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Addfwyn

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Best of 2020

2020 has been...a year, that's for sure. The pandemic has hit people's lives in a myriad of ways, and while it directly affected me very little it has had a profound effect on the industry as a whole.

It hasn't been without its good points though either. 2020 is probably the best year in gaming that I can remember, maybe in my lifetime. Basically any one of my top 10 would be an easy GOTY contender in any other year. If you don’t see a big name title on this list, it is probably just because the level of competition is higher than it has ever been before.

List items

  • I am not surprised that a Supergiant title makes this list, but I am very surprised that it actually beat out games I consider almost perfect for the top slot. It really is just that good though. In the first 3 days it was out, I put close to 40 hours into it, and when I wasn’t playing it I was thinking about playing it. It has all the hallmarks of a great SG title, with top-notch production values (Seriously, I think Darren Korb beats out almost every other game composer out there at this point) centered around an extremely satisfying roguelite loop. No run felt wasted, and I always felt like I was getting enough upgrades and skill to always be pushing a little bit further. All that is secondary to what I think is the game’s biggest accomplishment: tying the narrative satisfyingly into the death loop. Not only do I think this game has a great story for a roguelite, it is a story that works only BECAUSE it is a roguelite. In a genre not traditionally known for story at all, that is a very impressive feat. If you pick up Hades, and you should, don’t just stop after one full clear. Keep going until you at least see credits, it’s worth it. At the time of writing I am about 60 runs in, with about 30 of those being clears. I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.

    The ONLY thing I can think of is I wish this game was on more platforms so I could buy it more and give the devs more money. At only about $20-25 USD, the game is a steal already. I am eagerly awaiting a PS4/5 port just so I can play it through again for the trophies. It is also too bad that Supergiant doesn’t have much history with DLC, because this title is ripe for it.

  • I think there has never been a year with a wow expansion where it wasn’t my GOTY. It is a testament to the quality of Hades that it beat out not just any wow expansion, but maybe the best expansion in the history of the game.

    A few things really impress me with Shadowlands. Of course visiting this plane of reality we have known about since Chronicles is interesting to a lore nerd, and seeing it realized by the outstanding art team is a treat. Say what you will about the game, but I don’t think there has ever been a negative word to be said about the art team’s work, even in the worst regarded expansions.

    It isn’t just that though, as it shows a degree of forethought into the story that predates what anyone could have expected. There are parts of Shadowlands that were alluded to in WotLK. That is an expansion that released 12 years ago. 12 years of foresight is staggering, especially in an industry where you can’t be certain something will be active for one year. Who knows what they have planned five years from now, or ten? What seeds did they plant back in Mists or Cataclysm that haven’t been discovered at all yet. It is extremely exciting to see this kind of thing.

    None of this would matter if Shadowlands played badly, but WoW is still the king of integrating story and gameplay in a way that no other MMO has been able to capture. Shadowlands doesn’t disappoint there. Central to the story and gameplay systems of SL is the Covenant system. This system has impact on everything you do in the entire expansion, and strongly encourages you to really have 4 characters to properly see the whole story. This puts it at a nice balance between Battle for Azeroth’s two (one of each faction) and Legion’s twelve (One of every class). Every Covenant is very compelling to me, and they all offer their own story and rewards that make you feel unique. It is reminiscient of seeing the cool Class Order stuff other classes had in Legion and wanting to try that class out.

  • I think to anyone who has played this to completion, this entry shouldn’t be a surprise. The only big surprise might be that it “only” makes it to number 3 on my list. A sequel to a title that I consider the best game ever made, not to mention the definitive ‘yes’ to the question of games as an artform, even I was initially skeptical. TLOU1 was a perfect title, it didn’t need a sequel; honestly, I still don’t think it needs one, it stands by itself just fine. However, they made one and they exceeded themselves in every capacity. Whether that was the non-stop story beats, the action, or the stealth, everything has been expanded on since the first entry. It is very rare that I cry in a game, and even less common that I have to literally go take a walk to calm myself down from the shock. Both happened numerous times throughout this game.

    This was a title, despite loving, I did have my ups and downs with. However, those downs were all intentional aspects of the design. Was I initially surprised and taken aback by the mid-game twist so many people were upset about? Absolutely. However, it was necessary for the story that they were trying to tell and only increased the impact of key later scenes. Just like its predecessor it is also very emotionally draining, and I could never play it for long periods of time.

    The only real issue I could see people having is not being in an emotional state to deal with such a dark time when real life is already a pretty close to it. Escapism, this is not. That is a totally understandable position to be in, and the game will still be around in a year or two when things are looking better.

  • This is kind of the year of remakes in many ways, and Royal is a really good one of those. This is another title I wasn’t sure we needed, the base P5 is not so old that it really needed a remaster or remake, it is still a title that holds up very well and is one of my favourite JRPGs of all time. However, Royal actually adds so much that it makes it very worthwhile.

    My first impression of Royal was that it was some nice adjustments to a great game. Streamlined early portions of the game, nice interface and usability changes, and some dungeon revamps that all make this the best version of the original title. I cannot in good faith recommend the base to anyone except the absolute most price conscious consumer, because Royal fixes so much. The changes to the ammo mechanics (ammo is on a per fight basis rather than per dungeon) alone makes this the better title.

    Royal isn’t just a refinement of old content though. There are two new confidants, one a new actual playable character, with another one entirely reworked. There’s a new dungeon level in the procedurally generated Mementos. Most importantly, there is an entirely new semester to the game. No, not ‘just’ a new dungeon, but an entirely new semester worth of content to go through. The new semester is an Urusei Yatsura Beautiful Dreamer level of mindfuck that is almost worth the price of entry by itself.

    The new content is very back loaded to be fair, and asking people to get through 100+ hours to get to the new stuff is a big ask. Even more if people want to see some of the NG+ content that has been added. For people who played the first game extensively, that is anywhere from 300-400 total hours spent in P5. That is a staggering amount that may not be for everyone. For a newcomer or diehard series fan, it is worth it.

  • Hey it’s another remake! This one is the long awaited FF7 remake, a title that I was pretty much apathetic about in the lead up to the release. I love FF, but 7 had always been a middle of the road entry to me. Totally serviceable but not standing amongst the greats of the series for me, and nothing I feel really warranted a remake.

    FF7 Remake changed all of that, and is actually one of my favourite entries in the series. This isn’t the simple HD version of the original that so many people expected or wanted (and some still want). This was a full reimagining of what FF7 was. Not only have they fleshed out characters or improved on the battle system, but they have actually set up an entirely new story. This story has the type of intricacies that only Nomura can pull off, and I have never been more excited for FF7 than I am now.

    The only big flaws for me were the fairly uninteresting sidequests, and how many times the platinum required replaying chapter 9. Seriously I never want to see those robot hands ever again.

  • My favourite medieval incest simulator. CK3 strikes the perfect balance between expanding on the original game and removing a lot of the clutter that years and years of DLC had grafted on. It is also a way better looking experience and the most approachable the series has ever been. It’s still daunting to get into, but CK3 is still relatively easier than its predecessor.

    There are certain mechanics that people are going to miss, depending what drew them to CK2. It would be impossible to include everything from the myriad DLC into the base here, but they do an excellent job of selecting from the best features. Personally I am a bit disappointed that there are no supernatural elements in the game as it stands now; magical superpowers from secret societies, immortality, and anachronistic Aztecs raiding Europe were among my favourite aspects of CK2. Still those weren’t popular with everyone and this allows those features to be added later for people who specifically want them and allows the more historically accurate players to ignore them.

  • The long running Yakuza series has always had something of a cult following in the west, with its mix of dark gritty Japanese crime drama with crazy Japanese game design antics. However, the connected nature of the games has made it a pretty daunting series to get into. LAD starts with a new story arc with a new major character, along with a new battle system. It has a lot for longtime fans of the series but is also a great jumping in point for new players interested in giving the series a shot.

  • When this was first announced, I was pretty much ready to be convinced to give it my goty spot. I do enjoy a good open world and feudal Japan is pretty much my aesthetic. Non-fantastical feudal Japan is not a setting that is explored very often or very well, so Tsushima does a fantastic job in that regard. It is probably one of the most beautiful games I have ever played as well. It doesn’t live up to what I imagined it might be in my head, but that is through no fault of the game.

    There really isn’t much more to say about Tsushima, both to its credit or detriment. It is ultimately a really good One of Those. It’s an ubisoft style open world adventure game, and it does that very well but does nothing to reinvent or push that genre forward as much as I was hoping. If you like Kurosawa samurai movies, this will probably be your jam. If you like more fantastical or western sensibilities, you probably won’t find much exciting here. It is by no means bad, but it is up against a very stacked deck this year. If it released a year sooner, it would easily be a top 3 contender for me.

  • Othercide was kind of my unexpected surprise that came out of nowhere this year. In short, it is a dark stylistic roguelite XCom. There really isn’t a whole lot to say past that, it leans heavily on the kind of plague doctor horror aesthetic that has become pretty popular in gaming recently. Admittedly that is 110% my aesthetic. Past the striking looks, it has pretty tight gameplay design that encourages multiple failed runs to eventually complete. It is a little bit light on the strategy layer for a truly engaging XCom style game, but at its budget price it was very enjoyable.

  • Genshin Impact is a free-to-play Anime Gacha Breath of the Wild clone. That says a lot right there, and would probably convince most people to dismiss the title straight out. I will say something absolutely insane to many people right here, but I think Genshin Impact is actually a way better game than Breath of the Wild. Two of the biggest issues I had with BotW, a game I admittedly did not particularly like, were the aimlessness of the open world and the damnable durability system. Combining a game I did not like with a business model I abhor, I was all but ready to throw this one out.

    Similar to BotW, Impact features a huge open world that you are given freedom to explore as you see fit, albeit a bit smaller in scope. However, it feels a lot more populated than Breath of the Wild, and I am always finding things to encourage exploring and puzzle solving. It also doesn’t just throw you in the sandbox and say go. Some people like that, but I like structure in my games. Impact has a much more traditional series of quests to guide you through the world and story, and that really helps those who feel lost at times. If you just want to explore yourself, you can do that too.

    It also eschews the durability system of its predecessor, for fairly obviously reasons. One, that a game that basically sells equipment for real money runs into some real ethical considerations if that weapon breaks after 3-4 hits. Two, because it was a horrible system that almost single-handedly ruined a game for me. Actually being able to use upgrades I get feels very satisfying instead of being forced to packrat them for a rainy day that will probably never come.

    Yes, it is a gacha game, but the business model does not seem that intrusive. There is no competitive aspect to the game really that forces you to one-up other players, so it is really only necessary to spend money for completionists. I have played a fair bit and have never felt that spending real money would have been particularly helpful, the things limiting your progress the most are not something that spending cash on would help.
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