Very simple, just list the best games you happened to play for the first time in 2020. Didn't have to actually have been one released in 2020, just any game you played during the year.
Honestly I didn't even think I had a list for a bit, I forgot I played games lol.
1. Sonic Mania: Ok first of all, I just re-remembered I played this game 5 seconds before I typed "Sonic Mania". Last year man...
But anyway, that's a shame, what's wrong with me. So I played this from beginning to end during a day where we had a blackout. Thank god this is a handheld, because that only enhanced what an incredible experience this whole game. One of the most gloriously fun 2d platformers I've maybe ever played, the Sonic 4 we deserved, a genuine masterpiece. And like the week before I saw OK KO's fantastic love letter to Sonic, and I thought after both of these things I NEVER want Sonic to be less awesome than this ever again. Took me right back to discovering the classic games on Sonic Mega Collection and made me remember that I genuinely, somehow unironically love this series.
2. Rayman Redemption: Between this and AM2R, don't underestimate fan games. This is a remake of the original Rayman, making great changes to basically fix the sometimes actually unfair and bs level designs of the original, while adding all sorts of things. To me it practically replaces the original, what with keeping everything great about it and discarding all its problems. In terms of aesthetic, Rayman 1 hasn't aged a day so gameplay fixes were all it needed really to be an all time classic. Honestly you could've convinced people this was an official remake, it is that solid (same with AM2R for the most part). This one did not get the attention it deserved though (even AM2R got way more), so I'm telling you to find this if you can. It's wonderful.
3. DOOM (twenty six teen): So I'm no retro FPS purist. I loved the early Halo games and even liked some COD campaigns. But that whole 360 era of FPS...kinda sucked? Hallways for days, limitations for days, pseudo-cinematic. This is obviously so much better, thank god that era's dead. This was just gloriously fun and METAL and...ok everyone knows this. But yeah it did live up to expectations, and at least by the time I got it after updates, the Switch version's lovely. Never played online though, which...yeah that also sounds like what I heard when it first came out.
4. Splatoon 2: I love Splatoon but I couldn't put this above Doom at all, because its...just more Splatoon. At least so far, I've not gotten to the Salmon mode or the DLC but just based on normal multiplayer and campaign, its a very Galaxy 2 style sequel. In that as much as I like it, its just not as special as the first time, and that makes a difference. But more Splatoon is plenty I guess.
5. Mario 35: Based on what I've seen, I feel like Mario 35 is not a beloved title. But for me specifically, this is kinda something I've really appreciated. First, I have a real appreciation for shorter play time sort of games. Stuff I can play for a little bit, sometimes between other games or whatever, and no more. Its nice to just play a bit and then move on instead of feeling obligated to play an hour or two like most games I play. Second this is my favorite thing they've done with their endless Mario 1 retro obsession in ages. Maybe since the GBC version. Changing up Mario 1 for this type of battle royale game has immediately renewed my love for the game, in a way I wish Nintendo did more (NES Remix was a good start). Tetris 99 is cool, but...its just Tetris with more opponents. But everything about how this works changes how you play and what you do in a level, and in ways that are dynamic and really interesting to me. Third, its the closest Nintendo's gotten to offering me something that makes me glad I got NSO. I will never stop with my complaints for NSO, it feels almost like a scam, just sell people old NES and SNES games for 20 bucks and leave online gaming out of it! But at least while I'm basically forced to pay for underwhelming online service, they're offering me this genuinely cool game. ...for a while. sigh
6. Bug Fables: This is a tough one. So much of this game is unfortunately tied to the deeply frustrating everything surrounding the Paper Mario series. Where even being kind here, Nintendo at the very least has decided the direction of my favorite Mario spinoff (which started with one of my top 5 favorite games ever) is at least partially, just flat out not for me anymore. So while I was always going to check this game out, I totally bought it as soon as I did out of spite. Because this game is...an RPG. Like its in a genre and does things in that genre while understanding why that genre is actually enjoyable for people. The thing is, it does not live up to the high standards of the best Mario RPGs in enough ways, especially with its utterly underwhelming early sections. But it does eventually become a very enjoyable, slightly different take on Paper Mario, and is just a very good JRPG for what it is. That's plenty. Also a more difficult Paper Mario to a degree, so that's neat.
7. Mario and Luigi: Dream Team: And speaking of Mario RPGs. I'd been meaning to buy this one since it came out. Somehow I only played it in 2020. I will say, I was a bit worried because I heard HORROR stories about the tutorials. And...they weren't wrong. Obnoxious tutorials have never been good, and this is so bad, so much time is spent on them. I was worried early on. And yet, somehow exactly like Bug Fables, it quickly becomes great when you reach the desert. So while it is ultimately just another Bowser's Inside Story, again, that's plenty. Probably helped its been a decade since I played Bowser's Inside Story. While I did prefer the Paper Mario series, I'll miss this one too.
8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Animal Crossing is like Mario 35, in that its great for small play sessions. Not as much for me admittedly. I do really like this game and god was it needed this year. But I'll admit despite my username, I've never been in love with it like some other Nintendo series, barring my time back in the day with the original. I enjoy them, but its usually too much, especially in past games that demanded your attention regularly. And this one is especially that if you care about events sometimes. But when things come together, this is the most I've enjoyed a regular Animal Crossing since the original, and again, great timing for it. And I just enjoy the whole island life feel to it, its chill even compared to previous games. Also the additions from Happy Home Designer, which I appreciate.
Excluding 2020 games, which I've listed before (FF7 remake, Persona 5 Royal, Xenoblade Definitive Edition):
5. Devil May Cry 4 - great gameplay, great characters, great setting.
4. Spider-Man (PS4) - cliche, but it really makes you feel like Spiderman. Its portrayal of New York really blew me away (amazed that the PS4 can handle it so seemlessly!), and the story and character portrayals are also excellent. I'll take this over a superhero movie any day.
3. Uncharted 4 - finally got round to this after binging the original trilogy and shelving this for 4 years, and it's arguably the best in the series. Again a great technical showcase for the series, and it's very easy to get invested in the story and it's cast of characters. The exploration brings me back to playing Tomb Raider as a kid.
2. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - as someone who has never played Castlevania, this was a risky move (especially going for the Switch version), but it paid off. The game oozes style and atmosphere, and I was always excited to see what was around the next corner. Really hope to see a sequel to this in the future.
1. Control - combine an intriguing setting with a badass main character who shoots, launches nearby objects, and levitates...need I say more? This one was short but sweet, and one I can see coming back to year after year.
Most interestingly, all of these were in genres that I don't play massive amounts of (I'm mostly a Platformer / JRPG guy).
I mostly spent 2020 doing catch up. A lot of the games (and books) that got me through that past year were more recent titles that I'd missed or had meant to get around to. There was still a lot of good in 2020 despite it all which is a testament to the talented people working in these fields. I've listed the five below that left the biggest impact, these are the five I'd urge people to play if they haven't already.
Three Houses: I'll admit I had a hard time getting into Fire Emblem. Awakening was a solid time and Fates left no impression. I tried out some of the older titles but nothing clicked. It was my brother who convinced me to give it a go, based on his impressions. Three Houses was almost everything I wanted from the series. Although the first half of each path is a little too similar I love how they break off and how, no matter which direction you take, you never fully get the whole picture. It makes for a nice (if not wholly original) statement on war, how it blinds people and blinds us to what might be going on under our noses. I found the narrative arc for one of the Lords (not going to say who) particularly touching.
Moon Remix Rpg: This is a game I've heard of for years but never had the chance to play. Given its clear influence on other titles (including Undertale) it's exerted an odd ghostly presence. Playing it now reveals something that while dated still remains even more radical than a lot of what had come after. While it's clearly rather cynical about the combative nature of many games I feel it's final moments are a loving comment on the power of games (or any art) and how we take this fictional experiences with us into the real world.
Dragon Quest XI: Dragon Quest VII was, for me, for many years the pinnacle of classic rpg design. Finally it's been supplanted by XI. This game oozes buckets of charm and tells a tale that is hugely affecting while working (knowingly) under some rather rote elements. DQ XI is self aware without being irritating about it, each location revolves around its own little arc that often is having outrageous amounts of fun with fantasy tropes. The final act is a wonderful tribute to the series as a whole. Also, Sylvando is a star.
Horace: I really, really hope this game blows up Among Us style at some point in the future. Horace is one of the most genuine indie games out there. Yes, the trailers might make it look like another faux 16bit indie platformer but it really is so much more. I would suggest anyone even halfway interested look up some of the reviews and, if it sounds like something you'd enjoy give it a shot. It can occasionally be frustrating but it is worth persevering for the narrative.
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition: This is the third time I've played this game but every time I go through it I find something new to enjoy. I am one of those heretical individuals that somewhat prefer 2 to 1 (I just find the overall narrative, or how it all comes together more interesting) but even so returning to this game again has shown what a stone cold classic it is. The new epilogue as well, while not mind blowing, served as a very welcome return to the world and a possible exciting hint at what is yet to come. At the very least one character who will go unnamed finally got some closure.
My top 10 below. It was a great year for games, can't believe FFVII was so good.
10. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2
9. Horace
8. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA
7. Lethal League Blaze
6. NieR: Automata
5. The Jackbox Party Pack 6
4. Among Us
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
2. Yakuza 0
1. Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Year 2020 was my PS3 year.
I started to build my PS3 games library during year 2020 and i bought some games that surprisingly more interesting than 3D Mario games.
1. Ratchet & Clank Tools of Destruction, Quest for Booty, A Crack in Time, Trilogy, Into the Nexus.
2. All Sly Cooper games on PS3.
5. Spiritfarer — An interesting indie Sim game where you play the Farryman of the River Styx. I enjoyed everything of this game the artwork the sim features, and especially the story. Definitely a must play.
4. Immortals Fenix Rising — Take everything that I enjoyed about Breath of the Wild add Assassin's Creed and you have this game. I am really enjoying my time with this one. While I don't play it all the time it's a great game to come back to go just relax. The puzzles are great, combat is awesome and best of all weapons don't break!
3. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2 Remastered — Where do I begin with this game. I am not a huge skateboarder, but I have such good memories of these games growing up going and playing these games at my friend's house on his PSone when I was a teenager. It was nice to see a Remaster that wasn't a cash grab tugging on our nostalgia heart strings. The graphics are great, the music and a nice mix of old and current gen skaters. Now if they just Remaster THPS 3.
2. Mafia the Definitive Edition — Like THPS, this was another game I grew up with. I always enjoyed the Mafia games more then the GTA series to be honest and Mafia was my favorite. However a 2002 game doesn't age well. I tried many times to go back to Mafia but the dated graphics and punishing difficulty just killed it for me a game best remembered in the past, till Mafia the Definitive Edition came out. Like THPS 1+2 it took what I loved about Mafia and updated it for this generation, while keeping the soul of the original. Not another cheap cash in like other Remasters. Playing the remaster was pure enjoyment and reminded me why I loved this series.
1. Streets of Rage 4 — OMG What can I say about this game that hasn't been said already. This is the sequel to the SoR series all of use 90s kids wanted, I guess as the old saying goes better late then never. Like the previous 2 games on my list this game wasn't a cheap cash in (looking at you Battletoads) but a Streets of Rage game for the new generation. Everything I loved and made me fall in love with the series but with updated graphics, and online play. Even the music was great. I was hesitant about this game when it was announced fearing that it was going to be a disappointment like Double Dragon 4 but after playing it it clearly wasn't. I still go back and play it now and again. That is why it gets my top spot for best game of 2020.
RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.
One of my favourite games this year has been animal crossing, its also one of my most hated games as it cost me an extra £250.
The Mrs wanted to play after watching me on it - its literally the only game she plays and an extra save slot on my game would have saved me having to buy a console.
First, I want to give a big ol' honorable mention to Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Switch). It's my first time playing it in any form & would have easily made my top 10, if I had actually managed to finish it before year's end. I started in November & am still not done, though I'm getting close (still have to do Future Connected as well, so I'll be lucky to finish it all before January is over).
10. Daemon X Machina (Switch) - It's nothing award worthy, but it's just a solidly fun mech action game, and I did enjoy the few really big bosses it had. It kept me busy with quite a bit of content too.
9. Vader Immortal: a Star Wars VR Series (PSVR) - My first Move compatible VR title, and it was glorious. It could be a bit finicky setting it up, and the main story mode is disappointingly short, but I feel like the developers managed to capture that "cinematic" flair you see so much in Playstation exclusives better than I've seen from Sony themselves in VR, and think it works really well in the medium. Plus, it's just pure childhood wish fulfillment to swing around a lightsaber & manipulate things with the force "for real", even for someone who was never a huge Star Wars fan.
8. The Last Guardian (PS4) - A truly gorgeous, mysterious adventure. Communicating with Trico (the large creature you have to work with to advance) can be a crapshoot (though I feel it's somewhat intentional), but there's nothing else quite like it and worth the experience if nothing else. Unfortunately it has some terrible performance issues on base PS4 which does bring it down for me.
7. A Short Hike (Switch) - A really relaxing open world indie 3D platformer, that has that Nintendo style magic where it's just fun getting from place to place. It is indeed very short, but it's the only time this year a game's narrative caused me to tear up, so that has to count for something.
6. Trials of Mana (PS4) - Just really polished, colorful, JRPG comfort food. It may not have the deepest story or the most immersive world, but it had a really satisfying gameplay loop to the basic combat that made it a fun JRPG to sit back & relax with. Really wouldn't have guessed it was a remake of an SNES title if I hadn't already known.
5. Super Mario Sunshine HD (Switch) - As part of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, it was my first time playing it in any form. It's definitely janky in spots & has an uneven difficulty curve, but it definitely has a unique game world by Mario standards and is 9 times out of 10 still a class act time (definitely an improvement over 64 in nearly every way).
4. Tetris Effect (PSVR) - this is truly a hypnotic experience that's objectively elevated by VR. Traditional puzzle games usually don't capture my attention for very long, but rhythmically clearing lines deep under the sea, floating over the moon, amidst abstract environments & more through "the Journey" is a truly mesmerizing experience, and renders all other Tetris experiences obsolete.
3. Super Mario Galaxy HD (Switch) - Maybe the best Mario platformer of all time, and touched up in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection it's even better. I said it in my review of the game earlier & I'll say it again, while the first two 3D Mario titles (while creative) never seemed to be quite so confidant as Mario games (no "?" Blocks, no proper Bowser's castle levels, no classic powerups like the Fire Flower), Galaxy seemed to marry the best of the other 3D games' innovations with many classic Mario elements that had been absent since the 2D days to create the definitive Mario adventure.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna, the Golden Country (Switch) - I really enjoyed the smaller scope, more personal nature of this prequel, and it fixed a lot of the issues I had with the main XC2 campaign (like the field skill requirements) & tidied up the combat. While some may decry the sidequest quotas to advance, I thought they worked them into the fabric of the game's theme wonderfully.
1. Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) - My first time with the game with any form, and while my experience with Final Fantasy has been mixed to say the least (the only other one I love is X), I have to say this was absolutely fantastic. I really want to highlight that it had some of the best boss fights in a JRPG ever.
EDIT: I just remembered Animal Crossing & Paper Mario: TOK, which would have both easily been top 10 if I didn't have a brain fart.
I think the only game I played that actually came out in 2020 was Animal Crossing. It's cool in small doses.
I finally got Forza Horizon 3 when they announced it would be delisted, because I really wanted to try the Hot Wheels dlc. It was better than I could have hoped, and the base game is also great.
GRIP. I was a little disappointed with this at first because I found myself getting stuck to geometry that wasn't track, but after some practice and track memorization it gets a lot better.
Slice, Dice, and Rice. Another one-hit -kill indie fighting game to add to the pile, but it's actually my favorite of that little sub-genre. Simple mechanics that let you focus almost entirely on zoning and timing, and stunning art direction.
Killer Instinct 2013. Hands down the best fighting game from a western developer. This is actually as good as your rose tinted memories of the original games being.
Mirror's Edge Catalyst. Almost doesn't count as I think I first played it on New Years Eve. So far I'm digging it. Maybe too much required combat sections, and the open world is a double edged sword, but for the most part it's more of what I loved about the original game. A lot more. Like at least tripple the length of the first.
Got the switch for xmas 2019, so every game was new in 2020 to me! I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything I’ve played, with the exception of Luigi’s Mansion 3. Just couldn’t get into it.
Best experiences: Mario Galaxy and Odyssey and + Rabbids, BOTW, Evergate (for something different every now and then), and IFR.
Edit: forgot AC:NH, I don’t play all the time, but it’s fun to go in and mess around with from time to time.
Animal crossing new horizons - shouldn't have to say anything for it though, it's popularity explains enough.
Nexomon Extinction - Now, as someone who started playing Pokémon during the BW era, then finishing with Sun and no longer owning a DS afterwards, I was craving a Pokémon game without having to break the bank at the time. This is an amazing Pokémon inspired game, with may I add better dialogue and the fact that you don't have to choose between two versions is pretty good. I'm about 10 hours in and still have yet to tip into the main plotline definitely a worthy rival to the big branded original.
Luigi's Mansion 3 - Honestly, I'm not one for these sort of games. They're fun, sure but with the Yoshi one that released over a year ago, I got bored of it pretty quickly. Luigi's Mansion 3 on the other hand, had me coming back after the first few hours of playing. Theres a great thrill in bashing ghosts every so often and has revived my interest in the genre, so I'm rather interested in the newest Mario game coming in March.
Last but not least, Pokémon Shield.
Now, I was honestly and pleasantly surprised to have received a copy of this for Christmas. Like many others, I have no doubt I was the only one spending so much time trying to figure out which one to get. Ultimately I decided on asking for Shield but after seeing reviews on the games, I got rather worried I wouldn't like it. That it wouldn't compare to any of the previous games. I was surprised though, with how much I did love it. I already beat the first two gyms and I found the second one to be rather challenging (though perhaps I was losing my touch). The best part for me though that despite the lack of Pokémon, there was plenty of Unova Region Pokémon available and this made me very happy for someone who no longer owns Pokémon BW. Shield is also the first Pokémon game I started to play online with as well and it gave the game an extra thrill in my opinion.
This is the end of my review I hope it may have helped interest other players into trying some of these games, even though a majority of them are pretty popular and best selling anyway. Nexomon on the other hand, I think deserves some more recognition so maybe look it up and give it a go? 😊
It takes one to know one, right?
Currently Playing: Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pokémon Shield
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Topic: Your favorite games of 2020
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