Top 10 games of 2020

This was a strange year but being thanks to the lockdown also fruitful for gaming experience. We have moved house in January and afterwards, played many last PS4 hits which escaped me previously. I finally got around to playing RDR2 and was blown away by how much detail developers put into a PS4 game, played Death Stranding, a game I had no clue about what it was about until mid/late game and realized how the walking and delivering can be addictive, the latest God of War to which I was resisting for a while but the its discounted price became irresistible, absolutely surprisingly excellent Hades (I do not usually play these kind of games) which made me buy its predecessor, Transistor, Persona 4 Golden which I almost finished for the 4th time (still need to see the new true ending), brain twister Baba is You which I played on Switch (enjoyed solving the difficult puzzles anywhere), the mystic space explorer Outer Wilds whose story is captivating, also finally got around to playing Dead Space series (spoiler: 1 is superior in every way) and finishing on Untitled Goose Game, a short but charming experience which I can recommend to try. These are the best games I have played in 2020 but did not necessarily came out this year:

1. Red Dead Redemption 2

This one was no surprise to me. I knew I was getting into loads of hours of playtime and started playing it around this time last year. Rockstar did not disappoint. It truly baffles me how some players can consider this boring. I agree that some parts are a bit dragged out, especially the tutorial, but once it gets going and you get to know the characters, it transforms into something more. There´s a huge game world, filled with astounding amount of detail. I have played RDR1 prior to this and while that one was more concise gaming experience, I still think that RDR2 improves this formula even further. I loved the gang and listening to their stories by bonfire at night, observing Dutch´s slow decent into madness (or perhaps his true character), things got worse, better, then worse again and we are there along for this amazing horse ride. RDR2 is a must play experience and I never had any doubts placing it as no.1 on this list. I can only hope that Rockstar is already working on RDR3 with a young Dutch and Josea which I would love to see (prequel to the prequel? :D).

2. Death Stranding

I watched Kojima play this at EGX London but still was not wiser on what actually this game is trying to do. The story is cryptic but that is what is great about it, you slowly unravel the threads as you go along while trying to avoid the deadly zombie ghosts floating around you, as you wade through rivers, mud and tall grass to get to the next distribution facility. You are and aren´t alone in your quest – once a location is connected to the system, you start seeing bridges and ladders from other players which can significantly improve the trips between the facilities which need deliveries. 

The base mechanic of the game is relatively simple – walk with a package to a remote area and deliver the goods in decent condition. Do it enough times, people will start to trust you and reward you with useful items which you can´t be 3D printed on mass. The simple mechanic of walking and shifting weight feels really good here, every step counts and being a delivering courier feels super satisfying when you get a good rating. Sound design is superb too and all those strange noises the game makes will make sense. And it also features some nice chill music from Low Roar and CHVRCHES, perfect when you are walking through desolate mountains.

3. God of War (2019)

This was a surprise to me. From the screenshots, videos and interviews it did look good, though, and since it was on a sale, it was hard to justify not buying it and I was super glad I did. I have played previous GOW games (1 and 2) and while they were decent and often brutal fun, they lacked the polish and depth of the combat from DMC games. Kratos is back again and he has grown up a lot since we last saw him. Taking place in the realm of Midgard, Kratos is now living with his son in a secluded forest. It won´t take long before the Norse gods find him, though, and this is the beginning of a new journey for Kratos. Seing him struggle to be a father to Atreus and their interactions in general was entertaining. Not to mention the super fun axe combat which I was not sure if it will work but it does. The different realms and the hub lake area all look amazing and as you slowly progress through the story, the lake changes, uncovering more and more secrets. Christopher Judge shines as Kratos and the dialogue between him and Atreus evolves throughout  the game, it was wonderful to watch them interact. Play this even if you missed out on the previous GOW games, though, you will miss a few references. 

4. Uncharted 4

I have played all Uncharted games in a succession but none of them got me as much as this one. It feels like everything is just right here, enough action but not too much (no more constant shooting arenas like in the first 3 games, but especially the first one, less so in the sequels) and finally more puzzles to solve and plenty of traversing. This is definitely one of my favourite action games, beating any of the modern Tomb Raider games easily. I love the characters and the funny dialogue (in comparison to the insufferable Lara in SOTR). This is what the series should have been from the start but to get all the easter eggs it is pretty much given that you would have to play the first three before this one. Fully recommended!

5. Hades

Hades was a sleeper hit for me. I was vaguely aware about it and when it finally came out of Early Access after two years, it got so many positives reviews that even I had to look at it. It has all the elements of what I do not like in games – procedurally generated dungeons, top down view (I can mostly accept this only in Zelda and Blood Omen) and death, meaning starting from the beginning every time. However, Hades has something others don´t. You can actually keep the most items you collected except coins (usable only within the dungeon and lost upon restart) so next time you try to escape the Underworld, you are stronger. You can also permanently upgrade your weapons and did I mention you get to chat to Greek gods while they send their blessings upon you? This game is super addicting even to me, who do not usually play this genre of rogue-like games. Add an absolutely amazing soundtrack from Darren Korb into the mix and you won´t regret this.

6. Persona 4 Golden

I have finished the original Persona 4 several times before playing this version, so was keen to see all the new additions akin only to the Golden edition (previously released on PS Vita). Atlus surprised me by releasing this on Steam and even for full price, it is a steal. You get 100h+ of a jrpg but instead of battling through most of those hours, you´ll spend half of that at a school. I know, does not sound too fun, right? However, it is there where you will meet your friends who help you in battle and by hanging out with them you can solve the mystery of a killer lurking in a small town if Inaba. This release also brings in adjustable difficulty setting so if you want less or more challenge, money, experience, you can tailor it to yourself right from the start (on Vita you had to complete the game once to unlock this). If you love jrpg, this is one of the best.

7. Baba is you

I spent way too many hours (over 60) in this and rightfully so! This is a unique puzzle game where you get to make the rules by creating statements. Baba is You makes it that you can push other squares with words on them and make new statements such as WALL IS PUSH which means now the wall will not stop you and you can push it aside. In some cases you can even become the wall itself and move around, it all hinges on your imagination and trying new things in order to overcome all the obstacles in the level. Sometimes I got stuck for days or weeks but coming back later, I usually found the solution (there´s still some I have no idea how to solve). Some levels are much harder than others so the game will keep you entertained for a long time.

8. Dead Space

I have tried this previously, but gave up after 30 mins last time (pc version has some issues with controls). With a fan patch added, this was an excellent horror experience. I can´t remember how many times I have jumped from my chair when a necromorph appeared out of nowhere. The sounds are unnerving and the setting of a derelict space station is just perfect. I was a lot less impressed with Dead Space 2, though. Excellent atmosphere and well done backtracking make this game a must for any horror fan.

9. Outer Wilds

The less you know about Outer Wilds, the better. Most I can say is that you explore a small solar system and try to to learn about its past while you only have 22 minutes at one time. It is a super intriguing concept but it is well implemented. You can only keep the knowledge of your discoveries but that is all you need. Thus you can also only play this truly once but it is well worth it. 

10. Untitled Goose Game

This tiny little gem is unlike anything else on this list. Only about 3-4 hours to finish first time but what it lacks in length it makes up with its fun mechanics. Being a naughty goose was never more fun! Even after you complete it, it has a new game plus where you get new objectives and some time based tasks as well. Did I mention you can play this in co-op? Double the geese, double the trouble! 

Special mentions:

It is really hard to judge this game. When it came out for PS3, it was boasting with realistic graphics and an emotional story. However, having played it now, it was hard to take it so seriously. The absolutely terrible control scheme (using R2 to walk forward with left stick to steer yourself) and wooden character expressions made it super hilarious instead. We were passing controllers between each other. The coolest parts was playing as the FBI agent, Norman. The rest was mostly button press fest. It is one of those games which are so bad that they are good and it was fun (shower and bathroom scenes, ninjas). It felt more like a prototype overall, with many cool ideas but not fully realized which I hope were fixed by Quantic Dream´s latest game, Detroit: Becoming Human (that is on the list to play this year). 

SSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!

This is a nice relaxing game and while I usually do not play management sims, I love fish tanks and this game delivers in this department. You start with marine fish and slowly get more and more varieties and it even has freshwater expansion with even more requirements to check which is great as the base game can get a bit easy after a while.

Custom TR level special mention:

One of the best levels ever in the TR2 category. Super faithful and with custom animations/Lara blinking! Worth playing if you like the original Tomb Raider games. This one has Lara go to the Wreck of Maria Doria after finding the treasure in the first part.

Download here

Top 10 games of 2019

While 2020 is in turmoil, I reflected back on the previous year and thought which games had the most impact on me… It was quite a difficult task, as I do not necessarily play them at the time of the release and it is sometimes hard to keep track of, nonetheless, below is the list of the games which were the most important and I´ve spent many hours playing them:

1. Horizon: Zero Dawn

I was not convinced I will like this from the trailer and early footage, but I was so wrong. I spent about 100h on this game and do not regret it at all. Possibly the best PS4 exclusive there is, story of Aloy and to discover the fate of our civilization has been a thrill. It made me think over every piece of technology we take for granted. Hunting the machines was so much fun with bow and arrow and accompanied by beautiful graphics, Decima engine proves its worth also in Death Stranding.

2. AC Odyssey

As an AC fan, I´ve been playing AC games since they came out. Latest was Origins which was great and when news of Odyssey were revealed only to come out a year after Origins, rumours of copy-paste emerged. Luckily, completely unfounded and now with more focus on RPG elements and allowing you to choose your responses and path through the story, leading to different endings. There is a great deal of wit and funny dialogue which

3. DMC5

It took many, many years and one wrong attempt but Capcom is finally back on track with DMC series! Nero and Dante are back and the new addition in form of mysterious V is welcomed as well. Three different fighting styles, awesome music and visuals, what else to add? Ending hints at a next game, just hope we won´t have to wait another 10 years for it!

4. Resident Evil 2

Capcom is on a roll and RE2 remake delivered – it is everything I want a remake to be. Familiar enough but also having it´s own character. When you hear Mr. X´s footsteps in the room next to you, it sends shivers down the spine! The only problem is that scenario B is nothing like in the original game and is essentially identical to the main one which is a shame. Looking forward to RE3, though.

5. Pokémon Ultra Sun

When Sun and Moon came out, I have decided to wait which turned out as a good decision. Nintendo released the definitive versions Ultra Sun and Moon within a year and while the changes haven´t been as apparent from the start, they mostly tweak little things here and there and added additional post endgame content, which infuriated most of the fans who were asked to pay another full price to get nearly identical game. Ultra Sun is amazing and I have sunk over 100h into it. Most of the complaints I had before (need for HM slave, can´t reuse TMs, etc.) were eliminated and the game is much more streamlined which I welcome.

6. Subnautica

I wasn´t sure what to expect for this one, but it got me hooked quite fast. I love fish and this survival game with a story is well crafted. You start with just one safety pod but eventually you will be able to craft huge bases and explore the depths of the ocean. Story is interesting and it keeps you going until you discovered what happened on the strange planet you are stranded.

7. Return of the Obra Dinn

Unusual visuals and while short tale, Return of the Obra Dinn is a unique experience, where you try to solve the mystery of the return of the long lost ship. Game throws you into the turmoil straight away and you slowly start piecing together the whole picture by returning to the time of death of all the passangers. For that, you must find their corpses first which are not always easy to find. One scene can lead for you to discover another scene. I had many theories as to what was going on and Obra Dinn does well to keep your attention all throughout. You can pencil in the names into the diary and gather clues on who died which way.

8. Spyro Reignited Trilogy

What an excellent remake! With the original music turned on, this is a well made trilogy and even if the controls are not as tight as in the original, it is still fun and visually pleasing game.

9. A Plague Tale: Innocence

A pleasant surprise of the last year, Plague tale brought interesting mechanics and amazing play between light and darkness. Likable, realistic characters and while some aspects are more fantasy like, it is still a solid experience and fun to play through. Atmosphere and graphics are top notch!

10. Abzu

Mesmerizing trip deep into the ocean – short but stunning visuals and sea creatures keep your eyes satisfied during the whole dive. There are only a handful of puzzles but this does not take away from the experience at all.

Special mention: 

Tomb Raider 3: Punas Revenge

I do not think I have ever played this well constructed TR3 custom level. Definitely worth playing if you feel like returning to the coast in TR3 again.

Disappointments:

Shadow of Tomb Raider and Life is Strange 2

Shadow of Tomb Raider was just that – a shadow of its former self, while I really liked Rise of TR, Shadow just wasn´t fun for me and too linear. I have described this in my detailed review.

Life is Strange 2, while a solid game, just didn´t get me as much as LIS1 did – I just could not feel any connection to the characters and Daniel was more annoying than useful most of the time. It was a good experience but nowhere near as memorable as the first game.

Raina’s top 10 games in 2018

It is weird writing these every year as I am always a year behind everybody since I usually by games when their price goes down. This year is not any different. It is always difficult trying to remember which games I have played within the first months but luckily Steam to save the date with recently played list of games. This is my personal top ten for pc in 2018:

UPDATE: Added SOTC and moved We happy few in the honourable mentions.

1. Life is Strange series

 

When I have played LIS season 1 the first time, I gave up after first episode in 2017. It felt it a bit sluggish and while the time rewind mechanic was cool, this whole teenage drama did not interest me much. However, I gave the game a second chance and replayed it again almost a year after my first try. This time, something felt different. I have finished the game within 5 days (too bad I did not end up on Friday) but basically could not stop. I devoured 1 episode per day and finally understood what the whole deal is with this series. Although it starts rather slow, everything changes at the end of episode 2 and onwards. I love games about time travel and LIS gave me exactly what I wanted – likeable characters, realistic relationships and engaging story. Getting to know Chloe and Max felt well done just right and many people shed a few tears when they reached the end.

Later, I have also played Before the Storm, which I was avoiding until then. Again, the game proved me I was wrong. While some things got retconned and did not make sense (not sure if by accident or by intention), overall, it was still great finally to be able to meet Rachel and see what all the fuss was about. The bonus episode, Farewell, gives us also the final, teary look at Chloe and Max, before Max leaves for Seattle. Then we got free episode of Captain Spirit and first episode of Life is Strange 2. If you love LOK series and story driven games, give this series a try. LIS series blows Telltale games out of the water and shows them how it is done. This is probably the best investment Square Enix got right in the last years.

2. Assassin´s Creed: Origins

 

 

After a not so great Syndicate (I was a lot more entertained by Unity), here comes the grand game by Ubisoft. I am just about to finish it but still have almost a third of the map undiscovered – the scope of this game is so vast. I found myself doing most of the side quests, not because I was forced to due to level restrictions, but because I wanted. Bayek and Aya work great together (much better than Jacob and Evie ever did) and following their story of neverending vengeance is quite a spectacle. Not to mention the superb exotic and detailed Egyptian environments – this game has more tombs and does them better than any of the latest TR games! I thoroughly enjoyed playing this and the movement, characters and gameplay just feel so right. I am looking forward to playing Odyssey and Witcher 3 after this. Highly recommended.

 3. Shadow of the Colossus (PS4)

 

How could I have forgotten to add this gem? I have spent countless hours on the original ps2 game and to finally being able to see this in proper framerate and upgraded graphics is breathtaking. The developers used the original engine but swapped out all the graphical assets out (except the beautifl haunting music, luckily) and the game feels and plays great. Only complaint is that the preset control scheme has only been improved slightly (jump is finally X not triangle), however, it is still uncomfortable to control Argo (which is solved by remapping the buttons in PS4 menu). Overall, it is an excellent masterpiece where the lonely and abandoned land is the only obstacle between you and giant colossi. Definitely a must play and one of my top games ever, now in modern graphics.

4. Dark Souls III

 

After getting myself sucked into the depths of first Dark Souls game, I have skipped 2 and dove straight into 3. From Software improved gameplay (8-way rolling, yey), graphics and netcode, everything just feels great in this game. Boss battles are epic and this is a true sequel to DS1. Too bad the two DLCs/Season's pass are still quite expensive but are still worth it. The Ringed City serves as a proper ending, although not possibly what everybody expected, it is a must to play. This game is amazing and discovering more about its lore was so rewarding I got a few books right after finishing it. Later in the year I have also tried DS2 but was apalled by the terrible controls which are refined and tight in DS1/3 but in 2, the rotation of the character around its axis is sluggish and feels like gliding, not even mods fixed it for me. DS1 and DS3 are well worth the sweat and tears.

5. The Evil Within

 

This is one of the gems, which I have shamefully omitted since its initial release in 2014. I have fell in love with this and the mechanics as soon as I have started playing it. If you play on survival difficulty, it is quite a test in the first few chapters but well rewarding. The dark atmosphere and gameplay is reminiscent of Resident Evil 4 and the horror elements are like from Silent hill – a perfect match. The enemies do not die permanently unless you get rid of their heads or burn them with matches, but main character Sebastian has only a limited supply, so it is always nerve wracking if the zombie will get up or not. While the ending leaves usually everybody completely baffled, this is remedied somewhat by the DLC where you play as Kidman and the game shows you her side of the story. It is done brilliantly because Kidman does not have weapons, just a torch, so you need to sneak around strategically and the addition of a stalking monster just contributes to the tension. I have found the second game to be not as good as the first one, unfortunately, though.

6. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

 

Vicarious Visions remade our beloved furry bandicoot and finally made him available at all platforms after a year of timed PS4 exclusivity. While the versions for PS4 and Xbox1 are both capped at 30fps, pc offers a smooth 60fps with several graphical options, so this is best version to play. I almost gave upon the game on PS4 when it released due to the alterations of jumping collision/distance as the devs had to build this game from scratch, but luckily the controls have been improved since. The music was remade as well and while I think it did it justice, I wish they would have remastered the original soundtrack too and included it as an option. Overall, great remake and looking forward to playing Crash Team Racing!

7. DMC HD collection

 

Everybody remembers the amazing but super slow (especially PAL version) first DMC on PS2. Then the horrible DMC2 came out (which I have not played still) and then the same studio redeemed itself with one of the best action games ever with DMC3. DMC and DMC2 were never ported to pc before, so this is their debut and DMC3 finally got the port it deserves (no more problems with swapped out joy sticks!). As a DMC fan, I can fully recommend this collection and while things could have been improved further (menus are still only 4:3 and cutscenes could be higher resolution), it is a must own for any action fan.

8. Silent Hill 3

 

SH3 is my favourite SH game and I have found a widescreen mod to replay it again. This game barely aged! It certainly profits from all in-game cutscenes as you can put the resolution right up and it looks great, even after all these years. The character models are highly detailed and mo-cap is convincing too. Heather is not your typical hero, but a normal girl, at least at first glance. She shows all sorts of emotions throughout the journey and it was great to watch her grow. This is the true sequel to SH1 and it is a damn good one according to others as well!

9. Silent Hill 2 Enhanced edition

 

Now this playthrough was completely unplanned but I somehow found myself being called back to the silent town just a few weeks ago, right after finishing SH3. I have stumbled upon an even greater mod selection called the Enhanced edition – a selection of best mods available out there all in one page and you can actually select which mods you want to include in your game folder. It enhances the game greatly, something which the atrocious original port failed so miserably when it was released on pc. If you are ever considering to play SH2 again, definitely upgrade your version to include these mods for the ultimate horror experience.

10. F.E.A.R.+ DLC

 

First Fear game and its dlc have a special place in my library – I have already played them over about 3 to 4 times and I might give it a go again at some point. The A.I. in this game is brilliant and I have yet to find a game in which the enemies behave so tactically. The horror atmosphere is also great and this game belongs to my top fps games of all time. While I have played the official sequels, they have lost the appeal of what made the original game so good, which is a shame.

Special mention - Disappointment of the year:

 

 

It pains me to be writing this but I have just not enjoyed the newest instance of Tomb Raider. Eidos Montreal tried to make things a bit different but in the end, their efforts fell flat and while the other games in the series usually lost their pace about halfway through, Shadow just gives up after a couple of hours. The bland gameplay and corridor like levels just were not fun to play through for me even when stealth kills and mud camo was a welcomed addition. Character development is lacking and I found myself just not caring about anybody in this game. The game introduced hub levels as well, where you can't draw your guns or in one instance, change outfits (which is annoying as you spend a lot of time there) and they just slowed down the pace a bit too much to my taste. I have enjoyed both 2013 and Rise but I simply can't recommend Shadow of TR unless on a big sale. I hope the next game will be by Crystal and the deleted ending suggest we might be going back to the roots of the series.

Honourable mention:

 

Wolf Among Us is one of those games I had in my library for a while and I could not be bothered to play. I am super glad I did, as this is the best Telltale has produced to this date. The game is based on Fables comic book series and portrays what has happened in the various fairy tales after their stories have ended. They have been forced to live in our real life world and watching them struggle with every day problems is strange at first and we get to see them from a very different point of view Together with Tales of Borderlands, this is the best that Telltale have produced before its fall and it hurts that we will never see the continuation of this game in the future. 

 

This one is a weird one as I got this for a review and got myself quite sucked in! It did take me a while to get into Arthur's shoes but I got there in the end. The story is quite intriguing and to watch the downfall of once prosperous country is quite a chilling tale. WHF takes place on an alternate timeline, in which the Germans have won in the second world war. Shortly after, they began deporting children from UK until there were none left. I still have not finished the game (only the first section for Arthur) and I am keen to get to the bottom of this mystery. This game is plagued by the early access syndrome, however, and it is certainly not worth the high price tag it got when it released. Tread carefully with this one and maybe get it on a sale.

Well, that was it. I am really wondering what awaits us in 2019 game wise. In the meantime, have a look at Bazielim´s top 10 as well at his Cult of Hash'ak'gik blog.