All the Games I Beat in 2020
Listed in order of completion
When 2020 started, I had a series of gaming goals that I wanted to focus on. My year ended up being a hectic mess (COVID, I moved to England from the states, my PS5 preorder never arrived), but I think I did pretty well considering.
This article captures everything I beat in 2020. All the games, both big and small. I wrote a paragraph or two summarizing my feelings after I rolled credits, so these pieces are written in real time. I’ve also included links to releated articles here on Game Loot. This was my year in gaming, for better or for worse.
(Side note: I stole this idea from GB 'Doc' Burford, who has done this for a few years. I love those pieces, so I wanted to do something similar.)
Along with this piece, I wanted to set some goals for myself. Nothing crazy, but just something to keep me accountable as I went along. Here they are:
- Clean up my backlog
That meant combing through my digital and physical library to shorten those piles. This is my first year running a list like this, so I hope that I’m able to hit a high number. We’ll see on that.
2. Catch-up on older games while I still can
Next generation is coming, and there is a lot of questions in regards to how backwards compatibility will work. I want to finish some older stuff (Xbox 360 games, PS Now games, Nintendo stuff) while I know I can. Because once next generation comes, it will be hard to go back.
3. Get 5 Platinum trophies on PS4 (my goal every year)
I’ve been doing this for the last two years. If a game has an obtainable Platinum, I’m usually in. I think this hurts how many games I can play in a year due to the time sink, but I plan on continuing this tradition nevertheless.
4. Play some horror text adventures
I discovered Itch.io last year, and with it I discovered Game Jams. I wrote and published a game called The Crimson Terrors of Delamay Manor, which was a horror text adventure game. I had a blast doing it, so I’d like to explore more of the history of this retro genre so I can write another one some day.
Without further ado, here’s the list:
1. Pokémon Shield
When I wrote my games of the year post for Signal Horizon, I named Pokémon Shield as my game of the year for 2019. I also promised to keep playing it well into 2020, and that promise was kept. I fell hard into IV/EV training, competitive battling, and completing my Pokedex. I also went a little insane trying to hatch a shiny Dreepy. This game has such longevity. The Raids are a big part of that, especially because Game Freak has continued to give us goodies. I’m going to count the DLCs as separate games (more on them below).
All that being said, Shield suffers from the classic Nintendo problem: the online features are terrible. Getting into random raids in the Wild Area does work, but the list of raids that are looking for players doesn’t refresh and there isn’t an easy way to make it do so. They were this close to having great multiplayer. Maybe it will improve in the DLCs?
2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Skyrim
Platinum trophy #12!
I’ve called Skyrim my desert island game, and I stand by that. I’ve played through this game on basically every console I’ve owned save for one (I probably won’t buy a Switch copy), and I enjoyed every second of every new play through. This most recent run was purposeful though: when I started this game up again, I intended to see as much as I could. I earned the Platinum trophy in an attempt to close the door on this game I love.
This world is a masterwork, and it’s hard to summarize my thoughts on what may be my favorite game of all time. Just spending time among the snowy peaks of this world is like coming home. I love Bethesda’s janky glitches, the chanting music, and the open-ended world. As I look forward to the next generation, I can’t help but feel a little melancholy. Skyrim came out my senior year. I’m now 27 years old, and I see my 30s lurking. I played this game with my girlfriend in 2011, and almost ten years later she’s my wife, once again by my side as I save Skyrim from its doom. Skyrim defines my adulthood in a way that no other media has. Thanks for the good times, Bethesda.
3. Paratopic
This game had been languishing on my backlog for a long time, and I used an early morning on my day off to catch up with it. I wrote a longer piece about it here on Medium, but my thoughts are essentially this: Paratopic is eerie, unique, and feels very reflective of the shadowed corners of our life that we’d soon forget. Bad things happen and life can be brutal. Paratopic knows this and has weaponized it into a neo-retro package.
4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
The Fire Emblem series has swiftly taken up residence beside Nintendo’s other AAA franchises. Three Houses is a testament to the power of an epic story told very well. It’s an anime-tinged Game of Thrones/Harry Potter mash-up that comes loaded with one of the best ensembles in gaming. You’ll grow to love these characters. You’ll also root for them and mourn for them if they fall in battle. What sets the Fire Emblem games apart from other strategy titles are the bonds you make with the individual characters. You learn about their lives as you level them up and pit them against some truly insane odds.
Where does Three Houses rank among the other titles in the series? I still think Awakening on 3DS is the best game, but Three Houses is close. The GBA titles will always hold a special place in my heart (so many moments and characters that I still think about today) but the modern flourishes are just too good to ignore.
5. Far Cry: New Dawn
Platinum trophy #13!
Far Cry: New Dawn continues my half-hearted love affair with this series, and with Ubisoft in general. The article I’ve included below says a lot. The gist is this: the moment to moment action of Far Cry is always a blast. Sadly, the story and world are a hyperactive mess. If you’re looking for a checklist game where you can have a pet boar, you could do worse than New Dawn.
6. my father’s long, long legs
On PC
One of my gaming goals was to play more interactive fiction in an effort to maybe write some (more) myself. After poking around on the internet, I found a couple recommendations. my father’s long, long legs was the first one I checked out and YES it’s incredible and utterly bone-chilling. It’s a text game with some light sound/light effects. It’s novella length, and 100% your time. You can play it here.
7. Condemned: Criminal Origins
On Xbox One through backwards compatibility
This was my first attack at my ‘playing older games before it’s too late’ goal. This game has held up pretty well. It’s bare bones, but its atmosphere and butt-clenching combat make it worthwhile. Blasting dudes with a shovel almost never gets old.
I had planned to write a longer piece on Condemned, but it never actually coalesced. The game has an eerie confidence, and feels surprisingly forward thinking here in 2020. The combat is a jolt, and the cut scenes and story have a gritty edge that we don’t see all that often. Some indie horror games capture this look pretty well, but something (positive) can be said for horror games of this time. Bart’s Department Store (featured in the image above) is a highlight and an inspiration.
If you want to play an early Xbox 360 horror experience that isn’t particularly taxing, you could do worse than Condemned: Criminal Origins. I give it 3 weird sick birds out of 5 weird sick birds.
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Platinum trophy #14!
Ah… Call of Duty. A basic franchise in a medium that’s filled with basic franchises. I’ve never been much of a CoD person overall. I’ve played the games over the years (the OG Modern Warfares, Advanced Warfare, World At War, etc.) but I never went out of my way to pick them up. I’m terrible at competitive shooters (except Destiny 2, which I put WAY to many hours into in 2018).
But Call of Duty: Modern Warfare caught my attention. I wanted to play something slick and mindless, and I heard that this game’s campaign was pretty decent. I picked this up on sale and got to work. Overall, I think the campaign is exactly okay. For the Platinum I had to play it on Veteran difficulty, so some of the missions were pretty annoying to get through. There was some highlights scattered throughout, but nothing ground-breaking. It was a Call of Duty campaign, for better or worse.
9. Florence
On IOS
I don’t have much more to say about Florence that I didn’t already cover in my article here. One thing I’ll add: games like Florence are one of the reasons that video games are so beloved. A well-crafted story that uses user interaction in a meaningful way is how you make a masterpiece. To repeat a line from my longer piece: you owe it to yourself to play Florence.
10. The Uncle Who Works at Nintendo
On PC
The second game on this list created by Michael Lutz, the uncle who works for nintendo is a text horror game with some art and sound effects. The other title is of course my father’s long, long legs. I loved my experience with that game, so when I realized that Mr. Lutz had produced other titles, I dropped everything to seek it out. While this game doesn’t have quite the effect as my father’s long, long legs, its set-up and looping elements are very effective. I played until I got all the endings, and I think it’s worth it. Michael has a few more titles, so I will be searching them out.
11. Batman: Arkham Origins
It’s Christmas time in Gotham City. Black Mask has put a hit on Batman’s head and an entire roster of assassins has come calling. I’ve been meaning to replay this for quite some time. The Arkham franchise is one of my gaming comfort foods, and I can’t think of a better time to enjoy some comfort food (it’s early April as I write this, and we are smack dab in the COVID-19 outbreak).
I want to take a second to talk about Arkham Origins a bit more. It’s the oft-considered worst game of the franchise. And it is. 100%. Without Rocksteady’s guiding hand, the quality isn’t quite there. The combat encounters aren’t as well designed, the sign-posting is messy, and the world feels a bit empty.
However, there is still a fun game here. The story is as good as ever. This Batman (early in his career) is a snarling beast. As his list of enemies grow, he lashes out at Alfred and becomes increasingly unhinged. It even has some quick-time event boss fights that liven things up. Arkham Origins is not as good as the main trilogy. But it’s more Batman. Can’t go wrong with more Batman.
12. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Can you ever really complete an Animal Crossing game? I mean… sort of? For the purposes of this article, I decided that completion would tie into fully upgrading my house and unlocking the ability to edit my island. In spite of completing these tasks, I have not stopped playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Why would I!?
It’s so adorable and wonderful. It’s not a perfect game by any means. Some of the design choices are baffling, but they do not detract from the overall experience too much. But honestly… Why can’t I mass craft items? Why can’t I buy multiple items in the fitting room/Nook machine? Why only one island per Switch!?
This is a game meant to be taken a day at a time, so the slower pace doesn’t hurt. I spent so many hours catching fish, shopping, and running around looking for things to do. My wife and I basically passed the Switch back and forth for months (Especially because we were stuck at home for months, only leaving to go to work) and it never got old.
I love my house in New Horizons. My living room, home theater, study, and my two treasure rooms. I love that my wife and I share our island and have built it the way that we want. It takes time to get anywhere in New Horizons, but I wouldn’t trade that time for anything.
(It was around this point that I started playing Persona 5 Royal. After a death in the family and a trip back to my hometown for two weeks, I had to take a break from Persona. At that point I was over 60 hours in, but I had more pressing games to play. The Last of Us: Part II was about a week and a half out, and I needed to play the first game again.)
13. The Last of Us: Remastered
I beat this on a Sunday night. Five days from this update, The Last of Us: Part II will enter the world. Replaying this again was an easy choice: this is one of my favorite stories in gaming. I love the characters and the constant shift and pull of genre tropes that play out over this tense campaign. This is a masterpiece of game design. Great stories don’t have to break narrative ground, but I would argue that Naughty Dog uses its familiar trappings to subvert expectations.
Some games just feel good to play. I feel sad and rejected by the end, but the moment to moment shoot-and-gather game play just speaks to me. I am over the moon to play the sequel. Hurry up Friday!
14. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
I decided to finish up the Shadowkeep DLC in the couple of day window before The Last of Us II warped my gaming time completely. I didn’t meet that goal, but I was able to knock out the last couple of missions the weekend of Naughty Dog’s new release. I usually play a lot of games at once (taking a break as needed). At the time of this writing, I’m playing The Last of Us: Part II, Persona 5 Royal, the new Pokemon DLC, Chrono Trigger, and grinding through the terrible ending of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Sacred Cards.
I wrote a longer piece about my complicated relationship with Destiny 2, but I come back to this game over and over again because of how comforting it is. Sometimes, I like just playing some matches and grinding through waves of enemies. Shadowkeep offers more of that, with some extra weird-horror flavor. I enjoyed the story here, even if it did leave more questions that I’m sure we’ll never get answers to. I’ll likely buy New Light in September, but we’ll see.
15. The Last of Us: Part II
Platinum trophy #15!
How do I sum up my feelings on this game? For starters: it’s a technical marvel and a startling showcase for what the PS4 is capable of. It feels like the perfect capstone for the system’s life, a true curtain call.
The other major thing is the story. Dear heavens… I felt bruised after playing this game. I felt savaged. This is not just a simple revenge story. It’s an epic of what it means to find the light in so much fungal darkness. It’s a linear game, but the story takes its cues from literature and cinema to craft a story that doesn’t follow your standard structure. So much of this story is familiar, but it has never been told like this in the medium. Ellie and Abby are two of my favorite characters of the year, and Naughty Dog’s creative team deserve every speck of credit possible.
It’s not a perfect game. But I think it deserves to hang with all the other imperfect stunners available on the PS4. It has bits of Uncharted 4 (game play), Red Dead Redemption 2 (the mature and heart-wrenching story), and God of War (guilt and violent natures). People talk about this game and call it ‘unfun’. I think the game is a blast to play, even with the unbelievable violence and devastation. I like being put through my paces. I love to feel the catharsis that comes with entertainment like The Last of Us: Part II.
16. Pokemon Sword/Shield: Isle of Armor
So this is what a Pokemon DLC looks like. Is it any good?
Honestly: it’s not bad. The story is short and pretty simple, but it has enough value and surprise to make it worth your time. I love having a whole new batch of Pokemon to hunt after. Granted, they are almost all Pokemon we’ve seen before, but the point still stands. Isle of Armor also brings some quality of life improvements. Being able to trade in useless items, the ability to make eligible Pokemon Gigantamax-ready, and new ways to spend Watts are all welcome additions.
17. Midnight Scenes Episode 1: The Highway
On Itch.io
This mini-Point and Click adventure is an eerie Twilight Zone homage. It’s only about 15 minutes long, but it lovingly recreates a mood and atmosphere of everyone’s favorite 1950’s anthology show. The music was my favorite part, and the game had a few little scares that genuinely got me. I’ll be checking out the developer’s other titles for sure.
If you love The Twilight Zone, you should 100% play this.
18. Pokémon Blue
On a GBA
I put down quite a few words on my Pokémon Blue play through here, but my love for this game and this franchise knows no bounds.
I forgot how hard this first game is. How long the caves feel, how punishingly low your Power Points get for your best moves. The underlying system is still very simple, but if you rely on one or two Pokémon to carry you through certain areas, you’ll struggle.
It’s a wonderful game that makes me happy to play. Which is basically the best, and it’s why I’m a gamer.
19. Off-Peak
On Itch.io
Another short game just like Midnight Scene, though this is about 105% stranger. It’s a brisk tour through an otherworldly train station. You’re searching out the torn shreds of a train ticket and interacting with all the local merchants.
I love the soaring and mixed design of Off-Peak’s setting, but the music is the real star here. It’s thumping good; electrical and house laced with bits of good old-fashioned synth. The game’s creator Cosmo D has created an audio-visual experiment with some odd symbols and unclear ideas. I also have his next two games (one set in a HOTEL!) on my backlog, so maybe I’ll drop by Cosmo’s next creation soon.
20. Yu-Gi-Oh: The Sacred Cards
On GBA
Yu-Gi-Oh: The Sacred Cards is the second game I played this year in this card-slinging franchise. I put down a couple hundred words on it for a Retro Coin feature, and my review was essentially ‘meh’.
I played it for nostalgic purposes, and was greeted with a weak RPG with a truly egregious endgame difficulty spike. If you love this card game and remember The Sacred Cards fondly, it may be worth a play through. Otherwise, don’t waste your time.
21: Donkey Kong Country
On Switch
Donkey Kong Country was a consistent part of my childhood. Playing it with my brothers, my friends, my Dad. The individual enemy sounds and iconic Donkey Kong music feels like they’re ingrained in my gamer DNA. So, when I saw that it was coming to Switch’s psuedo-Virtual Console, I moved it to the top of my Backlog. It only took me a couple of hours to get through the main part of the game.
My favorite levels as a kid were the minecart levels; they remain as awesome and challenging as ever. I love Donkey Kong Country and I’m glad I could play it again.
22. Persona 5 Royal
Platinum trophy #16!
It took 118 hours to see Persona 5 Royal through. It’s hard for me to pour my feelings about this game into a paragraph or two here, but I’ll do my best.
P5R has some of my favorite characters I’ve ever encountered in a game. It’s setting was so rich and fully realized that it boggles the mind. My time spent racing through Palaces and exploring Tokyo’s streets will stick with me for a long time. Joker’s story is a touch too sweet, but it feels good to play a game that is so earnest while also bringing an unbelievable depth.
It breaks my heart to see it go. I’ve played a lot of fantastic games in 2020, and this one belongs at the top of the list.
(This was my fifth platinum trophy of the year! One goal met!)
23. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
My wife Liz and I have been slowly working our way through the remastered Crash games. We knocked out the OG and Wrath of Cortex in 2019, and we picked it back up again with the release of It’s About Time.
I think that Warped is the weakest of this collection? The game just kind of ends, and the variety between levels is wholly non-existent. And while Crash is known for having gimmick levels, the gimmick levels in Warped hit an all-time high for annoyance. The racing levels and the jet-ski levels are frustrating and just plain not fun. On a more positive side, the tiger-run levels are a personal favorite of ours.
I love Crash! Once my money comes together, I plan on getting It’s About Time. Playing a few levels with Liz after dinner is the perfect way to unwind after I get home from work.
24. Marvel’s The Avengers
This game is some kind of weird Chimera. My goal was just to knock the Campaign out, which I did over a couple of days. It’s a fun enough diversion, but I don’t think I’ll be playing too much more of Marvel’s The Avengers.
Games as a service don’t interest me much. Destiny 2 is the only exception, but I think D2 is the perfect comparison to this game. I like them both in spite of their structure. They both have an energy and a world I enjoy immensely, even when so much of the actual minute to minute game play is so shoddy and manipulative. If you like superhero stories, this is worth a little bit of your time. I’ll be interested to see how it grows and changes over the next year or two.
25. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
I’m firmly into Halloween month here, so I wanted to play something with a little bit of a sinister edge. Death of the Outsider is the final chapter in Arkane’s flagship franchise. This is the only one I haven’t played, so wrapping it up in the early October weeks felt like the perfect time.
I love the world of Dishonored. Its story and details, its bizarre worldview, and the Lovecraftian horror that lord over it all. Reading the many books and viewing the endless paintings scattered through these puzzle box levels is an utter joy every time. I was happy to find myself in the shoes of the dour Billie Lurk this go around. Her powers are slightly different than previous protagonists, so it made it a little easier to zip through this pretty short story.
The mysteries of the Void drew me in, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
26. Faith
On Itch.io
At the time of this entry, it’s one week before Halloween. I know that I wanted to play a horror game to end the month right, but all the major titles on my PS4 (The Evil Within 2 and Metro: Exodus mostly) didn’t appeal to me.
I found a solution! Itch.io indie games. Or, more accurately, indie horror games. I had a neat little pile of titles that I’d tucked away, so I dove in.
Faith was my first choice. This game is pretty cool. Its true retro feel packs an unnerving edge. The melodious score that Airdorf has put together brings the horror.
27. Approaches
On Itch.io
This was a quick experience made by Shane Yach. This will only take you a few minutes to play through, but it’s a stimulating experience nevertheless. You’re an unnamed protagonist fixing two displays in a radio tower. It’s a stormy night and the trees are swaying. The only noise (at first) are birds and distant thunder. Misshapen mountains dominate the skyline around you. I love the pseudo-PS1 sense of isolation that Approaches cultivates. There is something to be said about a strong atmosphere, especially in a horror game.
Approaches is made to recreate a PS1 aesthetic, and Shane succeeds. Thunder and birds help build up to a moment of true sustained dread. Good stuff.
28. Pokémon Sword/Shield: The Crown Tundra
The second and final DLC to Pokemon Sword/Shield ends with a bang. This — in my mind — is exactly what a Pokemon DLC should look like. This new adventure takes you and your team to the snowy environment called The Crown Tundra. The focus of this short story is all about adventure; solving simple riddles to unlock the ancient secrets of this new area.
The way that Crown Tundra folds the vast number of legendary Pokemon into it’s world is quite astounding. There are a huge number to collect just in the story itself (new forms of Gen 1 birds, the Titans from Ruby/Sapphire, the High King Pokemon) as well as every single other legendary in a side event called Dynamax Adventures.
Dynamax Adventures are a new highlight, especially because they have an elevated Shiny rate. For veteran Pokemon trainers, this is a plus. The Crown Tundra’s wild area is filled with secrets and all kinds of returning Pocket Monsters.
This is a willing send-off to our current games. I’m beyond excited to see where Pokemon goes next.
29. Ghost of Tsushima
Platinum trophy #17!
I loved my time with Ghost of Tsushima. When I started it up, I was underwhelmed. It seemed like an Assassin’s Creed-Ubisoft open world rip-off without much to offer. But as the hours unfolded, I saw that Ghost is so much more than that.
It’s one of the most beautiful games on PS4. I took SO many screenshots. Choosing one for this was tough — the Platinum screenshot that I would usually use was just a white screen — because they all blew my mind. I’m not much of a Photo Mode person, but I found myself jumping into it more than I ever would have thought possible as I journeyed across Tsushima.
The combat is quick and bloody. You have your trusty swords and a belt full of deadly weaponry at hand. You — as Jin Sakai — can stealth or slash your way through the Mongol invasion. I usually went in sword swinging, but the game rarely made me choose another option. Completing this trophy was made all the easier by Sucker Punch’s quality of life improvements to the open world formula. I hope other studios take note.
30. Gris
Fear. Acceptance. Perseverance. Gris joins the short list of beautiful platformers with a powerful message. Gris feels in a league of its own, even if the gameplay isn’t as thrilling as something like Celeste.
Over the course of 3 to 4 hours, you’ll journey through and restore color to a broken world. As Gris, you will be tormented by a black swirl of evil that will continue to pull you down over and over again. Gris’ watercolor world feels like a living thing, complete with the slight movements of little creatures and raindrops on vast underground lakes.
It’s an inventive platformer that anyone can play. I see why it won so many awards when it released in 2018.
31. Donut County
Of all the games I finished in 2020, I think Donut County is one of the few that just didn’t work for me? I like the idea of it, and it’s length was certainly an attraction. I’m attempting to clean up my PS4 library before my PS5’s arrival in the mail (any day now), so games like Gris and Donut County got their time to shine.
I didn’t really find this game funny? The gameplay was also too flat to really be interesting. Even the later levels — including a random boss fight — felt half-baked.
32. Super Mario Odyssey
Why I waited so long to play Super Mario Odyssey, I’ll never know. This game is an utter joy from top to bottom. Every kind word or review I’ve ever heard/read have been spot on. I started this over my long Thanksgiving weekend and I had the story wrapped up by Saturday night.
I’m not the biggest Mario fan in the world, but Nintendo knocked it out of the park here. Each world is its own self-contained playground. The bosses and mechanics bring a wonderful variety to each world that never got old. The Lightning God was a surprise, and a certain Cappy-centric moment with Bowser had me practically cheering. One of my favorite (late) experiences of 2020.
(It’s December now, and the end of the year clock is ticking.)
33. Hades
Hades is the sleeper hit of 2020.
It was one of three games I bought for Black Friday (the others being Yakuza 0 and Thronebreaker: A Witcher Tale). I bought it because of all the positive buzz, and it did not disappoint. I want to stress something: this game is a must-play. It is on my Favorite Games of the Year list, and it deserves its spot. Hades is an addicting but time-consuming masterpiece. Every second of action feels amazing, and the character work is top-notch. I’m in a bit of awe concerning the sheer depth of dialogue this game has. It’s all quality, all the time.
My first clear was with the Fists, which is odd considering that they’re a weapon I don’t really like. I know that Hades has a killer post game, so I know that my journey has just begin.
I will be playing Hades far into the new year, and that’s a promise.
34. Firewatch
Firewatch feels like a story that you’d read in something like The New Yorker or Tin House. It’s quite literary, but without pretention.
Firewatch is a game but escapism, but this form of escapism is not a healthly one. The two characters at the center of this game are broken people that enter into the story with too much past to handle. This backstory is told through a captivating opening and through the brilliant script. The writing and voice acting are top-notch, and they slot into the game’s art style perfectly. The only negative thing I have to say is that my PS4 struggled a bit with performance. Overall, I found Firewatch a fascinating experience.
35: Pikmin 3 Deluxe
My last game completed of 2020. Well, kind of. At the time of this entry, I’m about halfway done. By the time we hit December 31st, this game will be done. Yeah…
What can I say about Pikmin? The first game was one of my favorites for my Gamecube. My brother and I would play for hours as Captain Olimar. We’d battle monsters and hunt down treasures. I never played the sequel, but I always wanted to. However, since Pikmin 3 Deluxe launched on Switch, I figured this was the time to move back into the franchise.
This game is a gentle stressor. Having the three characters adds a bit of challenge to the proceedings. Solving these Pikmin-puzzles remains as addicting now as it was back in 2001. Each time I lose a Pikmin, I feel like a dagger has been stabbed into my back. I feel terrible, espically if it was my fault. Sorry Pikmin. We’ll get through this together.
So what didn’t I beat?
As you can imagine, I didn’t beat everything I played through-out the year. I’ll preface the rest of the games in this category with this; just because I didn’t finish it, it doesn’t mean that it was bad. For example, Yu-Gi-Oh: Dark Duel Stories. I wrote about it for Retro Coin, and I found that it just didn’t have legs toward the end. I didn’t see much of an incentive to work my way through it, especially because I had another Yu-Gi-Oh game waiting for me in the wings.
Resident Evil 3 is a fine game, but it’s just not for me. I’ve found that I don’t like this style of horror game. While Resident Evil 7 is my favorite game in the series, the remake of 3 left me feeling very cold. (I did like 2 remake quite a bit, even if it dragged for me in parts). I also enjoyed Sunless Sea on Switch, but that game is pretty tough and very slow. I intend to slow roll it and enjoy my time in the world, even if the stress can be A LITTLE MUCH.
Sigh… now I need to talk about the most disappointing game of 2020; Cyberpunk 2077. I played for about an hour and found a game so utterly broken and laborious to play that I couldn’t stand it. Every scene was a stuttering mess. Everything from combat to the environment chugged and howled as I tried to play it. Cyberpunk deserves all the hate it’s getting, and the execs at the studio should be ashamed. I want to enjoy this game, but I can’t. I returned it to Sony, and I will not be buying it again until the game is fixed.
I’m currently playing the release of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light. It’s taking longer than I thought to get through it. It’s actually pretty tough, and I consider myself a pro at Fire Emblem titles. It’s cool to play this bit of Nintendo history.
Looking Forward
Best Buy lost my day one PS5 preorder and were unable to send me a replacement. I took the refund and was lucky enough to get a new order. Scoring a next gen console order four days before Christmas feels like a miracle. Expect to see some PS5 games at the top of next year’s list (Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Astro’s Playroom, etc.) for sure.
This article was a lot of fun to work on throughout the year. I hit all of my goals with relative ease, though I intend to go further with some of them next year. Playing through my backlog is soothing in an odd way, so that will come back again. Rest assured, I’ll also be playing more indie games and getting my five Platinum trophies over the next set of twelve months. I’ll be doing this again in 2021, but this time I’ll know what I’m doing from the start.
Thank you for joining me in year one of Game Loot. It’s been a ride for sure.
