This article originally ran under a different banner/website in December of 2020 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy.
MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS!!! LEND ME YOUR EARS!!! This has undoubtedly been one hellish year and I, the Video Game Doomsayer, am sure many of you are looking forward to starting the new year fresh. However, as many of you know, for the new year to start the ritual must be performed. Which ritual you may ask? The ritual of listing out your favorite games of the year. Now, I could doom us to have the year continuously drag on in a hellish nightmare that only the year 2020 could conjure, but I would happily release you from this hell by telling you my favorite games of 2020. First, I must list the rules:
- This is my list and my list alone. These games are the ones I enjoyed and not the ones showered with undeserving praise in the Games Award.
- The games are only eligible to be in my top five if I played and reviewed the game in 2020. Yes, that means a certain futuristic RPG is not in the running.
- The games are listed in the order they come out and not the order of my personal preference. I have always felt it unfair to judge these games against each other when they are all trying to do different things.
With that in mind, let the ritual begin:
Doom Eternal
Never has a game had my heart pumping as rapidly as Doom Eternal did with its chaotic combat. Id Software cranked up the speed creating a faster vicious successor to Doom (2016). Some might say that the additional story and platforming cause the title to be a bit bloated, but I absolutely love the additions of the dash and grappling hook shotgun. I proclaim more video games need grappling hook shotguns. I have recently returned to the game with the addition of the Ancient Gods expansion pack and I am reminded of the excitement I had back in March. Rip and tear, my loyal followers. Rip and tear.
Maneater
Yes, that ridiculous game about being a shark, belly-flopping onto the beach, and devouring screaming humans is on my list. I know this game isn’t going on to be on a lot of people’s list. However, I found the premise so absurd that I couldn’t help, but smile the whole time. As my shark plopped onto the ships of rival shark hunters, I can’t contain my face as a giant smile forms on my traditional sour face. In this hellish year, shouldn’t we be valuing games that can make us smile? I think so, and doom and gloom is my stock and trade.
Ghost of Tsushima
I have another confession to make: open-world games make me anxious. To open up the map and see a map littered with countless icons just stresses me out. I am paralyzed from the overwhelming amount of choices to do. Now I know Ghost of Tsushima is somewhat guilty of this with the countless number of fox dens and shrines, but replacing the mini-map with the guiding winds doesn’t make it all feel as daunting. Allow the wind to merely paint you a path and take in the breathtaking landscape ahead of you. Combined with exhilarating swordplay and duels, this has been an open-world game that I have been happy to complete.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
I find nothing is more relaxing than swinging through the city as Spider-Man. Insomniac Games has done wonders by making it so fun to zip around NYC. I could spend hours just trying to perform swings that maintain my momentum to create enough speed to race the traffic scuttling down below me. The web-swinging might not have changed but additions of Miles’s bio-electric abilities in combat have made Spider-Man: Miles Morales its own beast. The faster frenetic combat does wonders to highlight Miles’s own style. This isn’t just a Spider-Man game; it’s a Miles Morales game. It is certainly a worthy spinoff to Insomniac’s first Spider-Man game.
The Pathless
I am rather disappointed this game has flown under the radar. Maybe it might be due to people saying this is the next big walking simulator, but I think that’s criminally underselling it. Yes, there are moments of downtime where you gaze around at the beauty of the landscape as you did in titles like Journey or Firewatch. However, you also acrobatically leap around the landscape similar to Spider-Man games. You hunt and takedown hulking beasts like Shadow of the Colossus. You also have boss fights that rival the Gladiator fight from Doom Eternal or duel with the legendary Kojiro in Ghost of Tsushima. The Pathless might have elements similar to Journey or What Remains of Edith Finch, but it certainly its own beast.
With that, I RELEASE YOU FROM THE YEAR OF 2020!!! I hope 2021 is a bright light at the end of this dreadful tunnel. Hopefully, you found some great games to keep you company this year. If not, why not start the new year off with one of my recommendations. I truly wish that a new leaf is turned over in the coming year for all of you, my loyal followers. I may wish doom upon the greedy misers and arrogant managers plaguing the video game industry, but all I want for you, my loyal followers, is to have games that make you laugh, smile, and be filled with joy. Here is hoping that there will be more of them in 2021.
Oh, don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about that game. The game that spat in the face of customers by being unfinished. The game that forced developers to work sixty hours a week. The game poisoned by hype. I fully plan on burning that city and the game it belongs to down to the ground. The end is certainly nigh.
