What a wacky year, huh? From hosting a Kingdom Hearts panel at PAX to enduring an awful pandemic for what feels like ages, we’ve sure had quite a bit going on. Hopefully, things will start to look up soon, as I miss seeing the MonsterVine team all the way up here in Canada, but until then, we’ve got games. Among such turbulent times, there’s no better way to relax than with video games, and this was indeed yet another good year for video games.
Honorable Mentions: Streets of Rage 4, Crash 4: It’s About Time, Trials of Mana, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, and Tony Hawk 1+2 HD.
10.) Spelunky 2
I’ve been playing the first Spelunky for years (it’s the perfect Vita game,) so I was incredibly excited about Spelunky 2. It all panned out, as the sequel feels like a natural successor to the first game, as it improves upon the original game without losing any of the tight gameplay or charm that made Spelunky so good. The singleplayer and multiplayer are both incredibly addictive and endlessly replayable. And you can play as a sloth now, which is pretty tight.
Best Moment: Dying to an unseen bat after getting farther than ever before.
9.) Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Marvel’s Spider-Man is one of my favourite games of the last generation, so how could I say no to more Spidey goodness? Miles is a smaller but more intimate take on the world of the web-crawler, which works quite well overall. Swinging around New York with the Dualsense controller acting as a web-shooter is shockingly immersive, and there’s just enough to do in the game to make it feel like more than a simple expansion. I had a lot of fun exploring and fighting goons as Miles Morales, and I can’t wait to see how he factors into Spider-Man 2.
Best Moment: Swinging around the city with adaptive controller triggers.
8.) Demon’s Souls (PS5)
Never before have I had such fun while being so frustrated. Demon’s Souls managed to finally get me invested in the Soulsborne genre, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. With every death, I began to better understand the game, driving me to try again and again to conquer each enemy encounter. Throw in some fascinating lore, gorgeous settings, and incredible boss designs (plus some fun Dualsense features,) and you have a strong start to the next console generation.
Best Moment: Fighting my way back to the complete rat known as Patches after he kicked me in a hole.
7.) Hades
There’s a lot to love in Hades. It’s insanely replayable, full of interesting characters, and has some of the best voice acting I’ve heard in quite a while. Slashing my way out of the underworld has yet to get old, as every stat boost and random boon makes each run into a new challenge and each death into an accomplishment. Hades is a fun and impressive achievement for Supergiant Games, and I look forward to playing it for some time to come.
Best Moment: Beating Meg’s sisters for the first time, after being blindsided by them.
6.) Resident Evil 3
Sure, it’s a bit short, but the remake of Nemesis hit all the right notes for me. There’s plenty of frightening moments and tense set-pieces that had me on the edge of my seat, which is always a good sign in a Resident Evil game. Nemesis is made scarier than ever, as running away from his relentless pursuit is some of the most fun I’ve ever had while being terrified. I’m hoping we get a Code Veronica remake in the vein of this game and Resident Evil 2’s remake, as Capcom clearly knows what they’re doing with these fantastic remakes.
Best Moment: Being pursued by Nemesis on a fire escape with very little ammo.
5.) Ghost of Tsushima
Man, what a game. Few things are cooler than samurai, and I can think of no game that captures the feeling of a samurai movie better than Ghost of Tsushima. It’s a beautiful game to look at, and immensely satisfying to play. Cutting through foes like butter begins to feel eerily natural thanks to the fluidity of gameplay, while the story has some particularly strong emotional beats that resonated with me for a while after playing.
Best Moment: Taking out an entire camp of enemies after calling them out like a true Samurai.
4.) Animal Crossing: New Horizons
It’s strange how perfectly-timed the release of New Horizons was this year. Having a charming and colorful social simulator release right as the pandemic began was a big deal for a lot of people, myself included. While I do miss some of the features from previous titles, the new events and enduring timelessness of the gameplay kept New Horizons from really getting stale. Every day with my villagers felt like a fun little experience, and that’s without multiplayer. I’ve played it with my sister and my friends as a way of keeping up with one another in these wild times, and it’s helped to make things feel a bit more normal.
Best Moment: Trading turnip price information with friends in a unique bonding experience.
3.) Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Possibly the best remaster I’ve ever seen, Xenoblade Definitive is an upgraded version of one of the best JRPGs ever made. The scale of Xenoblade’s world was mind-blowing on the Wii, and to this day it’s still unrivaled in how it portrays the fascinating lands of Mechonis and Bionis. The Definitive Edition makes every character and environment look as incredible as they should, while the new epilogue expands upon the magnificent story in a small but satisfying way. I’d go so far as to call this the best RPG on the Switch, and I highly recommend it to anyone even considering a playthrough.
Best Moment: Immovable Gonzalez.
2.) Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Take one of my favourite series (Yakuza) and mix it with another of my very favourite franchises (Dragon Quest) and you have a game that feels as though it was created with me in mind. The riveting and emotionally gripping story combined with strong RPG gameplay, lovable characters, and plenty of goofy Yakuza goodness makes for a treat for both RPG fans and Yakuza fans. Plus, it’s an excellent entry point for new players while also honoring the legacy of the series for returning fans. It’s a marvel of a game for so many reasons, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Best Moment: Ichiban dreamily singing the Dragon Quest level up theme after a major revelation.
1.) Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy VII is my favourite game of all time, so my expectations for the Remake were ridiculously high. While I’m not huge on the ending’s implications, everything from the gameplay and music to expanded characterizations and gorgeous environments made me feel like I was once again playing Final Fantasy VII for the first time. I can’t wait for future parts to come out, as I want to see every iconic moment and location remade in the same faithful way. Whether or not you’re a big RPG fan, you should not miss out on FInal Fantasy VII Remake.
Best Moment: The Crisis Core shoutout near the end, through Kunsel.
