2019 has almost come to a close, or if you are reading this in the New Year, it has come and gone and there were quite the number of games, events, hardware and such that all released or took place during it. Each year, there are many things that stand above the rest, but these are the ones that I believe achieved something more.

Kicking things off with the Game of the Year, there were some real quality titles, but this year I have to give it to Dragon Quest Builders 2. The game managed to build upon, pun intended, the foundation of the first game and expand it in new and exciting ways. I played the game on PlayStation 4 and Switch for review, but only finished it on PlayStation 4, but over the past few weeks, I have also been making progress on the Switch release again, proving that if a game is good, players will return.

The game combines exploration and crafting, with a light dose of RPG elements, all coated with the popular Dragon Quest look and feel and never loses sight of what it is. Given the games creative side, it does not surprise me that players from around the world are building so many amazing things and as you can go and explore what they have made, it makes you want to build something better. Other games might have been grander in the visuals, but this is a game that keep whispering me to return and I am glad I did as each time I play, I lose myself in the world that I am building with the game.

Runner up: Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order

Switch had a stellar 2019, there were countless games released from Nintendo themselves and the numerous 3rd party and indie developers, players on the hybrid device were spoilt for choice, but Luigi’s Mansion 3 took top spot for me. The base story was nothing new, Luigi gets invited somewhere, that turns out to be a trap, it is as common now as the Princess being in another castle, but the location, in this case the hotel, helps elevate the game above what it might have been elsewise.

Each floor let the developers take a chance on a gameplay element, knowing that if players don’t click with it, minutes later they will soon be on another floor, with a new experience to enjoy. Plus Luigi now has a host of other abilities to help him with his quest, be it a plunger that allows him to interact with the world and the ability that is almost like jump, he is more capable than ever before. All that is before you step into the games multiplayer modes, which provides pure chaos in levels that are never the same, just as long as you can deal with all the joyous shouting that arrives from playing it.

Runner up: Astral Chain

Xbox One had many games released on it this year, but Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order was the one that takes first place, purely because it was the Star Wars game I always wanted, but in addition it was an amazing game across the board. It not only gave us the fun of wielding a lightsaber and slicing through enemy after enemy, but gave us access to the Force in a progression that felt natural, given the events that happen to Cal Kestis before we meet him.

On top of that, the game encourages exploration and is happy to own you, if you are not ready for a challenge, the first planet you land on, has one very high level enemy, just off the beaten path and there is little to stop you heading there, but until you have played the game some and reacquired some powers, it is best to avoid it. The game directs you across the 15 hour story, but it never holds your hand, leaving you to discover the way forward and while yes, it did have some technical issues, they were smoothed out post release and the game is even better now.

Runner up: Control

PlayStation 4 had a quiet year, at least when it comes to the first party offerings, they only released a few titles, with the bulk of the experiences coming from other developers. While Days Gone and Death Stranding offered something different, it was Dragon Quest Builders 2 that kept my attention the longest. As I mentioned above, I played through the PS4 release of the game for my review and loved it, to the point that once the review was done, I still returned.

The game offers a very rewarding loop of gameplay, in that the more you explore the more you can build and the more you build, the more you are incentivised to go and explore. The loop is nothing new, other games, including its predecessor have done it before, but it is so well refined here that it stands at the top of the pinnacle of the genre. On top of that, being able to have friends come and help you out, or you go and help them, means that you can build some truly wonderful, which again ties back into that loop. This is the game that kept my PlayStation 4 on this year and I loved every moment of it.

Runner up: Concrete Genie

PC has had a decent year, but a number of issues popped up, causing some issues, with the Epic Game Store exclusivity deal causing the most headache for gamers, it was perhaps highlighted by the fact that Borderlands 3, the next chapter in the amazing shlooter series was going to be exclusive there for a while, but that didn’t hold the game back at all. Borderlands 3 took everything that we already knew about the series and expanded it tenfold, from the amount of weapons, to planets you can visit and beyond, it was very well crafted across the galaxy map.

The series has always been one for co-op play, from the first moments of the original game, playing with a friend or three has always been fun and in 3, it kept that tradition going. There were countless ways you could play the game, on your own was how I went through the story, but if you ever got stuck, a friend could jump in and help. Even after you finished the main story, you could keep things going with new levels of difficulty, missions to undertake and DLC to enjoy, the game simply keeps growing and shows no signs of stopping. There is still plenty to come in 2020 for the game and I am excited to learn more about it, now excuse me while I look for Claptrap and his chaotic self.

Runner up: Apex Legends

Hardware is always something tricky to quantify for any sort of award, as they have a specific purpose in mind when designed, laptops can do a bevy of tasks, but they are still confined to that form factor, much like headsets, they do one single task and if they do it well, you never notice anything else about them. Sennheiser kicked off 2019 with their first wireless headset the GSP 670, but it seems that they were not content to stop there as they released another later in the year, the GSP 370 and that is what gets our award.

The GSP 370 takes almost everything from the 670 series, but adds one major and impressive addition, a battery life that is 100 hours strong. No more hearing that beep that comes with a batter nearing depletion after a few hours of gaming, instead you can game as long as you want and it is amazing. I had honestly thought that the claim of 100 hours would be one of those scenarios where in a very specific setup it would last that long, but nope, across PC and PlayStation 4, gaming, chatting and listening to music, it never had any issues, perhaps the only real concern is the price, it is not on the low end of the pricing spectrum, but considering how much use you will get from a set, it is a price I can highly suggest you pay, the benefits are amazing.

Runner up: Asus Zenbook Pro Duo

2019 had some massive movies released, from the latest Spider-Man and the final chapter in the Star Wars Skywalker Saga, there were plenty to choose your cinema time with, but Avengers Endgame was the movie that stood out and for a simple fact, it completed a decade worth of storytelling, in a manner that made sense and felt solid. Given the number of directors, writers and actors over the years, finding a solid conclusion to a saga that had spanned over 20 movies and a decade of time, was never going to be easy and with character deaths expected, viewers went in, hopeful that their favourite would remain, but things never ended the way we expected.

As a villain, Thanos proved to be slow to start, very slow, but by the time he got going, the entire Universe knew his name and his purpose, so seeing him meet an end that was brutal and short, in the opening of the movie, was something shocking, but to have the character make a return, thanks to time travel, meant we could get a proper ending for the big bad and at the cost of Iron Man, the question remained after the credits rolled, was it worth it. There is truly no right or wrong answer to that question, some characters had deaths that felt rushed and in the end a little pointless, while other characters got an end that felt rewarding, but regardless of where you fall, Endgame was a fitting end to a decade worth of story.

Runner up: Spider-Man Far From Home

Each week, it seems that there is a new indie title to pay attention to, with a distinct hook that aims to draw in players with, be it gameplay or visuals. The problem is, with so many developers made up of solo teams, or a dozen folks, the games just keep coming, week after week, so having a game like Katana Zero release and stay in my head, months later is a testament to the games solid mechanics, but also intriguing story. The core of the gameplay is based on the concept of time, in that you can slow things down to make precision attacks and dodges, but above that each level is played out in the viewpoint of a security camera, meaning that each failed run is rewound and you get to try again.

A successful run through a level, grants you the option to just watch your success and revel in it, but between the levels, is the story and while it makes some sense at first, it quickly takes a left turn into the outlandish and absurd and is made better for it. Constant questioning of what is going on, who you are and more will stay with you as you play, the games character is a mystery, even to himself and while the ending of the game is not what most people would expect or like, it does lead to more potential for a more open sequel. Indie games are quickly becoming a dime a dozen, so to speak, so standing out is harder and harder to do each time and Katana Zero managed to do that for me.

Runner up: Untitled Goose Game

That is what grabbed my attention for the year that was, but what about you, what were your highlights in 2019?