Tim's Top 5 Games of 2018

First big caveat here. I mostly play board games and PC games. I only just recently got a Switch and I have one game for it. Which is why when I say "Tim's Top 5 Games of 2018" what I mean is "Tim's Favorite Games He Happened To Play in 2018." In no particular order, my favorite games I played for the first time in 2018 are...

Everywhere the light touches, you can travel to.

1) Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW)

The only console game on this list and really the most recognizable name, BotW has been every bit as advertised in the approximately 4 hours I have logged into it. Since BotW came out in 2017, reviewers have praised it for introducing a truly open world concept to the Zelda franchise. What I have been blown away by is the beauty of the game. The graphics are wonderful of course, but running through a green field with deer and red foxes running around, with giant mountain ranges in the distance, really brings the world to life.

The game gives you everything you need to succeed early on and then it's up to you to figure out your own limits. The great Todd Hoppmeyer once described BotW as "the most relaxing action game" he had ever played. It has, so far, lived up to the hype.

2) Codenames: Pictures

This is a board game that was introduced to me by our good friends Arun and Chelsea Mohan. (Take a bow, Mohans.) I had seen Codenames before 2018, and in fact we gave a version of Codenames to ChuD and Andrea for Christmas one year, but I had never played any version until this year. When Arun and Chelsea showed us the game it was the version with pictures where you try to get your teammate to choose the right pictures by only giving one word clues. The pictures are all very strange which makes coming up with one code word very difficult and fun.

The only downside to this game is regular Codenames is ruined for me. When I finally played the version with words instead of pictures, it was not nearly as fun.

3) Azul

Another board game on the list! Introduced to me by Cate's cousins Karmen and Kamela. The game has a very simple concept. 2-4 players take turns picking colorful tiles to fill up their own personal board. At the end of the game, each player gets a set amount of points based on how many columns, rows, and complete color sets they have. SOUNDS FUN RIGHT?! It really is. I recommend it for advanced board game players and super casual players. The rules are easy to learn and each individual board comes with an easy to use score tracker so the math turns out to be really easy. The big bonus about this game is it's beautiful. The game box, tiles, and boards are colorful and have intricate designs. Similar to the game Sagrada in its beauty, but less overwhelming at fist glance because Sagrada comes with approximately 100 dice.

The only downside is that you don't actually get this money,

4) Cover Your Assets

Changing things up and talking about a card game. Cover Your Assets was introduced to me by Cate's grandparents. Cover Your Assets is a game where 2-4 players attempt to hoard money in the form of different assets, like cars, stock, homes, coin collection, etc...

You continually stack pairs of assets on top of each other while your opponents try to steal the top asset on your stack. If you have a really nice and expensive asset, you want to "cover it" with cheaper assets so the top asset revealed is something you are okay with losing. Every time Cate's grandpa asked "Did you cover your assets?" it sounded like we were being given a harsh lesson. The game lasts approximately 30 minutes so it's a quick play and everybody I have played it with really enjoys it. It also happens to be less than $20 because it is only a deck of specialized cards and no board. Might be a good holiday gift.

5) Octogeddon

I played Octogeddon on the PC through Steam but I believe it is available for consoles as well. The name really describes the game perfectly but in case you need more explanation here it goes. An ode to the classic side-scrollers, you play as a giant (and I mean building sized) octopus that continually rolls from left to right fighting ships, tanks, planes, and so on. As as the game goes on you can add crazy body parts to your octopus such as a chicken head that shoots exploding eggs or a lobster claw.

The game is simple and good fun. Sometimes you don't have the time to sit down for hours to play a game. Octogeddon lets you pop in for a quick level here and there and is always fun to come back to.