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Sam’s Top 10 Games Of 2019

With the 2019 Game Awards approaching imminently we thought it might be fun for each writer on PUG to give their top 10 games of 2019 to round out the year. Let’s have our own Game Awards right here! But as every PUG writer has different tastes we thought it could be interesting to do separate lists. We expect some overlap, but we’ll also get an insight into what different gamers value individually. We’re united by our love of games but all have different ideas of what makes the art special.

So here is my top ten in descending order, and to my fellow PUG writers; consider the gauntlet thrown.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (4)

Call of Duty Modern Warfare Weapons

Thank whatever deity it is you pray to for Modern Warfare. I know it’s a soft reboot but I’m still going to call it MW4 for simplicity. Believe it or not it was the original COD4:MW that got me interested in competitive online shooters, but it was also the COD series that put me off them too. For me COD became stagnant around the time of Ghosts and Advanced Warfare. I enjoyed the single players of every game, especially the recent return to World War 2 and Infinite Warfare, but I was utterly bored of the online modes. Black Ops 3 finally made me throw in the towel. I didn’t even bother with Black Ops 4.

MW4 however has completely reinvigorated my love for this franchise. It feels like 2007 all over again and I couldn’t be happier. I miss poor old Soap still, but it’s nice to see Captain Price back! Finally we get a COD game that captures the spirit of what made COD:MW so special but updates it for modern times. It is Modern Warfare after all. An engaging story and exciting multiplayer is all I ask for from my COD.

Borderlands 3

borderlands-3

It’s great to see Borderlands 3 appear after so long. The first two games were zany, violent and wonderful delights and it was criminal that they hadn’t seen a modern sequel. Awesome to have it back and it’s just as fun as it ever was back in the beginning!

Although I still sow Handsome Jack banners and drink secret toasts to his health. Get the reference?

Gears 5

Gears 5

Gears of War has really grown up. Like it’s sprites the games used to be short and brutish. This never stopped them being excellent but they could have been so much more. Gears 4 opened the door to this transition but Gears 5 nailed it. The story is thought provoking, the characters are engaging and the gameplay is just as violent and fun as it’s ever been. We can’t wait to see where they go next!

Death Stranding

Death Stranding Release Date

After years of weird trailers and bizarre imagery Death Stranding finally arrived in 2019, and it’s just as bat$hit as we thought it was going to be. Like all Kojima games, it’s self indulgent, strange and overly convoluted. But good God did I miss old Hideo. Honestly where would the gaming world be without him? Death Stranding is not for everyone but it’s a masterpiece none the less. Looking forward to Koj making a horror game next!

Mortal Kombat 11

Mortal Kombat 11

Get Over Here! Is exactly what I said to this title on launch day. Another series that has really grown up since its early years. Ed Boon and his team have clearly kept what makes MK great but given it a little bit more heart too. Then we get to enjoy ripping out said heart! But honestly, Mortal Kombat has now created an intricate and sprawling universe full of characters that are endearing, detestable and damn right devilish! The characters themselves have grown up, literally in some cases. Seeing a middle aged Johnny Cage get frustrated by his shallow former self during MK11’s time travelling shenanigans epitomised this so well. Other characters like Scorpion have gone from two-dimensional characteruers to fully fleshed out and sympathetic anti-heroes. Long may MK reign!

Devil May Cry 5

devil may cry 5

I’m a bit confused by Devil May Cry now, is it un-rebooted? Can we just consider DmC a prequel and suspend our disbelief? Okay. But who cares? We got our old Dante back! And Nero, and all the other classic characters we’ve grown to love. DMC5 is the sequel we’ve needed for a long time, the series is back on track and could no go in infinite directions. It never needed fixing, it was never broke.

The Outer Worlds

The Outer Worlds

“If you love Fallout New Vegas and Mass Effect you’ll love the Other Worlds” said one of my friends. He was right, it’s awesome to see a new IP take so much influence from elsewhere and turn it into something so fresh and new. OW appeals to me as a Fallout fan but it is also so, so different. It’s coming to Nintendo Switch next year which also means having the game on the go, which is rather incredible when you think about it.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

I’ve waiting a very long time for Sekiro. I wanted it before I knew what it was. Why? Because I’m a Tenchu fan. I’ve longed for a Tenchu sequel for years but never received it. I knew FROM SOFTWARE owned the rights to the series but were doing nothing with them. Then FROM started making Souls games, each one was incredible and I dreamed that one day they’d use this formula to make a new Tenchu game.

As Sekiro started out life as a Tenchu game, they clearly had the same idea but decided to make something new. I think now that Sekiro exists Tenchu is probably gone forever. They decided against resurrecting it ultimately. That’s okay I guess, perhaps it’s time to say goodbye to Tenchu.

But after playing Sekiro to death I now have a new love. Dark Souls and Tenchu have had a baby and it looks a lot like Sekiro. Thanks for the memories Tenchu, but there’s a new ninja in town and his blade has many more limbs to slice!

Pokemon Sword and Shield

The obsessive vision continues. We’ve written about Pokemon Sword and Shield and the series on the whole extensively. This game gets the number 2 spot in 2019. It came, it threw a Pokeball, it conquered. It’s in important game in the series too, as its the first main line Pokemon game to be both a portable game and a home console game. Enjoying the best of both worlds, and so are we as the players. No matter how old I get, I can never get enough of this franchise.

Resident Evil 2 (2019)

Resident Evil 2

Come on it was always going to be this wasn’t it?

Look at the amount of articles I’ve written this year that have Resident Evil mentioned in them at some point. Resident Evil is and will always be my favourite series of games. Resident Evil 2 was my favourite entry and now, my favourite game has been remade and given a new lease on, er, after-life?

With the Resident Evil 3 remake days away from a full reveal, in my humble opinion 2019 belongs to Resident Evil 2. A remake that proved definitively that survival horror isn’t and never was about camera angles. It’s about atmosphere and gameplay. Resident Evil 2 remake shows how to masterfully restore a classic while modernising it at the same time.

It’s one of the best selling and most critically acclaimed games of 2019, and a remake of my absolute GOAT. Therefore it’s Christmas, and I’m giving it to myself.

Resident Evil 2 was the top game of 2019. Bite me. XD

Over to you guys.

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