The Top 10 Games of 2019

top games of 2019

While 2019 didn’t have any one or two games that seemed to loom large over the rest of the year’s releases like 2018 with God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Spider-man, it did offer a lot of variety and gave us no real front runner leaving the field wide open for almost any game to take it. With that in mind, here are the top 10 games of 2019 as voted by the MP1st staff.

10. Apex Legends

“Respawn making a free-to-play shooter seems like a desperate cash-grab move by the studio considering Titanfall 2 didn’t perform as well as they’d hope (since EA kinda screwed the launch of it), but lo and behold! Apex Legends captured the world by storm. Not only did Respawn did the unimaginable by releasing a game secretly (and it worked big-time), but it even did that by releasing in a genre (battle royale) that’s heavily crowded. Respawn proves they’re one of the best studios around, and just knows how to deliver a quality gaming experience.” – Alex

Read up on Apex Legends here.

apex legends new level cap

9. Wattam

“Wattam is a late entry for me and one that surprised me a lot more than I expected it would. With a recent release and a rather mixed critic reception, I was surprised to find Wattam to be one of the few games this year that made me care deeply for the characters, and I should point out that some of them are literal turds. It’s a short game so it doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it’ll definitely be a title I’ll remember for a long time.” – James

8. A Plague Tale: Innocence

“Developed by the independent Asobo Studio, A Plague Tale: Innocence has very obvious influences but still managed to transcend them to make something truly special and unique while working within the third person, stealth/action genre. Not only is it a beautiful looking game that belies its budget, it’s also very well written and voice acted making the engaging story rival even that of Naughty Dog. A dark tale full of horror and hope, A Plague Tale: Innocence should not be missed if you’re into single player narrative games.” – Sean

7. Control

“Control seems to be ending 2019 as the most criminally underplayed games of the year. Remedy has released their best game since Max Payne 2 and it seems like the majority of gamers haven’t even heard of it. That’s a shame too because Control is Remedy doing what Remedy does best, creating compelling gameplay with a deep, rich narrative. Heavily fantastical and weird, the mix of awesome combat  and have to see it to believe storytelling makes Control worthy of any top 10 list. Had it not been for technical issues on console this would probably rank much higher.” – Sean

Read our review of Control.

control game review

6. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

“My love for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night got rekindled overnight by Bloodstained. If you’re a fan of these types of games, then Bloodstained is a must-play! There are so many hidden paths, armor pieces and weapon crafting options that it’s insane this isn’t really considered a AAA title.” – Alex

5. Ace Combat 7

“My choice of Ace Combat 7 may surprise some. It’s been nearly a full generation since we got a new, true Ace Combat title, and 7 did exactly what fans wanted. From the beautiful music, the stunning visuals, to the exhilarating gameplay, Ace Combat 7 is the sequel fans have long-awaited and I have little complaint to go into such a satisfying experience.” – James

ace combat 7 multiplayer

4. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

“The developer of Titanfall making a Star Wars game? No microtransactions and such? Yeah, sign me up. While Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order sometimes has that “me-too” feeling all too often given the title borrows heavily from other games, it’s still a top-notch adventure. Simply put, Jedi Fallen Order is easily one of the best — if not the best — Star Wars game of all time (Knights of the Old Republic is gnawing at my brain somehow).” – Alex

“Despite all of my gripes and the games lack of refinement, polish and true innovation, I still had fun actually playing it and consuming the story. Ultimately, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the best Star Wars game we’ve gotten since EA got the rights and probably the best Star Wars game since the original Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic.” – Sean

Read our review of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

jedi fallen order update 1.06

3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

“Amidst the noise surrounding whether or not FromSoftware games should have an easy mode (they shouldn’t until From wants to include one) it almost seems forgotten just how damn good Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is. While From maintained their notoriety for challenging gameplay and their nigh impeccable map and world design, so much of Sekiro sheds many of the trappings of its brethren’s dark fantasy (Dark Souls) and horror (Bloodborne) action RPG and strips it all down to basically two simple mechanics; deflecting and attacking. It took awhile for it to click with me but once it did the combat offered the kind of exhilaration that only FromSoftware games can provide.” – Sean

2. Death Stranding

“This is sure to be a controversial placement for Death Stranding as many people who never played the game see it as a “walking simulator” but it’s so much more than that. After a few hours into the game the truly genius of Death Stranding’s gameplay opens up and that is the online functionality. Once connected to the in-games “Chiral Network” you have access to other player constructions that range from roads, to shelters from the game’s Timefall, to safe houses, to zip-lines which all work to make the game truly shine. It also helps that the story, while very Kojima, is always interesting and surprising and weird. It is my personal Game of the Year so I’m happy to see it end up so close to number one.” – Sean

Read our review of Death Stranding.

1. Resident Evil 2

“My number one pick is Resident Evil 2 because the title embodied everything a remake should be and more. It recaptured the fear that I had with the original, all while beautifully bringing it up-to-date with today’s standards.” – James

“My own personal Game of the Year for 2019, and with good reason. I loved Resident Evil 2 when it came out way back when, and Resident Evil 2 Remake outdid that in every conceivable way. It’s just a fantastic horror experience right from the start, all the way to the ending. Even if you haven’t experienced the original, or you’re not a big fan of horror games in general, you still owe it to yourself to give this a go, and you’ll understand why people are so hyped for Resident Evil 3 Remake.” – Alex

“For the majority of 2019, Resident Evil 2 was my personal Game of the Year. A from-the-ground-up remake of my favorite original PlayStation game, Resident Evil 2 does everything right and damn near perfect. It also adds new wrinkles and areas to the story that I already knew very well. It doesn’t quite have the same “Zapping system” (Google it), it does offer something remarkable similar letting players go through the game twice, once as either Claire or Leon and then again as the character you didn’t choose on the first runthrough. And each character has their own set of unique characters and storylines inside the larger narrative offering a ton of replay value. What a great game.” – Sean

Read our review of Resident Evil 2 Remake.

resident evil 2 remake review

So there you have it; the MP1st staff, Top 10 Games of 2019. Did your favorite make the list? Did we miss something you feel like should have made it? Let us know in the comments!

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