20 Best Video Games Of 2018 (So Far)

18. Vampyr

I game I desperately wanted to love more than I did, in Vampyr you play the aristocratic former blood transfusion expert-turned-vampire, Jonathan Reid; someone who finds himself in the position of having a moral compass pointed in the right direction, yet needing to feast upon the populace at regular intervals to stave off death himself.

Immediately, Dontnod's chops as scriptwriters and world-builders come into view. Vampyr is a detailed, memorable take on Victorian London awash with an underbelly of plagues and demonic creatures. Drawing from the real world Spanish Flu epidemic, they establish a hierarchy within the vampire dominion - one you can explore, converse with and level up in tow.

Brilliantly, taking the life of more well-to-do individuals nets you more XP and abilities, but negatively impacts the entire district and Reid's character overall. There are multiple endings, a great number of moves to unlock and one of the best uses of vampire lore since The Legacy of Kain.

Had Dontnod put as much work into conversation presentation, cutscene animation and general narrative delivery as they had the world itself, and this would be in the top 10.