10. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - This probably accounts for the most time logged into a game for me in 2020, but still only gets my #10 spot because honestly it only barely meets the minimum requirements for being called a "game". I had fun with it, but it was really more of a relaxation/time waster than a traditional game. Some nice advancements for the series, lots of spots where they still could have improved, and as usual for Nintendo an absolutely abysmal online mode.
09. Star Wars: Jedi Outcast - I enjoyed this one, but even though I finished it recently I don't really remember much about it. Combat was a lot of fun, but it desperately needed a quick travel system on the planets. The maps are basically huge mazes, which is cool until you have to backtrack through them. Also 100% guaranteed I wouldn't try for the plat, because there's no way I was trekking back through every one of those maps to find missing doo-dads. Still, I enjoyed my time with it. Decent enough story, and some nice SW fan service.
08. Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate - At this point, the only fighting games I really get into are NetherRealms games - Injustice and Mortal Kombat. I waited to pick up MK11 until a "komplete" version was out, and it seems there are still more characters to come - but it doesn't matter, because this game is PACKED with content. An absolutely ridiculous amount. There are two story modes that are very well done and tell a surprisingly involved story that actually held my interest. But the bulk of the content for me is in the ever-changing Towers, challenges that are constantly being updated. Now keep in mind, I absolutely suck at fighting games - combos are all accidental and I probably lean more towards button-mashing than anything else. But this is a game that truly caters to all skill levels. I love watching the pros play online - NR fighters are probably the only games I enjoy watching online - but I still have a blast with my scrub skills against the AI.
07. One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 - I love me a good 'Warriors game. This is a great 'Warriors game. I probably know less about the One Piece storyline after playing through this game than I did before, but that doesn't matter. It's a game packed with colorful characters and mindless button-mashy gameplay goodness. If you like 'Warriors games, you'll most likely love this one - if you don't, this one isn't going to change your mind.
06. Strider - I played about half-way through this game way back in 2014 when it first released. I loved it, but for some reason got sidetracked. I always wanted to go back to it, so this year I did - replayed it from the beginning, and loved every minute of it. It's a super-slick action game wrapped up in a Metroidvania package. Not a single thing I can think of to complain about - amazing action, varied & fun maps to explore, great graphics and a killer soundtrack. I enjoy replaying really good Metroidvanias, and I definitely see this one getting added to that rotation.
05. Sundered - Another Metroidvania, but one that's very different from Strider. Sundered takes a lot of inspiration from Lovecraft while mixing in some Rogue-like elements to the gameplay. Honestly, I could flip-flop this game and Strider, they're both pretty much equal. I enjoyed this one enough that when Limited Run Games put up a few leftover copies of the PS4 version this past weekend I jumped on one. There are some interesting in-game choices that affect the difficulty as well as the ending you get, and that combined with the Rogue-like elements I mentioned - parts of the maps are randomly generated when you die while some areas are static - really add to the replay value. It also has an extremely cool hand-drawn graphical style that reminds me of 70's/early 80's animated movies like Heavy Metal.
04. Concrete Genie - This is one of those first-party Sony games like Puppeteer that is extremely creative and barely promoted, but still you have to give them respect for releasing them in the first place. You play a boy in an abandoned part of town where everything has become polluted and gangs have taken over the streets. Your "weapon" is a paint brush - you are a graffiti artist, and your task is to revitalize the city with color. It's a completely unique feeling game that is just a ton of fun - the main gameplay element is problem-solving, but the way you go about doing it really keeps you thinking outside the box. "Original" and "fun" are the big words for me on this one. It's also one of those games where you'll want to get the plat just because you're having so much fun playing it and won't want it to end. Highly recommended for everyone.
03. Maneater - Oh, how I love Maneater. This is my #1 surprise game of the year. I may have heard the name before it released, I can't say for sure, but if so it didn't register. I didn't pay it any attention even after it released, until I stumbled across a tongue-in-cheek video about it that really piqued my interest. When I went to try to buy it locally no one had it, but the employees at my local Gamestop told me I had to play it however I managed to get it. Went home and ordered a copy and immediately fell in love. This is one of those B-tier games that were so prevalent back in the PS2 days. It doesn't have the biggest budget, which shows in the graphics (which are good, but won't win any awards) but it makes up for it with pure fun gameplay. Described by the developer as a "shaRkPG", this game knows what it is and absolutely revels in it. You take your shark from a weak baby to an absolute Godzilla-level monster while fighting other fish, gators, sharks and of course PEOPLE. It never, ever, EVER got old eating people. And the icing on the cake for the entire package was the casting of Chris Parnell as the narrator - SNL alum and voice actor in Archer, Rick & Morty and many others. His deadpan delivery of the often laugh-out-loud dialog was just absolutely perfect for the tone of the game. This is another one I've been talking up to everyone I know, and I'll reiterate it now - everyone needs to play this game. It's fantastic, and we need more games like this.
02. Ghost of Tsushima - I had been looking forward to this game since it was announced, and it absolutely did not disappoint. Just the fact that it was "the next Sucker Punch game" was enough for me, but they really upped their game and showed that they are definitely in the same league as the other big first-party Sony devs like Santa Monica, Insomniac (man, it feels good to list them as first-party
) and Guerrilla Games. The world is drop-dead gorgeous. More than any other game in recent memory, I was *constantly* stopping and just looking at the environments, taking screenshots, etc. Style and artistry are more important than technical flash when it comes to graphics - but when you combine the two, you get something truly amazing. This helps make the world a place you truly want to spend time in and explore every nook and cranny. Encounters combine stealth and action seamlessly and usually allow you to choose which way you'd rather approach a situation. The story is absolutely gripping, with fully fleshed-out characters that often don't react in the typical way you'd expect. I especially like the way the side stories were broken up into chapters that spread out over the course of the game, which allowed them to weave into the main story and really tell some involved tales. My favorite was probably the archer & his rogue pupil. And I haven't even mentioned the side activities such as following foxes to shrines and writing haikus which are used to add even more to the immersion. Perfection.01. Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition - This game is not only my GOTY, but it is tied with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for my GOAT. Xenoblade Chronicles is a sprawling, epic, beautiful, deep, massive mess of absolute perfection. The elements have no right to be as good as they are, or to work together as well as they do. The characters are engaging, very likable and perfectly voice acted. ***Insert Time Lapse Here*** OK, so I wrote everything up to here 3 weeks ago or so, and stopped because I couldn't properly articulate what makes Xenoblade so amazing. I still can't. They improved on the already fantastic original with the remake, not only redoing graphics (not just a resolution bump) and music but also smoothing out some interface & quality of life issues, most notably with the inventory & quest tracking. And that stuff is nice, but it just polished the experience more. So what makes it so good? The minute-to-minute combat. The insane number of quests that continue to unlock, even in the first area, late into the game - and the way they often unlock by talking to random (not just !-marked people, truly random NPCs) and develop deep storylines for these characters that you could just as easily never even speak to if you were just main-lining the game. The personality of the main cast and the way you really end up caring about them. The insane level of exploration that's always fun and rewarding. The way that it all feels like a fully fleshed-out world that sometimes you just want to live in. Basically...everything. Just, everything. I love this game, and can't possibly recommend it enough.
