So 2020 is drawing to a close. What were your favorite games this year? Feel free to mention both games that came out this year as well as games from earlier that you only played for the first time this year.
So 2020 is drawing to a close. What were your favorite games this year? Feel free to mention both games that came out this year as well as games from earlier that you only played for the first time this year.
Once again, I don’t think I’ve played a single game released this year lol
Animal Crossing New Horizons, Fall Guys and FFVIIR are my top three. ACNH was a happy little piece of escapism and creativity, Fall Guys was chaotic original fun, and FFVIIR just punched me right in the nostalgic feels, and added some nice new ideas such as the battle system.
An honourable mention goes to Phasmophobia, which was a really interesting idea that was executed reasonably well, and very impressive to consider it was a one man effort. Cyberpunk 2077 has been promising but I haven’t played enough to make a call.
Among Us probably doesn't really count even though it only went mainstream this year, otherwise it might break the top 3. Persona 4 Golden was also released for the PC for the first time so it was my first time playing it, but again it probably doesn't really count.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Nioh 2, Trials of Mana, FF7 Remake, RE3 Remake, The Last of Us 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 were definitely my top new games this year (not in that order). Admittedly Cyberpunk 2077 is a "so far", but when "so far" means 50 hours and counting i consider that enough to judge
Throwing expansions into the mix, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is up there as well.
And a shout-out to Trails of Cold Steel 4 which had its English release this year and would be my number 1 this year if I hadn't already played the Japanese version 2 years ago.
Doom Eternal, RE3 remake, and Hades. Not the only 2020 games I've played but the only ones that are worth naming.
The problem with me giving game of the year as usual is that I'm behind on games and haven't played too many from this year. So it would probably be between Last of Us 2 and FF7 Remake. Both have their upsides and downsides but I think I'd choose FF7R for what was just more of a complete joy to play even if certain plot directions soured it near the end.
For games from previous years I really dug into the Yakuza series this year. I think of 3, 4, and 5 my favorite might be 4. Not sure. Although I think I finished kiwami 2 at the start of this year which was my actual favorite. Death Stranding was also quite excellent.
I always go by "games I played this year" rather than "games released this year". I've been much more into indie/old games this year for the most part.
Game of the Year: FFVII Remake - I played it while in the depths of depression and despite that enjoyed my time playing it. When I played games during my previous depression I did not enjoy them nearly as much. I'm impressed for that alone.
Other games I played:
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (best at letting me feel useful to my friends game)
Among Us (best multiplayer game)
Banjo Kazooie (best game to age ratio)
Banjo Kazooie (2nd best game to age ratio)
Borderlands 3 (best game at buying full price playing once and then forgetting forever)
Crowntakers (best single player fantasy game in which there are turn based battles and it's kind of an RPG I guess)
For the King (best multiplayer fantasy game in which there are turn based battles and it's kind of an RPG I guess)
Cube Escape/Rusty Lake/White Room (best puzzle game series)
Elder Scrolls Online (best MMO I actually played in 2020)
To the Moon (best indie feels and music until I played Finding Paradise, a later game in the same series)
A Bird Story (best game with no real dialogue whatsoever)
Finding Paradise (best indie feels and music)
Halo: The Master Chief Collection (best co-op campaign in a shooter even though I'd already played 3/ODST/Reach beforehand anyway)
Hellblade (best game for installing and constantly saying "yeah I'll play that one next" and never actually playing it, so it shouldn't really be on this list but I feel it's worth the mention)
ISLANDERS (best points-based city building game where nothing else matters but the points)
Ni no Kuni Remastered (best Ghibli game)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (best sequel, probably)
RimWorld (best game in which I can build a bear army)
Tabletop Simulator (best game that is really just an avenue to play other games but is still genuinely a great game if it is a game)
Tukoni (best free demo that I bothered to play)
Among Trees (most relaxing game)
ARK: Survival Evolved (best oh is there no tutorial what am I doing oh I'm dead okay game)
Totally Reliable Delivery Service (best play it once and find it hilarious and then not play it again for years game)
No Man's Sky (best game I have already played but it's now a totally different and better game game)
Crusader Kings III (best what do you mean its now 5am game)
Conker's Bad Fur Day (best wtf did I just witness game)
I probably played some others but this is what I could throw together based on Steam, Xbox and Epic game launchers and my memory.
EDIT: Three more games played as of 29th December...
Cities Skylines (best and least buggy city builder of all time game, perhaps)
A New Beginning: Final Cut (best use of comics for cutscenes game)
Streets of Rogue (best roguelike game)
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
hades is goty for me
ff7re is the next one
that's all I played this year
some fall guys but I can't put that in a list lol
Yeah, I'll need to go by games I played this year since VIIR is the only game released this year I actually played, and I don't feel right giving it that honor. I will have to look at my backlog to see what I played.
True beauty exists in things that last only for a moment.
Current Mood: And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe. Maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass...
Well this probably comes as no surprise to anyone who's heard me raving about it, but my GOTY is 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim without a doubt. It's the kind of game brimming with passion that only comes around so rarely, and a love letter to so much Japanese *and* American media it's incredible. All the more depressing that it hasn't even been mentioned in here yet, although unfortunately not surprising either, as it went under the radar to an absurd degree, having barely had any marketing or advertisement whatsoever, so unless you are already a long time Vanillaware fan and know that this has been their main project for the last five years you probably didn't even know it existed. I've been anticipating it for a while now and it's pretty much surpassed my expectations in every way anyways. Anyone who loves intricate sci-fi mystery stories done well owes it to themselves to play it. Pls don't sleep on this one. There's nothing else quite like it.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It's really not even a competition for me. The sheer impact this game has had culturally canNOT be understated, and when people look back on the media of 2020 fifty years from now, this game will come up. It's done wonders for my mental state, and the mental state of so many people I know. It's cute, wholesome, and lets me really dig in to my creative side.
Persona 5 Royal. I always knew I was gonna love this game. I'd like to revisit it in the spring, because this year has been a doozy, and the third semester was something else.
Persona 4 Golden. Like Psy mentioned, it maybe doesn't count because it's technically a re-release, but it was the first chance I got to play this game. So good. Probably my favorite in the Persona series, honestly. Like the other two, playing it during a pandemic was super cathartic. Both with this and P5R, making the bad guys pay during a year where everything is uncertain and we're all so powerless just felt really good.
Games I played this year that made the tops, but weren't released this year:
Danganronpa 1&2 (also still working through v3, but I don't like it as much, which is why it's taking me longer to get through). Really just...smurfed up and superb. Kinda shocked it took me so long to get into this series, but I'm a lifelong fan, now. Unpopular opinion: DR1 is the best one. Fight me.
FFXIV (Shadowbringers, ongoing). Bruh, just my community and friend group in this game can't be understated. Also, I'm pretty damn good at this game, and it's nice to be good at something. xD
Fire Emblem: Awakening, Fates, Three Houses. Just giving myself progressively harder challenges and getting better at tactical thinking and stuff. Good series, always a joy to play.
Nier: Automata, again. *waves hands* yup
Yeah v3 isn't as good as the other 2. Also I *probably* agree with you that the first is the best, but the first two are pretty close.
I managed to play more games this year, but I still wish I got to play more:
Streets of Rage 4
Street Fighter V Champion Edition
Dreams
Doom Eternal
Persona 5 Royal
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Resident Evil 3
And currently Cyberpunk 2077
Of games released this year, FFVIIR. Of games I played this year, Red Dead Redemption 2.
The Last of Us 2 was also good but I had some issues with the character motivation.
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