Games bring people together. It is one of the purest aspects of the environment: the persistent invitation to others to enter, to step into the magic circle and to become stupid. (Or seriously. Or seriously-stupid. The game is a lot of things for a lot of people.) Even when we address single-player games – seemingly lonely experiences, with their stereotypical player locked in a room, shattering the icons in an open world map as a geographical Roomba – the desire to process the hobby we love persists, to discuss the games that happily colonized our times and minds. We can recognize the dangers and pitfalls of “game talk” – we struggle with employee rights issues, toxic masculinity, and the social rage of wildfires and wildfires – while acknowledging that there is little pleasure in this world more sublime than digging with someone else. about a piece of digital art that made you feel something deep and profound. (Or just plain stupid and fun. Again: the game is the game.)
That’s why, just like us every year, AV ClubThe game team teaches the reins to our readers a bit. Because, while we like to talk about The games we liked into the both halves from 2020 – from prestigious high-budget versions to mobile entertainment – we are just as excited to hear about games you pleasant in this wild year, demanding for play. Here they are: Remaining from the keyboard geniuses who participated in last week’s favorite games of the year, The games you liked in 2020
First of all: Here is Amalthea Elanor, talking about inclusiveness Final Fantasy VII Remake:
I mentioned this in the middle of the year, but I liked it Final Fantasy VII Remake because it has become accessible to beginners like me. The original game is so revered in the gaming culture, and I missed the boat quite well when I first played it. Entering almost without knowledge (I knew that Sephiroth kills Aeris and that’s about it) I was glad to find that, although there were a number of references around me (which I was too ignorant to see), not in any way hinders the pleasure of the game. On the contrary: it has stellar production values and a really great fighting system (something I generally liked less and less in JRPGs). And, although I haven’t had the same attachment to the characters for over 20 years, I still found myself taken with them, thanks to the great writings and shows. What’s more, it’s kind of fun to be aware of; for the first time forever, i finally get to be one of the fans who “understand” him when it comes Final Fantasy VII.
Ditto Erakbgg, who also gave a sign Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout:
I loved Final Fantasy VII: Remake because I changed my mind in real time in an FF game. I usually don’t like fighting in a 3D environment, but FFVII: RMix real-time combat and break for some good old-fashioned FF the menus have been nicely implemented. I liked it so much that I doubled down and played FFXI for the first time.
I love All the boys because he’s so fast and gloriously stupid that you can’t stay mad at him for long. I don’t have the attention to play games for hours. Ironic, All the boys“The quick mini-games and the ‘just one more’ attitude led to a few sessions of over 4 hours for me. Thank God my wife likes the soundtrack or else she would have gone crazy by now.
Several users agreed with our choice Hades as one of the best of the year, including Evan Waters:
Damn it It is Hades terrible. It’s just the best feedback loop I’ve ever seen: go out and destroy things, eventually you die, you’ll be rewarded with interesting storytelling things and interactions with neat characters and also tangible skill improvements and new options. A bad run will still produce some results at home, but good runs feel really nice and you still get a little better.
Meanwhile, Liebkartoffel praised the highly customizable difficulty of the game:
Hades‘ God Mode was a savior for someone with dum-dum fingers like me and was the first roguelit / as if I played on which I did not feel completely frustrated and bored after the first two hours. I really appreciated being able to experience the game, the story and the aesthetics like everyone else, but at my level of skill and in such a way that I never felt I was wrong. Beating Hades – and then beating later Hades –it was such a satisfying experience, even if I could only do so with a ~ 40% damage reduction.
And needle.hacksaw talked about the narrative aspect:
Like someone who both liked Supergiant ever since Bastion and find an almost perfect genre, if you’re looking for short, focused sessions that feel meaningful whenever you get to it, it’s no wonder that Hades it’s my game of the year. I stopped playing once I defeated my boss for the first time. There are other types of stealth that I played more – sometimes to the point where I got frustrated that my will wasn’t strong enough to put it aside. I think the emphasis is on the narrative in Hades it gave me a sense of satisfaction reaching an “end” that was actually very welcome. It really is a culmination of all that Supergiant does well.
The Merve game coverage pilot offered some excellent independent selections:
I liked TimeLive because she surprised me with her cleverness. At the first blush, TimeLive It looks like a pretty stealth puzzle game. But because it adds mechanics and complexity, it reveals hidden depths. And then he pulls such a clever twist that I still can’t get it out of my head. Completely recontextualize the previous puzzles of the game. I don’t want to ruin it, but it’s on par with the discovery of the “portal paint” in Portal 2. TimeLive is the debut game of Urnique Studio, and now they draw my attention to everything they will put in the future.
I liked Golf with your friends because it allowed me to golf with my friends. Sounds silly, but it’s true. GWYF is a strange experience that is a little more polished than 2077. Cyberpunk, but when you play with your friends, it’s sublime. It turns into a stupid party game, which bends and breaks the laws of physics. And who has never wanted to punch physics in front of her bad and ugly face?
I liked Necrobarista because he demystified death by making it more mysterious. Sounds like a contradiction in terms, so let me explain. Necrobarista it’s about a realistic magic cafe where the dead go before they cross over. Baristas act like psycho-pumps, offering words of wisdom and a hot cup of coffee before shepherding the deceased in the afterlife. What awaits them there? The game has no answers. But by embracing the fact that death is ultimately unknown, Necrobarista it helps us deal with the complex emotions associated with it.
While Robottowa hit hard for a game that was an easy inclusion on our mid-year list:
The game that defined my year the most was The last of us part II. original The last of us it’s one of my favorite games of all time and it was a swan song for my relationship with video games – it was the last AAA game I played before my life got too busy playing games. When I heard that a sequel was being made, I was incredibly skeptical: the end of the first one The last of us it’s perfect and I thought the sequel would be excessive. But it wasn’t. Part II it is a masterpiece. Sure, in its extended nature, its story hits with a few more incidents than its predecessor, but the ambition of the game pays off more often than not. Even the aspects of the game that I didn’t like in the end – the twist in the middle of the game – grew huge. Each character in the game is attractive, complex and understandable. Much of the game is spent in the hopes that people will make the right choice. Win the last dramatic confrontation, mining relationships built over both games to create a catharsis that really left me crying. It’s also amazing as a game; graphically, I can’t think of anything to rival it and all its systems work great to put you in the shoes of its protagonists. It also has so many memorable locations and fixed parts: the broadcast station, the first time you encounter scars, the hospital (twice when you go there), the sniper, the sky bridge, the village. There are so many things I like about this game – not even the superficial and painful speech that surrounds it has ruined me.
Finally, Hank_Dolworth gave a passionate defense for the free play phenomenon The impact of Genshin:
I’m the first person to put The impact of Genshin on this list? Over the years I have played the right part of f2p games. YES it still has a rotating “banner” of characters with limited time, but they end up connected to the same Zelda-clone like all the other characters. Importantly, leveling these characters requires the same amount of boss battles and collections as any other character; there is no possibility to optimize your character through in-app purchases beyond the banner / drawing mechanic itself. Sincere, YES it feels more like a “real game” than Avengers game I paid $ 30 for which microtransactions are included in so many aspects of the game’s service model. I haven’t put real money in the title yet … but I feel like I should support a game that would have made a profit in the first few weeks of operation. This is the game I play on PS5 while I wait for most of the “real” games of 2020 to get layers of state-of-the-art paint
As Perfolas sank back into the fray for some great games from years past that caught their day in the sun in 2020:
Watch Dogs 2. Yes, I’m wrong. Is not London, this is San Francisco. London is still too expensive. But Watch Dogs 2 it’s really great. He gives up the vigilant thriller tone of the original for a more fun hipster adventure comedy and a stupid plot everywhere, where self-righteous pseudo-ethical hackers fight evil corporations trying to do the exact same things. like them. But so much fun. Strong escapism, which runs through a city through parkour and all-powerful magic hacking. A feeling of ease and freedom, in an ordinary, conventional everyday setting. With a note of real life tourism and a genuine love for the history, culture and landmarks of San Francisco. I’m pretty convinced that 2020 Watch dogs it’s just as good (although I imagine London as a more boring city), but it’s not the one I played in 2020.
If you want to read more of our readers’ thoughts on the best games of 2020 – and you really should, because there’s a lot more gold that we can’t include here without promoting this feature until 2021 – you can check the comments section a our official list. (And call it down here, if you like!) Happy games, folks, and have a great 2021 year.