2018 was an absolutely astounding year for video games, and while we might not have gotten the chance to play everything we wanted, the Warp Zoned staff was definitely able to add a big batch of new games to our “Favorites” pile.
This year’s selection of standout titles offered something for everybody… Insomniac’s Spider-Man let us soar above Manhattan as the webslinger like never before… The mountainous milieu of Matt Thorson’s Celeste challenged our thumbs and our hearts… Capcom’s Mega Man 11 brought the Blue Bomber back for the first time in almost a decade… And those three games were just the tip of the iceberg.
The Golden Pixel Awards aren’t the “Best Games” from 2018, but these are the titles we plan to return to again and again in 2019 (and beyond). We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
Alphabear 2
The Adorable Award
I don’t have any desire to play epic-length games on my phone, instead gravitating towards bite-sized puzzle and word games. So Alphabear, a puzzler from Spry Fox that combined the two in an absolutely adorable way, became a huge part of my gaming day back in 2015. Not surprisingly, the sequel blew me away last Fall. Alphabear 2 offers players a ton of new ways to build words one letter at a time with strategic new scoring opportunities, an enjoyable Story Mode that riffs on Back to the Future, and even more adorable bears. I’ve put dozens of hours into it so far, and it doesn’t look like that’ll change anytime soon. – John Scalzo
Celeste
The One More Game Award
Celeste is a hardcore platformer from Matt Thorson, and its emphasis on precision airborne theatrics will bring to mind Super Meat Boy, N++, and other giants of the genre. It’d still be a fantastic game if that’s all it had going for it, but it’s also got an amazing story and even a slightly strategic edge. You could fling yourself into the void and hope for the best, but Celeste asks more from its players and that’s why it’s really something special. – John Scalzo
Celeste is one of those games that’s perfect for me… it’s like Towerfall, a game I’ve played for hundreds of hours, but it’s also a gorgeous platformer that has all the twitch of Towerfall with none of the cursing. Well, that’s not true, it’s just that now I’m cursing at the screen instead of at other people. But it’s also got a great story, an outstanding soundtrack, and it’s available on any system you might want to play it on, so the good news is, you can choose which controller you play with – and you’re going to want to play with the one you’re most used to. This game is hard. – Nicole Kline
Data Wing
Andrew’s Favorite Smartphone Game of the Year
Sony’s recent mobile release of Lemmings was too late to be considered for this award (and given its over-reliance on microtransactions, would not be winning anyway), but there were some excellent mobile titles to hit our smart phones and tablets this year. However, my absolute favourite was Data Wing. The simple concept reminded of old BBC Micro game Thrust but with a dash of Tron on speed. The story evolves as you take orders from a sentient computer program who you realise may or may not be trustworthy. And the best part is, it’s completely free. – Andrew Rainnie
Dead Cells
Repeatedly Hitting the Wall (and Loving It) Award
This year was a big year for me – I filmed a short film, finished my second book, and oh yeah, I got married. Once I had successfully negotiated with my wife that I was taking my Nintendo Switch on our honeymoon, I downloaded Dead Cells. It really is a fantastic game, but it has an intense level of grind! Eventually I kept reaching the same section of the game and dying repeatedly, with strong parallels to Dark Souls III. I decided to have some time off crawling through the sewers, but I will return to find out what fate has fallen upon this kingdom. – Andrew Rainnie
Deltarune: Chapter 1
Most Pleasant Surprise
At the end of October, the Undertale Twitter started posting some kind of notice: something was coming. I waited with baited breath, and the next day, Deltarune: Chapter 1 was available for free to download and play. It was a surprising delight to have such a big experience available for free out of nowhere. It takes place in the Undertale universe, but where it is in the continuum is unclear. It’s easy to see how developer Toby Fox has grown as both a developer and in building a narrative and characters, as everything about this feels like a graduation from Undertale to something more beautiful and complex. – Nicole Kline
Donut County
The Everybody Into the Hole Award
My biggest surprise this year was Donut County, the antonym to Katamari: you play as a hole in the ground that grows bigger as more items fall into it. It’s a cute, clever game with fascinating characters – but it’s also a commentary on gentrification, laying bare a difficult contemporary issue. For a game with so many layers – a lot of cuteness but also a lot of education – it’s short, quick, and a ton of fun. – Nicole Kline
Just Shapes & Beats
The Marvelous Musical Award
You don’t do any shooting in Just Shapes & Beats, but it might one of the best twin-stick shooters I’ve played in years. Instead of shooting back, the only goal in Just Shapes & Beats is to survive the onslaught of enemies and explosions until the end of the song. Dashing and dodging for up to four players makes the action even more exciting, and the chiptune soundtrack is absolutely excellent. – John Scalzo
Katamari Damacy Reroll
Best Re-Release of the Year
I have to give an honorable mention to Katamari Damacy Reroll, the Switch re-release of the first game in one of my favorite series of all time. I had some difficulty with it – having the offset sticks on the Joy-cons was really hard to get used to, and my hands cramped up a lot. But it was magical to be transported back to those days over a decade ago, when I fell hard for a teeny tiny Prince who got me back into video gaming. – Nicole Kline
Mega Man 11
Best Mega Man-Style Game That Was Actually A Mega Man Game
There’s been no shortage of new games that paid homage to the Mega Man franchise over the past few years. But finally… FINALLY… Capcom has seen fit to release a Mega Man sequel for the first time in almost a decade. And it was great! The Blue Bomber’s graphical style was even updated for 2018, making this the prettiest new Mega Man game in a very long time. – John Scalzo
Moonlighter
Andrew’s Favorite Game of the Year
I haven’t even played half of the games that are on most people’s Game of the Year lists, but my personal favourite game of the year was Moonlighter. Equal parts dungeon crawler and shop sim, these two parts married up together with far more success than I could have imagined. Each of the four temples come with a unique musical medley that is reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda series. It might not boast 3D graphics or huge open worlds, but Moonlighter has been one of the most fun experiences of this year. – Andrew Rainnie
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
Best Game That Wasn’t Anything Like the First Game in the Series (But I Enjoyed It Anyway)
I absolutely adored the first Ni No Kuni game that came to North America, so I was full of joy to hear there was going to be another game. Imagine my surprise when Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom was an utterly different game from its predecessor! Gone are the familiars, replaced with the much less interesting (though just as adorable) Higgledies; gone is the interesting (if rote) battle system, replaced with a far more typical action-adventure battle system. Where the first game had a compelling plot and a mechanic that took you between worlds, the second game has the ability to build a kingdom, recruit citizens, and fight a whole second game in the “Dreamer’s Doors” littered throughout the world. Oh, and there’s a boat that can jump in the water, and a skirmish system that I absolutely detested.
But I did enjoy it! Despite my complaints, I not only played the game: I beat it and got the Platinum Trophy. I also got that super fancy edition, and the Funko Pops. So it was definitely a game I loved to be a part of! It’s just, you know. Sometimes I wish it was a little more like the familiar game (pun intended) I had loved so much. – Nicole Kline
Octopath Traveler
Nicole’s Favorite Game of 2018 That is NOT a Sequel to Octodad
Octopath Traveler was a surprise hit for me in 2018. I downloaded the demo, which was one of those perfect “play the game for three hours and do whatever you want” situations I get so much out of. I immediately pre-ordered the game and, when it arrived, was able to continue right where I had left off. While the story does feel a bit disjointed – since you can get the eight characters in any order you want, there’s no real narrative way to build cohesion – everything else, from the unique battle system to the stunning graphics, are top notch. The soundtrack is also excellent, highlighting the moods for each of the characters’ locations and chapters. There are already rumors about a sequel, and I’m eager to see what they’ll do next with this interesting idea. – Nicole Kline
Persona 3: Dancing In Moonlight
Persona 5: Dancing In Starlight
Best Ridiculous (Yet Still Canon) Spinoff
A few years ago, I was a casual JRPG player. Sure, I liked the Final Fantasy games. Of course, I played some Fire Emblem and Pokemon. But then I played Persona 3, and I would never be the same again. That being said, I never thought I’d enjoy the rhythm game spin-offs, but after playing, completing, and getting the platinum in Persona 4: Dancing All Night, I was beyond excited for the dancing versions of Persona 3 and Persona 5 (the latter of which has some of the best music in any video game ever).
They did not disappoint. I started with Persona 3: Dancing In Moonlight and inhaled it, then moved on to Persona 5: Dancing In Starlight and tried to take my time, but beat that one even more quickly. It was a delight to be back with those characters again, and to also play a well-made rhythm game with songs I adore that fit perfectly in this type of game. – Nicole Kline
Spider-Man
Day One Purchase Award
Given my substantial back catalogue, I systematically trade in games as and when I have a decent number to take along to my local store. Digital-only titles are slowly changing this habit, but for AAA games I usually wait a while. However, every now and then a game comes along that I just have to buy as soon as its released.
By some twist of fate, Spider-Man was released the same week as my birthday, so it was top of my list when people asked what I wanted, besides socks (I love socks). And what a game. There was just so much to see and do, and lots of little hidden Easter eggs (HINT: If you haven’t already, seek out Wall Street’s Charging Bull statue). The sense of freedom while swinging and diving through Manhattan is a remarkable achievement. I hope it goes on to expand in the same way that Rocksteady managed to take Batman and define him with a trilogy of games. – Andrew Rainnie
Starlink: Battle For Atlas
Toy Boy Award
It is hard to believe it has been two years since Disney cancelled the Disney Infinity franchise, complete with the collectible Amiibo-like figures that came with it. However, there have been several other games that have come with collectibles, including Nintendo Labo and Pokemon: Let’s Go with its Poke Ball controller.
However, none piqued my excitement quite as much as Ubisoft’s Starlink: Battle For Atlas. When they teased Star Fox as a playable character I was delighted, but the reveal of the model Arwing that comes with the game blew me away. When I finally had the game delivered, I did not realise how huge the toy was, but also how detailed. It is beautiful to behold and I hope Ubisoft pushes this forward with more ship designs. – Andrew Rainnie
Tetris Effect
The Relevant Award
Tetris may be one of the greatest games of all time, but it’s fair to say that it hasn’t been “relevant” for a while. Puzzle fans know it’s out there, and The Tetris Company will always make sure a new version of the game is available on every platform, but George H.W. Bush was President the last time anyone was excited about Tetris. That all changed with Tetris Effect.
Handing the reins over to Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the creator of Lumines and Rez, Tetris Effect’s wild visuals and constantly shifting full-cover palette made Tetris feel exciting again. And with full VR support thanks to the PlayStation VR headset, it also gave fans an entirely new way to play Tetris. Tetris Effect might not have strayed too far from the Tetris formula (and the lack of multiplayer is a bummer), but it also made Tetris feel fresh for the first time in a long time, and I love it. – John Scalzo
