No one here likes the games I like. That’s cool because now I can pretend to be cultured. Squad has the best audio design in modern video games.
Let’s look at games that came out in 2020 and that I played.
Best Western RPG That Is Actually An RPG: Wasteland 3
With Fallout being so far from its origins it’s barely recognizable anymore, Wasteland 3 was a hugely welcome experience. The follow-up to the 2014’s Kickstarter hit, Wasteland 3 wears its heart on its sleeve and has no shame in it. At the core of the game is a compelling story in which no one is right and no one is really wrong, even when standing over the bodies of innocents.
After the events of the first second game, the Rangers find themselves in need of aid and supplies. Both of which are on offer at the hands of The Patriarch, the iron-fisted ‘’leader’’ of Colorado. Of course, nothing is for free, with the Rangers exchange assistance for The Patriarch’s supplies. That element right that fixes a major issue Wasteland 2 suffered from, the role of the Rangers simply being ‘the good guys’. All of a sudden, they’re now on the morally grey level of The Patriarch and every other gang, warlord, and family of the wastelands.
Packed with wonderfully crafted dialogue, laughs, and characters, Wasteland 3 truly feels like a product of the golden era of CRPGs from the mid to late ’90s. Each interaction has a level of sincerity to it, rather than simply existing to serve a plot or NPC’s purpose. It all fits together to make a complete experience. An actual RPG with actual character building and decisions with consequences not explicitly signalled to the player. What a treat.
Also, the soundtrack is a joy.
Best Multiplayer Game That Took Years To Exit Early Access And Is A Prime Example Of The Importance Of Community: Squad
After years of being entrenched in Early Access, Squad finally hit full release back in September. The 40 v 40 tactical shooter is this year’s finest multiplayer experience. Forget the flash-in-the-pan Fall Guys or novelty Among Us, Squad stands above them all.
Each and every player is part of a machine. When each part is in motion, there’s nothing sweeter out there. Divided into Squads, each group of players is able to select a number of classes that play into the flow of the game. Not a single kit is ‘bad’, acting as an asset in any given game. Squad leaders are the glue of each team, keeping players moving and informed of objectives and actions of other players. Personal responsibility is a key element of Squad, fostering a community that understands its importance within the game. Between casual conversations on the way to the front, there are intense exchanges of information and instructions. Upon spotting enemies, the first port of call is to call out their location and distance, rather than opening fire. It’s a minor thing in concept, but in practice, it reflects just how unique Squad’s community is.
The gameplay is closer to ARMA than anything else on the market. Weapons carry weight, recoiling back violently when fired, demanding trigger discipline and respect. Slow and methodical movements, peaking in and staying low. Closing the distance under a cloud of smoke while enemy fire peppers the location. Everything has its place and purpose, how it’ll happen is anyone’s guess. With no hit markers or active scoreboard, confirming enemy kills is a challenge within itself. Never quite knowing if that sniper between the cracked wall is dead or simply hiding injects drama into the simplest of situations. Sweating the smaller stuff is exactly why Squad works so well.
I can’t put into words exactly why Squad deserves its place among the best of the year, arguably even the best of all time, in such a short space. There is nothing else like it out on the market today. No other game nails the sense of teamwork, panic, and satisfaction of a tactic pulled off. Squad is 2020’s best multiplayer game, left in the shadows thanks to its confidence in knowing what it is. While most will tremble at the knees for physics-based meme-a-thons, Squads sublime audio design, gameplay loops, and community will live on for decades as a cult classic.
Best FPS That Shocked People That Games Sometimes Get Harder The Longer You Play Them: Doom Eternal
It’s more of Doom 2016, but with an emphasis on the concept of momentum. Pushing forward, leaving everything asunder, is pulled off in such a satisfying manner. Is the music a bit of a letdown? Sure. Do some of the story beats feel forced? Aye, but none of it matters when the gameplay loop is this good. Plastered in brutality, Doom Eternal understands what makes challenge fun. It’s so over the top, so bombastic to the point of hilarity that it’s impossible to deny that sense of joy tearing away at your long jaded 2020-based heart. Every enemy clicks together perfectly, forging a war machine that constantly asks more of the player. On the harder settings, Doom Eternal is an insidious beast.
The Marauder split audiences (literally) due to it…well…not being easy. A bold move that pays off, reminding the player that they can never rest on what they’ve been doing prior. That lesson is harsh but refreshing. He’s big, he’s angry and he’s making sure you were paying attention.
Doom Eternal is great, mate. A natural progression from the 2016 release that has helped carve out a different kind of Doom.
Doom clones of Doom clones while people want Doom to clone Doom. Clones.
*sidenote – Doom 64 also came out on PC in 2020, it gets a mention here due to it being top tier FPS. Go play it, it costs less than a Subway.
Best Example Of Why Supporting Modders Is So Important: Black Mesa
The project that could have, maybe even should have, failed. Black Mesa is a complete remake of the 1998 masterpiece Half-Life. Yes, a group of modders had the balls to remake one of the most important games in video game history. Not only did they do a great job, but they arguably did the impossible and made Xen…good?
The Crowbar Collective took some liberties in their approach, mostly by tweaking encounters and the order in which weapons appear. Those tweaks may make old school diehards second take, but they work within the general flow of the experience. Everything is still recognisable, all of the beats are present even if they sound a little different. But, to the credit of the Crowbar Collective, it works. It’s still that fantastic experience you remember from the late 90’s classic, but with a lick of gloss.
‘’We’ve Got Hostiles’’ pounds its chest louder than ever, with improved gunplay and audio taking centre stage, acting as the poster boy for the remake.
Xen is no longer a pain in the arse, built from bouncing in the air and awkward platforming. The alien world is filled with environmental storytelling that paints a bigger picture of humanity’s interactions with the alien lifeforms. It could have easily become one long gimmick, simply scaling it all back and producing a more digestible experience, but instead, Xen became something more than anyone could have expected. The final, full, release is a complete package that offers one of the best first-person shooter campaigns around. Play it by itself, packed between Half-Life 1 and 2, or as a direct contrast to the original. None of it matters, as long as you play it.
Best Polish Cyberpunk Release That Wasn’t An Car Crash While Also Being A Easy Retweet For The Media – Ghostrunner
Stylish, slick, and fully satisfying. Ghostrunner was a surprise. Fusing together the trial and error ways of titles of Hotline Miami and Superhot, Ghostrunner is a challenge worth taking up. Wall running, double jumping, deflecting projectiles, decapitating dudes. It’s great.
I could pretend that the joys of the game are all down to its fantastic visuals and ear nibbling soundtrack, but that would be a big dirty lie. Where the game excels is in its gameplay loops. There’s an organic progression that leads the player from being an awful scrub to a perfectly attuned killing machine. At times, it felt like I was almost playing a rhythm game or learning how to add a body shot into a flow.
Every single time you sink that sword through an enemy, there’s this tingling little feeling of ‘fuck, that’s cool’ which keeps going through the countless deaths you’ve totted up.
Ghostrunner was the best cyberpunk game released by a Slavic developer this year. Play it.
Best Game Most Overlooked But People Will Play It Once SuperBunnyHop Makes A Video On It -Desperados III
With the revival of old school RPGs and FPS, it doesn’t come at too much of a surprise as other once-great genres have been on the rise. Fresh from the wonderful Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Mimimi Games popped out one of 2020’s most overlooked games. Desperados 3 is so well crafted, so beautifully poised that playing it partly consists of simply admiring it.
The isometric roots of the series are fully intact, looking better than ever. Each next map is ridiculously detailed, filled with organic life and a genuine rustic charm. With a cast of characters, all with unique abilities, you can spend hours upon hours trying different methods and strategies. Not a single ability is filler, all of them have a role that can be used in any way you see fit. Set up ambushes by flirting with lawmen. Bait a pose into a Killzone. Stealth around and never make a sound. Use information from NPCs chatting with each other to get the upper hand. Desperados 3 is a big, wet, deep puddle of goodness.
Best Game That Didn’t Fit The Narrative Of EA Being 100% Evil: Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
I just want to remind you that between the YouTube hyperbole and social media Robocop-esque coverage, EA can still do good things.
Where Blizzard fundamentally failed with their attempt to bring back their RTS classic, EA and Petroglyph/Lemon Sky Studios excelled. Packed with goodies, brimming with love, the C&C Remastered Collection is a love letter the series now buried. Subscribe to my Patreon so I can make more YouTube videos complaining about capitalism.
Best Game That Is Yet Another Example Of WoW Pulling Itself Out The Gutter, Again – World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
From the levelling point of view, I had no idea Blizzard could still make Warcraft content so good. Shadowlands has a story that risked being awful. What we got were a bunch of zones that oozes character and class. Each of them comes with their own stories that oddly do a better job of creating engaging narratives than some of the Game of the Year winners of awards shows this year. The endgame content remains to be seen by yours truly, but the experience of each zone so far has been nothing short of hugely enjoyable.
Additionally, the gap between playstyles has been bridged better than ever before.
Plus, there are not many Night Elves to deal with. Good job Blizzard.
Best Game To Feature Picking up Garbage, Daddy Issues, Singing, Perms And Virtua Fighter 5: Yakuza: Like A Dragon
I’ve not finished it, but the writing is enough 20 hours in to ensure it’s up there with 2020’s releases. Self-aware, but never cringey, Yakuza crafts yet another story that dips between serious stories and silliness in such a seamless fashion. That JRPG approach works pretty damn well too.
Early Access Games Worthy Of Note
Phasmophobia – Hunt ghosts with your mates without the need to trespass into people’s houses while asking Thomas Anderson if he’s old/child/dead/evil/alive or if they can write in your diary.
Due Process – Tactical multiplayer shooter with procedurally generated maps and plenty of player responsibility. Think Rainbow Six Siege without a 13-year-old enjoying their newfound slur of the day.
Naughty Corner
The XIII Remake was so poor, so broken, that the fact this thing is still up for sale blows my mind. It takes all of the soul, charm, and life out of the original leaving a husk of a game. Cyberpunk 2077 may take the headlines for its issues, but the XIII is worthy of attention too. £35 on PC, £45 on console, it’s easily the biggest scam of 2020 in video games.
