Some terrific games came out this year, along with a new, also terrific, console.
And guess what I still played a lot of in 2020? Fortnite! Both Save the World and Battle Royale still. My interest did wane a bit though as I stopped making weekly videos in late August and barely played any of Season 4, which, to me, was ruined by the Marvel crossover and super powers. I picked it up in Season 5, which saw a return to form.
Regrets and Honorable Mentions:
The moment I read Haven's description, I knew I wanted to play it. For as long as I can remember, the entertainment (books, games, movies, shows) that have resonated the most with me have all been about the bond that two people share. Haven is right up there with the best I've experienced (And the Mountains Echoed, To the Moon, Before Sunrise, Your Lie In April). I guess I'm a romantic.
I started Haven shortly after grinding through the entirety of Demon's Souls in a week, and the game completely relaxed and swept me away. I realized after playing that this was exactly what the game was designed to do (https://blog.playstation.com/2020/07/01/haven-is-a-chill-co-op-adventure-coming-to-ps4/).
For me, every aspect of this game was flawless. The pacing, story telling, old-school RPG combat, graphics, artwork, trophy design, exploration, sound and music were superb, but most importantly the the character development and voice acting were phenomenal. I couldn't get these characters out of my head for weeks.
*HEAVY SPOILER* One of the reasons Haven was so special for me, was that unlike the specific forms of entertainment I listed above, Haven was able to make me care deeply for its characters and move me, despite not being a total tragedy.
Haven is also the first game that compelled me to Tweet the developer/creative directors as soon as I finished it to thank them.
Spelunky is one of the all-time greats--so great in fact, that I was even compelled to read the book. You can understand when I say that my level of anticipation for the sequel was through the roof.
I spent roughly a month and a half with Spelunky 2, going through a range of emotions as I played. A few days before it came out, I managed a hell run in the original Spelunky and thought I was sufficiently prepared to breeze through to an easy Spelunky 2 Platinum. I couldn't have been more off.
My first two weeks with the game absolutely crushed my spirits. At one point, I was so low in thinking my goal was unachievable, that I said I was ready to give up and move onto something else. I hate backing down from a challenge and leaving something unfinished though, so I stuck it out--and in true Spelunky fashion, I was sufficiently rewarded.
The game is perfect. Despite it being the same platformer with roughly the same mechanics, there's still this amazing learning curve, sense of discovery, and wonderful feeling of accomplishment when you finally reach your goal. If you put the time in, you end up gaining this incredible understanding of the game that makes nearly every attempt a possible victory.
Not only did I play a lot of Spelunky 2, Twitch informed me at the end of the year that the streamer I watched the most in 2020 was a Spelunky 2 streamer (https://www.twitch.tv/twigglesoft). I couldn't get enough and I was there when he became the first to beat 7-99 (I seemingly impossible task).
I don't know that I'll ever return to the original Spelunky, as Spelunky 2 improves on it in almost every imaginable way.
If this is what "next-gen" will look, play, and sound like, I cannot wait for more "next-gen" games to come out. The world of Demon's Souls is dark and dirty, yet the models, textures, and millions of particle effects rendering at a smooth frame rate at 4K-HDR manages to be beautiful and breathtaking. This was really the perfect launch title for the PS5 because when contrasted against the PS3 version, it truly shows off the two-console-generation gap in technology.
Umbasa.
I've avoided filling in the description for two years now. I have nothing new or unique to say. It's an experience that shouldn't be missed; a brutal experience that I don't know if I'll be up for replaying.
Doom Eternal somehow managed to perfect the already-perfected gameplay from 2016's Doom. Eternal is a masterclass in game design. The way the enemies and the systems work together in conjunction with the level design creates an unparalleled high-paced combative experience.
More specifically, running around low on health desperately looking for a Soldier or Zombie to farm shield/health from while a Pinky is on your ass adds up to one helluva time.
I actively avoid superhero entertainment, because it's typically vapid.
However! I watched Into the Spider-Verse due to a 12 hour flight delay and I totally adored it. That movie, along with my desire to play the best PS5 games, along with rave reviews about the gameplay in the recent Spider-Man games got me on this.
No regrets. The story was unfortunately not on par with Spider-Verse, but the gameplay though--Pure Perfection™. I'm usually very focused in games, mission completion/trophy requirements, but I caught myself a number of times enjoying aimless traversal. The combat was excellent as well, loaded to the brim with options to suit whatever playstyle you're after.
I doubt I would have played this were it not the first PS Plus offering for PS5, but I am really glad I did. Start to finish, it was a real delight--super creative, quirky, charming, the perfect length, and a not-too-demanding-platinum.
Bugsnax combined two of my favorite things to do in games in a super unique way. Puzzling out ways to find and capture all the Bugsnax in order to fill the Bugopedia in each area of the game was.... well... it sounds like work, but it was a load of fun. That, along with the surprisingly mature story and terrific voice work makes Bugsnax a solid offering.
Seeing the endless praise for Tsushima makes me think I missed something. There really is so much to like about it--the graphics. environments, lore, tales, and duels--but the regular combat (a large chunk of the game) left a bit to be desired for me. I played on hard and stubbornly refused to back down even when I was frustrated. While I usually find this "never give up" approach rewarding, it wasn't the case with Tsushima. The lack of a lock-on and extremely unfortunate camera angles/positions made it far more difficult than it needed to be.
The duels though.. as I mentioned before. Utter perfection. Even on hard--and some were very--I found them extremely satisfying from a visual and mechanical perspective.
The original Superhot was awesome. What little I played of Superhot VR at a friend's house was also awesome. Mind Control Delete is really just more Superhot, but the procedural generation and mods make it infinitely replayable.
It got Superhard as well, and while it was frustrating at times, I had a blast ~mastering it over 26 hours.
This is not necessarily a great or well polished game, but more of a framework that can facilitate funny/interesting interactions with friends. I dumped 13 hours into this with 2 friends on Discord and had some really good times.
