2020 has certainly been one long and vastly depressing year. Regardless, many games have been able to be released, and while many have seen delays or experiences that are littered with bugs and glitches that were likely a result of working from home, we have still been remarkably lucky to see a very impressive assortment of titles hit both last and now current-gen consoles. I thought about either doing a standard top 10, as well as a top worst of the year, or simply doing the categories that I did last year, and since I talk about the majority of those games below, I decided to do both. For many of the worst games, I’ve done a brief write up at the bottom of this article.
Cyberpunk 2077 is not without its problems, regardless of the platform you’re playing it on. Whether it’s on a high-end PC or a base model Xbox One, it’s safe to say that CDPR should have delayed it until spring of 2021 to work out the issues that are currently plaguing the game. Now, regardless, my time on the Series X with it running in backwards compatibility mode has been absolutely incredible. V’s journey was something I was vastly engaged in, meeting the wonderful cast of characters in a city that I couldn’t help but dive into. Even Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand impressed me to an end that I just wasn’t expecting. The shooting, driving, and RPG elements of the game all have such variety, offering you a wealth of ways to get the mission done. This was a game that I was playing over 10 hours a day for a week straight, getting lost in the wonder of what CD Projekt Red has delivered here. While the Series X has yet to see a next-gen patch to put it more on par with the PC version, it still looked incredible, and I can’t wait for it to look and run even better.
Trails of Cold Steel III ended on such a cliffhanger that I was glad I played it so close to the release of this 4th and final entry in the Cold Steel Saga. This emotional conclusion to a wonderful RPG franchise didn’t disappoint in the slightest. The stakes were bigger, far grander, and the story of Rean and his friends continued to satisfy on all levels. Where Trails of Cold Steel III was the Infinity War of the Trails series, Cold Steel IV is most certainly its Endgame as it brought together nearly every character the franchise has ever known, in an RPG world that dwarfs all others in comparison. While the true ending to the game is where it really got to me, the game that preceded it is still worth the praise I’ve given it, and honestly, the true ending wasn’t that hard to unlock. The gameplay, the music, the characters, each of these aspects are all fantastic, and easily show why the Trails of Cold Steel series is my favorite RPG franchise ever, bar none.
While I thought Marvel’s Spider-Man was a solid adventure for everyone’s favorite wallcrawler, its open-world New York City felt lacking and overstuffed with just too much nonsensical filler. Miles Morales fixes a lot of that, filling its wintery New York City with activities and collectibles that feel more personal to the character. The story and adventure are shorter, yes, but it’s just as focused and heartfelt as it needed to be. It may come across as a side story, or a short DLC campaign in a lot of ways, but that doesn’t discount how engaging and impressive this game is. If anything, it’s made me more excited for a new full entry, one where maybe we see both Miles and Peter team up to tackle Venom, a character that has now been hinted at twice.
While I can’t currently review the game due to it still being in Early Access, Phasmophobia is still an experience that deserves to be on this list. While the game has a large degree of jank and hilarious broken character animations, the sheer horror you feel when wandering around the dark and haunted environments is second to none. Walking around with your team, and seeing the lights flicker, only to glance at what appears to be a ghoul walking behind your friend, as you stuff yourself in a locker, panicking with your flashlight, is a truly amazing and terrifying experience. The game also has a remarkable level of depth with the tools and gadgets at your disposal and playing with a group that knows what they are doing, or those that are completely new to the game offers up a fantastic experience either way. This is easily a game you simply have to try, Early Acess or not.
When Mortal Kombat 11 released last year, I rated it rather highly, being a truly fantastic fighting game that was really just held back by a fairly grindy unlock system, especially when it came to its kustomization. While MK 11 Ultimate doesn’t change that, the newly added story in Aftermath takes a game that was already impressive and adds upon it. With the addition of all the new fighters in Spawn, Robocop, Fujin, Sheeva, Joker, Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, Terminator, Sindel, Mileena, Rain, and Rambo, the roster has become a massive variety in personality and style. The Aftermath story extension follows Shang Tsung being entrusted by Liu Kang to retrieve the crown of Kronika, a time wielding titan that threatens the future of all realms. While the story leading into MK12 won’t be too unexpected if you haven’t played the expansion and only rolled credits on the base MK11, the context behind how Liu Kang is able to reset the timeline is something that was vastly exciting to see fold out.
While I’m still in the process of pushing through it on Series X, as well as on my Laptop when I was away from home, it might be my favorite of the X-Com-inspired strategy games so far. Set just over a decade before the events of the first Gears of War, you get a look at the franchise from a different perspective in Gabriel Diaz, the father of Kait Diaz from Gears of War 4 and 5. The gameplay may be from a top-down turn-based perspective, but the feel of the game is perfectly Gears of War, and developer Splash Damage certainly did a great job in capturing the tone and look of the series. The story is also designed in a way where recruiting new soldiers and building them up makes sense, as both Gabe and his small crew are almost always in over their heads. The game, which is available on Microsoft’s Game Pass on both consoles and PC, is a must-play for fans of the series, despite it not being your typical Gears of War game. Stay tuned for a review once I complete it.
Immortals: Fenix Rising was a game that surprised the hell out of me. While I expected it to be mostly Ubisoft’s take on Breath of the Wild, the charm and character added to the game do allow it to stand out. Much like Genshin Impact, the game takes a great deal of inspiration from Nintendo’s juggernaut franchise and adds to it, creating a world that feels familiar, yet entirely new and engaging. The exploration, combat, and cast of characters you interact with are worth your time and all coexist in a game that is truly a blast to play. There are a few issues here and there and the narration can be a bit much at times, but out of everything I’ve played this year for a new property, this has the potential to be something truly memorable.
Genshin Impact is one of the only Live Service Games this year that kept me playing long after release. Marvel’s Avengers was a very disappointing game that often felt like the Live Service stuff was added into it at the last minute. Genshin Impact took the Breath of the Wild approach to a lot of its design, but unlike many copy cats, it succeeded in making those elements work alongside a wealth of other mechanics. With a very engaging combat system, and stunningly gorgeous visuals and character models, I lost a lot of time in this world, and with the release of some all-new content now hitting the game for free, I’ll be diving back in and likely losing hours upon hours all over again.
Hades is essentially the perfect game, a flawless masterpiece that had me hooked from start to finish, and then some. I’ve never been a huge fan of roguelikes, but the narrative twist that Hades implements is one that succeeds on every level. As Zagreus, you attempt to leave the underworld, for a reason that is very personal for him. You’ll be assisted by numerous Olympian Gods, each that bestow random powers as you find them, and when you pair them with different weapons, you get a wealth of different actions, not to mention all the various dialogue that comes along with it. Hades is never the same run twice, and even beating the game, or rather, achieving your goal, is then written in such a way where you’ll end up back home, with a desire to do it all over again. A damn fine game, and honestly, is my second favorite game this year.
I’ll be completely honest here, I find this remake to be leagues better than the original, a classic game I simply found to be ok. Sporting probably the best visuals this year, this remake is stunning from beginning to end. While the entire adventure of Final Fantasy VII is going to be split up across multiple games, the choice to tell a 45-50 hour adventure across Midgar was a smart move, especially with how this is not designed to be a shot for shot remake, fundamentally changing a lot of the narrative to keep even the most diehard fans on their toes. While that may not be agreeable with fans of the original, it’s the only real choice SquareEnix had, as the story present in the original is still there, and this reimagining keeps the story interesting as you won’t really know where it’s going in the future. This game is certainly a must buy, and one of the best of the year.
The original Ori was a game that I never got around to completing. It was a solid adventure sure, but Ori and the Will of the Wisps, a sequel that takes place shortly after the original, was captivating right from the start. This adventure is more combat-based, and thankfully, Ori can actually fight this time around, as opposed to the glowing sprite doing much of the heavy lifting during the previous adventure. The combat is better, the platforming more engaging, the visuals even more impressive, and the story itself left me in tears. I certainly hope that Moon Studios returns to Ori in the future, as the game certainly teases such a return.
While Briana is not the first to voice Aerith, it’s safe to assume she will be remembered as the best voice actress to do so, a performance so charming and honest that it’s hard to imagine better. Her soft joyous tone, to the laughs she attempts to get out of Cloud, are perfect and easily stole the show during this year’s remake. Aerith was a constant joy to have in my party, and the scene with Cloud on the dance floor, well, her smiles and claps made me laugh and cheer alongside her. Briana also did gameplay of her witnessing her role as Aerith, in one of the most heartwarming experiences I’ve seen this year.
Interesting fact, Darren was also the man behind the music of Hades, so I’ve included these categories together for the fact Darren earned them both without anyone even close. The power he brings to Zagreus is just as impressive as the music that plays alongside the hack and slashing that makes Hades so engaging. The conversations that would occur after a run, or even during them, made Zagreus such a fun and interesting character, one who has had secrets held from him for years. Every run made the character more impressive, with equally impressive music that just set the tone for some hellish fun. Darren is not a vastly experienced actor, but you wouldn’t know it, and frankly, I can’t wait to see what he does next for Supergiant Games.
Now, there is a caveat to this choice; the online infrastructure and connection methods to New Horizons are downright horrible, but when you are playing with your friends, this game can often be magical. With how the world has been this year, celebrating my birthday with both old and new friends via animal crossing, lounging in my fire pit eating cupcakes, was a highlight of my year. Yes, there are a lot of limitations and issues with what Nintendo has done here, but visiting friends islands, playing games with them, is incredibly fun and some of the best online co-op I’ve had this year.
I was expecting to be impressed by Age of Calamity, which was always for certain. The story and world presented in Breath of the Wild were my favorite parts of that game, even if some other parts didn’t hit in the ways I would have preferred. Age of Calamity took what I loved about that game and double-downed on the story, offering more in ways I always wanted. The ways it connects to Breath of the Wild was largely unexpected, giving me things I never knew I wanted. From “that” point in the game where you gain a few new companions, right to its climatic end (and then some..), I was blown away by what developer Omega Force was able to do. This was a masterclass in storytelling for the Legend of Zelda franchise, and I hope that Nintendo takes what they’ve allowed this team to do with either a new entry in Hyrule Warriors or the upcoming and much-anticipated Breath of the Wild 2.
Ghost of Tsushima is an absolutely gorgeous game with some of the best visuals I think anyone has seen this year. The clean UI the game presents allows its stunning world to be on full display during the entire experience, and while the removal of visual indicators in the game can certainly be a bit hit or miss, the art direction Sucker Punch has put on display here has made them a studio to watch in the future. The photo mode, which has become a staple in games like this, is possibly the best the industry has seen, a benchmark to follow now. Nearly every location the game has in store for you is a visual treat, with nearly every angle bestowing upon you some incredible vistas that never once disappoint.
Fast and Furious: Crossroads was so bad I don’t want to write anything new, so here’s what I said about this garbage:
“I don’t know what Bandai Namco was thinking. The campaign is laughably bad with a story and presentation that doesn’t do the series justice, a film franchise that is so over the top and silly that you would think it would be the dream video game, but this is not it. While Slightly Mad Studios has had a history of making stellar racing experiences, it’s hard to say just exactly what went wrong here. I kept trying to think about something positive within the game, but with the bland and generic visuals, the huge drop in performance when any cutscene started, to the painful character models and acting, it just becomes clear that this was a cash-in game developed with zero passion or care. It’s unpolished, ugly, and is a disaster to control.”
I had only completed the original Last of Us shortly before this game launched, a game I thought was simply ok. It didn’t really feature what I enjoyed about Naughty Dog games, and when Last of Us 2 came out, It wasn’t something I had really been looking forward to. While I enjoyed the story of Joel and Ellie, what was done here to each of them was something I found to border on absolute lunacy. While there were a few characters I found to be ok with the Abby portion of the game, I hated the character and anything I had to do with her. The game also goes on far too long, and while I still enjoy much of my time with Ellie, I didn’t care for where the story ended up, making my time with the game feel wasteful and hollow. That said, it still plays remarkably well, with some vastly enjoyable combat and some of the best visuals the industry has ever seen. But, those are simply the game’s only real redeemable qualities, but Abby, in my eyes, redeemed nothing.
While I won’t be doing exclusive write-ups for any of these apart from The Fast and Furious: Crossroads, as I did above, I’ll try to at least mention why they are just horrible experiences, or at least vastly disappointing ones. Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris is a technical nightmare and just a boring game overall. It barely ran decent enough to enjoy it, with a busted frame rate and massive amounts of pop-in, and the variety the game offered was second rate with a story that was painfully bad in every conceivable way. Trials of Mana was another game that had a ton of problems and it’s a shame that it pretty much had the exact same storyline as Dragon Quest XI. I just didn’t care much for it and felt very disappointed throughout the better part of it, that and its horrendous voice acting. Mafia II: Definitive edition is likely the worst version of that game, a buggy mess that should have seen more work done to it to honor what a great game it used to be. When you’re having a conversation in a house and a car just suddenly crashes in from the ceiling, you deserve to be on this kind of list.
Torn Tales, Elder Scrolls: Blades, Crysis: Remastered are each games that I just couldn’t stick with. Whether it was bad controls, or just simply being incredibly boring, I dropped them fast and regret spending any time (and money…) with them. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was a game that I was very disappointed in. For being a Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem crossover, the Fire Emblem parts felt lacking, and the game was just a bit too boring and bland for me to continue with it. I got pretty far in the game, but the level design, pacing, and feel of the game just made me feel like I was punishing myself for trying to complete it. While I enjoyed parts of Fairy Tail, the game itself just didn’t capture the energy and feeling of the anime and that’s unfortunate as I really wanted to love the game. Battletoads has its moments, but there is just not enough of a fun game here to really recommend. The platforming bits where you don’t even play as a Battletoad is bizarre in its inclusion and I can’t understand why this game is so disjointed and boring.
So, that’s my list! What did you enjoy this year and what did you consider to be complete trash? I’ll also stress that one game that was sure to be in my top ten; Yakuza: Like a Dragon, is something I am currently playing through and haven’t experienced enough of it for it to be included in this list, despite me absolutely loving it so far.
Take care and let’s see what 2021 has to offer!