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Mister_V

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Mister_V's top 5 games of 2020

This year has sucked, We all know that. For my part I have been furloughed since the end of March, (Thankfully paid) So other than infrequent fishing trips video games have been my main source of escapism from the nightmare we have all been facing. That said not that many games have managed to keep my interest this year, So it speaks to the quality of the ones that did. It's also not lost on me that all of these games share themes of travel or exploration. Things that we have sadly but necessarily been deprived of this year.

So here are the games that have helped keep me sane this year.

Lets hope for a better 2021.

List items

  • I love simulators. Ever since one Sunday afternoon round my uncles house when he let me play Flight Simulator for windows 95 I was hooked. Be it planes, trains, trucks or trams I have probably tired them all. But Microsoft flight simulator is the daddy. So I was pretty excited when they announced they where making a new one, and it's everything I had hoped for.

    I know by this point that most of you know about how they mapped the whole world or that the weather systems are replicated in real time from actual weather data. But when you actually experience it in game. When you look out of your cockpit and see another aircraft flying past, an aircraft that is actually making that flight in the real world, That is every bit as thrilling to me as beating a Dark Souls boss.

    Yes the game isn't perfect. The Air Traffic controllers are just as murderous and forgetful as they where in flight sim 2007, the previous entry in the series. And yes Asobo have broke as many things with recent patches as they have fixed. But it's a complex beast and I'm willing to give them time to perfect it. Hell I never thought we where going to get another mainline entry in the series. The fact that they did and they turned it into a technical showpiece we only see a few times a generation is astounding to me.

  • I love MMO's. I always have since I first played Guild wars, (yes yes I know it's "not a real MMO") I have been chasing that sense of wonder, that feeling of being part of a larger world. No game can give you that first experience again, But I have played just about every MMO there have been since.

    I had heard good things about FFXIV but I really don't (or rather didn't) have any love for the Final Fantasy series. My only prior experience was playing a couple of hours of both FF7 remake and FF15, and neither left an impression on me. So when I caved and downloaded FFXIV one night I didn't have high hopes.

    I was very wrong. At the centre of my love for this game is the story. Few MMO's succeed in telling good stories and I don't think most even try. But FFXIV quickly pulled me in with it's cast of memorable characters and a tale that puts you front an centre. Normally I play an MMO for a couple of weeks and then loose interest. But 160 hours in I'm still playing it every day to see where the story goes next.

    It's not just the narrative that shines. The combat is flashy and fun (if a little slow at low levels) and the world design and art are fantastic. The Job system letting you pickup every job on one character is a stroke of genius and the raids are some of the most creative and fun I have seen.

    I could go on and on about every little detail and quality of life feature that need to be in every MMO but suffice to say this. If you have ever thought about trying FFXIV, DO IT. Stop reading this right now and download it.

  • It's not surprising that this game and it's sibling American Truck simulator have become some of the sleeper hits of 2020. The simple pleasure of driving is something I suspect lots of us are missing out on, especially those of us who drive long distances for work. For me these games are close enough to real driving that they evoke in me the same zen like calming state. I can sit back, drive my truck load of animal feed from Greece to Belgium, throw on a podcast and for an hour or so the world is a bit less shit.

  • Not a huge amount to say for this. I have a soft spot for AC games, especially the modern post Witcher 3 RPG heavy ones, and this is a very good one. It's clear the developers took the criticisms of AC: Odyssey to heart, Namely there was far to much of it. What we get here is a slimmer more focused AC game that builds on what the series has become whilst also embracing some of the features from AC games of yore (actual sneaking missions anyone?)
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