Games I Finished in 2019

In 2019 I beat about the same number of games as in 2018 but I paid for them only about half as much. That is largely thanks to the various subscription services now available. They're great value if you want to play a game just once. Great ones I still prefer to own outside a subscription though. Being able to play games for so cheap has also made normal prices seem really expensive to me. A game's discount now needs to be even deeper before I buy it.

2018 wasn't the strongest year for new game releases when it comes to my preferences but 2019 was just weak. I can't name a single title I would or could put above anything else; there was no game of the year for me. Of course since I haven't yet played all of them, I can't say that with absolute certainty, but I did actually play few fresh releases, thanks to the aforementioned subscription services.

Most of the games I played last year were older releases, as usual. My top tier doesn't have any huge titles this time -- basically two DLCs and an indie game albeit a really professional one.

Great

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider [post]
First person stealth action game. Limited in scope but masterfully crafted as I've come to expect from Arkane Studios.

EVERSPACE [post]
Roguelite space shooter. Stunning visuals and smooth gameplay.

Prey: Mooncrash [post]
First person roguelite scifi shooter DLC. Has all the gameplay goodness of the main game and then some. Due to metaprogression a bit too easy for those familiar with Prey. Add your own rules to increase the challenge.

Fine

Darksiders III [post]
Third person hack and slash. Mixes Dark Souls mechanics to the Darksiders franchise and the implementation is shaky and shallow. Fairly fun adventure as a whole however.

Fallout 4 [post]
Post-apocalyptic open world shooter ARPG. Simplified finer aspects of the series and introduced unrewarding settlement building which was its biggest downfall in my opinion. The best gunplay in the series by far. Also has a massive modding community.

Far Cry New Dawn [post]
Post-apocalyptic open world FPS. A continuation to Far Cry 5's story and plot-wise more satisfying if a tad shallower.

The Outer Worlds [post]
Retro-futuristic FPS ARPG. Copies other games and doesn't really do anything special of its own. Its biggest selling point is the lack of competition within the genre.

Vampyr [post]
Third person ARPG. A doctor-vampire attempts to cure disease-ridden post World War I London. I feel the game could've been a lot better in many ways although my hippocratic oath playstyle might have also been at fault.

Mediocre

Assassin's Creed Odyssey [post]
Third person open world ARPG in ancient Greece. The franchise's new flashy and fantastical combat is immensely enjoyable but the tedious repetitiveness of Ubisoft's open world design shackles the overall experience down to mediocrity.

Dying Light [post]
First person open world parkour shooter zombie whacker. The open world part of the game is fun while its narrative is cliche and main missions restricting.

Far Cry 5 [post]
Open world FPS set in Montana, US. Generally enjoyable shooter adventure with an extremely repetitive story structure that lacks player agency and satisfaction.

Pillars of Eternity [post]
Isometric fantasy RPG. Mediocre plot and rule system. Falls decidedly short of reaching the greatness of the genre's classics.

RⒶGE 2 [post]
Post-apocalyptic open world FPS. A very DOOM (2016) reminiscent shooting action with extra powers fails to stay entertaining when it meets a repetitive Avalanche open world.

ReCore Definitive Edition [post]
Third person scifi action adventure. Destroy robots and beat difficult platforming sections on a desert planet. Mechanically simple and story-wise lacking.

The Surge [post]
Third person scifi melee ARPG. Unimmersive Dark Souls mechanics and confusing level design. Very challenging though.

The Talos Principle [post]
First/third person puzzle game. Portal without portals. Hit-or-miss philosophical theme.

Bad

Agony [post]
First person horror game. Extremely janky gameplay. Tries to be shocking with explicit imagery but is neither repulsive or arousing.

Blackguards 2 [post]
Isometric RPG. Low budget turn-based strategy.

Blair Witch [post]
First person horror game. Succeeds at being scary at times but isn't very interesting otherwise. A PTSD simulator disguised as a Blair Witch game.

Bound By Flame [post]
Third person ARPG. Low budget; uninspired mechanics and story.

ECHO [post]
Third person stealth action walking simulator. Very shiny. Mechanics gimmick not enough to carry the game for its stretched length. Unsatisfying narrative.

Life Is Strange: Before the Storm [post]
Third person young-adult adventure. An unnecessary cash-grab prequel by another development studio.

Lust for Darkness [post]
First person walking simulator horror. A poor attempt at making an Eyes Wide Shut type of a game mixed with cosmic horror elements.


Rather than a year of good games, 2019 was more of a year of promising announcements. Everspace 2 was announced as well as Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and Baldur's Gate 3. I'm hesitant to be too excited about the latter two although a recent AMA on Reddit made me less worried about Baldur's Gate 3. I'm still bummed its combat is going to be turn-based however. There was also Borderlands 3, now out on Steam as well after Epic exclusivity ended yesterday.

Doom Eternal was pushed from 2019 to 2020 and Torchlight III is coming out this year after being renamed and changing business model. Cyberpunk 2077, a big name, is releasing in September (unless it gets delayed again) and in a surprising twist Horizon Zero Dawn is arriving on PC this summer. I'm really looking forward to playing that. Now all PC needs is God of War.