Winner of many Game of the Year awards, overrated slog, darling title among gamers, slow experience that made Kratos boring, beacon of paternal redemption, enabler of masculine violence… God of War (2018) wore a lot of hats this year, depending on who you asked. Such is the way with any reimagining of a character like Kratos. Changing him so drastically was always bound to get people taking, but making that change so well was the real surprise. I loved God of War (2018), and after putting this review off for so long, I wanted to talk about why it make my #3 Best Games of 2018 spot.
It’s that time of year again, when everyone with a video game opinion centralizes their most extreme ones into a convenient list format: some good and some bad. Don’t mistake that for cynicism, by the way; I love end-of-year lists. I don’t care who says their reductive, rage-inducing, pointless, and easily digestible; they’re a fun way to cap off a year, and they help other people discover the good games they missed. In 2018, I had such a hard time narrowing the list down. Almost every title I played had something worth lauding at the end of the year, and pushing great ideas to the side felt like a missed opportunity to appreciate great things, even if they came attached to “okay” games.
After some tough considerations, I chose my final ten for 2018. Some of these games will feel like obvious choices, while others will reflect the more personal impact they had on me. In other words, metrics like gameplay quantity, aesthetic performance, and general popularity sometimes took a backseat to fresh experiences, clever mechanics/narrative integration, and subjective individual resonance. I either have reviewed or plan to review every game on this list, so full explanations are included or will arrive soon, but in the mean time, enjoy The Culture HUD’s Best Games of 2018, and leave a comment about when you agreed, when you disagreed, who I snubbed, and what I should play in 2019!
The Culture HUD 