2019 carries a full force, and the video game world is catching on to it. The number of releases not only grows at a dizzying pace, but it is also showing great quality that, month by month, leaves us great jewelry for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
Separating those who have already arrived from those who are about to land, we want to gather the best games of 2019 to have controlled where, how and what we can play during this year if we want to enjoy a great video game. Prepare the wallet and time because this generation’s home stretch wants to crush both of them.
A Plague Tale: Innocence
Platforms: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
‘A Plague Tale: Innocence’ has been one of those great surprises that no one expects. Yes, the idea of a sea of rats to run away from with puzzles and stealth may have had its grace in its presentation, but with its arrival on the market it has proved to be much more than that, approaching the great narrative works of this generation and demonstrating that it does not take much noise to generate impact.
Ace Combat 7
Platforms: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Being a saga with solera that had already hit some slip, I felt like checking to what extent ‘Ace Combat 7’ could return the franchise to its good times. Damn right, he did. In addition to continuing to play with stories that go far beyond what we are used to seeing in this type of works, it is a visual and playable spectacle that will delight all those who have ever dreamed of climbing the skies.
Anno 1800
Platforms: PC
For a genre as trite as the city builders, discovering releases like ‘Anno 1800’ is a gift. Ubisoft here signs one of the best games of the strategy and management genre, a polished title up to the Trancas able to offer a huge amount of content and depth in each of its sections. If you’re a fan of this kind of title and you grew up between farmers and construction, you’re going to hook up for weeks.
Ape Out
Platforms: PC and Switch
Indie is always accompanied by a lack of knowledge that does no good to proposals such as Ape Out. What a priori comes in as a shooter to the ‘Hotline Miami’ with a monkey as a protagonist and a visual style when it transformed into an audiovisual experience of a dream when you get to the controls. The mix between what happens on screen and how the music grows at every stroke of the ape is just as rewarding as overcoming its levels from end to end.
Apex Legends
Platforms: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
He came out of nowhere and did it to stay. ‘Apex Legends’ may not be the sequel to ‘Titanfall’ that we all hoped for, but it certainly makes a huge contribution to the Battle Royale genre and the fashion of competitive multiplayer. A much smarter game than it looks and also manages to offer very juicy novelties that might well suit a multitude of future games.
Cadence of Hyrule
Platforms: Switch
‘Cadence of Hyrule’ is one of those little proposals that end up becoming quite a giant. It may not be at the level of Renown, or sales, but it is at the level of proving that we still have a lot to see in the video game industry. Only in this way can we understand that a mix between musical play and Link and Zelda’s saga can surprise us and dazzle us so much.
Crackdown 3
Platforms: PC and Xbox One
Let not the cloud of hatred generated around Crackdown 3 deceive you, and let not the enthusiasm that many of us show for him, but Caesar what is Caesar’s. The open world of Microsoft is one of the most fun that we’ve stepped on recently, and it’s level design and challenges an experience that every sound designer should stop to analyze before you can create something similar in their games.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
Platforms: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Maybe the biggest trick of ‘Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled’ is to pull nostalgia, but those of us who enjoy it in their day know it can be much more than that. Playing to be the new ‘Mario Kart’ has its risks, but the foundation is solid enough to win more than one round of applause.
Days Gone
Platforms: PS4
Days Gone may not have managed to drag the excitement of other Sony games during this second half of the generation, but despite the criticism received there is a good mass of users who have been enchanted with their mix of zombies, dreamscapes and survival style.
Devil May Cry 5
Platforms: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
Capcom has gone from blinding to becoming one of the most reliable companies in today’s industry. ‘Devil May Cry 5’ is just one more sample of the good work they have been harvesting for over a year, a great hack n’slash with a performance of another level and all we could ask of this saga: heart attack combos and animations with which to generate gifs to frame.
Katana Zero
Platforms: PC and Switch
Katana Zero is one of those jewels you don’t see coming. Perhaps you have stood in front of some video and seen some detail that might have caught your attention, after all, Samurai, gore and neo-noir aesthetics are usually more than enough reason to lift an eyebrow, but not far from ready for what awaits you. A round game on both a playable and visual level that also allows the luxury of telling a story in the most original and shocking way possible.
Kingdom Hearts 3
Platforms: PS4 and Xbox One
‘Kingdom Hearts III’ has shown that it is not a game for curious people, but a title specially focused on celebrating fans ‘ passion for the franchise. He has never lied to anyone in that regard and is well aware of the problems involved in following his story, but they are problems that have nothing to do with the experience he proposes. Partly anchored to time already past, Sora and company’s adventure is all we could ask of this delivery those we grew up with the franchise.
Metro Exodus
Platform: PC, PS4 and Xbox One
When we talk about artistic achievements, we often focus on themes of originality or color expression, but we always forget the setting. ‘Metro Exodus’ is the biggest exponent of the extent to which that aspect can be key in a video game and that, despite other failures, the quality of that display is the most important thing to never want it to end.
Mortal Kombat 11
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch
Blows and bloody fatalities are quoted in ‘Mortal Kombat 11’, a new delivery from the well-known wrestling franchise. Netherrealm had already taken the pulse of this generation’s possibilities well, so it was to be hoped that they could show off by throwing all the meat in the grill. A brutal campaign and only a few errors in your business approach give for a combo recommendable enough.