Time Magazine's Top 10 Video Games of 2018

Yesterday I posted about Time Magazine's best inventions of 2018. The 2nd to last article in my copy of the magazine lists the top 10 video games of 2018. I couldn't help but comment on it today.

Once again I disagree with some titles on the list and agree with others. I do have to admit that they did a pretty good job of spreading the list across all different platforms. There are games for the PS4, Switch, Xbox One, iPhone, Android, and PC. If I were to create a list, it would probably be just games for the PlayStation console as that is the only place I play new games. Furthermore I have a tendency to play games a little bit after they have been released and want to make sure I have played them all the way through before recommending them or not.

As there are only 10 games, I can list them here (remember that this is Time Magazine's list and not mine):

1. God of War (PS4)
2. Spider-Man (PS4)
3. Into the Breach (PC, Switch)
4. Subnautica (Xbox One, PC)
5. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
6. Florence (iPhone, Android)
7. Super Mario Party (Switch)
8. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
9. Dandara (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, iPhone, Android)
10. Donut County (PS4, iPhone, PC)

I have to be honest and confess that I have never heard of half of these games.  Part of that is because I don't play a lot of smartphone games. I have one that I play on a regular basis but it is an old version of the Risk board game and didn't come out this year. There are so many smartphone games that I don't even bother trying them out. I also don't play PC games nor do I own an Xbox One or Switch (I do have access to them at work though).

I have a copy of God of War as well as Spider-Man but have yet to play them. Seeing that they are both 1 and 2 on Time's list has me wanting to play them as soon as I finish Red Dead Redemption 2, which is number 5. Judging by comments made by coworkers, both of those games deserve to be on the list.

One surprise for me is Assassin's Creed Odyssey. One of my coworkers is in the middle of the game and speaks very highly of it. I am a fan of Ubisoft games but have never played any of the Assassin' Creed games. I may have to give this one a try. It will have to be after Spider-Man and God of War though.

It is the end of the year and so I am sure there will be plenty of lists like this one. If you don't see your favorite game in this group, don't fret as it probably appears on someone else's list.

What to Play This Holiday Season

It feels like there are more high-quality video games being released than I can possibly play right now. I have such a huge stack of games to play I am having trouble figuring out how to get them all in. Right now I am trying to complete Far Cry 5 and rather than trying to do everything I will just do the basic minimum to get to the end of the game so I can move on to some of these other exciting games just released or soon to be released.

The sequel to one of my favorite video games was released on Friday last week and I will pick up my copy from a friend with ties to Rockstar Games. Yes, I am talking about Red Dead Redemption 2. I do want to finish Far Cry 5 before I start and so as soon as I can get back to my boat this evening, I will power through the final stages of that game.

There is also Spiderman that released back in September and has a lot of fans. My son completed the game, purchased the DLC, and has finished the first of 3 installments of the DLC. He really enjoyed the game. I don't know when I will get to that but it is on my list.

While I am currently playing Far Cry 5 on my sailboat when in the Bay Area, I am also trying to finish Detroit: Become Human back at home in Utah. I don't mind playing that game while at home because my wife likes to sit on the couch and watch me play. That is one of those games that is more movie with a few interactions than an action adventure game like most of the other games I play.

Looking ahead, there are a number of games to be released before Christmas that I also need to add to my playlist. Fallout 76 looks graphically amazing and should be an exciting follow-up to Fallout 4. Then Battlefield 5 gets released a week later. I really enjoyed Battlefield One and jumping forward in time to WWII will make for an interesting game. All of these should keep me busy through New Year's Day. Then there is a huge schedule of great games being released next year. So many games but so little time.

The Latest Games

We are entering the 2018 Holiday Season and that means there will be a ton of game releases over the next few months. I know it is only September and talking about the Holidays is a bit early. Those of us in the video game industry have an earlier time frame than the consumers. I'm sure those in retail feel the same way.

Last week Sony released the new Spiderman game for the PS4 and everyone at work has been playing it during breaks. I just got my copy of the game and have yet to play it. The games I am playing have been out on the market for a few months and so I am a bit behind the times. That being said, I am interested in a few of the upcoming games and will probably slot one or two of them in front of Spiderman, even though everyone seems to be enjoying it.

There is one game I played that convinced me to stop watching TV and play video games instead. The sequel will be released towards the end of next month. My hope is that I will finish my current game by them and I will be able to start the new one. Unfortunately I will probably not be done and Red Dead Redemption 2 will have to wait a few weeks before I can play it. Having so many games to play with more coming in the next few months is not really a bad problem.