Here are my favorite games of the year. A lot of stuff that I've been waiting a long time to play and they all lived up to expectations.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
An expansion that essentially doubles the size of the base game, adds new monster and a handful of fan favorites from previous games. This is the game I stay up way too late playing multiple times a week. I have 300 hours into Iceborne expansion since the beginning of September and 500 hours into the base game. It's absurd, just think of all that sleep I could have had.
Devil May Cry 5
The perfect return to the series after a 10 year gap between games. It's damn near perfect. The story is wonderful if you are already a fan, the action is some of the best in an action game, ever. I love just trying to get SSS on everything. I still need to finish the game on the hardest difficulty, it's tough but I'm about half way through it.
Sekiro
The creators of Dark Souls & Bloodborne tackle a more combat focused ninja game. This game lives and dies by it's combat and it's the best they have ever done. I miss the variety in builds that the Souls games had and I won't return to this like I do the others but it's still an incredible game.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
A spiritual successor to Castlevania Symphony of the Night (one of my all time favorite games) that mostly lives up to the lofty goals it set for itself. I was skeptical but once I started I ended up 100% the entire game. It's really fun and looks pretty great too.
Mortal Kombat 11
I'm not a huge MK fan but I play every game, it's a series that's usually fun for a little while but never holds my attention. This one is probably the best in the series to me as far as a real fighting game goes. MKII is still my favorite game due to nostalgia but this is their best game to date. Graphics are incredible and the combos don't feel unreachable. I never have and never will like using a block button....
Blazing Chrome
A throwback to the days of Contra Hard Corps & Metal Slug. They nailed the aesthetic, controls and feel of those games. It's tough but not too hard for beginners and the hard mode offers up classic Contra difficulty.
Death Stranding
I should hate this game. I had no intention of buying it. Fetch quests suck in open world games and they generally make me stop playing. This entire game is fetch quest after fetch quest and it's engaging. When I start playing I have to force myself to stop because I can just lose hours of time to it. Kojima is crazy and I love it. He's too heavy handed and doesn't know the definition of subtlety but if you like his style you will love this.
Resident Evil 2
The perfect remake. Nothing has come even close. It's incredibly impressive. I beat the game 4 times and still went back to try and unlock the special unlocks that require you beat the game in 5 hours . I never finished that play through but I will at some point.
Luigi's Mansion
Probably the best looking game on the Switch. It's charming and a ton of fun. The best Luigi game to date.
Astral Chain
Made by Platinum Games who are responsible for Bayonetta, Vanquish, Wonderful 101 and the combat of Nier Automata. This is the first game they made on their own with out another studio involved. I loved it, it has what appears to be super simple combat on the surface but is actually quite deep. You control your character and your "stand" at the same time. It's challenging and rewarding. And when you finish the 30+ hour story you unlock one last chapter which is over 70 combat levels which is the perfect way to end that game. Story wise it mashes up all the 90's anime tropes, takes inspiration from Neon Genesis Evangelion and creates an interesting story about sibling cops in a weird future.