Devon Denkin

Journey is beautiful, and that is all that needs to be said.

Definitely deserved GOTY 2019. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a masterpiece with an excellent story and probably the best gameplay of any video game I have yet to play. There is a high skill curve but it is also extremely rewarding if you put in the work to "git gud". Another brilliant game by FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki.

This game was instantly my favorite out of all the games I have played. And I'm a gamer, so I've played a lot of games... but God of War (2018) was simply beautiful. The game play felt amazing, the graphics were top notch, and the story was one of the best I have seen in a video game. It is a complex story about redemption, fatherhood, regret, loss and the past. Kratos has to develop as a character and both move on from his past and move on to his future with his son. He has to deal with the loss of his wife, everyone he ever loved and the things he did that he now regrets. The acting is excellent, and Christopher Judge is perfect to play the role of an older Kratos. Santa Monica did an great job publishing this game and Cody Barlog definitely deserves respect both for his work on this game and on God of War 2. I only have good things to say about this reboot of the God of War series, which has already pumped out some good games (just not nearly as good as the latest God of War game). God of War deserved Game of the Year 2018 far and away.