I have been wanting to do yearly top ten list for some time, but I either lost motivation or just didn't have the time. So, here is my (very late) top 10 list for my personal favorite and most disappointing games of the year. Better late than never. To clarify, these are not the "best and worst" games of the year. They are titles I enjoyed or was letdown by based on my own preferences and expectations. Most of the titles on my disappointing list are not even what I would consider bad games, they just weren't for me or were not what I was expecting.
I have ordered the list based on my overall enjoyment (one being the best) of games I played in 2019. Most of the games listed here will not be brand new 2019 releases. They are games I played in 2019 that were new to me.
See also, my Top 10 Disappointing Games of 2019
#10: Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
I love the Tales RPGs. Ignoring the handful of duds, they have managed to stay consistently good over the last 25 years. Even some of the more widely panned titles, like Dawn of the New World, I don't think were all that bad, especially when compared to the lemons from some other long running RPG franchises. What has grabbed me about the Tales series of games, is their focus on character interactions and story over combat - for better or worse.
Vesperia is a clear fan favorite, made by the same team that made two other highly beloved Tales titles: Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss. I picked up the remaster, which comes with all of the content from the Japan-exclusive PS3 version, and played it to completion.
#9: Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
Another franchise I am rather fond of. Generations was intended as a "series celebration" of sorts, mixing old elements in with the new. It is jam packed with over 100 new and returning boss monsters (not counting the re-colors), four flagship monsters (Astalos, Gammoth, Glavenus, Mizutsune), and four villages: Kokoto Village (Monster Hunter), Pokke Village (Monster Hunter Freedom 2), Yukumo Village (Monster Hunter Portable 3rd), and Bherna (New). Obviously, all of the gameplay refinements from World aren't here, so there is a good amount of grinding involved and the inevitable burnout. I fell in love with the alpine meadow setting and the Hunter's adorable pet Moofy ❤. Even bought a plush.
#8: Kingdom Come: Deliverance Royal Edition
A historical RPG set in the Middle Ages. I remember seeing this one on KickStarter back in 2014. Warhorse needed to raise £300,000 within a month to prove to a private investor that people were interested in a medieval RPG with no fantasy elements. Warhorse managed to hit their £300,000 goal in 3 days. Not everything that was initially promised in the KickStarter made it into the final product, such as large scale castle sieges and horseback combat. It also has its share of bugs, and the lack of hand-holding has led to some silly and frustrating moments. Like the time I got a game over for "incompetence" because I couldn't find a bed to sleep in. An hour of real-life time was also wasted in the quest "A Bird in the Hand..." because I didn't realize I needed to drop nightingale traps using the same method for disposing of items. Still a good game, despite the hiccups.
#7: Little Dragons Café
This was a colorful, quasi-café simulator with a pretty strange narrative. Basically, two kids need to run a café/inn while also raising a baby dragon because it will save their comatose mother... somehow. The gameplay is split between gathering ingredients with the pet dragon and managing the café/inn. Every chapter a new patron stays at the inn and leaves as soon as their troubles have been solved with food. Its a charming little game, if a little repetitive.
#6: My Time at Portia
A building/social sim with a little farming on the side. The story is centered around turning the Town of Portia into a main hub of sorts and discovering more about the mysterious "All Source", an AI that's been hidden away. The player spends their time collecting raw materials, like wood or stone, that are then refined into things like boards or bricks. These items are used to build new museums, bridges, or to expand the town and unlock new areas. Its a low-stress game with a few issues, the worst of which is the desert area crashing and wiping save files.
#5: God Eater 3
The next chapter in a niche monster hunting series with an anime aesthetic. In my opinion, the God Eater games have been better at managing player burnout than the Monster Hunter franchise, which only started to address the issue with the release of MHW. There is less grinding for monster parts in the God Eater games and a story helps break up the monotonous combat loop. The combat is also very different; it's fast and versatile, allowing the player to switch between melee, ranged, and shields on the fly.
#4: Tacoma
I went in knowing very little about this one and was pleasantly surprised. Tacoma is an interesting ambient exploration game from the creator's of Gone Home. Just like in Gone Home, the player learns about a group of strangers and their interactions with each other through the environment. Tacoma took me about three hours to complete.
#3: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
I always had a hard time getting into tactical role-playing games, so I'm not entirely sure why Three Houses grabbed me when classics like Valkyria Chronicles or the Disgaea series failed to keep my interest. It may be the deeper level of character interaction and the possibility of loosing someone permanently. Three Houses has a few issues, but I was most annoyed with the story inconsistencies:- Why were Byleth and Sothis feeling sick in Chapter 8? I assume it had something to do with Solon's experiment, but a connection is never officially made.
- (Black Eagle Route) Why did the Agarthans use the "Javelin of Light" on Fort Merceus if they did not intend to kill Byleth? To conveniently give Hubert a way to locate Shambala?
- (Golden Deer Route) How and why are there two creator swords?
- (Church Route) After the time skip, what was the point of the scene where Demitri (supposedly dead) appears before Byleth at Gareg Mach Monastey? Nothing ever comes of it, and it is never mentioned again.
- (Black Eagle/Church Route) Why did Byleth's/Sothis crest stone disappear after Rhea's death in the Empire route but not in the Church route?
#2: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
I love the unique settings and rewarding sense of exploration the Xenoblade Chronicles games offer. The amount of thought and originality that goes into each area makes them a treat to traverse. Unlike Xenoblade 1, which had 2 titans intimately tied into its story, Xenoblade 2 has eight fully explorable titans and a story built around sentient blades. I've seen mixed reception to the new combat system, likley not helped by how poorly Xenoblade 2 explains itself. There is also a lot of sexulization that wasn't present in the first game and the art direction for the rare blades is all over the place. I still enjoyed it immensely, though, it may be a bit of an acquired taste.
#1: The House in Fata Morgana: A Dream of Revenants
Easily the biggest surprise for me this year was a visual novel. I went in almost totally blind, knowing only that the story had something to do with a mysterious mansion - a good move on my part. I don't want to say too much because The House in Fata Morgana is best experienced blind, but it's worth noting that this game is 60+ hours long and gets dark! Some very adult themes are also touched upon, such as rape and torture, but they are handled in a very respectful manner.
Next Year - Top 10 Favorite Games of 2020
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