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kanelflarn

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kanelflarn's Game of The Year 2020

This has been a year where I've mostly shied away from or skimped on the large AAA titles or games I've regarded with the slightest hesitation before. Other years there hasn't been an issue compiling a top 10 games, rather deciding which I have to mention outside it. Here I'm battling a top 5 and the rest feels like happenstance. Then again, this year I've been more out of the loop than I've been in many years with a kid in the picture and so little time for games. I have played a bunch of games, don't get me wrong, it's just that more time on each and more games played would definitly have rendered more titles to my liking.

Neverhteless, noteworthy mentions:

  • Assassin's Creed Odyssey PC - first part of the year this game still held much of my time. Still so janky. Still entertaining. Ploughed through the DLC campaigns with varying liking. Elysium was a reignition for the game and series to a degree. Rest of the story addons was a chore, which left the main story disappointing.
  • A Short Hike PC - LTTP. My true number 5, had this released this year.
    A wonderful little gem which nails the open world exploration mechanic on a relatively small and isolated island. Focused. Sweet. Stays its welcome. A 'My first open world' type of game, in an encouraging way.
  • Spiritfarer Switch - A warm game. Lovely rendered and a light management mechanic. I should have loved this game. The story sadly takes a back seat to farming of materials. The passanger characters should take center stage of it all, but I mostly found them like side quests along the way...
  • Streets of Rage 4 Switch - A really good brawler that makes me feel nostalgic to all those times grinding the old ones with friends all night. Perhaps I realized it was rather the circumstance which I looked back upon more than the games. Certainly compared to playing solo.
  • Parkasaurus PC - Came out of early access this year and I've kept my eye on it in the meantime. A lovely little game with some of the cozy management mechanics I like. A tad much focus on side activities of finding new dinasaurs and food, and I found it too much so because it also lacked the depth or curve of progress.
  • Kentucky Route Zero PC - This wowed me by the first episode. Along with the series my tolerance for visual novels has taken a turn for the worse. Which did not do this series finale any favour. I care much for the tone, the sense of mystery surrounding this world. To its credit KRZ does not stray from any of it along the way, but for me I had rather experienced it on a tighter schedule.
  • Carrion Switch - Metroidvania-like flip seat horror game. Really interesting setting and mechanic. Hindered by a so frustrating control and sometimes confusing level design.

Other games I've played:

PartTime UFO - Simple yet fun coop

Before we leave - Good, but a poor man's Anno.

Call from the sea - Simple Myst-like (many "like" nowadays?). Something about the visuals or camera control makes me feel ill.

Supraland Crash - DLC of a superb game. More of the same but not as good.

Total war saga: Troy - A joke even for someone not that into the Total War games.

Warcraft 3 Reforged - That this came out of Blizzard was the final realization for me that they're not the same company I once loved.

Superliminal - Kinda fun core mechanic not being deservedly realized.

Moving out - This is a great representation of popular multiplayer games I hate.

Games I look forward to playing:

List items

  • PC

    A worthy successor to what Ori did, with enough of a twist to not simply be more of the same. Polished art. Revised combat mechanic with more depth. And more of what made Ori stand out like its dramatic story and film studio-like animation. Exploration is rewarded. For me it does challenge to my liking. You will be hindered, and sometimes frustrated, but not to the extent that I rage quit before finding a solution or even something else to do in the meanwhile. The only thing this sequel is lacking is the Wow!-factor of it all being new and surprising. Still, it's a sequel to one of my favorite games.

  • PC/Switch

    The bar has risen for what rogue-lites needs to be. I can't really say Hades revolutionizes the genre but it does all the things pitch perfect. With the oh, so flavorful touch of what is SuperGiant Games. The art, soundtrack, control, writing. SuperGiant has such a distinct voice which permeates through all their games. Without a doubt their best production to date, and that is saying quite a bit.

  • Switch

    The year that I discovered I like Picross. S4 happened to be the latest of the bunch when it happened. Plus it has some nice features I immeditately couldn't do without once I compared the earlier ones to this. S5 released this year as well but doesn't seem any different from S4. Picross has been a large part of my gaming time this year, be it together with a podcast or otherwise. Throwing in a short session on a lunch break working from home.

  • PC

    A good Assassin's Creed game. An evolution from Odyssey. Better than its predecessor in every way. Odyssey is still more fun though. So far. More depth. Better story. Though, with a handful of annoyances. Like the difficulty of mining, being able to hit the ore and the time it takes to gather the loot. Why is this even an issue?

    Anyway, honestly I would enjoy it more if I spend more time not in the menu trying to find an optimal setting for my old gfx card...

    Almost instantly the story and world intrigued me. It's still what brings me back and makes me not really able to let it wait until I can play it as it's meant.

  • Switch

    A bejeweled-like brawler. Simple, but not stupid. Fun but not without its challenges, and challenging but not punishing. Did not anticipate it'd hook me quite as much! I especially like the craftable gear that enables some variations to tackle situations. Perhaps this will be my new Picross. Maybe not.

  • PC

    Card battler with the Klei twist. For me that means that it adheres to the genre's common mechanics but does it solid with a refreshing touch. Suprising amount of world building. Need I mention the wonderful animation that is a given when it comes to Klei?

    Looking forward to this leaving Early Access. In the meantime I'm gonna revisit this with every other update.

  • Switch

    My first Animal Crossing. Addictive, sweet game with so much of what I like about these type of cozy, management games. I like the concept. I feel like a douche saying this about such a beloved series but it feels like they should look a bit at other games how all the genres AC tangents has evolved. For my personal taste AC lacks a bit of depth and a more free control.

  • PC

    Airborne Kingdom really lacks that polished 'oumph'. It feels older than it is and the interface somewhat reminds me of what some game jam projects back in school could look like.

    That said, it's a really intriguing city builder on the move. I've read and see for myself, having played a bit, that there's no replay value. Which is not usually something I personally desire. If not for the ability to start a skirmish to strive for that optimal build. But it feels like all those things are perhaps meant for a sequel.

  • PC

    Has Superhot been made into an endless runner? They've added unlockable perks that are randomly drawn and selectable to a game concept I really liked. Very interesting and fun. At first. I find that the perfect puzzle element peter out to a frustrating game of chance.

    Seriously, does this game have an ending?

  • PC

    The good ol' kind of Trackmania. Nothing more, nothing less. <3