One of the best games of 2019 is also one of this year's biggest surprises: "Apex Legends" launched out of nowhere in February, and rapidly acquired tens of millions of players. By the end of the year, nearly 100 million people have dropped into the Outlands — and with good reason.
Part of the game's wild success is due to the fact that it's free, no doubt, but far more important is just how great of a game "Apex Legends" is. It takes the wildly successful battle royale concept popularized by "Fortnite" and evolves it into something distinct and new, where players live out their wildest action movie fantasies in a bid to be the top squad.
There's no building, like in "Fortnite," and there's less dramatic suspense, like the kind in "PUBG," but "Apex Legends" is big on crazy moments of intense action multiplied by the factor of each legends' special abilities. At its best, "Apex Legends" combines tactical team gameplay with absurd, high-action moments.
"Apex Legends" dared to challenge "Fortnite" at the height of the latter's dominance, and managed to carve out a massive space. And, for that, it's not just one of the boldest games of the year but also one of the best.