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Can you believe this year is already half over?  What I like to do this time of year is write about the best games of the year so far.  Everyone is all excited over recent E3 announcements, and most of the really good titles come out during the Christmas season at the tail end of the year, and the games that come out earlier tend to be forgotten.  So this is where those games get their due.  Keep in mind that no outside opinions went into the making of this list.  It’s just my own picks.  And if a game is missing from my list, it either didn’t appeal to me as much, or I just simply haven’t played it yet.  Can’t play all the games out there, you know!  Anyway, without further ado, welcome to Cary’s Best Games of 2018 SO FAR Awards Show!

BEST FIGHTING GAME

Kirby Battle Royale (3DS)

So this is really one of the weaker Kirby games out there.  It only wins because it was less disappointing than the other fighting game picks.  It feels like it could’ve come out ten years ago.  It’s still entertaining with lots of variety, but way too short.  It’ll certainly have a lot of competition by the end of the year with fighting games like Soul Calibur VI and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!

Runner Up:

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (PS4)

Ever since I played the first Dissidia fighting game on PSP, I always wanted one on a big console.  Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with this one.  Not enough modes and the three on three battles were more confusing than anything.  But it was based on the arcade game, so that’s probably why.  As disappointing as this game was, I’d still like to try the arcade version, even though it’s Japan only for now.  But the game still looks great and was mildly entertaining, so I figured it at least deserved a runner up mention.

BEST RPG

Lost Sphear (PS4)

This really wins by default since it’s the only RPG I played this year so far.  Last year, I loved I am Setsuna and this was made by the same folks.  Unfortunately, it’s not near as good.  It has problems like unbalanced battles (Don’t you hate it when before dying, a monster uses a spell that will take out your party unless they’re at near full health?  Happened way too many times here.).   The game interested me enough to play through to the ‘final’ boss, but not past the post-endgame stuff, of which there was a lot of.  I have a feeling that Octopath Traveler will take the RPG award by the end of the year if I have time to play it.  I hope I do.

BEST PUZZLE GAME

Bridge Constructor Portal (PS4)

When the physics-based puzzle game Bridge Constructor came out, I wasn’t much interested in it.  But when they announced a version featuring Portal, I was suddenly interested!  It actually plays better than the original game, and has lots of the humor that Portal had, thanks to GlaDOS.  It gets pretty hard later on, too!  If you’re a Portal fan, you should definitely check this one out.

WEIRDEST GAME

Detective Pikachu (3DS)

Just the name alone is weird, right?  This is basically Phoenix Wright for kids.  The plot is a bit predictable, but it is still a high quality charming point and click style adventure.  It’s also a bit educational as it encourages kids to write things down and examine facts before jumping to conclusions.  It’s also a fun way to view the Pokémon world outside of battles.  Definitely pick it up if you’re a fan.

Runners Up:

Part Time UFO (iOS)

In this game, you play as a UFO and must use your crane to do odd jobs.  So yeah, it’s a crane game with missions.  You’ll do things like load farm trucks, stack up cheerleaders, etc.  But you know what’s really weird about this mobile game?  It was made by HAL Laboratory!  Yeah, the same folks who do Kirby and Smash Bros. did this.  I kind of wish they’d port this game to a console, like the Switch.

Scribblenauts Showdown (PS4)

The idea of writing words down and having them come to life in a game is weird enough, but now put this series into a party game format and you have some really strange situations.  It’s just a fun simple little party game.  I’m kind of surprised it didn’t come out sooner, when party games and Scribblenauts titles were more in the spotlight.

Sushi Strikers (Switch)

In this action puzzle game, you must eat sushi from conveyor belts and throw the empty plates at your opponent to whittle down their HP.  That weird enough for you?  The whole game is presented like an anime from the late 90’s/early 2000’s, too!

BEST ARCADE COLLECTION/REMAKE

Secret of Mana (PS4)

So I know a lot of people have complained about this remake.  But honestly, I loved it!  Sure it had problems, but so did the original game.  Really the only main beef I had with it was some of the music changes (dubstep has no place in a Mana game, or anywhere really).  But the game played how I remembered it, and it was fun.  So yeah, it wins.  Kind of makes me wonder if I’d be perfectly happy playing SNES style games the rest of my life.

Runners Up:

Lode Runner Legacy (Switch)

When I was a kid, the first gaming “console” I had was actually an Apple ][+ computer.  And one of the games I played on it a lot was Lode Runner.  So I’m always up for a good remake of that.  And this one is pretty fun and I enjoyed it a lot.  So if you like classic games such as this, I suggest checking it out!

SEGA Genesis Classics (PS4)

A collection of 50 plus Genesis games is always good.  I was a SNES man back in the day, so I haven’t played a lot of these games to death as well.  Later this month, I plan on writing a couple of blogs about the games on this collection, so watch for that.

BEST EDUCATIONAL GAME

Nintendo Labo (Switch)

Folding cardboard into things you can play with on the Switch has got to be one of Nintendo’s weirdest ideas yet.  But it’s definitely educational as it shows how things work.  And it prepares kids for their future jobs folding boxes at Amazon (just joking).  Sure it may be a bit pricey, but Labo will keep kids and adults entertained for quite a long time, so I say it’s worth it.

BEST 3-D ADVENTURE

LEGO The Incredibles (PS4)

At this time last year we had tons of 3-D platformers, but this year, not so much.  So this LEGO game wins by default.  You can tell it was made by the LEGO B-team, as it’s a bit shorter, but it’s still a lot of fun so you know their B-team is getting better!

And now for my best game of the year SO FAR.  Taiko drum roll, please…

BEST GAME OF 2018 SO FAR

Kirby Star Allies (Switch)

So is this the best Kirby game ever?  No, not by a long shot.  Plus it came right after Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot on the 3DS, two of the best Kirby games ever, so it had big shoes to fill.  But the game is still a lot of fun, and since you can play as a TON of Kirby’s friends and enemies, and each one plays differently, there is tons of replay value.  In fact, if you look at my Switch game log, I’ve spent more time playing Kirby Star Allies than I have Super Mario Odyssey.  Does that mean Kirby Star Allies is a better game?  No, but it does show how much I like Kirby games over Mario ones.

And that’s all for now!  Let me know in the comments section what you think of my choices, and tell me YOUR favorite games of 2018 SO FAR!  --Cary