Summarizing Gaming Year 2020

[Zan Partizanne]

This (horrible) year will come to an end soon, but I would like to talk about a kinda positive sideeffect.

The pandemy might have given the opportunity to the one or other to play more games.

So what have/has been your favorite game/s from 2020 or you played in 2020?

 

finished games from 2020

Spoiler

• Trails of Cold Steel IV
• Sakura Wars

 

finished games in 2020

Spoiler

• Atelier Ryza
• Trails to Zero
• Trails of Azure
• Trails of Cold Steel III
• Persona 5 Royal
• Tokyo Xanadu Ex+
• Super Mario 64 (Allstar version for Switch)
• Super Mario Maker 2
• Nights of Azure 2
• Tokyo Mirage Sessions

 

Edited December 11, 2020 by Kasumi Yoshizawa

[Glennstavos]

My GOTY is Bug Fables. Technically it released first in 2019, but in 2020 for Switch which is where and when I played it. The only other 2020 games I played were Streets of Rage 4, Kirby Fighters 2, and Resident Evil 3 Remake. Though I intend to play Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity and Battletoads before the year has ended, I don't see either game topping Bug Fables. If we decided Bug Fables doesn't count as a 2020 game than I guess my tentative answer is Resident Evil 3

For non-2020 games that I went back for, since I played so many more games in that category, I may as well organize a top 10. 

1. Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair
2. Luigi's Mansion 3 (which I had the privilege of playing entirely in co-op before this pandemic began)
3. Bastion
4. Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition
5. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
6. Rage 2
7. Super Castlevania IV
8. The Secret of Monkey Island
9. Parasite Eve
10. Phantasy Star 4: End of the Millenium

[Fire Emblem Fan]

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Ghost of Tsushima are my top standout games released in 2020. There's a couple things wrong with all of them but as a whole, they're great.

[Benice]

I didn't get any games released in 2020, but I tried quite a few. My highlights:

• Berwick Saga-One of my favorite games ever now. The story and gameplay were both simply wonderful.
• FE6, FE10 and FE11 are all superb games that I'm glad I played.
• Skyward Sword-I got to replay my favorite game of all time, and boy do I still love every single part of it. I also replayed Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild on Master mode and greatly enjoyed all three!
• I watched a playthrough of Yakuza: Like a dragon and it looked really good as well. Even if I didn't actually PLAY it, I guess I can say that I enjoyed it.

[vanguard333]

The only game I can think of off the top of my head that I played that actually released in 2020 would be Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and I'm only halfway done that game. So, I guess that would be my favourite game that released in 2020. To be fair to it, it has been great so far: great gameplay, great presentation, interesting characters, etc.

As for favourite games that I played in 2020, well, I finally finished Valkyria Chronicles 4, and that was a great game. There was also the Link's Awakening Remake. Both of those games were great. EDIT: Oh; I just remembered Fire Emblem: Three Houses as well. I still have yet to finish it, but I really like it so far. I just need to do the last couple missions of Verdant Wind, then do Azure Moon and finally Silver Snow.

Edited November 26, 2020 by vanguard333

[twilitfalchion]

Games from 2020:

• Rune Factory 4 Special - Loved it. Great game with lots of content for a great price.
• Pikmin 3 Deluxe - Played it for the first time since I didn't own it on Wii U. Fun RTS-type game.

Tbh, that's it for 2020 releases.

Games played in 2020:

• Most of the FE series. I actually got into FE in January of this year, but I've played most of the series since then, with my favorite in the series being Radiant Dawn. I love that game so much.
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC - An absolutely excellent JRPG with an awesome cast of characters, great plot, and beautiful soundtrack. Simply amazing.
• Super Mario Sunshine in the Mario 3D All-Stars Collection - Flawed game that's still fun as heck most of the time.

2020 has been pretty dry for new releases, but hey. I had plenty of time for FE, haha.

[Lyn]

Animal Crossing- New Horizons, Rune Factory 4 Special, Story of Seasons- Friends of Mineral Town. 

[Ertrick36]

If you're talking games that came out in 2020, there have only been three I even played - Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord, Crusader Kings 3, and Baldur's Gate 3.  Well okay, also Animal Crossing, but I always tend to abandon those kinds of games pretty quickly.  In hindsight there were games I was thinking about getting that I ended up not getting for one reason or another.  One of those was The Last of Us: Part 2 for... numerous reasons, and another one is Cyberpunk 2077.  Yeah, I know the latter isn't out yet, but I've, I guess, been dehyped.

Anyway, if I had to pick my favorite among the limited selection of games I've played from this year, it'd go to Bannerlord.  Just the sheer amount of play time I have in that game far outshines the play time in the others.  Something's appealing about being just some absolute nobody mercenary who, through fighting in tournaments, building trade empires, and helping peasants and nobles with their petty issues, becomes a lord and maybe even a full on monarch that conquers the continent.

Crusader Kings is the game I've spent probably the second most amount of time on.  They actually just released a stupid and insane ruler creator where you can pick any monarch, duke/duchess, or minor noble in charge of one or two counties, and replace them with a custom-made person.  So you could make Waluigi the Emperor of the Byzantines and give him some pagan religion or have him create a brand new cult of Waluigism if you give him an unreformed religion.  Even without that, though, it's great.  I can turn William the Conqueror into a bisexual hunk that is not only the conqueror of England, but also the conqueror of your heart (even though he was supposedly more faithful to his wife than most monarchs of his time were).  Or I can play as his less favorite son, Robert Curthouse, and somehow manage to make him a leper.  It's great.

And Baldur's Gate 3, well... I've barely played much of it because my piece of crap computer has trouble running it.  I think the modding community is certainly taking it places, though, as they've created all manner of custom playable classes, class options, and races (really just filling in the gaps of this early access game, but you know).  I probably shouldn't have bought this game in its current state, honestly, but I guess I just enjoyed Bannerlord (another early access game) enough that I figured I was clever enough to know if it's good or bad.  Really, what's holding me back is simply how much of a slog the game is to run on my computer, and I'm hoping future optimizations will make it better.

[Yexin]

definitely Trails of Cold Steel IV, which I finished just 2 days ago 

granted, i still have to play FFVIIR and Persona 5R, but i honestly doubt I'll like them more than CSIV

[NSSKG151]

I don't think I played any games that came out in 2020. I have however spend a good chunk of the year catching up on games I have been wanting to play since I have a laptop that can run games on Steam. I played a ton of games made by Falcom such as YS 1 and 2, YS: Memories of Celceta and Trails of Cold Steel 3 (which did come out on Steam this year). Currently playing YS: Oath of Felghana and have been enjoying it so far. I have also been binge playing several Visual Novels such as the Zero Escape trilogy (999, Virtue's Last Reward and Zero Time Dilimma) and the Danganronpa games (1, 2 and V3). I don't think I played anything Nintendo related this year beside FE Heroes and romhacks such as Pokemon Gaia, Pokemon Prism and A Link to the Past Randomizers.

[MyLuckyHaiku]

Well, the only games I played this year that came out in 2020 are From the Depths and Total Tank Simulator, and FTD might not count because it’s actually been in early access for years now until a couple weeks ago.

• From the Depths is probably my favorite game ever. I currently have 716 hours, which is lower than most FTD players but hey.
• Total Tank Simulator is a fun little time-killer, but can get a little boring after a while, and has optimization issues.

As for games I played this year not from 2020:

• Bastion is a very good game with a great ost. The end of the last level hit me hard, right in the feels.
• War of the Human Tanks I enjoyed way more than I thought I would even though it’s rather cheesy. I can’t wait to play the next two!
• And lastly I’d like to mention Hearts of Iron IV. While It’s fun, the cost of the DLC is very expensive, even on sale. it also has lots of achievements I’m never gonna get too, but that’s rather irrelevant for most people.

 

 

 

[L3xandr3]

I haven't played a single game that came out this year. Partially because I wasn't interested, and partially because I'm poor.

As for games I've played this year? Civ 5, Hollow Knight, FE:TH, FE:SS, FE:GotHW, FE:RD, and Smash.

[Saint Rubenio]

The game wasn't released in 2020, but the full english translation was, so I'm going to say Berwick Saga. One of the best game's I've ever played, period. What a masterpiece.

A bunch of FE fangames came out this year that I really liked, such as Vision Quest, Four Kings and Sun God's Wrath. SGW in particular is awesome, I've already replayed it once, and I probably will do it again.

Beyond that, it's been a bit of a slow year for gaming (for obvious reasons). I've played a bunch of other things, but not from this year.

[Jingilator]

• The Sakura Wars soft reboot
• Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
• Crash 4: It's About Time

Edited December 8, 2020 by Turkey-legger

[DragonFlames]

I honestly don't know which games even released this year that I played. Haha!
But I did play a whole bunch of games this year, some of which even ended up as some of my absolute favorites.

I'm guessing my standout game this year is Blue Reflection, which became the third game that ever managed to open my tearducts with how beautiful and emotional its last act was.
So much so that it cemented itself as my third favorite game of all time. And so, while it didn't come out this year, of the games that I've played this year for the first time, this one is definitely my personal game of the year.

Other honorable mentions include Fate/Extra, Fate Extella Link, Mary Skelter Nightmares, and Rune Factory 4 Special.

[Fabulously Olivier]

2020 definitely doesn't hold a candle to 2019 in gaming.

 

FF7 Remake is my game of the year, followed by Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity and Ghost of Tsushima.

 

Played this year:

FF7R

Ghost of Tsushima

Trails in the Sky FC-TC

Trails of Cold Steel 1 & 2

Ys Memories of Celceta

Dragon Quest Heroes

Yoshi's Crafted World

 

Ongoing:

HW Age of Calamity

Langrisser 1 remake

Trails of Cold Steel 3

Edited November 26, 2020 by Fabulously Olivier

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

23 hours ago, NSSKG151 said:

I have also been binge playing several Visual Novels such as the Zero Escape trilogy (999, Virtue's Last Reward and Zero Time Dilimma) and the Danganronpa games (1, 2 and V3).

Ah, I love the Zero Escape series! By any chance, have you played AI: The Somnium Files? It's by the same creator, and although it came out last year, it was among my favorite "new-to-me" games this year.

Otherwise, I've been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons fairly regularly. It's my first foray into the series, but I'm getting as much out of it as I could hope. Also been playing Celeste, which is new to me - I'm thiiis close to beating the final chapter! Oh, and I've found surprising enjoyment from Super Mario 35, even if I was never an expert at 2D Mario. Finally, Among Us is due its due for the good times it's given me with friends - I appreciate the social outlet!

[henrymidfields]

From 2020:

• Tokyo Mirage Session was so much fun!
• FF7 Remake probably had the best worldbuilding ever. I mean, just look at how detailed Midgar is!

Played in 2020:

• I think I'm starting to understand why FF9 is held in such high regard.

[Dinar87]

Oh boy, I've been playing a ton of games this year. Here's every game I've completed...

-Metroid prime 2 echoes
-FE3H Golden deer
-shovel knight plague of shadows
-sonic adventure
-metroid prime 3 corruption
-metroid fusion
-fire emblem path of radiance
-fire emblem radiant dawn
-sonic advance
-FE3H Blue lions replay
-persona 5
-super metroid
-shantae risky's revenge
-deus ex mankind divided
-megaman x3
-megaman x4
-Fire emblem fates: conquest

Beat THAT 
 

Edited November 27, 2020 by Dinar87

[NSSKG151]

On 11/27/2020 at 12:11 AM, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Ah, I love the Zero Escape series! By any chance, have you played AI: The Somnium Files? It's by the same creator, and although it came out last year, it was among my favorite "new-to-me" games this year.

Yeah, the Zero Escape games were all fun to play through. I would even put 999 in my top 10 favorite games of all time. I haven't played AI: The Somnium Files yet. I kind of want to take a break from Visual Novels after playing so many of them this year. I might try it sometime next year, preferably when there is a sale for it on Steam.

[Tryhard]

does Hades count if it's full release after early access was this year? because that game is just ridiculously good.

ghost of tsushima, the demon's souls remake, doom eternal, persona 5 royal, and crusader kings 3 are also all very good that I played this year

[BrightBow]

I played Vestaria Saga and Berwick Saga most of the time. Such wonderful, wonderful games.

Also the beautiful Command & Conquer: Remastered. And since there is no Vestaria Saga / Berwick Saga on the Switch, I settled for Streets of Rage 4.

[know_naim]

I started the year with the Switch port of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore,  the forgotten WiiU crossover between Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei. It didn't blow up on Switch either, but it still has imo one of the best combat systems in jRPGs + it is basically Persona Lite ™, meaning it has everything that's good in modern Personas but without those laborious social links!

Since I already mentioned Fire Emblem (well, hi Fire Emblem forum! :P), I cannot fail to mention the excellent expansion Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Cindered Shadows. Loved the new character, they fit perfectly. Loved how the gameplay has been slightly remodeled and you have to deal with a predefined team and limited resources. A treat for die hard fans of the series.

Then, in March I think, I tackled Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Way better than the first entry. Looked prettier, gave Ori a sword that improves the combat a lot and had shorter escape sequences. Definitely one of the highlights of 2020 for me. Hoping to get more metroidvania fun like this in 2021.

Classic metroidvania was also a theme of 2020. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night got ported to smartphone and to my surprise this worked very well. Transformations and special attacks have been assigned to hotkeys on the touch screen, which makes sense because no one wants to make a quarter turn on a virtual stick. There were also hot saves, or rather suspend save, allowing you to postpone the game at any time. Minor changes that contributed to a well adapted the game. Bloodstained has recently been released in a similar format, might give that a go.

The first dud of 2020 was Darksiders Genesis for me. I did finish it, so in retrospect I may be a bit too harsh, but I have a love/hate relationship with the series and like to scold it for not using its huge potential. Runs like shit on the switch and the shifting perspective ruins the fun  of an otherwise quite ok combat system.

After that dissapointment i got to play Resident Evil 3. Due to the 1st wave of the pandemic (covid, not zombies), Capcom couldn't deliver enough green boxes to the stores, so I played RE3 on my PS4. I was very surprised by the low review scores, 'cause I expected an 11/10 after RE2R. Fortunately, it only turned out that the game is  only "short". After 4 runs, I don't doubt this is in any way a disadvantage. Being more focused on action and shorter lifts the replay value and Jill is absolutely the best character this year. 

After that came Final Fantasy VII Remake. I have played the original for the first time this year in February and it did not make a particularly big impression on me. The remake though? Loved it. Had some slower parts, like the Shinra building but in general I liked the direction Square is going for. 

After an excellent first quarter, there was some drought, which I used to play some indie games and older backlog stuff. The next big 2020 game in line for me was Trials of Mana. I like such mid-tier remakes and I think Square should release those more often. The Mana series is slightly overrated series by old school fans. The only thing that stood out on the SNES was the multiplayer and the remake gets completely rid of this function. Being strictly single player probably turned off a lot of folks, but if you go for it you'll find that this plays like a slower Ys entry. I enjoy that kind of stuff. A colorful adventure with a simple battle system and nice music (kudos for allowing to choose between the old and the remade ost). 

The biggest surprise of 2020 was Streets of Rage 4. I didn't like the look from the trailer and still think the drawn art style and character portraits are not doing justice to the legacy of SoR but once I played it i was charmed. It moves so smooth! This game has everything a good beat 'em up should be. I love that beat em ups have had a little revival in recent years, and  Streets of Rage 4 is the pinnacle of that. Lizardcube have already been properly praised for Monster Boy, but SoR4 has proven their position as one of the best neo-retro devs.

2020 was a year of long jRPGs for me.Why? In these trying times the best you can do is spend over 100h killing slimes and such. That's why my GOTY is probably Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. It came out at the perfect time, I loved the first XC since the Wii release (one of the few instances where Nintendo of Europe actually did something good). Although the expansion wasn't so hot, the base is still a 10/10 and one of my favorite games of all time. Epic music, epic storyline, epic combat system. None of the frills introduced in X2.  

Another series I love is Shantae. Therefore Shantae and the Seven Sirens got played as soon as it was out on consoles. Wasn't as good as Half-Genie Hero or Pirate's Curse, but still a top notch 2D platformer. Can't shake the feeling that releasing first on apple arcade hardly contributed to the quality.

The biggest controversy this year was The Last of Us Part II. I don't get what the fuss is about. It's a very good game, trying something new things in terms of narration and solidly building upon the gameplay of the first part. Plus it looks insanely good even on the basic PS4! 

New, exciting releases dried down after TLoU, so I soaked up some nice neo-retro indies: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 and Panzer Paladin were my higjlights and showed that pixel art in 2020 is still holding tight. The first is a classicvania done right, the second is a mix of vania with mega man and a blaster master. I'm sad the 3DS is not here anymore, cause these two would have benefited from stereoscopic 3D.

Surprise of the year no. 2 is 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Mindfuckery worthy of Zero Escape plus nice tower-defensive-like gameplay. I was hating Vanillaware prior for style over substance but after this game I changed my mind. Their best so far, thoroughly Japanese, with mechs, with time travel and everything you would want from such productions. I will definitely consider it in my GOTY top list.

And suddenly it was November, which marked the release of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV late October. Spent over 160h and loved every second. Longest single player game I ever played. Worldbuilding in Falcom games is second to none, so the climax of uniting the heroes introduced over the course of 16 years does a great deal if one follows the series long enough. Another GOTY contender in my book. 

December I will pass while playing  Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Yakuza I have clocked almost 20 hours and it finally clicked, because I got to the point where I can choose my professions freely. I am into gardening and golf, works splendid as a time-sink. I can now swing around the Yokohama, grinding aimlessly for money for eternity it seems.
Hyrule Warriors on the other hand, became tedious after 25 hours or so. More characters = less money for everything if you want to level up the chars equally and  missions are more of the same standard warriors stuff. If you can see a "Nintendo bonus" somewhere in the review scores it is in Hyrule Warrios. That game is a 7/10 at most, and that comes from someone who generally enjoys musou.

Ok, I'll call this a wrap. Last game I will play this year is (of course) Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light. In that regard 2020 is perfect. Started with Fire Emblem, finished with Fire Emblem. I hope I will get to play even more Fire Emblem in 2021! 

Edited December 11, 2020 by know_naim