2018 has been a great year for games and it's only halfway over. I actually had a pretty difficult time finding games I thought were great but the reviews didn't agree. Granted, because of the Nintendo Switch porting over every game ever and remaster’s/re-releases being so common now, a couple of the games on this list are 2017 games re-released on a new platform. Also, since games primarily tend to get long-term support from the development team in the form of DLC, updates, and bug fixes there are a DLC or two on here as well.
Games are now reinvigorated sometimes even decades after their release!
It’s a great time to be a gamer, because you’ll immediately be overwhelmed by the amount of amazing games to sink your time into even in the past 2 years. That said, there were also some games that seemed to get stellar reviews for no concrete reason. These games are flawed in any number of ways but the one reviewing them either didn’t encounter these flaws, or straight up ignored them. These games, unfortunately, got more credit than they deserved and honestly should be rated more fairly so as not to hurt other games comparatively. With all that said, here’s the list of the 20 Video Games From 2018 That Are Way Better Than The Critics Say, along with 10 Games That Are Actually Lame.
30 Better: Vampyr - A True Undead Bringing Vampires Back To Life
Vampyr is somehow a fresh take on a Vampire based game. Along with zombies, vampires might be the most overused and cliché monster of all time.
But Vampyr is a dialogue-heavy game based all around surviving and blending in as a vampire in a gloomy London setting.
This game is getting decent scores and it’s being criticized for its attempt to do too much. But I personally feel that Vampyr’s overly enthusiastic determination to implement a myriad of mechanics into a "Telltale" esque game is refreshing. These types of games usually lack gameplay, but Vampyr is an exception.
29 Better: Sonic Mania Plus – Adding More To An Already Complete Package
Sonic Mania is the perfect game for older fans of the franchise.
It’s a game run by fans, made by fans, and loved by fans.
It was released in late 2017 and is a game harkening back to the time of Sonic 2 & 3. Overall it’s been a well-reviewed game, but Sonic Mania Plus, released in 2018 has been mostly overlooked. This new release adds two new playable characters and all new modes! These two new characters are Ray the Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo, two characters no one remembers but somehow I'm still excited.
28 Lame: Conan Exiles – Skin Can’t Save A Bad Game
Conan Exiles is a subpar survival game.
It’s a game supposedly made for fans of the Conan Franchise but doesn’t really seem to know who it’s actually for.
The game attempts to combine the MMORPG genre that’s been popular since the late 90’s with the Survival genre that’s only recently been popular. And personally, it doesn’t succeed at either. The game had a minor surge of popularity when YouTuber’s found out you could be completely nude regardless of gender, but has had a hard time getting good reviews or a consistent player base.
27 Better: Sea of Thieves Megalodon Update – Pirates Aren’t Gone Yet
Sea of Thieves isn’t finished yet. I know, it’s surprising. People dropped off that game pretty quick.
The original release of the game was lacking in content and didn’t have much to keep the player hooked.
But now after two separate updates, Sea of Thieves has much more to offer. Microsoft has made it clear that this game is built as a service rather than a standalone game, and I’m sure there are more updates to come. But as for now, we have giant krakens and sharks to fight so I'm not necessarily complaining.
26 Better: Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition – The King Of Musou
Hyrule Warriors is the pinnacle of the Musou genre and as of the definitive edition now has 31 different playable characters, all with their own unique weapons, movesets, and unlockables!
That’s not all, because of the constant DLC the game has been getting since release, there are tons of different Adventure Mode maps to complete. Each one taking tens of hours to complete on its own! Hyrule Warriors is a game you could play for years and isn’t talked about highly enough.
25 Lame: Batman Telltale Season 2 – Just Another Telltale Game
It’s been a long time since I had positive thoughts on a Telltale game, they’re essentially a company that has become stagnated in their game development process.
Telltale games are always heavily story based, featuring little gameplay, and have diverging choices the player makes throughout.
Unfortunately, Telltale’s Batman games suffer from the same flaws as the others, the writing is decent at best, the choices don’t really matter, and there are near constant glitches/bugs. But, I will say the Batman Telltale games really do try new mechanics and ideas, and those are the best parts.
24 Better: Attack On Titan 2 – A Game To Spend Your Life On
Alright, straight up, I’m biased on this game. I’m a huge Musou fan and I’ve sunk 300+ hours into this game total.
If you’ve ever played a Musou game, you’ll be able to tell that this game is something special.
It expands upon all the systems in the first game while adding new ones. Plus there’s so much content you might just get overwhelmed. For those unaware, Attack on Titan 2 is a game based on the popular Anime of the same name. Unfortunately, games based on anime’s don’t get good reviews, no matter how good they actually are.
23 Better: Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy PC Release – Even More Fur Textures
Again, another sort of unfair inclusion based on a 2017 game released on a new console in 2018. But come on, a Crash Bandicoot game on the PC?
The N.Sane Trilogy is now the poster boy for the idea of new age remasters.
This trilogy has gotten a lot of "bad" press thanks to comical reviews that compared its difficulty to Dark Souls. But the game itself, while hard, is a masterfully made 3D platformer. Plus now that it’s on PC, these same reviewers can just download saves that are past all the “hard” levels.
22 Lame: Senua’s Sacrifice Xbox One – A Great Movie, A Bad Game
Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice is an important piece of media, but personally, could have been much better as a movie and or animated feature. Senua’s Sacrifice is a game that is all about mental health, which is, of course, a very important issue.
But, while it has good intentions, as a video game, it’s incredibly lacking.
The game is beautiful, the score is amazing, and the writing is pretty good, but the gameplay is poor. Senua’s Sacrifice is a good game in the same way as a David Cage game is, you might as well be watching a movie.
21 Better: Ni No Kuni II – A Visual Spectacle With Gameplay To Match
Here we have another example of an anime game that gets flak just for being well, anime.
Ni No Kuni is a game franchise heavily influenced by the iconic Miyazaki’s films such as Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke.
They’re insanely beautiful titles that follow conventional JRPG ideals. The first Ni No Kuni got mixed reviews thanks to its grindy nature and longer playtime. Ni No Kuni II is actually getting decent reviews, but these reviews aren't good enough. Ni No Kuni II fixes all the issues from its previous game, adds new engaging mechanics, and has such an endearing and awe-inspiring setting.
20 Better: Slay The Spire – Hearthstone & Rouge Legacy’s Brainchild
Do you like rouge-likes? Dungeon crawling? How about cards? Do you like cards? Well then Slay the Spire is the game for you.
Slay the Spire is a deck building game where you use your custom built deck to fight off hordes of dungeon monsters.
It’s a game that actually makes you want to build the best deck, and the roguelike elements are surprisingly a great fit for the card game genre. Unfortunately being a Steam early access game that was just recently released means it got skimmed over by a lot of reviewers, but it’s worth your time!
19 Lame: Dark Souls Remastered – Worse Than Every Other Version
Dark Souls Remastered is lame is a couple of ways. First of all, as a remaster, they added/changed almost nothing.
As someone whose beat every From Software game multiple times, I can safely say this Remastered version is lacking.
The first Dark Souls is not a looker, it’s locked at 30FPS but on PC it was immediately fixed thanks to DSfix. Unfortunately, that won’t work on console. Overall this remaster is the worst version of the game you could have and is only viable because the Switch is a portable console.
18 Better: Dragons Crown Pro – A Second Chance For DnD Fans
Dragons Crown was a niche game in 2013 on the PS3. Obviously, a DnD inspired game akin to titles like Shadows of Mystara.
It was developed by Vanillaware, the experts of making just the most beautiful 2D games out there.
It sold decently in 2013 but its fan base dwindled quickly. Now, in 2018 it’s re-release breathes new life into the game and I can finally play it with friends. Problem is it’s getting the same lukewarm reviews as back then. These reviewers don’t seem to understand the dev's intentions with the gameplay loop and it's disappointing.
17 Better: Way Of The Passive Fist - A Fresh New Beat Em' Up
Way of the Passive Fist is a game that’s been in development for a few years now. And I’ll just say, it’s worth the wait.
It’s a fresh new take on beat em’ ups focusing entirely on parrying the enemies moves in order to tire them out.
In regards to the gameplay, there are a good amount of enemies, and their recolor variations attack in different ways which in a game so focused on reading your opponent, means a lot. Also, the music is great and the art style is very fresh for a game of this style.
16 Lame: Detroit: Become Human – Written By A Robot Who Doesn't Understand Human's
Detroit: Become Human had so much potential. This was David Cage’s opportunity to really make something of substance. And honestly, it’s sold well, It’s reviews are really polarizing, and overall millions of people loved the game.
But Cage games are all about writing and presentation, and the writing is poor.
David Cage has a tendency to tackle delicate issues with a hammer, and his lack of intelligent subtlety is obvious when the entire game is an analogy for the Civil Rights movement, but with robots. This would be fine if it wasn’t an uninformed, cliché, and overproduced mess.
15 Better: Little Witch Academia: Chamber Of Time – Anime Harry Potter
This is the last game on the list that’s a prime example of the anime curse. For years any games that were based on a popular anime had the same assumption as games made after recently released movies.
That assumption was that the development was rushed and the game would be shallow or just straight up bad. Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is not that game.
Trigger, the makers of the anime have constantly been updating the internet with their progress on the game and now that it’s out it’s way better than the reviews would have you believe.
14 Better: Kirby Star Allies – Good Like Every Other Kirby Game
Kirby just might have the strongest track record out there.
Nintendo just doesn’t make bad Kirby games.
Even the less well-known games like Kirby Air Ride are unique and a blast. Many reviews have taken points off for the lack of difficulty in this title. But Kirby games are built with kids in mind, and the developers save all the difficult and expansive content for after you’ve sunk plenty of hours into the game. Plus, Nintendo won’t stop adding stuff to the game! Free updates with new playable characters get released constantly, and add tons to the overall experience.
13 Lame: Metal Gear Survive – Undead Franchise With No Soul
Metal Gear Survive is both about zombies, and is a zombie itself.
Hideo Kojima is gone from Konami but they won’t just let the Metal Gear Franchise end.
They want their money, and their answer is to make a poorly thought out, shallow game. It’s a soulless, cheap, and poorly made cash grab using the Metal Gear name. The only reason this game isn’t straight up awful is that it’s in the Fox Engine and uses a lot of mechanics from Metal Gear Solid 5. But don’t get me wrong, this game is not worth your time.
12 Better: No Man’s Sky – An Entirely Different Game
No Man’s Sky is the perfect example of a game ruined by spite. Everyone knows the drama behind this game by now. The developers lied to the mass media about many different aspects of the game until it was released and once out in the world people immediately saw how lacking the game was.
Now, years later, the team is trying to make up for their mistake with constant gigantic updates and game changes.
The game is no longer even close to the same game it was on release, and now finally has online multiplayer! Give it one last chance!
11 Better: Bloodstained Curse Of The Moon – Kickstarter Prequel With The Soul Of The Original's
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is an advertisement. It’s a game that was made thanks to a funding reward on the Bloodstained Kickstarter. Bloodstained is a game that is coming out late 2018, made by the creator of the Castlevania series. Curse of the Moon is a prequel to this game that has an 8-bit art style similar to the early Castlevania games.
Because of its odd circumstances, a lot of people skimmed over this game. But those who did play, know.
It’s a fantastic game, while expectedly a bit short, it's right up there with the better Castlevania titles.