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Rio's Game Of The Year List Version 1.0

When I first thought about what games I played this year I didn't think I would be able to finish a top ten. Yet that was proved wrong once I went over the games that came out this year. A good amount of great games that I didn't get around to this year either.

	1. Hades It's rare to see a game that is just super fun to play. No matter what set of variables come my way I was able to fight my way through them. Each run feels unique thanks to the selection of weapons and challenges that kept me entertained for hours. Plus the fact I played this a lot when it was in early access and after it was released I played it even more says just about everything you need to know. Sure it doesn't hurt that it has a great presentation and some rocking music. All in all a fantastic game. That is why it is my Game Of The Year.
	2. Genshin Impact Like #1 this is a game that I just keep playing. Doesn't hurt that the devlopers keep adding to the game every few months. Plus it's just a great pick up for 30 minutes game and then put it down again. I've had less time to play games lately so it's nice to have a game like this one. Doesn't have the most unique combat system yet the nature of exploring the world is what I ended up enjoying the most. Sure I was mostly just going around collecting random stuff but it just felt right to me. Thus it is my second favorite game this year.
	3. Final Fantasy VII Remake The gigantic task of remaking this game must have been a nearly impossible. Yet it came out and was really good. Paying homage to the original while still adding in new elements worked out for Square Enix. I very rarely play all the side quests in a RPG. But I did that in this one even when they weren't that great. I just wanted to see more of the city of Midgar again. The action based combat and the very challenging boss fights make this a very memorable game. So it's my third favorite game this year.
	4. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix Sega has been making Project Diva games for a while now. They don't really change much from one to another. The rhythm gameplay is still the same as always. Yet the song list changes and surprising enough the new cel shaded art style makes everything a bit more vibrant than before. Solid list of songs and a new mode to use the joycons made this a game I played for a while. For something so high on this list it may sound a bit basic. Yet I really needed something upbeat and positive.
	5. Astro's Playroom A solid platformer that uses nostalgia very well. Plays well too with simple platforming challenges and a good use of the new controller. It may not be complex or long but I just had a smile on my face the entire time. This very much seems like the first big nostalgia play Sony has ever done. Maybe that's why it effected me so much.
	6. Streets of Rage 4 I find it's very hard to make a good feeling beat em up these days. Finding the balance between not just letting your players break the game is not easy. This game manages to do that with the ablity to combo some fools for quite a while with the right mix of special moves. Especially when playing in coop. Enjoyed playing this game that I beat it multiple times which is very rare for a game like this. That is the main reason why this is so high on this list.
	8. Granblue Fantasy: Versus I love fighting games. Not very many came out this year. With this one being the only one on my list. Arc System Works has been trying to make more fighting games that anyone can play. Which always is a double edge sword. But for someone that likes to just jump in for a while it works pretty well. Let's me do some neat combos without to much practice. The story mode in this one is a bit of a let down but the overall fighting system is what I enjoyed the most. Well that and the very well done anime art style that they continue to improve on each time they make a new game.
	7. Ori and the Will of the Wisps Ori 2 really just does everything the first game did but better. All the tools that Ori has now feel great to use. The new 3D art style is just as beautiful as before. Each new area challenged me in a new way. Plus a very well done ending too. All together a great little video game that hit all the right notes.
	9. Bugsnax For a game that I somewhat expected it to be a lighthearted fun time it ended up being a lot more than what it appears to be on the surface. A deep look into a bunch of messed up relationships with some silly bugsnax's shenanigans on the side. None of the gameplay is very complex at all but the slowly revealing nature of the island and it's inhabitants kept me hooked till the end. A worthwhile little adventure that I enjoyed. 10. Helltaker A surprising little game that does more than the free price implies. A silly little story about a idiot protagonist trying to start a demon harem is pretty dumb. Yet the silly humor works most of the time and the block puzzles are fine too. The presentation and music go a long way to make it memorable too. Which is why it managed to barely get on my list this year

I generally do not play enough games released in a current year, but last year I did play more than usual. I still missed a lot of the heavy hitters, but I came up with a list. For some reason though when I used the list button it put them out of order, but they are numbered.

Game of the Year 2020

	1. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 This is one of the best games (to me personally) to come out this entire generation. I have incredibly nostalgia for the original Tony Hawk games, mostly 1-4. I probably played the original demo for the first game more hours than I have most full games. I remember sitting there with headphones on listening to The Offspring's Americana album on repeat trying to get as high a score as I possibly could. Tony Hawk 2 came by and blew my mind even more and I squeezed literally every drop of content from it. This remake of the two games blends together the nostalgia with some great quality of life improvements that make this an absolutely perfect game for me. As I type this I only have 3 achievements left to get, and I fully plan on getting them.
	6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons Boy did this game come out at the right time. I bought a copy for both me and my wife so we could both play at the same time. We both dumped tons of hours in to the game, sometimes just spending hours planting trees, decorating, ect. I did fall off of it pretty hard, but it was the perfect game at the perfect time.
	9. Assassin's Creed Valhalla This is one that easily could have moved up or down on this list. I haven't played it a huge amount yet, but I am enjoying what I have played so far. I still have not enjoyed an Assassin's Creed game as much as Syndicate, but so far I think I am enjoying it more than I did Odyssey. I am really liking the setting so far, and the game looks amazing. At first I was not enjoying the game as much as I had hoped, but as the game progresses it unlocks more skills which I found made the game more enjoyable. I am going to keep going with this one and see how it fares by the time I am done with it.
	10. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War For the first year in a while I almost did not include the new Call of Duty game. I was so let down by the multiplayer in this game. The map design, visual design, sound design, and even the straight up gameplay just doesn't feel nearly as good as Modern Warfare. The game really feels rushed and I wish they would have just continued to put out content for Modern Warfare and delayed this game until next year. The only reason this even made the list this year is because I did really enjoy the campaign, which I usually do with this series.
	4. Yakuza: Like a Dragon I have only just gotten in to the Yakuza series this year. I played through Yakuza 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2. I ended up playing all of these on Xbox thanks to Game Pass. I bought the HD Collection on the PlayStation 4, but ended up deciding to jump in to Like a Dragon first as they announced the HD Collection coming to Xbox early in 2021. I started this game with the English voice acting, which seemed quite good, but I just had to switch back over to the Japanese VO. This game has just as much style and fun as the previous games in the series for sure. I was originally excited about the turn-based combat, but then after playing straight through 3 other games in the series I am having a hard time getting used to it. I haven't quite finished the game yet, but I am still working through it.
	2. Hades I didn't get this one until probably a week or so left of 2020. I started it up with the intent to play it for about 10-20 minutes just to check it out. Well, I ended up playing it for 5 and a half hours instead. I didn't know a whole lot about this before diving in, other than the basic idea of it. I ended up LOVING this game, and honestly it came much closer to Tony Hawk than I would have imagined any game would this year. I really enjoy the "Rogue-Lite" style games, with their being some progression with each run. This game is an entire amazing package from the look, sound, and gameplay.
	3. Call of Duty: Warzone I ended up playing and enjoying Warzone quite a lot more than I did Cold War. This became the go-to game to play online with my group of friends and family. There have been numerous frustrations with overpowered meta and glitches, but I still kept coming back. I still much more prefer the feel of Modern Warfare over many other recent Call of Duty games.
	5. Phantasy Star Online 2 Despite playing a ton on my original Dreamcast back when it was current, I never really played much of the original Phantasy Star Online. I dove in to this game with pretty much no experience and fell in love with it. I played this for many, many hours for sure. It has been many years since I really dove in to an MMO style game and it felt really good to dedicate a lot of time to one again.
	8. Ori and the Will of the Wisps I didn't really love the original Ori game. I couldn't really get in to the traversal and combat, but loved the look. This time around I decided to dedicate more to the sequel. I am not sure what changed, but I fell in love with this game. It looks absolutely fantastic on the Series X and seems to play really well. I love the story telling of this game with no real dialog.
	7. Picross S4 I am always down to play more Picross, so this was a new Picross game that I bought. There isn't much more to say about this one as you all probably know what Picross is.

Games of the Year: 2020

	1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons Even I stopped playing in July, it was an addicting fun game. I had to buy two copies for my family. We competed over collecting stuff and shared islands. I never really developed my dream part of my island.
	2. Persona 4 Golden Steam Version: Boy, I forgot how difficult Persona is when doing a new save file for the first time. I never got to play the Golden version. Being an old game makes you admire how convenient Persona 5 was with their social link and monster collecting system.
	3. Genshin Impact Only played a little bit. My siblings are addicted to it. For a Chinese gacha game that blend Asian inspired lore and 'borrowed' Breath of the Wild's open world without good chemistry/physics mechanic and a bunch of other games, it's enjoyable.
	4. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity I never expected the second Musou/Dynasty Warriors game of Zelda to be great. While the first game was fan service, the second game is surprisingly different. It's all Breath of the Wild and it's canon story. Without spoilers, it's crazy how this game drastically changed the Breath of the Wild mythos. I was expecting PTSD and such. Zelda has an amazing evolution in both Breath of the Wild and this Musou game.
	5. One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 I like Musou games. Been a fan of One Piece Warriors since the first one. The 4th one is the easiest game to complete the achievements. It's the only one because it didn't require 100% coin collection. Gameplay wise - I think #3 had easier controls for me.

I missed the text editor in Giant Bomb. Don't have to do HTML or BBCODE. It's all automated. Reminds me of old Anime Vice. It's so much easier making tables using the list functions.

Here's my list. I didn't play much. Thank you!

I actually didn't know what my top 10 really was until I filled in the community GOTY list, but I feel pretty good about my list, so here goes:

10. Doom Eternal- Truth is, I played exactly 11 2020 games this year. The only one not on the list is Call Of Duty Cold War because I can't really remember anything about it, nothing stood out whatsoever except how much it crashed on my PS4. So Doom Eternal edges it out, not because I loved it, I definitely didn't love it. My biggest complaint is there's just too much of everything. But I do remember playing it, and the parts that I liked were pretty memorable, and that's more than I can say for CoD Black Ops Cold War.

9. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2: I will always play a game like this and enjoy it. But I think this game tried and mostly failed to improve upon its predecessor. I also think the game is entirely too long, the checkpointing sucks, and like Doom Eternal, I think there's just too much of everything, which doesn't make a game better it just makes it more. And I could have used a taste less of this game.

8. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope: I had a fantastic time playing this game, and had a fantastic time watching Vinny and Abby play through it for Extra Life. But I straight up booed out loud when I got the ending I got, and as it turns out, all of the endings for this game are pretty lousy. I read a good article somewhere explaining what they did wrong in the endings and I won't spoil it but yeah. Boo.

7.Cyberpunk 2077: I played through this from start to finish on a PS4 mostly before they started patching it and people started suing them and what not, and I thought the complaints about it being unplayable were exaggerated, or maybe I'm just not sensitive to technical things as most people. My biggest complaints were that the story and the side stuff I was doing and the voice acting all just kinda sucked, but strangely I was compelled for some reason to keep going back and doing more and though I thought I wasn't enjoying it at the time, by the end I was pretty fond of the game and now a month or so removed, I think back about the game pretty fondly as well. I guess I had a better time with it than I thought at the time. Ah, the benefits of hindsight.

6. Carrion: Carrion is not perfect and there are definitely a few things that they should have spent a little more time working on but the game is short enough that I forgive a lot of that. And basically I just think this game fucking rules in spite of its problems and there's no reason to not at least play an hour or so of it.

5. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit: This game is basically the only thing I've ever wanted, which is to make my own Mario Kart courses and race them with an RC car. In that respect, this is my game of the year. But in a more realistic respect, the "game" part of it isn't very good, the physical racing part doesn't always work quite right, and there's really not a lot to do once the novelty wears off, much like every other gimmicky thing Nintendo does. But still, as a "make your own Mario Kart track and then race time trials in your apartment" thing, it is my GOAT.

4. The Last of Us II: I don't have much to say about this game beyond this- I loved it, but not as much as the first game and not as much as Ghost of Tsushima but more than games 6-10 on this list. I think every complaint I've ever heard about this game is 100% justified but I still loved it and am glad I played it. I don't know why I feel the need to point this out again, but there was too much of it. I can't tell if this is a new trend in video games or if it's something I'm just noticing more these days or both, but it seems like my biggest complaint about every game on my list is that there's too much of it.

3. Ghost of Tsushima. Again, all I can say is I loved the game but there was probably too much of it. However, I didn't do much of the side stuff and mostly mainlined the game from start to finish, because I found the story engaging. I didn't find the story perfect and there were a lot of times I rolled my eyes, but not in the way I rolled my eyes at Cyberpunk, which was a whole different kind of eye roll. But I did enjoy my time with it from start to finish and I find myself think about the game a lot for some reason.

2. Hades: This is the best Proper Video Game I played all year, maybe in the last five years. I'm not a roguelike person, I'm not an isometric view video game type person, and I found it kind of insufferable how people would not shut up about this game. And then I played it and now here we are. The game is amazing, and I'm terrible at it. How terrible? I've clocked in over 60 hours and I've completed three runs and I'm playing with God Mode turned on, which I turned on about 40 hours in because I had failed almost 50 runs at that point and didn't finally complete a run until my God Mode resistance was at 42%. So yeah. I haven't seen any stats online that are as poor as mine (and let's face it, nobody wants to admit they're this bad at a game but I'm in my 40s and don't give a fuck who thinks I'm good at games). But if this game wasn't worth all this time and effort, I wouldn't have invested it. And it is worth the time and effort. The only reason it isn't my number one is because of...

1. Animal Crossing: Not really the same kinda thing as Hades, but I put nearly a thousand hours into Animal Crossing and will never forget how it became my home away from home during a very difficult time in my and everybody else's life. I will probably never go back to my town at this point because I just can't bring myself to do it, but that doesn't take away from what this game meant to me. But like I said with Hades, Animal Crossing wasn't really a game to me in the way Hades or the other games were. Animal Crossing was more just an extension of my life for almost 6 months. And I'm not the kind of person who does that typically so to say I did that with New Horizons has kind of a profound effect on me. And I needed profound effects in 2020.

Top Eight of Twenty Twenty

GOTY 2020

The last 3 I haven't put a ton of time in, so the order could move around as I get back to them, but Godfall seems a lot of fun for what it is, and is definitely a "Jason-game".

FNGbomber's Top 8+1 Games of 2020

It's probably too late for this and no one will read it but, damn it, I wrote it and have to post it somewhere!

Even though I played more games this year than usual, few of them were new and worth putting on a top ten list. There are a lot of small games that I wish I’d played; a few of which I’m catching up on just now, giving myself the same deadline as GB. So, this list may change.

	1. The Last of Us Part II I kind of hate myself for putting this up here. A game mired by stories of crunch that turned out very messy. Messy in the way the game is structured and with frustrating moments where narrative emotions don’t coincide with where the player is at and what they control. It’s also hampered by its length. Yet the game as a whole has stuck in my mind the way few have. They went for it with these narrative choices in a way that I’ve seen from few AAA games. Because of this and excellent writing, character development, and voice acting - the game took me on a roller coaster of feelings, especially toward certain characters. I have to give it credit for that. In terms of gameplay, I think it’s one of the best stealth-action games around. I’m even thinking of replaying it in the near future, which I can’t say for many 30+ hour games I beat not too long ago.
	2. Hades This was the game I kept coming back to to cope with the shitty year that was 2020. It’s incredible and everyone knows why so I won’t reiterate it here.
	3. Final Fantasy VII Remake I had no expectations for this game - having little history with the original - but the demo hooked me with its rewarding and engaging combat system. I then played a bit of the original in the run-up to release, to get a sense of how the remake differed. And I have to say, the way they manage to flesh out such a small chapter of the original is really impressive. They brought to life characters that just had a few lines in the original and created - out of whole cloth - sequences that turned out to be some of my favorite moments in the game. I need to finish it still before GOTY; I burned out some towards the end. The side quests are also mostly throwaway, but despite this, the game deserves top three in my list.
	4. Assassin's Creed Valhalla This is another game that shouldn’t have a right to be here. I thought I was done with Ubisoft open world games. Valhalla, however, struck a very addicting balance for me. It brings back elements of the classic ACs like giving you the freedom to tackle assassinations however you please. I loved sneaking into a stronghold, making my way up to the target and then blowing the viking horn - to call for a raid - then completing the hit as I escaped in the ensuing mayhem. This game has an air of dynamism that’s been missing in the series for a while. If I wasn’t raiding with my crew, I was having one-off personable moments in the game’s oddball mysteries (side encounters); or I was engaged in clever and rewarding treasure hunts. This harmony of threads hooked me and made Valhalla one of the best in the series.
	5. Signs of the Sojourner Signs of the Sojourner is a game about the struggles of communication - about getting on with other people and losing touch with your roots, or vice versa depending on how you play. It has themes of ecological disaster and inequality within a unique post-post-apocalyptic setting. All of this is presented in a charming and chill, aesthetically pleasing pseudo-deck puzzler(?) If you ever want a game to relax to while being contemplative, check this out!
	6. SOMA Every year I play an older game that I wish I’d played sooner so that I could sing its praises then. Soma was that game this year. I won’t get into it for fear of spoiling this overlooked horror masterpiece (I wrote more detailed spoilery thoughts on why this game has one of the best narratives in my Games Journal list). Don’t let the horror trappings dissuade you from experiencing this game; play the mode where you can’t die if you have to.
	7. Ghost of Tsushima The combat alone pushed me through this game. Here’s a “haiku”: Reflect on Ghost... Carrot-on-stick good Generic open-world game Comfort food, popped corn
	8. Wasteland 3 These next two are more honorable mentions because I didn't play enough of them.
	9. Crusader Kings III

Special shout out to a game I'm currently playing not in the wiki: Boreal Tenebrae Act I: "I Stand Before You, A Form Undone". A surrealist adventure (in the vein of Kentucky Route Zero) about an industrial town on the brink of collapse.

* = unbeaten (and obviously you can't really beat Animal Crossing). Also #s 1-5 = some of my favorite gaming experiences of this entire generation.

*1) 13 Sentinels: Ageis Rim (2020)

I'm only half way through so maybe this is premature-- BUT hot damn if this isn't one of the densest, headiest and most captivating stories I've ever experienced in a video game. It's a blast to pick a part the story chapter by chapter, character by character while the twists pile up and the pieces come together. I've also enjoyed the RTS(ish) elements although they are a touch too easy thus far.

GIVE THIS GAME A CHANCE GUYS!

2) Red Dead Redemption 2 (2017)

It took me half the year to chip away at and beat this game. The shooting heavy missions got a touch redundant over the course of the game, but the world was a wonder to explore. The story was also thematically rich and left me satisfied upon it's conclusion.

*3) Dead Cells (2017)

I had never been able to get into rouge-lites and struggled to get into Bloodborne after getting stuck at the second boss years ago. I hate the feeling of having an hour of progress wiped clean by a death. Dead Cells solves that by making the checkpoints frequent enough (or the levels succinct enough) that you never feel too robbed by a death. The mechanics of the hack n slash feel incredibly satisfying. Meanwhile, the MANY weapons add a diversity to playstyle that keeps things fresh. I've gotten to the final boss multiple times without beating him and have finally fallen off, but I know I will return eventually.

4) The Last of Us 2 (2020)

The first Last of Us is tied with Conker's Bad Fur Day as my favorite game of all-time. The sequel wasn't quite as enthralling as its predecessor (even if the gameplay was a bit sharper). There were a couple pacing issues IMO and the final act felt a touch long. That said, I deeply respect the development team's willingness to make a game in which you feel grimey for the actions you are forced to take as a character. I appreciate the way in which the game completely destroys the traditional relationship between player and protagonist. And I was left thinking after finishing the game which is the mark of any great work of art.

5) Tony Hawk 1+2 Remasters (2020)

A flawless remastering of two classics. Both I and my roommates were addicted all summer. Technically, I only beat the first one while merely dabbling in the second one.

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6) Mirror's Edge: Catalyst (2016)

The first MIrror's Edge is one of my favorite games and I had put off playing Catalyst out of fear of disappointment. In reality, Catalyst is a very flawed game-- full of little imperfections that are noticeable (and like the first one, has a story not worth paying attention too). I disliked that the game removed weapons from your arsenal because it led to the main story missions being less intense and / or memorable than in the original... AND YET, the core platforming mechanics are so strong that I still enjoyed the shit out of my time with this game. It was a blast to orb hunt, perfect speed runs or just explore the world specifically because seeing something on the map often meant problem solving how to parquor my way to it. It took me around 40 hours to beat the Mirror's Edge Catalyst and, by the end, I was sad that it was over. (And that there probably won't be a sequel).

7) Animal Crossing New Horizons (2020)

I put a solid 100 hours into this sucker and very much enjoyed my time. My main critique (with the Gamecube version being the only one I've played-- but I played a TON of it back in HS) is that the villagers aren't nearly as diverse in personality (or eccentric) in New Horizons. There were a bunch of weirdos in the original Animal Crossing and it gave the game a charm, unpredictability and sense of humor that was lacking from this one. Which meant once my island was built, I stopped playing the game, and have felt little desire to return.

8) What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)

Brief but also imaginative, poetic and memorable.

*9) Streets of Rage 4 (2020)

Really, really, well done. Got a couple levels to go as I am beating it co-op with my roommate, but this game nails what a 2d beat-em-up should feel like in the modern age. Plus the soundtrack and graphics are both top notch.

10) Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (2017)

I love everything about this game except the combat which was both repetitive and too easy. Luckily, the action sequences are but a small portion of the game and the puzzle sequences (which make up a larger chunk of the game) were unique and fun. Meanwhile, the story, graphics, sound design were all stunningly well done and work together towards a common theme.

I've always wanted to make a list of my favorite games. It should be pretty easy. Ten bullet points with jokes/puns that ease a reader into some insight into what makes a certain game special. There are plenty of word documents encapsulating my feelings about my favorite games that are unfinished and unseen. That used to feel a bit shameful. I've always loved games criticism and wanted it to be my career. Every piece of writing I created about games started felt like a make or break moment. If it was well received, poof I would magically be whisked away into doing games journalism. The internal pressure, albeit entirely constructed and not particularly rational, was immense. Instead I would leave things unfinished. My dreams could stay alive if I just never tried. Depression. Self-esteem. Lots going on here. But I'm in a better place now. Some work on myself, therapy, lots of changes, and a persistent and undeserved partner have made it so that I feel comfortable putting out a list of ten games on a forum that like ten people may read. That's kinda rad for ME and you know that's enough.

2020's Top 10 Games of the Year: For Me

HONORABLE MENTION: Jet Lancer

This game made me feel like a jet. (This is not to be confused with the other game that made me feel like a jet, 2017's Game of the Year LAWBREAKERS, but since that argument is buried in one of the lists no one ever read, you'll just have to wonder what exactly is wrong with me.) Jet Lancer is a pretty standard shoot 'em up, Luftrausers but fast, minus the part where you have a talking cat that maybe doubles as your mechanic. Controlling your Lancer? Jet?...whatever feels natural. In that every time you hit the boost button it feels like your face is going to tear off. The music seems to fit action on screen like a glove, with the sound effects of missiles, explosions, adding a level of organic percussion that is just lovely. I didn't finish Jet Lancer and while the two bosses I fought were unique and thrilling even at two hours the stock enemies and levels felt repetitive. Still the feeling of playing this game stayed with me all year and so I had to write about it.

And now, after I've scared you off with my unexplained LawBreakers take, the list.

SPOILERS AHEAD. YAR YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

10. 9. Resident Evil 3

A long time ago I convinced my mom that the REmake on Gamecube wouldn't scare me and wasn't that violent. I need to remind her of my maturity to get past that evil Electronics Boutique employee that had the audacity to remind her it was rated M. It did scare me and was that violent. At first I could only play it when a friend was over. Just getting past the first zombie was a feat in and of itself. To even progress in the game I had to use the Item Box dupe cheat to give Jill an essentially infinite grenade launcher. I was still terrified, but eventually beat the game. Since then I've been in love with most things RE. I even read some of the paperback books (just kidding I own all of them). Maybe I saw a few of the movies (also a lie, my wife and I saw most of them in theaters). The whole series as a whole is a mix between things I adore. Horror and Camp. Sometimes the meter has swung to one side or the other, but I still love Resident Evil for being the catalyst that sparked my interest in both genres.

This is another too personal way to say that RE3 was the last game in the series that I had yet to play. All the criticism is right, it's not as good as RE2, Nemesis isn't as interesting as Mr.X, the game is pretty barebones, and the multiplayer was just meh. Still I got to see the cool creatures, act like I wasn't scared event though I was, and most importantly explore a "new" bit of the RE world.

Also that railgun scene is just MWAH.

9. 8. Last of Us Part II: Abby's Story Edition

To properly encapsulate my thoughts on this would take me writing an outline and doing some serious long form writing. None of which the internet needs, especially about this game in particular. There are a lot of hot takes, bad-faith takes, and generally smarter takes out there. Read those I guess. Personally I liked Abby and found her story relatable. Although definitely not original, her redemption arc felt earned and less cynical of humanity. Ellie's "journey" felt wrong and a bit cringy honestly. As someone that's had a bit of trauma and tried to recover, there's no real examination of that in an interesting way. Just double down on revenge cause reasons. I think maybe I'm just over some of NaughtyDog's "prestige" schtick. It feels hollow.

MY CANNONICAL ENDING: Abby Drowns Ellie.

8. 7. Marvel's Avengers

Hear me out. They made Avenger's that play like the characters. Thor has cool hammer tricks. Captain America throws that shield and feels like a heavy brawler. Hulk....smashes...in a way that feels like Hulk. The mission structure is pretty bland, endgame is really boring, enemies are repetitive, but its got heart dammit. Kamala's story is wonderful although I think they could have brought in more of her family. Still it was just a geeky moment to see her be the star here when it would have been easy to just do a variation of the MCU's team. Putting a young Muslim woman as the center of this story is still a risk for a large developer using a licensed material. It doesn't magically make the narrative perfect, its still a predictable tale, but that specific choice drove me forward in a way that another Iron Man tale would not have.

I played this solid for a month just because I think they nailed the feel of our heroes. This could have been another game to ape Arkham combat and add in some special moves, but it really went the extra mile. As someone that has other games that tick the never-ending game category, *BLEEP* YOU DESTINY, I never needed this to be a grind replacement and was pretty happy with what I got. This game reminds me of playing with my action figures as a kid. I didn't have the playsets, villains, or anyone to play with, but I made my own fun. I'm really looking forward to playing this in 2022 when they hopefully have added a bunch more toys.

7. 10. Days Gone

I finally circled round to this because I couldn't shake the fact that Rami Ismail placed it so high on his list. I was mostly disappointed. For the first twenty hours or so I really enjoyed the terrifying nature of the hordes in this game. On higher difficulties the hordes really are unique. You simply can't fight and survive against more than a few freakers early on. Every encounter feels pretty harrowing, especially when you run out of stamina or get your bike stranded. This made the progression systems feel useful. Every step feels earned. The story feels like its going to touch on grief and how to move on from loss. Deacon is an abrasive character, but seems to be taking material steps to move on from his destructive behavior. Thirty or so hours in I was pretty impressed by the subversive nature of the narrative and had started enacting vengeance on the hordes that had once terrified me.

Then it just kept going.

Clichés ensued. Miracles occurred. The quiet storylines between friends and communities were pushed aside for a "hero" narrative. No new enemies appeared to make hordes more deadly, but boy did I still have almost two new landmasses to explore. So. Much. Content. Yet I like some of their lore around Freakers and I loved the fact that the designers clearly told Sam Witwer to do the dialogue as if he was on the back of a motorcycle and then never adjusted his or the bikes volume to make it fit (he will have a passenger who is talking to him in a quiet normal candance, while Deacon is yelling like he's being sucked into a black hole).

I think I liked this. I played a lot of it. 70 hours. UGH. This is the new number 10. Everyone move up one.

6. Monster Train

Even great games can be exhausted. In 2019, I was separated from my wife for roughly half a year doing some training and just had my Switch. It became a Slay the Spire machine. Every night I would play a few rounds to help me fall asleep in a strange place. It became a grounding piece of normalcy in my routine. When I came back to the "real world" I just couldn't play Slay the Spire anymore. I hadn't realized it in the moment, but I had more than exhausted what the game had to offer. I had seen every artifact. Won plenty of times with each class. Unlocked every card. I would try to boot up the game and just fell exhausted looking at the title screen. It made me sad that a game I loved so much and that helped me through a difficult time could be "lost" to me.

Then came Monster Train. To be reductive, it's Slay the Spire, but with a dash of tower defense. You build a deck of cards, add artifacts that provide permanent bonuses, and generally press all the buttons in your brain that Spire does. Except it adds just enough new to make it interesting. Monster Train asks you to plan out your defense over three rows. Enemies start at the bottom row and work their way up until they get to attack the heart of your "train." You play cards to add monsters or cast spells on certain levels.

It feels like a game that both borrows a ton from Slay the Spire, but one that I couldn't have grasped without the background. Having a "hero" unit that you upgrade at certain points both gives you consistency and options. I love that Monster train lets you "break" the game. You can get a crazy set of cards that make the fights a breeze. It's nice to feel like a game is worried about balance in everything. Sometimes it's nice to make an unstoppable monster.

I still dislike the art style of Monster Train, but I feel similarly about Slay the Spire. I'm not sure what "look" I want these games to have, but the mechanics and interplay between cards and the "species" of the world add a lot of replicability. Also the music exists. Maybe the story does? Regardless it was nice to be excited to play this type of game again.

5. There is No Game: Wrong Dimension

The less said about this one the better, but I'm glad people are this creative. One of the middle chapters dragged on as I thought the "bit" didn't really have legs, but overall the humor and gameplay in this coalesce into something really special. Some of the achievements have me contemplating a second playthrough despite the fact that I know the routine. It kinda feels like a stage play that you're a part of. Some of the voice work really added quite a bit of depth to an otherwise simple story. If games like Pony Island or Frog Fractions are your jam, then give this one a shot.

4. Call of Duty Warzone

Most of my friends are kind of done with the first person shooter multiplayer thing. At 30ish my old brain and reflexes can't hang with the young whippersnappers. At least that's the excuse I used to tell myself. This year I put a lot of time into Call of Duty and focused on trying to get better. Not just angrily smashing respawn and charging over the pile of my dead avatars, but learning the map, thinking about sightlines, and generally reading about weapon design. Call of Duty Modern Warfare in 2020 felt like a pretty balanced platform to do this experiment in.

Warzone was the most fun I've had playing a battle royale solo. Most of my "skill" translated and I rarely felt like a bathtub person was my downfall. Being able to bring in your own loadout helped me focus less on loot and more on pew pewing my enemies. Honestly though it's so high on my list because it came out during much of my quarantine time. It was nice to be caught up in the zeitgeist of something fun in the midst of a pandemic.

I felt like this Call of Duty really focused on making the different guns more distinct than previous entries. Learning assault rifles felt different than sub machine guns and helped me better understand how to use them on the maps. I'm sure the distinction was there in previous games, but Modern Warfare communicated it in a cleaner more obvious fashion. Also for someone that has to get by on a bit of strategy to combat a lack of dexterity, the time to kill felt just long enough to let you turn the tide on an attacker. Getting some solo "chicken dinners" here were some of the best moments of the year.

3.Yakuza: Like a Dragon

I've always meant to get into Yakuza. I adore Sleeping Dogs and this franchise seemed to both inspire and surpass the ambitions of that game. Every time Alex talked about whatever entry he was on I promised myself I would play it. And then I remembered we were on Yakuza 6. I like trying new things and typically jump from game to game. Yakuza seemed like a commitment I wasn't sure I was ready for. I've had Yakuza Zero installed on multiple machines for over a year. Thankfully though Like a Dragon rids me of most of that baggage. A fresh genre of game and clean break from Kiryu's saga convinced me that Dragon was my starting point.

It didn't disappoint. Like a Dragon just oozes heart and charm. I dare anyone to not fall for Ichiban. The dude is running around a broken world and demanding it to be better through sheer will and dumb optimism. I'm sure some will read him as a one note Shonen hero, but I do feel like the game plays him a bit different. Ichiban feels more relentlessly empathetic than stupid. When the world or people act, Ichiban often talks out the why behind the action. Most of the time it's after a decent pummeling, which I think does a disservice to the games often heartwarming side stories, but rarely does it have its hero judge others. I'm certain that I'm missing a ton of contextual history about the politics of this game, but Ichiban and his crew are routinely punching up, again figuratively and literally, at the existing power structures affecting Yokohama. I'm not sure how the main threads are going to end up, but it's just been nice to not have a game focused on world ending stakes.

I'd be remiss if I didn't briefly touch on Yakuza's shift into a party based role playing game from action oriented brawler. The abilities your parties get often require you to hit strict timing or mash a button to get a greater effect. You can also perfectly time blocks to take less damage. I loved this concept in Legend of Dragoon, which no game has ever copied enough for my taste, but I don't think it works well in Like a Dragon. Twenty five hours in the timing based abilities just feel irritating. Nothing evolves in the mechanic so it can feel frustrating to ending a fight early because you apathetically mashed X and didn't get the bonus. But outside of that the RPG mechanics are solid. The classes are outlandish, but fall into familiar categories. Gear is a treat and the look and feel of the turn based combat remarkably echo Yakuza proper from what little I've played of the main series.

In conclusion this would probably be fighting for my number one slot if I had just gotten to it sooner. I hope we get a sequel, because I think there's a whole lot of unfulfilled potential on this absolute gem of a game, which is exciting.

Also Nancy is the best girl.

2. Nioh 2

It mixes Diablo and Ninja Gaiden, but doesn't lose the overall feeling of fairness in a land of stats and status effects. For me its a blend of multiple genres that I love. The enemy design in the sequel is a bit less fresh, it borrows a lot from the first game, but some of the new bosses are inventive and terrifying fights. I think this series is vastly overlooked due to it being labeled a "Souls-like." While it undoubtable borrows heavily from those games in structure I think it's stance on difficulty is pretty unique. Nioh has single use items like Dark Souls, but then has a pretty significant category of items that are replenished every time you die.

Despite the bosses being able to murder you almost instantly I think the breadth of Nioh's systems make the difficulty approachable in a way that Dark Souls can struggle with. By refreshing these items every time you die, Nioh really encourages you to be creative. Throwing a slow scroll to better study a bosses patterns or just to give you an edge in a tense moment feels encouraged. There's no anxiety that you'll need it later, rather it feels like Nioh wants you to succeed. It's not an instant win, but definitely feels like you've got a plethora of options. I'm not saying that Dark Souls lacks expression, the weapon sets are certainly diverse, and some things are repeated, but some of your options in Nioh are pretty game altering. There are also a ton of adorable animal spirits that become your best friends. And there's a system where you take collect your enemies souls and use them against others like pokemon.

Team Ninja is smashing so many systems in this game that it shouldn't feel good. There's always a worry that with loot comes a feeling that you'll either be overpower or never feel like a new drop is material to your success. Somehow Nioh rides this wave with aplomb. My wife can play this game not doing a deep dive on stats, while I min-max my sets, and we can both find success. It looks startlingly different, but the modes of play are supported in a way that feels fulfilling.

For a final note Nioh 2 was special because I got to watch my partner ascend to a level of efficiency that really startled me. While I left Nioh after the main game's credits, she played all of the DLC and even started to push into the higher difficulties. The other day I tried playing an early boss rush stage and was just getting crushed. To watch her pickup the controller and almost perfect the stage was pretty awe inspiring. Through 2020 its been a joy to watch her take Oni to task in the background of whatever's going on and is something I'll miss in the next year.

1. Hades

I love Supergiant Games. Their music, sound, and art is just perfection. Bastion is one of my favorite games of all time. Pyre might be up there too. There not much I can say that others will not or having, but the fact that Hades marries the genre to the story that gives justification to your death and rebirth is just superb. I do wish there was a bit more to some of the relationships. More narrative interaction outside your hub area, but I'm honestly not sure it's not there. The fact that 60 hours in I'm still not getting the same voice lines in a run based game is just mind-boggling. I have a hard time writing a list of ten games, but Kasavin and crew have written so many lines and reactions to your minute actions that it's hard not to feel your Olympian family is REAL. I'm not sure what comes next for them or the roguelike genre, but this feels like the closest thing I've played to perfection.

I missed the Dusa reference for an embarrassingly long amount of time.

I have a major in Classics.

Definitely blaming 2020 for that one.

Cheers!

Thanks for some/any of your time.

I'll probably proof this a bit tomorrow, but needed to get it submitted so that I broke the cycle.

1. Ghost of Tsushima - I really, really, REALLY love historical East Asian aesthetic (since I'm Chinese and grew up with historical Chinese dramas) so this game was probably the most beautiful game I'd ever seen. On top of that, I love Assassin's Creed (old and new style) so this game was basically a dream come true.
2. Astro's Playroom
3. Final Fantasy VII Remake
4. Bugsnax

I literally did not play any other games released in 2020.

theres no list option for formate like in the pic for me but here is my rough list in about this order . i beat yakuza 7 a few nights ago and normally i wouldn't count something if i beat it after new years but having finished it before the site goty i'm letting that squeeze in.

1. hades - for time to fun ratio and with a meaningful narrative this one just was my winner

2. astro's playroom - too much joy while playing this for it to not be runner up . if it had a story it might have won.

3.yakuza 7- i've always loved the series and even tho i still prefer the brawler combat to a turnbased system i still enjoy it and they tied it in super well to ichiban's character and the story of those games its great as always , i think passing the torch how they did was well done.

4.FF7R- i never played the original and i really liked this specially to be able to get to know these characters ppl have talked about for ages.

5.bugsnax- i had a stupid fun time with this , the gameplay what it is is still not bad tho frustrating at times and the story but even moreso the characters were alot better than i'd expected.

6.Ghost of Tsushima- i wanted more from this game but i don't know how , that said the world wild beautiful and was kinda dull but i played it in smaller chunks and still kept going back in checklist style fashion. if it was more linear i think i would have liked it more but overall the narrative was good.

7. Assassin's creed valhalla- i wanted to like this more than i did but i don't enjoy that team's take on combat i think ( i had similar issues feel wise with origins but not odyssey). i think while the world size being smaller than the previous entry was helpful it was still just way too much side stuff in the end to really enjoy it as much as i wish i would've . mix that into how disjointed the story felt because you have that bloat and you get a disappointing narrative even if i think the story wasn't bad overall. i like the modern day BS in the series too much to be totally disappointed about where it goes tho and its made me know even if i don't love these games like the early entries i know i'll get whatever is next.

8.signs of sojourner- not too much to say about this one i just really enjoyed the way it handles communication and change. you can thank austin walker for this entry, if they didn't mention it over there i would never have looked at it ( by the time alex mentioned it 'd beat it months earlier but i doubt i would have fit it in at that point in the yr)

9.spiritfarer- another with not much to say it had a good story and what not about loss and such but i do think the gameplay was grindy.

10. Streets of rage 4- listen . the music wasn't what i wanted comared to 1 and 2 , the feel of classic characters felt just off enough for me to not want to use them even tho i always go blaze in other older entries ....but ..its still a solid beat'em up and i have a softspot for those , plus nostalgia and the references they make just had me laughly with a smile.

i didn't beat too many other games that released in 2020 in 2020 i have a decent backlong even just in the fall-winter line up but the others that got bumped down and i did beat are

littlewood - very grindy and overstayed its welcome in that area but had a ok story and characters , got bumped off the list for yakuza to be on it but worth mentioning that it got me out of a very depressive rut with games after some family stuff happened. its just a very chill game.

animal crossing : new horizons- its animal crossing , i like it but i seen credits and never touched it really after that.

minecraft dungeons- i expected better but its still not a bad little dungeon crawler.

Boy, I sure did write this one pretty dang late this year.

The blog.

And the list:

Clagnaught's 2020 GOTY List

	1. Hades
	2. Final Fantasy VII Remake
	3. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
	4. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
	5. Destiny 2 Note: Beyond Light + other 2020 updates like the Prophecy dungeon
	6. The Last of Us Part II
	7. Spiritfarer
	8. Crusader Kings III
	9. Monster Train
	10. Astro's Playroom

@captcommando4: I love what you have shared here and would encourage you to publish this in the form of a GOTY Blog. Your writing deserves a better spotlight.

10. Genshin Impact

9. Resident Evil 3

8. Hades

7. Assassins Creed Valhalla

6. Persona 5 Royal

5. Ghost of Tsushima

4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

3. Destiny 2: Beyond Light

2. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

1. Final Fantasy 7: Remake