R-T-BI still maintain Indies saved the year.

That's kind of sad.

Game development is hard for everyone these days, indies and AAA alike. There's only a handful or two of games that were market successes and most of those aren't even new. The market is too saturated with both too many games and a small number of games that are huge time and money sinks (like Fortnite, GTAV, and Warframe). Revenue is spread too thin amongst the former and it is too accumulated in the latter. The sad reality is I don't see this status quo changing any time soon.

Glad to see DotA 2 is still kicking strong. Blizzard tried their hands at a MOBA, and look where they are now. Doesn't matter how big of a publisher/developer that backs a product, the community has to be on board too.

RavenasGlad to see DotA 2 is still kicking strong. Blizzard tried their hands at a MOBA, and look where they are now. Doesn't matter how big of a publisher/developer that backs a product, the community has to be on board too.

Dota is the beginning and the end of MOBAs really. Alpha and Omega. Every other moba just picks some elements out of it and tries to be original for the rest of it... and will eventually fail because it doesn't offer the unique balance Dota has. The replayability of DOTA is magical. I've played it since I was 15 and I can still not get bored of that same old map. Its a sign of true genius when you still see the very core of a game intact after all these years. Its like Monopoly. You kinda know what its going to be like, but its never really the same.

Even though I don't really agree with recent changes in DOTA 2... its still the same at its core, rewarding tactics and twitch responses in equal measure. Also, there aren't many F2P games that give you the full deck of cards (heroes) right away and never whine about it.

Vya DomusThat's kind of sad.

I noticed some years ago that there is a divide going on in gaming. Its generational, for a good part of it. Its not that strange to see big publishers catering to the younger generation, they have always done that, we just got older - and 'we' are enough of a market for indie devs to make games for. It'll be interesting to see how much terrain they can win back over time.

Vya DomusThat's kind of sad.

Sort of I suppose, yeah. But still a good year.

Prince ValiantI'd advise skipping PoE 2 if you enjoyed the first game.

I was on about Path Of Exile

AsRockI was on about Path Of Exile

My bad, I thought you meant Pillars of Eternity.

Anyway, 2004 was the most crazy and mindblowing in terms of videogames. Don’t you agree?

That would totally depend on the game type, and maybe the age of the person to or if young got to play they older games..

RobcostyleAnyway, 2004 was the most crazy and mindblowing in terms of videogames. Don’t you agree?

Yup, 2003-2005 was the golden age of video games. Vampires - The Masquerade: Bloodlines, Fable, Beyond Good & Evil, Black & White 2, Command & Conquer Generals, SimCity 4, X3 Reunion, XIII, Jade Empire. I could go on forever. They're not so old they're held back by technology but they're not so new they're risk averse either. The bigger problem at the time was that there was so many fantastic games coming out so fast, a lot were financial failures because money was spread too thin (e.g. Jade Empire, Black & White 2, and Beyond Good & Evil). 2005 was really the last year before starting the trend to where we are at today.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:2003_video_games
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:2004_video_games
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:2005_video_games

Vayra86Dota is the beginning and the end of MOBAs really. Alpha and Omega.

DOTA literally did create mobas and now we are at point where yes I too agree every other MOBA just tries to find originality.

Vayra86This actually tells me that 2018 was a pretty poor gaming year. Lots of old stuff in there. I've not been triggered too often to buy recent titles either, most of what I played was older than 2018.

Most played; the only new game in that top list is Monster Hunter World... which is a port :D

Top Sellers: MH:W and Odyssey. The rest is pre-2018

Why does a game have to be made less than a year ago to dictate whether a gaming year is good or bad?

RavenasWhy does a game have to be made less than a year ago to dictate whether a gaming year is good or bad?

The lack of killer apps. It can still be a good year for gaming on a personal level, but in terms of releases, 2018 wasn't stellar.

Luckily the year of Cyberpunk is one step closer :p And Metro Exodus... Its quite amazing to see Eastern European devs consistently bring this level of quality and gameplay. It has happened more than once that I discovered a game that really surprised me in a good way, only to find out there is a Polish or other E.EU dev behind it.

Vayra86The lack of killer apps. It can still be a good year for gaming on a personal level, but in terms of releases, 2018 wasn't stellar.

Luckily the year of Cyberpunk is one step closer :p And Metro Exodus... Its quite amazing to see Eastern European devs consistently bring this level of quality and gameplay. It has happened more than once that I discovered a game that really surprised me in a good way, only to find out there is a Polish or other E.EU dev behind it.

I too am looking forward to Cyberpunk. I am a fan of CDK, however, I hope they keep their games on Steam.

Valve made a great game this year with Artifact. Artifact put a brand new twist on card games. There was disappointment from folks regarding having to pay for a game, but the PC gaming world needs to move past that.

Fornite has made everyone and their kids think all games should just be "free". That part of 2018 gaming is a disappointment.

RavenasI too am looking forward to Cyberpunk. I am a fan of CDK, however, I hope they keep their games on Steam.

Valve made a great game this year with Artifact. Artifact put a brand new twist on card games. There was disappointment from folks regarding having to pay for a game, but the PC gaming world needs to move past that.

Fornite has made everyone and their kids think all games should just be "free". That part of 2018 gaming is a disappointment.

Artifact is a card trading game I'm going to stay far away from, though. It has P2W written all over it and there is no legacy or established rule base to go on. Its all far too liquid at this point to even spend a dime on. Its just too easy for fools and money to get parted here. A few years down the road when it has proven itself, maybe. But not today. They should have kept this true F2P and monetize it later. Or even just Buy To Play (it already has a purchase price!) and make all ingame cards free with a progression system.



That says it all. The PC gaming world I think is well aware that gaming costs money, its not exactly the cheapest platform out there... The same world also knows every trick in the book by now to lose money and get screwed over.

R-T-BEdgy.

I still maintain Indies saved the year. You never see those in these lists.

Not mad btw.

I don’t understand everyone feeling that it was a bad year for pc gaming. I had great fun this past year with well-done indies and smaller titles from bigger publishers which occupied most of my gaming time.

A few big name titles I bought were great fun, with Odyssey being the standout.

Thing is, like @Vayra86 pointed out, there is a lot more to PC gaming than Steam’s numbers: GOG, Origin, Uplay, etc. Things are better than it seems.

Vayra86Artifact is a card trading game I'm going to stay far away from, though. It has P2W written all over it and there is no legacy or established rule base to go on. Its all far too liquid at this point to even spend a dime on. Its just too easy for fools and money to get parted here. A few years down the road when it has proven itself, maybe. But not today. They should have kept this true F2P and monetize it later. Or even just Buy To Play (it already has a purchase price!) and make all ingame cards free with a progression system.



That says it all. The PC gaming world I think is well aware that gaming costs money, its not exactly the cheapest platform out there... The same world also knows every trick in the book by now to lose money and get screwed over.

In what world have you lived in where a collectible card game didn’t cost lots of money? Magic The Gathering is the origin if pay to win.

RavenasIn what world have you lived in where a collectible card game didn’t cost lots of money? Magic The Gathering is the origin if pay to win.

Yes, and MTG happens to be one I play (Arena)... and spend money on.

The problem with Artifact is that nothing is truly established. Not the card- or rulesets, not the pricing, not the playerbase or community. Its a gamble and the fact is that right now unlocking cards and getting a constructed deck costs literally a fortune. And on top of thát it has the audacity to even ask for a purchase to get through the door. The fact they balanced that so badly from the start tells me enough: stay FAR away. You're in for a lot of frustration, bad fortune and changes that will cost you even more money.

Compare it to Hearthstone, that combined lots of free cards and giveaways with no purchase price for the game. Compare it to anything really, and Artifact comes out as grossly overpriced and has nothing to justify that.

Only game so far that I enjoyed this year was Dragon Quest XI

Made me feel old that there are now 11 dragon quest games. But it was fantastic. I am sick of the current combat systems in RPG's now, so DQXI was a good change going back to the old system. Modern reviewers though are babies and want new combat system were you only control one character and rest is "hit O to win". And yet they called DQXI simplistic combat...............

Anyway, fun game. I recommend it to those whom are fans of old school JRPG's.

Vayra86Yes, and MTG happens to be one I play (Arena)... and spend money on.

The problem with Artifact is that nothing is truly established. Not the card- or rulesets, not the pricing, not the playerbase or community. Its a gamble and the fact is that right now unlocking cards and getting a constructed deck costs literally a fortune. And on top of thát it has the audacity to even ask for a purchase to get through the door. The fact they balanced that so badly from the start tells me enough: stay FAR away. You're in for a lot of frustration, bad fortune and changes that will cost you even more money.

Compare it to Hearthstone, that combined lots of free cards and giveaways with no purchase price for the game. Compare it to anything really, and Artifact comes out as grossly overpriced and has nothing to justify that.

Everything about Artifact is newly established. The item system is newly established. The creep lanes are newly established. The re spawning system is newly established. Have you played the game, or are you just continueing to quote reviews off the Steam review database?

RavenasEverything about Artifact is newly established. The item system is newly established. The creep lanes are newly established. The re spawning system is newly established. Have you played the game, or are you just continueing to quote reviews off the Steam review database?

No as Ive said, im staying far away. The way this is launched is telling, fools and money shall be parted. A game with this economy will never be great. Seen it too often.

RavenasIn what world have you lived in where a collectible card game didn’t cost lots of money? Magic The Gathering is the origin if pay to win.

I'm not pleased where Magic is right now, though it's as much the fault of players as it is WotC/Hasbro, but being able to spend $X on a deck doesn't mean they're competent enough to play that deck.

I'm happy to see a Croatian game is under most played games, especially if only in early access. Scum. It's being played on a digital copy of an island called Brach, from which my family originated from, as funny as that may sound.

Vayra86No as Ive said, im staying far away. The way this is launched is telling, fools and money shall be parted. A game with this economy will never be great. Seen it too often.

They all operate on the same economy. To make money. The only difference is this one charges up front for access compared to other digital versions. Then again, physical MTG charges up front, and you play it according to your previous statement. Maybe you would prefer Valve give the game and all the cards for free, and just sell skins to be placed on the board and backs of cards?

Seems you have more of a review stigma, rather than logical reasoning as to why Artifact is good or bad relative to other collectible card games (or as a game in general).

RavenasThey all operate on the same economy. To make money. The only difference is this one charges up front for access compared to other digital versions. Then again, physical MTG charges up front, and you play it according to your previous statement. Maybe you would prefer Valve give the game and all the cards for free, and just sell skins to be placed on the board and backs of cards?

Seems you have more of a review stigma, rather than logical reasoning as to why Artifact is good or bad relative to other collectible card games (or as a game in general).

Whatever you want to think, I really dont care.. Ive told you why I see red flags with that game, you can take it or leave it.

But for comparisons sake: MTG Arena is in beta right now and gets you more, faster unlocks, has a much deeper gameplay (essential if you want a game to last) and established decks and meta which means ther wont be a constant shift in balance of cards. Artifact has none of this, unlocks free cards much slower, and sprinkles buy to play on top.

Its simply far too arrogant and reeks of cash grab from beginning to end. I have enough experience to read that sentiment out of reviews and game dezcriptions.

RavenasEverything about Artifact is newly established. The item system is newly established. The creep lanes are newly established. The re spawning system is newly established. Have you played the game, or are you just continueing to quote reviews off the Steam review database?

That is the entire point. To have the gall to ask such prices with nothing to show for it, is a very bad start for this type of game.