@mbun I can personally say I was waiting for the game to come to consoles and more specifically, consoles that my friends have and that have online infrastructures. I don't think I'm alone there - not a lot of people wanted to play a portable version of the game. So when a game of this size releases on Playstation, Xbox, and PC, it makes a lot of sense it's going to drag in a lot of players that never even had a chance to play it before.

Monster Hunter World was my game of the year for a good portion of 2018 but it eventually slid down to just an honorable mention. That's not to say I didn't absolutely love my first Monster Hunter game because I remember being absolutely obsessed with it for nearly a month after release. While the story is real, real bad (characters don't even have names, they are referred to by their job titles), the mechanics really elevate this, along with all the various monsters you encounter, and how different each weapon feels. The end game grind becomes a little cumbersome (which is why I stopped when credits rolled essentially) but it definitely deserves a spot in the top 10.

Apex Legends

Finally got in a solid 2 hours with friends and had a much better time, especially since I was playing as Bloodhound, using his tracking abilities, and helping the team score some kills. Still, I'm already a little concerned with how long I'd be entertained with this game so I feel it's really up to Respawn to constantly push out updates a la Fortnite to keep things feeling fresh, with new map areas, weapons, and characters. If they go the route of Call of Duty: Blackout and fail to update the game quickly/significantly, it's going to sink pretty fast.

Nintendo is looking to boost the value of subscribing to the Switch Online service for those that take the yearly plan. Apparently, they aren't happy that most subscriptions last about a month and only seem to spike when a big game launches.

https://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-says-they-are-giving-it-their-all-to-make-switch-online-better-542119.phtml

As someone who just got a Switch, I decided to take their free trial of the service and it's abysmal. While I was in an area with an extremely fast internet connection, Smash online played at about 10 fps. While I do appreciate the selection of NES games to poke through, most I have played to death or have no interest in playing. It's honestly not even worth $20 in its current state so it's a good sign Nintendo seems to be aware. Whether or not they actually improve it in a significant way, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Youtube Video

I don't always agree with Jim but he's right on the mark with this video. I highly doubt this legislation will pass but it's absolutely absurd how something like this is being talked about and no one with authority is even talking about any form of gun control.

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are trying to pass a 10% "sin" tax on any video game with a Mature rating or higher, as they believe it will help lower school shootings and plan on using the funds to "increase school safety."

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Violent-Video-Game-Tax-Pennsylvania-Bill-505516601.html

Fun fact: I initially had listed Smash as an honorable mention, despite not having played it at the time, which would have been a first for me. Eventually, I removed it for another multiplayer game that won't come onto this list but now that I've played it... it would have wound up somewhere. I'm still fairly fresh in the game but I already love it more than 64, Brawl, and the WiiU members of the franchise, so that's a mighty compliment.

@tokyoslim I'd rather play the slow game than get burnt out and as long as I don't die in the next few years, I'll at least get to finish up all the Kiryu chapters.

#74 - Brad stealing Ben's Hottake thunder ranks up their as one of my favorite moments, along with the ridiculous E3 Devil Trigger shenanigans.