Top Games of 2020

[bobjr]

Needless to say 2020 has, for a ton of people, been a dramatic change to the way we live and the way we do everything. It has been unpredictable, unsteady and unwelcome. I, and so do we all, hope that Games + video gaming has been a wonderful distraction for you this year or at least one of which has made things go a little easier.

Some base rules.

1. Any game that you have played in 2020 is eligible. It could be a game from this year, it could be a game from the past, it could be a game from the future if you're some kind of time travelling god. It could be a gacha game, it could be a romhack, it could be a randomizer, it could be a mod, as long as you played it this year it's all good.

2. The joy of this thread is in getting to shout about your favourites and hear Iabout the hidden gems that you missed and we can only do that if you talk about why you've chosen the games you have. You can write a sentence, you can write an essay, whatever you like as long as you write something.

3. If you want to list more than ten games go for it! If you want to list less than ten games then go for that too!

4. Don't be a dick about other people's choices. This is a positive thread to celebrate the best of video games, not a place for people to get lost in an argument over which AAA release **** the bed worst. If you want to be critical then take it elsewhere. Please note that this rule will be waived if anyone picks in event of hentai games or Destiny.

5. If you want to talk about spoilers in your post then by all means go for it but put a spoiler warning at the start of your list and use spoilers. Some games I am sure are going to appear people have yet to play.

 

[Auraninja]

Games in 2020.

I beat Hey! Pikmin which I started upon its release and just, stopped for some reason. I feel like the title is overlooked.
It's not perfect, but it really has its charm like all the Pikmin games.

Speaking of Pikmin, I bought and completed Pikmin 3 Deluxe this year, and I really enjoyed it this time.
I think the Piklopedia was the best addition to the Deluxe Switch port, and it adds more of that charm I'm talking about.

The DLC in Pokemon Sword and Shield amplified the experience of those games for me.

Also, in the DLC department, we got two fighters in Smash Ultimate, being Min Min and Steve/Alex, and I always enjoy playing new characters.
Sephiroth is coming to the game this year as well, and I will be looking forward to playing as him.

This year marks the time I first played a Danganronpa game, and it was really an unforgettable experience.
I spoiled myself on the latter two games, but the first one was relatively unspoiled. I might still play the second game in the future.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was definitely a game a played a lot of this year, and I do enjoy my time with it.
I'm hoping the updates will bring out the best for the game, as I think it could still use several.

I also continued save files from several Dragon Quest games this year, but I haven't beaten any of them.

Next year, in 2021, I hope I can beat some more games. I want to beat Final Fantasy VII for my Switch.

 

[KillerDraco]

Rather than a simple top 10, I'll just list a few in no particular order.

Hades probably tops my list. As far as Roguelike games go it's pretty fantastic on its own, with fast paced gameplay, a good difficulty curve, and tons of variation where runs continue to be unique and challenging well into the game. But the writing is what really puts it over the top for me. The characters are interesting, likeable, and surprisingly deep, and there's so much dialogue packed into the game, where even minor variables influence what characters say. It's definitely one of my all time top indies, and it stood out to me more than a lot of the AAA games.

Animal Crossing New Horizons ranks high for me as well. For all the complaints of certain things from New Leaf not returning, I found myself getting more invested into New Horizons than I ever did with New Leaf. This is mostly because for all the things that didn't return, all the things it added were some of my top wants, such as terraforming, moving buildings, and not having to worry about villagers leaving when you don't play. That last point was what really killed New Leaf for me, since it became an obligation to play or the game could punish you for not playing. So the fact that New Horizons did away with that was really significant to me. So ACNH became a comfort game of sorts for me. For all of 2020's craziness, for all the lack of control it felt like I had in my life, ACNH proved therapeutic in that doing the daily routine helped me cope with not being able to do many of the other things I wanted in 2020.

2020 was also a good year for nostalgia. Between Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered, and Super Mario 3D All Stars, a lot of games I loved in my childhood had new life breathed into them by having them available on Switch. Xenoblade especially stands out to me because it was one of my top 5 games of all time in its original run, and the remaster only serves to better it, with new content, new challenges, and great QoL (thank god for quests being easier to find and track).

I did get gifted Paper Mario: The Origami King for my birthday, and despite my initial misgivings about it, it ended up better than I expected. While it still had some issues that I wish the series as a whole would address, it made me more hopeful for the future of the series after the last two games were... not so great. Also, the soundtrack was godly so I'm all for them doing more of that.

I did dabble in a few new multiplayer games this year, namely, Fall Guys and Among Us. Fall Guys I got a lot of enjoyment out of, since it's just so silly, quick, and fun. Plus, some of the costume collabs were unexpected but amazing; I haven't switched out of the Godzilla costume since getting it. Among Us was a bit different for me; I find the random matches to be rather dull, but with a bunch of friends together on voice chat, it's absolutely amazing. Beautiful chaos and psychological warfare.

The Pokemon DLC made me more confident in the direction the series is taking as well. ESPECIALLY the Crown Tundra. I absolutely loved Dynamax Adventures, they were the definitive co-op content I'd been longing for. While Max Raids are nice and I still enjoy them, so many public ones have degraded into "everyone spams legendaries", and the shields took most of the strategy out, turning them into one big blitzkrieg of attacks. But with Dynamax Adventures, the rental system and lack of shields makes teamwork and strategy far more important; you can't just brute force your way through everything. With how much I enjoyed the DLC, I'm looking forward to whatever Pokemon is planning for the 25th anniversary in 2021.

My hope for 2021 is that we get some news on Hollow Knight Silksong, though. Here's hoping!

 

[Frozocrone]

A couple of notable ones from me:

1) Animal Crossing New Horizons - This game is probably one of the best Animal Crossing games I've played. Given it came out right as the pandemic started, it was the perfect getaway. With the updates it's received over the year, I'm not surprised that it at least got a nomination for GOTY. It does very little wrong and ultimately builds on what made the previous entries in the series great games in their own right. I especially enjoy the fact that islanders don't disappear if you put the game down, meaning the game doesn't punish you just for putting the Switch away for some reason.

2) Among Us - With the massive spike in advertising from Twitch streamers, I decided to check out this game from 2018. It's basically Mafia in space. I've really liked it but to get the most out of it you really do have to use Discord and play with friends. Most random lobbies I've seen are a mixture of people leaving early because they're not the imposter, two people being in Discord chat and ruining the rest of the game, trolls, or people wanting to play Hide and Seek while some are playing the game as it's intended to be played. Overall, I've really enjoyed it despite the hit and miss nature of the lobby.

3) Cyberpunk 2077 - I have not played this. But I am disappointed that CD Projekt Red released what appears to be an incomplete game, filled with bugs and unplayability for the PS4/Xbox One versions and what appears to be an empty open world. It's a shame and I hope that patches can make the game what it was promised to be. It's very shady that the studio is getting people to pay them to find bugs though. I really like the idea of the game and it looks incredible, but I am thankful I haven't pulled the trigger on buying a laptop or system that could have played the game, at least while it's in this state.

4) Pokemon Sword - Crown Tundra: I bought this but I haven't completed it yet. I think I still have rather bad memories of Sword and how I was just getting through the game. Crown Tundra looks really good though and Dynamax adventures are great. I just wish the Super tournaments weren't locked behind all the quests in Crown Tundra. It's partly why I wasn't too happy about going through Isle of Armor. It makes sense, but I hadn't caught Zacian/beaten Hop by the time I downloaded it and it was kind of a pain realising that I actually had to complete everything in the main game before being allowed to play Isle of Armor.

5) Rocket League - originally bought when it first game out on Switch in 2017, still playing it now despite it now being free to play. The gameplay is exactly the same, control a rocket powered car, score some goals, win. It is insanely fun and is now the primary reason why I want to get a PC/laptop with at least a 144+ hz screen for more refresh rates after the disappointment Cyberpunk was on release. I follow the eSports scene and it amazes me just how talented some players are and makes me wish I could get to Super Sonic Legend (still a long way off). This is 5th on the list but this game is my current favourite game and the one I've pumped most hours into this year.

I've played others, such as Fortnite, Warface, Warframe but not enough to really put them on the list. Fortnite is an exception but everyone should know what Fortnite is.

 

[Genos]

1. Animal Crossing New Horizons: Wow this game sure made quite the impact. Although there are several things taken out from New Leaf, it is a great game. With the pandemic happening this year. This game made everyone feel safe with it's everyday features. Big updates for this game made it much more fun. Nintendo's only big title in 2020 that sold over 26 million copies!

2. Pokemon SW&SH expansion pass: These DLC updates really made 8th gen a lot better after a barebones launch. I like the way Gamefreak made these with adding new features to make the games fresh. I love/hate the Dynamax feature. With Dynamax Adventures being the great of it and Dynamaxing on battles being the worst it.

3. Super Mario 3D All-Stars: This compilation of old 3D Mario games were great to play despite no SMG2 and costing $60. Nintendo really shouldn't delist this after March 31st 2021. There's still a lot of people who want to try out these classic games.

4. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War: The campaign is AWESOME. The best CoD campaign since BO2. Zombies was fun after getting to know on what to do (I'm not much of a Zombies player). Multiplayer is great despite the horrendous of SBMM. It doesn't bother me that much as other players do but it sure stings to get wrecked by players who aren't at my skill. Still looking forward to the upcoming seasons.

5. Ghost of Tsushima: Holy s*** this game is amazing to play. The story, the combat, and the atmosphere are marvelous. The free multiplayer was great to play with players. My first ever platinum trophy on Playstation! Sucker Punch made a fantastic game and is my GOTY for 2020.

Other games I played was Fall Guys, Among Us, Saints Row the Third remastered, Spider-Man Miles Morales, Watch Dogs Legion, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX.

I'm looking forward to 2021 for more amazing Switch games and PS5 games (a console I will soon own).

 

[NPC]

The only major game I played through that was released this year was Hades, which was fine but not especially impressive. As for my list...

Spoiler

1. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (NSW)

No surprise that this took the top spot, I've sunk over 100 hours into it already and only got it a couple months ago. It's a massive celebration of everything Monster Hunter prior to World (and the upcoming Rise). It's the most newcomer-unfriendly I've ever seen the series be (which is saying a lot), and there's not much to say in terms of balance or novelty, but for a fan of the series, the sheer amount of content is undeniable. Vivid, lush, and colorful worlds and weaponry, along with ever-expanding progression and customization systems, made this one impossible to put down.

2. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (NSW)

I hurriedly beat this game on PS3 years ago, but replaying it on handheld has been such a gratifying experience. It can't hold a candle to the scope and size of other big-name open-world RPGs, but the combat is leagues better and so much fun, no matter if you're a warrior, ranger or spellcaster. What's more, watching your pawns grow and improve and then sending them out into the world to be employed by others is surprisingly engaging. The game still has a decently active community, and makes for the best "pure adventure" experience I've had in a long time.

3. Dark Souls Remastered (NSW)

I have my gripes about this game's remaster, but ultimately the benefits of portability outweigh any drawbacks by a significant margin. People are still playing this game quite consistently, which speaks to the long shadow it's cast on gaming this decade. I did my first magic user run this time around, and it was admittedly tedious at times, but also surprising in how dramatically different it makes the game. At this point I'm almost convinced I'll be playing Dark Souls on and off for the rest of my life. Or until Elden Ring is released, which is probably about the same thing.

4. God Hand (PS3)

Last time I played God Hand I was in grade school, so I expected this game to be looking a bit long in the tooth by now. But it was never a looker, and the parts that matter--the fantastically in-depth combat gameplay, more engaging than any 2D beat-'em-up and more tactical than any character action game I've played--haven't aged at all. Dumb, irreverent humor aside, this might just be my favorite "pure action" game of all time. Here's to someday beating it on the hardest difficulty, though I'm pretty satisfied with my all-challenge run as it was.

5. Dragon's Crown (PS3)

Couch co-op experiences are so hard to come by these days, so I was very thankful that I got to play through this one with my little brother. We laughed at the exaggeratedly voluptuous characters and titillating illustrations and all, but beneath that is a very engaging, mission-based action-RPG built into the workings of a side-scrolling beat-'em-up. And the gorgeous, 2D fantasy art is obviously ageless. It's too bad no one else seems to be playing this online anymore (or maybe they are on other versions?), but we had a great time regardless.

6. Ys Origin (PSV)

After a lot of thumb-twiddling I finally got into the Ys series this year, and Origin is a fantastic introduction. I really think this game captures the "arcade" style of gameplay perfectly without sacrificing its JRPG trappings and reasonably well-told story. It also has some fiendishly hard boss battles. Like, some of the most ball-busting I've ever played through on the higher difficulties. Still, it's hard to get angry at, because it's quick to put you right back into the action, and you always feel like you could be doing something a little better.

7. Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate (NSW)

This game would probably be higher on my list if I'd had more time to enjoy it, but I was waiting for the Switch version which only released this month. Shiren the Wanderer is a very classic, very tough roguelike in the same vein as the Mystery Dungeon games. It also has some of the prettiest 2D sprite art I've seen on a game released this decade that's not by Vanillaware. Once you get used to the (surprisingly in-depth) mechanics of dungeon-crawling, it's really all up to you, your wits, and your survival instinct. I'm really liking it so far.

8. Shadow Hearts (PS2)

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is one of the console JRPGs that left a mark on me in high school, but I never got to play its hard-to-find predecessor until this year. The Shadow Hearts games are aesthetically unique RPGs, informed by historical fiction, turn-of-century occultism, and Lovecraftian horror, but endowed with a grim sense of humor. The combat is constantly engaging thanks to a cleverly-implemented timed-hits system. It's short for a JRPG (~20 hours if you don't do extras), but as an adult I appreciate that. A wonderful throwback.

9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NSW)

This list wouldn't be complete without the game I played with my brother on many a quarantine weekend. He still beats me like 9 out of every 10 times, but I'm slowly evening my odds. Even if I had my gripes with the way this game was handled, it's impossible to deny that it's a kind of dream-come-true, the kind of game you'd daydream about as a middle-schooler playing Melee. And it plays so much better than Smash 4, to boot. I wish it had a co-op adventure mode like Brawl did, but asking anything more from Sakurai seems impossibly greedy at this point.

10. Dandy Dungeon: Legend of Brave Yamada (NSW)

This was a criminally overlooked game when it was released for iOS in... 2017 I think, and I got hooked on it during an overseas trip. It's been sadly delisted since, but found a new home on PC and Switch. The Switch port is less than ideal--the game was built for mobiles from the ground up--but its casual genius still shines through. A simplified puzzle-dungeon crawler with loot-based progression and a delightfully-told story about a middle-aged game dev pouring his frustrations into his RPG pet project. Addictive, funny, and heartrending.

Bonus: Cave Noire (GB)

I did not expect to get massively into a Japan-only, fan-translated roguelike released for the original B&W Gameboy, but here we are. Cave Noire is kind of like Mystery Dungeon, but simplified and broken up into bite-sized quests for handheld play. The game's iconography is so intuitive that the fan translation is almost besides the point (but appreciated regardless). It serves as a fantastic introduction to games of this kind, and also what I can imagine brought a lot of joy to Japanese children in commutes during the late nineties.

 

[The Teller]

Every year for the past couple of years, I've made a post or thread talking about all the games I've beaten that year. This year will be no different, and it seems this thread is perfect for posting my list this year. After quarantine started, I was only playing Animal Crossing for a couple months before I just stopped playing games altogether, and I didn't start back up again until August. Despite all that, I still managed to beat 21 games this year, 24 if you count Super Mario All-Stars as 4 separate games. That's in line with how many games I typically beat in a year, which surprised me. I thought, by August, that I was only going to have a couple games on the list. Anyways, here's the giant post, with the games in roughly the order in which I beat them in.

Flipping Death- Technically I bought this last year but didn’t beat it until the first week of this year. It has an interesting art style and the quirkiness of Psychonauts, but I didn’t get too into the platforming mechanics, and sometimes the puzzle elements were just too obtuse for me. I liked the writing and the VA is pretty good.

Life Is Strange 2- Technically bought this last year, once all the episodes came out. It just doesn’t land with me the same as LiS 1, probably because the topic is much more narrow (teenagers with high school issues vs. racism against Hispanics). I like the brother-brother relationship mechanic, and yes, children Daniel’s age do act like that, and those are normal children. Episode 4 was pure filler.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order- The Force Awakens, with Dark Souls mechanics. Wat. Had to bump it down to easy and I still was struggling. Ignoring my badness at video games, and the fact that one of the crew members I didn’t recruit until literally the penultimate mission, I had a good time. It didn’t really feel Star Wars-y, movie-wise, but it did feel like pictures I’ve seen showing events that took place in the EU books. As I do with all fighting RPGs, I poured everything into health and defense. The main character was such a Joker.

Batman Arkham City- Was this free on the PS Plus, or did someone buy it for super cheap? I can’t remember. Still as good as I remembered it on launch day. Launch day had a few problems as well. Subjective stuff. I’ll be honest: Asylum > Knight > Origins > City. That doesn’t make City a bad game. It’s great! But I just think all the other entries outdo it ever-so-slightly in at least one department.

Donkey Kong Jr.- Yay, an old friend put me on her family’s account plan! Took about ten minutes to beat this.

Donkey Kong- And another ten minutes to beat this.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons- Ah, the first actual new game of the year. Was never into AC, and now…I’m still not. But I was convinced to buy a copy to stay sane this year, and I was amazed that I religiously opened it up and tended to things for 2 whole months. Maybe at some point I’ll go back…if my Switch doesn’t explode from all the ignored updates.

Rise of the Tomb Raider- I definitely got this for free, and I did play a little of the first one prior. This one wasn’t all that bad really. I do like snowy environments in video games. I liked the bits of leftover plot from the first game that came over. I liked the major characters. There was an instance where I couldn’t pick up a plot-important item because the game refused to let me. Had to restart the level.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout: Actual GOTY? I spent a lot of time on it, got to level 40 (MAX) in the first season, even got a couple of crowns out of it. I had my fun, but once season 2 came around, I just wasn’t feeling attached anymore, so I dropped it. I actually liked the seesaws, and hated all team-based games, even if we were winning. #TeamYellow4lyf

Erica- I’m glad one of my friends told me to play it. I got it all done in under 2 hours (only one ending though). I didn’t really care enough to do multiple endings. Most of the acting is fine, but it’s Erica herself who needs an extra acting session or two. Also, I did not like it’s “only touchscreen” gimmick. It led to too many misclicks. For an FMV game like this, there is potential there. I’m glad that FMV games are starting to make a comeback of sorts.

Donkey Kong Country- It’s all nostalgia. Didn’t play 101% run. Just to beat King K. Rool and see the credits…twice. Reminded me that, yep, it’s still a cool game that meant way more to my kid self.

Donkey Kong Country 2- My favorite of the three, though I’m just biased towards the theme park levels. Dixie isn’t a fighter in Smash because she’d be too OP. It’s be like combining the good hair of Sephiroth and Bayonetta together. There would only be 1 tier, and that tier would be Dixie. Also didn’t do the 102% run.

Super Mario All-Stars- I’ve beaten all four games before, but I had time to kill, so I did it again. I utilized any cheats and skips I knew. It only took a day or two for me to beat all four of them. There’s still some surprising moments of difficulty, and of course, sometimes the solution is so obtuse that it screams “buy a player’s guide today!” But they’re still classics for a reason.

Super Mario Sunshine- Hot takes, best of the three. Yes, there’s nostalgia bias. I think this was the first Mario game that I ever 100%. I ended up missing one blue coin and it drove me nuts. I also eventually found out that I completed the Pachinko level…but died trying to get the star, so I never collected it! Best game, 5/5. Sequel when?

Super Mario Galaxy- This was my first time playing this. Honestly, I didn’t really like the “semi-zero gravity” gimmick. I never knew which platforms I could walk off the edge of and which I can’t. The music is great, and the platforming is still good. I just like Sunshine’s better.

Mario’s Super Picross- Why did I spend SO MUCH TIME on this game?! Why was this the most addicting game of the year? It did get to a point though where each puzzle took over 20 minutes to solve, and there’s so many puzzles. You could play for an hour and only get 2-3 puzzles done. Still, great free puzzle game.

Ghost of Tsushima- I’ll admit, it took a long while for me to get used to how to fight in this game. Once I did get used to it though, I was practically unstoppable. It got to the point where I could just waltz into a camp, brazenly kill the nearest person, and then proceed to kill everyone else as they came up to me. Game’s kinda depressing though. Pretty much every NPC quest giver either dies or has their entire family die. It’s just constant death everywhere. Kinda like “well, what’s the point anymore?”

Spider-Man: Miles Morales- After I got back into the “swing” of things, I remembered just how great this game is. The plot is predictable, but at least the voice acting was great. None of the characters felt too annoying. I still prefer the older Pete model. I played this on the PS4 and while it still looks and runs swell, you can tell the difference between what you see vs. what you saw in trailers.

Chicken Police- Okay, yeah, who saw this coming? I saw a streamer playing this and thought “I’ve got to play this for myself.” It’s a typical gritty detective noir story, except everyone’s got photorealistic animal heads. Just the heads. Besides some unclever word play here and there, the game never plays this for comedy, and all too often they go the “animal species = human races” route (the insect population is shoved into the ghetto and treated as second-class citizens with no hope or compassion). This is a great hidden gem.

Murder By Numbers- Same streamer played this early this year, and you already know how I go nuts for Picross. I 100% this and don’t regret any of the 25+ hours I spent on it. It’s 90s galore, great story, great characters (no voice acting), and has some quality of life mechanics that I greatly prefer over Super Mario Picross’ ancient simplicity.

Blacksad- Okay, technically I didn’t beat the game, since it kept crashing at a certain point, so I couldn’t actually continue the story, but I would have if I could. Did you read that bit on Chicken Police? Yeah, same here, except not photorealistic. Is this a new trend? Have I found my niche? Am I a repressed furry? No. But that shouldn’t stop me from enjoying games like these. Just…try not to play the Switch port.

 

[bobjr]

I narrowed down to my top 10 finally.

1. Final Fantasy 7 Remake

I love the original FF7, even more than when I played it as a kid, and this does not disappoint at all. This only covers the first part of the game, but they delivered in making it feel like how it did in your head in 1997. After years of weird characterization they went back to the roots, and I'm super excited what they do next, even though you know the basics of what probably will happen.

2. Hades

I generally like Rougelike games, but there's always the issue of just getting a bad run, or not getting what you need to make it a good run. Hades subverts this by making you gradually unlock things to make you stronger, but not at a pace where it ever feels too easy. Most deaths I can point to me making bad decision making more than anything else, and on top of that the voicework and story are just as good and stand with SuperGiant's other games, so you feel invested to keep going run after run.

3. The Last of Us 2

I know, this game. This game is a lot like Red Dead Redemption 2, it starts out bad and gets worse story wise. You desperately want the characters to make the choice to just stop and walk away, but they don't. On a technical level it's amazing, but I think the story does shine as well. It's a very negative and depressing story that openly advertises it's about hate, and it delivers. I think some of the disconnect is as a game you're the player and want control, but the game doesn't actually give you it as a point. 2LOU, in all of its provocation (both in game and in general culture), managed to innovate bigtime with its themes and structure while still feeling directly connected, both mechanically and emotionally, to the original game’s storyline and gameplay. That’s no mean feat, I think, considering the original game’s impact was as much due to what was left out, pared down, or only alluded to.

4. Persona 4 Golden

I had already played Persona 5 before this, so there were some QoL changes in that game that were a little annoying, along with dungeons being less impressive, but at the same time better than described. Overall though as a story and character study I think this game is much better than 5 which seems to lose focus after the initial few palaces, and even though unlike 5 non party member Social Links don't do much for you, I felt invested in their stories and didn't mind doing them.

5. Fall Guys

I like when the little bean men fall down.

6. Hyrule Warriors : Age of Calamity

I love both Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors, and while I did have initial doubts, they have combined the games near perfectly, avoiding the more tedious aspects of both. Everyone feels fun to play as, and while I'm not done with the game they are doing a good job of giving me the character interaction I wanted to see more of in BotW.

7. AI: The Somnium Files

This is from the same person as 9/9/9, Virtue's Last Reward, and Zero Time Dilemma, and while I liked those games a lot this game I ended up liking better than all of them. The mystery is tighter focused and well written and while this is a somewhat futuristic tech society it's grounded enough to still be relatable, and I can't wait to see what they do with their next game.

8. Astro's Playroom

This is an amazing free game for the PS5. It has so many cute references and shows off the PS5 Hardware super well, and the haptics feel great. The platforming itself is tight and really responsive too.

9. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

I really loved the first Spider-Man game, and for the most part this is more of the same. One weird thing is Into the Spiderverse makes this game suffer a little in my mind, because Miles in that game is done a little better, and while this game is far from bad kind of suffers from being a tie in type midquel, where only so much can change.

10. Kingdom Hearts 3: ReMind

My least favorite thing about KH3 is there was no good superbosses, but man did this DLC deliver. The story stuff is okay and the non superboss stuff all together is also just okay, but fighting the hardest bosses they could think of, and finally overcoming them was an amazing feeling.

 

[Sicksadpanda]

Ahh, 2020 is almost over at long last.

it could be a game from the future if you're some kind of time travelling god.

I'm tempted to say that I played gen 9 this year

I can't really decide the top 10, so I'll just list notable games I've played since the start of 2020.

1) Red Dead Redemption 2: (February)
The game had finally arrived to PC, and I remembered how much I loved playing the first game on Xbox long time ago, so I decided to give it a shot (pun not intended). I was extremely impressed with how the game turned out! There were tons of factors that made me really enjoy the game, but if I had to pick the biggest factor, it'd have to be story. It's generally rare for me to enjoy stories from video games as I oftentimes just skip stories and get to the gameplay, but RDR2 got me invested into the story and actually learn the characters more than any of the previous games I've played. Everytime I think about RDR2, I can really only remember the story and not too much of the gameplay (the gameplay was still great!)

2) Animal Crossing New Horizons: (March)
Now that's a 2020 Nintendo game that everyone loves to talk about. Animal Crossing New Horizons is a fun easy-going game with many things to do. However... even though I loved all past Animal Crossing games, I feel New Horizons was a bit of a letdown to me compared to older games. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the game, but it's become into something where it's not my gaming preference. I generally don't really like customizing, building, and designing games, and New Horizons seems to focus on that with its terraforming and many other building options, which are something many players love. Personally, I like having to work around the forced options rather than having the freedom. That being said, it's not a bad game, it's definitely a great game. The gameplay just didn't appeal to me nearly as much as the older games. Regardless, I still played it for a good while, eventually upgraded everything (thanks turnips!) and then I couldn't find anything else to do and decided to call it game without waiting for the upcoming patches.

3) Halo Master Chief's Collection: (Around April)
Halo was literally the only reason I got Xbox when I was a kid. I went to my cousin's house to play video games, and he had Halo 2, and we had a blast playing the game. Now that was like 15 years ago (god I'm old), and I wanted to enjoy the story mode with the original 3 Halo games. Master Chief's collection was a great distraction to enjoy both nostalgia and simple (and always toxic) online battles. The story has always been short, but they're definitely memorable...even more fun with friends!

4) Terraria End's Journey: (May)
Now you're probably confused about me playing Terraria since I already mentioned how much I'm not into building and designing. The answer is still true, and I just really like the combat system. Terraria introduced a new mechanic in their biggest and last patch, which is basically "creative mode" (yes, I know, I know). With creative mode, it eliminates the need to grind, and allows me to reliably control the difficulty, along with the brand new higher difficulty mode. That alone made it worth my month, even though it's a game generally focused for building. Very simple and enjoyable game...most of the time at least

5) Monster Hunter World Iceborne: (Around June)
Monster Hunter series quickly became one of my favorite series since I first played Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on 3DS, and Monster Hunter World was a great game to get into...even with its flaws. It was recently that one of my friends pestered me into getting Iceborne, so I eventually decided to get it and it was definitely an upgrade from the base game. Hunting difficult big monsters is just a fun experience, and Monster Hunter World brought in TONS of QoL improvements, so you don't need to spend hours preparing for one monster fight. Unfortunately, the real reason I stopped playing Monster Hunter World was due to it being a bad PC port. Most of the problems were already fixed, but they didn't add controller support for Switch Pro controller, which was frustrating...so I had to rely on muscle memories in order to keep my buttons the same as the previous Monster Hunter games. Otherwise, it was a fun distraction for a few months until I eventually got bored and moved on.

6) Super Mario 3D All-Stars: (September)
I should probably say Super Mario Sunshine instead, but oh well. Super Mario Sunshine is my favorite 3D Mario game, maybe because of nostalgia as it was my first Gamecube game. I did give Super Mario 64 a chance, but couldn't really get into it. Otherwise, I spent all September just enjoying the Sunshine (heh). Never touched Galaxy either, I probably should do that someday.

6) Pikmin 3 Deluxe: (October)
Pikmin 1 and 2 have been one of my extremely well liked Gamecube games, with Pikmin 2 being one of my favorites in general. I played Pikmin 3 on Wii U, but it felt underwhelming compared to Pikmin 2. The graphics were extremely gorgeous, but I feel there wasn't much to explore, and the games somehow feel shorter than Pikmin 1 (and I'm pretty sure that's not true). But I didn't like the wii u controls that time, so I decided to get Pikmin 3 and see if my opinions change for the Switch version. And unfortunately, my opinions still remain the same. Pikmin 3 is still a fun game, I just personally feel it's a downgrade from Pikmin 3 when they focused more on organization and micro management rather than action.

7) Pokemon Sworld and Shield, Crown Tundra: (October)
Unpopular opinion (as always with every single current gen), Sword and Shield has been one of my well liked gens, and Crown Tundra was a really nice improvement. Although IoA was more useful to me as I tend to PvP often in Pokemon, Crown Tundra still has some fun activities along with interesting new pokemon to bring into the table. Dynamax Adventure was a surprisingly fun feature, but I can see how it'd be a frustrating experience for other people who just want to catch the legendary and be done with it. I personally find it as a new entertaining way of hunting shinies (except for Zygarde, that one is rough), but I wouldn't wish it back in upcoming games as I feel we should have something different each gen. Overall, it's a good end to SwSh and I await the next pokemon game...whatever and whenever that might be!

8) Dark Souls, Remastered: (December)
The game where only the patient (or very very angry) players survives. I've played all 3 Dark Souls games previously, but I skipped Dark Souls 1 due to it being an awful PC port. Fortunately 2 and 3 weren't that bad, so I still enjoyed the series. I was able to get Dark Souls Remastered at half price due to already owning the first game (I thought it was on sale, but I was wrong). It was fun experiencing what pain felt like in the older games, and being able to overcome those pain with the experiences from both Dark Souls 2-3 and Monster Hunter series. It didn't take me very long to beat the game, but there were plenty of monsters that kept getting me killed (and enemy players are even worse!) I just now finally beat the final boss few days ago, so I feel pretty proud of myself!

Sadly, I did not play 10 new games this year (that are worth mentioning). I've mostly stuck to older games. But here's the bonus round! I've been playing a game called Ark Survival Evolved for about 4 years. Now my play hours is just a wee 4 grands. I spend most of the time exploring mods and playing in a small group of approximately 5 players. Being in a small group was really the fun part, but taming and breeding dinosaurs is pretty cool too

2020 was definitely a rough year for everyone, but I hope everyone was able to pull through and enjoyed the games they played in 2020! Definitely looking forward to the games coming in 2021 as I got a few games in mind!

 

[TonyRobStone]

I call it 3A
1. Animal Crossing New Horizons
2. Among Us
3. Ark: Survival Evolved

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

My nominations are:
Best Legacy Collection- Super Mario 3D All Stars
Best 2D Platformer- Shantae and the Seven Sirens. I know it came out last fall for the Apple iOS but it was only half the game and the full release was this year so I say it counts.
Best Puzzle Game- Pokémon Cafe.
Best Game of 2020- Obviously Animal Crossing New Horizons. It helped everyone get through the quarantines and awful year and it has so many good things for you to waste hours on doing. I actually like the removal of the Gyroids as I’ve always found them to be ugly and useless for my purposes and interfered with me digging up Fossils to complete the Museum.

 

[Hunter Zolomon]

Here's my list (in no particular order)

Final Fantasy VII Remake: Originally I wasn't a big fan of how this game was being split up the the way it was, but wow! This game is worth the playthrough. I 100% recommend giving this game a shot. The story is amazing, and the gameplay is awesome. They also included a classic combat mode if you prefer turnbased combat. After I beat the game I played the game on Hard Mode and I beat it a second time. The original FFVII is one of my favorite games of all time, so I'm very pleased with how this game turned out. With the way the game ended I can't wait for the next part!

Animal Crossing New Horizons: I've never played an Animal Crossing game in my life up until New Horizons. Guys, this game is a MUST play. I poured hours and hours into this game. It's addicting and relaxing. It's different from what I normally play, and I like that aspect! If you own a Nintendo Switch purchasing this game is a must. The updates that are released for this game are top notch as well.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: This is one of my favorite games of all time and I had to revisit it this year. If you own a PC or Xbox make sure that you experience this game. If you're a big fan of Star Wars I can promise you that this game WONT disappoint. You can pick a light side or dark side path with your created character. The planets, the combat, and the choice system in this game are very fulfilling.

Super Mario All Stars: The three games included in this collection are three of my favorite Mario games of all time, so I had no choice but to purchase this collection. Honestly, Super Mario 64 is my favorite Mario game of all time, and Super Mario Galaxy is one of my favorite Wii games. Super Mario Sunshine is a Gamecube favorite. These games play just like I remember them.

Shovel Knight: Shovel Knight is one of the greatest platforming games that I've ever played. I finally got around to beating it this year. Man, this game is worth playing if you enjoy platforming games and a challenge. Even if you don't enjoy challenging platforming games give this game a chance! It's well worth it!

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition: Unfortunately I missed out on playing Xenoblade Chronicles during the Wii years. However, the Definitive Edition is one of my favorite RPG games now. I'm the type of gamer that enjoys tons and tons of side quests. Xenoblade is loaded with side quests and it's great. The combat system is enjoyable and I got the hang of it pretty quick. Eventually I'll get my hands on Xenoblade 2 when I catch up on my backlog of games.

Pokemon Sword and Shield: Ah, the ever so controversial Pokemon Sword and Shield. I've enjoyed these games a lot. The Galar region is very vast, and the atmosphere is nice. Make sure that you play the Isle of Armor DLC. The Crown Tundra DLC is a vey fun time. Experiencing the Dynamax Adventures is a must. This game released last year, and I'm still playing it regularly to this very day. I'll be very interested to see what's next for Pokemon with the 25th anniversary looming.

Torchlight II: Dungeon Crawlers are some of my favorite game genres. Torchlight II scratches that "Dungeon Crawler itch" that I always have. Destroying things and looting. It's a lot of fun to me. This game is very rewarding with the loot that you receive. There's many fun skills in the game, and the character classes are very good. If Dungeon Crawlers are your thing play this game.

Streets of Rage 4: I'm a Streets of Rage fanboy. The Sega Genesis was the first ever console that I received as a kid. Streets of Rage 4 is a very fun beat 'em up game. If you have Xbox Game Pass you can experience this game with Game Pass, or you can also play it on the Nintendo Switch and PS4. The star moves are fun to use and I really enjoy the animations. Streets of Rage 2 has one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time, but the soundtrack in Streets of Rage 4 is definitely enjoyable.

Doom Eternal: This is by far one of my favorite FPS games ever! The levels are incredible and the demons are definitely fun to vanquish. You will have many weapons at your disposal. The gameplay is incredibly fluid and I enjoyed the story. If you enjoy Doom lore there's tons of hidden lore around the world. As far as aesthetics are concerned this game is wonderful. Beautiful, brutal, grisley fun all around. If you enjoy a challenge the games bosses won't disappoint you assuming that you aren't playing on easy mode.

 

[Rockeet]

I think that cyberpunk is the most anticipated game of 2020

 

[The Mega Champion]

The Mega Champion's Game of the Year 2020

What to keep in mind: I go by what I play in the year. So it doesn't matter what year the game actually came out. Also my list only consists of 3 with a special mention

*Overall Special Mention Award: Pokemon Sword (Switch) (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/switch/259372-pokemon-sword)

The complaints about this game are all BS whiny ass baby complaints as far as I'm concerned. This was the most fun Pokemon game I've played since X/Y. I had so much more fun playing this than I did S/US combined. It was just overall better in general than Gen. 7/Alola by leaps and bounds as well. Every time I played this game I had fun. The DLC was great too. Particularly Crown Tundra. As I said before... CALYREX NEW BEST LEGEND.

Am I doing all of this just to spite the whiny ass baby complainers? I suppose I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. But, for me at least, this game deserves the overall special mention.

#3: Tales of Zestiria (PS4) (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/168513-tales-of-zestiria)

In a similar manner to what I talked about before... I honestly don't know why I stopped playing this series. I clearly shouldn't have. Lesson learned I suppose. In a similar manner to Pokemon Sword... this game is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It really isn't. Although I suppose I should say for me it wasn't. But I just really don't think it's as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Yes the camera angels get really bad a lot during battles and always at the worst possible time... but I just sort of learned to adapt to it and deal with it. The system is bit convoluted and hard to understand as well. But again I adapted and dealt with it. Other than that... the characters are great, the story is great, and it was just an overall great game.

Even my frustration with the over-the-top ridiculous difficulty at times during main game final boss and endgame DLC dungeon... I just couldn't make myself hate it. I really couldn't. I refused to hate it because of that. In the end, as far as I'm concerned, this game was great and isn't as bad and everyone claims it is. Whether or not you choose to try it out for yourself is up to you entirely.

#2 (GOTY Runner-Up): Tales of Berseria (PS4) (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/167071-tales-of-berseria)

What's this? 2 Tales of games in a row?! INCONCEIVABLE!! Yeah well they deserve it as far as I'm concerned. Particularly this one. This one was probably the most unique game I played all year and definitely the best Tales of game I played since Symphonia. Though that doesn't really say all that much considering the fact that Symphonia and the sequel everyone hates are literally the only other Tales of games I've played. You actually technically play as villains in this game. That's why it's so unique. There aren't a lot of games out there where you play as the villains. I haven't played something like that in a LONG time, possibly ever.

They're lovable though. That's what makes it so great. The battles are chaotic fun too. Characters are great and hilarious as are the skits and the story is pretty damn good too and gets even better around mid to endgame. It was just an overall fantastic experience that I don't think I'll be forgetting anytime soon. This got me back into the Tales of franchise and now I'm never leaving it ever again. Sure not all the games are created equally but considering that I like most of the games I play (with exceptions) I don't think this franchise will be disappointing me anytime soon.

Game of the Year 2020 (#1)

​

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/805874-final-fantasy-type-0-hd)

For the first time since Final Fantasy XV... the Final Fantasy franchise has taken my GOTY crown once again.

GOOD GOD. THIS GAME. WHY THE HELL DID I NOT PLAY THIS EARLIER?! WHEN IT CAME OUT?! SERIOUSLY?! WHY?!

Honestly... I wish I knew the answer to that myself. I suppose it doesn't matter now. But still. Regardless... EVERYTHING about this game was FREAKING AMAZING. Soundtrack was A+, Gameplay was A+, Story was A+, characters were A+, THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE WAS JUST A+++++++

It's also kind of like a fusion between Final Fantasy and Persona. Because it's a group of high school students trying to save the world. You even get 'Free Time' to do whatever you want between missions and stuff. I mean sure... the ending... is sad and middle finger-ish... but I couldn't hate the game for it. I just couldn't do it. Because for one, it made sense, and for two, everything else in this game was just so god damn good I couldn't bring myself to hate it just for the ending. Which is pretty much the exact opposite of FFXV. I was hoping for something better for the conclusion for that game. My reward? A middle finger. Which I didn't appreciate at all. That wasn't the case for this game though. Not at all. I loved it too much to let something like that bring it down for me.

I can't praise this game enough. I really can't. This was probably the best Final Fantasy game I've played in a VERY LONG TIME. Possibly OF ALL TIME. That's how good it was and how much I liked it. It's just unfortunate that the teaser of a sequel at the end will never be made due to the team breakup. I'D PLAY A SEQUEL IN A HEARTBEAT. But oh well. Maybe it's better off just being a one-off. Considering how damn good this game is and was and how much I liked it. Nothing really came close to beating this game. It really didn't. I thought Tales of Berseria might come close, and I guess it did, but this game was just so damn good that even Berseria couldn't overtake it.

Either way... I can only hope stuff like Final Fantasy 7 Remake (Part 1) and Final Fantasy XVI are half as good as this game. We shall see I suppose.

 

[oarfish]

Here are my top games of 2020.
I am not sure which I liked the most, but here are my favorites I have played this year. Some of them were not released this year of course, but I did buy several games that were released this year.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons:
Yeah, I played this a lot during quarantine. It's been a good outlet not only for stress, isolation, and other such quarantine-related effects, but also for creativity, planning, and organizational skills. From working out the layout for my island to organizing my activities when I play, I've enjoyed playing this game for so many reasons. I haven't played much lately (including some recent events I've yet to do), but I've been hoping to play more soon.

Pokemon DLC:
The idea for DLC instead of new versions of the games is something that sounded like an interesting idea when I first heard it, and after I've played it, I think it was implemented quite well here. More areas, more storylines, more Pokemon (both old and new). I like the Dynamax Adventures idea, and it seems to be done well enough. I'd prefer that for saved legendary Pokemon, you could choose not to have to go through all the battles before getting back to it (if only for shiny hunting purposes). Also, being able to save only three legendary Pokemon is FAR too few. We should have at least 10 or so. Also, I would have liked ways to get more Kubfus and ways to get both forms of Urshifu.

Control:
I was recommended this game on the "What games should I get?" thread here on these forums, and I am so appreciative for that recommendation. I'm not usually a "single player storyline only" games, but after playing this game, I may look into more of them. Let me put it this way: I knew this game had stellar reviews, and I read during my research into this game that the company who made this game is well-respected, but damn... I've been enjoying this game. So much of it is just brilliant: the combat (the weapon forms and the fun-as-hell telekinetic abilities), the locations (they're so inventive without being frustrating to navigate), the storyline (being fascinatingly mysterious with otherworldly elements that are beautiful without being too creepy or horror-like). Just, damn... This game is good.

These are my top three games for this year. They're all different sorts of games, which shows how varied my interests are.
Some other games I've played for the first time this year include: Paper Mario: The Origami King, Super Mario 3D All Stars, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and the Smash Bros. DLC that was released this year. I also bought Pikmin 3 Deluxe, but I have only played the demo for it so far (I've been busy lately).

 

[Storm the Lycanroc]

I haven't purchased many games that came out this year. Instead I've been relying on nostalgic memories for older games to get me through the trials of 2020.

So my favorite games I did play this year are:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution + Mankind Divided (PC) - I was feeling nostalgic for Human Revolution and decided to purchase both games since I have a PC that can run them now. Mankind Divided was very enjoyable since it has a variety of playstyles to use. With this type of gameplay in mind the developers made sure each level had multiple ways to accomplish objectives. Can say this is the first action game I've played in 60 FPS and will admit I see why it's more appealing than 30 FPS.

Grey Goo (PC) - I grew up playing RTS games and have been interested in Grey Goo since it came out. I wasn't able to play it until recently when I got a new PC. Can say Petroglyph Studios knows what they're doing since many of their developers worked on the Command & Conquer series which started the RTS genre. Gameplay is solid, each faction is unique from the other, and there's lots of different strategies to use.

 

[WishIhadaManafi5]

Played a mix of different games this year.

Pokemon Shield - Been playing though this game since last year, and the add on DLC, made the game that much more fun to play.

Tumblestone - A fun puzzle game that is worth picking up.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Glad I picked this up. A nice mood booster throughout 2020.

Salt and Sanctuary - Glad I double dipped for this game. It plays as well on the Switch as it does on the Vita. It's bloody, hack and slashing fun.

A Short Hike - A nice adventure where you play as a bird. Well worth picking up.

Cat Quest - Fun rpg adventure, that has a bit of a learning curve.

Dead Dungeon - A nice rogue like platformer.

Island Saver - A fun, free game that's educational to boot.

Magicat - A nice little platformer, similar to Mario.

Super Battle Cards - A fun time wasting RPG card game.

The Flame in the Flood - A fun action, adventure game in a similar vein to Oregon Trail.

What the Golf - A golf game with a good sense of humor.

Super Mario Maker 2 - Love this game.

The Mahjong Huntress - A good murder mystery game, mixed with the game of mahjong.

 

[shoz999]

The Mega Champion's Game of the Year 2020

What to keep in mind: I go by what I play in the year. So it doesn't matter what year the game actually came out. Also my list only consists of 3 with a special mention

*Overall Special Mention Award: Pokemon Sword (Switch) (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/switch/259372-pokemon-sword)

The complaints about this game are all BS whiny ass baby complaints as far as I'm concerned. This was the most fun Pokemon game I've played since X/Y. I had so much more fun playing this than I did S/US combined. It was just overall better in general than Gen. 7/Alola by leaps and bounds as well. Every time I played this game I had fun. The DLC was great too. Particularly Crown Tundra. As I said before... CALYREX NEW BEST LEGEND.

Am I doing all of this just to spite the whiny ass baby complainers? I suppose I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. But, for me at least, this game deserves the overall special mention.

#3: Tales of Zestiria (PS4) (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/168513-tales-of-zestiria)

In a similar manner to what I talked about before... I honestly don't know why I stopped playing this series. I clearly shouldn't have. Lesson learned I suppose. In a similar manner to Pokemon Sword... this game is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It really isn't. Although I suppose I should say for me it wasn't. But I just really don't think it's as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Yes the camera angels get really bad a lot during battles and always at the worst possible time... but I just sort of learned to adapt to it and deal with it. The system is bit convoluted and hard to understand as well. But again I adapted and dealt with it. Other than that... the characters are great, the story is great, and it was just an overall great game.

Even my frustration with the over-the-top ridiculous difficulty at times during main game final boss and endgame DLC dungeon... I just couldn't make myself hate it. I really couldn't. I refused to hate it because of that. In the end, as far as I'm concerned, this game was great and isn't as bad and everyone claims it is. Whether or not you choose to try it out for yourself is up to you entirely.

#2 (GOTY Runner-Up): Tales of Berseria (PS4) (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/167071-tales-of-berseria)

What's this? 2 Tales of games in a row?! INCONCEIVABLE!! Yeah well they deserve it as far as I'm concerned. Particularly this one. This one was probably the most unique game I played all year and definitely the best Tales of game I played since Symphonia. Though that doesn't really say all that much considering the fact that Symphonia and the sequel everyone hates are literally the only other Tales of games I've played. You actually technically play as villains in this game. That's why it's so unique. There aren't a lot of games out there where you play as the villains. I haven't played something like that in a LONG time, possibly ever.

They're lovable though. That's what makes it so great. The battles are chaotic fun too. Characters are great and hilarious as are the skits and the story is pretty damn good too and gets even better around mid to endgame. It was just an overall fantastic experience that I don't think I'll be forgetting anytime soon. This got me back into the Tales of franchise and now I'm never leaving it ever again. Sure not all the games are created equally but considering that I like most of the games I play (with exceptions) I don't think this franchise will be disappointing me anytime soon.

Game of the Year 2020 (#1)

​

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/805874-final-fantasy-type-0-hd)

For the first time since Final Fantasy XV... the Final Fantasy franchise has taken my GOTY crown once again.

GOOD GOD. THIS GAME. WHY THE HELL DID I NOT PLAY THIS EARLIER?! WHEN IT CAME OUT?! SERIOUSLY?! WHY?!

Honestly... I wish I knew the answer to that myself. I suppose it doesn't matter now. But still. Regardless... EVERYTHING about this game was FREAKING AMAZING. Soundtrack was A+, Gameplay was A+, Story was A+, characters were A+, THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE WAS JUST A+++++++

It's also kind of like a fusion between Final Fantasy and Persona. Because it's a group of high school students trying to save the world. You even get 'Free Time' to do whatever you want between missions and stuff. I mean sure... the ending... is sad and middle finger-ish... but I couldn't hate the game for it. I just couldn't do it. Because for one, it made sense, and for two, everything else in this game was just so god damn good I couldn't bring myself to hate it just for the ending. Which is pretty much the exact opposite of FFXV. I was hoping for something better for the conclusion for that game. My reward? A middle finger. Which I didn't appreciate at all. That wasn't the case for this game though. Not at all. I loved it too much to let something like that bring it down for me.

I can't praise this game enough. I really can't. This was probably the best Final Fantasy game I've played in a VERY LONG TIME. Possibly OF ALL TIME. That's how good it was and how much I liked it. It's just unfortunate that the teaser of a sequel at the end will never be made due to the team breakup. I'D PLAY A SEQUEL IN A HEARTBEAT. But oh well. Maybe it's better off just being a one-off. Considering how damn good this game is and was and how much I liked it. Nothing really came close to beating this game. It really didn't. I thought Tales of Berseria might come close, and I guess it did, but this game was just so damn good that even Berseria couldn't overtake it.

Either way... I can only hope stuff like Final Fantasy 7 Remake (Part 1) and Final Fantasy XVI are half as good as this game. We shall see I suppose.

Final Fantasy Type-0 is one of those games that makes you wonder... why wasn't this it's own numbered Final Fantasy Game like Final Fantasy Versus XIII? If they ever make a sequel/game in the Agito-verse (which is technically part of FF13's verse), it deserves a numbered title like Ivalice.

 

[The Mega Champion]

Final Fantasy Type-0 is one of those games that makes you wonder... why wasn't this it's own numbered Final Fantasy Game like Final Fantasy Versus XIII? If they ever make a sequel/game in the Agito-verse (which is technically part of FF13's verse), it deserves a numbered title like Ivalice.

True pretty much.

Unfortunately the friend that recommended it to me also told me the team broke up after it's release so another game in the universe/sequel will more than likely never happen

 

[TheCharredDragon]

Okay I'm finally getting around to this...

Anyways last year I played quite a few games but only actually beat a couple of them. I could include the ones I didn't beat but I'm not gonna since I'm still playing them. Either way, these are the ones I remember beating. I may or may not have done more and if I do, I'll edit it. So here we go!

Also it's more or less in order of how much I liked them, but I more or less had fun playing them.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow: After playing the first game, Aria of Sorrow, and enjoying it so much, I of course played its sequel and...while I don't regret playing it and still had fun going through it, by the end I only really played it to see the end of Soma's story. The gameplay was somehow not as fun as Aria, I think because it felt slower than it, and while the sealing mechanic wasn't as annoying as some might make it out to be, I will agree the last seal you use is SO FREAKIN ANNOYING TO REGISTER ON THE GAME. So yeah.

Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright: I will say one thing first: I VASTLY prefer Conquest over this. While I was fine with Birthright at first, by the end I was just playing to see for myself how the story went. Yes I know the story of Fates is by far one of the worst, if not THE worst, in all of Fire Emblem, but I actually like plenty of thr characters from this game. I did, however, have lots of fun with the final chapter for one reason and one reason only: figuring out and actually beating it in one turn. Yeah I know the game is easy, but I was laughing so hard about that since that isn't an opportunity you can do in most endgame maps.

Steins;Gate: Ah Steins;Gate. I basically started this because of my love for the Zero Escape series and it did not dissapoint. The time-travel, the characters and story were great. Both emotional and hilarious, especially in its references to other media. I will admit I decided to use a guide to get the true ending but I did get every other ending that wasn't Mayuri's and oh my gosh these endings get pretty dark and/or depressing. Also I more or less knew how the plot was going to go because of reading it not too long ago but I still loved seeing it unfold.

Danganronpa: Another VN series, this time one I started just because I felt like it and oh boy I loved it. I loved the music, the gameplay, while a bit rough around the edges at points, was pretty good for what it is, and I love the characters and plot. I will say I love-hate Monokuma (or I guess you know who behind it but I mean more Monokuma itself than them) because on one hand he's hilarious and self-aware he can be but on the other hand I hate how mocking that becomes when he's, well, being mean to the characters. And his theme is so catchy but I don't like that it's HIS. Hopefully will either play or watch the rest of the series.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia: I actually beat the main story of Echoes the year before last, but I'm including it here since, well, this a list of games I played last year, and also because I FINALLY beat the post game dungeon. I had originally wanted to only do it without maxing the stats of the team I decided on, but after resetting for good level ups until I maxed their levels and then going through the dungeon several times, I caved in and maxed the stats of my most important units in my team by using the Pitchforks to make them mercenaries temporarily before returning them to their default class tree. I don't regret it one bit. Also Leon has grown on me a lot because of this, even before I maxed his stats because he was the one that already had pretty high stats before I did the reset-for-good-RNG grinding.

Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War: And here it is. The game that, as far as I know, a lot of Fire Emblem fans consider one of the greatest games of the series and I will say, I wasn't really sold on it at first, though it was still a Fire Emblem game so I was still pretty addicted playing it. But when I started playing this, it was a couple of years ago and the only experience I had were the GBA games. Now though getting back into it, there's just something about its gameplay that has its charm and if I think less that one chapter is one way too big map and more one castle/area of each chapter is like one chapter in other FE games, it's fine. I will say one thing though: OH MY GOSH I HATE THE PEGASUS SISTERS ON THE FINAL MAP. They took WAY longer to beat than the frickin' final boss. Yeah I know that final bosses in FE usually aren't that hard but to prove the point on how hard they were for me: I spent three to five days, about two hours each, trying to beat them. Once I beat them, I beat the game in about thirty minutes to an hour. THAT'S how hard they were. Either way, I do quite like this game. It's high on my favs but it ain't my number one. I would totally recommend any FE fan to at lesst give it a chance.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor: This was my first SMT game and oh boy am I glad it is. I picked this because of it being SMT × Fire Emblem in gameplay while the story is more like usual SMT games, except this time the gigantic test on humanity is people trapped in a lockdown (yes a lockdown, that word will never be the same again) in Tokyo and the people in there gaining the ability to control demons through these things called COMPs and now you have to choose what route and ending you will take, Chaos, Neutral or Law. And simply put: I LOVE the gameplay and the story. As a Persona and FE fan, the combination of demon battles, skills and fusing with tactics, movement and unique units just hit so many pointd for me. The story, though maybe not the deepest thing out there, really got me thinking and had me learn more of myself actually when I realized the path I wanted to take by the end was different than what I expected to take as the ending that actually resonated with me the most was not the one I thought I'd go with: a Chaos one. So yeah, absolutelt love it and will probably complete it all over again for the other routes/ending. Especially when NG+ making it sooooo much fun... Mwahahaha! DIE ALL WHO HAVE STOPPED BE BEFORE!

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth: And of course my "number one" of 2020 is this one. I LOVE Persona and this game scratched both the gameplay aspect of it (minus the social sim elements but the vrossover aspect more than made up for it) and my want for these characters I love in the story. I get to see interactions between the casts of P3, P3P, P4G and P5 meet each other and I get to use them all as we go through the labyrinths listening to awesome music, get into both riduclous and interesring situations...and destroy Shadows with lots and lots of strategy and STYLE. Also the improvements of the gameplay compared to Q was greatly appreciated. Also also though I wished it had a dub, I'm totally fine with the Japanese voices. So yeah. Would totally rec this to any Persona fan.