Some of Mike’s Games of the Year 2018

To be honest, 2018 didn’t really get going for me until a certain perpetually pissed-off Spartan came along and started spilling claret around the place, while playing the sensitive daddy.

Things really picked up after that, though, and we got some right corkers: Red Dead Redemption 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ensured our wallets took a battering. Even Destiny 2 managed to nail it with Forsaken. And then there’s Phil Mitchell taking on a group of teenage chavs in EastEnders – what a game of fisticuffs that turned out to be.

Anyway, more on that later. Possibly. For now, here’s 5 games that really tickled my fancy in 2018.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Ubisoft reinvigorated its stab-happy series with 2017’s excellent Assassin’s Creed Origins, and somehow managed to deliver a follow-up that surpassed its predecessor, this year.

Set against a sprawling ancient Greece, Odyssey offers myriad distractions, whether you’re tipping the scales of war using the new Conquest Battles, slaying legendary creatures, shagging your way across continents, or sinking ships on the choppy waters of the Aegean Sea. And thanks to dialogue choices, you feel like you’re actually making a difference.

Chin-wagging now has more of a purpose than mere exposition dumps; relationships can be forged or lost, folk can be hired for your seafaring efforts, or you can simply just act like a total prick or steal someone’s other half for a quick round of Humpty Dumpty. Odyssey’s biggest strengths lay in its scale. It’s vast without feeling bloated, and every inch of its sumptuously realised world is begging to be explored – some of its most satisfying moments come from just waltzing upon lost riches and hidden tombs. Chuck in a powerful combat system and some meaningful character progression, and you’re laughing.

Spider-Man

Marvel’s wall-crawling superhero has never been in better shape than in Insomniac’s PS4-exclusive, web-slinging sandbox. Spider-Man’s traversal is second to none; navigating the towering buildings of the New York skyline feels intuitive, and is so entertaining that you’ll actually want to travel from one side of The Big Apple to the other.  And exploration is a delight, because New York is packed with more hidden treats than a cookie dough sundae; Peter Parker’s masked alter-ego always has something to tingle his spidey sense.

Likewise, combat is superb. Spidey’s a master practitioner of arse-kickery, marrying eye-popping acrobatics with weighty fisticuffs, whether he’s webbing goons against walls, spin-kicking them back several feet, or duffing them up with a few old-fashioned blows to the cranium. Pleasingly, Parker’s tale is heartwarming and compelling, too, making him infinitely likable. Oh, and the game looks beautiful, too. If Batman set the bar for superhero games, then Spider-Man’s raised it a few notches.

Far Cry 5

I love a good baddie, and religious nutter Joseph Seed is definitely up there with heavyweights such as Liquid Ocelot, Albert Wesker, and ‘Dirty’ Den Watts. The sprawling US state of Hope County is refreshing after the more exotic locations of past iterations, offering a playground ripe with opportunities. Far Cry 5 is one of those open-world games that compels you to explore and just do, well, stuff: hunting animals, rucking with enemy patrols, and overthrowing outposts. There’s immense satisfaction in seeing your efforts slowly but surely loosen the Seeds’ iron grip on the picturesque rural backdrop. 

The Prepper Stashes are an especially solid addition, and totally worth the effort. Combat never gets tired either, thanks to the wealth of weapons you get your paws on – rarely is a game as enjoyable as Far Cry 5 when it comes to bread-and-butter gunplay. Then there’s Far Cry Arcade, a surprisingly comprehensive editing suite that really gets your creative juices flowing, as well as some superb co-op antics that really leverage Far Cry 5’s strengths for dynamic, over-the-top mayhem.

Minit

I love Minit. Although, that’s probably because it speaks to my inner 5-year-old. A duck-looking thing hoovers up quest items, natters with NPCs, and upgrades his/her abilities in this game that pays homage to 80s juggernauts like The Legend of Zelda with its retro aesthetic.

What differentiates Minit, however, is the brilliant 60-second rule; you have just one minute (geddit?) to explore, before duck-man-thing kicks the bucket. Anything you’ve obtained stays with you, but you must restart your journey from the nearest spawn point. On paper, this should be frustrating, but it’s not. Minit encourages you to make the most out of the limited time you have, and there’s a punchy sense of gratification as you methodically shuffle towards new areas, uncovering new items and enemies before going back for another run. The inevitability of death is something that is constantly on your mind, making every accomplishment feel that much more important.

Soulcalibur VI

I’m a Tekken guy at heart, but Soulcalibur VI definitely packs a meaty punch. It’s not as good looking as its Bandai Namco stablemate, but technically, it’s blow-for-blow as solid as they come. The character lineup is suitably eclectic as you’d expect, and each one feels unique and boasts a wealth of individual skills to learn. Best of all, it’s easy to pick up but difficult to master. It encourages you to learn more, and unearth its strategic depth. Digging deeper into characters isn’t something that I can say all fighters compel me to do. There’s nothing more satisfying than progressing with your chosen scrapper, especially when you get into a ruck online and test your skills against human opponents.

Fresh wrinkles such as the Reversal Edge and Soul Charge add a cinematic flare to the proceedings that punctuate the ebb and flow of regular combat, and the former’s game of rock-paper-scissors is great, adding a sense of unpredictability to fights. Even the story modes, which are usually a load of guff in fighters, aren’t too shabby – levelling up in Libra of Soul is addictive, and the character creation system is surprisingly intricate. Oh, and it has Geralt. ‘Nuff said.