by darthorange
52 games in one year is no easy feat, let me tell you. Doing so with only 2020 games is even tougher. Please note that ranking this many games becomes completely arbitrary at a certain point so I recommend you read the blurb next to the game rather than focus too much on what number I placed it at. At the very end of the list are the games that I played but did not finish. I also provided a write up for those if you are interested in reading why I didn't finish them.
Showing 1-10 of 58 items
Played on Switch This game fucked me up something fierce for a minute after I first completed it. It is an incredibly bleak game that demanded I grapple with the worldview it presents and articulate a rebuttal, or otherwise accept its view of the world as the truth. And it was tough, because a part of me does feel it. This game sees you playing as a contract killer. Your job is literally to hurt people, and hurt many people you do as you play through the stylized shooting sections to make your escape after killing your target. In between contracts you are free to do what you will in the open world. Killing people clearly pays well because you never have to worry about money in the open world. Buy as many drinks as you want, go to the movies, get a pack of cigarettes, visit a museum, you can always afford it. But however you choose to spend your time, it is never thrilling or fun. It is melancholy as fuck, but the game forces you to engage with this in between the shoot out sessions. And the shootout sessions themselves get incredibly repetitive as well, to the point where you ask yourself "what the fuck is the point of any of this?"
Played on PC One of the best, most well realized worlds I have ever seen in a game. Wintermoor Tactics Club is able to perfectly set the scene with a cast of characters and art style that completely bring the school of Wintermoor Academy to life in a way most other games never get close to achieving. A large cast of characters and some fantastic dialogue are tied together with a unique art style and killer soundtrack. The story is by far the main hook in this game, and while the main story of a snowball tournament between all the school clubs will always be the same, there are a lot of choices available that help add that extra personalized touch to the game. The main gameplay is played as a standard tactics game, through the lens of a D&D stand in. The gameplay is usually fairly simple but it is still a fun way to break up the story segments. The protagonists each bring about a unique gameplay type with lots of customization, and I throughly enjoyed picking out a unique load out for any given mission. I am a slow reader, and I ended up doing all the side quests, which made me clock in a final time of a little over 14 hours before I saw the credits. I loved every second of my time with this game.
Played on Xbox One X Love the story, soundtrack, and characters. This game does a wonderful job at world building and is not shy about being completely queer. The protagonists are wonderfully developed and the story kept me engaged the whole way through. The tap-timing based combat can be frustrating at times but every once in a while I would fumble terribly and be forced to use items which I never do in these types of games so that is huge plus.
Played on iOS (iPad Air) A narrative driven game that puts a spin on dialogue choices. This love story set during the cold war is completely brought to life through some amazing voice acting that helps bring the minimalist art style to life. Dialogue choices are selected based on emotions so you are never quite sure exactly what you are going to say, but I got a shaky grasp on it by the end of it. By the end of the experience I'm sure some people will be frustrated with the choice system but I loved what they did with it.
Played on Switch I love love love me some grindhouse, and Huntdown is able to beautifully capture that aesthetic in every way. I played through the whole thing in coop and it was an incredible experience. We played through it on hard and while the game was definetly tough, it was also fair. Deaths (and we died a lot of times) were always the result of player error and encouraged us to always keep trying. Even the toughest encounters never felt hopeless. I also very much appreciated the generous checkpoint system which removed any frustrations from the game, even as we would inch ever closer to a half hour spent on a single stage. And speaking of stages, each stage ends with a completely unique boss fight and they are all incredible.
Played on PC An incredibly engrossing visual novel about a record that lets you travel through time. The game completely sucked me immediately and I was constantly eager to learn more of the mystery that was set up. Plenty of choices to make along the way with some great tunes to boot. Plus the visuals are top notch, with each image a wonderful work of art.
Played on Switch A wonderful experience that perfectly captures those "golden moments" feelings in life where everything is just going right. You are surrounded by people you care about and everyone is just happy. The world can be a really cynical place but it is these moments that make the rest of the bullshit worth it. And this game is able to encapsulate that wonderfully. As I was playing this I kept bringing myself back to Robert Frost. Yes it is true that "Nothing Gold Can Stay", but that doesn't mean you won't find more gold in the future.
Played on Switch What if Shadow of the Colossus but with guns and it is a bullet hell game? Normally not my cup of tea but I liked the art style, I heard there were accessibility options to lower the difficulty, and 18 bosses didn't seem like too much of a commitment. It starts out tough, and outside of one boss fight, feels fair which has caused me to keep the difficulty unchanged. There is a world to explore and for the most part you can go in whatever order you want. There are also several upgrades to pick up which make the game easier.
Played on PC I knew that this was a visual novel going in but it was a lot less interactive than I was expecting. Outside of making the occasional cup of coffee, there is no player agency. That said, I enjoyed this experience for what it was, and absolutely loved all the stories. It does an absolutely fantastic job of creating a real cozy atmosphere with the visuals and lofi soundtrack. It gives the feeling of a warm drink on a cold rainy night.
Played on Switch Well this game is certainly something. A stylish as hell side scrolling adventure game that sees you exercising demons. It is full of stupid pop culture references but isn't obnoxious about it which I appreciated. The combat is a unique real time "find the matching symbols" system that works way better than it has any right to. The story really ties it all together. It is stupid and over the top goofy but makes no apologies as it takes you through the world. Anyway, everything about this game felt like it was speaking to me personally and I was gutted when it was over after only about 2 hours. I am eagerly awaiting the next game (games?) in this franchise and will be sad forever if it ends up being a one and done.