by bladeblur
2020 was not the best year ever. But games helped made things a bit better.
Showing 1-10 of 10 items
2020 will mark the year where Sucker Punch managed to usurp both Naughty Dog and Insomniac. How ironic that a company who used to lurk in the shadows of both Jak and Ratchet with Sly Cooper, made a game all about being stealthy in ancient japan. The artistry, attention to detail, finesse of combat and overall execution didn't result in my favorite game from last year, but the best swan song for the PS4.
Sometimes I feel like I am in the minority I liked Doom Eternal better than 2016. The Marauders suck but other than that I loved the fast paced gunplay with its many demons to kill with an equally explosive arsenal. Even the platforming hearkens back to Metroid Prime with it's double jump and dashing capabilities. Maybe I am a simple man. I don't need mounds of texts or complicated stories, I just need to shoot the crap of a bunch of demons. Doom Eternal gave me that fix and more.
Not a big rougelike fan. Dead Cells was good, but Hades is the first game that made me want to push through thanks to how its story compliments the gameplay. Repeating the cycle of dying over and over actually comes into play, and no matter how often things repeat, dialogue never becomes redundant. Even going into 50 or 100 hours of playtime, characters will always have new information to share, even past the initial credit roll.
Blind Forest was heralded as a near perfect game, only marred by a mediocre combat. Will of the Wisps took this near perfect game and fixed its biggest issue. Not only combat is fun, but so is the platforming and exploration. But even beyond its gameplay, its minimalist approach to storytelling was able to make me tear up more than I ever expected. This is a must play experience.
Why is Nioh not more successful and talked about? It's easily the best non-FromSoftware souls title to date, and the sequel is even more approachable. Burst Counters make those pesky unlockable attacks a thing of the past to those who are skillful. It's a game that rewards its players for grasping its rhythm and after 75 hours of playtime, I was definitely satisfied.
Bugsnax was my surprise of the year. I had 0 expectations going in, expecting a goofy and crazy experience. I was shocked that while there is zaniness to be had, there is a lot of heart and soul poured into the lore. I never expected someone named Chandlo Funkbun to make me emotionally resonant but here we are. No matter how insane things get, the characters' real motivations kept the world grounded, which made the amazing discoveries even more worthwhile. Do not sleep on Bugsnax.
AKA: Neil Druckmann hates you. He warned us that this game is all about hate, and I felt this throughout the 25 or so hours playing through this. It's a shame that there was a lot of backlash and vile around the release from many angles. From a personal perspective, I thought the story should've been shuffled a bit for better cohesion, and the overall tone felt too dour for the long running time. Thankfully the gameplay is a step up from the original thanks to its larger levels and smarter enemy AI.
It was free. The fact this love letter for everything playstation was also a well constructed platformer is astounding. I honestly think that calling this game a "tech-demo" is a huge disservice to the people from Team Asobi who made one of the most charming games in years.
Retro Revivals are kind of passe, and yet the one franchise that remained dormant for 16 years comes back fists ablazing. While the graphical style might be controversial, no one can deny the game controls just like the classic genesis titles. Nailing retro feel is incredibly difficult, and the fact that SOR4 did it while modernizing itself is nothing short of excellent. The king of Beat-em-ups is back.
