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Verdantree

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Verdantree's Top Ten Games he Played in the Year TwoThousandTwenty

What a weird year it's been! But ultimately a bit of a sleeper hit for video games in my opinion! Here's the list of my favourite games that I played this year! Seriously I don't think I'm ever going to stop talking about how god damn good Chrono Trigger is.

Things I want to get to (or at least look at) but didn’t
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

Honourable Mentions:
Tony Hawk 1+2
Ultimately I just don't think I'm in love with this series as I used to be even when it's good, but hey at least it's good again.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons:
Animal Crossing came out at a time when it was needed most, I didn't stick with it but I definitely enjoyed my time on Bunyip Island!

List items

  • Hades is mechanical perfection the likes I've never seen since Tetris. A bold claim? Definitely but one I stand by wholeheartedly and it really does describe Hades perfectly. I haven't seen a game deliver so quite so expertly in as Hades has. I've uttered the phrase ' I don't really enjoy Roguelikes but I LOVE Hades' more time than I can count. Before this, the only rogue adjacent game I'd played to a complete run was Dead Cells and I was more drawn to that because of its Metroidvania roots then it's rogue influences and dropped it once I'd beaten a run but Hades held my attention for 100 hours and many many runs. A story that is drip-fed over the course of many runs, failed or successful, character arcs unfold and you learn more about the world and pasts of Zagreus' friends and family and it's all interwoven so delicately within a combat system that is varied and challenging. The cherry on top, like all of SuperGiants work, is the masterful sound design and music of Darren Korb who's gorgeous songs play just as much as a role within the world's development as the dialogue. Do yourself a favour and play Hades. It's a trip through hell you'll want to take again and again.

  • Chrono Trigger was one of 'those' games for me. I'd heard so much about it but knew so little outside of how good it was supposed to be, it was a JRPG and it was about time travel. I knew the main character died at some point and that was pretty much it. Believe me, when I say, this game has garnered its reputation for a reason. This is one of those games where you can feel every little detail when playing. An emotional story, beautiful character design and the score contains arguably some of the most iconic tracks in gaming. Chrono Trigger should be on everyone's must-play list.

  • I don’t think I’ve ever played a game which at one moment has had me crying with laughter out of sheer ludicrousness and heavily invested in its dramatic crime tale. I’m not a stranger to the Yakuza games, I played the first on PS2 a few years back and made a decent effort of the second but ultimately fell off. At time of writing I’ve yet to finish Like a Dragon, currently sitting at the beginning of Chapter 13 of 15, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that everything this game has to offer is worth the price of admission. No other game series quite as the ability to tread that line of insane wacky bullshit and serious, exciting, engaging drama. Gameplay-wise I definitely think the move to turn-based battles was a nice change of pace. Segas approach to an ‘active’ battle system which is not at all active in the slightest but one that can potentially interact with positioning makes for a fresh approach to a very established system. Having a literal dragon quest party is a nice way to influence storytelling as well. Like a Dragon does suffer from bland dungeon design from being mostly office buildings or literal underground sewers and the traditional end game difficulty spike leaves a bad taste if you’re not prepared for it but Ichiban’s inaugural Yakuza outing is one for the history books.

  • Every couple of years I get an itch… not one that I should see a doctor about, though maybe a therapist would have something to say about it. No, that itch is one of spending 50+ hours of getting my ass kicked repeatedly in order to slowly progress and grind out gear. Usually, that itch is scratched by the latest Monster Hunter release but very occasionally it is scratched by a SoulsBorne. After seeing Dan Ryckert play Demon’s Soul for PS5 on stream that itch was STRONG, but a lack of PS5 made it impossible to scratch, and in walks Demons Souls 3. Touted as one of From’s best efforts in the series I jumped in and oh boy is it good. Currently, about 60 hours in and having defeated the Twin Princes about 11 hours ago at the time of writing in the dead of night (1:30 am) I can’t wait to keep playing and see what else this game has to offer. Maybe I hunt down a copy of Bloodborne next?

  • BUGSNAX IS WEIRD AND I THINK I LOVE IT. I HAVEN'T FINISHED IT YET THOUGH. BUNGER BUNGER BUNGER BUNGER!

  • I don’t know what else can be said about Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt Red completely botched the launch, it’s a broken buggy mess and so much about this game feels immensely unfinished. But I still put 90 hours into it and would say I enjoyed myself. Some nonsense with endings finally made me put it down out of frustration and I can in no way recommend it to anybody without a powerful PC. There is however something enjoyable here despite the flaws.

  • Not a game I ever expected to get around to playing. I haven’t made much of a dent in Mother 3 quite yet, reaching Chapter 3 before putting it on the back burner for more pressing games but what I have seen so far is a touching, completely strange and incredibly charming little JRPG that I eagerly look forward to returning to. I very much appreciate the move from a single character for 50 hours to Mother 3’s chapter-based storytelling from different characters perspectives as well.

  • This is an interesting one, with the global pandemic being so prominent new ways to catch up and play games with my friends that had previously been filled with Magic the Gathering or DnD suddenly became significantly more challenging. I eventually convinced everyone to hop into Sea of Thieves through Game Pass and so began our weekly Pirates nights. Ultimately Sea of Thieves core loop wasn’t enough to keep us hanging around but we shared many a moment on the open seas, getting into fights with Skeletons, Ghosts and even other pirates. Tim Curries Crew were a mighty force of the ocean.

  • Half-Life is cool and Black Mesa is also cool. I didn’t quite finish this game (if you’ve played Half-Life you know why) but I had a lot of fun with Black Mesa. There’s not much else to say about this one honestly. It’s a fun reimagining of a PC classic.

  • I didn’t play a tonne of Fall Guys this year but I very much enjoyed what I did, this is such a weird wacky thing that I think has some legs to it especially with the implementation of private lobbies. Tail chase and the ball games can get deleted though, thanks.
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