This is my main post!
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#1 A Hat in Time – Completed 1/1/2020 PC – 8 hours
#2 Katamari Damacy: Reroll – Completed 1/1/2020 PC – 3 hours
#3 Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair – Completed 1/3/2020 PC – 10 hours
#4 Grow Home – Completed 1/4/2020 PS4 – 3 hours
#5 Bloodborne – Completed 1/6/2020 PS4 – 26 hours
#6 Dragon Quest – Completed 1/7/2020 SNES – 10 hours
#7 Dragon Quest II – Completed 1/12/2020 SNES – 15 hours
#8 The Outer Worlds – Completed 1/18/2020 PC – 16 hours
#9 RiME – Completed 1/19/2020 PC – 4 hours
#10 AI: The Somnium Files – Completed 1/23/2020 Switch – 20 hours
#11 Monster Hunter World (PC) – Completed 1/25/2020 PC – 43 hours
#12 Pikuniku – Completed 1/26/2020 PC – 2 hours
#13 My Friend Pedro – Completed 1/26/2020 PC – 3 hours
#14 Arc of Alchemist – Completed 1/30/2020 Switch – 6 hours
#15 Hero must die, again – Completed 2/11/2020 PC – 13 hours
#16 Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate – Completed 2/15/2020 Vita – 12 hours
#17 Atelier Ayesha Plus: Alchemist of Dusk – Completed 2/19/2020 Vita – 24 hours
#18 Tetris Effect – Completed 2/20/2020 PS4 – 3 hours
#19 Journey – Completed 2/21/2020 PS4 – 2 hours
#20 Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story – Completed 2/24/2020 PC – 14 hours
#21 The Unfinished Swan – Completed 2/27/2020 PS4 – 2 hours
#22 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX – Completed 3/9/2020 Switch – 12 hours
#23 Child of Eden – Completed 3/9/2020 Xbox 360 (Xbox One) – 2 hours
#24 Ori and The Will of the Wisps – Completed 3/14/2020 PC – 11 hours
#25 A Short Hike – Completed 3/15/2020 PC – 1 hour
#26 Nioh 2 – Completed 3/20/2020 PS4 – 63 hours
#27 DOOM Eternal – Completed 3/25/2020 PC – 14 hours
#28 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn – Completed 3/29/2020 PC – 80 hours
#29 Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward – Completed 4/17/2020 PC – 235 hours
#30 Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood – Completed 5/2/2020 PC – 390 hours
#31 Dragon Marked for Death – Completed 5/5/2020 PC – 8 hours
#32 Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers – Completed 5/15/2020 PC – 504 hours
#33 Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen – Completed 5/21/2020 PS4 – 35 hours
#34 Higurashi: Chapter 1 – Onikakushi – Completed 5/23/2020 Vita – 10 hours
#35 Helltaker – Completed 5/24/2020 PC – 35 minutes
#36 Xenoblade Chronicles X – Completed 6/4/2020 Wii U (CEMU) – 80 hours
#37 Ys Origin – Completed 6/10/2020 PC – 73 hours
#38 Higurashi: Chapter 2 – Watanagashi – Completed 6/10/2020 Vita – 10 hours
#39 Hatsune Miku: Project Diva EXTEND – Completed 6/11/2020 PSP – 7 hours
#40 Higurashi: Chapter 3 – Tatarigoroshi – Completed 6/16/2020 Vita – 10 hours
#41 Higurashi: Chapter 4 – Himatsubushi – Completed 6/17/2020 Vita – 5 hours
#42 Higurashi: Chapter 5 – Meakashi – Completed 6/20/2020 Vita – 10 hours
#43 Higurashi: Chapter 6 – Tsumihoroboshi – Completed 6/22/2020 Vita – 10 hours
#44 Higurashi: Chapter 7 – Minagoroshi – Completed 6/23/2020 Vita – 10 hours
#45 Higurashi: Chapter 8 – Matsuribayashi – Completed 6/24/2020 PC – 13 hours
#46 Flower – Completed 6/28/2020 PC – 1 hour
#47 Civilization: Beyond Earth – Completed 7/2/2020 PC – 14 hours
#48 Civilization V: Brave New World – Completed 7/6/2020 PC – 43 hours
#49 Touhou: Luna Nights – Completed 7/7/2020 PC – 4 hours
#50 Prey (2017) – Completed 7/9/2020 PC – 16 hours
#51 Return of the Obra Dinn – Completed 7/10/2020 PC – 7 hours
#52 Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PC) – Completed 7/11/2020 PC – 87 hours
#53 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – Completed 7/14/2020 Vita – 10 hours
#54 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon – Completed 7/16/2020 Vita (RetroArch) – 9 hours
#55 Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance – Completed 7/17/2020 Vita (RetroArch) – 8 hours
#56 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow – Completed 7/19/2020 Vita (RetroArch) – 5 hours
#57 The Touryst – Completed 7/30/2020 Xbox One – 5 hours
#58 Risk of Rain 2 – Completed 9/12/2020 PC – 44 hours
#59 Robotics;Notes Elite – Completed 9/28/2020 PC – 43 hours
#60 Robotics;Notes DaSH – Completed 10/5/2020 PC – 28 hours
#61 The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV – Completed 10/16/2020 PS4 – 108 hours
#62 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim – Completed 10/18/2020 PS4 – 25 hours
#63 Hades – Completed 10/29/2020 PC – 14 hours
#64 Alan Wake – Completed 11/1/2020 PC – 15 hours
#65 Mad Rat Dead – Completed 11/3/2020 Switch – 4 hours
#66 Undertale – Completed 11/6/2020 Vita – 7 hours
#67 Astro’s Playroom – Completed 11/12/2020 PS5 – 4 hours
#68 Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 – Completed 11/18/2020 PS5 – 7 hours
#69 Bugsnax – Completed 11/19/2020 PS5 – 11 hours
#70 Demon’s Souls – Completed 11/23/2020 PS5 – 24 hours
#71 Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout – Completed 11/30/2020 PC – 26 hours
#72 Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure 1 – Completed 12/9/2020 Switch – 10? hours
A Hat in Time -- I played this entirely in co-op, and we had a blast. Shorter than I expected, and I would've liked one or two more worlds in the basegame, but it was still a top-notch 3D platformer.
Katamari Damacy: Reroll -- Please help, I have like half of this game's soundtrack stuck on loop in my head. Also - the PC port's performance was super weird. Some animations locked at 30FPS, while others were unlocked, causing quite a big disconnect across the screen. Odd stuff.
Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair -- Essentially a modern DKC-style 2.5D platformer, and I absolutely loved it. The overworld and its gimmicks were well implemented, and the changing levels was a very smart way to re-use ideas and assets between levels while still making things feel fresh. I think my one and only complaint is that the artstyle feels subdued at times. Everything else? Top notch stuff.
Grow Home -- I played through most of this in 2017 and just now remembered that I could finish this up tonight. It's definitely a very intentionally janky game, interesting little concept, but I can't say I was the biggest fan.
Bloodborne - I've had this on my backlog for nearly 5 years, and I bought it at launch... I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't get hooked back then. Well, since I went through DS3 and Demon's Souls last year, I figured it was high time that I finally played through Bloodborne, and I did. Great game, probably my second favorite behind Demon's Souls now.
Dragon Quest - Not much to say. It's the start of the series, and pretty simple. I enjoyed it, but I'm never touching it again.
Dragon Quest II - This is also pretty archaic, but when the game wasn't being
too cryptic for its own good, I actually really enjoyed it! Probably liked it more than DQ1.
The Outer Worlds - New Vegas, in space. I enjoyed it, though it definitely felt too easy. Also optimization is actual garbage for AMD cards. My laptop runs the game better than my desktop... ironic, considering the splash screen has AMD branding.
RiME - I remembered hearing that the game's PC version had some performance issues, but I didn't really see that in my playthrough. Besides some framepacing issues in the starting area, it seemed to be a locked 1440p/60 at max settings. I enjoyed it way more than I expected. Beautiful art, amazing soundtrack, and a great twist with the story at the end.
AI: The Somnium Files - I enjoyed this quite a bit, and I'd argue it's got the best pacing of any Uchikoshi game that I've played. The problem, however, is the actual gameplay - it just isn't nearly as interesting as the Zero Escape series. Great story, though.
Monster Hunter World (PC) - This is the first replay that I've put on a list, not much to say. Monster Hunter World is fantastic and I'm glad I caught up into Iceborne on PC!
Pikuniku - It's ok. I think I paid like a dollar for this, it was alright.
My Friend Pedro - I played this on Game Pass, and I had a ton of fun. Might've overstayed its welcome just a little bit - but not by much.
Arc of Alchemist - Quite literally the worst game I've ever finished. If I never have to play it again it'll have been too soon.
I reviewed it, if you want to know how I really feel!
Hero must die. again - A neat RPG that plays around a bit with mechanics and storytelling. Not the best game that I've played, but certainly an enjoyable one.
I did a video review for this one!
Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate - Absolutely fantastic roguelike, and one of my favorite games on Vita. I'm happy it's coming to PC and Switch sometime later this year - more folks should play this.
Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk - This was my first Atelier. I own the entire Dusk trilogy on Vita, but I hadn't gotten around to actually playing the games until this year. I enjoyed it, and while I've gotten side-tracked lately - I do intend to go back to Escha and Logy in a bit!
Tetris Effect - Fun, but man I wish I'd waited a few months for me to set my PSVR back up.
Journey - I got a partner I managed to play the whole game with, great experience that I'm glad I finally got to have for myself.
Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story - It's... alright, but it got old quickly. The game plays and looks pretty great, though!
The Unfinished Swan - Sometimes you just want a simple walking sim to play, and this did the trick. Not the best I've played, but very good for what it is!
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX - An absolutely excellent remake, and the real reason that I picked Shiren the Wanderer back up earlier in the year - I wanted to pass the time until this came out. Loved it.
Child of Eden - A very charming rhythm-shooter game, which still looks fantastic however many years later. It's a shame that it doesn't have an XB1X enhanced patch, but it still plays well.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps - A fantastic metroidvania, and an even better follow-up to Ori's first adventure. It had a few bugs when I first played it, but I still had an absolute blast with it.
A Short Hike - It was free on EGS so I gave it a shot. I'd say it had about the perfect length - can't have much to complain about this one, really.
Nioh 2 - For my money, this improved on the basegame in nearly every way. Better level design, better enemy variety, and much better story and bosses (I don't get why some folks seem to really dislike this one's story). Great game, glad I played it.
DOOM Eternal - Definitely a very different type of game compared to 2016's release, but I adore the arcade-y action and focus. An absolute joy to play.
Final Fantasy XIV - I'm just gonna group everything under this. It took me a damn pandemic to finally start playing this, but man I had a blast. Now the hard part's done, and when new expansions come out I don't have to dread catching up!
Dragon Marked for Death - I'd played this on Switch, but I actually hadn't finished it on there. It was fascinating coming back to this, and seeing just how much the game had changed in my absence - I already enjoyed it more than most, but now I'd definitely argue it's more than worth giving a shot.
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen - I wrote a review for this,
so I'll let my past self do the talking.
Higurashi - This is in progress, and I'm almost definitely going to make an LTTP soon. I'll save my impressions for there!
Helltaker - Silly, fun puzzle game with a great artstyle and a ton of humor. Took me less than an hour but it was a blast.
Xenoblade Chronicles X - I never played this at launch for whatever reason, despite having loved the first Xenoblade and owning a Wii U. I finally got around to it on CEMU and I enjoyed it a ton.
Here's my LTTP.
Ys Origin - I finished my Yunica playthrough ages ago, and kinda put it down halfway through a Hugo one back in 2018. I finally got back around to it - and it's definitely one of my favorites in the series. Final boss for Toal on Nightmare was, well, a nightmare.
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Extend - For whatever reason I decided to dig out and charge my old PSP Go, and I found out that my dumped copy of Project Diva Extend... well, I never technically saw the credits. This is definitely a bit cheeky, but it's #39 on my list so I couldn't resist.
Higurashi (cont) - I swear I'm gonna make a thread on this soon, but I'll say that it's been a fun time helping the Vita homebrew port developer test his ports for my playthrough, and the VN itself is great. Truthfully, I don't know how many people will end up playing Higurashi this way after me - but it still feels pretty great to have helped support the dev's pet project.
Flower - I remembered playing the demo for this back on the PS3 around the time it came out (I think?) but I actually never got around to playing it. I figured I would pick it up during the sale, and give it a shot. It was alright. The controls were a little frustrating, and the visuals don't wow me as much now as they might've back on PS3, but it was still pretty good.
Civilization: Beyond Earth - I did a game with a few friends of mine, us versus the AI on Hard. For many of them it was their first time playing, and I think it went pretty well! Well enough that we managed to play Civ V next...
Civilization V: Brave New World - I'm not sure if this was in 2018 or 2019, but I did complete a game of Civ V Gods & Kings a few years back. The overall game flow is different enough with Brave New World that I decided to count it again, especially since I already included my MHW replay on the list this year.
Touhou: Luna Nights - I decided to play this in preparation for a little RPG Site project that should be going live this week. It's a great little metroidvania (though it plays much more like Classicvania, really) with great combat, a charming artstyle, and a killer soundtrack. I'd definitely recommend it.
Prey (2017) - I've been playing this one on and off for years at this point, and I finally got around to finishing it. It's a really interesting immersive-sim, and it's a shame that the game clearly didn't do as well as the developers might have hoped. If you haven't got around to it yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up. I think it might still be on Game Pass?
Return of the Obra Dinn - I got this one as a gift in I want to say Winter 2018. For whatever reason I sorta bounced off of it my first attempt playing it, but thankfully that wasn't the case this time around. Truthfully there's no other games like it, and trying to discover the identities and cause of death for 60 crew members was a blast once things got rolling.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PC) - I finally ripped the bandaid off, and I can abandon my PS4 save. I'm in MHW's current endgame! If you're familiar with my original Iceborne review, there's not much else for me to say. It's a fantastic expansion to a fantastic game, and it's easily my favorite game in the franchise. The PC version clears up one of my main complaints, that being the piss-poor loading times on consoles.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - I believe I got this through PS+ 6 or 7 years ago, maybe even a bit longer than that. Well, playing through some of Team Ladybug's recent games gave me a bit of a metroidvania itch and I finally got around to playing it. It's still an absolute classic, and some parts of it I enjoy more than Super Metroid, but playing it now I can say without a doubt that Hollow Knight is the better game.
Castlevania GBA Trilogy - After Symphony of the Night, I still didn't have my fill. So I loaded up my Wii U for the first time in months just to buy the GBA trilogy so I could play through 'em on Vita without any nagging voices at the back of my head. They were good! The first two have their own issues, but they're still great, while I'd 100% argue that Aria of Sorrow is even better than Symphony of the Night!
The Touryst - I wanted to get around to playing this on Switch, but never did... so when it came out on Game Pass, it gave me an excuse to boot up my Xbox. I absolutely loved this, plenty of fun platforming and puzzles, and it didn't overstay its welcome. What a charming artstyle, too.
Risk of Rain 2 - I keep forgetting that, no, Risk of Rain 2 only came out this year. The early access build has been great for a while, so what else is their to say? It had some tough competition this year, with Hades and all, but any other year it would easily be the roguelike of the year. What a fantastic game.
Robotics;Notes -
I wrote a review for this one.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV -
Trails of Cold Steel was a mistake.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - A modern masterpiece, and a must-play. This is the type of story that can only be told through videogames, and anyone at all that's a fan of games narratives owes it to themselves to play it. Not much more that needs to be said.
Hades - The best roguelike of the year (sorry, Risk of Rain 2). The way that Supergiant weaves storytelling through the various runs of Hades is nothing short of mastery. Hades combat is fast, fun, challenging, and always rewarding. Just a top-tier experience from start to finish.
Alan Wake - This has been one of the oldest games on my Steam backlog, and I figured it was finally to finish it once and for all - I decided doing it on Halloween was the most appropriate. It has its issues, it gets fairly repetitive after a while, but I still had a great time. I should get to Quantum Break and Control something next year...
Mad Rat Dead - NIS always makes these cute little games that try something entirely new, which is part of why I have a soft spot for them. They don't always land, but they almost always accomplish something interesting. Mad Rat Dead's mix of Crypt of the Necrodancer and an action platformer was an entertaining romp, and a great first go at an interesting concept.
Undertale - Ok, ok, I finally played it. I'd pre-ordered the Vita version of Undertale years ago but never really got around to it - I decided to finally take the plunge, and I had a great time. Not much I can say that hasn't already been said, but you can tell that the game is so well-loved for a reason! What a great game.
Astro's Playroom - Why was the best platformer I played this year the PS5 pack-in?
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 - While ultimately a bit of a disappointing sequel, I still had a great time with this. Will I keep playing it, though? Probably not. I've got Puyo Puyo Champions on Switch/PC, and Tetris 99. I don't really need another Puyo Puyo Tetris in my life at the moment.
Bugsnax - I had absolutely no expectations for this going in, and ended up playing one of my favorite games of the year? It's a charming mix between Ape Escape and Pokemon Snap, and has excellent pacing. It's a very creative little puzzle/adventure game, and I'm glad I gave it the chance it deserved.
Demon's Souls - By some stroke of fate, Demon's Souls' remake released on PS5 exactly a year after I'd finished the original on RPCS3. Demon's Souls is still great, much as I'd said last year, and the remake is a great way to either experience or revisit it. Wish they'd fixed Maneater's AI since they fixed the fog gate glitch, though.
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout - While I've been lagging behind on my Escha & Logy playthrough, I was pleasantly surprised to see just how much I enjoyed this entry in the series, to the point that Ryza 2 is unironically one of my most anticipated games for 2021. An absolutely adorable and engaging RPG.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure 1 -
I reviewed this (and the other game included with the pack)
