Games That I Played / Completed in 2020
Another attempt to keep track of everything I play, this time in 2020!
My goal this year is to take a machete to my backlog...
List items
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January - December 2020
Playing on PS4 Pro
I continue to play this amazing MMO with my group of friends. I'm still having fun, but my time has been limited while working on the backlog. I can't wait for Patch 5.2 in February!
Update: Patch 5.2 is here. I'm still playing every week with friends, and I'm excited to check out the next Eden raid and Ruby Weapon trial. The Gunbreaker and Machinist classes are both really fun to play.
Update 10/1/20 - Still playing this game weekly. It remains one of the best MMOs I've ever played.
Highly recommended 5/5.
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January - April 2020
Playing on PS4 Pro
I'm still trying to decide if I want to continue playing this. I'm fiddling around with sidequests, and should start the main quest soon.
Update: My character is now LVL 20, and I'm still doing zone quests. Did a few delves and a public dungeon solo with some success (having other people mobbing around the public dungeon helped a lot). I'm finding the stealth combat with Nightblade pretty fun. Also stealing everything for extra cash is great. This game is a bit clunky, but I'm finding it interesting to play. I love the Elder Scrolls world enough to put more time into it. 3/5 so far (may change based on story quality).
Update: My character is around CP205 now. I've really come around on this game. The Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood questlines were very fun to play through, and I'm interested to check out the Morrowind chapter. The writing has gotten a lot better compared with the base game. I think I might try to get to most of the available content before the new expansion this summer.
Recommended for fans of the Elder Scrolls world. Lots of cool lore 4/5.
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January 2020
Completed Main Story Acts 1 - 4 on PC
I picked up this game on the steam sale for super cheap. This game is a blast with friends. Kind of a fantasy Left 4 Dead with ratmen instead of zombies. I unlocked the Bounty Hunter and never looked back - the dialogue from Victor alone is worth the price of admission.
Recommended 4/5.
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February - March 2020
Playing on PC
My friends decided to check out SWTOR again after all these years, so I downloaded the free-to-play version and started a Smuggler. The game's dialogue system is still impressive, and the gameplay was designed well enough that it holds up after 8 years. I'm looking forward to grouping up with my friends and trying to tackle the group content.
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March - April 2020
Completed on PS4 Pro
Got back to finish up the last few missions on this weird, offbeat game. I enjoyed the combat for the most part, though it could get frustrating at times, with enemies I couldn't see taking me from full to low health with one hit. I enjoyed exploring the FBC building, and watching all of the creepy Threshold Kids videos. The voice acting is well done, but the character models get very close to uncanny valley territory. Ultimately, I had a lot of fun with this game, and would welcome an Alan Wake sequel in this style.
Recommended 4/5.
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March - May 2020
Completed on PS4 Pro
I'm excited to put another 100 hours into this fantastic game. P5 is one of my favorite games this generation. Apparently there are a bunch of QoL improvements with P5R (I've already noticed that ammo replenishes after every battle), so I have a feeling this is going to be even better than the original. Not feeling the new opening yet, but I'm sure I'll come around.
Update: I finished the Bank Palace, and have come around on the opening song lol. I'm enjoying all of the little additions to the base game, and I like the new characters.
Highly recommended 5/5.
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June - July 2020
Completed on PS4 Pro
Amazing game. Good updates to the gameplay. Crazy good graphics. A very brutal and uncomfortable, but well told story about revenge. I was in equal turns shocked, disgusted, and enthralled. The story structure is not as throughline as the first game, but it serves the overall narrative well, and I can see why they made certain story choices.
My GOTY so far 5/5.
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August 2020
Completed on PS4 Pro
Wow, what a beautiful game. I love the no-HUD design and the vibrant colors of this world. The use of wind to show the player where to go is a great alternative to a mini-map. The combat is great fun, especially the various duels across the map. The story is a cool homage to old samurai movies, and I enjoyed it for the most part.
Highly recommended 5/5.
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September - October 2020
Completed MSQ on PC
Completed DLC MSQ on PC
This game is cool, and it has pretty much turned into a game that my friends and I play while bullshitting over discord. I wouldn't pay full price for this game (I got it for free on the Epic store LOL), but it's well designed, and the combat is a lot of fun.
On the other hand, the story is incomprehensible. I have gone through it multiple times and I still struggle to understand what is going on, beyond "evil plant alien invasion." It's a strange mix of genres. The gameplay takes elements of dark souls and roguelike games, making a fairly addictive gameplay loop, and something easy enough on Normal difficulty to allow for hanging out with my friends and playing while social distancing.
Recommended at a discount 3/5.
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September 2020
Completed on PS4 Pro
A graphically dated adventure game that focuses on investigation and exploration. It's a really creepy game in some sections (as good Lovecraft stories should be). I think the developers did a good job creating a horror vibe. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, this feels like a game out of the last generation, both visually and gameplay wise. I still enjoyed the story, but I can't help to compare this to Eternal Darkness, one of the only successful Lovecraft mythos stories I've seen in the videogame medium. It's a pretty tough thing to accomplish, and I think the developers did an admirable job.
I probably wouldn't recommend this game unless you are a hardcore Lovecraft fan 3/5.
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September 2020
Completed on PS4 Pro
I have played most of the Far Cry series, and I really think they peaked long ago. It's a tired formula at this point, with the only attraction being the setting (not unlike the Assassin's Creed series, although I think those games are infinitely more interesting because of the change in historical setting). This time, FC is set in rural Montana, and the big bad is a crazy doomsday cult leader. There is some enjoyment to mine out of this game, but ultimately I set the difficulty to easy and just plowed through it. It was funny to have a silencer on every gun (shotguns included), and being able to clear out a whole compound with a silenced sniper rifle was really satisfying. There are a few amusing companions, including a grizzly bear named Cheeseburger, and I had some fun bombing around with them. Ultimately I got very tired of these crazy assholes spouting doomsday nonsense at me in first person, or creepily singing Amazing Grace. I get it. It's supposed to be unsettling, but every time these fuckers came on screen I either tuned out or skipped the scenes. The Far Cry series is not known for it's subtle villains, so I don't know what I was expecting.
I would only recommend this game at a large discount 2/5.
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October 2020
Completed on PS4 Pro
This game was a long time coming, and mostly worth the wait. I had a great time playing through this, even if I found the later boss fights to be annoyingly long and difficult. The combat is fun, it's a great looking game, and follows a similar story to the original, with a lot of added material - mostly good additions, but an utterly baffling ending sequence. I had no idea what the hell was going on, and can only blame Nomura for going off the rails towards the end. This aside, I had a great time playing this.
Recommended for fans of action RPGs and the Final Fantasy series 4/5.
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October 2020
Completed on PS4 Pro
Coming off of the Resident Evil 2 remake, this can seem more action heavy and puzzle light. Nemesis isn't really comparable to Mr. X in RE2. There is less of a relentless dread and more of a "end of chapter boss fight" feel. Nemesis smashes through Jill's wall at the start of the game, and it's an amped up action film until the end. There are some creepy bits in between the action (the power station section with the mutated spiders is the stuff of nightmares), but for the most part this game is more RE5 than RE. It's still a very nice looking game, it plays well, the dialogue is well acted, and it's a lot of fun to play.
Recommended for any fan of action games or the Resident Evil series 4/5.
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October - November 2020
Playing on PS4
I got an itch to play a souls game, and Bloodborne is appropriately horrific for the season. I'm still impressed by the rally / health regen system that makes you much more aggressive than a typical sword and board souls game. Between this and the parry system of Sekiro, I'm not sure which combat I like more. The game still holds up and Father Gascoigne remains one of the toughest early game bosses.
Update: I am now in the blood moon stage of the game, so everything is getting tougher, but being able to summon friendly NPCs for boss help has been a welcome change.
Highly recommended 5/5.
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October - November 2020
Playing on PS4 Pro
I decided to jump back into Fallout 4 after seeing a few YouTube videos about it. It still holds up for the most part (jank and all) and I'm having a good time with it.
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October - November 2020
Playing on PC
A rogue-like that oozes style, with great voiced dialogue, writing, and characters. Based on figures from Greek mythology, Zagreus, son of Hades, attempts to escape the underworld to find his mother Persephone. The gameplay is difficult, but rewarding, as each run through different rooms allow you to make different upgrade choices. Boss battles are a bit of a roadblock until you get good enough to learn their patterns. I've had a lot of fun playing this, and would recommend it to any fans of rogue-likes. This is a stellar one.
Highly recommended 5/5
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November - December 2020
Playing on PS4 Pro
TBD
I've only played a few hours so far, but this is a beautiful game, and I really dig the setting. I'm playing the male version of the character, and he's reminiscent of Ragnar Lothbrok from the Vikings TV show.
EDIT: 100+ hours in, and I like this game A LOT. More than AC Odyssey - having every zone have it's own mini story arc is great. The gameplay loop is addictive, and the combat is a lot of fun. By this time in Odyssey, I was bored as hell, but I haven't gotten bored yet with this game. Well done Ubisoft. Highly recommended 5/5.
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December 2020
Playing on PC
This is essentially an anime Breath of the Wild, and I'm here for it. The gacha aspect isn't too bad, and you can get a lot of characters for the cost of a normal game. It's a beautiful RPG with fun gameplay and multiplayer dungeons. Logging in to do dailies is fast too. I continue to be impressed by the game, and there are even expansions planned for future content.
Note: I can see how the gacha elements can be problematic for people with poor impulse control, so keep that in mind if you plan to try it out.
A solid RPG that's free to play, but with gacha attached 4/5.
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December 2020
Playing on PS4 Pro
Clearly this game needs more polish - and I can guarantee CDPR is working on patching it (they just released a 1.04 patch today). I have seen some freezing, T-posing NPCs, some pop-in, frame rate dips, etc. Reportedly, the base console versions are a complete dumpster fire, so I don't fault anyone playing on old consoles for being upset.
That being said, the bugs don't really bother me. For example, Assassin's Creed Valhalla has crashed multiple times for me, and it doesn't stop me from enjoying that game. I'm having the same situation here, and I'm confident that the game will turn out great in the end. The Witcher 3 had a similar bumpy launch, so this is expected at this point.
I also haven't played for that long (8-10 hours), so some quick impressions:
-The game is very pretty
-The inventory is as cluttered as TW3, and the skill trees are a bit overwhelming
-I really like Jackie, he's a great character
-The map is as cluttered with side quests/events as AC Valhalla
-I am very interested in where the story is going
-The combat is a little squirly, so I have been using a shotgun and katana to compensate
Update (35ish hours):
-I am captivated by the main story. It's very entertaining so far.
-The game has crashed a lot, like at least once every time I play, mostly happening when transitioning between menus or from first to third person while driving
-The game is at its worst in the open world, lots of pop-in, muddy textures, npc's faces disappearing. Also, it seems like a lot of what they promised about the world was cut in favor of making the last gen versions playable.
This would easily be a 5/5 for me on the story alone, but it's essentially an early access game. If you have a beefy PC, it's worth checking out, but anyone else, wait 3 - 6 months for major patches.
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