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From announcement to trailer to launch, we know what to expect from a lot of video games. We know the pretty games will only get prettier, the shooty games will only get shootier, and battle royale games will only get Fortnitier. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s nice to be surprised, too.
We all love getting more than what we expected, whether that’s at the deli counter or in our interactive playthings. It’s a joy to be charmed by the unknown, or dazzled by the familiar.
So, here are six video games released in 2018 that may not be VideoGamer’s GOTY of the year for 2018, but surprised Colm and Josh in a variety of different ways.
Games From 2018 That Surprised Colm in a Good Way and Not a Bad Way
Florence
I’ve always believed that mobile can be a wonderful platform for telling stories, as long as developers take advantage of the benefits the platform presents. Florence is the best example of that from this year. It’s a beautiful story, mostly told through imagery rather than on-screen text or spoken dialogue.
You play through a period of Florence’s life where she meets a guy, and falls in love. There’s no bombast. It’s just a simple, short story, about how relationships and aspirations can both blossom and crumble; it’s equal parts heartbreaking and fulfilling.
Through a number of cleverly designed mini games, you mimic the actions of Florence to progress to the next chapter: when she’s brushing her teeth, you slide your finger back and forth; when she’s packing things away, you drag them off their shelf and into a cardboard box; after taking a picture with a polaroid camera, you shake that bastard like you’re Andre 3000. My favourite are the dialogue jigsaws, which perfectly capture loving chats, as well as full-blown rows, through the subtlest of changes.
It’s just lovely. There’s no better way to sum it up.
A Way Out
So, it isn’t the best game of the year; dialogue can tend to be unintentionally funny, and conversations you and your co-op buddy have with NPCs overlap if initiated simultaneously, becoming a cacophonous mess. But, with all that taken into account, A Way Out is the most fun I had playing with a friend this year.
A Way Out doesn’t do everything perfectly, but it gives you something different: a split-screen, story-driven game that allows one player to potter about the environment, whilst the other is in the middle of a cutscene. Coordination is key, as most big events are triggered after the convicts work together; plus, you can play some Connect Four, form an impromptu bluegrass band, and shoot some hoops in your downtime. I really didn’t expect to be thinking about the greaser convicts after the prison break, but it left an impression on me.
A Way Out director, and technicolour swearer, Josef Fares confirmed that Hazelight’s next game entered pre-production in July, and I can’t wait. I’m almost positive it’ll be rough around the edges, but certain it won’t be boring.
Hitman 2
Alright, I’m bending the rules a teeny, tiny amount here. I’m surprised, mainly, because I wasn’t sure that we’d ever get a sequel to 2016’s Hitman after Square Enix decided to drop developer IO Interactive in May, 2017. Thankfully, we did, and it’s absolutely wonderful.
While it doesn’t include a ton of new ideas, as such, it’s environments are mostly great and allow for plenty of murderous experimentation. And plenty of glorious, glorious failure, too. Hitman’s ability to flip between tense spy thriller and farcical 60s British comedy is like nothing else, giving you ludicrous stories to share for some time to come. And the addition of Ghost Mode is inspired. The 1v1, first-to-five kills, competitive multiplayer is a fantastic reason to keep coming back to the game once you’ve rinsed every location in single player.
Granted, Hitman 2 likely would’ve benefitted from the same episodic format as its predecessor – just going off of week one sales – but still, this is a game most definitely worth your time. Plus, you could kill Sean Bean in it a few weeks ago, which is just marvelous, isn’t it?
Games From 2018 That Made Josh Go 'Well, isn't that good! That's surprised me.'
State of Mind
Advance word on State of Mind wasn’t word at all; it was just a glimpse of the game’s setting. Yawn. From Ruiner to Observer, to Detroit: Become Human by way of a brace of Deus Ex games, surely the cyberpunk style has been wrung dry? Not so. State of Mind had a gorgeous setting, a laserswept, low-poly city jammed with people whose faces were made up of jigsaw triangles. It’s a cubist’s dream!
What followed was a fleet of little surprises: Oh, this cranky journalist is, in fact, voiced by Doug Cockle! Wait, this story has got me hooked… Hey, these little puzzle diversions aren’t bad! Why, it’s an old-fashioned adventure game, occasional obtuseness and all! Developed by Daedalic Entertainment, State of Mind is proof that looks can be deceiving.
What stayed with me after I’d finished the story was how that art style clicked nicely into place with the game’s themes. State of Mind is affirming proof that solid execution is its own form of originality. Besides, playing it reminded me of Dreamfall; what more do you want than that?
Tanglewood
The idea that I should bumble into a job writing about video games in 2018 was surprising enough. That my editor should walk by my desk, and casually plonk a Mega Drive cartridge down on it, was enough to make me check the calendar. It wasn’t April Fool’s Day, nor was it 1993. Nonetheless, Tanglewood was a dreamy way to spend the hours. In fact, I should check that my review is still on the site, just to make sure it really happened. It did; here’s my review.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
How nice to be surprised by Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. It came bearing Blackout, a battle royale mode tucked between its multiplayer suite and its generous zombies offering. It felt like the inverse of a Trojan Horse – smuggling an unexpected gift inside a war machine.
It’s a series that marches out with tireless, military precision, conquering millions of fans every year and forever occupying territory near the top of the charts. I didn’t see Black Ops 4 coming. I was sceptical of Blackout, because it was both a battle royale mode and a Call of Duty game. My initial confusion, at being completely won over, gave way to a zany happiness.
This from the person — I don't truthfully know how many of us there are — who was sad to see the single-player campaign go. Black Ops 4 wove light story elements into its other modes, but they weren't very good. That didn't end up mattering a jot, however; I was already lost in the whirlpool of Blackout. I think, in 2018, that's my biggest surprise: I was excited by battle royale. I’m a grump like that.
