World for dangerous prey, whether you are an existing fan or a newcomer to the franchise.
Available on PS4 and Xbox One | Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Iconoclasts
A one-man production eight years in the making, Konjak's Iconoclasts is a 2D adventure with beautiful pixel art and a mix of combat, bosses and puzzles. Inspired by games like Metroid and Castlevania with their branching paths and variety of weapons and tools, the game pays homage to its predecessors while also building on their legacy. With a fleshed-out story of rebellion and a warm sense of humour, it shows how this well-defined genre still has potential for growth today.
Available on PS4, PC and Switch (digital download only)
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK