Game of the Year 2019 by GameRiv

Each year is filled with lots of great games and in 2019 it was no different. It is hard to sort all these great games on a small list. Award ceremonies like The Game Award, Golden Joystick Award organize big ceremonies to feature these awards and they have been doing this for years. This year in 2019, we GameRiv wanted to mention our own Game of the Year 2019 although we are very small and can not give anyone any physical awards.

Best Content Creator:  Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek

A former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro player, Shroud is one of the biggest names among Streames. 2019 was an excellent year for Shroud as he had 18 million hours fans watched the streamer on Twitch between July and September, according to StreamElements. Later he joined Mixer announced on Oct 24, 2019. Dr. Disrespect had an excellent year as well, but here in GameRiv, we chose Shroud as our Best Content Creator of 2019.

Best Esports Team:  G2 Esports (League of Legends)

2019 was a roller coaster year for G2 Esports from League of Legends. G2 Esports won the MSI 2019 championship, won both Summer and Spring Split of LEC. Although they were Runner-up in the 2019 World championship losing against FunPlus Phoenix, they were super hyped and must-watch team in the hole tournament. So, G2 Esports secured our best Esports Team of the year.

Best Esports Player:  Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf (Immortals, Fortnite)

Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf beat out more than 40 million players around the world to claim the solo player grand prize of $3 million. Bugha is only 16 years old but already proved that he is the best solo Fortnite player, so he won our best Esports Player of the Year award.

Best Esports Game: League of Legends

League of Legends World Championship 2019 broke all audience records according to League of Legends site. Overall, the whole event achieved a 21.8 million average minute audience with 44 million peak viewers. Match between G2 Esports and FunPlus Phoenix became the most-watched esports event of all time. With all these no wonder Riot’s League of Legends is our Best Esports Game of 2019.

Best Independent Game:  Untitled Goose Game

Internet sensation Untitled Goose Game is our Best Independent Game of 2019. Untitled Goose Game is a puzzle–stealth game developed by House House and published by Panic. It shows how a game started as a joke can become an excellent masterpiece.

Best Hack and Slash Game:  Devil May Cry 5

Devil May Cry 5 is the fifth installment of the mainline Devil May Cry series. Devil May Cry 5 is all about how to kill all the enemies in the most stylish way. They also add a new character named V. With fun and satisfying story and quite simply one of the best combat systems Devil May Cry 5 is no doubt our Best Hack and Slash Game of 2019.

Best RPG: The Outer Worlds

The Outer Worlds showed Bethesda how an RPG game can be made without any kind of Bug. Modern graphics with excellent audio made the story much more enjoyable. With a lot of similarity with the Fallout series, The Outer Worlds is our Best RPG Game of 2019.

Best FPS Game: Apex Legends

Apex Legends is a Free First Person Shooting Game released in February and just in 72 hours, 10 million people had downloaded Respawn Entertainment’s game Apex Legends. And in one-month Apex playbase reached 50 million. Apex Legends was definitely a hyped game and considered as Fortnite killer. And we GameRiv also think that Apex Legends is our Best FPS Game of 2019.

Best Game Director: Hideo Kojima

Whether you love him or hate him you cannot deny the influence this man has on modern-day video games. After severing his ties with Square Enix he began his journey in a new direction. Kojima wins our best game director of the year because of his innovation in-game directing. Nobody does this better than him.

Best Action Game: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro is probably the most critically acclaimed game of 2019 for its focus on a really good gameplay design that will give you chills down your spine. Yes, it is difficult. It has a rock paper scissor approach to its gameplay. At the end of the day, we think it is the best action game of 2019.

Best VR game: Beat saber

If this game doesn’t sell you on VR games then we don’t think anything else will. This game is definitely a system seller for all the Virtual Reality platforms. With its mix of high octane gameplay with sick beats. It is still the best VR experience in 2019.

Best Multiplayer Game: World of Warcraft Classic

World Of Warcraft is an instant classic that proves that graphics don’t matter if you’re filled with a nostalgia-filled cocktail. This is a game that transcends generations. If you love MMO RPG game. We at GameRiv think this is still one of the best examples of multiplayer games in 2019.

Best Innovative Game Design: Death stranding

So, this is what happens when you let one of the most creative game directors of our times make a game that he wants to make. After his breakup with Square, it was clear that Kojima’s next game will surely bring something that gamers have never seen before. Thankfully Kojima didn’t disappoint with this one. That is why we at GameRiv think that this is the most innovative game of 2019 no doubt about that. If you are bored with typical triple-A games than this one will surely surprise you.

Best Narrative: Purge Tale of Innocence

Purge Tale of Innocence is one of the games that might have slipped through your radar this year but make no mistake. This game is a narrative masterpiece. Here at GameRiv, we think this game developed by a small French studio really surprised us this year with their narrative design.

Game of the year: Resident Evil 2

Finally, for our game of the year, we choose Resident Evil 2. Capcom has recently been on a winning steak lately with games like DMC 5, Monster Hunter World. After a lot of discussion here at GameRiv, we came to the conclusion that Capcom definitely deserves some love for this remake. This is not your typical lazy remake. This is a full redesign of the old classic Plantation game with visuals from 2019.

Honorable Mentions:

• Super Mario Bros
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses
• Control

These three games really deserve an honorable mention. They all stood out from the crowd of triple-A games this year. Especially Control which was an instant hit with us at GameRiv.

What do you think about our list? Do you agree with us or not. Did your favorite game make our list? Reach us at our twitter or facebook for more gaming news.