Judgment
The Yakuza series has hit some serious success in the West over the last few years, and Judgment hopes to carry on that tradition. The newest game from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Judgment takes place in Kamurocho, the same town prominently featured in Yakuza, although it’s technically a standalone game.
You play as Takayuki Yagami, a former lawyer-turned-detective who starts investigating a string of grisly murders taking place in Kamurocho. Judgment uses the same formula as the Yakuza games, letting you roam Kamurocho and engage in any number of activities.
You can play arcade games like Virtua Fighter, race in the Drone League, dine at any restaurant, fight some thugs, and more. Judgment doubles-down on making Kamurocho feel like a living breathing city, and it wildly succeeds in that.
Yagami can make friends across the city, who’ll greet him, give you special items, help you in battle, and more. Judgment is a gripping noir-thriller mixed with the gameplay stylings of Yakuza, and if you haven’t played it you’re missing out on one of the best games of 2019.
My Time at Portia
My Time at Portia is one of the most relaxing games you’ll play this entire year, with it being totally themed around farming and building.
Despite taking place in a post-apocalyptic world, My Time at Portia sports a colorful Ghibli-esque art style, and the experience starts with you striving to rebuild your pa’s neglected workshop.
If you’ve played games like Stardew Valley, you’ll be familiar with the gameplay loop of My Time at Portia. You craft your own farm and take care of crops and livestock, collect resources to upgrade and rebuild the workshop, build and customize your own house, and get to know the quirky residents of Portia.
My Time at Portia doesn’t quite reach the heights of Stardew Valley, but the game oozes charm at every opportunity. The title came out in April amidst a wealth of other smaller releases.
Days Gone probably stole your attention on PS4 and the ridiculous slew of rereleases would have distracted you on Switch, so now’s the time to catch up on this charming little game, while you still can.
Wargroove
Fire Emblem Three Houses may be getting all the attention as a great tactical game, but there’s another title from earlier this year that deserves just as much attention. This one would have been super easy to skip over, unfortunately, due to it releasing in the same week as Ace Combat 7 and Apex Legends.
Wargroove takes serious inspiration from tactical titles like Advance Wars, with you building up an army and using it to take down the enemy force in turn-based battles. There are multiple different factions to play as, and a ton of different units to build and use, allowing for some diverse tactical gameplay.
Wargroove has a charming colorful art style, and a surprisingly fun campaign to play through. It’s one of the best indie games of the year, if not the best, so make sure you don’t let this one slip away.
A Plague Tale: Innocence
Without a doubt, A Plague Tale: Innocence is the sleeper hit of 2019, releasing with little build-up to phenomenal critic and user reception. The game takes place in 1348 France, and its story involves both the Great Plague and the Hundred Years War.
You play as a young girl named Amicia, a young girl of noble descent living in Aquitaine. When her family’s home is invaded and her parents are murdered, Amicia has to go on the run with her young brother Hugo, who’s been sick from birth.
As the story goes on, it becomes more obvious that her parents’ killers, The Inquisition, are specifically after Hugo.
A Plague Tale is a heavily story-focused experience, and the real appeal here is the narrative, which goes to some fantastically surprising places. The stealth-based gameplay certainly isn’t bad, but it all works in service to the narrative.
It’s likely that A Plague Tale will still stand as one of the best games of 2019 when we reach the end of the year, so whether it’s now or later make sure to check this one off your list.
God Eater 3
Monster Hunter World has taken all of the attention for hunting games, and for good reason, but because of that it’s easy to let games like God Eater 3 slip by. Probably the best hunting series outside of Monster Hunter, God Eater 3 brings some nice changes and updates to the franchise.
There are a number of different weapons, known as God Arcs, to choose from, and each one functions differently. For example, the dual blades are quick and focus on dodges and combos, while the hammer is a slow weapon entirely focused on timing your attacks.
Each mission lets you take up to three party members with you, and the AI does a fantastic job in God Eater 3, causing serious damage to basic enemies and bosses alike.
The most surprising thing about God Eater 3 is how good its story and characters are, something that was never bad in previous games, but never really excelled either. Considering you can play it on both PS4 and Switch now, there’s no excuse to not pick up God Eater 3.
Observation
Observation is a harrowing adventure game that takes place entirely aboard a space station called Observation. An unknown event has crippled the station and left it spinning in space without power.
Separated from the rest of the team, Dr. Emma Fisher has to reestablish contact with Houston and the other astronauts, and figure out what’s happened.
The real twist in Observation, however, is that you don’t play as Dr. Fisher. Instead, you’re taking control of the station’s AI named Sam, short for System Administration Maintenance
As Sam, you’ll need to move your presence between different cameras in the station, and alter electrical equipment to help Emma get the station back up. At first you’ll only be able to go to areas that Emma has visited, but eventually, you’ll be able to move around a wide swathe of the station, and affect a wide array of items and objects.
Observation has a riveting story, and the twist of playing as the station’s AI makes the way you interact with that story different from anything else out there.
Zanki Zero: Last Beginning
Danganronpa is one of the biggest cult classic series out there, known for its off-the-wall characters and story. Zanki Zero: Last Beginning comes from the same team, and it has much of the same style and personality.
Zanki Zero takes place on an island that’s in ruins, after the destruction of Earth. Eight people have been left behind on the island, and these eight characters each have their own distinct quirky personalities, much like Danganronpa.
Each chapter of the game focuses on a different character, with the goal being to survive. You’ll have to manage the character’s stamina, stress, and bladder while battling enemies.
The survival elements sadly aren’t nearly as engaging as those in the Danganronpa series, but the story and characters do match up in every way.
As you might expect from developer Spike Chunsoft, the story of Zanki Zero goes to some seriously messed up and sadistic places. It’s certainly not a game for everyone, but if you enjoy Danganronpa, dungeon crawlers, or survival elements, Zanki Zero is one heck of a unique experience.
Published: Aug 6, 2019 03:15 pm