Hey! If you feel like skipping through, timestamps (as well as links for the channels I shouted out at the end) are in the description. If your favourite game didn't make the list, usually it's just a case of me not getting around to it/not being able to play enough of it to get a full grasp on it (looking at you Obra Dinn). Thank you so much for your support this year. It's been tough for a lot of reasons but the nice comments and messages of support helped a lot. If you feel like supporting the show directly, consider heading to patreon.com/writingongames and pledging a buck or two-you'll get access to Patreon-exclusive written pieces, episode soundtracks, your name in the credits, etc. This show is made possible through your unbelievably generous donations. If Patreon isn't your bag I believe you can hit the "Join" button on RUclips. I think it works like Twitch's subscribe feature but I'm not entirely sure. Or you can just keep watching, whatever suits. Have a happy and safe new year!
Hamish that was ridiculously nice of you to say my man ❤ Thank you so much for the shout and kind words, keep on being the kindest and nicest person in this whole critique space on RUclips
I love that "joyous" is the word you use to talk about Spiderman, because that was the exact word I used to describe my experience with it too, even before seeing your review. You simply can't help but grinning like an idiot through most of your time with the main campaign
Hitman 2 was unreal, just the little details when helping that other assassin like the painstaking length of time he takes to line up his shots and the sarcasm of 47 while talking to the clients make some of the most tense/funny moments I've experienced in gaming
Hitman 2 is also my game of the year that was released this year. The best I played all year was Yakuza 0 though. Glad to see that our preferences align! More people needs to play those frachises, specially Hitman 1-2 which in my opinion are slowly becoming the most underrated games of this entire generation.
@@dantess2693 Indeed. I was actually a fan since the PS2 titles, but the PS2 was my last console before I went full PC so Yakuza 0 was the first one I had the chance to play in a whole decade. It literally made feel like a teen again. Best feeling all year.
I was going to try and write a joke or something pithy, but as someone who has known you nearly a third of my life, you are a very good person who is a truly incredible writer. Thank you so much for always supporting me personally, and my upstart channel with this generous shout out and your sage wisdom. You are loved. P.S. GOTY is "Binding Of Isaac: Afterbirth+" forever until the sun burns out
Hitman is such an underrated series, glad to see it being appreciated on this channel! Do you plan on doing a review of Season 2? Your season 1 analysis is one of my favourite videos
Sorry you didn't have the best year dude, but your work is some of the best I've ever seen. Your writing is fantastic, and I love watching everything you do! Hope you figure out a way to enjoy it fully again, and keep it up!
A wonderful video, your time and effort creating meaningful and well written commentry on games, plus a clear passion for the artistry of it all, makes me always look forward to your uploads. You seem like a nice bloke too. :)
Why is everyone so pissed that he didn't include GoW on the list? The game is legendary, yes, but the game won't vanish from existence because a [insert nationality here] didn't say it was good. It's not even a "I hate something popular, please notice me" kind of situation. Geez, folks.
@@Mordalon I understand. But still, one thing is to say "nice list, but I would add God of War" and the other is asking "where is God of War?". The latter feels like a demand. Like "you MUST agree". Especially in this case, where many other respected journalists/RUclipsrs did put GoW on their lists. I don't know, it just feels disrespectful and anti-journalistic, if that term even exists.
The introduction part, which was about 2 and 1/2 minutes long, was really wonderfully reflected and so very informative. It is incredible HOW GOOD his videos are!!! I really do enjoy this channel very, very much. KEEP IT UP! ... Mr. Black ;)
Anytime i feel the crap that videogame companies weighing down on me i look to your videos to see your enthusiasm towards videogames makes me feel like no matter what publishers pull their is still an amazing experience associated with videogames. Love your content keep it up
Even though I personally don’t agree with your list, I greatly enjoy it because of how personal it feels. That’s the point of lists. Not to make us feel good but to share your opinions and personal experiences. I don’t play racing games or hitman and I loved GOW, but that doesn’t matter. This list is a reflection of you and your year and that’s all it needs to be
yesss Hitman 2 is so freaking good! Would love to see you break down some of its level design in a future video, especially Santa Fortuna and Isle of Sgail.
got a lot of weird comments about my dad today. Got very confused for a minute ahahahaha Bless you, we all a big happy family. Yo and bless that podcast, definitely helped give some more context for some of the inclusions. Freaking glad to heard you’ve found some balance in this life my dude, freaking blast-off and hit some fire dabs in this new year. I’m having coffee and wine at the same time right now and just, very happy. Bless up, have a safe new year DAD. I’ll call my real dad at midnight and think of you. Also BLESS UP THE MATT SHOUT OUT, Matt is an absolute smart emo king and he may and/or may not have a foreskin but it’s okay no matter what. 💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💋
2018 made me realize, in multiple areas, that just sitting around talking about the ways in which we want to improve the world won't amount to anything without action. You can make the world a better place. Subscribe to Lambhoot.
Really great to hear that you've been taking good care of yourself. This year has been hard for almost every single one of us. That said, no Monster Hunter World!?
I don't know why but I completely forgot that Yakuza 6 released this year... And I'm a huge fan of the series... And I LOVE Yakuza 6 (also Beat Takeshi)
I'm more surprised that he forgot Kiwami 2, which some say is better. I haven't played them yet, I have Zero and Kiwami 1 installed, I mostly have been slacking because I have seen a lot of the plot on twitch. Yakuza 6 is probably the one I have seen the least off.
Gaming was great for me this year because I got to play catch up on games that I had missed over the past few years. I got to experience The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn and RDR2 all in one year, yeah, it's been a great year for me.
In reference to what you said at the beginning, please do take whatever time and steps you need to stay healthy and happy. You have a truly special and singular voice when it comes to talking about this stuff, which means I’m pretty sure your channel not only could survive without you running yourself into the ground, but probably requires you not to to stay at the level of quality where it is. We care about your happiness more than anything, and you being happy probably means a better/more creative games discussion community in general, so we’ll be however patient you need :)
One of my consistently most enjoyed channels and voices in gaming, happy new year HB. And this time last year I’m sure I subscribed to every one of your channel recommendations, so very glad to have more!
For anyone complaining about God of War not being on the list, it's a well polished game, but it doesn't do more, and I think that might be the reason why it wasn't working for Writing on Games.
For me it was perhaps the best fantasy action/adventure game of recent memory and allowed God of War as a franchise to take a few steps forward. The original trilogy felt more repetitive and stuck in its hack n slash feel. This new GOW was very addictive. I could've happily played hours and hours more of it had there been even more content. I'm so happy there will be more sequels in this vein. For me It's possibly GOTY in terms of my pure enjoyment of the main game. But then again Spiderman just didn't grab me like it did many people
Red Dead = a good cover shooty story game DQ11 = a good Dragonquest game Those were my 2 favs, and I think it's absolutely fine that they exist, as long as Red Dead 3 (or equivalent) and DQ12 aren't exactly the same I'm happy to take 1 more really really good game of each if that makes sense
Forza Horizon 4 is pure fun. I hated the noncompetitive feeling of the game at first (GTSport was my go to racer b4), but then I realized the game was made this way on purpose. I then embraced it and fell in love. RDR2 is a classic. Yakuza Kiwami 2 was better than Yakuza 6 imo. But all Yakuza's are great. Spiderman is another classic. Need to play Hitman, but couldnt pull myself to enjoy Hitman 1 so I might not. I'm shocked GOW didnt make your list. I'm a Yakuza fanboy and I would never place Yakuza 6 infront of GOW. GOW is my favorite game ever made. And yes, don't burn yourself out. Glad you found true happiness again. That's all that matters. I always tell people to expand their scope/hobbies and life will be more enjoyable. Truly happy for you.
totally agree with this, 2018 was a pretty weak year for games for me. at the same time, it did force me to finally realize that massive open world games are just not my thing, and never really were, but that came from how little interest i had in anything major that came out. 2019 looks incredible tho
Yeah, not too many games this year really blew me away. The best game I played was Celeste, a difficult but fair 2D platformer with a story about someone with depression. It's extremely good and I recommend it to everyone. There's even an Assist Mode for beginner players.
it's been one year since i follow you on this channel, even if i never comment let me tell you thanks for your videos, you make me discovered Yakuza series, you make some real in-depth videos about stuff that other people didn't even care about (the one about Sotc soundtrack was brillant). Just thank you for your work here and I can't wait to see your next videos the upcoming year, greetings from Italy man, i hope that I don't make to many grammatical errors 😂😂😂
My list. 5) Destiny 2: Forsaken 4) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 3) Monster Prom 2) Hollow Knight 1) God of War I didn't manage to get around to playing Spider-Man, Celeste, Hitman 2, Return of the Obra Dinn, Red Dead Redemption 2, Into the Breach, The Messenger, Gris, Dead Cells, and Ashen. And that's not even covering all the games I didn't get around to in 2017. So many games, not enough time.
In a year full of spectacular showy games (many of which were quite good) it feels like Hitman 2 got a little drowned out. I hated the Mumbai map at first- too many people, too big, too hard. 10 hours later and I think it’s the best thing IOI have ever done. That’s the thing with this game- it takes time to really learn and appreciate it, but that’s easy to miss if you just run in, kill the targets and move on to the next map. I can’t wait to see what they give us next!
My Top 4 1. Kingdom Come Deliverence 2. HITMAN 2 3. Assassin's Creed Odyssey 4. The Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker 5. Vampyr Don't own a console so haven't played RDR2, God of War and Spider-man. God I hope RDR2 comes out on the PC.
I love that you shouted out Lambhoot. His low sub count is criminal and he talks about games in such different ways compared to people like Joseph Anderson and Matthew Matowsis (Spelled wrong prolly) whom I also really like.
Yakuza games are FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC and you should absolutely try one, if you haven't yet.... Yes, you can jump in on any game. I personally recommend Yakuza Kiwami 2, the most recent, for one of the best stories in the series and the brand new engine.
The problem with end of the year list in years like this, is that even though 2018 wasn't a terrible year for gaming, they're really haven't been enough titles to make a list that would be much different than anyone else's list. I'm glad you showed more diversity in your list... But still. I guarantee you that anyone could name 8 out of 10 of the games that are going to wind up on everyone's best of 2018 list in the upcoming weeks. Maybe the placement might be a little bit different, but the names are all going to be there, except for one maybe two games that each Creator will put on their list just to give it the illusion of individuality and uniqueness.? In a good year, you could watch 10 different list, and they will all have a wide and varied variety of games amongst them, with only a few crossover titles here and there. And like I said, 2018 wasn't a bad year for games by any means, but it wasn't that great either. It kind of makes me think that creators should just start doing "best of the generation so far" list, because on top of having the added benefit of having more games to choose from, meaning that people's list will before more varied. But it also helps keep everything in perspective, when you are able to move games up and down the list as better Games come out, or as you spend more time with particular games, and you realize that they maybe don't hold up as well over time as they did on your initial playthrough. I just think content creators need to start doing something a bit different, because these lists get incredibly redundant no matter who you are, because everyone is going to have 80 to 90% of the same games, and most people are going to have the games ranked similarly... it's just time for something new.
I have a few questions, hoping you can answer 1) I dont have a lot of money to work with so I got Hitman 1 this steam sale rather than 2 because it was like 30 bucks cheaper. Im having fun with it, but is tbe difference that noticable? 2) Did you play Monster Hunter World this year and if so what was your take on it? 3)Do you find that playing video games for work has changed your enjoyment of games as a whole, like theyre more a chore than a hobby?
Fun fact, since you own Hitman 1, you can play all the maps from it in Hitman 2's engine for free, they're mostly unchanged, just adding in the blending in and hiding in bushes from Hitman 2 and leaving everything else unchanged, so you can see the differences for yourself. Though when it comes to pure gameplay, there's not a whole lot of difference, I'm pretty sure it's Hitman 2's level design that makes it better than 1, not that 1's is bad though.
Honestly I too have been burned out on gaming, maybe because every game tries to copy each other on what made that game successful. Sometimes it works other times it doesn't. 2018's biggest game was Fortnite and it was EVERYWHERE. Games likes COD 4 and Battlefield 5 tried to copy the success of Fortnite but it didn't work out the way it was suppose. It weird how we went from games becoming "open world" too "battle Royal heavy". So yeah this year felt very lousy to me. I mean the only game I played was Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu on the Switch. It was a chilling experience and I didn't take it very seriously like most people do these days. 2019 has a great lineup of games but I really hope Fortnite is not too popular because if people are still playing that game then more games in the future are going to try and copy their success and that can be a bad thing for the industry.
Am I the only one who severely doesn't respect Red Dead 2 because of how there was a bragging session before the game launched about how there was massive amounts of crunch? Idk it felt like it was glossed over way too quickly, immediately won a bunch of best of awards, and now nobody really cares that Rockstar was so uncaring about their employees that they showed off machine-hours that workers should never have to do.
Loved your work this year! If you have found a way of doing this stuff that both works better for you and may even inrease the qualiy of your content then that's great. Wish you and everyone a happy new year! P.S. Does somone know what novel/poem is shown at around 1:22?
While not as good as 2017, I think 2018 was still a fairly good year for games. If last year was the year of Japan making great games, than this year would be for the west (though not really to the same extent). Looking at the line-up for 2019 so far, it could be just as great as 2017. Here's hoping. Personal list: 1. God of War 2. Spider-Man 3. Celeste 4. Batman: The Enemy Within 5. Kingdom Come: Deliverance (or) The Messenger
My top 10 games of 2018 (I don't have any consoles, so RDR2, Spiderman, God of War etc won't be on here): Kingdom Come Deliverance Subnautica Dragon Quest XI HITMAN 2 The Messenger DUSK Monster Hunter: World Valkyria Chronicles 4 Pillars of Eternity 2 Lost in Vivo
There was so many good games this year, but not as many as 2017, but I still spend 1000 hours playing Warframe (that was only from June, wtf has I done with my time), and I spend almost 400 hours of Monster Hunter World. That's a lot of grinding for stuff. I have even spend more than 135 hours in AC: Odyssey. For some reason I always want to return of the weekly quest, which is just stupid. I complete the story after 79 hours. Completed the Atlantis story after 90, and dealt with Ghost of Kosmos (I think her name was) after 96 hours. And still I have played 40 hours after that (to be honest they did add 3 more quest, and first part of Legacy of the Blade, and that was a few hours long). I got a big problem.
2018 was a rather middling year for games IMO. There were certainly games that I liked (GOW and Spider-man managed to subvert my expectations and were actually pretty alright) but there were also a quite few disappointments like Yakuza 6, Octopath Traveler and RDR2. Dusk and Dragon Quest XI were the only games this year to really get me giddy. Luckily the first quarter alone of 2019 already seems to be much better than the entirety of 2018. And kudos for giving Paratopic some much needed love.
So I guess this is where we post our list: 1. God of War 2. Marvel's Spider-Man 3. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey 4. Red Dead Redemption 2 5. Monster Hunter World 6. Kingdom Come Deliverance 7. Mutants Year Zero 8. GRIS 9. Vampyr 10. Dead Cells (I think Hades is actually better, but as that is EA I guess that should wait until it's fully released). I haven't played Hitman 2 yet as I thought the full price was too expensive for just 6 location (every Hitman game has been a step down since Silent Assassins 21 (I think it was) mission. I think Blood MOney had like 11, and Hitman Absolution I stop after the level where you where sneaking away from the police, hated that section with a passion, enough to never play it again. I remember a complained I heard about the Hitman series from someone was "you just end up playing the first level our and our again, and never does any of the other content", I guess that's who this game and the first one is for. The first game had so long installed, and I had to get rid of it, so I looked up on youtube speed runs, just so I could finish the story and delete it (still had 14 hours, but I think most of the hours was from the first levels in my initial trying to play it). I might pick it up before the Winter sale is over on steam, as it is 37% off. Hitman 2 - Silent Assassin is still one of my all time favourite games, and there isn't actually that much sand boxy stuff. It's almost more of a puzzle game, where there is usually one perfect solution, rather than many really good soultions.
But Spider-Man's web swinging WAS just a watered down, more automatic version of Spider-Man 2 on the PS2, and the combat WAS the same Arkham style combat we've been playing for years now.
Eh...the combat in Spidey has more versatility and more options compared to Arkham as unlike Arkham you can’t just rely on automatic enemy jumping or automatic counters, you have to think quick on your feet and be mindful of your surroundings just like Spider Man would in any regular scuffle.
2017 was always going to be a hard act to follow for narrative games, and they didn't really try to top it. When reportedly one of the weaker Yakuza games makes the list kinda by default, you know it hasn't been a particularly creative year. The only game on the list I have a strong interest in is Spider-Man, but unlikely to get to it anytime soon since it would require a new console purchase. I've never had much of an interest in the Hitman franchise (Played a bit of Blood Money years ago) but maybe I'll give it a go if I can get into it cheap at some point. To be honest, I felt the original RDR was kinda overrated and was getting quite bored with it about halfway through, so not nearly as hyped about RDR2 as others.
I'm very confused about all the editions of this game. Is the standard editions the way to go (I got Hitman 1 already), or is it Gold edition with both expension pass (the silver only have one expension pass, but it's only 30% on sale while Gold is 37%, meaning the price difference is like a dollar or something)? Anyone feel like it seem like they went from more to less content? It seems like the episodic nature of the first game meant the season pass was build into it, but now we have to pay first for 6 locations, and than an expension pass with more locations and mission.
Expansion pass is for future DLC. Since you have S1 already you should get those levels for free with any edition as long as you buy it on the same platform.
out of topic, more or less. i finished my first yakuza today, yakuza 0 and i must say, i love and hate it. the story, characters etc. are FANTASTIC but good lord, the gameplay, combat and overall battles were horrendous, but to be fair, i played most of it on hard and thank god i realised halfway trhough. i switched it to normal and it was deffintly better. so, for those who want to start with the series, pick easy or normal, otherwise it will only get frustrating ps. i ignored most mini games and side stories due to them being very boring, the sidemissions i mean pps. GORO FCCKING MAJIMA. what a character
BeThomsen the side events are hit and miss. Some are just very mediocre and serve only for the recruiting for the estate and club side story's. Where some start off sounding dull as dishwater but can be a really fun time like the Micheal Jackson ones as they're absurd
Wait did you find the substories boring? If you didn't do any side content then i understand your disappointment with the combat, you weren't very upgraded. The game workes better if you in between story missions do a few substories or try a few minigames.
@@Sophie_the_Sapphic most i did were a waste of time and nothing i should bother with. Specifically the boss fights were horrible on hard. Not Fun, bs and sometimes even unfair
What I like about your approach is how, well... straight out subjective it is. It's actually positive that you focused on games that meant something to you more than technical advancements and so on. I've seen that you did not mention GoW and you've answered some comments saying it didn't 'click' to you. I really liked GoW but I would love EVEN more to have your opinion on the game. Ever consider a video about it?
Great list and great video! Although I have to say I am a little curious why God of War didn't make the cut. Not because it should automatically be included on every GotY list, but I find that my tastes align with yours most of the time, and that was hands down my favorite game this year. Didn't even make your honorable mentions.
Hey! If you feel like skipping through, timestamps (as well as links for the channels I shouted out at the end) are in the description. If your favourite game didn't make the list, usually it's just a case of me not getting around to it/not being able to play enough of it to get a full grasp on it (looking at you Obra Dinn). Thank you so much for your support this year. It's been tough for a lot of reasons but the nice comments and messages of support helped a lot.
If you feel like supporting the show directly, consider heading to patreon.com/writingongames and pledging a buck or two-you'll get access to Patreon-exclusive written pieces, episode soundtracks, your name in the credits, etc. This show is made possible through your unbelievably generous donations.
If Patreon isn't your bag I believe you can hit the "Join" button on RUclips. I think it works like Twitch's subscribe feature but I'm not entirely sure. Or you can just keep watching, whatever suits. Have a happy and safe new year!
what about Subnautica? =~~~~
Hey man! Hope you're OK.
Writing on Games Do a Hitman 2 review. The game is amazing.
haven't got to play it myself, but have you tried Ashen? Heard it's really POG
You are amazing.
HELLYEAH HITMAN 2 GAME OF THE YEAR YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT
Hamish that was ridiculously nice of you to say my man ❤ Thank you so much for the shout and kind words, keep on being the kindest and nicest person in this whole critique space on RUclips
Your deep dive into "Chronicle" > eating Pop Tarts while riding a tank. Just expertly done and delicious
Aaaaaaaaaa this is nice. This is good
I didn't even see the comment but I noticed he's a very nice person.
I love that "joyous" is the word you use to talk about Spiderman, because that was the exact word I used to describe my experience with it too, even before seeing your review. You simply can't help but grinning like an idiot through most of your time with the main campaign
And then Into the Spiderverse is such an amazingly fun movie!
Hitman 2 was unreal, just the little details when helping that other assassin like the painstaking length of time he takes to line up his shots and the sarcasm of 47 while talking to the clients make some of the most tense/funny moments I've experienced in gaming
I got 2 separate Fortnite ads right as you were announcing different games and I was fully ready to believe it was part of the video
And the top game of 2018 is... FORTNITE COOPERATIVE
I was scared
Hitman 2 is also my game of the year that was released this year. The best I played all year was Yakuza 0 though. Glad to see that our preferences align! More people needs to play those frachises, specially Hitman 1-2 which in my opinion are slowly becoming the most underrated games of this entire generation.
I got into the Yakuza series last year as well! What a fantastic fun franchise to play!
@@dantess2693 Indeed. I was actually a fan since the PS2 titles, but the PS2 was my last console before I went full PC so Yakuza 0 was the first one I had the chance to play in a whole decade. It literally made feel like a teen again. Best feeling all year.
I was going to try and write a joke or something pithy, but as someone who has known you nearly a third of my life, you are a very good person who is a truly incredible writer.
Thank you so much for always supporting me personally, and my upstart channel with this generous shout out and your sage wisdom.
You are loved.
P.S. GOTY is "Binding Of Isaac: Afterbirth+" forever until the sun burns out
I went to college with MML’s Commentaries! Matt’s a great guy, it’s awesome to see him get some recognition for his work!
Hitman is such an underrated series, glad to see it being appreciated on this channel! Do you plan on doing a review of Season 2? Your season 1 analysis is one of my favourite videos
Could we have a ‘Analysing every episode of Hitman 2’ 😀
Working on it!
@@WritingOnGames YASSSSSS
Writing on Games Thank you! I only just noticed this xD
Writing on Games has it come out yet?
Woah, I've never heard of Paratopic before and it looks cool, I might check that out
Well worth it I reckon!
This is one of the most spot on summaries of AC Odyssey I've seen
Sorry you didn't have the best year dude, but your work is some of the best I've ever seen. Your writing is fantastic, and I love watching everything you do! Hope you figure out a way to enjoy it fully again, and keep it up!
Hell yeah another Writing on Games video. Hitman 2 was my GOTY as well :)
Fairest summation of RD2 I've heard.
Now lets all witness the backlash as one man has a diff goty list to the internet (which is refreshing)
A wonderful video, your time and effort creating meaningful and well written commentry on games, plus a clear passion for the artistry of it all, makes me always look forward to your uploads. You seem like a nice bloke too. :)
Why is everyone so pissed that he didn't include GoW on the list? The game is legendary, yes, but the game won't vanish from existence because a [insert nationality here] didn't say it was good. It's not even a "I hate something popular, please notice me" kind of situation. Geez, folks.
@@Mordalon I understand. But still, one thing is to say "nice list, but I would add God of War" and the other is asking "where is God of War?". The latter feels like a demand. Like "you MUST agree". Especially in this case, where many other respected journalists/RUclipsrs did put GoW on their lists. I don't know, it just feels disrespectful and anti-journalistic, if that term even exists.
Mordalon Maybe people need to take a break from the internet if the opinions of others are being taken so personally.
Tough luck. It’s his list and it’s not his job to pander to an echo chamber.
Thanks for the Paratopic on the list, I'm checking it out. Love seeing hidden gems in lists like this.
Glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed Spider-Man more than God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Woah the RUclips recommendations may be some of the best I've seen
The introduction part, which was about 2 and 1/2 minutes long, was really wonderfully reflected and so very informative.
It is incredible HOW GOOD his videos are!!! I really do enjoy this channel very, very much.
KEEP IT UP! ... Mr. Black ;)
Anytime i feel the crap that videogame companies weighing down on me i look to your videos to see your enthusiasm towards videogames makes me feel like no matter what publishers pull their is still an amazing experience associated with videogames. Love your content keep it up
Even though I personally don’t agree with your list, I greatly enjoy it because of how personal it feels. That’s the point of lists. Not to make us feel good but to share your opinions and personal experiences. I don’t play racing games or hitman and I loved GOW, but that doesn’t matter. This list is a reflection of you and your year and that’s all it needs to be
yesss Hitman 2 is so freaking good! Would love to see you break down some of its level design in a future video, especially Santa Fortuna and Isle of Sgail.
got a lot of weird comments about my dad today. Got very confused for a minute ahahahaha
Bless you, we all a big happy family. Yo and bless that podcast, definitely helped give some more context for some of the inclusions.
Freaking glad to heard you’ve found some balance in this life my dude, freaking blast-off and hit some fire dabs in this new year. I’m having coffee and wine at the same time right now and just, very happy.
Bless up, have a safe new year DAD. I’ll call my real dad at midnight and think of you.
Also BLESS UP THE MATT SHOUT OUT, Matt is an absolute smart emo king and he may and/or may not have a foreskin but it’s okay no matter what.
💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💋
2018 made me realize, in multiple areas, that just sitting around talking about the ways in which we want to improve the world won't amount to anything without action.
You can make the world a better place. Subscribe to Lambhoot.
Really great to hear that you've been taking good care of yourself. This year has been hard for almost every single one of us. That said, no Monster Hunter World!?
Great list. You nailed the best game of 2018. Hitman 2 is awesome!
I don't know why but I completely forgot that Yakuza 6 released this year... And I'm a huge fan of the series... And I LOVE Yakuza 6 (also Beat Takeshi)
I'm more surprised that he forgot Kiwami 2, which some say is better. I haven't played them yet, I have Zero and Kiwami 1 installed, I mostly have been slacking because I have seen a lot of the plot on twitch. Yakuza 6 is probably the one I have seen the least off.
@@ghosface353 me too. I have yakuza o and kiwami but plan to get Kiwami 2 and yakuza 6 later this year.
@@normadicn5700 Kiwami 2 is my favourite in the series so far, so damn good.
Gaming was great for me this year because I got to play catch up on games that I had missed over the past few years. I got to experience The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn and RDR2 all in one year, yeah, it's been a great year for me.
In reference to what you said at the beginning, please do take whatever time and steps you need to stay healthy and happy. You have a truly special and singular voice when it comes to talking about this stuff, which means I’m pretty sure your channel not only could survive without you running yourself into the ground, but probably requires you not to to stay at the level of quality where it is. We care about your happiness more than anything, and you being happy probably means a better/more creative games discussion community in general, so we’ll be however patient you need :)
Woah that #1 is... quite the plot twist. I did not at all expect that, at all. I do love me some Hitman though 🙄
One of my consistently most enjoyed channels and voices in gaming, happy new year HB.
And this time last year I’m sure I subscribed to every one of your channel recommendations, so very glad to have more!
For anyone complaining about God of War not being on the list, it's a well polished game, but it doesn't do more, and I think that might be the reason why it wasn't working for Writing on Games.
For me it was perhaps the best fantasy action/adventure game of recent memory and allowed God of War as a franchise to take a few steps forward. The original trilogy felt more repetitive and stuck in its hack n slash feel. This new GOW was very addictive. I could've happily played hours and hours more of it had there been even more content. I'm so happy there will be more sequels in this vein.
For me It's possibly GOTY in terms of my pure enjoyment of the main game. But then again Spiderman just didn't grab me like it did many people
Red Dead = a good cover shooty story game
DQ11 = a good Dragonquest game
Those were my 2 favs, and I think it's absolutely fine that they exist, as long as Red Dead 3 (or equivalent) and DQ12 aren't exactly the same I'm happy to take 1 more really really good game of each if that makes sense
read dead = a good story something. the "game" in rdr2 was not the best * ^^
Please please PLEASE make another Hitman level design analysis for the second game the way you did it for the previous game
Forza Horizon 4 is pure fun. I hated the noncompetitive feeling of the game at first (GTSport was my go to racer b4), but then I realized the game was made this way on purpose. I then embraced it and fell in love.
RDR2 is a classic. Yakuza Kiwami 2 was better than Yakuza 6 imo. But all Yakuza's are great. Spiderman is another classic. Need to play Hitman, but couldnt pull myself to enjoy Hitman 1 so I might not.
I'm shocked GOW didnt make your list. I'm a Yakuza fanboy and I would never place Yakuza 6 infront of GOW. GOW is my favorite game ever made.
And yes, don't burn yourself out. Glad you found true happiness again. That's all that matters. I always tell people to expand their scope/hobbies and life will be more enjoyable. Truly happy for you.
NieR:Automata was released for XONE this year, so technically.........
Fuck it! Game of the year
Super Mario Bros 2 GOTY BAAAABYYYYY
totally agree with this, 2018 was a pretty weak year for games for me. at the same time, it did force me to finally realize that massive open world games are just not my thing, and never really were, but that came from how little interest i had in anything major that came out. 2019 looks incredible tho
Love ya, Hambo. Don't let assholes get ya down
Yeah, not too many games this year really blew me away. The best game I played was Celeste, a difficult but fair 2D platformer with a story about someone with depression. It's extremely good and I recommend it to everyone. There's even an Assist Mode for beginner players.
Another good video man. Started watching with your dark souls video and keep watching for the quality. Keep up the hard work man!
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is my GOTY, followed by Monster Hunter World (I have yet to play Yakuza 6 and Darksiders 3).
The caberet was so damn good in that one!
Parabolic was phenomenal, thanks for putting it on your list.
I did write Paratopic but it wouldn’t accept it.
Can't wait for your video on the Killer7 PC remaster!
Considering how this opened, I was half expecting this to be taking LambHoot's GOTY bit. Glad that Hitman 2 got the appreciation that it deserved.
it's been one year since i follow you on this channel, even if i never comment let me tell you thanks for your videos, you make me discovered Yakuza series, you make some real in-depth videos about stuff that other people didn't even care about (the one about Sotc soundtrack was brillant).
Just thank you for your work here and I can't wait to see your next videos the upcoming year, greetings from Italy man,
i hope that I don't make to many grammatical errors 😂😂😂
My list.
5) Destiny 2: Forsaken
4) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
3) Monster Prom
2) Hollow Knight
1) God of War
I didn't manage to get around to playing Spider-Man, Celeste, Hitman 2, Return of the Obra Dinn, Red Dead Redemption 2, Into the Breach, The Messenger, Gris, Dead Cells, and Ashen. And that's not even covering all the games I didn't get around to in 2017. So many games, not enough time.
In a year full of spectacular showy games (many of which were quite good) it feels like Hitman 2 got a little drowned out. I hated the Mumbai map at first- too many people, too big, too hard. 10 hours later and I think it’s the best thing IOI have ever done. That’s the thing with this game- it takes time to really learn and appreciate it, but that’s easy to miss if you just run in, kill the targets and move on to the next map. I can’t wait to see what they give us next!
My Top 4
1. Kingdom Come Deliverence
2. HITMAN 2
3. Assassin's Creed Odyssey
4. The Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker
5. Vampyr
Don't own a console so haven't played RDR2, God of War and Spider-man. God I hope RDR2 comes out on the PC.
Awesome video as usual.
Can't wait to see what you do in the new year, mate :)
I love that you shouted out Lambhoot. His low sub count is criminal and he talks about games in such different ways compared to people like Joseph Anderson and Matthew Matowsis (Spelled wrong prolly) whom I also really like.
Yakuza games are FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC and you should absolutely try one, if you haven't yet.... Yes, you can jump in on any game. I personally recommend Yakuza Kiwami 2, the most recent, for one of the best stories in the series and the brand new engine.
Happy new year bro. Glad your doing okay.
God, I fucking love this channel and the content on this channel.
Keep it up dude.
Edit: No God of War or Smash is shocking ngl.
The problem with end of the year list in years like this, is that even though 2018 wasn't a terrible year for gaming, they're really haven't been enough titles to make a list that would be much different than anyone else's list. I'm glad you showed more diversity in your list... But still.
I guarantee you that anyone could name 8 out of 10 of the games that are going to wind up on everyone's best of 2018 list in the upcoming weeks.
Maybe the placement might be a little bit different, but the names are all going to be there, except for one maybe two games that each Creator will put on their list just to give it the illusion of individuality and uniqueness.?
In a good year, you could watch 10 different list, and they will all have a wide and varied variety of games amongst them, with only a few crossover titles here and there.
And like I said, 2018 wasn't a bad year for games by any means, but it wasn't that great either.
It kind of makes me think that creators should just start doing "best of the generation so far" list, because on top of having the added benefit of having more games to choose from, meaning that people's list will before more varied.
But it also helps keep everything in perspective, when you are able to move games up and down the list as better Games come out, or as you spend more time with particular games, and you realize that they maybe don't hold up as well over time as they did on your initial playthrough.
I just think content creators need to start doing something a bit different, because these lists get incredibly redundant no matter who you are, because everyone is going to have 80 to 90% of the same games, and most people are going to have the games ranked similarly... it's just time for something new.
I have a few questions, hoping you can answer
1) I dont have a lot of money to work with so I got Hitman 1 this steam sale rather than 2 because it was like 30 bucks cheaper. Im having fun with it, but is tbe difference that noticable?
2) Did you play Monster Hunter World this year and if so what was your take on it?
3)Do you find that playing video games for work has changed your enjoyment of games as a whole, like theyre more a chore than a hobby?
Fun fact, since you own Hitman 1, you can play all the maps from it in Hitman 2's engine for free, they're mostly unchanged, just adding in the blending in and hiding in bushes from Hitman 2 and leaving everything else unchanged, so you can see the differences for yourself.
Though when it comes to pure gameplay, there's not a whole lot of difference, I'm pretty sure it's Hitman 2's level design that makes it better than 1, not that 1's is bad though.
All which brings us to my favorite game of 2018 - idle heroes add
I'm still waiting for that new Killer7 video.
I agree, do sub to lambhoot
You forgot Big Chungus
I don't agree with RDR2 completely but I also can't wait for that killer7 video. I love that game so fucking much...
Honestly I too have been burned out on gaming, maybe because every game tries to copy each other on what made that game successful. Sometimes it works other times it doesn't. 2018's biggest game was Fortnite and it was EVERYWHERE. Games likes COD 4 and Battlefield 5 tried to copy the success of Fortnite but it didn't work out the way it was suppose. It weird how we went from games becoming "open world" too "battle Royal heavy". So yeah this year felt very lousy to me. I mean the only game I played was Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu on the Switch. It was a chilling experience and I didn't take it very seriously like most people do these days. 2019 has a great lineup of games but I really hope Fortnite is not too popular because if people are still playing that game then more games in the future are going to try and copy their success and that can be a bad thing for the industry.
Am I the only one who severely doesn't respect Red Dead 2 because of how there was a bragging session before the game launched about how there was massive amounts of crunch? Idk it felt like it was glossed over way too quickly, immediately won a bunch of best of awards, and now nobody really cares that Rockstar was so uncaring about their employees that they showed off machine-hours that workers should never have to do.
Loved your work this year! If you have found a way of doing this stuff that both works better for you and may even inrease the qualiy of your content then that's great. Wish you and everyone a happy new year!
P.S. Does somone know what novel/poem is shown at around 1:22?
Thanks! It's Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov.
While not as good as 2017, I think 2018 was still a fairly good year for games. If last year was the year of Japan making great games, than this year would be for the west (though not really to the same extent). Looking at the line-up for 2019 so far, it could be just as great as 2017. Here's hoping.
Personal list:
1. God of War
2. Spider-Man
3. Celeste
4. Batman: The Enemy Within
5. Kingdom Come: Deliverance (or) The Messenger
I mostly agree with this list, I probably would have included god of war and smash ultimate somewhere, but good choices
I love you, Hamish
My top 10 games of 2018 (I don't have any consoles, so RDR2, Spiderman, God of War etc won't be on here):
Kingdom Come Deliverance
Subnautica
Dragon Quest XI
HITMAN 2
The Messenger
DUSK
Monster Hunter: World
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Pillars of Eternity 2
Lost in Vivo
There was so many good games this year, but not as many as 2017, but I still spend 1000 hours playing Warframe (that was only from June, wtf has I done with my time), and I spend almost 400 hours of Monster Hunter World. That's a lot of grinding for stuff. I have even spend more than 135 hours in AC: Odyssey. For some reason I always want to return of the weekly quest, which is just stupid. I complete the story after 79 hours. Completed the Atlantis story after 90, and dealt with Ghost of Kosmos (I think her name was) after 96 hours. And still I have played 40 hours after that (to be honest they did add 3 more quest, and first part of Legacy of the Blade, and that was a few hours long). I got a big problem.
2018 was a rather middling year for games IMO. There were certainly games that I liked (GOW and Spider-man managed to subvert my expectations and were actually pretty alright) but there were also a quite few disappointments like Yakuza 6, Octopath Traveler and RDR2. Dusk and Dragon Quest XI were the only games this year to really get me giddy. Luckily the first quarter alone of 2019 already seems to be much better than the entirety of 2018.
And kudos for giving Paratopic some much needed love.
Great list
To new developments in 2019!
Love your videos :D
So I guess this is where we post our list:
1. God of War
2. Marvel's Spider-Man
3. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
5. Monster Hunter World
6. Kingdom Come Deliverance
7. Mutants Year Zero
8. GRIS
9. Vampyr
10. Dead Cells (I think Hades is actually better, but as that is EA I guess that should wait until it's fully released).
I haven't played Hitman 2 yet as I thought the full price was too expensive for just 6 location (every Hitman game has been a step down since Silent Assassins 21 (I think it was) mission. I think Blood MOney had like 11, and Hitman Absolution I stop after the level where you where sneaking away from the police, hated that section with a passion, enough to never play it again. I remember a complained I heard about the Hitman series from someone was "you just end up playing the first level our and our again, and never does any of the other content", I guess that's who this game and the first one is for. The first game had so long installed, and I had to get rid of it, so I looked up on youtube speed runs, just so I could finish the story and delete it (still had 14 hours, but I think most of the hours was from the first levels in my initial trying to play it). I might pick it up before the Winter sale is over on steam, as it is 37% off. Hitman 2 - Silent Assassin is still one of my all time favourite games, and there isn't actually that much sand boxy stuff. It's almost more of a puzzle game, where there is usually one perfect solution, rather than many really good soultions.
You should cover Devil May Cry 5.
I want to see the series from a Dark Souls point of view.
I hope Spiderman 2 doesn't allow you to swim and kills you when you fall so it adds more tension to swinging.
0:24 that is pretty true
I would have loved to play forza but my favourite car was cut out so I don’t really want to play it call me petty but I just love Mitsubishi evo’s
But Spider-Man's web swinging WAS just a watered down, more automatic version of Spider-Man 2 on the PS2, and the combat WAS the same Arkham style combat we've been playing for years now.
Eh...the combat in Spidey has more versatility and more options compared to Arkham as unlike Arkham you can’t just rely on automatic enemy jumping or automatic counters, you have to think quick on your feet and be mindful of your surroundings just like Spider Man would in any regular scuffle.
Do you have a channel where you discuss movies I'd love to hear your opinions on films
1. Celeste
2. RDR2
3. Into the Breach
2017 was always going to be a hard act to follow for narrative games, and they didn't really try to top it. When reportedly one of the weaker Yakuza games makes the list kinda by default, you know it hasn't been a particularly creative year.
The only game on the list I have a strong interest in is Spider-Man, but unlikely to get to it anytime soon since it would require a new console purchase. I've never had much of an interest in the Hitman franchise (Played a bit of Blood Money years ago) but maybe I'll give it a go if I can get into it cheap at some point. To be honest, I felt the original RDR was kinda overrated and was getting quite bored with it about halfway through, so not nearly as hyped about RDR2 as others.
I'm very confused about all the editions of this game. Is the standard editions the way to go (I got Hitman 1 already), or is it Gold edition with both expension pass (the silver only have one expension pass, but it's only 30% on sale while Gold is 37%, meaning the price difference is like a dollar or something)?
Anyone feel like it seem like they went from more to less content? It seems like the episodic nature of the first game meant the season pass was build into it, but now we have to pay first for 6 locations, and than an expension pass with more locations and mission.
Expansion pass is for future DLC. Since you have S1 already you should get those levels for free with any edition as long as you buy it on the same platform.
Had more fun this year too with Hitman 2 than anything else, shame it sold so poorly - no idea why
I’d love to hear your thoughts on Hellblade at some point
Made a video on it last year!
Writing on Games I swear I looked through and couldn’t find one! Awesome, many thanks!
A little disappointed that "Return of the Obra Din" didn't get an honorable mention
Can anyone tell me what game this is @ 18:04? Combat looks interesting!
The Quiet Man. It's rather famously bad.
Hitman 2 yea boiii!!👌👌😎
Did you play Tetris Effect?
Nope but I will get round to it eventually!
No celeste?
Nice
So happy too see hitman 2 especially after your glowing review of the first
out of topic, more or less. i finished my first yakuza today, yakuza 0 and i must say, i love and hate it. the story, characters etc. are FANTASTIC but good lord, the gameplay, combat and overall battles were horrendous, but to be fair, i played most of it on hard and thank god i realised halfway trhough. i switched it to normal and it was deffintly better.
so, for those who want to start with the series, pick easy or normal, otherwise it will only get frustrating
ps. i ignored most mini games and side stories due to them being very boring, the sidemissions i mean
pps. GORO FCCKING MAJIMA. what a character
BeThomsen the side events are hit and miss. Some are just very mediocre and serve only for the recruiting for the estate and club side story's. Where some start off sounding dull as dishwater but can be a really fun time like the Micheal Jackson ones as they're absurd
@@Fencer_Nowa yeah, the Michael jackson thingy i did. Not Bad but after that i kinda picked the lame ones
Wait did you find the substories boring? If you didn't do any side content then i understand your disappointment with the combat, you weren't very upgraded. The game workes better if you in between story missions do a few substories or try a few minigames.
@@Sophie_the_Sapphic most i did were a waste of time and nothing i should bother with.
Specifically the boss fights were horrible on hard. Not Fun, bs and sometimes even unfair
I fully expected Celeste to be number one. Why didn't it make the list?
Because it would be a bit weird to include a title on my Game of the Year list that I didn't get around to playing!
@@WritingOnGames looks like you have something you really need to play. You'll definitely write an episode on it
What I like about your approach is how, well... straight out subjective it is. It's actually positive that you focused on games that meant something to you more than technical advancements and so on. I've seen that you did not mention GoW and you've answered some comments saying it didn't 'click' to you. I really liked GoW but I would love EVEN more to have your opinion on the game. Ever consider a video about it?
great car game
Great list and great video! Although I have to say I am a little curious why God of War didn't make the cut. Not because it should automatically be included on every GotY list, but I find that my tastes align with yours most of the time, and that was hands down my favorite game this year. Didn't even make your honorable mentions.