Developer Top 5 Games Of 2018

by Kyle Hilliard on Dec 22, 2018 at 11:00 AM

2018 was a fantastic year for games and I don't think it's a controversial statement to say that that's entirely thanks to the people who make video games. Games don't suddenly appear from thin air, after all. To commemorate the video game year of 2018, we decided to reach out to those folks, the ones who make video games, and find out what sort of games they liked in 2018, specifically their five favorites, but the rules are fast and loose. A few snuck in bonus sixth entries and others wrote exactly why they picked the games they did, which we were happy to accept and share.

Check out the lists below to learn what the makers of games like God of War, Darksiders, Destiny, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and plenty more were into this year.

David Adams is game director for Darksiders III at Gunfire Games.

God of War
Monster Hunter: World
Ashen
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Into the Breach

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Cory Barlog is the director of God of War at SIE Santa Monica Studio.

Spider-Man
Celeste
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Red Dead Redemption II
Detroit: Become Human

Steve Cotton is the game director for Destiny 2: Forsaken at Bungie.

Destiny 2: Forsaken - I know I’m a little biased here, but the fact is that I completely love playing Forsaken at home and I am still finding things that surprise me about the game. No matter what other games I’m playing, I’m always drawn back into the game to make my character stronger, play Gambit, or go after a new exotic.
Tetris Effect - There’s something very Zen about Tetris to me and the latest version is such a complete experience with much more depth than I was expecting. Not to mention it’s one of the few games that I’m still better at than my kids, so it provides a nice confidence boost. I’ve spent way too many hours fitting blocks together in my life.
Fortnite – Confession: I’m terrible at Fortnite. I don’t play it a ton because it’s pretty overwhelming for me. But I am totally blown away by so many of the things that the game of Battle Royale does so well, and how perfectly Fortnite takes that game and adds building mechanics and a compelling progression model.
Red Dead Redemption II – This game is so well polished and the shear breadth of the playable space is truly awe inspiring. To me, it wins on shear production value and I find myself going back in only to remember the perfectly captured feel of being an outlaw. Also, the bar scene alone with Lenny was one of the most enjoyable and creative experiences I’ve had in a video game in a long time.
God of War - This was the only game this year that made me want to replay entire sections of the game just to show it to someone else. This happened several times for me. I was uncontrollably grinning the entire time I played the massive fight scene between Kratos and Baldur. And the swing of the axe just felt so good.

Honorable Mention

Meteorfall – I’m always looking for good casual games that I can play on the road. I love roguelikes. I also love card games. I was huge fan of Dream Quest and when Meteorfall came out earlier this year it managed to capture a similarly deep roguelike experience with the simplest of mechanics. Swipe left or swipe right. It’s brilliantly designed and captured my attention for awhile.