Welcome back, everyone, to DualShockers' annual Game of the Year awards selection! We are all one year wiser, and one year more excited than we were in 2017. Thankfully, 2018 has been a rather contentious year with mega-hits likeGod of War,Red Dead Redemption 2andMonster Hunter: Worldhaving a strong showing – we are in no shortage of amazing hits to choose from.
To begin, a quick shoutout to everyone who has checked out DualShockers through the year. As we approach our tenth anniversary as a site, there is nothing that we appreciate more than the active community willing to read our hot takes, reviews, and uncut excitement. Even better, we appreciate the participation that everyone put in with helping decide theReaders' Choice Game of the YearandReaders' Choice Most Anticipated Game of 2019! As always, our community has impeccable taste, and we are looking forward to one of the strongest years in gaming.
As a quick note, for more information on the popular votes and how everything was determined, please check out the respective posts forGOTYandMost Anticipated. you may also listen to our own extended discussion where we determined our ownstaff Game of the Year in our new episode of Drop In/Drop Out.
Without further ado, here areDualShockers’Game of the Year Awardsfor 2018!
DualShockers Game of the Year 2018:God of War
For the past two years, we’ve coincidentally shared a tradition of agreeing with our readers on what Game of the Year is, with2016 going toFinal Fantasy XVand2017 going toPersona 5. We’re happy to report that this happened again this year, with Sony Santa Monica’sGod of Warwinning bothDualShockers Game of the Year Awardand ourReaders' Choice Game of the Year Award.
While there were many games in 2018 that will likely go down as some of the best of the generation,God of Warwas able to stand above the rest thanks to the masterful character building, a clever and engaging twist on an older franchise, and some of the tightest controls we have seen within the action-adventure genre.
In addition toDualShockers Game of the Year 2018andReaders' Choice Game of the Year Awards,God of Waralso manages to bring home the following:BestFirst Party Game of the Year,Best PlayStation 4 Game, Best Action Adventure Game, Best Narrative,andBest Soundtrack. If you haven’t read it yet, take a moment to read our review of the game where DualShockersawarded it a perfect score.
Of course, the DualShockers staff was incredibly split on the decision – though our other votes were handled through a voting system, we chose to make our cases for all of our favorites of 2018 in a recorded debate. If you want to hear what that sounds like, ensure to check in on thelatest episode of Drop In/Drop Out: GOTY 2018 podcast.
As for the Readers' Choice award, turnout heavily favoredGod of Warwith it nabbing over 50% of the votes – the largest win we’ve had in a Readers' Choice award ever. Coming in second was Rockstar Games’Red Dead Redemption 2with over 10% of the readers' vote.
Outside of the top two games, Insomniac Games’Marvel’s Spider-Mantakes the third place with Square Enix’sDragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Agein fourth place and Capcom’sMonster Hunter Worldin fifth.
Below you can see a pie chart with the vote split, and the indication of the games that receive the most nods from our readers. Congratulations to Sony Santa Monica andGod of Warfor reaching DualShockers' top honor for 2018!
Most Anticipated Game of 2019:Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
There were a lot of great looking games that were revealed at E3 2018, but none really captured our hopes as much as FromSoftwaresSekiro: Shadows Die Twice.There are a lot of buzzwords and marketing spin that hits home for us – thereare no microtransactionsand the game will be similar in size tobothDark Souls 3andBloodborne. More important to us,our E3 previewfelt like everything we wanted from aSouls-like game but evolved.
Most Anticipated Game of 2019 (Readers' Choice):Kingdom Hearts III
In a funny enough twist,Kingdom Hearts IIIis taking home thesame prize it won in 2017:Readers' Choice Most Anticipated Game of 2019. Pushed from its Winter 2018 release slotin an early-E3 announcement, it’s no wonder why people are so hyped for the game. It’s been over a decade since the last mainline series title, so do yourself a favor andkeep well away from potential spoilers.
With that said, there was pretty hefty competition for every game that wasn’tKingdom Hearts IIIwith a broad range of diversity. Next on the list is Capcom’sDevil May Cry 5, a game similarly with a prestigious background and one set to blow away expectations.
Following that, readers on the site are similarly interested in the remaster ofResident Evil 2that continues to look oh-so-juicy in trailers and screenshots. Rounding out the top four is FromSoftware’sSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, ultimately meshing well with the staff pick for Most Anticipated of 2019.
If you are interested in the breakdown from votes, check out the quick infographic below:
Hardware of the Year:Xbox Adaptive Controller
While this year was devoid of any major console hardware releases, there was still a ton of competition within this category. And while headphones, capture cards, and laptops blew us away, the easy choice among staff was to awardHardware of the Yearto the Xbox Adaptive Controller.
Announced and released this year, the Xbox Adaptive Controller is an ambitious and inclusive project that brings many differently abled gamers into the fold, allowing them to play more games than ever before. Even better, Microsoft decided to keep thehardware accessible to anyonewho is able to develop it further for more interesting ideas. The collaborative mindset behind this, as well as the message behind it, gives Microsoft and the Xbox Adaptive Controller the nod as the best gaming hardware out this year.
Indie Game of the Year:Celeste
While there is a good chance thatCelestemay get a cold eye from other publications due to the fact it was one of the first games released this year, it is an indie game that demands your attention. With all of the sweet platforming mechanics ofSuper Meat Boyand the heart and wit of puzzle platformers likeBraid,Celesteis an unmistakable achievement in the already-competitive platforming and indie scene.
In addition toBest Indie Game of 2018,Celestealso takes home the prize forBest Platformer Game. If this game slipped under your radar, feel free tocheck out the reviewfrom earlier this year.
Best Online Game:Monster Hunter: World
TheMonster Hunterseries has always been a powerhouse in the East, but never before has it had so much sway globally as it did in 2018. With the release ofMonster Hunter: Worldthe once dense and impenetrable meta ofMonster Hunteropened its doors to the world, presenting a masterful online experience that required determination, cooperation, and strategy to overcome. With a good group of friends, this is the best time online you will have all year.
While there may be a few hiccups of the PC version of the game, don’t missour original review of the PS4 versionofMonster Hunter: World.
Best Developer:Santa Monica Studios
This may be no surprise given the awards that Santa Monica Studios received from us onGod of War.However, this goes further than that.
While Santa Monica Studios has been helping and collaborating on a collection of Sony titles over the year likeThe Order: 1886andEverybody’s Gone to the Rapture, we haven’t seen a fully-internally developed game for five years. Specifically,God of War: Ascensionwhich released on the PlayStation 3.
Since that time, Santa Monica Studios (led by Shannon Studstill and key figures like Cory Barlog) have honed their crafts – arguably giving them the slot of Sony’s best first party studio. Time will tell how competitive that spot is with major releases next year, but Santa Monica Studio has cemented itself as more relevant than ever in 2018. We can only look forward to their next project.
Best Publisher:Sony Interactive Entertainment
While it is easy enough to heap praise on Santa Monica Studios, it’s important to note that Sony Interactive Entertainment went above and beyond as a publisher this year. This year alone we gotGod of War,Detroit: Become Human,Marvel’s Spider-Man, andShadow of the Colossus. And that is ignoring the VR space –Astro Bot Rescue MissionandFirewall: Zero Hourare amazing in their own right. As a publisher, there is no company that has been more consistent with high-quality releases.
Best PlayStation 4 Game:God of War
Best Xbox One Game:Forza Horizon 4
While the Xbox One was rather light on console exclusives this year,Forza Horizon 4remains a gold star among the racing genre. In fact, we go as far as saying it is one of the best racing games this generation of consoles has to offer.
Along withBest Xbox One Game,Forza Horizon 4picks upBest Racing Gamethis year. Feel free to check outour review of the gamewhere we awarded it a 9.0 out of 10.
