best of 2019: video games

The usual notes before I begin:

• Not all of these were first released in 2019, but that's when I played them.
• The first game listed was my definite favorite; the rest are in random order.
• All of these were played on the PS4, but some of them are available on other systems as well.
• And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. Days Gone:  When a virus causes a pandemic that turns people into violent mutants (not zombies per se; they're extremely fast creatures called freakers), Deacon St. John and his wife Sarah are separated during an evacuation.  While searching for her across Oregon, Deacon helps other survivors, tries to solve the mystery of the epidemic, and battles not just freakers, but mutated animals and other humans.  This game got paid critical dust when it first came out, partly because it was so buggy, and it's true that we had to download several huge patches and still ran into some issues, but you know what?  This game fuckin' ruled!  The story is intriguing, the graphics are absolutely stunning, the voice acting is really good, Deacon is hot enough that I strayed from my RDR2 fanfic wheelhouse to write a story about him, there's some well-done LGBTQ+ rep, and the action is tense and exciting.  The freakers often congregate into huge hordes, and I guarantee the first time you run across one and they notice you, your adrenaline is going to go through the roof.  Ignore the haters and give this a try.

2. Detroit: Become Human:  In the future, androids are easily available to the general public, and this game follows three of them:  Kara, a housekeeper; Connor, a police detective; and Markus, a caretaker.  When they become "deviant", or gain consciousness, it starts a revolution.  Like all of David Cage's games, it's basically a playable movie, so take that as an endorsement or warning depending on your personal preferences.  It's short and has some cringeworthy allegories, but it's intriguing, fun, and gorgeous to look at. 

3. Resident Evil 2:  The original is one of my favorite games of all time, so I had to give the remake a try too.  I'll be totally honest with you; it is REALLY FUCKING HARD.  I count beating both Leon and Claire's scenarios on normal difficulty as one of my top gaming achievements, and I've been a gamer for the vast majority of my life, so that's saying something.  I don't think the remake needed to be made; it's obviously gorgeous (though I don't like Claire and Leon's redesigns), but the original was practically perfect on its own.  Still, it's tense and exciting, and worth playing if you've got the skillz and a high tolerance for frustration. 

4. A Way Out:  In 1972, Leo and Vincent meet in prison and decide to team up and break out to exact revenge on a common enemy.  The graphics are so-so and the voice acting isn't great, but this game is a lot of fun!  For one thing, it's couch co-op, which is rare, so G and I were able to play together.  For another, the script is entertaining and there are some action sequences that actually had me laughing with delight.  You WILL need a friend to play this, either in real life or online, but if you have someone in mind, pick this up! 

5. Vampyr:  Okay, this is a bit of a cheat because we haven't actually finished it yet, but we're enjoying it enough that I feel comfortable putting it on here.  During the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918, Dr. Jonathan Reid returns from the war and, pretty much the second he returns to London, is turned into a vampire.  He's not thrilled about this new development, but on the plus side, he can't get the flu now!  So he spends his nights tending to the sick, fighting foes both human and undead, doing the occasional fetch quest, and trying to figure out who the hell turned him.  I am absolutely WRETCHED at the combat mechanic in this game, which is very Bloodborne-esque, so I passed the controller off to G for those sequences.  (I know, that sounds lame, especially after my bragging about finishing #3 on this list, but because "death" in this game can wipe out hours of progress, I figured I would let G, who has beaten all of the Dark Souls games and is therefore aces at this shit, do the heavy lifting.)  But the story is great and the writing is sharp as a stake, so even though we haven't finished the game, I feel confident that it's earned its place here.