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ReviewsYear in Review
The 102 Games I Played Last Year And The Ones I Recommend
For 13 years, I’ve been listing the games I’ve played each year. This used to be a means for me to log how many games I finished each year. These days, I use it as a way to tally the number of games I played in the past year, recommend some favorites and see how…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 3, 2019 -
ReviewsYear in Review
The 12 Best Video Games Of 2018
2018 has come and gone. As we do every year, Kotaku’s staff came together to play, consider, and debate the games that stood out to us. Here, in alphabetical order, are our top 12 video games of 2018. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Celeste Dragonball FighterZ God of War Gris Hitman 2 Into The Breach Monster Hunter:…
By Riley MacLeod Published December 31, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
Maddy’s Top 10 Games Of 2018
In 2018, I enjoyed playing some excellent games from, uh, 2017. It’s too bad that 2017 Maddy didn’t play Assassin’s Creed: Origins and Hollow Knight when they came out; if she had, they would have been on her 2017 best-of list. Luckily for current-day me, 2018 also had several great hits. Here are ten of…
By Maddy Myers Published December 28, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
The Year In Video Game Skies, 2018
Skies are an integral part of many video games, the backdrop against which all the action takes place. Even the most underwhelming game can make you want to hang around and play a little longer if there’s some striking eye candy hanging up above. I started the end of the year roundup of video game…
By Ethan Gach Published December 28, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
The Gamers Of The Year, 2018
At the close of every year, Kotaku highlights not just video games but gamers—people who did noteworthy or influential things in the world of video games. This year, we’ve decided to honor an entire community, one that did its best to group together and recover after a senseless, unthinkable tragedy. In the early afternoon on…
By Ethan Gach Published December 28, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
Paul Tamayo’s Top 10 Games of 2018
2018’s games have blindsided me in many different ways, but one thing remains true: video games are straight up digital magic. Whether they make me emotional, sit on the edge of my seat or zone out for hours on end, I still feel that same wonder wash over my brain. Here are my top 10…
By Paul Tamayo Published December 27, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Year In Video Game Sex, 2018
Sex in video games and fandom this year flourished but, in some cases, that flourishing was suppressed. It’s a tale as old as time: no matter how hard you try to stop them, people are just gonna be horny. Steam And Sex The Steam store has always had inconsistently applied rules when it comes to…
By Gita Jackson Published December 26, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
Ethan Gach’s Top 10 Games Of 2018
I played more games in 2018 than in any prior year, which makes sense given it was also my first year as a full time staff writer at this illustrious website. There were so many that were so good, and yet I still didn’t manage to play as much of some of the year’s biggest…
By Ethan Gach Published December 26, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
Jason Schreier’s Top 10 Games Of 2018
It’s been a wonderful year for video games both big and small. The games that appealed to me most were games that moved me, that challenged me, that gave me interesting tools and then allowed me to decide what to do with them. Also, the ones that were on Switch. Here are my 10 favorite…
By Jason Schreier Published December 25, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
Riley’s Top 10 Games Of 2018
Another year, another feast of games to devour. Here are my 10 favorite games of 2018. Vampyr Vampyr was a charming, ambitious game, despite its clumsy combat and sometimes tedious navigation. Getting to know its London’s residents and tending to them as a doctor would, only to feast on them when I needed the XP,…
By Riley MacLeod Published December 24, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
The Year In JRPGs, 2018
After a tremendous 2017, Japanese role-playing games were due for some regression, and that’s exactly what happened this year. There were no all-time classics like Persona 5 or Nier Automata in 2018. Yet it was a decent year for the genre, and we got some JRPGs that I enjoyed quite a bit. As is annual…
By Jason Schreier Published December 24, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Best Toys Of 2018
2018 was a dark time in the toy industry, as one of the biggest toy retailers in the country closed up shop, forcing collectors to stalk the shelves of Walmart and Target for their fix. But Toys’R’Us’ demise didn’t stop some outstanding toys from being released. Let’s play! Toys’R’Us will be back one day, making…
By Mike Fahey Published December 21, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Year In Relaxing and Stressful Games
With the year winding down, I thought it’d be great to look at three games you can chill with as the impending apocalypse—I mean New Year’s—rolls in. Or, if you’d like to prepare for the end times with some hectic games that get your heart rate up, Gita was nice enough to give me her…
Paul Tamayo & Gita Jackson Published December 21, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
Luke Plunkett’s Top 10 Games Of 2018
I played what felt like 1000 games in 2018, but I can only put ten of them on this list, so here we go. Here they are in absolutely no order other than the fact Odyssey was probably (I’m still stewing on it!) my game of the year. And before you ask “why isn’t [a…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 21, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
The Best In Video Game Concept Art For 2018
My favourite feature here at Kotaku is Fine Art, a daily look at the concept art that goes into our favourite games. With the end of the year fast approaching, I thought it was time to look at some of the best work we’ve been able to showcase this year from some of the biggest…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 20, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
Gita’s Top 10 Games Of 2018
2018 has been a blur for me. It may just be that I’m in the last year of my twenties, or it could be that extreme events just did not stop happening this year. As with any year, I took refuge in games when I wanted to relax, enjoy myself, socialize with friends, or just…
By Gita Jackson Published December 20, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
Heather Alexandra’s Top 10 Games Of 2018
Another year, another nearly one hundred games played. Between casual curiosity and work here at Kotaku, I go through a lot of games, from the largest AAA titles to innovative indie and altgames. 2018 was a good year for games but, alas, I could only pick 10 when it came time to decide the best…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 19, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
2018, As Told By Steam Reviews
Sometimes, you just need to howl into a void. Say whatever else you will about it, but 2018 provided us with no lack of voids into which to howl our agonized cries. Steam’s review section sure was one of them—and an illuminating one, at that. This year, Steam’s user-powered review engine kept chugging along, but…
By Nathan Grayson Published December 19, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Biggest Video Game Disappointments of 2018
2018 was the best of times, and the worst of times. We’re here to talk about that second bit, though we’re keeping things focused on video games. If we went any broader, this would take all day. As we do every year at Kotaku, it’s time to take a look back on the highs and…
Gita Jackson & Mike Fahey Published December 19, 2018 -
ReviewsYear in Review
Kirk Hamilton’s Top 10 Games Of 2018
There were loads of good video games in 2018, and I sure played a lot of them. I usually write these lists with a tinge of regret; regret over the no-doubt good games that I didn’t make time for, and regret that my list won’t include games I would’ve added had I made the time.…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 18, 2018