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rjayb89

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2018) has an odd charm to it thanks to the exceedingly unintelligible Captain Toad himself. 👍

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Best New Old Games of 2020

Eligible list items are games that:

  1. I enjoyed playing
  2. I’ve never played to the end before
  3. weren’t released within the current year
  4. aren’t a remastered version of a game I’ve played to the end before
  5. are completed or reach a satisfying state of completion within the current year

Note: In the case that multiple titles from one franchise are eligible, only one will be allowed to be on the main list.

2020 personal goals:

  1. Play through the rest of the main Final Fantasy games I haven’t played yet (I, II, IV). ✔️
  2. Focus on games on Nintendo systems, subscriptions be damned. 🤷
  3. Focus on critically-acclaimed games. 🤷

2021 personal goals sneak peek:

  1. Finish games from previous generations, seriously this time.
  2. Finish at least one Castlevania game and one Metroid game.
  3. Play through the rest of the Kingdom Hearts games.

Honorable mentions:

  • A Plague Tale: Innocence - PC (2019)
  • Batman: The Telltale Series - The Enemy Within - XONE (2018)
  • Bye-Bye BoxBoy! - 3DS (2017)
  • Celeste - XONE (2018)
  • Chaos;Child - PS4 (2017)
  • Dark Void - X360 (2010)
  • Dead Rising 4 - PC (2016)
  • Donut County - NSW (2018)
  • Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation - NSW (2019)
  • Final Fantasy IV - PSP (2011)
  • The Gardens Between - XONE (2018)
  • Grim Fandango Remastered - PC (2015)
  • The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence - PC (2018)
  • Kathy Rain - PC (2016)
  • Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight - VITA (2018)
  • Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight - VITA (2018)
  • The Room Three - PC (2018)
  • SoulCalibur VI - XONE (2018)
  • StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void - PC (2015)
  • StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops - PC (2016)
  • Steins;Gate: Linear Bounded Phenogram - PC (2019)*
  • Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace - PC (2019)
  • Syberia - PC (2002)
  • Syberia II - PC (2004)
  • Superhot - PC (2016)
  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent - XBOX (2006)

“Meh”ntions:

  • Batman: The Telltale Series - XONE (2016)
  • Chaos;Head - PC (2008)*
  • Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony - PC (2017)
  • The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan - PC (2019)
  • Erica - PS4 (2019)
  • Kingdom Hearts Final Mix - PS4 (2017)
  • Life Is Strange 2 - XONE (2019)
  • Octopath Traveler - NSW (2018)
  • Resident Evil: Revelations - PC (2013)
  • Steins;Gate: Variant Space Octet - PC (2011)*
  • Tekken 7 - XONE (2017)
  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction - PC (2010)
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood - PC (2019)
  • World of Final Fantasy Maxima - XONE (2018)

Dishonorable mentions:

  • Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel - PC (2014)
  • Crackdown 2 - X360 (2010)
  • Death Stranding - PS4 (2019)
  • Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII - PS2 (2006)
  • Final Fantasy (Origins) - PS (2003)
  • Final Fantasy II (Origins) - PS (2003)
  • Heavy Rain - PS4 (2016)
  • Resident Evil Zero - XONE (2016)

* Playthrough fully or partially experienced through a recorded series of videos (akin to an Endurance Run AKA Let’s Play but without commentary).

List items

  • Glowing fan sentiment regarding how addictive this game is left me wary of its clutches for too long. Watching others was enough to deter my attention due to how piecemeal players’ day-to-day could be but when I reluctantly jumped in, I finally understood. While the game proper revolves around monetary gain and self-sufficiency, figuring out the ideal crops or shortest paths or most efficient actions while keeping in mind the season or day or what have you provided an irresistible gameplay loop that consumed my entire being.

    Despite the massive responsibility of farm ownership being foisted upon you so suddenly, it somehow never felt overwhelming. Every action taken felt useful even if they were mistakes to be corrected down the line as newer and improved materials became accessible or even plentiful. Learning new recipes or blueprints and imagining how much more efficient your farm could be evoked an incredibly satisfying drip feed of potential to pursue.

    The moment I realized I was absolutely smitten was when my initial goal grew from reaching the bottom of the mines to hobbling together each bundle in the community center, which I suppose go hand in hand, but even then I knew that that was just scraping the surface. Thankfully, that was enough to mark the end of a very fulfilling and exhaustive sojourn into time travelling.

    5/5

  • Jogging has been my go-to exercise for years as it’s easy to gauge improvement with fitness devices while taking in that much needed vitamin D. However, it can be stressful on the body and can lead to demoralizing injuries if you’re not careful and may incur rather lengthy breaks, in my case, then it’s back to square one: gaining the motivation to get back into it.

    It’s been months since I started playing this game, with hopes to add some activity to my usually sedentary lifestyle. A goal easily met and maintained considering the fortuitous improvement to my hands which suffered a loss of dexterity during the middle of last year and caused a huge hit to my confidence in handling everyday tasks like washing the dishes without slipping or even brushing my teeth. To give all the credit to a fitness game would be disingenuous but it does inspire me to keep at it.

    I’ve only committed to plowing through the story mode so far but it’s been more than enough to keep me engaged by way of positive reinforcement, visually and audibly, and descriptive exercise routines when form isn’t met. More than anything, the game encourages form rather than pure numbers so taking one’s time is necessary but very worth it. You’d think running would prepare my thighs for the onslaught of squats but it didn’t, much to my legs’ dismay.

    5/5

  • Related titles played: The House in Fata Morgana: A Requiem for Innocence - PC (2018)

    It's hard to speak of a visual novel's merits considering the genre's strongest points lie in how believable, with some suspension of disbelief, and comprehensive the best of the best their narratives devise and The House in Fata Morgana is definitely among the best I’ve had the honor of experiencing. Without getting into specifics, the writing does an incredible job at misleading readers without outright lying by leaving out a few low-key details. Perhaps that could be seen as a negative, but they were effective in conveying the mindset behind each character.

    However, one sticking point in the case against Fata Morgana, many much misunderstandings aplenty drive the fates of nearly every relationship. It can get annoying but it only drives home the fact that preconceived tendencies can get the better of anyone, especially after enduring heinous and despairing situations these characters undergo and live with. Some can be hard to completely empathize with considering their extreme circumstances but they don’t let their tragedies define them.

    5/5

  • Making the transition from living the lavish life of bullheaded gangsters to a near-destitute coolheaded detective somehow came naturally to the team behind the Yakuza series. Judgment is the culmination of their tried-and-true design philosophy of reusing assets and refitting them to whatever whims are needed for their next dramatic thriller. In this case, the mysteries and violence behind them crosses over well but instead from the private eye of a lawyer-turned-detective.

    Rather than getting entangled in the mystery like so many unwitting pawns in the Yakuza series, main protagonist Yagami Takayuki takes the initiative and unwraps the enigma that is behind the grisly murders left in Kamurocho’s alleyways. It felt refreshing to actively chase down leads rather than being strung along like so many Yakuza characters, not that that was bad, in fact they felt natural in their respectful stories and served their purpose. Playing as a detective might not have been as bombastic as the former but it didn’t have to be.

    Despite dipping into gameplay mechanics that can be seen as mundane and lengthy, I’m glad they included investigations brought forth by suspicious spouses or even missing animals. All that pixel hunting and tailing people without being seen was thematically consistent with the character and didn’t bother me one bit. And with the team of writers responsible for the twists and turns of Yakuza, receiving unexpected subversive outcomes was the norm and standard, especially in substories.

    5/5

  • Note: Remake of Shadow of the Colossus (2005)

    While the PS2 version is where its legacy, and the beginning of my journey, began, to finally see it through in the remake made me glad of my tendency to procrastinate. Memories of a colosseum and a spider, who was actually a lizard, festered at the back of mind for over a decade since I abandoned my first playthrough for the wastelands of Fallout 3. Looking back on this momentary lapse in prioritization, many games touting large explorable worlds like Fallout itself have come and gone but none have been as unique as Shadow of the Colossus’ (SotC).

    It isn’t comparable in most senses considering the piecemeal nature of surviving in a post-apocalypse world, but SotC excels in the grandeur of scale. Playing as a boy equipped with merely a sword and bow atop a loyal horse pitting against absolute mammoths of various gargantuans felt, well, epic to say the least. Felling these giants were levels unto themselves as their well-conditioned hair provided me safety and pathways to their imminent downfalls. After finding their weaknesses, it becomes only a matter of execution and timing before you realize just how majestic these creatures are thanks to what feels like procedural animation that makes them feel so lifelike.

    5/5

  • Finding myself utterly engrossed by a 3D platformer is a rarity I seldom seek but from time to time I gravitate toward a Mario-based one and become enamored by their continued ingenuity. Like with Super Mario Maker, while not a complete embracement of Marios past, Odyssey celebrates its past by making familiar gameplay somehow feel new. With the introduction of Cappy as Mario’s hat replacement, environments and enemies are seen in a much needed nuanced light.

    It’s always been easy for me to view platformers as just “run-and-jumpers,” games that belong in the 90s for their aggressive simplicity, much like 2D shoot-’em-ups and brawlers. If they relied on collectibles like ye olde Banjo, then that’s even worse and actively repels me (and that it was correct to go the Nuts & Bolts route). The gimmick Odyssey relies on creates a wrinkle I don’t think anyone expected and it expands on what’s already known about the lexicon that surrounds Mario. From possessing longtime foe goombas to a sleepy dinosaur to a zipper, nothing is safe from Mario’s clutches anymore.

    5/5

  • Right from the get-go, hoping to receive clear and definite answers to the inexplicable that fuels the Oldest House’s existence would be a fruitless, yet exciting, endeavor. Investing more and more into the supernatural only made the quirkiness the development team behind the game is known for even more pronounced. In a way, they’ve attained the culmination of their efforts by creating a world predicated on the unexplainable that can tie them all together. While it’s only explicit that only one other world is connected, it makes me hopeful they can go further and also include what may as well have been a testing ground for Control.

    Gunplay is virtually the same compared to their last offering Quantum Break bar one feature: auto-crouching. My playstyle relied on energy-based attacks for a majority of combat so having to press a button to crouch isn’t as big a problem as I make it out to be but it stuck out as did down on the d-pad to switch which shoulder to look over. Non-issues by the end especially when encounters can feel too similar after gaining abilities that treat cover on the battlefield much differently. Dumping bullets until empty then throwing dark until fatigued, rinse and repeat, isn’t the most engaging strategy but it was effective to the end.

    The most enticing aspect of Control are the characters themselves whose fascination or acceptance of the world can somehow feel oddly contagious. Their much needed expertise regarding all matters Oldest House didn’t make things easier to comprehend but they were a joy to talk with and listen to. Although, considering how bleak running around can be with bodies of unresponsive colleagues floating, the overall calm among the staff is a bit unnerving. Regardless, I hope this isn’t the last we see of them.

    4/5

  • Related titles played: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction - PC (2010), Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent - XBOX (2006)

    My sudden foray into Splinter Cell (SC) games unfinished over a two-week period reawakened a fervor I didn’t expect to fuel me through so many entries of the series so quickly. Last time was in response to the most recent entry, which released all the way back in 2013, when I replayed the first and third, and watched playthroughs of the “next gen” version of the fourth and partially for the fifth after giving up on it partway through, I think. With how long it’s been without a new entry, this time around, the thirst was real.

    If memory serves me right, the PC versions of earlier SC games allowed quick saves so experimentation through trial and error wasn’t as harsh as the checkpoint system Pandora Tomorrow (PT) relies on through the console versions. The failures upon failures I witnessed somehow didn’t diminish my determination but served as a reminder that stealth action wasn’t a very forgiving genre back in the day. Reloads after reloads, I came to realize that PT didn’t relish in as much freedom later entries thrived on so I began to treat it as a puzzle game as I figured out the ideal route and tools necessary to reach my goal with stark efficiency.

    While the fourth SC game has the gameplay my nostalgia fawns over, being a double agent was too superficial and too easily repaired when all it takes is a check-in through a laptop when your loyalty gets called into question. Level of loyalty also decided weaponry available on missions but I preferred playing with the barest effect to the environment and people present as stealthily as possible so it was a non-issue. Other than that, the “current gen” version is very much the sequel to the third game Chaos Theory but with slight gameplay improvements that are unfortunately discarded in the next entry.

    My uncertainty as to whether I completed Conviction before Blacklist all those years ago is still a mystery but I know for sure Conviction made a necessary pivot in making gameplay faster but gave very little choice with disposing enemies: kill or be killed. Not a hard concept to grasp but I guess it makes sense for an unhinged Sam Fisher looking for revenge. I’m at least grateful this entry led to Blacklist which has an almost Metal Gear Solid V-quality feel to it in that it offers excellent gameplay at the cost of an iconic voice.

    4/5

  • For a stretch, abiding by the world’s dangers literally shrouded by darkness encouraged my slow and cautious playstyle until the game allowed the infinite creation of what are essentially skill points. Sneaking around and preserving ammo was an early game concern that soon resolved itself thanks to my hoarding tendency. For that to temper my character in that way, I couldn’t believe that something so valuable could be mass produced at first so it was only a matter of time before I’d become an unstoppable force joyfully skipping through the massive space station.

    While encounters became a nonissue, the mystique surrounding the setting and people within pulled me along by way of rummaging through their private quarters and reading interpersonal emails, all the while suffering from amnesia. Not exactly new ways to dump information, or start off mentally, but having access to a list of denizens denoting their status on the station made me hopeful for any human interaction. Actually finding another survivor felt surreal considering the circumstances, some needing time-sensitive life-saving antics, but their presence was a much-needed calming presence to the frenzy the rest of the station was overwhelmed by.

    4/5

  • The countless times I found myself in seemingly impossible situations created this satisfying loop of stumbling over (and over) and figuring out the bare minimum needed to progress. While you’re sparsely given control over every playable character in every mission, they’re doled out in a way that can encourage a markedly different approach that could’ve been easily glossed over if the strongest (read: cheesiest) characters were available all the time.

    If they were, completing mission objectives wouldn’t be as varied or as impactful as they are. Freeing a captive party member utilizing only the weakest members of your team was one of the more time consuming missions that made me better appreciate their strengths, while less direct they required quick thinking with their given distractions among which would become mainstays in future tactics. With full party setups, that didn’t necessarily mean the goals were predictable or easier, they were certainly bloodier for sure, but they allowed a greater degree of freedom that accentuated the team action command - Shadow Mode.

    I can count on one hand the times I had a full queue of actions for every party member to enact with one keystroke and it was always glorious. Planning out the complete undoing of an enemy outpost is an incomparable feeling to simply having a guard round a corner to their pathetic demise, of which they were plentiful. Regardless, my due diligence was a great asset to have as I save scummed my way to victory.

    4/5
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