Community Game Of The Year 2018 – The Winners

As we rounded out 2018, we took our annual look back at the best of the past twelve months, but within that we also had our traditional community vote, letting you weigh in, not just in the comments, but with a healthy dose of democracy. You can see our overall GOTY winner here, but did you agree with us?

The past twelve months have had lots of great games, but it was difficult for us to pin down one game that stood head and shoulders above the rest. It was close in the community vote as well, so let’s dive in and see what you voted for:

Best Single Player Game – God of War

Runners up: Red Dead Redemption 2 (2nd), Marvel’s Spider-Man (3rd)

The Game of the Year season really has been dominated by a three way race between Red Dead Redemption 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man and God of War. Really there wasn’t all that much in it, with it seemingly being a toss up between outright fun gameplay, a deep and immersive open world, or an emotional tale that lays the foundations for a new trilogy. Each has its strengths, each has its weaknesses, but God of War edged it in our community vote.

Best Multiplayer Game – Destiny 2: Forsaken

Runners up: Monster Hunter: World (2nd), Battlefield V (3rd)

In a repeat of the first game, Destiny 2 got an awful lot better with its second year expansion. Destiny 2: Forsaken took on board all of the criticisms that players had of the game’s lack of endgame content, delivering a major new area with a cycling and ever-changing amount of variety, while also giving more reasons and ways to grind for that high level gear. With the first mini-expansion, The Black Armoury, there’s even more.

Monster Hunter: World drew the plaudits of the TSA writers, and is a deservedly within the top three, but a slight surprise is Battlefield V coming in third. There is a game that had a very rocky run up to release, and is still plagued with niggling issues. Clearly the changes DICE made to the core gameplay have managed to shine through.

Lastly, an honourable mention must go to Firewall: Zero Hour which, despite not making the top three has a fair few fans in the community.

Best Independent Game – A Way Out

Runners up: Dead Cells (2nd), Guacamelee! 2 (3rd)

A Way Out might not have had same emotional heft as Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, but what it did bring to the table was a surprisingly fun co-op game with a unique split-screen presentation. It quickly turns from a prison escape into an action-packed tale of revenge that clearly struck a chord with pairs of people.

Behind that surprise came two of the standouts of our own Indie GOTY considerations, with the excellent Dead Cells and Guacamelee! 2 having plenty of fans.

Best Virtual Reality Game – Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Runners up – Wipeout Omega Collection – VR update (2nd), Firewall: Zero Hour (3rd)

Two years after the launch of Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, it feels like developers have really got to grips with the capabilities of the hardware and what they can offer to video games. With so many different experiences, it’s no surprise that the voting spread itself across a broad selection of VR games, but it was the universal charm and fun of Astro Bot Rescue Mission that appealed to the largest number.

Not too far behind, however, was the minor miracle of the VR update for Wipeout Omega Collection – yes the game came out last year, yes it’s a remaster, but VR was added this year and is truly a transformative experience, so it counts. Wipeout edged out the rather popular Firewall: Zero Hour, which showed that tactical shooters and multiplayer really can mix with VR.

While they didn’t make the top three, honourable mentions have to also go to Tetris Effect, Beat Saber and The Persistence.

Biggest Disappointment – Fallout 76

Runners up: Red Dead Redemption 2 (2nd), Metal Gear Survive (3rd)

I don’t think there’s any surprise what game (and what company) is seen as your biggest disappointment of the year. Whether or not you thought a multiplayer Fallout was a good idea, the shambolic state of the game at launch and the manner in which Bethesda have handled the situation have left a lot to be desired.

More surprising (and yet also not terribly unexpected) is that a sizeable number of you also found Red Dead Redemption 2 to be a disappointment. While some would point to it as a Game of the Year winner, if not the defining game of the generation, others simply bounced off its particular style of story telling, its pacing and its game design.

Community Game of the Year 2018 – God of War

Runners up: Red Dead Redemption 2 (2nd), Marvel’s Spider-Man (3rd)

Just as with last year’s community vote, the game that drew people in the most as a single player adventure has gone on to pick up the overall Community Game of the Year award. And it was a much more direct battle, with the three main contenders all available on the same platform.

Kratos’ return brought newfound depths to the character, gave him the responsibility of looking after and nurturing his son, and it told a story that swept through various parts of Norse mythology. However, it didn’t stop there, and dramatically overhauled the gameplay in the process, bringing the camera in over Kratos’ shoulder and bringing the player closer to the action in a very effective way.

All that’s left to say is congratulations to Studio Santa Monica and God of War for becoming our TSA Community Game of the Year 2018!