Hey y’all. Welcome back to the grand finale of the 2020 Year in Review. Please check out the others focusing on TV, movies, and comic books. I planned to have this done sooner but delayed a few days, so I had time to fit one final game on the list. Anyway, you’ll notice I have a somewhat eclectic assortment of games on the list. I played an absurd number of games last year, both new and old. Consequently, I took chances on genres, series, and studios I never had before, and it led to this list as I found some new all-time favorites. There is also a strangely high number of remakes and remake-ish titles and I do not know what to make of that, but it is certainly interesting.
As always, the list is in a rough but not concrete order
from “worst” to best. The exact order could change any given day depending on
my mood though.
Anyway, Let’s get to the games.
Honorable Mentions: Hades, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Signs of the Sojourner
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
I love Kingdom Hearts. I love rhythm games. So of course I
greatly enjoyed this game. Unfortunately, it is another the best Kingdom Hearts
nor rhythm game. It is not even the best of either I played last year. It is
unique among in that it controls largely like the other games in the series
with O being jump, X being attack, and triangle being the special action
button. It is really interesting, conceptually, but does not quite work as well
as I would like. It does have the inherent advantage of having some of the best
music in video games, though.
There is also the added bonus of the game largely serving as
a recap of the series as told by Kairi. And she makes some absolutely hilarious
editorializations. Whomever recounted some of these events to her straight up
lied and she should not trust them. Also, there game ends with some interesting
and major events that hint at the future of the series and that is why I bought
it in the first place, so I was satisfied.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
For anyone unaware of what Story of Seasons games are,
imagine Animal Crossing but now make it good. Ok, that is not entirely fair as
the games are going for two different (but similar) experiences. SoS tend to
have a little more structure and concrete goals whereas everything in Animal Crossing
gets very nebulous very fast. I just happen to prefer the style of SoS.
FoTM is a remake of a
GameBoy Advance game, which was a remake of a PlayStation game. Oh, and this
one combines aspects of More Friends of Mineral Town, a pseudo-remake of
the original FoTM that included aspects of Bokujō Monogatari: Harvest
Moon for Girl. The original FoTM was the best in the series, but
this game has finally surpassed it. It really is just a cozy game where you run
a farm, makes friends, maybe get married, and raise animals. Basically, I had
the same experience with this game that others had with Animal Crossing: New
Horizons and you have surely read plenty about that game in the past year.
Tell Me Why
I love Dontnod. Just a delightful studio that makes good,
interesting video. Life is Strange is their most popular (and maybe
best) game and Tell Me Why is another game in that style. So much so that
if it had been titled Life Strange 3, no one would have blinked. That
creates big expectations. Unfortunately, Tell Me Why did not quite live
up to the heights of that series, but it was still quite good.
The game tells an emotionally complex story full of complex
characters. This is especially true of our central protagonists, twins Tyler
and Allison, and their mother Mary-Ann. Tyler has been in juvenile detention
for 10 years after he confessed to killing his mother and he is finally
returning to his hometown and seeing his sister again. Of course, nothing is as
simple as it seems, and events transpire.
Tell Me Why is not going to go down in history because
of its excellent story though. It is one of, if not the first major video game
where players control a transgender character. Representation is something
Dontnod tends to prioritize—it is a big reason Life is Strange was such
a hit—and it was exciting to see. The representation in this game is certainly
not perfect—this
piece by Dia Lacina is my favorite I have encountered on the subject—but it
is important and adds another layer to a very good game.
Resident Evil 3
So, I spent much of the fall playing two related video game
series: Devil May Cry and Resident Evil. You will notice that Devil May Cry 5
Special Edition made the Honorable Mentions list as it is the best game in
a fantastic series. Similarly, Resident Evil 3 is one of the best in its
series. A remake of maybe the least popular main game in the franchise, RE3
is a phenomenal game that blends action and horror in a near-perfect way.
While I consider the more horror focused Resident Evil 2
the best game in the franchise, this is a close second. It takes a lot of what
that game does best and iterates on it in exciting and interesting ways. It
also has the player swap between its two playable character mid-story as
opposed to presenting the two characters as separate modes. There are a number
of reasons for this (including the structures of the original games), but it is
a nice way to keep momentum up. The game is short (clocking in around six hours
my first time through) but is clearly made to be replayed numerous times. A
good game to start with if you have never played the series.
Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 is a tremendously important game to me so
when I learned they were improving and rereleasing it, I was naturally excited.
Royal is a superior game in almost every way. From more schedule
flexibility to new, interesting characters to significant combat improvements. To
list all the ways this game is an improvement would take at least one whole
post, just know it simply feels better to play.
Plus, there is so much more of it! There is the best dart
minigame I have played located in a brand-new area, more confidants, and, most
importantly, an extra semester. And what a semester it is. Arguably a better
story than the preceding 100 hours, the new ending of the game is truly
incredible and would be worth going through the rest of the game to experience
if you did not love P5 as much as I do.
Also, Sony tells me this is the game I spent the most hours
playing and that seems right as it is forever long.
Bugsnax
I never thought I would ship two characters named Chandlo
Funkbun and Snorpy Fizzlebean and yet, here I am. While the titular Bugsnax and
the puzzle solving involved in catching them are the theoretical stars of this
game. Instead, the characters and their compelling, realistic relationships and
struggles are what kept me playing. Every time I had to catch a bugsnak to
satisfy someone’s needs, I could not wait to get back to them to see what they
did next. Of course, it helps when you have an all-star cast of actors
breathing life into the clever, charming dialogue. Special mention for Yuri
Lowenthal and Roger Craig Smith as the aforementioned Chandlo and Snorpy,
respectively.
Also, the final act of this game goes so unbelievably hard
and has an all-time great post-credits scene.
Astro’s Playroom
I never realized my fondness for the PlayStation brand until
I played this game. In fact, I often think of myself as a Nintendo guy. Astro’s
Playroom forced me to examine that. You see, Astro’s serves three
functions: celebrate PlayStation’s past, be a tech demo for the PlayStation 5
controller, and be a good platformer. It does all three excellently. It was the
celebration of the past that really hit me though. Whereas a Mario or Spyro game
may have the player collecting stars or dragon eggs, Astro primarily finds
pieces of Sony’s past. From something as common as the original PlayStation to
something as rare as the PSP GPS Receiver, all recreated in immaculate detail. They
even have UPCs!
Beyond the history, the game is just a really good
platformer with interesting levels set within various areas of the PS5 and
tight controls that feel excellent. It had to be this way, of course, because a
bad game would not have been a good showcase for the new system. And does it
ever showcase the new system. I would describe all the new things the DualSense
controller does, but you can find that elsewhere on the internet and a
description does not really do justice. You need to place the came to really
understand the game-changing potential of the controller.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
I actually wrote a review for this one! Check
it out for my full thoughts. The quick version is that Marvel’s Spider-Man
is one of the best games the PlayStation 4 has to offer—you may have caught
the remaster in the Honorable Mentions because it is still that good. Miles
Morales is a better game. It is about half the length, but it uses that to
its advantage. There is a focus to every aspect of this game that few big
budget games provide. From the emotional story and fun characters to the heavily
refined combat and stealth, everything is just better.
Plus this one has Miles, who has and always will be better
than Peter.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Full Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Remake follow.
You’ve been warned.
Final Fantasy VII is a bad video game. The dialogue
is bad, the characters are barely archetypes, and the combat is possibly the
worst in the series. The concepts and themes—as well as the gorgeous hand done
backgrounds—are spectacular. Those are really where that game shines and we
finally have a game that does them justice while also introducing its own ideas.
This may be the most audacious game ever. The base concept
of remaking one of the most beloved games of all time made it a risk. The
choice to set the entire game in the opening area of the original game and
flesh it out from a two to three-hour experience to a 35 hour one that feels
complete on its own was bold. But the finale of this game is daring.
You see, this game ends with eh revelation that things are
going off the tracks. They are different from the first game, though a
seemingly endless number of specters are always there to ensure the results are
the same. Whether it is reviving a character that died too soon or ensuring the
correct characters go on a certain mission, they are always there, keeping everything
the same. Until they aren’t.
Almost the entire third act of Final Fantasy Remake VII is
new. It involves fighting the aforementioned specters to break free of the
chains of destiny and allow the characters to make their own choices. It is all
framed as the creators of this game—many of whom worked on the original—struggling
to balance their impulse to make something new with the old characters and
setting with the expectations of what a “Final Fantasy VII remake” would
be. It is a truly brilliant finale all brought together with the one character
who seems to remember the events of the original ruminating on the fear of not
knowing the future, which is a sentiment of the development staff, fans, and
the characters in the story.
Also, the game has a great combat system unlike almost
anything in the medium. Play it.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
13 Sentinels is such a singular experience I struggle
to find words to describe. It is perhaps best described as a point-and-click
adventure/visual novel/tower defense hybrid rolled around one of the most
complex and well-written narratives I have ever experienced. It is something
that could easily be used as a proof of concept for video games as a whole. Not
because it is the best one (or even my favorite), but because it is a story
that could not be told in any other medium. At least, not as effectively.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an experience that will likely
stick with me for the rest of my life. It is chock full of characters that have
become some of my favorites. The themes are explored beautifully and thoroughly
in a way few narratives, let alone video games, do. Most importantly,
everything fits together and feels right. It truly was a unique experience and
I wish more would take a chance on it. Because it is worth it.
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