Top 5 games of 2019 (Game of the Decade Countdown)

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

2019 may have ended a few weeks ago but I am still trying to compile what is a definitive list of favorite games for the year. It was a year that I got caught up with a lot of things and oddly enough beat little to no titles at all. I did however have some great fun with a few of 2019’s games; therefore, it is a little late but still; exciting to talk about so here are my personal picks for 2019.

My favorite games of 2019 are as follows:

5. Devil May Cry 5

Coming in at fifth place is the fight main game in the “Devil May Cry” series, arguably the best of the franchise. “Devil May Cry 5” encapsulated me so much despite the fact that I had little experience with the predecessors. Beautiful visuals, plenty of awesome weapons and ways to improve them, charming and intriguing characters, exhilarating action and a crazy story made this a wonderful game. I truly enjoyed it more than I had ever expected. I found “Devil May Cry 5” to be one of the most fun games I played over 2019 and it stood out for the many aforementioned aspects. It is definitely a must play if you like character action games.

4. Mortal Kombat 11

Netherrealm Studios has been responsible for many of my favorite games in recent years. This past year saw the most well-designed and polished “Mortal Kombat” yet. “Mortal Kombat 11” was an epic experience for a multitude of reasons. Narratively, the campaign tells one of the most fun, crazy and fan-service-filled adventures ever crafted in a fighting game. “Mortal Kombat 11” had the return of many classic characters, young and old versions of them interacting with one another, humor, exciting set pieces and fights and a crazy story with time travel and high stakes. And it was excellent. Of course, the combat and fighting mechanics of the game overall are the reason to play and it didn't fail at all. The versatile roster is one full of customizable options and personalizable aspects to make it feel special; to you. Fighting felt amazing and looked brutal and intense. It is overall a super well-made fighting game, objectively the best in the series and a game that keeps getting better.

3. Call of Duty Modern Warfare

I have played every “Call of Duty” since before the decade began but it is not often that one of the shooters makes a list like this. 2019 changed things for me. I found “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” to be one of the finest in the series, at least for me personally and it quickly established itself as one of my favorite games released last year. I found the campaign to be incredibly engrossing and exciting. The cinematic feel made it basically a film, and a great one at that. “Modern Warfare” had a compelling and emotional story and offered some very entertaining missions and characters to follow. “Call of Duty” gunplay has always been my favorite of its kind and I undoubtedly loved shooting my way through enemies in countless matches in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.” This game had such excellent gameplay and really captured me like no title in the series had done since 2012’s “Call of Duty: Black Ops II.”

2. Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order

Electronic Arts is arguably the most hated publisher this decade and mostly for justifiable reason. And after “Anthem” and previously “Star Wars: Battlefront 2” in particular, there was understanding fear for anything they would ship afterwards. “Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order” sounded promising but was naturally a game I feared the quality of. But once it shipped, history was made. Respawn Entertainment proved their greatness and gave the idea of a “Star Wars” video game a new light. “Jedi Fallen Order” has so much on its side, despite some bugs and glitches. The narrative is told in a typical fashion for the franchise, in that it is fun, epic and heartfelt too. This game has a very fun com ta system that only gets better with new abilities and improvements on your own skills as a player and as Cal himself. The combat is difficult but rewarding. Enemies are a joy to take down and the world is interesting, filled with lore and stories to tell. I found this game to be very fun and satisfying challenging, interesting and a delight to experience as most things “Star Wars” are.

1. Pokemon Sword and Shield

I didn’t quite expect this past year’s “Pokemon” title to place a number one. I knew I’d like it but I didn’t know just how much I adore it. I understand why some people were a little bothered by Pokedex things but I could care less. I think that Game Freak really did deliver my favorite “Pokemon” game in the last five years, if not longer. “Pokemon: Sword” is the version I played and I found the experience to be incredibly fun, charming and delightful. The music blew me away above most things, as it was always making me calm, happy or even hyped. Songs stuck in my head and they felt appropriate with the world. The region of Galar was beautiful and very fun to explore at my own pace. I found “Pokemon: Sword” to have some of the best creature designs. I really enjoyed many of the new Pokemon and some of them, easily rank among my favorites of all time, Cinderace a likely candidate. “Pokemon: Sword” gave me a delightful adventure, one that had so many quality of life improvements making it all the more fun, thanks to the absence of the tedium and grinding many games in the series had. And it was pleasantly challenging at times regardless for me. Overall, I loved “Pokemon: Sword” more than any other game in 2019.



So what do you think? Which games released last year were your favorites? What 2019 games stood out above the rest for you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.