Well 2020 has been something. This year has undoubtedly been challenging and trying for many people. Even still, this year has helped bring some closer and gaming has been able to provide relief and joy for many. As is tradition around here, I compiled a list of some of my favorite games for the year in no particular order. Let’s do it!
Persona 5 Royal
Available on: PS4 | PS5
If you haven’t played it yet, and especially if you have a PS5, I implore you to play Persona 5 as it’s part of Sony’s PlayStation Plus Collection which means owners of Sony’s current generation machine (PS5) receive this title for free. That’s how the Persona bug bit me and then, before I knew it, twenty hours later Persona Fever set in and I snapped up the superior Royal enhanced version while it was discounted on PSN. The first thing that captured me was how flashy and bold the world is. The animations and battles are slick, the music is upbeat, and the characters are just fun to hang around with. The gist of this unique flashy JRPG is that a ragtag group of high school teens change the hearts of some bad people by entering their palace in an alternative dimension that’s a construct of their corrupt heart. These dungeons are vastly different and I found each story to be pretty interesting. I also really enjoy the depth of the battle system with each enemy having strengths and weaknesses and having the ability to wear each enemy as a mask—think of this as capturing Pokémon and allowing them to battle alongside you. The gameplay mechanics run deeper from there with RPG stats to build up for each character by hanging out doing activities like playing darts and watching movies, combining various shadows you capture to form beefed up new ones with combined traits, and more. I’m about fifty hours in and have many many more to go and I’m absolutely loving it.
Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity
Available on: Switch
We all know Breath of the Wild is one of the best games not only on Switch, but ever, so it’s no surprise than that many players are longing for the announced sequel to drop. I remember not having any interest when the first Hyrule Warriors game came out, but I could appreciate all the fan service it provided. Even still, smashing together Zelda and Dynasty Warriors felt like a worthless spinoff in my eyes. Then came Age of Calamity with it’s Breath of the Wild aesthetic and story that takes place during the war 100 years before Breath of the Wild. The original cast is back to offer their voice talents and the team at Omega Force really took the time to get all the little details right in this release. The crowd control style gameplay of the Dynasty Warriors series makes sense here as Link, Zelda, and crew battle in the war. Throughout the journey you’ll meet each of the characters who piloted the Divine Beasts and get to play as them and the beasts themselves! It’s a boatload of fun with the ability to switch between various characters on the fly with each offering their own fighting style and take on how to use the same abilities like remote mines and more. I personally favor Impa whose naturally 100 years younger and a flat out badass. During battles you’ll collect items strewn across the battlefield and dropped by enemies to unlock upgrades and other standard RPG fare. Download the demo and see for yourself, but Age of Calamity surprised me and even with it’s performance issues sprinkled throughout, it’s a game that easily made my list.
CrossCode
Available on: Web Browser | PC | PS4 | PS5 | Xbox One | Xbox Series X|S | Switch
I mean, wow. First off, this gem was built entirely in HTML 5, hence the ability to play the game in your browser, but that does come with drawbacks on console, especially Switch that I must address first. While I can’t speak for PlayStation or Xbox, according to the team’s official blog post, the publisher and developer are aware of performance issues across all platforms but most notably affecting Switch. The reason is because this is actually the HTML version of the game running within a C++ application, not a native port from an engine like Unreal or Unity. With that said, the team is committed to addressing these issues with patches and they have already begun rolling some out. The combat is quick and twitchy, so having solid performance is a must. Even with it’s flaws, CrossCode is something special. It tells a sci-fi story of an amnesiac and mute girl named Lea whose an avatar in a MMO called CrossCode. That’s all I’m going to say, but throughout your journey you’ll meet many allies, face many enemies (a lot), upgrade your gear, craft new gear, and swap out and upgrade passive abilities. You’ll eventually unlock the ability to switch between elemental abilities and weapons during combat that each have their own stats and move sets. There’s a lot to do and a lot to see but, in typical MMO gameplay style, theres a lot of grinding levels. There’s also a lot of puzzles and dungeon puzzles. And they can be pretty mind bending but are oh so satisfying once you figure them out, as good puzzles should be. CrossCode has been a great game to play while watching something on Netflix when I needed to grind out some levels to I’m beefed up enough to tackle some side quests or progress the story. The SNES era aesthetic combined with fast action RPG gameplay held within a faux MMO world is just too good to ignore. Its like old school Zelda, but on steroids and I’m here for it. Try it out for yourself and if you have Xbox it’s on Games Pass if you’re a member, and you definitely should be.
Animal Crossing New Horizons
Available on: Switch
I mean, you didn’t think I’d gloss over the game that helped get millions through COVID lockdown did you? I’ve notoriously said how my wife isn’t a “gamer” in the traditional sense, which in itself is a dumb term. Do we call TV watchers TVers? I guess maybe “bingers”? I don’t know. Anyway, my lady prefers her games two ways: on mobile and free of charge. Hell, she gave me the side eye when I purchased one of her games for like one or two dollars. With that said, she loved her some New Horizons to the tune of about 325 hours for her and almost 400 for me, a lot of which was spent playing together during early mornings, late nights, weekdays, and weekends. It was comforting and offered the perfect oasis from the hell that is COVID living in the NYC/NJ area. I don’t have anything else to say beyond that. Any game series like Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Overcooked, or possibly Stardew Valley with the 1.5 update that brings the wifey and I together to game is an instant GOTY in my book. Oh, and we totally threw a birthday bash in Animal Crossing for Tristan with the help of his wife. That was fun.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Available on: PS4 | PS5
Okay, so lets get this out of the way right now—I never finished the original FF VII despite owning it on PS One, iOS, Switch, and who knows where the hell else. Maybe too much time has passed and technology and storytelling have come too far for me to immerse myself in the original the way others have. With that said, I was awestruck by the demo for FF VII Remake when I tried it out and I knew I’d play it…..eventually. During my first eye surgery and furlough (I told you 2020 sucked) I found the temptation to play it became too great to resist and I jumped into the world of Midgar and came out with no regrets. I even got it during a flash sale! This reimagining is nothing short of jaw dropping in my opinion where the voice acting, cutscenes, gameplay mechanics, and the world and its characters swirl together into a modern retelling of a genre—nay—an industry classic that I absolutely adored my time with. Bring on the other games in this now episodic series! Do I wish it was one game? No, because I like the time taken here to flesh the story out in a way that I think went beyond a lot of people’s expectations.
Games I Want More Time With
So there you have it. Those are some of my favorites of the year. With that said, I still have others I’m excited to play. What are they? I’m glad you asked.
Hades
After my fourth eye surgery, Pixelrater family member Daney insisted I play this to the point that she gave me the money to buy it (thanks 😘). I played for a few hours and think it’s great! The characters and dialogue are hilarious and the gameplay mechanics feel fluid with tight rewarding combat! I can’t wait to dive deeper, errrr I mean, ascend higher OUT OF hell in this indie darling.
The Last of Us Part II
I picked this up and got quite a few chapters in and, while the story so far is just wow—I mean, a lot of shit happens—the tone is dark and it’s because of that bleakness and hatred that I had to take a break. I can only stab so many clickers and infected in the throat and hear them bleed out a night, ya know? I’ll be back Ellie. I’m hoping it wasn’t all for nothing.
Cyberpunk 2077
I put quite a bit of time in this and, fortunately, it was on PS5 so it ran pretty well. Even still, there are a lot of bugs and the visuals look pretty last gen. On top of that there’s noticeably limited car traffic and a general feeling of emptiness in Night City that turned me off. I’ll come back once the PS5 update drops and the majority of the bugs are fixed. Oh, and it will help justify my PS5 purchase.
What about you? What are your favorite titles from 2020 and what games can’t you wait to get your hands on and play? Let me know and stay safe!
