I thought I'd mention my favourite games of 2019 now before the new year. I've been that busy over the past few months when it comes to working and planning cosplay outfits for conventions, but I've still had time to play a few games during my spare time. Here's a quick rundown of my favorite games from 2019.

1. Kingdom Hearts III
2. Devil May Cry 5
3. Untitled Goose Game
4. Death Stranding
5. Catherine: Full Body
6. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
7. Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
8. Judgment
9. MediEvil
10. I Love You, Colonel Sanders

I have to admit that this year has been great for remastered games and remakes. Going back to both MedEvil and Crash Team Racing has been a trip back down memory lane. With Crash Team Racing, I came back to the game for the online multiplayer and the new challenges that keep getting added, but for MediEvil, it still feels like the same game 21 years later, which has held up well. With the classic gothic look, and the Tim Burton-esque style, the few new features added--a surprising easter egg giving you the option of playing the original game--has made it a fun way to dive back into the game. Catherine: Full Body is another great remaster on the 2011 original. With the same story, adding a ton of new content including multiple endings and a new character called Rin, it made for a fun revisit, all with a catchy and charming soundtrack that made for a good time climbing to the top of the underworld's tower.The Nintendo Switch continues to be an amazing handheld/console hybrid that sees many different types of games, however, there's still some life left in the company's previous handheld--the Nintendo 3DS. Recently it saw the release of Persona Q2, bringing characters from Person 3, 4, and 5 for a really fun and exciting dungeon-crawling RPG.

There's also been a few other games that took me completely by surprise. I Love You, Colonel Sanders was something that I wasn't expecting at all, and as a free download on Steam, this dating-sim can be quite charming when getting you invested in its characters--which also left me wanting some old-fashioned you want KFC chicken. Another game that took me by surprise was Untitled Goose Game, which became something of a meme across the internet. You don't need to know much about it, just that you'll play as a Goose who becomes something of a menace in the local village as it steals valuable items and cause havoc for the unsuspecting townsfolk. It's a really fun and simple game to get into, which I really enjoyed.Hideo Kojima's departure from Konami back in 2015 led to a new partnership with Sony, resulting in his next game, Death Stranding--which became a really stellar game that I enjoyed a lot. Moving to Sega, they developed a spin-off for the Yakuza franchise. In Judgement, which still kept the familiar soap-opera drama, it shifts things to the opposite side of the law with you playing as a lawyer-turned-detective named Takayuki Yagami. I did take quite a lot of time getting through Judgement, as I wanted to explore Tokyo's Kamurocho district, take on side-cases that could lead to an even bigger mysteries.

For my second favorite game of 2019, Devil May Cry 5 was a game that I enjoyed playing so much. In Capcom's latest game in the series, it brings back our favourite demon-slayer action-hero Dante, and from start to finish, I couldn't put this game down. No matter what difficulty it was, I would always try to get that perfect S rank for each mission. Throughout 2019, there was no other game that I enjoyed the most than Kingdom Hearts 3. After waiting almost 13 years since the sequel in 2006--with the prequels and spinoffs offering some comfort--we have finally have a clearer picture of the complicated timeline. Ever since handheld spin-offs like Birth By Sleep, every game since has shown a connection towards the main villain Master Xehanort, who ties all of the main pieces of the main story together. According to Tetsuya Nomura, he has stated in past interviews that Kingdom Hearts III will be the final chapter in the Dark Seeker saga, detailing the story of Master Xehanort. The graphics in Kingdom Hearts 3 looked incredibly detailed, and each of the worlds you visited showed off a unique look and some fun twists on gameplay, which always had a lot of fun cinematic flourishes. The soundtrack in Kingdom Hearts III is another aspect that makes it so charming from start to finish--I even attended the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World of Tres down in London and loved every moment.

(12/20/2019: Please note that this blog was edited by the GameSpot staff)