It’s time for the first ever BLAEO Game Awards!
Let’s see which games released this year were most loved by the BLAEO community! We can’t pick the best games of 2018 without your help so please shower us with game nominations and make sure to return between December 16 and 26 to vote for your absolute favourites.
The timeline for this event is as follows:
15 November - 15 December: Nomination phase
16 December - 26 December: Voting phase
28 December: The winners are announced
These are the proposed categories:
- Game of the Year
- Choices Matter
- Best Story
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game
- Best Free to Play Game
- Most Value for Money
- Best Game Under $20
- Best Addition to an Existing Series
- Most Addictive Game
- Prettiest Game
- Best DLC
- Best Early Access Game (Added to EA in 2018 or left EA in 2018.)
- Best Console Exclusive
- Most Interesting Achievement (Example: CIV VI - What Could Possibly Go Wrong? [Have an improved Amber resource in a city with a Zoo and an Archaeological Museum at the start of the turn.])
Nomination Phase
To nominate a game simply post a comment with a list of games that you want to nominate in each category.
Please include games even if they have already been mentioned by other users. We might not be able to include every proposed game in the final vote and seeing how popular the games are will make it easier for us to make the final selection.
In a similar way we might not include all the categories in the final vote if there’s an obvious lack of interest/proposed games.
Guidelines for nominating games:
- Only games released in 2018 can be nominated. (Exception being the DLC category where the DLC needs to have been released in 2018, but the game can be older.)
- Console exclusives are only allowed to be nominated in the “Best Console Game” category.
- You can edit your post or add a new comment with more nominations at any point before 16 December.
- You can nominate a maximum of 5 games in each category.
- You don’t need to nominate games in each category. For example, if you don’t play F2P games or don’t own a console, then you can leave those categories out.
You can also propose new categories by replying to the first post. Other members of the community can then reply to your comment with game nominations for the category you proposed.
Please use the following format when nominating games:
**- Game of the Year:**
**- Choices Matter:**
**- Best Story:**
**- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game:**
**- Best Free to Play Game:**
**- Most Value for Money:**
**- Best Game Under $20:**
**- Best Addition to an Existing Series:**
**- Most Addictive Game:**
**- Prettiest Game:**
**- Best DLC:**
**- Best Early Access Game:**
**- Best Console Exclusive:**
**- Most Interesting Achievement:**
What if the game was ported to PC this year, or translated for the first time this year, but was originally released before 2018?
What if the game was ported to PC this year
PC ports are fine if this is the first time the game became available on PC.
or translated for the first time this year
No, if it was available on PC before 2018, then it can’t be nominated.
No, if it was available on PC before 2018, then it can’t be nominated.
Then, all the visual novels that finally got a long awaited English release this year cannot participate in such awards? looking at you fata morgana
Unfortunately yes. We don’t all have the same native language so a game that is available to someone in 2018 (because of a translation being available) was available to others before 2018 and is not a new release.
I also was asking for Fata Morgana: Requiem for Innocence… but I get what you’re saying. There has to be bounds somewhere! Thank you for answering my question c:
And thank you for being so understanding!
I do understand this point of view, but it doesn’t make much sense in my opinion to exclude them while PC ports are being allowed.
The localization work made in translating a visual novel is no less important than porting over a game to PC (and it often includes porting the game to a different engine).
And in some instances, the localized product can turn into a whole different product from the original. Translations can get butchered (with machine translations or inept and/or multiple translators), scenes censored and completely removed, or sometimes even invented and the script gets changed to the localizer’s heart’s content (see If My Heart Had Wings, the publisher said they changed the game to appeal to 12 year old French girls lol)…
We don’t all have the same native language so a game that is available to someone in 2018 (because of a translation being available) was available to others before 2018 and is not a new release.
Btw I’m talking about English localizations from Japanese, and not every translation into other languages. Western audiences usually have no way/no legal way of reading (unless they know Japanese) or buying these games before an English localization comes out.
Btw I’m talking about English localizations from Japanese, and not every translation into other languages. Western audiences usually have no way/no legal way of reading (unless they know Japanese) or buying these games before an English localization comes out.
Yeah, I understood it correctly then - that you want to be able to include games that were only available in Japanese before and have now finally had an English translation added.
I’d agree with having those games included if this was a gaming community set in a particular country or region. It’s not, though, it’s an international community with members from all over the globe. If we make an exception for Japanese->English translations, then we’d also have to make exceptions for games that were translated to Chinese for the first time this year or for games that didn’t have a French, Spanish, Polish (and the list goes on…) language option before.
I wonder if a port, translation, (or even a mod) could be considered under the Best DLC category?
I see you’re thinking of Yak0 :D
*Edit: Just saw your nominations below :P
👏ADD👏BEST👏SOUNDTRACK👏CATEGORY👏
:) Skatrzoo has already posted it as a proposal for a new category so you can nominate games with good soundtracks by replying to his post. (Yes, it really should have been included in the first place!)
Why not just edit the OP and add it to the template? :(
Because skanda wants to wait some time before adding the “best proposal” or maybe sth like “top 3” and not “all 100+ that will inevitable be proposed” … at least that’s how I understood it. Voteception. Having the proposals in one place makes that easier … and it doesn’t change at all that you’ll have to check in from time to time to see all the proposals :/
If new proposals get added to the opening post, then that makes things more complicated for people who have already nominated games for the existing categories. But if we keep the new categories as a reply to this post, that makes it easier for people to come back and check if there’s anything new.
The categories proposed by the community will be treated the same way as the “official” categories in the opening post - if they get enough nominated games, they’ll be included in the final vote (a poll that will take place in December) and if they don’t get enough nominations they won’t be included.
Let me know if there’s still anything that’s unclear!
I’ll edit this over the next month as I think of more games to nominate.
- Game of the Year: Forza Horizon 4
- Choices Matter: The Banner Saga 3
- Best Story: The Banner Saga 3
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Monster Hunter: World
- Best Free to Play Game:
- Most Value for Money:
- Best Game Under $20: Kingdom Rush Origins
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Forza Horizon 4, The Banner Saga 3
- Most Addictive Game: Project Hospital
- Prettiest Game: Forza Horizon 4
- Best DLC: Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Rise and Fall
- Best Early Access Game:
- Best Console Exclusive: God of War, Spider-Man, Detroit: Become Human
- Most Interesting Achievement:
- Game of the Year: Yakuza 0
- Choices Matter: the Walking Dead Game: the Final Season (RIP <:C ), the Red Strings Club
- Best Story: Yakuza 0 sweet jesus
- Best Free to Play Game: Marie’s Room
- Most Value for Money: Yakuza 0
- Best Game Under $20: Yakuza 0 (Easily easily worth three times that)
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Yakuza 0
- Prettiest Game: Yakuza 0 (the facial animations…!!!!)
- Most Interesting Achievement: Generosity of Strangers from Yakuza 0. (When you are the undisputed real estate king in an area, stop in front of one of the salesmen who bow to you on the street. Wait long enough and Kiryu will take out a cigarette… and the salesman will light it for you.)
This is going to be really difficult because the majority of the games I played and loved THIS year… are from 2017. I think Yakuza 0 might be the ONLY 2018 game I played this year and liked. Man, I am so not on the bleeding edge of gaming…
Madison and I might finish The Missing this weekend, and hopefully that’ll bring ‘Good Games Out in 2018 Played in 2018’ up to… three.
Be glad you found one game you liked. Otherwise you’d need to vote on game you disliked :hehe:
Or more like “disliked less than the rest” :thinking:
In that case I’d have to just sit this awards season out. I just couldn’t nominate something I didn’t really believe in.
I’m hoping to finish Yakuza within the next week and I’ll try to prioritize some games that came out in 2018 to see if I can even the spread out a little, maybe, before voting’s closed. I’m kind of glad we’re given a full month to vote for that reason!
- Game of the Year: Celeste
- Choices Matter: Life is Strange 2: Episode 1
- Best Story: Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Overcooked 2
- Best Free to Play Game: Marie’s Room
- Most Value for Money: Yakuza 0
- Best Game Under $20: Celeste
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Guacamelee! 2
- Most Addictive Game: Dead Cells
- Prettiest Game: Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Best DLC: Hollow Knight - Gods & Nightmares
- Best Early Access Game: Crosscode (it left EA this year but apparently that’s ok for this category)
- Best Console Exclusive: God of War
- Most Interesting Achievement:
I checked my last year of BLAEO and found that I didn’t play any games from 2018. But then I checked both of my kids’ accounts and found three quick-to-bundle games that we played (finishing one). But none of them were remotely award-worthy. For the curious, they were Vesta, I, Hope, and Nicky - The Home Alone Golf Ball.
No 2018 games played here, either. I usually wait for a decent discount. It’s not like I don’t have other stuff to play, lol.
Yes, I’m always amazed how many people buy brand new or recent releases. Each to his/her own, though!
Of all the games I’ve played this year, only 17 released in 2018. There were several great games that I would nominate in a heartbeat, but upon checking it usually turned out “awww, this is from 2017? darn”
I don’t like nominating anything without playing it myself, so my selection will be pretty narrow I guess. I tried to put them in order starting with the ones most fitting the category.
- Game of the Year: Forgotton Anne, Frostpunk, Unavowed, Smoke and Sacrifice, Vampyr
- Choices Matter: Unavowed (many polarizing choices with different outcomes, characters reacting to player choices, multiple endings), Forgotton Anne (pacifist or opposite runs or mix resulting in four personality changes, two endings), Vampyr (I guess to some minor extent, the gameplay mostly influences the state of districts with the possibility of them completely collapsing, who of the citizens lives or dies, 4 endings), Frostpunk (it’s a city builder/rts, but with morality system, so plenty of choices are made constantly)
- Best Story: Forgotton Anne, Smoke and Sacrifice, My Memory of Us, Ghost of a Tale, Unavowed
- Best Free to Play Game: A Book of Beasts and Buddies (I’m sure there are other better ones, but it’s actually the only free 2018 game I played, so I’m nominating it anyway since I found it to be sweet and charming)
- Best Game Under $20: Forgotton Anne, Unavowed, My Memory of Us, CHUCHEL, Flipping Death (I’ve skipped “Most Value for Money” category, since it felt too similar, not to mention nothing beats free in this equation so it’s basically race to the bottom, the next in line are the hundred/thousand hours grinders; nether types feel like quality games)
- Most Addictive Game: Frostpunk, Smoke and Sacrifice, Vampyr, Unavowed, Flipping Death
- Prettiest Game: Forgotton Anne, FAR: Lone Sails, Candleman: The Complete Journey, Frostpunk, Ghost of a Tale (basically in that order)
- Most Interesting Achievement: CHUCHEL (most of its achivs are not progression related, but rather awarded for doing something quirky or for experimenting), Frostpunk (many achivs required executing well prepared plans, very little straightforward stuff here), Forgotton Anne (few of the achivs felt like challenges, or allowed to know the protagonist better, they were strange, but interesting)
(I’ll edit this one later to add some examples)
Honorable mentions: Ni no Kuni™ II: Revenant Kingdom (mostly for the visuals), Beckett (aesthetics, style), The Miskatonic (pleasant to look at, nice read/story), Varenje (pretty neat HOG)
Contrary: Guard of Wonderland (stay away)
Other than that I’m focused mostly on single player games, so I skipped the co-op/ multi category. Same with early access - I’m usually only interested in playing fully released (and preferably polished) games. I don’t have a console. And I can’t think of any dlc that might fit the criteria (maybe I’ll go through everything what I played this year and maybe spot something that I specifically played for the DLC, we’ll see). As for the series, whatever sequel came out in 2018, I’ll probably play it in 2019 or 2020 :P This year I barely managed to play some “firsts” from few series (that obviously came out up to few years ago).
Btw, really neat idea with the game awards! ^_^ If other BLAEO people nominate/vote on things they played themselves (since we’re strictly playing oriented community focused on beating games), then our top picks at the end of the year should be much more accurate than even some huge website taking votes from random people that most likely just click on stuff due to herd mentality ;)
You should get an award for playing most games released this year.
I haven’t played too many new releases and I don’t like to nominate stuff I haven’t played. Therefore, my list will include just a few games a bunch of times.
- Game of the Year: CELESTE
- Choices Matter: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Never thought I’d nominate an AC for this. What a year. xD)
- Best Story: Yakuza 0 (especially Majima’s side of the story)
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: MTG Arena
- Best Free to Play Game: MTG Arena
- Most Value for Money: Yakuza 0
- Best Game Under $20: Celeste
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Most Addictive Game: The Bard’s Tale IV (It’s so addictive that I played for almost a whole day. It has a bunch of bugs, though. :X)
- Prettiest Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (for a real life art style) and The Gardens Between (more artsy)
- Best DLC: Stellaris: Megacorp
- Best Early Access Game: EA should not exist.
- Best Console Exclusive: I haven’t played any console game released in 2018
- Most Interesting Achievement: Frostpunk (The achievement to play the game only using tents instead of houses was really hard - and fun)
I’ll add more games later.
On Steam I have one game released in 2018 - Earthlock. Also Mark of the Ninja and Red Faction Guerilla, but they shouldn’t count as it’s just re-release, and are the same game with few extra perks. While Earthlock get complete overhaul
On Origin I have Ghost of a Tale and Fe… and I think I shouldn’t even nominate anything, as I simply didn’t play in enough new games. I’d put Fe in “prettiest game” but only because I didn’t play in anything else. So whole idea is completely flawed.
I get why limiting options only to games from 2018, but it makes votes of many people not reliable. Esp that we tend on BLAEO to play in older games to beat backlog, not buy all nice new releases to try them.
I think we didn’t have “our personal so far best-of-the-best” gathering post. I could write more in that category xD And seeing Yakuza and Dead Cells were cheap on release (+ good quality) they have chance to win just because of that.
I have a feeling you replied to the wrong person :P
but I do agree with the third paragraph xD
- Best Story: A Raven Monologue
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: A Way Out, Monster Hunter World
- Best Free to Play Game: A Raven Monologue, Cube Escape: Paradox, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit
I don’t really play/buy games as they come out(except for a few that I’m looking forward to) so I don’t really have that much nominations. :P And some of my nominations might seems strange. xD
This is kind of easy, because I really just played one game that released in 2018 o_O luckily, it’s totally award-worthy, so …
- Game of the Year: Frostpunk
- Choices Matter: Frostpunk
- Best Story: Frostpunk (yeah as if FP could win this when everyone here is a VN nerd :D)
- Most Value for Money: Frostpunk
- Most Addictive Game: (They Are Billions)
- Prettiest Game: Frostpunk
- Best Early Access Game: (They Are Billions)
- Most Interesting Achievement: Hmm … there are lots of achievements in Frostpunk that require effort/careful planning and they do a good job adding to the replayability, but … I don’t recall anything in particular sticking out as “interesting”
I spontaneously decided to cheat in TAB – went into EA on Dec 12 2017 and (sadly) hasn’t left EA yet, so … you probably won’t count it, but that’s ok :|
”- Best Story: Frostpunk (yeah as if FP could win this when everyone here is a VN nerd :D)”
Hey, hey, it might have a chance! I don’t have any 2018 VNs to nominate, after all c;
As a patient gamer, I didn’t played a lot of 2018 games, so here is my selection :
- Most Value for Money: Horizon Chase Turbo
- Best Game Under $20: Yoku’s Island Express
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Forza 4 Horizon
- Prettiest Game: Forza 4 Horizon
Wow not a lot of 2018 games in my collection, but let me have a go:
- Game of the Year: Ghost of a tale (seriously great game)
- Best Story: Ghost of a tale
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Rust
- Best Free to Play Game: Papers please - the short film
- Most Value for Money: Mark of the ninja Remastered
- Best Game Under $20: Ghost of a tale
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Prettiest Game: Ghost of a tale
- Best DLC: A hat in time - Seal the deal
- Best Early Access Game: Subnautica
- Best Console Exclusive: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate :-P
- Most Interesting Achievement: “Man’s Best Friend” in Subnautica
Crosscode has choices? I just got to the second dungeon (Fajro Temple) I didn’t get the impression that there are choices in the game?
Well not in the story, but it’s an RPG, and so your choice in combat makes a difference. But I guess it was meant to be for story choice only?
Yea the consensus seems to be choices that affect the story in games.
Ahh right. I’ve removed the category then as I don’t think I’ve played any narrative choice games released this year.
- Game of the Year: HITMAN 2
- Best Story: Ghost of a Tale
- Choices Matter: The Council
- Most Value for Money: HITMAN 2
- Best Game Under $20: Warstone TD - Kingdom Rush Origins
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: HITMAN 2
- Most Addictive Game: HITMAN 2
- Prettiest Game: HITMAN 2 - Ghost of a Tale
- Best DLC: HITMAN 2 Legacy Pack
- Best Early Access Game: Ghost of a Tale, Warstone TD
- Most Interesting Achievement: Can’t single out one. HITMAN 2 is full of them since they require some very creative and fun ways to assassinate people.
apparently I don’t actually have many games from this year (10) and even fewer that I’ve actually played (3)
- Best Early Access Game: Dead Cells
- Most Excited to play: Celeste (looking at you lastM)
*and then as a note if I manage to play them in the next month any of these might find a category (I’ll come back and edit them in)
Songbringer - The Trial of Ren, Call of Cthulhu®, HITMAN™ 2, Lily’s Night Off, Dad Quest, Subnautica
Celeste is love, Celeste is life.
I have 10 games too on steam from 2018 so my choices are pretty limited…
- Game of the Year: Dead Cells
- Best Free to Play Game: MapleStory 2
- Most Value for Money: Football Manager 2019 (because it’s a time sink so lots of game time for only about 30 bucks)
- Most Addictive Game: Football Manager 2019
- Best Early Access Game: Dead Cells
I’m also not a big fan of EA games (both I might add, Early Access and Electronic Arts) but Dead Cells is one of those rare games that are really worth it.
It’s a shame but that’s pretty much all I can nominate. I don’t even have a console game for 2018 (they’re all remaster, or DLC).
edit:
- Best Game Under $20: Celeste
(I should probably point out that Football Manager 2019 can technically be nominated in the “Best Addition to an Existing Series” category as well, since it’s part of a franchise. :) )
I could nominate it there indeed and I didn’t really think about it. But after some thinking, I don’t feel like FM deserve the title. It’s an addicting game but the improvement from 18 to 19 aren’t that worth it. At least I hope there are better addition to an existing series out there!
Considering how early the nomination started, would it not make sense to allow games from say October last year, up until this point? Otherwise you end up with some games, released late in the year, never having the chance to get nominated for anything.
The nominations definitely started early, but that’s why they’re open for another month - it gives people plenty of time to catch up on some more 2018 releases, if they want to. It’ll only be games between 16.12. and 31.12 that won’t have a chance to be nominated but I can’t see any noteworthy releases in those two weeks.
People still need to have time to play them though,
People still need to have time to play them though,
Yes, I mentioned that - “but that’s why they’re open for another month - it gives people plenty of time to catch up”.
But that still gives games near the deadline a very low chance of getting nominated, as people won’t realistically have had time to play them.
I had a quick look at the upcoming releases before and it didn’t seem like the dates would interfere with anything worthwile. If it turns out I’m wrong, we can always include those next year.
And if anything, we have the opposite “problem” in this community - people not buying new releases because they’re working on their backlogs.
I will just leave it here :) https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/xAYoc/december-game-releases-ga-inside#okaUmdo Many are in the first part of December, but it is easy to miss them in the last days of the year.
(GRIS, Beholder 2, Just Cause 4, etc)
That’s how international game awards are being done as well. And I feel if putting the nominations and the announcements in say Jan 2019 defeats the hype and excitement.
I agree with your point, however, as it also seems the case with many games in the international awards.
I played almost no games released in 2018, but I’ll still weigh in, since I think it’s a great idea! I’ll leave most empty for now and add something later (maybe):
- Game of the Year: BATTLETECH
- Choices Matter:
- Best Story:
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game:
- Best Free to Play Game:
- Most Value for Money:
- Best Game Under $20: Space Pilgrim Academy: Year 2
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Space Pilgrim Academy: Year 2
- Most Addictive Game: BATTLETECH
- Prettiest Game:
- Best DLC:
- Best Early Access Game:
- Best Console Exclusive:
- Most Interesting Achievement:
- Game of the Year: -
- Choices Matter: The Red Strings Club
- Best Story: -
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Monster Hunter: World
- Best Free to Play Game: The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit
- Most Value for Money: Monster Hunter: World
- Best Game Under $20: The Red Strings Club
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Deltarune Ch.1
- Most Addictive Game: Dead Cells
- Prettiest Game: GRIS
- Best Early Access Game: Dead Cells
- Best Console Exclusive: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Most Interesting Achievement: -
- Game of the Year: Forgotton Anne
- Choices Matter: Forgotton Anne (not necessarily the ending, but the choices throughout the story), Fhtagn! - Tales of the Creeping Madness
- Best Story: Forgotton Anne
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: We Were Here Too, The Jackbox Party Pack 5, The Forest, Overcooked 2
- Best Free to Play Game: A Raven Monologue, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, Papers, Please - The Short Film, Paradox: A Rusty Lake Film, Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle
- Most Value for Money:
- Best Game Under $20: Forgotton Anne, The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game, GNOG, CHUCHEL
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Cube Escape: Paradox
- Most Addictive Game: Forgotton Anne, Smoke and Sacrifice
- Prettiest Game: Forgotton Anne, GNOG
- Best DLC: Dead by Daylight - Shattered Bloodline
- Best Early Access Game: Visage, The Forest (left EA), Slap City
- Best Console Exclusive:
- Most Interesting Achievement: Visage - Dance, dance (Find room 302.) was a great Silent Hill Easter egg that really got me., Forgotton Anne - Plot Thickens (Examine PAX’s secret room)
I voted for Forgotton Anne a lot…sue me. :P I hesitated putting in Addictive Game slot (since it’s not a typical 100+ hr game/mp etc.), but I binge played it for two days and even restarted the game a different way after, when normally can’t play for more than 30 mins without a break - definitely hard to put down.
This comment was deleted over 5 years ago.
- Game of the Year: Yakuza 0 (of course!)
- Choices Matter: Vampyr
- Best Story: Yakuza 0 (hands down!)
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: N/A
- Best Free to Play Game: N/A
- Most Value for Money: Yakuza 0 (without a doubt!) (Anything less than 30$ for a Yakuza game is a steal!)
- Best Game Under $20: Yakuza 0 ($19.99 baby!)
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: (Shit I wouldn’t say Y0 is the best addition in the series)
- Most Addictive Game: Crosscode (couldn’t even notice the time flying by)
- Prettiest Game: Yakuza 0, Ni No Kuni II, Crosscode
- Best DLC: A hat in time - Seal the deal (DLC’s are generally bad practice anyway)
- Best Early Access Game: Crosscode (Recently left EA)
- Best Console Exclusive: Yakuza 6, Yakuza Kiwami 2
- Most Interesting Achievement: “Generosity of Strangers”, “Best Served Cold?”, “Rich Taste” all from Y0
Of course, it’s a great idea, but unfortunately it seems most of us assassins didn’t play much games released this year.
‘Best Served Cold’ made me feel like a big jerk - I bought a new thing of takoyaki right away, but it would’ve been funny if the conversation Makoto and Majima have is different if you bring her freezing cold takoyaki.
‘Here, I got this for you, now you can cheer up,’ and Makoto takes one freezing bite and bursts into tears again.
Ofc I didn’t have the heart to give her cold takoyaki either.
OMG How bad do you think of me? </3
:O nice idea!!
I may be wrong, but I don’t think I’ve played many 2018 games (yet) :\
I’ll try to have a look and, perhaps, update this :)
Going all fancy, huh? I like the banner. :D
Sadly I don’t think I actually played anything released in 2018 so far so I’m kinda screwed. Gonna be neat to watch this unfold, though.
I really love the banner too. :) All credit goes to Evilblacksheep, she did a great job!
Not many of the games I’ve played this year were released in it, but why not!
- Game of the Year: Deltarune
- Choices Matter:
- Best Story: Wandersong, Deltarune, Mhakna Gramura and Fairy Bell, CrossCode, Underhero
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Puyo Puyo Tetris, Acceleration of Suguri 2
- Best Free to Play Game: Deltarune, Coloring Pixels
- Most Value for Money: CrossCode, Copy Kitty
- Best Game Under $20: Underhero, Copy Kitty, Wandersong, CrossCode, Puyo Puyo Tetris
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Deltarune, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Acceleration of Suguri 2
- Most Addictive Game: CrossCode, Puyo Puyo Tetris
- Prettiest Game: Mhakna Gramura and Fairy Bell, CrossCode
- Best DLC: 100% Orange Juice - Tsih & Tequila Character Pack (I uh, don’t have a lot to choose from)
- Best Early Access Game: CrossCode, Copy Kitty
- Best Console Exclusive:
- Most Interesting Achievement: “Defeated the Troll” from Wandersong. You’d think it’s a generic achievement for passing an obstacle in the story. It’s not.
Sadly I mostly played console exclusive games which were released this year so…
- Choices Matter: The Walking Dead - Final Season
- Best Free to Play Game: Deltarune
- Best Console Exclusive: Detroit: Become Human
I’d love to see a contest with all games of all time or maybe that you only can nominate games you played this year but weren’t recently released or something like that.
I agree with you so hopefully (if everything goes well) we can repeat the event in the future, but not have the nominations limited to a particular year.
Despite what my purchase history might suggest, I don’t really play recently released games. Wish I did though, so I could have more diversity in my nominations! Really seemed like there are a lot of good candidates out there!
- Game of the Year: Monster Hunter: World
- Choices Matter: N/A
- Best Story: N/A
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Monster Hunter: World (The legend will continue as the hunting horn plays true)
- Best Free to Play Game: The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit ( I don’t really play any F2P otherwise…)
- Most Value for Money: Monster Hunter: World
- Best Game Under $20: Genital Jousting (A little phallic, but definitely an experience.)
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Overcooked 2 (Now with online multiplayer, still need more people to actively play with though)
- Most Addictive Game: Monster Hunter World (So. Many. Monsters!)
- Prettiest Game: RESONANCE OF FATE™/END OF ETERNITY™ 4K/HD EDITION (Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but the sight of those guns and moves are just too good)
- Best DLC: Dead by Daylight - Shattered Bloodline (Great new character addition - easily the runner up to most addictive… from another year :3)
- Best Early Access Game: Beat Saber (Really wish VR was more convenient, otherwise I’d play this game religiously!)
- Best Console Exclusive: God of War (PS4)
- Most Interesting Achievement: N/A
Probably the weakest year for PC gaming for me in the last 4-5 years, only saved by our lord and saviour, Monster Hunter: World, as well as some early access titles :3
- Game of the Year: Monster Hunter: World
- Choices Matter: Forgotton Anne, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
- Best Story: Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Monster Hunter: World
- Best Free to Play Game: Marie’s Room
- Most Value for Money: Monster Hunter: World
- Best Game Under $20: Touhou Luna Nights
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Monster Hunter: World, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet
- Most Addictive Game: Monster Hunter: World
- Prettiest Game: Forgotton Anne, Iconoclasts, Mhakna Gramura and Fairy Bell
- Best DLC: Darkest Dungeon®: The Color Of Madness
- Best Early Access Game: Dead Cells, Touhou Luna Nights, Book of Demons
- Best Console Exclusive: n/a
- Most Interesting Achievement: n/a
Figured I’d post now since I probably won’t get around to playing any other 2018 games before the deadline anyway :’) If a miracle happens, I’ll come back and edit the post.
- Candidates left out due to lack of playtime: Death’s Gambit, CrossCode (possible under $20 and early access nominees, respectively)
- Game of the Year: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Choices Matter:
- Best Story:
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Overcooked 2
- Best Free to Play Game:
- Most Value for Money:
- Best Game Under $20:
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Most Addictive Game:
- Prettiest Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Best DLC:
- Best Early Access Game:
- Best Console Exclusive: Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Most Interesting Achievement:
- Game of the Year: CrossCode
- Choices Matter: -
- Best Story: -
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: -
- Best Free to Play Game: -
- Most Value for Money: CrossCode
- Best Game Under $20: CrossCode (if 1 cent makes enough difference to count)
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: La-Mulana 2
- Most Addictive Game: -
- Prettiest Game: -
- Best DLC:-
- Best Early Access Game: CrossCode
- Best Console Exclusive: -
- Most Interesting Achievement: -
You can tell I don’t play new games much. :P
I really need to post those or i’ll forget before the deadline. I might edit some if I manage to play a bit more.
- Game of the Year: Monster Hunter: World
- Choices Matter: Unavowed, The banner saga 3, Monster Prom
- Best Story: My Memory of Us, The banner saga 3
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Monster Hunter: World
- Best Free to Play Game: Papers, Please - The Short Film, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit
- Most Value for Money: Monster Hunter: World
- Best Game Under $20: My memory of us, Unavowed, Moonlighter, Nantucket, Monster Prom, Into the Breach
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Monster Hunter: World, The Banner Saga 3
- Most Addictive Game: Monster Hunter: World, Moonlighter
- Prettiest Game: My memory of Us, Celeste (I don’t even own it, but I fell in love with the visuals), Ghost of a Tale, Return of the Obra Dinn, Ninokuni II
- Best DLC: Darkest Dungeon: The Color Of Madness
- Best Early Access Game: Slay The Spire Book of Demon, Dead Cells, Subnautica
- Best Console Exclusive: Detroit: Become Human
- Most Interesting Achievement:
Not too many games from this year, but lets try. o.-
- Game of the Year: Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
- Choices Matter: Reigns: Her Majesty (Dec 2017, but these games released at that point usually don’t get chance in voting)
- Best Story: OPUS: Rocket of Whispers
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game: Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2
- Best Free to Play Game: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Released 2012, but free @ 2018)
- Most Value for Money: Reigns: Her Majesty (Dec 2017, but these games released at that point usually don’t get chance in voting)
- Best Game Under $20: Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2
- Best Addition to an Existing Series: Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
- Most Addictive Game: Dead Cells
- Prettiest Game: Mirror ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )
- Best DLC: Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
- Best Early Access Game: Dead Cells
- Best Console Exclusive: Red Dead Redemption 2 (haven’t played, but surely it deserves it)
- Most Interesting Achievement: Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 For Whom The Bell Tolls
- Game of the Year:
- Choices Matter: Mirror
- Best Story:
- Best Co-op/Multiplayer Game:
- Best Free to Play Game:
- Most Value for Money:
- Best Game Under $20: Mirror
- Best Addition to an Existing Series:
- Most Addictive Game: Mirror
- Prettiest Game: Mirror
- Best DLC:
- Best Early Access Game:
- Best Console Exclusive:
- Most Interesting Achievement:
Nominating Iconoclasts for Game of the Year. That game honestly deserves as much attention as Celeste, and I’m surprised only one other user here mentioned it.
If you want to propose new categories, please do so by replying to this comment.
EDIT: Game nominations for these categories should also be posted here - as a reply to the person proposing the category.
Current proposals:
tfw sknd of all people doesn’t add a “best soundtrack” category
I nominate Austin Wintory - The Banner Saga 3
Yes please. I need to nominate Celeste in more categories.
This was mentioned in the opening post before, but there’s been some confusion about it so it seems I didn’t make it clear enough. - “You can also propose new categories by replying to the first post. Other members of the community can then reply to your comment with game nominations for the category you proposed.”
The new categories that get proposed by the community will be included in the actual vote if they get enough participation/nominated games. So if you want to nominate Celeste (and/or any other games) for the soundtrack category or for any new categories proposed in the future, you can do so with a reply to the person that proposed the category.
TL;DR: The categories proposed by the community will be treated the same way as the “official” categories in the opening post - if they get enough nominated games, they’ll be included in the final vote (a poll that will take place in December).
+1
Yakuza 0 definitely
Best Soundtrack: Forgotton Anne, Slipstream, Hollow Knight: Gods & Nightmares
Best Soundtrack: Death’s Gambit, Mhakna Gramura and Fairy Bell, Touhou Luna Nights
Best Soundtrack: La-Mulana 2
- Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy OST
Best Soundtrack: Yakuza 0 and the Red Strings Club
I’d like to propose the “Best underdog” or “Best hidden gem” category
+1. I can already think about 2-3 titles.
- Best Hidden Gem: Wandersong, Underhero, Copy Kitty
- OPUS: Rocket of Whispers
Best hidden gem: The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game (that’s all one title), Forgotton Anne, GNOG, Stifled, Fhtagn! - Tales of the Creeping Madness
Not sure how many reviews qualify as being an underdog..Forgotton Anne might be “too many” at 269, the rest have <100!
I’m against EA games so I think you should remove that category.
And perhaps add a “best mobile game” ?
I avoid Early Access games as well, but not everyone feels the same way about them. If people don’t nominate (many) games in that category, it won’t be included in the actual vote (16 - 26 December).
I will count this as a category proposal which means people (including yourself) can now nominate games for the category by replying to your post. If it gets enough nominations, it will be included in the voting phase.
I don’t really like EA either, but mainly because of its almost-always poor “execution” / misuse – there are some games that “do EA right” (idk … Factorio? They Are Billions? both not 2018 tho) … so I think that category could actually be useful to reward/advertise a certain kind of “hidden gem”? … well just my thoughts, feel free to disagree :P
I agree with you, it’s usefull for the hidden gems that do the EA right ;)
- best mobile game: Alto’s Odyssey
Best Mobile game: Reigns - GOT
Best mobile game: Identity V, Good Pizza, Great Pizza
Most Controversial Game!My choice would be AgonyOn second thought there are tons of controversial games this year thanks to steam’s new rules.
I’ll keep it up however in case others are interested.
Oh, I’d like to make a proposal! Breakout Character or Best Character. Would something like that be interesting to people?
It got a shout out in the head comment even though no one else has seen it so far, which is cool!
I’m going to go ahead and nominate my fuckin goblin husband from Yakuza 0, the man himself, Majima Goro. Just for posterity’s sake and all!
OPUS: Rocket of Whispers - Fei
Best game of 2008 (since this is a backlog site after all, why not celebrate something a decade old? :D I don’t know about everyone else, but I rarely make it to enough games released in the current year to ever feel like I’m making an informed vote for these sorts of awards. They’re still fun to participate in though, and it’s cool to see BLAEO have one!)
Edit: also…
Favorite game you finished this year (inclusive of December of last year, considering the voting cutoff dates). I know there’s unlikely to be a consensus on this group-wide, but with the great play-it-together event month and the reviews people post, sometimes interest is piqued in an older title on the site and suddenly more people are playing it… or maybe just because it’d be cool to see a long list of people’s favorites for the year. Just something else that’s a more backlog assassin-y type vote than a general gaming community vote.
I’m not sure how to include these with the restrictions that are in place for this event. It’s probably best to leave these for a future event (not limited to a particular year) or a general community discusion.
(The second one actually gave me an idea for the January theme, but I’ll keep the specifics secret until then. :) Thanks!)