2020 already getting you down? Well let’s step back into the safety of 2019 one last time for Button Masher Media’s Very Official Top 10 Games of 2019 as Decided By Averaging Out its Crew’s Favourite Games of 2019! These aren’t just the best games of last year, they’re scientifically the best games of last year.
10. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
16 games deep in the series and Fire Emblem still manages to put out possibly its best entry yet on the Switch. Three Houses combines a Persona-like school system with newly revamped classic tactics gameplay to create an experience that’s both comfortable and fresh. Packed with charming characters and an intense branching story, Three Houses is a quality package that I can’t wait to continue exploring through each of its varying paths. – Nic
9. Kingdom Hearts 3
I fully expected Kingdom Hearts III to be a bad game that I ended up liking, but I was surprised to learn it was legitimately a good game that I ended up loving. The story of Kingdom Hearts and its absurdity is often at the heart of the criticisms directed towards it, but if anything I wished the game went even more absurd with its finale; things mostly played out as you imagined, characters’ mysterious identities either remained unknown or ended up being the most commonly guessed fan theories, and as has been documented many times over, the meat of the Kingdom Hearts bullsh*t doesn’t come until way too late.
Despite my every complaint, this is still the game that brought us the Donald Duck Zetta Flare and for that I must love it. – Corey
8. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Illusive Age – Definitive Edition
Dragon Quest XI is the book you cozy up with under a warm fire. To paraphrase Kotaku’s Tim Rogers, (the phrase that sold me on the game, I’ll have you know,) “Dragon Quest is a bedtime story” — it’s full of these wonderful, wholesome little fantasy vignettes (the 80-100 hour story is comprised of bite sized arcs that can be completed in an hour or two) that are perfect to get lost in. I don’t think I’ll finish this game any time soon and I’m fine with that. Every time I pop in I’m left completely satisfied by the charm, characters, colours, and combat of the little arc I just played through. – Corey
7. Baba is You
Puzzle solving in its most pure form. Almost every single level made me feel like a genius when I solved it. And clever use of nonlinear level select made it a lot harder to get stuck. – Evan
6. Sekiro
From Software has perfected the art of Souls-like combat with Sekiro. Blocking, dodging, parrying, and striking down tough opponents has never felt so immensely satisfying (and challenging), and its made all the more exciting in a fantasy rendition of 16th Century Japan that is both beautiful and terrifying. I’ve don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun cursing at a game before. -Nic
5. Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2 perfectly brings old school horror to the current generation with a remake worthy of the original’s lofty reputation. REmake 2 captures the terrifying spirit of the PSOne classic while providing just enough updates for modern sensibilities and shake-ups for series veterans. With brilliant pacing, cheesy puzzles, and heart-racing action, it’s scary how good Resident Evil 2 is. – Nic
4. Death Stranding
Death Stranding is technically everything you’ve heard said about it by critics who didn’t love it. It’s slow, cumbersome, on the nose and other times obtuse. And still I adore this game. Despite the years of the internet exclaiming “what is this game?!” it’s a pretty simple answer: it’s the new Kojima video game. It isn’t quite a new genre, a world changing piece of art, or anything else you can’t wrap your head around. It’s a good game about getting from point A to point B. And it makes you feel good about helping people. What isn’t to like about that? – Corey
3. Control
A world that pulled me in, combat that felt and looked satisfying, and so much mood. The base PS4 performance was a big bummer though. – Evan
2. Outer Wilds
Went into this game knowing very little and it blew me away. By far the most creative game I’ve played in years. The sense of exploration, all the wow moments, the clever puzzles, and the joy of piecing together the mysteries. Definitely best to go into this one blind. – Evan
1. Apex Legends
When it comes down to it, most of the time I spent thinking about playing video games this year was in relation to Apex Legends. How I could improve my Lifeline game. How I could create a better dynamic with my crew. How other players were able to destroy us with what seemed like such ease. I tried the Battle Royale genre a few times over before Apex dropped but nothing stuck. This game does it so elegantly with its masterful maneuvering, endearing characters, clever world design, and game changing ping system. Dear lord, the ping system. – Corey
First time I was able to get into a Battle Royal game, always wanting to play one more match. – Evan
Respawn Entertainment continues to prove they know how to make a pretty good shooting game. Apex Legends captured my attention far longer than any other BR game thanks to its tight controlling gameplay, fun character abilities, and by providing a fun outlet for my group of friends to discuss finer conversation topics such as: Were the siblings in Life with Derek into each other? Who does the best Tim Curry impression? Is juggling a worthwhile life skill?
Thank you Apex Legends. – Nic
