The Free Cheese Game of the Year 2019 | Day 1

Welcome to the beginning of our Game of the Year 2019 awards. Each day this week, we’ll have a new podcast episode where we worked out the details of every award and agreed upon a winner and two runners up. You can listen in to go on the journey with us and read on to see the winners. You can also vote for your Game of the Year 2019 right now!

Out of Time

We wish we could play everything and that time was not finite. Yet it is and we must make choices for one reason or another. This category awards the game that we ran out of time to play. We wanted to, but something else got in the way. Once the calendar opens up a bit, the winner is our choice to hop into next.
Hypnospace Outlaw

Runners Up: Shenmue III, Judgement

Best Mobile Game

As mobile gaming continues to grow and becomes more aligned with what we can play on our consoles and PCs, there is still inherent value in a game designed for short sessions. This category celebrates the little ideas with a long lifespan.
Grindstone

Runners Up: HomeRuntaro, Mario Kart Tour

Favorite Industry Moment

We love when surprises happen and we love being excited about video games. Sometimes our dreams come true and sometimes we get caught off guard. The winner of this award is something that had an impact on us or the greater video game industry that signified a shift in gaming.

Bungie Breaks Up with Activision

Runners Up: Final Fantasy coming to Game Pass, Banjo & Kazooie coming to Smash

Best Story

This award goes to the game that provided us with a reason beyond gameplay to keep coming back. We were invested in its characters and its narrative shaped the way we engaged with it.

Death Stranding

Runners Up: Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Devil May Cry 5

Best Xbox Game

We had originally nominated two games for this knowing that really only one game deserved the spot. 2019 was a transformative year for Xbox both in the gaming industry and at The Free Cheese. As we enter the final year of the Xbox One’s life (kind of) we each own and are active on the Xbox One, something we couldn’t say a year ago and definitely not at the start of this generation. While the first-party output might have been light, we recognize how strong Xbox has become as a brand and are excited for the future. To that end, the best in class for Xbox was Gears 5 which sung success for Xbox Game Pass as well, arguably just as important to the ecosystem as the accompanying hardware.

Gears 5