From linear adventures to character development that you have a guiding hand in, 2019 had a lot to say and several games with which to do so. Here’s a look then, at the storytelling highlights of the year.

Art direction is the foundation of any game, the blueprint for how it’ll look and perform. These games then, are 2019’s greatest eyeball-popping slobberknockers whose every frame deserves a showcase exhibition in the Louvre.

It’s going to be another tight race to the top as 2019 was another stellar year for new game releases. The 2019 nominees have been announced for the Game Awards, with Death Stranding unsurprisingly grabbing nominations in eight of the categories.

To my mind, there have only been two really great new RPG’s released all year. One of those is obviously The Outer Worlds, the New Vegas in Space RPG from RPG masters at Obsidian. It’s a delightful, focused RPG that’s a bit like eating a comforting, home-cooked meal. You know exactly what to expect, but it warms your heart. The other one is a far braver, a risky bit of genius from developer ZA/UM.

I’ve played a great many role-playing games in my years of existence so I’d like to think that I know a thing or two about the genre. Most especially, how truly difficult it can be to effectively play an RPG, which is obviously the point. A well-designed role-playing game should take you out of yourself and into the shoes of …