Teaching your son to hunt in God of War. Partnering with a robo-pal in Astro Bot Rescue Mission. Sharing stories around a campfire in Red Dead Redemption 2…the list of amazing gaming moments goes on and on this year.
We reached out to a selection of PlayStation developers to share their personal favorite gaming moments from 2018. We’d love to hear yours as well in the comments. Be warned though: spoilers ahead!
1. Experiencing ancient Greece in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
“Walking around Acropolis as if I was living in 431 BC felt incredibly cool. I’ve always loved Greek mythology, and this moment made me realise how many times I tried to picture that ancient world. [Ubisoft] brought it alive (so vividly) with a wonderful interpretation of the ancient Greek stories.
Angie Smets, Executive Producer, Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla
2. Returning home in God of War
“Kratos returning home to dig out whatever was hiding under that rug in his house (spoilers!!). That entire scene was charged with so much intensity. Loved it!”
Nic Doucet, Creative Director, Astro Bot Rescue Mission Japan Studio
3. Finding the perfect horse in Red Dead Redemption 2
“Capturing the white Arabian horse in the wilds in Red Dead Redemption 2. Then coming in and telling everyone about it at work.”
Emily Newton Dunn, Systems Designer, Dreams, Media Molecule
4. Beating the last Valkyrie in God of War
“Going through the big emotional journey with Kratos and Atreus to the end and getting two new realms to explore and seven more (total nine) Valkyries to beat. What a treat 2018 has given me and millions other gamers!”
Shuhei Yoshida, President, Worldwide Studios
5. Every choice matters in Detroit: Become Human
“This game really elevated storytelling in video games to the next level. The enormous amount of information players are presented with really makes it feel like every single choice matters.”
Kazunori Kadoi, Director, Resident Evil 2, Capcom
6. The bond between father and son in God of War
“My choice is not one particular moment, but rather a continuous set of moments forming something bigger throughout the entire game. What I particularly liked about this installment of God of War is how the relationship between Kratos and Atreus evolved as I progressed deeper into the adventure. When playing, I could feel a bond forming between both characters. Kratos, the stern father, opening himself to his son and Arteus, the initially shy ‘boy’ rebelling against his father — both learning from each other. It’s a wonderful journey. ”
Adam Badowski, Director, Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt RED
7. Sublime metropolis management in Cities: Skylines
“I loved how easy it was to control Cities: Skylines using PlayStation 4’s Dualshock 4 controller!”
Hideaki Itsuno, Director, Devil May Cry 5, Capcom
8. The rich storytelling of Detroit: Become Human
“I was a bit perplexed when I had to wash dishes in-game since I had just finished all my real-life chores to be able to play the game, but the amazing storytelling and rich world pulled me right in. At that point I knew that I was in for many sleepless nights.”
Yoshinori Takahashi, Director, Soul Calibur VI, Bandai Namco
9. Shootout in Strawberry in Red Dead Redemption 2
“Red Dead Redemption 2’s chapter 2 mission called ‘Blessed Are The Meek’. The gameplay was relatively laid back up until that point, but the intense gun battle you encounter after rescuing Micah got my adrenaline pumping.”
Hiroyuki Sakamoto, Game Director, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Sega
10. Meeting the World Serpent and battling Baldur in God of War
“God of War was full of powerful moments but these particular two really stood out to me — meeting Jörmungandr and the first fight with Baldur. When it comes to the former, seeing the World Serpent for the very first time, I was amazed by both his colossal scale and gentleness.
The encounter was stunning — and watching the giant awaken from the Lake of Nine felt almost mesmerizing. You could truly admire the size difference between Kratos and Jörmungandr and their meeting obviously left its mark in my memory, given I immediately thought of it when coming up with my favorite gaming moments of 2018.
On the other spectrum, we have the sheer brutality of the encounter following Baldur’s visit to Kratos’ house. Their initial exchange, Baldur’s demeanor and the events that followed, all contribute to this being a very memorable moment.”
Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, Game Director, Thronebreaker: Witcher Tales, CD Projetk Red
“‘Jaw dropping’ is such an overused phrase, but that’s exactly how I looked when experiencing the Stranger fight in God of War. It was truly the perfect mix of gameplay, spectacle, and narrative.”
Bryan Intihar, Creative Director, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Insomniac Games
11. Adventuring with your robo-pal in Astro Bot Rescue Mission
“My favorite moment this year in gaming was in Astro Bot Rescue Mission. The feeling of joy you get when you save members of Astro Bot’s crew and they jump into the DualShock 4 controller is just incredible. Astro Bot has taken my nostalgia of previous platform games to a whole new level with the technology of the PS VR. You can’t help but smile when Astro Bot looks back at you and waves.”
Damoun Shabestari, Creative Producer, Firewall Zero Hour, First Contact Entertainment
12. The world-building of Red Dead Redemption 2
“The world and environment was really impressive, especially the horses and other wildlife.”
Yuya Tokuda, Director, Monster Hunter World, Capcom
13. Controlling Kratos in battle during God of War
“God of War! Just the whole thing… I mean damn. The moment for me I appreciated the most was probably when I was watching my girlfriend play and she asked me to get past a few enemies she was finding difficult. This was the first time I picked the game up, and it just felt right. The controls were so on point. Loved it. That and when I realised that the voice of Kratos was Teal’c from Stargate… Nerdgasm!”
Steve Filby, Producer, Dead Cells, Motion Twin
14. PS VR’s lineup in 2018
“The stellar line up of game for PSVR has been my highlight of 2018. Wipeout, Moss, Beat Saber, Firewall, Astro Bot, Tetris Effect (and of course, The Persistence) are just a few of the belters that I’ve loved playing and being involved with.”
Stuart Tilley, Game Director, The Persistence, Firesprite
15. Leading the march in Detroit: Become Human
“The protest march scene in Detroit Become Human. It was a fresh experience, feeling as though I was a hero when leading the march, with android followers joining one by one. At one point, I was also raising my voice while playing the game.”
Ryousuke Horii, Planner, Yakuza Kiwami 2, SEGA
16. Returning to an epic battle in Shadow of the Colossus
“Playing the third boss fight again in the remastered Shadow of the Colossus brought back so many good memories!”
Tam Armstrong, Co-founder, Moss, Polyarc
17. Going downtown in Tetris Effect
“The first thing that comes to mind is playing Downtown Jazz for the first time in Tetris Effect and literally going, ‘Wow, this is cool’.”
Derek Yu, Creator, Spelunky 2
18. That single camera take in God of War
“An unbroken game camera is a feature that sits right at an apex between creative vision and technology. Great moments often come from that type of pressure. Having the camera sit over the shoulder for a God of War game was already a bold choice, but combine that with it never looking away and you have a new high water mark for immersive cinematic gameplay. It must have been a relentless and exhausting endeavor for everyone involved – but it was so, so worth it.”
Dominic Robilliard, Creative Director, Concrete Genie, Pixelopus
