While it might have had a middle lull where very little of any worth happened, the opening and end of 2019’s video game calendar was outstanding.
Resident Evil 2, Sekiro, Death Stranding, Outer Worlds, Devil May Cry 5, Mortal Kombat 11 – all genuinely stellar titles with gargantuan budgets bringing them to life.
But what about the rest? What about the titles that for one reason or another, don’t command the spotlight?
The start of this decade saw a notable fracture between “triple-A” and “indie”, but that’s blossomed into a far more nuanced spectrum of production scales and quality-controlled game mechanics.
Today, the industry is positively thriving, but the biggest earners are still “platforms for content”, known IPs or bankable formulas – the titles that are guaranteed to hoover up cash in the thousands, then lead followings for years on end.
In honesty, we do have a problem with identikit game design tropes being reused over and over – something I’m hoping the next generation tackles head-on.
For now you’ve likely amassed a sizeable collection of great games this year, but there are so many more that are super easy to miss.
