Rob’s Top 5 Games of 2020

2020…..wow…! This year wasn’t just a dumpster fire, it was a poorly rendered dumpster fire in Fallout ‘76, if you could somehow play it on Stadia. It was the Phillip CDi of years, if you took away the fun campiness of the Zelda games….and replaced it with Bubsy.

(It’s….so….beautiful)

So, I thought to bring spirits up…(and totally not because games were light this year and I desperately need the extra content….) I’m starting off my top 5 list with a bonus top 5 list!

Top 5 Things you won’t hear around the Grumpy Old Gamers office:

1 – Did you check out the new skin in Fortnite? So lit!

2 – Man, 2020 has been the best, I wish it would never end!!

3 – Hey bro, does this look infected?

4 – Man, I just LOVE a good salad…

And

5 – You know, we should totally skip the top 5 list this year…

Alright, now that THAT’s over, now to the main list. Keep in mind that these games are all just MY personal opinion of games that I played this year, and not necessarily that were released this year…in fact most of them weren’t released this year, because I tend to get on board with games well after all the cool kids do!

(To Further the point of my cultural relevance….a meme!)

So, without further adieu…

Number 5

What The Golf – Available for Switch, Windows and mobile (Played on Switch)

This game caught me more by surprise than any other game this year. If not for a ludicrous sale on the Switch store and the repeated recommendations of a good friend, this charming indie game would still be unknown to me. I have never been a fan of golf games, the last one I got seriously into was in the 8 bit era, and involved Lee Trevino fighting things…(probably right before he pillaged a village of vikings)

I really don’t want to spoil too many things, because the story and gameplay mechanics are so delightful, but it takes the main concept of playing golf (hitting little white ball with club into hole, drink heavily when you miss and repeat) and flips it on it’s head. All while having the most bat poop crazy of a story that will keep you wanting to just do “one more hole” to see where it goes next.

It’s also perfect for the Switch, being a game where you can pick up, play for 10 minutes and then put it back down, making it perfect for this guy right here….if you haven’t tried it yet, I really can’t recommend it enough. It’s not a steak, but its a series of tasty tasty snacks that’ll keep you coming back until you gain the pandemic 20.

Number 4

Streets of Rage 4 – Available for PS4, Switch and Windows (Played on Windows)

As a fan of a good beat-em-up, and a huge fan of the original series on the Sega Genesis, this is a game that I had on my radar for quite some time. And when it was announced that it was going to be a day one Gamepass game (still the best value in gaming, not an ad…but could be an ad? #microsfthitusup!) I happily downloaded it first day and was not disappointed.

Streets of Rage 4 is a side scrolling beat em up, with its roots very much in the Sega and capcom beat em ups of the 90s. You make your way through beautiful cell shaded style stages dispensing street justice till you hit the stage boss, and repeat until game is done. In between stages, we’re treated to comic book style cut scenes that move the story along. To start off with, you get two of the original characters Axel and Blaze, as well as Floyd who is the walking tank but slow moving character of the game as well as Cherry, the fast moving, guitar wielding character. All play extremely well, and have enough differences in play styles that you’ll find one you prefer to stick with.

You can play 4 player local coop (remember having people in your house…those were good times) and can do 2 player online coop. Both are a boat load of fun, so much so that Ryan and I played through the whole game for the channel (https://youtu.be/gv_0Snlob-U for anyone interested in checking that out!) and had a blast.

The game also absolutely nails a key point in any of these type of games…it’s combat is simple enough to start using right away, but can get broader for anyone who wants to learn more. Also, the soundtrack of the game is a real homage to the music of the first series, with well paced electronic inspired pieces throughout.

Overall just a great time, with lots of replayability due to unlockable awesomeness, that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who’s a fan of the genre!

Number 3

SteamWorld Dig 2 – Available on Pretty Much Everything (Played on Stadia)

SteamWorld Dig 2 is a perfect example of how life sometimes brings you something great when you’re not looking for it. I was at the tail end of my second of 3 free months with Stadia and was trying to take advantage of my Pro membership before it ran out, by playing ALL of the free games available. I remember trying this game last, as I had zero interest in playing it….and if not for that obligation to try and play everything, I would have missed out what is quite possible the most fun I’ve had in a Metroidvania style game ever.

The game is a sequel, and follows the adventures of Dorothy the robot as she goes searching for the protagonist of the first game Rusty. Starting off in the hub world of El Machino, she ventures down into the mines to find him with her trusty pickaxe. The main draw of the game is that as you dig, you find jewels, and gold which can be traded in at El Machino for powerups, as well as new weapons. The story continues to progress as you get deeper and deeper into the mine, and the whole story borders a fine line between charm and a dark underbelly.

The graphics and presentation are great, with the underground levels being dark, illuminated only by your torch, and anything in the levels that would exude light. The robots are cartoony, with blocky type levels and it all shows really well. You can see why this game can run smoothly on the 3ds, yet still look amazing.

The game does risk vs reward better than a lot of games too, as you only have so much light in your lamp (though you can upgrade that with cogs) and as it grows dimmer, you have the choice to push ahead and find the next tube (which serves as the fast travel system) or to turn around and try to get back to the last one you see. The upgrades also cater to a wide variety of play styles…like to fight? Get the power ups that reward you for defeating enemies with extra XP. Or you can caters to more of an agility tree if that’s your style? There’s lots of possibilities for how to play this game, but no matter what you choose, this is a super solid game and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who hasn’t tried it. I think you’ll be glad you did!

Number 2

Immortals Fenyx Rising – Available on all the things (Played on PC)

Ok, this one was the biggest surprise on my list. As much as I was really looking forward to playing this, due toe the Stadia (?) demo I played through 3 times…I loathe paying 80 dollars for a new game, and had basically written off playing this in time for having it on the list. But thanks to an Epic sale and coupon, I got to get some hands on here, and quickly fell in love.

First off, the game is absolutely beautiful. The world is bright, lush and colourful, and I spent more than a few minutes jut climbing onto something just so I could look down over the world around me. Ubisoft may be more known for offering “progress enhancements” micro transactions in their games…but they are also very good at making a large vibrant world in which to play in. Immortals Fenyx Rising wasn’t just a game I wanted to play, but was the first world in a long long time I would want to live in!

The writing and story in this game are another reason I fell in love…the main character Fenyx is both likable and relatable…someone who felt like they were always living in the shadow of their older brother, who is suddenly drawn into an epic story of Gods and God Destroyers. The game is narrated by Zeus and Prometheus, who’s story telling is both dynamic and humourous in a way that is both charming and never too over the top.

The comparisons to Breath of the Wild are apparent throughout, but never seems like plagiarism but more like a love letter. The fighting system in Immortals felt natural, if at times a little simplistic. The game also has many puzzle filled rifts, which I found to be fun and looked forward to completing. Exploring also feels rewarding, as you collect items throughout to increase your skills and stats, and shares the “I wonder if I can get to over there” effect with BOtW.

The sound design throughout is exquisite, with haunting music that ramps up during battling. The voice acting is spot on as well, with either male or female Fenyx (you decide during character creation) doing a great job being the reluctant hero. Zeus was my favourite, both boisterous and proud (with a wicked sense of Dad humour) but the acting for all the other Gods was spot on as well.

So, going from a game I wasn’t able get in time, to my second favourite game of the year in the course of a week….Immortals Fenyx rising is an absolute gem of a game, that I can’t recommend enough!

My number one game of the year is the latest in a series of excellent games, one which has improved substantially upon the gameplay mechanics of the one before it and kept me enthralled for roughly 100 hours this year…which if you know me, is an absolutely ludicrous amount of time for me. This years number one game for me is….

Number 1

Fallout ’76!!!!

Bwaa haa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Sorry…that joke is just a tradition. Ahem. My real choice for number one is…

Borderlands 3 – Available on Everything (Played on PC)

Borderlands is a series that feeds into a guttural need for a lot of gamers. Shoot things, cool things drop, pick up cool things and continue infinitely. Add to that fantastic combat mechanics, balanced skill trees and characters and you’ve got a good game. Add a well written story, amazing acting (for MOST characters…stay tuned for that) and characters that you actually care about… and you’ve got Borderlands!

Borderlands 3 is a sequel to what is easily one of my top 5 games of all time (Borderlands 2), that takes everything that the second game had and tweaked it in a variety of ways that for the most part, a better game. The graphics get a nice upgrade that, with its trademark cell shaded like graphics popping, especially in 4k. The combat gets some nice tweaks, with the addition of a slide (thank you thank you thank you) and being able to pull yourself up a ledge if you can reach it with your hands.

Borderlands 2 had an already ridiculous amount of possible guns, but Borderlands 3 went full Oprah on that and said “Who likes Guns? You get a gun! And You get a Gun! And You get a gun too!!” There are literally BILLIONS of gun types in here, putting the looter back in the looter shooter genre. Gus not only have the standard types (shotgun, pistol etc) but also bring in Manufacturers as well, which can affect how they reload, with one manufacturers gun just getting thrown like grenades when reloading) and how they stabilize with continued shooting and so much more. This is a game that I was legitimately excited for every boss, just to see what kind of loot there was…

Now, is it perfect? Absolutely not…I REALLY didn’t like the main antagonists of the game, the Calypso twins. They play on the stigmas of Youtube streamers , constantly live broadcasting everything they do with a “Hey fans, look at us….we’re like Youtube personalities…isn’t that CRAZY” that got old pretty fast…especially when you got to that from Handsome Jack, from the second game, who was amazing. The Calypso Twins on the other hand, got old really fast…

But to be fair, Borderlands has always had at least ONE annoying character 😉

But nitpicks aside, this game and it’s amazing DLC are a runaway for my pick for number one this year. I’ve gotten so much love out of this game, in a year so dang determined to kick me in the teeth…I can’t recommend it enough!