As 2018 has come to a close and we embrace the New Year and what it can unfold, we remember the industry at one of its most competitive years in history. The shelves were packed with Triple-A titles, all of which are capable of bagging Game of the Year awards across publications around the world. It was a thrill to witness and an even greater joy to experience.
However, despite the tremendous lineup, my choice of Best Game for 2018 must go to that year’s franchise release: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
Not only was the story filled with both action and drama, but it was a statement to the growth of the Assassin’s Creed franchise throughout the years. It’s an exclamation point to the architectural build of the past and today’s video game designing, as well as an exemplary feature to the trend of open-world gameplay.
However, my choice doesn’t ride on its visual appeal or gameplay alone. I acknowledge the depths of the storyline and its intricate development beyond the aesthetic borders. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey played on non-stereotypical female characters, whether lead or supporting, as well as gave definition to not only the historical aspect of the setting but its philosophical bearings that fostered during that specific era.
Think about the amount of research to portray real-life historical beings with justice, while still inserting fictional elements that make the franchise as exciting. Socrates’ personality and banters, for example, were true to his preachy attitude that we’ve come to know, while also giving players a pause to think about the game’s moral fields instead of mindlessly going from task to task.
Generally, to put everything into a bowl, it’s the conversations was the primary highlight that drove its depths, the world, its characters, and messages. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s script writing, to me, is truly one of the best and a quality that is almost impossible to top by any other game in the market. Without that inner kind of quality, it would not have made its franchise one of the best in the industry.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey just happens to be the topping to glorious and continuing run. Indeed, with that depth combined with the visual appeal I have aforementioned, the action sequences and the hours of gameplay with neither a too simple nor too complicated controls, it’s hard for me to choose anything else as the Best Game of 2018.
What I had always sought out in a game was the emotional and intellectual value it can present to me even after I’ve experienced it, this is what Assassin’s Creed Odyssey gave to me.