My 2020 Game of The Year List

Ah 2020.... It's going to be good to see you end....

Although 2020 sucked for various reasons, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the great games that came out this year. Although I didn't play a lot of games (most of my time was spent working, hiking, and mountain biking), I was blown away that there were at least three games that really hit me hard and will likely end up on my All-Time Favorite list - this might be the first time since 1997 that three games make the list. My number 1 will likely end up very high on my All-Time Favorites list once I've given it a little more time to see how much it sticks with me.

Also, I replayed some of my all-time favorites this year. I'm not going to include them on the list, but it was nice to go back and revisit Final Fantasy 7 (the original, and the first time I've played completely though it since 2000), Super Metroid (this is becoming an annual tradition), Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (this is an annual, Halloween tradition), Donkey Kong Country, Mario Galaxy, and the Last of Us Remastered (ironically, I didn't play the sequel - something is holding me back...). In addition, I gave Sekiro another try, but fell flat on my face again... I really want to like that game, but it just won't let me...

One other game to mention is Shadow of Mordor. In the fall I re-watched The Lord of The Rings movies, and it brought back such emotionally good memories of college that I just wanted anything LotR related. So, I looked for a good LotR game to play. I remembered that Shadow of Mordor won the game of the year when it came out, I owned it already, and I hadn't touched it. So, I started playing, and.... that game stinks.... I mean, I get it, the nemesis system is cool and unique, but other than that, that game is a steaming pile of shit.... I really didn't like it. Unfortunately, due to the sour taste it left in my mouth, I lost the thunder I gained from re-watching the movie trilogy and have since then shelved my LotR fervor.

The list this year contains 10 games that really pulled me in, and one honorable mention.

List items

• 

  Doom 64

  Honorable Mention 3

  Another 90's shooter that I never played until it came free with Doom Eternal. Just like Duke Nukem 3D (which I also played for the first time this year), I got a handful of hours of good fun out of this. The classic Doom games are just a joy to pick up and play, even in 2020, and this game is no exception. I think I would have loved this game much more if I would have played it when it came out in 1997.

• 

  Risk of Rain 2

  #10

  When I talked with my nephew in July, he was gushing about how good this game was. He wanted me to buy it and play co-op with him online. So, later that day, once I got back to my house, I bought and downloaded it. However, after starting the game and entering the title screen, I was unable to start the game. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get past the title screen. After several days, many Google searches, and my nephew finally giving up on me playing this game with him, I finally gave up on ever playing this game....

  However, about a month later, for whatever reason, I woke up in the middle of the night with an idea on what might be causing this game to bug out on my PS4. It might be because my PS4 is a Japanese PS4 and the "O" button is the default confirm button, but I purchased Risk of Ran 2 on the US PSN store, and I bet the game was expecting the "X" button to be used. So, I went into the system settings, changed the default confirm button to "X", and sure enough, the prompt to press the "X" button to proceed from the title screen finally showed....

  Unfortunately, due to this strange issue, my nephew had moved on to other games, and I only played this solo. I liked it, but between the sour taste left in my mouth from the dumb bug, and the fact that I was playing is solo and could tell that it was likely better co-op, my time with Risk of Rain 2 was short lived.... I can tell that there's something special here, and I did enjoy my time with it, but it will have to take its place at #10 this year.

• 

  The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

  #9

  I found this game cheap at a used game story (the first time I'd stepped foot in one in years). I really liked this. It might be one of the weakest Zelda experiences I've had, but it's still a good game and was fun to search for all of the areas you could only go into when you were mini. A fun, heart warming romp.

• 

  Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

  #8

  I don't believe I ever played this game before this year. I have a vague memory of watching a friend play this when I was a kid, but I don't remember ever playing it myself. So, when it showed up on the Switch this year, I thought I'd give it a try. I was not disappointed. This is a really fun game. I know the complaints with this game (baby Mario screams, aiming mechanic, blah blah blah), but it didn't matter to me. I couldn't put this game down. I didn't finish it, but I did really enjoy what I played.

• 

  Metroid: Zero Mission

  #7

  Another classic game that I never played before this year, Zero Mission was a joy to play. Although the GBA’s screen is a bit too small by today’s standards, I still found myself pulled in by this game. It’s not as good as Super Metroid – not by a long shot – but it’s still a good game and was a lot of fun to play. There were a few frustrating parts that I didn’t like, but all in all, I had fun revisiting the Metroid universe.

• 

  Doom Eternal

  #6

  Yeah, it's not as good as the 2016 reboot, and the story was pretty flat and uninteresting, but this game was still a lot of fun to play. That puzzle-shooter formula that the 2016 reboot introduced is still just as additively fun with the various changes/improvements that were made for Doom Eternal. I had a lot of fun bashing demons until the game became so punishingly difficult at the end that I stopped playing.

• 

  Super Mario Bros. 35

  #5

  Tetris 99 was my game of the year in 2019. When I heard that Nintendo would be releasing another battle royale game in 2020, but using classic Mario levels, I was really excited. I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed. Yeah, you can tell by the fact that this game is only #5 on my list that I didn't enjoy it as much as Tetris 99. That is due to the fact that this game just didn't have as much depth and require as much skill as was needed by Tetris 99. It didn't take me long at all to find a formula that worked, and I found myself placing in the top 3, if not #1, over and over again. It was a great concept that kept me smiling for several weeks, but ultimately it just didn't have the staying power of Tetris 99.

• 

  Genshin Impact

  #4

  A free-to-play, gotcha game on my Game of the Year list? Yep, that's right, just like Apex Legends last year, I downloaded this game on a whim, and because it was free. Although I never spent a penny on the game (I actually tried, but couldn't figure out how...), I got hours of enjoyment out of this gem. Don't pass this one up because you may think that it's a money-sink for rich whales, there's actually a fun, deep game here. I'm not much for the anime characters and aesthetic of the game, and I think I skipped through almost every mind-numbingly bad dialogue/cutscene in the game, but the Breath of the Wild inspired graphics, level design, and game mechanics are very pleasing. I played this game during a stressful time of the year for me and the pleasing environments, beautiful art, and calming soundtrack really helped calm me down and pulled me in. The gameplay had an unexpected depth that I found myself engaging with to the point that I found myself watching YouTube videos on how to use the various elements in conjunction with each other in order to beat some of the harder enemies and dungeons.

  This is one game that I'd like to go back to and play some more, but I'm afraid that the same thing might happen to this game as happened with Apex Legends for me; I never turn it back on because I'm intimidated on how far behind I've fallen behind by not playing it for several months, and so I just don't play it again...

• 

  Hades

  #3

  [Now the heavy-hitters start]

  Hades is awesome. Hades is really... fucking... awesome!

  Where do I even start with the gushing for this game???

  The controls are super tight and precise.

  The level design, although limited due to the nature of the game, is creative and adds to the excellent challenge of the game.

  The artwork is inspired, colorful, and second to none in 2020.

  The post-game secrets and items are seemingly endless and meaningful.

  The endless combinations of builds that can be achieved across all of the weapons, boons, and items are incredible.

  And, what more good can be said for the story/narrative/dialogue that hasn't already been said by practically anyone that played this game. Never before have I been this impressed by the sheer breadth of writing in a game. I once heard that the writer wrote something like 85,000 lines of dialogue for this game. It shows. I've put 80+ hours into this game so far, and I've only recently heard a line of dialogue reused. That's insane. And the part that further blows my mind each time I hear a line of dialogue in this game is that it's GREAT, well written dialogue. In the one place that most video games falter, this game shines through in spades. The dialogue is snappy, interesting, and extremely well written. Even if you don't like run-based Rogue-likes, you owe it to yourself to play this game just for the stunning artwork, and amazing, second-to-none writing.

  Like Dead Cells (my 2018 game of the year), I have a feeling that I'm going to keep playing this one every now and then for a long time.

• 

  Ghost of Tsushima

  #2

  In nearly any other year, this game would have easily been my Game of the Year. However, for many reasons, 2020 has not been just any other year.

  Ghost of Tsushima pulled me in right from the start. The graphics are stunning. The art direction and use of color is stunning and pleasing throughout the length of the game. The open-world gameplay is fun and engaging. The story and characters are unique and well written. I really have a hard time finding any real complaints about this game at all. However, the thing that I loved the most about Ghost of Tsushima is that it's the first game that I've ever played that truly made you feel like a samurai/ninja in feudal Japan. For those that know me, they know that I have a great love for Japanese history, especially with Samurai culture. Whenever I travel to Japan (every two years or so), I always take a week to travel to small, samurai towns in rural Japan to see the castles, museums, and few remaining Edo period homes and buildings. Ghost of Tsushima helped me live out the fantasies that I would always dream up in my mind during these trips. Between the stand-offs, sword duels, decision making on whether I would fight honorably or stealthily, and the wonderful Japanese dialogue, I found myself lost in the game's world, characters, and gameplay. This game was made just for me, and I love it so much that it became only the second platinum trophy that I've ever earned.

  Without ruining the ending, I will say that I loved how they ended the game. It still brings chills to my spine thinking about the final battle and what happens after it. It was very inspired and just how I would have ended such an epic, emotional, and finely told story of triumph and ruin in feudal Japan. A masterpiece, period.

• 

  Final Fantasy VII Remake

  #1

  Although Ghost of Tsushima was made just for me, FF7 Remake is something that I've been wanting for years... I replayed the original FF7 this year, and although I'm of the opinion that the original is still a good game that holds up today, I will admit that I really really longed for a version with improved graphics. FF7 is tied with FF6 for my all-time favorite game. For nearly a decade of my life, FF7 was my most favorite thing (other than family and friends). I'm so happy that SquareEnix had the courage to do this to their most famous game. And, although there was a huge risk that a remake wouldn't work, they pulled it off. FF7 Remake is nearly perfect and exactly what I wanted. The graphics are the best that I've seen in any video game. Any video game. The gameplay and new battle system are super fun, and challenging in a good way. The art direction and new character designs are perfect and match with how I envisioned these characters looking. The music is the best I've ever heard in any game ever. Ever. With a few minor exceptions, the story, and the additions/changes that were made, were fun, well written, and kept me excited to see what happened next, even though I knew what was going to happen next.

  Although this remake is not without its flaws, and I feel that I should mention them; too much Sephiroth, bad voice acting for Sephiroth, and the whispers were a weak, well used story troupe that wasn't needed, even with these flaws, I found this game continually bringing a smile to my face, a tear to my eye, and just pure joy to my heart. Yes, I have the nostalgia to make this game more to me than it might be to others, but that doesn't matter because it just made this game even better than I thought it was going to be. From overflowing emotions that I felt when the title card popped; to the moment you walk out of your apartment in the morning and see Midgar in the light; to the legitimately emotional part where Sector 7 is being destroyed and I still yelled out enthusiastically, "hell, yes" when I saw Cait Sith; to continually admiring how good the characters looked and how well their voices fit (with the exception of Sephiroth); to the cool way that they re-did the Materia system; to mind-blowing Hell House fight in the arena; to the excellent execution of the weirdness of Wall Market; to cool new mission to Jessie's house; to the amazing, challenging Rufus fight at the end; to the deepening of my endless crush on Tifa; to the coolness of the Turks (I can't wait to see more from them in the sequels); to Red 13!!!!! Oh man, someone stop me because I can't stop myself. I love this game!!! I played it through to completion three times. I have a feeling that this will find a very high place on my All-Time Favorites list.

  Now my most anticipated game is the sequel, whatever they call it, Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, anyone?