2019 is nearly over and it’s about to be the beginning of a new decade for the gaming industry. Packed with a strangely even mixture of expectations met above & beyond, as well as disappointments & straight up failures the tail end of the year closed with mostly successful releases. Now we at Otaku Dome give thanks to some of our favorites released in 2019.

Console of the Year:

Nintendo Switch

Why it won: Since it’s release in March 2017 the Nintendo Switch began with a rocky start that suffered from publisher trust issues thanks to the failure that was the Wii U. Despite this, Nintendo was able to bounce back by doubling down on their original IPs and exclusive releases as they regained the eyes of the publishers that had seemingly abandoned their hybrid console. Thanks to hard work and effort by its manufacturer the Nintendo Switch has quickly become a fan-favorite main and secondary console with titles like Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and ports such as Devil May Cry backing its more than impressive library in under two years of release. In addition to the strong third party publisher support the console received this year.

Best Action Game:

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Why it won: When news broke of Activision publishing a new Soulsborne title from From Software gamers were rightfully worried that it had potential to be one of the most controversial of the franchise. No thanks of course to Activision’s history with monetization and other past controversies surrounding their titles such as Call of Duty. However, Activision simply let From Soft do their thing which is build fantastic from the bottom up gaming experiences and because of this Sekiro became not only one of the best action games ever, but a near undisputed candidate for Game of the Year.

Runner-Ups: Devil May Cry 5, Control, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order

Best Sequel, Continuation, Spinoff:

Kingdom Hearts 3

Why it won: After nearly twenty years of waiting and hoping the next numbered entry into the Kingdom Hearts franchise made its release onto consoles in 2019. The game was released to digital and retail stores this past Spring and while it wasn’t shy of a few criticisms it made the overdue wait worth it with a satisfying close to the initial Xehanort Saga, all while immediately jumping into what’s lined up next for the series. DLC which will further expand the story as well as giving us an additional look at what’s to come is coming in January and February 2020 for the PS4 and Xbox One versions respectively. 

Runner-ups: Luigi’s Mansion 3, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, Borderlands 3, Devil May Cry 5, Gears of War 5

Best Port, Remake, Remaster:

Resident Evil Remake 2

Why it won: Ever since the eight generation of consoles we’ve seen a (often times unnecessarily) large array of ports, remakes, and remasters. Some felt needed and overdue, while others felt like cheap cash cows. Especially those that jumped from last gen to current gen. Thankfully, REmake 2 not only followed the quality of its predecessor REmake, but also improved upon it in ways not thought possible. REmake 2 is such a beautiful game that it wouldn’t be surprising if some newcomers mistook it for a brand new entry in the long-running survival horror series. New gameplay tweaks and mechanics successfully brings a now timeless classic title to the modern gaming age and is a prime example of what any remake should be when developers take full advantage of modern hardware for the best out of box experience.

Runner-ups: Dragon Quest XI: Definitive Edition, Alien: Isolation (Nintendo Switch port), Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Nintendo Switch port), Cuphead (Nintendo Switch port)

Best Fighting Game:

Mortal Kombat 11

Why it won: In the current entertainment world, everything comes back from the dead and no game series is more deserving than Mortal Kombat. Having more successful returns than failures, MK11 was no different than the last few entries as it pushed the limits of what the series could do on modern consoles with seamless transitions between cutscenes and gameplay as well as near perfected fighting combat compared to MK10. Completely polished out of box, Mortal Kombat 11 is an easy pick for fighter of the year.

Runner-ups: Blazeblue: Central Friction, Dead or Alive 6

Best Adventure Game:

Life is Strange 2

Why it won: If there’s any adventure game out there that can provide the feels it’s Dontnod Entertainment’s “Life is Strange” series. Mixing teenage angst with superpowers has a unique blend that successfully brings out the emotion of players who have the strength to go through experiencing the story of the franchise. 

Runner-ups: Days Gone, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Judgment, Luigi’s Mansion 3

Game Dev/Publisher of the Year:

Capcom

Why they won: Coming out of 2019 with not one, but two GOTY contenders in Devil May Cry 5 and Resident Evil Remake 2, as well as the excellent work done with Monster Hunters World: Iceborne Capcom has earned our pick for “Game developer/publisher of the Year” after an amazing comeback from a rocky last few years. Capcom has completely returned to form with quality fan-favorite products and with upcoming titles such as the next Mega-Man and REmake 3 the hits will definitely keep on coming at least going into 2020. 

Runner-ups: Bandai Namco,  Nintendo

Best Anime/Anime-like Game:

Code Vein

Why it won: From publisher Bandai Namco who has a history of anime titles under their brand comes Code Vein. The very anime-inspired vampire action-RPG about a group of the aforementioned creatures trying to survive a post-apocalyptic world. Players can customize their character’s looks and abilities similarly to the Souls series.

Runner-up: Kill la Kill: IF

Best Mobile Game:

Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle

Why it won: Initially launched in 2015 (2016 globally), Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle has made year over year improvements with several gameplay and technical updates that keeps it feeling like a modern mobile title with every batch of content released. 

Runner-up: King of Fighters: Allstar

Community Outreach Award:

DICE and Star Wars: Battlefront II efforts

Why they won: Initially releasing as the cornerstone of the lootbox controversy, Star Wars: Battlefront II released to major negative press including critically as it was a game that was seen as unfairly monetized with gamers researching just how ridiculously long it would take to unlock a single major Star Wars character in the online title. This pressured players into buying lootboxes where they would gamble for the chance of unlocking the character they wanted faster. Overall they would have to spend up to the price of the game itself to get the game to the point where they would start enjoying it. Gambling is fun to many, but to do it in order to start having fun later down the line is an entirely different matter. Critics would often say they would have a much better time gambling on sites like Best-casino.net/ than on Battlefront’s microtransaction system. This debacle of course would spark the infamous “pride and accomplishment” meme that has stuck with publisher EA to this very day and even caused a decent sized boycott on their hold of the Star Wars gaming license. I’m a firm believer of “getting it right the first time” when it comes to certain games. There has become an unfortunate period of time where game devs thought they could release titles in any state and get away with it. But like No Man’s Sky before it, Star Wars: Battlefront II turned things around thanks to the time and effort developer DICE put into with updates and community feedback and it caused an unprecedented turn around for the once cursed Star Wars game. That’s why I can’t think of anyone better to give our first “Community Outreach Award” to.

Runner-ups: Capcom for consistent quality releases, Digital Extremes for respecting & heeding to fan feedback on Warframe

Best Shooter (TPS/FPS):

Co-Winners: Gears of War 5, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

Why they won: (Gears 5): What started as merely “another Gears game” quickly became something much more than a new entry into the Xbox exclusive franchise. Taking everything that made past Gears titles great and molding the core mechanics into something fantastic sets Gears of War 5 apart from its predecessors. A story that’s just as emotionally driven as the voice actor/actress performances behind them and a gameplay loop that keeps the series as relevant as ever Gears 5 will be remembered as one of it not the best game in the series. (Modern Warfare): Another year, another Call of Duty, at least that’s what we used to say. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was not only a reboot of the sub-series within the franchise “Modern Warfare”, but also a reboot of the franchise as a whole. Featuring an epic campaign, a respectable battle pass, and massive improvements to its gameplay 2019’s Modern Warfare is the Call of Duty game we’ve all been waiting for.

Runner-ups: Borderlands 3, Apex Legends

Best RPG:

The Outer Worlds

Why it won: On the heels of a terrible launch for the hyped Fallout 76, former Fallout developer Obsidian announced The Outer Worlds. A much inspired by Fallout RPG title that would allow players to travel across worlds taking on quests with choices impacting the outcome of the story. Another unexpected independent title that couldn’t have possibly chosen a better time to come out. With critical and commercial success upon launch and beyond Obsidian is paying it forward with plans for DLC expansions, as well as a Nintendo Switch port in 2020. 

Runner-ups: Dragon Quest XI: Definitive Edition, Code Vein, Kingdom Hearts 3, The Surge 2

Best Independent Game:

Control

Why it won: Very few independent games manage to equal or even best some of the top AAA games released within the year. However, 505 Games’ Control has not only matched some hard hitting titles this year but it has also in a lot of cases outshined those titles. Control isn’t shy of any issues granted, but it’s such a well put together product from its design to its gameplay that you’d be surprised that it would be what people refer to now as a “Double A/AA” title.

Runner-ups: The Outer Worlds, Disco Elysium

Best DLC/Expansion:

Monster Hunter Worlds: Iceborne

Why it won: DLC expansions come and go, but there aren’t many nearly as memorable as Monster Hunter Worlds: Iceborne. With an already addictive base game ‘Iceborne’ packs even more content and design changes that further the challenge and intrigue of the title. 

Runner-ups: Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary, Dragon Ball FighterZ Fighter Pack Season 2

Game of the Decade Award:

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Why it won: If there’s any game you should from the last ten years that’s come out at least once make it Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Developer Ninja Theory during its unfortunately short-lived independent run created a project with more than enough heart, soul, and even believability thanks to the team’s personal research into mental health as well as working with those suffering from the ailment to build titular character Senua’s entire image around. While not exactly the biggest budget title out there, Hellblade’s story, writing and gameplay is more than enough to satisfy anyone’s thirst to become apart of the journey they experience as they play and it’s currently available on all current gen platforms.  

Runner-ups: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Resident Evil Remake 2

Game of the Year:

Co-Winners: Control, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Why they won: (Control): Taking home co-ownership of our 2019 Game of the Year is Control. Developed by the same studio which brought you Alan Wake and Quantum Break comes a game inspired by the SCP phenomenon all while taking on its own life and identity. Excellent gun play, a smartly written story, and fantastic voice acting easily pits this indie title against the heavy hitter AAA titles of this year and it’s well-deserved of GOTY. (Sekiro): Another masterpiece by famed Japanese studio From Software is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Based on a fantasy version of Sengoku period Japan, Sekiro follows a disgraced shinobi named Wolf who is looking to right his wrongs by returning to his duty of protecting a child Divine Heir named Kuro. Having previously lost his arm in battle, Wolf is now equipped with a prosthetic that provides him with a large array of ninja tools to navigate the world and dispose of his enemies. Like previous Soulsborne entries, Sekiro features an unforgiving series of challenging bosses and basic enemies for the player to conquer all while forcing them to evolve as they play or they will simply die trying.

Runner-ups: Resident Evil Remake 2, Gears 5, Kingdom Hearts 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), Devil May Cry 5

Did you agree with our choices? Let us know what you thought in the comments below and share your own picks for the top games of 2019.