Chris' Top 10 games of 2020 and other things I enjoyed! (Early Access)
By TheChris 0 Comments
And here we are again, finally, some might say. The year 2020 has been one of the longest years for every person on this planet. A deadly pandemic have all but dominated our reality and written a new script for us to follow as we have now moved into 2021. Will things be better? Who can say. Video games and entertainment, however, have never felt more engaging than now. So allow me to present my favorite video games, and other things, that has kept me going through the worst year in a long time.
Good Games That Didn't Release This Year
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Final Fantasy as a series has gone into somewhat of a renaissance in recent years, I think it's fair to say that the beloved series that has been stuck in a rut ever since Final Fantasy XIII has started to find its way back into people's hearts again. With the release of a remake of Final Fantasy VII, a concept that felt like a fever dream a decade ago is now a thing that is happening. And then there is my new beloved Final Fantasy XIV, but I'll get to that one. Before all of these games there was Final Fantasy XII.
FFXII was much like FFXV and even the remake of VII a game that went through some rough spots in development which some might argue has hindered its quality. XII isn't the perfect JRPG but it's probably up there either way for simply how unique, and distinct, it is compared to most of the other mainline entries. This game feels like fantasy to me, like it actually lives up to its title of being a fantasy title. The world of Ivalice is a fascinating place full of imaginitive creatures both old and new, but most importantly its world building. Ivalice is a recurring setting in a lot of beloved Square Enix titles such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, all game spearheaded by Final Fantasy XII's main writer, and director, Yatsumi Matsuno. The game's careful, and relevant handling, of its lore and how the history of the various nations and people factor into the current story, of an Imperial Occupation which the characters serves to repel, really helps to make it feel believeable.
The naming convetions of the characters, the architecture, and the politics derive heavily from various historical cultures from Europe, Africa, but also from Matsuno's own love of western film. One of the primary influences of Matsuno's work is the Original Star Wars trilogy, which couldn't be more apparent in XII's vast array of races that serves to enhance the believability of Ivalice as a genuine world. I have already written more than I needed to about FFXII, and maybe I'll write more in another blog. In short, I like Final Fantasy XII, it's a good game, slightly let down by an uninteresting protagonist who replaced an otherwise more fascinating leading man in form of Captain Basch or Balthier. Disregarding that, the gambit system that allows you to customize your characters actions in combat without having to constantly micromanage, and the heavy political based story in a good setting with an excellent, almost cinematic based, score from Hitoshi Sakitmo makes Final Fantasy XII one of the best JRPGs I've played for some time
I like Star Wars but it's not always easy to be a Star Wars fan, but I'm not necessarily an overtly big detractor of all the new Star Wars that has come out of Mickey Mouse's corporate mouth. For one, I really, really, liked Fallen Order despite some of its more apparent flaws. The game, is, first of all so much fun to play, taking inspiration from From Software's Dark Souls and Bloodborne titles while also having the gameplay feel more like you are actually a Jedi, and it makes for a really engaging game. Nothing is more fun than stopping a blaster bolt in mid air, then pulling a Stormtrooper straight into his own fired shot, or simply deflecting blaster bolts straight back to their owners. It never gets old. The story is inoffensive, as someone who adores KOTOR 2 I can't say I was enthusiastic of the usual narrative where the Force is dictated as some sort of cosmic energy that makes well meaning Jedi committ atrocities. There are some good characters in Fallen Order who feels underdeveloped partially due to the game never spending any down time to develop them, or they are introduced late into the story where its almost immediately over. The Fallen Order shows promise that hopefully improves a lot with its planned sequel by Respawn Entertainment.
I never properly finished my GOTY list from last year and thus I've yet to give my utmost praise for the Resident Evil 2 Remake. The remake is, despite my general dislike for remakes, actually a good game looking past some changes I didn't care for and not measuring up to what I loved about the original Remake. Resident Evil 2 Remake actually had me all tensed up, it felt like I was still a young boy playing the original Remake, I haven't been scared by a Resident Evil game proper the way I was when I first tumbled with Mr X in the remake. I'm more than familiar with his original iteration from the original title on PSOne, but safe to say the new version of the imposing monster in his spiffy coat and fedora has all the qualities of Schwarzenegger's Terminator, and Javier Bardem's killing machine character Chigurh from No More Country for Old Men.
The zombies are more scary than they've ever been in Resident Evil. In the old games they sounded like grumpy old men, who'd been rudely awakened from their afternoon nap, now they sound and move like proper monsters. The lickers are as dangerous and terrorfying as ever, the ability to bypass them by slowly walking by them as you try to drown out their horrorfying breathing noises they make is both a fiendisly clever detail as it is horrible. The Raccoon City Police Department was always such a memorable and iconic place that played a role in 2 main titles, as well as a few spin-offs, and to see the classic halls filled with illogical doors locked by contrived Rub Goldberg contraptions with a modern look is amazing. Almost every door is recognizable, and makes for a fun return to a place you think you know but that can somehow still surprise.
In recent years there's been a resurgence in CRPGs, whether it is the unique fun little dream projects from Obsidian like Tyranny, or the homagés like Pillars or the absolute groundbreaking like Divinity Original Sin 2; Studio Zaum and Larian Studios are the future western RPGs, and Disco Elysium is the proof of it. What has been accomplished with Disco Elysium is showing how an RPG does not require obtrusive combat to be compelling, while there are certainly sections in the game that could be classified as combat they are generally handled the same as mostly anything else in this game through dice rolling. It's the closest to a D&D campaign as one could get. The game is Planescape Torment by way of True Detective and Dashiel Hammett novel with a nice spread of existensialism. It's a murder mystery, and you're a cop who's sent to solve a murder, you find yourself woken up from a real bad hangover, the kind of bender that is so bad that you've lost all your memory, your badge and your gun, and the corpse has been hanging for a week. The doubt that sways over me as a player, trying to pinpoint whether your character had trouble solving the murder, didn't want to, or some other interpersonal issue that has lead to this is just but one fascinating aspect to Disco Elysium's complexities. While the game can certainly be depressing from a highly conceptual standpoint, it can also be quite funny, the protagonists damaged mind can lead to some really, abstract, and quite humorous when the protagonist is litterally conversing with abstract conceptualized ideas like.. well conceptualization as if it was a sentient entity, on top of his flesh-blood human partner Kim Katsuragi, whose admirable professionalism in face of a seemingly bewildered, washed up protagonist makes for some great dialogue and writing. A game that makes me think about how we view the world, fiction, in vein of KOTOR 2 and Planescape, the former having drawn a lot of influence from the latter too is the kind that can truly absorb me. The release of the final cut is what will ultimately finally get me to go back and play some more, and finish a more thorough blog about the wonders of this game. It's well worth a playthrough.
Best Scum of Villainy
Elidibus: Final Fantasy XIV has been a game that has drained a lot of my time since I started playing it back in 2019 post the release of Shadowbringers. I was a late comer who had a lot of material to catch up to. Suffice it to say I was genuinely surprised, and overwhelmed of how much I enjoyed it. The combat, UI, the world building, the characters, all feel like an extension of Final Fantasy XII, one of the better Final Fantasy games I've played. The characters especially have had so much time to grow, and develop on me unlike any other RPG in some time that I have naturally come to care about them, not to mention its antagonists. I call Elidibus an antagonist because it's hard to call him a villain, as much as he is a victim of circumstances that were ultimately beyond his control. He has much in common with the ever so fascinating Emet-Selch, they are both decrepit old souls who have lived longer than they should, and in their lust to save their people over the ages have forgotten the faces and the truth of their mission-Without going into too much detail, which I imagine I will later down below, Elidibus was a villain who was introduced far back in Realm Reborn though whose character arc never came to true fruition until now. Unlike his brethren he is polite, soft spoken, as he is cunning, seeking to exploit the very essence of what it means to be a Warrior of Light for his own benefit to summon the power of heroes to destroy us, the Warrior of Darkness, whom he perceives as the true villain. His perception is not without merit, especially considering that he ultimately is just a young child who decided to take up the mantle of becoming the Ascians god to liberate them from an Apocalypse. In truth, Elidibus is a Warrior of Light in his own way, and that is why he is such a good villain to proper close off an amazing expansion to Final Fantasy XIV. As you appropriately clash against him for one last time in one of the most epic boss battles I've seen in some time, he regains his true form as the Crystal Exarch (whom you've worked with throughout the expansion) seals him inside the tower. The Warrior of Light returns the crystals of his old friends to him, this helps finally restoring his memory of his people as he sheds a tear for the friends he wishes could be there with him to see that the world is still standing, and that in truth he had succeeded in saving the star. The people who are left behind, you the player, and your Scion comapnions, can deliberate whether or not Elidibus final moments had meant he had come to terms with the fact that the world is fine the way it is, and he can finally rest easy knowing his mission to save the star wasn't a failure. "I don't know if I did the right thing" says the Warrior of Light, and Y'Sthola does her best to reassure that she believes Elidibus did come to terms. And maybe that belief was enough, it was enough to secure Elidibus as one of my favorite villains this year.
Runner Up: Takuto Maruki (Persona 5 Royal), Masumi Arakawa (Yakuza 7). Tom Nook (New Horizons)
Best Things I said I was gonna do and finally did Award
1. Read Berserk
As a big fan of almost anything Miyazaki bar Sekiro, I say it was overdue for me to check out the Berserk manga especially since the anime is apparently terrible. I am not really that big on manga, I stopped reading them when I was young but I always did love Dark Fantasy, and Berserk's aesthetic feeling particularly inspired by western fantasy was fascinating to me alone. But the biggest motivator was Dark Souls/Bloodborne/Demon's Souls director being heavily inspired by the Berserk manga, which was enough of a push for me to finally give it a go. I'm currently at the Golden Age Arc, and already as early as the first chapter has Berserk not pulled any punches with its graphic depiction of violence, and even sexual violence which I feel maybe could have been toned down a bit. I look forward to continue reading, buying the next few Deluxe volumes once I start getting a job again.
2. Discovering new artists, particularly women musicians
So the year 2020 has given me a lot of time to broaden my horizons, I've started to listen to more jazz, soul and electronica based artists. I'm currently in a phase of wanting to discover new music I'd love like something within the hiphop genre. I've started to listening to anything from St Vincent, to Billie Eilish and heck even Taylor Swift. The moody dark beats of Eilish coppled with her excellent singing makes her a generally fascinating artists worth all the attention she's been getting. Then there is Taylor Swift's shockingly bold new direction with the album Folklore, with a sound that evokes that of Kate Bush from her 50 Words of Snow album, an excellent record. If this is where Swift is going with her music I might start have to pay attention to her for real. Phoebe Bridgers has also been capturing my interest, where I'm currently listening to bits and pieces of her various albums. And St Vincent's debut record make for some good art rock outside of the usual Radiohead routine.
Honourable Mention: Writing a Blog
Da List 10-8
10. Resident Evil 3
Alright let's get the many things I didn't like about this game out of the way first. Nemesis is a disappointment, he's a lame monster, he sounds silly and not at all scary like his original PSOne counter did whenver he was in the room with you. His presence are so overly telegraphed he might as well have blown an airhorn whenever he showed up. And the times he does appear outside of the scripted cutscenes, and boss battles, are extremely short. It is amazing that Mr X from the RE2 Remake is a better Nemesis than the titular monster himself, but there it is. While the original RE3 was certainly an action game, it feels like RE3 took that step a bit further with a lot of jarring over-the-top action sequences ala RE6 which I wasn't big on. And then there is the omitted content like Jill going to the Clocktower, and changing the final location of the game to yet another inexplicable underground lab facility (How the hell does Umbrella keep getting away with that?). The live selection system in the original game that could lead to optional fights with Nemesis, where Jill would go certain routes she wouldn't do otherwise with possible alt endings gave the original game a lot of replay value. There isn't much new content in place of the stuff that was cut from the game either, it gutted me after having actually enjoyed the prior remake. And there are the Hunters.. they are not fun to fight in narrow corridors in a hospital where they can glide left and right to avoid your Assault Rifle bullets because you don't have a shotgun. Oh and you can't blow off the zombie's limbs anymore..
But, however, Carlos and Jill are an absolute brilliant pair in this game. They had their moments in the original game but the way they are written feels more modern and appropriate. Jill feels like a proper Sarah Connor lead, and I couldn't be more happy about her presentation along with Carlos' role. The RE3 Remake has made me excited for the prospect of another game starring Jill in the future, and consider a replaythrough of the game for the optional weapons. The game still has its moment of genuine tense horror like the afforementioned Hospital, a location kept from the original game. RE3 Remake might not have blown my socks away but it was still one of the better games I played in 2020.
If there ever were a sleeper hit for me in 2020 then it would have to be Crash Bandicoot 4. In my youth, I generally always played platformers, they were very much my favorite type of video game. Everything from Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Ratchet, Jak, Sly, these were my Mario's the very essence of my childhood gaming world. Platformer as a genre has more or less faltered, and faded into obscurity since then, with Mario being the only one who kept it alive, along with various indie titles that served to elevate the genre back into relevancy with the release of the N'Sane Trilogy and the remastered trilogy of the old Spyro games. Crash is back, and it's about time!
While Crash has had a lot of.. sequels? None of them were all that great or felt like proper Crash in terms of artstyle, gameplay or challenge. Ultimately the declining success of the PS2 Crash titles and the platform genre getting replaced by the confusingly titled "Action-adventure" games in form of Uncharted, even the Ratchet & Jak sequels going into more action oriented directions--Crash was more or less shelved. Crash 4 is the type of evolution I'd always wanted for the franchise, it retains the beauty of those old games, the artstyle done by Nicholas Kole, an immense fan of the old games, whose vibrant colours and expressive character designs felt like proper reimaginations of the old 90's mascot. The game plays like old Crash, while also introducing accessibility options for those that aren't big on the tradionatiol "Lives system". Despite how accessible the game is, that does not mean it comes at the expense of being easy, in fact Crash 4 could very well be the hardest Crash game. Accessibility and difficulty are two very different things, and Crash 4 has both in spades. Tons of collectibles, in-game costume unlocks without having to pay for them is surprising for an Activision game. Coco is now a co-protagonist ala Clank in Ratchet, rather than a sidekick which is a cool and welcome addition on top of the other playable characters the game offers like Dingodile, Tawna and Cortex. All of them offer a fun, unique, gameplay experience in how to complete levels outside of the frames of Crash and Coco's moveset. The game is pretty much Crash Bandicoot with lots of unlockables, challenges, to keep players coming back and aim higher, it even has multiplayer modes build around the old concept of "passing the controller" which is a very neat function. The game is good, and gave me plenty of enjoyment that I haven't had with a platformer for some time.
9. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
I don't think there is a game that sum up 2020 better than New Horizons with the possible exceptions of the viral outbreak titles of RE3 and Last of Us. But New Horizons represents the reality we needed the most in 2020, namely social distant communication. Animal Crossing has always had a large following, much like Monster Hunter, it is a series I've always found fascinating but never delved into. It's safe to say that New Horizons made me hooked, but much like Monster Hunter there is a routine to the action in the game that simply doesn't hook me in long term which is why I haven't played the game for some time. Presumably all of my villagers are rebelling, and burning down my island as I write this. Its feels very comically dark when I think about it like that, like what is Tom Nook's actual motivations? He's a tanuki, and he's billionaire, that's not exactly encouraging. But he offers to take you on a vacation to an undisclosed island, and even gives you a tent, okay so far so good. But now he wants you to pay that off using his own type of bitcoin currency (Nook Miles). Ok, that's fine. Then you finish that and he says "You know wouldn't a house be much nicer?" He then essentially gaslights you into taking another loan, and this time you can't pay it off with the bitcoin you might have assembled so far. Now he wants you to pay him in bells, a currency that is only eligible at his stores and nowhere else, putting you deeper into his pocket. In order to get those bells you have to clean the island of all the weed, do a lot of fishing, chopping wood, picking fruit, and sell them to Nook's Children, who will then pay you the bells you need to pay off the debt put on by Nook himself. Oh, and did I mention how he also forces you to build houses and attractions for potential buyers to come live on the island too? No, well he does and he'll have you pay for it outside of the loan he already has on you. You are a hamster in a giant wheel, unable to do anything but keep running the wheel that makes Nook's criminal empire spin as he cackles like Mr Burns tapping his fingers...
Anyway, what was I on about? Right, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a good, relaxing video game that would entertain both people who play a lot of video games, and those that don't. Outside of the weird issues that come with playing the game on multiple accounts, where only person gets to have their own island which sucks, then there isn't much to complain about. If you just wanna do some fishing while relaxing to some of the most relaxing music outside of the traditional lo-fi, then Animal Crossing still has you covered.
Best Shows of 2020
Wave, listen to me
The year 2020 being a year where we are all isolated made me want to go back and watch some anime again and see if there are any new shows that would appeal to me. Anime is a delicate medium where I find most of them just doesn't give that edge that I want as an adult these days. That is until I found Wave, Listen to Me starring an adult woman in her 30s who's dealing with a bad breakup with a boyfriend which she rants about in a bar, her charisma, personality and crazy imaginative storytelling is what ultimately leads to a radio producer hiring her to do her own Radio Broadcast. Wave is a unique show in of itself that both portrays the daily struggles of an adult woman's heartbreak, and trying to balance her endless responsibilies with being a radioshow host. This it all comes to fruition via her over-the-top imaginitive stories she tells on air, like fighting bears in the woods, and it is as endlessly entertaining as her more grounded struggles with work at a Curry Restaurant.
Minare Koda is one of my favorite protagonists in some time, her seemingly laidback personality sheltering the anxieties that comes with being a single, heartbroken woman in her 30's in Japan is great and makes for a compelling character to follow. Also, she's hilarious. If nothing else this anime has made me consider reading the manga out of curiousity for its premise, and the stylish artstyle. Here's hoping a second season is brewing for more of Koda's antics.
Queen's Gambit
Someone on Twitter once described this show as a "Sport's anime made by the BBC" and having now watched it all the way through, there's a funny truth. Queen's Gambit is good both for its fascinating character gallery to its 60's aesthetic that despite that setting where women's desire for Independence is generally frowned upon still makes the story of an ideal image of the times where a woman could play some of the best men in Chess, and also have male friends who'd generally go out of their way to help and support her. Revisionist or not, the story of Queen's Gambit is not based on a true story like most sports drama, which is honestly to its benefit. While the mini-series is not a wholly original story about loneliness, and the inner turmoils that comes with being an orphan in the 1960s where violence on children was not outlawed, it does however unlike the 2007 film Borg/McEnroe allow for more character building with the wholly made up, and fascinating, character that is Beth Harmon.
Her time spent on the orphanage was the usual ordeal that comes living in an orphanage in the 60s, the draconian boundaries set by its caretakers. Beth becomes addicted to drugs that al children are required to take to keep them disciplined, which becomes a big problem when they are later outlawed by the federal government. All of these painful experiences, on top of the scrutiny she faces when she's finally adopted, are like droplets in the rain for an introverted woman who's dedicated all of her thoughts to chess. Her outward demeanor is usually defined through the rivals, and sometimes friends, she meets on the way, her inner feelings is where the show draws its focus. Anya-Taylor Joy is such a promising and cool actor, whose restrained performance helps sell this cold, calculated young woman who despite her tone is quite expressive, and vibrant. Queen's Gambit has made me want to follow Anya-Taylor more closely, while also finding a newfound respect for Chess as a game on top of a well told story.
Better Call Saul Season 5
While 2020 certainly had a few great original shows popping out of the woodworks to alleviate the constant anxiety that comes with a global pandemic. It was still ultimately the year of new seasons of great shows that still manage to be great. Better Call Saul started out with a somewhat more light hearted comedic tone compared to its predecessor. but then only got darker and dirtier, as the flawed goodhearted Jimmy McGill gets left in the dirt by the people he trusts the most and as a result his character only gets dirtier and more unscrupulous with each passing season. Last season ended on a pretty clear note, Jimmy has embraced Saul Goodman the personification of everything his brother saw in him, an ugly deceitful crook however unfair that sounds, this is ultimately what Jimmy is now. In all honesty Jimmy McGill is a more likeable protagonist overall compared to Walt White, and thus his journey only gets more painful and uncomfortable to follow--We know the destination, but the road laid bare for us is unknown and it scares us not knowing what we'll see to get there. It's easy to feel for Jimmy and also dislike Chuck for his unfair treatment of his brother, who pretty much dedicated all of his blood, sweat and tears to take care of him. Jimmy's efforts to be a stand up lawyer has also resulted in people pushing him further into criminal behavior. There's a real, and more natural, transition into Jimmy becoming a bonafide Tom Hagen than there was with Walt White. Something that is reflected in the show's strongest character, Kim Wexler, a fellow attorney and Saul's love interest and closest friend.
Kim has always served as Jimmy's compass to stear him right whenever he feels like bending the law to get his clients out of trouble, or give other bad guys their comeuppance. By the time of Season 5 she's now in a constant struggle of retaining her integrity as a servant of the law, and a close confidant to Jimmy. She is slipping into the same hole as Jimmy out of her concern and love for a man who's made her more happy than any other person in her life. Rhea Seahorn's performance is littered with complexity, and control that makes her feel genuine more than any other character in this show. Her arc is possibly the most scary and uncomfortable part of this show, not knowing where Kim's journey is taking her and what we'll find when she gets there. It even scares Jimmy himself.
Other characters which generally consist of guest characters from Breaking Bad who's been promoted to recurring main characters like Gustavo Fring, and Mike Erhmantraut, has all but gotten comfortable in the shoes of organized criminals. Gus Fring has been there since he was introduced, but Mike still lingered but ultimately took the same the route as Walt White in Breaking Bad. Perhaps this is why Mike hates him so much?
Either way Season 5 is a phenomenal piece of television that presumably is paving way into the final steps of Better Call Saul where we've all but entered Breaking Bad's timeline.
Bojack Horseman Season 6
Bojack Horseman is the new Simpsons/Futurama while it was still running for all of 6 seasons. There are so many animated comedy shows these days, that are either made by former Simpsons writers, storyboard artists etc. or draw heavy inspiration from the show in order to capture that same spirit of the old Simpsons. The only show that has managed to do this in my mind was Groening's own show Futurama, and then there is Bojack Horseman. But unlike The Simpsons or Futurama, or Groening's new project Disenchantment, Bojack doesn't strive for the usual sitcom formula. It's a genuine deconstruction of the whole formula and presedence set by the shows that came before which only is made obvious through its protagonist, Bojack Horseman, a former washed up sitcom star (wouldn't you know it) whose self destructive self loathing behaviour, and experience with drugs and alcohol has all but put a damper on his carreer. The premise serves as both a fun way for its creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg to call out the inane worship of celebrity culture and exceptionalism in Hollywood, while also breaking conventional barriers set by past sitcom dramas, and also serves to underline the immense pressure that comes with being in the spotlight, depression, suicide. Suffice it to say, Bojack Horseman gets dark, and make no mistake it is still a comedy. Bojack Horseman strives for being a drama, but it somehow has still managed to be funny, intelligent, and thought provoking that has genuinely managed to upset me, in a good way much like Better Call Saul.
Season 6 is the final stretch before its cancellation was announced but the Waksberg got the chance to end the show on his terms, and in a lot of ways the ending was appropriate. Bojack's constant search for meaning and gratification is only outbalanced by his inability to retain relationships or friendships with those who are willing to give him the time of day. All of his terrible decisions and horrible behavior is closely catching up to him, and we are dreading the outcome because it seems pretty clear. Without spoiling, however, the ending was perfect. And looking past the rough start with the first season I'd say this show is quite frankly perfect.
Best Spin-offs That Need to Happen Award
Final Fantasy XIV: Dancing With the Stars
You know I'm not usually one for rhythm games until I started playing the Persona Dancing titles, a great soundtrack is ultimately the backbone of a good rhythm game. And Final Fantasy XIV is probably one of those games where there isn't a genre it hasn't touched in such a way that there are enough music to make 3 rhythm games across several expansion packs from the original title. Final Fantasy XIV is particularly proud of its music, something which Square Enix are generally heralded for is their music--In XIV itself the Bard class can don an instrument and play almost any song imaginable via the key chords available in the game. Combine this with the dozens of dances that exist in the game already, even some that actually genuinely sync up really well with some of the more iconic tracks. And you have a winner. I'm not even mentioning that one Christmas event back in 2019 where you had a literal rhythm mini-game as a symphony conductor. Square Enix, what are you doing making Kingdom Hearts rhythm games, when you could be making a Final Fantasy XIV rhythm game? Step on it!
Jojo Diamond is Unbreable Persona-type JRPG
Is this a spin-off or an idea? I guess it would be if Atlus were to make it. This idea is probably not the most original in the world, everyone and their mom have already figured the obvious similarities between Persona 4 and Diamond is Unbreakable. Everything from the rural northern Japanese small town setting, to the murder mystery, to the murderer being a creepy dude who wields a powerful Persona/Stand. This idea would be something akin to what Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios recently did with the Fist of the North Star license, a match that was made in heaven and turned out well in my opinion, but rather it's Atlus who makes the game, or someone just as competent. While Diamond is Unbreakable's characters are wayy more out there, and ludicrous, compared to the kids of Persona 4. There is a charm and charisma found in the cast, and the crazy ass unique fights they have, with their own gimmicks which could make for some fun turn based battles.
Mass Effect Sci-fi Noire
The idea of branching the Mass Effect license outside of the usual shooter routine is something I'd really like to see. The game stopped being an RPG with Mass Effect 2, so why not try something completely different with future games like.. a detective game! I love a good murder mystery, and Mass Effect has a few of those like the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC beginning with Shepard having to play detective at a crime scene, and hey L.A. Noire was a fun game when it wasn't being a shooter. And Return of Obra Dinn is one of the best games I've ever made. What I'm saying is that Garrus deserves to share all of his calibartions anecdotes in his own game as a proper detective, or maybe an entirely new character/custom or not. I'd buy it.
Da List 7-5
8. Marvel's Spider Man: Miles Morales
I loved Marvel's™ Spider-Man™ for PS4 when it released back in 2018. It was the most fun I've had with a superhero game since Arkham Asylum, the real feeling of what it's like to be Spider Man has never felt fullyrealized in any other Spider Man game until that game. And the biggest reason for that is the web slinging, a Spider Man game lives and dies on its webslinging and everything else is just padding. It's only natural when you hand a beloved license over to an established game studio like Insomniac whose main experience with platformers like Spyro and Ratchet with their flourished controls, vibrant colours and movement, that you'll get a great Spider Man game. Finally. Miles Morales is an extended expansion, promoted to a full sequel to Marvel's™ Spider-Man™ 2018™ and while it doesn't do much new in terms gameplay, there's plenty to love with its characters, story, and the gameplay still being fun. Miles is a much younger Spider-Man than Peter Parker, and thus the way he moves accentuates that, he flails wildly around, half scared, as he shoots one web and unleashes another very clumsily. His poses in midair as he collides towards the ground are very laidback, and very Miles, showing his distinction in terms of his age and perspective from Peter's Spider-Man. While I'm a big fan of Spider Man's tendency to quip to mellow out tense situations, I find Miles to be a refreshing change and it's not like he doesn't get a few shots in on the generic baddies he beats up left and right.
The villain gallery in Miles Morales is a mixed bag, the expected presence of Miles best villains are there but the ones that get the spotlight are a bit of a letdown. Simon Krieger is a cartoon villain in every sense of the word, and while that might have been the intention in order for him to be a stepping stool for the real villain of the game. It doesn't feel earned, the actual main villain while at first a fascinating concept feels underbaked, their motivations confusing if not downright dumb. Ultimately it doesn't bog down the great drama and chemistry between Miles and his family/friends even villains, the acting is flawless as it was in the previous games but it doesn't quite hit the notes the original game did.
Disregarding Miles Morales being an expansion it still managed to be up there with the highest budget AAA titles of 2020, and some of the most fun I've had with new games during an otherwise terrible year.
7. Paper Mario: The Origami King
So here's the thing I'm a big fan of the old Paper Mario, namely the Thousand Year Door and heck I even really liked Super Paper Mario. I miss the combat of old, the imaginitive settings that aren't just wholly paper based gimmicks like the train mystery, the creepy forests, Mario moonlighting as a wrestler you name it. In spite of how simple the combat system of Thousand Year Door might have felt, there was a charm to it with the way it also complimented the unconventional storytelling, like how all combat scenarios take place on a theater stage--Mario has an audience that'll only grow larger if you do well, and they'll help or hinder him depending on whether they are enjoying themselves. A subtle fun poke at the bizarre concept of JRPGs combat systems taking place in pocket dimensions dissonant from the rest of the game, and also a clever way of framing the whole game's story as a performance, make believe, where the Mario characters get to really express how they feel which they've never been able to do before.
Origami King has mostly retained a lot of what make these games probably the best Mario games out there. I don't know why Miyamoto is so diametrically opposed to good storytelling in his games because it does wonders for Mario when developers try something outside of the standard 2D platformer box. Super Paper Mario felt like it was trying to satisfy Miyamoto's idea of a Mario game, while also being a Paper Mario game which ultimately worked out but the series has become somewhat of a gimmick ever since. Every game feels like the result of Nintendo's desire to spitball various gimmicks at their audience, not that different from their regular Mario titles like Mario 3D World. Ultimately, Origami King still has the strong writing, and even some occasional fun characters that become guest partners as opposed to real partners/party members for Mario's adventure which is nice but still disappointing. Being thrown a bone is not what I want from this series but I'm still hoping Nintendo will eventually relent and allow the series more creativity in the future.
I'm a staunch defender of Demon's Souls. Yes this is certainly Hidetaka Miyazaki's first foray into what would become a genre defining game series. In terms of difficulty Demon's is lower on the punishing scale but I don't think it's to the game's detriment. The best part about these games is as much their difficulty as it is their atmosphere and Demon's Souls has so many distinct and memorable settings like the Valley of Defilement, Tower of Latria, and even the Kingdom of Boletaria and the dense fog shrouding its streets leaves for some haunting and eerie escapdes through the hollow but beautiful world From Soft has created. I'll be honest I had my reservations like so many others with the choice of making Demon's soundtrack feel more choir based in line with Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the original music had an identity. But in retrospect Shunsuke Kida went out of his way to grant bosses like the Penetrator a boss theme of his own similar to what Sakimoto did for the FFXII re-release for PS4. The new soundtrack is not necessarily to the detriment in the world, more often than not it works, but I still do miss the old Astraea theme. Demon's is gorgeous, the redesigns feel like proper homages to the original game with some questionable ones here and there, it elevates Demon's status in the Souls gallery to the top. Although it was there already for me.
Top 5 Best New Characters of 2020
5. Judy/Panam/Misty/Viktor, Cyberpunk 2077
Look Cyberpunk 2077 is not that great of a game as I'm sure most people will probably find themselves agreeing with, it was a mess but a flawed mess that could have been great because there is genuinely some good content and even fun to be had with 2077. Disregarding the questionable stereotypes regardings it non-white characters, the various assassination missions you are doing on behalf of the cops in a Cyberpunk game?! And the presence of a troublesome crossdressing character, it still has good writing, and some good characters. Cyberpunk 2077 does have a lot of good characters and on that note I could make a whole list featuring just them alone, so instead I'll dedicate one spot to all of them.
Judy Alvarez: The bonafide poster girl for Cyberpunk 2077's marketing is also one of the game's best characters. Judy is a friend of Evelyn Parker, and a master Brain Dance technician. A type of virtual reality that are used for 'entertainment', a training simulator to turn a common pedestrian into a mastermartial artist, it can also be used to treat cyberpsychosis and even simulate memories for the purpose of crime scene investigation. Her skills makes her a valuable ally in the first act of the game. She originally lived with her grandparents in Laguna Bends, until it was bought out and submerged into the nearby river (that's so out there messed up).
While it is disappointing that Judy's role in the story is ultimately diminished after you help each other trying to find Evelyn after what happens in the story, there's a camaraderie and chemistry with her & V I generally enjoyed. The real meat is naturally the romance path with a V with a female body (honestly the way CDPR handled the gender thing was terrible). It showcases her vulnerability in regards to the few people she trusts, and how it affects her when something happens to them. She pushes people away, partially because she doesn't trust easy, but also as a byproduct of her failed relationships. Losing people scares and hurts her the most, anyone from her parents to her closest friends like Evelyn, the Moxes and even to some degree her ex-girlfriend Maeko. There's complexity to Judy's character, and her romance is sweet, while she could have been a more noteworthy story character especially iwht her skills as a Braindance technician, she was memorable enough to put her on this list.
Panam Palmer: There's no going around it, Panam is Cyberpunk 2077's Garrus, potentially its best character. Who need broes when you have a good sis in your corner, especially if you are playing V with a female body and voice (Yes, I still think this is stupid). While being an attractive female love interest for male V's is certainly enough to suave the general dude bro playing the game, there's so much more to Panam. I was playing a V with a woman's voice and body, which means Panam is off limits to me but I found there was a particularly stronger connection between her and V than with most love interest in any game. I think this is especially evident in the casual back forth between Cherami Leigh (V) and Emily Woo Zeller (Panam='s delivery. There is this honesty in Leigh's words and voice whenver she talks tone to Panam as V after they've gotten to know each other, less the tough girl exterior she puts up whenever she converses with the average Joe calling her on her cyber phone. Panam's own off-filter tone whenever she has to deal with authority, general charisma and laidback 'tude makes it easy to warm up to her. In fact her voice actor Emily Zeller delivers her lines in such a way that Panam feels real genuine. Her acting is earnest in a way that reminds me of Ashly Burch's performance for Chloe Price from Life is Strange, the fuck-you attitude to authority and the ability to be conscientious with those close to her. She's the real Cyberpunk in a world full of street kids.
Despite how Panam might initially seem stand-offish, it has more to do with her life as a Nomad, being generally unable to trust anyone outside of her family. In a world run by coporations it would be hard to blame her for being the way she is. I was eager to help with her problems in exchange for her help, even helping her get payback on a guy who betrayed her trust. Earning her trust is gratifying because of the friendship that ensues, there are some genuinely fun exchanges with her, V and the rest of the Aldecados. Compared to most of the characters in the game, least of all your internal mind-mate Johnny Silverhand, she's willing to listen and go out of her way to help you find a cure for your predicament. She extends a hand in genuine friendship, which is also serves as one of the several optional endings for the game and some might argue the "best ending" of the game.
Victor Vector: Out of the 3 characters from Cyberpunk who made the strongest impression on me, Victor is probably the most minor among them as far as the game is concerned. A man who looks like a cross between Nicholas Winding Refn and Michael Madsen is probably the closest, trusted ally that the protagonist V has by the beginning of the game's second act. So it's a shame that he's ultimately just generally pushed aside as an occasional merchant you might come and visit for a potential upgrade to your cybernetics. Vic's role as a doc is clear, but he also seems to have a genuine bond with V that goes beyond just being a mere client. Vic's willingness to overlook a pricey bill for expensive upgrades for V based on trust that V will honour the debt is just so refreshing. While our resident doc's relevance might be shortlived he is an important mouthpiece for explaining the harsh truth of what is happening to V during the game's second act. Michael Gregory, known for his roles in films such as Robocop and to some maybe his smaller gigs in Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, has that cool and resound charisma that serves to complement his fashion sense and Michael Madsen-looking mug. His performance is incredibly sharp, much like Emily Zoo Weller as Panam I buy Victor's genuine concern for a terminally ill patient when he's faced with things that out of his debt but still go out of his way to look the other way for the sake of friends. His speech at Jackie's funeral, or his shortlived job as V's boxing coach in a small side gig, while Vic might not be as relevant to the plot as Panam or even Judy, his place in the story is still important and meaningful due to Gregory's incredible performance and he's just generally likeable persona.
4. Koichi Adachi, Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Looking past my reservations with Yakuza 7's combat I do frickin love pretty much everything else about it. I think the side distractions are generally some of the most fun since Yakuza 5, and the karaoke has made its return. But even better with the existence of party members we now get even more karaoke, the icing being Adachi and his impeccable singing voice. Adachi is the classic rogue cop character whose dealings with corruption inside his precinct leads him on a one man mission to uncover the source of it which ends up culminating with Ichiban's quest to finding the truth of the Tojo Clan's disappearance. His chemistry with Ichiban is really fun, and hilarious when he is wittingly responsible for Ichiban's 90s rockband hairdo. The relationship between Ichiban, Adachi, Saeko and Nanba reminds me a lot of the relationship between Joker, Anne, Ryuji and Yusuke in Persona 5. There is a closer bond between the characters whom you meet at the start of the narrative unlike anything else, a lot of time both in and outside the narrative is spent cultivating the kinship between Ichiban and his initial gang, most certainly Adachi. Like a Dragon even has its own version of social links where its revealed that Adachi's money trouble stems from his desire to help the son of a man who was falsely arrested by his own precinct. In spite of his laidback nature, and apparent lack of self-control from a financial standpoint, he has a good head on his shoulders who's brilliant at detective work and a good heart to go out of his way to help less fortunate people who's been conned by the system he serves.
3. Jill Valentine & Carlos Oliviera, Resident Evil 3 Remake
Jill Valentine: I had my reservations about the Resident Evil 3 Remake, and how it feels like a baked down version of the original game in a lot of respects. But there is one thing I truly do love about the recent Resident Evil remakes, and that is the writing. Resident Evil 7 has really elevated the quality of the writing with its established characters, while also retaining the Army of Darkness campy tone that the old games embodied. RE3 Remake starts out in first person (very cheeky and clever Capcom) in order for us to truly immerse into Jill's trauma of surviving the horrors of the Spencer Mansion, and that no one at her job believes her beyond the few people who survived with her. Going into the bathroom in this section staring into the mirror, and to Jill's horror suddenly discovering her body rapidly decomposing like a zombie was a genuinely haunting experience to witness as a player. It's nice that Capcom has chosen to focus on the human side of its established characters, and explore the mental consequences that comes with the situations they've been through. In spite of this you'll find several notes everywhere in Jill's apartment showing the dedication she's put into stopping Umbrella, and while being genuinely terrorfied to have her apartment suddenly be torn apart by a Tyrant looking monster here to kill her, she holds her own surprisingly well. And they didn't even have to put Jill through hours of torture sequences to establish her strong perseverance as a character unlike Lara Croft. Oh, and she still has some awesome memorable lines "Bitch can't even swim". Perfect.
Carlos Oliveira: I love Carlos in the Resident Evil 3 Remake, he's charming, occasionally flirty and dorky in all the best ways. He's heroic and wants to save people despite the ulterior motives of his clearly evil employer, Umbrella. If there is one negative thing I have to say about Carlos is probably something that doesn't necessarily have to do with his character but rather how much we play as him. While more Carlos in RE3 Remake is not a bad thing, the amount of times the game breaks the actual horror tension of the game to switch over to Carlos from Jill makes the game feel less organic and dynamic. But nevertheless, I enjoyed playing Carlos with his new scruffy look and hair that would give Ichiban a run for his money. Don't you like that in a man?
2. Takuto Maruki, Persona 5 Royal
It's no secret that I love Persona 5, I love the main characters they are effectively my favorite team since Eternal Punishment. And I can now say without a doubt that Persona 5 also has my favorite villain in the series. While the conceptual abstract evil of Nyx in Persona 3 was fascinating because of how it flowed in sync with said game's theme of what it means to be alive and how you cope with the inevitability of death. It's a concept that has found itself repeating a bit too much with Atlus titles that followed like Persona 4 and even 5, and even Catherine though I gotta say I liked it well enough in that game. Persona 5, however, strives to add a human face to the inherent evils of the deadly sins that make up all of us. Maruki is represented by the sin of Sorrow/Sadness, one of the sins that affect the mind, part of the original 8 Deadly Sins that in later Christian scriptures got recategorized into 7--Maruki's story is one of great despair, the loss of his girlfriend to the despair of witnessing her parents getting murdered, and sacrifcing his own chance at happiness to make everyone else happy but at the expense of any pain. Maruki's position as a mental health professional is an ingenious addition to a game that centers on the idea of changing the mental cognition of people at large. Nevermind how his profession being one that feels very relatable, and relevant to modern a world that has started to take mental illness more serious. But also the perspective it places on Japan's own poor handling of mental illness in regards to its high suicide rates. Unlike most of the other human villains in the game, Maruki isn't so much a dark twisted reflection of the Thieves so much that he is The Thieves driven to the extreme. Unlike Nyx, Yaldaobath or Izanami, Maruki's actions aren't based on an collective unconcious desire for salvation from life's hardships, but rather the seemingly selfless but actually incredibly selfish desires of one unfortunately broken man.
His lifetime experience has taught him that at the root of a lot of problems that people face are pain, hurt, loss, things that aren't necessarily physical but mental. The convenient awakening of his power to command a Persona with abilities beyond the usual we are accomstumed to; In fact, his powers are quite similar to that the Joker antagonist from Persona 2. It grants him power to shape reality, same as the world altering powers of rumor mongering from Persona 2, Maruki removes all the worldly pains and hardships from the people of Tokyo. The teachers who are usually aggressive, no longer showcase any form of aggression but rather encouragement, people are winning the lottery, they are getting the job they wanted. The Thieves get to live with the people they've lost, or the things they lost, everything seems great. Joker knows the truth, it is ultimately a lie, a lie that is cultivated by a man who doesn't deem pain as a necessary component to growth and evolving as a person. In Maruki's eyes pain, hardships, getting rejected, serves only to make people give up on their dreams and drowning themselves into what is easy and comfortable. A fair point, as a lot of what he says is unfortunately true. But ironically in his strive for making a better world, where people don't have to go through defeats that'll potentialy crush their dreams, he ultimately offers something that is easy and at the expense of any free will.
What is life without failure, it's nihilism, Maruki's world is one not that different from the Apathy Syndrome that plagues the citizens of Iwatodai in Persona 3. Without failure people will never choose to reach out to their dreams and that is not living. While he ultimately does say that whether you want to embrace his world, or refuse it, you are free to make a choice but he ultimately doesn't allow you to choose. Everything Maruki has been saying up until he fully awakens his Persona's immense power has made sense, the encouragement to the students that they deserve to be happy, his life's mission to promote mental illness as a serious illness, it's what has shaped into ultimately a good person who is also an antagonist but not really a villain. It's only near the end when his life's work is challenged by people with the same power as him, suddenly he is gaslighting the Thieves, refusing to let them go, becoming an abuser like Kamoshida refusing to let his loved ones decide for themselves as he did with Sumire. The fight against Maruki is less a fight to save mankind, and more the heroes' fighting to protect themselves from being shackled, appropriately tying into the game's overarching theme. Maruki is gennuinely the best Persona villain out there, and that might not necessarily be a high bar but even in contrast to a lot of RPG villains, he's at the top.
1. Abby, The Last of Us Part II
If there is one thing that has divided gamers in the year 2020, then it would probably be that of the existence of Abby in the Last of Us Part II as a playable protagonist. Spoilers are incoming now, so if you've yet to play then it's time to move on to the next section, but I need to talk about some spoilers to justify why Abby is the best new character of 2020.
Abby represents the love that director Neil Druckmann has for video games like Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, a character whose purpose beyond her actual characterization is to trick players into a mindset serving to make them reflect on their own perception of violence (much like the post-modern narrative of Spec Ops) and the sometimes unreliable presentation that games offer to convene their message (Like Sons of Libert). Part II as the game implies is a sequel, the cover of Last of Us Part II has Ellie on the cover, the marketing of the game regularly features Ellie based gameplay killing cultists, and clickers. Ellie is our hero, she was the girl we've spent hours getting to know and watch grow in the first game, overcoming hardships and emotional challenging trauma, and even trust issues with her companion Joel. The first game was such a success at conveying its story, that we are now at Last of Us 2, a game that now seeks to destroy our beautiful sandcastle in order to tell an effective story on our worryingly we start to numb ourselves to violence in games, and accept it as a perfectly normal part of video games--Our strong affections for our favorite people can sometimes come at the expense of our moral beliefs, we willingly overlook the horrible parts of them and sometimes even go out of our way to condone their actions in spite of how morally bankrupt they might be. Ellie and by extension the player share a symbiotic affection for Joel, his death is a primary motivator for us to seek revenge, something that at first feels justified.
The game puts us in Abby shoes initially, who fights off clickers alongside Joel and his brother enough to gain their trust. She does this long enough until she can pull her trap that allows her to kill Joel in revenge for what he did to her father in the prior game. It's such a brilliant trap the game sets, not just to build Abby as a seemingly villainous antagonist, even when we are aware of her backstory, but also how it compromises the moral compass of the people close to Joel. It's not really until much later in the game, where Ellie stops acting like a hero, and rather as someone who is solely obsessed with getting payback by killing the person who took Joel away from her. She was robbed of her only chance to reconcile with someone who in spite of the bad things he's done was still important to her. It's not that different with Abby, and her friends, from her perspective they are her everything after losing her family (The Fireflies). Abby's relation to characters like Levi, her struggles and the levity she allows herself to have with Levi later in the game when she's started to let go of her hate. It's a tragically beautiful thing to witness, while Last of Us Part II could probably have ended at soon as Ellie and Abby ran into each other--The extra time spent with Abby was probably necessary in the long run to make her character work, and her role as well. It worked on me, I wanted Ellie to be happy not Abby, at the end I wasn't really sure anymore.
Number 5
Although this absolute gem of a game is only on spot 4 on this list it is probably still the most fun I've had playing a video game in the year 2020. Ghost of Tsushima is the best samurai game, from a gameplay perspective, while maybe not necessarily from a thematic standpoint: It is the best from a gameplay standpoint. The gameplay can be very complex and fun if you choose to engage with all of its systems, and crank the difficulty up to Hard mode. At that point I felt like the game did a good job of capturing that old Kurosawa Samurai film tone, everything from the scattered leaves, to the wind physics, to the usual cherry blossoms, to the cinematic camera and ever so satisfying holstering of a katana, wiping off the blood. Sucker Punch takes a loooot of liberties in regards to their portrayal of history, the bushido code, and even the Kurosawa themes, but ultimately the package they deliver ends up being to the game's overall benefit. Despite the somewhat standard open world side distractions, the game just feels fun to play and has so many unique quirks that branches it from the usual Ubisoft affair.
The Japanese voice acting is also a particular highlight and a welcome option the developers have provided for the sake of the immersion of a Samurai film. Having the voice of Roronoa Zoro be the voice for Jin Sakai only enhances Jin's badass lone warrior character. The story in Tsushima is relatively enjoyable enough but nothing to write home about compared to a few other titles released in 2020. The gameplay & the aesthetic is what makes Tsushima a winner much like their prior games.
Games I'll Have to get around to Award
Crusader Kings 3: I was a really big fan of Paradox's Crusader Kings 2, it's a strategy game through and through but not the RTS type of strategy. Crusader Kings is for all intents and purposes closer to an RPG than a genuine strategy game, while the core gameplay loop is certainly about knowing when to deploy troops on unsuspecting countrysides, and annexing defenseless smaller counties, it's also about micromanaging several dozen menus, keeping track of your ruler's well-being, their diplomatic handling of local politiccs and making tough decisions that can severely affect the future of your Empire and dynasty. In that regard it is pretty much a CRPG, and one of the biggest reasons why I fell for the game. The third game seems to be continuing this streak with a prettier coat of paint, and sadly also the DLC practice. I fear that by the time I start with CK3 it would have up to 20 DLC packs that take up the space of a small AAA video game. Paradox has a particularly Atlus-type of approach to DLC that can make it intimidating to engage with their game on top of the steep learning curve of the game's systems. All the same I hope to get started with the game before long once I finish some other games I want to get through. It'lls happen... eventually.
Honourable Mentions: Murder by Numbers, Kentucky Route Zero, Wasteland 3, Baldur's Gate 3 (When it leaves Early Access)
Number 4
The Last of Us Part II: So let's get this out of the way first, yes I wouldn't call Last of Us Part 2 my GOTY but unlike a vocal majority of the internet who decided to show their asses in regards to their opinion on this game having buff lady character--I still really liked it. Last of Us Part II is a great video game, and unlike its predecessor I had fun playing it too. From a gameplay perspective, Part II really elevates the existing stealth based action-adventure combat, being able to prone like MGS is a feature I felt was sorely lacking from previous games. The AI has gotten smarter, and the developers felt like going the extra mile by giving some of the samey looking enemies names, which honestly came off with the opposite feeling then it probably should when I occasionally had to dispatch some of them "Allan, no!" yells henchmen #2 which made me chuckle as opposed to dreading my actions I just found it funny.
What's not so funny is experiencing Ellie's slow descension into cold blooded monster in a misguided journey for revenge that starts and feels righteous. Much like MGS2 and especially Spec Ops: The Line, Last of Us Part 2 seeks to deceive the player by presenting a faux protagonist whose actions from the viewpoint of being "the established protagonist" will ultimately seem right or just in our eyes, masquerading the underlying intentions of the narrative. And like the latter it'll frame the ruthless actions of its protagonist as justified, and righteous, in an effort to make the player reflect on their actions without thought and how video games sometimes numb us to violence as something that is natural to how we live. It's a smart way to have the game focus on Ellie at the exclusion of Joel, but still have another protagonist who offers a new perspective that ultimately serves to make us think about the story that is being told to us.
Last of Us Part II isn't as cut and dry as it seems on the surface, there are main characters on two sides of a conflict with real emotions, motivations, that unfortunately comes to blow. Having the established character, namely Ellie, be the primary protagonist for the most of the game is smart move in line with Sons of Liberty to make her actions sound reasonable, until Ellie's decisions starts cross the line further, peeling the rotten shells of a molded onion that is revenge where reason, logic, empathy are put to the test. Both the character's as well as the player's. It was easy to dispatch the seemingly evil, and ruthless, cannibals from the first game but in Last of Us Part II Ellie will have to face someone whose circumstances reflects her own and it becomes hard to decide whether we still wanna be on her side or not. The game does a good job of fleshing out Ellie's relationship with Joel over the years that passed since the ending of the first game, which will only make our feelings on her as a young adult in II be all the more complicated. In spite of the internet's protests, Last of Us Part II is really, well made video game that deserved the praise it got, and if this is the ending of the series then I wouldn't feel too bad about it but the ending isn't for the faint of heart. And that's probably to the game's benefit.
Games That Didn't Quite Make the Cut Award
Now I don't have as much of a nostalgic love for Final Fantasy as others do, one might say I am a novice to the series which is true. My journey with Final Fantasy began unfortunately with the divisive Final Fantasy XIII entry: A game I can only describe as a chore to play in spite of its otherwise pretty good soundtrack. Final Fantasy, XIII epsecially, used to represent all the aspects I didn't like about Final Fantasy and JRPGs as a whole: The spiky hair, cringe dialogue and mobey anime characters that made me wanna pull my teeth out. It wasn't until I started looking into a guy named Yasumi Matsuno, and his various Fire Emblem-style tactical based games like Final Fantasy Tactics, and FFXII, that I really started to finally get Final Fantasy. And then I played XIV, which finally made me wanna keep an eye on Final Fantasy. With the remake of Final Fantasy VII being a reality I thought it was time to dive into the most note lauded title in the series, one which I admit I had some initial interests in not least because of the setting. Final Fantasy VII's cyberpunkish story and setting always had me intrigued due to my love for near-future sci-fi about corpos controlling the world, cybernetics, squalors, the disparity between the lower and upper class in a future society. The original game's art design hasn't aged all that well, and the localization feels like a product of its time where I never really felt like playing it. This is honestly very paradoxical to my usual approach to established franchises, I always wanna play the original first to understand the foundation, but FFVII has those things I didn't like about JRPGs that modern game design thankfully has done away with like random encounters, and now having the ability to auto-save.
Suffice it to say I was convinced that I might finally get to play and enjoy FFVII, as I actually did quite like its prequel Crisis Core which for some reason I played and finished a long time ago despite my lack of history with VII. In spite of Crisis Core's many, many downsides I actually enjoyed its story for the most part and the things it did right to which I imagined FFVII would do better. In some ways, it is, and in some ways it just doesn't cut it for me. The thing about Crisis Core was that it actually had a very engaging and likeable protagonist which for the most part is not something I think Final Fantasy excels at. Usually the protagonist is the least interesting character in any room he or she is in, and in Vaan's case in FFXII he might as well not be there at all. Cloud has pioneered the lone-wanderer, broody type protagonist with a big sword from Guts the protagonist of the Berserk manga, and many a Final Fantasy protagonists had since walked his steps. But where Guts actually had a lot of build up early in the story to shape his character into the lone broody swordsman, nevermind the dark, opressive tone of the manga serving to compliment, Cloud doesn't really have any of that until perhaps near the end of the game.
Number 3
In spite of everything bad about video games, which usually consists of the corporate side of video games, where original ideas go to die also called Electronique Arts, video games are still art and sometimes they are just really good. Hades is a game everyone and their mom has probably told you about now so I don't know if I can offer any unique insight into its utter beauty. I suppose the surface levels of beauty already is that it's absolutely frickin gorgeous looking game, the art is mesmerizing in such a way I haven't seen since Persona 5, it's incredibly stylish, and really animated like one would expect out of a Supergiant game. Every floor tile is polished, with vibrant crisp and evocative colours, that makes the game feel like it's on the level of a high graphical AAA product. The game is what the kids refer to as a roguelite, a genre that seems to be based around dungeon crawling as its primary game loop, and I love my dungeon crawling in games like Shin Megami Tensei or Persona, Hades makes otherwise tedious busywork feel important as it incorporates it into the overall story progression, you'll die but it won't be a major setback in such a way that it'll make you quit the game. There might be a point where dying becomes a nuisance as you'll lose your carefully selected abilities you've picked out through each run, but Hades is kind enough to let you upgrade your chosen weaponry, an inate abilities, that'll each run go smoother and smoother until you finally make a hole big enough to slip out.
It's a rewarding feeling akin to beating a boss in a Souls game, which is also uplifted by a great story told through protaognist, Zagreus, various interactions with the residents of the Underworld of which he's trying to escape. Every time you die you'll get a new piece of dialogue, and the characters will actually acknowledge your progress, and sometimes even what killed you, there's a really good sense of dynamic flow to the way the game is designed that makes it easy to keep playing in order to see what other secrets and dialogue you can unlock. At the time of writing this I have not yet managed to escape but gotten really close, and there's so much I've yet to see, but I feel like I've seen enough to get a good idea of what the characters and their relationships are, the voice acting is generally excellent. I love Zagreus, in particular, for how he's neither too heroic, or too quippy to take you out of his struggles to escape his overly zealous negligent father, Hades. While Hades is certainly the villain and the primary motivator for Zagreus quest to escape, there's an interesting dynamic between the two that doesn't feel nearly as toxic as the average parent-child relationship. There's a deeper driving motivation behind the characters that makes the grind through the Underworld's ever changing corridors sync with the dynamic storytelling. As of writing I have still not managed to escape but gotten close, and I can't wait to see how it all ends as Hades has already won me over with its illustrious artystyle, writing and surprisingly fun gameplay.
Number 2
Yakuza: Like a Dragon: The Yakuza series is a pretty special series to me which started years ago around when Yakuza 4 released on the PS3. My introduction to Akiyama got me hooked, I went out and ironically played Yakuza 2 after 4 as it became my favorite title in the series even until this day. In spite of the massive combat departure in Like a Dragon, the kind of which I am not a fan, I've found myself immensely enjoying all of the stuff the game had to offer back when the Japanese copy released in early 2020. Everything from garbage collecting, to quirky stock market brokering, to gokarting, to trying to stay awake during a movie is so much fun. And I do have to say that I really enjoy the idea of a party of characters, Saeko, Adachi and Namba are fun characters to hang out with, whereas the later members are a bit eh. Ichiban is a really good protagonist, not quite on the level of Akiyama, Majima or even Kiryu, but he can certainly carry a new type of Yakuza title with its own style, and maybe we'll get a beat 'em up from the Judgement license? The story of Like a Dragon is pretty much somewhat a follow up to Yakuza 5-6, and a bit of Online, Ichiban goes to prison for the sake of his boss (stop me if you've heard that one before) for the sake of his boss, when he returns a few decades later everything has changed. To our surprises, as well as Ichiban, the Tojo Clan has been expelled entirely from Kamurocho--The established frames set by Kiryu and co from prior games are gone to make room for something new. Ichiban sets out to confront his foster-father-boss for some answers. His trusted father and closest confidant shoots Ichiban, and exiles him to the Yokohama district where the biggest chunk of the game takes place.
In his new surroundings Ichiban will have to find himself a way to return to Kamurocho, while solving the ongoing problems of Yokohama regarding Korean immigrants, the elderly and the rising homeless population which somehow all ties into a convluted Yakuza conspiracy as always. The pacing can be a bit uneven much like the first Yakuza it'll take a while before we get back to the Yakuza aspect, but the fascinating insight into Japanese socioculture issues such as the stigma that comes with homeless people, immigration, is something that elevates the otherwise whacky game with a lot of heart and nuance. It reminds me of a lot of Persona 5 in that regard, on top of the similar looking combat UI and the presence of social link type of events with your party members. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a good game with some good fan service for established fans near the end that serves to tie a proper knot with the old canon while making way for a new Dragon.
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