It’s been a crazy year in gaming. Well, it’s been a crazy year, full stop, but you get what I mean. 2020 has proved to be a challenge in many ways.

This year, I’ve spent a good amount of time playing games as a way to keep my sanity, especially after April and my quitting my job (still one of my best decisions of 2020). Since it’s the end of the year, I wanted to do a quick wrap up, including the final few games I’ve been playing, and what I consider my favorite games of 2020.

Just looking back on my list of games I’ve completed this year, I’ve kinda run the gambit. I played some AAA games (including finally playing Final Fantasy XV and giving Persona 5 Royal some love, I’ll get back to that later), some really good indies (Concrete Genie is spectacular, AER was a great replay, and I have a quiet love for Red Bow), and a lot of vaporware. A LOT of vaporware. I didn’t realize just how much until I typed it all out last night.

I also played like eighteen Lego games. So, yeah.

The last two months have been dedicated to restarting Animal Crossing: New Horizons and dragging myself through Marvel’s Avengers, plus a few other quick titles. Let me break it down.

I restarted Animal Crossing simply because I was just too frustrated with how I’d set up my island back in March, and I felt like it would take weeks to fix it. Now I’m about a month into this restart, and I have a small amount of regret, only because I think I could have make my original island work. Though I do love that I called my new island “AllAndMore”, because it’s not like I’m obsessed with The Old Guard or something.

As for Marvel’s Avengers… I went into this knowing that I was just planning on playing the story and that’s it. And the story was… fine. Nothing legendary, nothing worthy of awards, but just fine. I liked Kamala Khan, I liked the inclusion of chosen characters, but it really felt rushed. Honestly, there was just a lot missing (including the Barton-sized hole in the story). I haven’t played through the new Kate Bishop DLC, but I’ll probably give it a quick playthrough. I’m not going to be aiming for the Platinum on this one, simply because I’m not putting 100+ hours into this game. It’s not worth it.

There’s a little indie game called AER: Memories of Old that came out a few years ago. It’s one of those games where you can figure out most everything because of the symbolism, but it’s still a quick three hour game. I played it in 2018, and again last night. I just needed something simple to break the hold Avengers had over me.

The last “game” on my list is an FMV interactive film video game called Erica. It’s a choose your own adventure type story that had the makings of a pretty good story, but I feel like somewhere someone made a mistake in the coding. Several of the clips directly following the player making a choice feel disjointed, as if the wrong clip was being played. I actually enjoyed the story up until the midpoint, where things just stopped making logical sense. This is a game that takes six full playthroughs that are about two hours long each, but feel much longer, as you can’t skip scenes you’ve already seen. That is an unfortunate choice by the developers, as most FMV games let you skip those scenes, making the games a bit more… user friendly. It’s really not worth the playthrough.

As for my favorite games of 2020…

Since several of the games I played this year aren’t actually from 2020, I’m not going to make a ranking. Just run through some of my favorites. It really wouldn’t be fair. That’s what I get for not playing the newest games out, especially since they aren’t games I really want to play…

One of the main games on my list for this year is Pokémon Sword. I didn’t really talk about it all that much, but I really enjoyed this new Pokémon game. It actually got me back into the franchise, which I didn’t think would be possible. I’ve played through the Isle of Armor DLC and thought that the story there dragged a little, but not terribly. The character customization was probably one of my favorite things about this one. I sunk about 50 hours into this, and I really want to get back to it in the new year.

I restarted my Persona 5 playthrough (which was unintentionally ruined by my little cousin late last year) with Persona 5 Royal, and wow am I more in with love with this game then I was last year. I haven’t even reached the new content yet, and I’m already in love with all the little changes. And yes, I do love Kasumi. My goal for 2021 is to complete the story for this, as it’s criminal that I haven’t finished it just yet.

A game that outright surprised me is Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions. It’s just a puzzle game, but I really enjoyed the challenge of this one. All the puzzles are stained glass, and absolutely beautiful. I really want to play this one again. Maybe if I can ever get my Twitch channel back up an running (all the issues are on my end, I swear), I’ll give this one another playthrough, as well as the first game.

There should be no surprise that a Lego game lands on my favorite games list. In this case, that would be Lego Dimensions. I have my issues with it, but I can finally say that it is a good game, one that has me wanting to return to it, oh, maybe three more times (PS3, Ps4 and Xbox 360 versions). If I ignore the Story Packs, it’s solid. And fun. And I can’t wait to finish the year playing through the PS4 version to reach 100% all over again.

The last game on this list is one that I normally wouldn’t have included… but it kept me from losing my sanity during the beginning of my time in lockdown. Disneyland Adventures is not the best game. The story is passable at best. The collectables were annoying to collect. The rides were annoying to even play through. But you know what? It gave me the Disney feels I really needed this year, with everything being a nightmare.

So. Gaming in 2020 was weird. For the most past, I actually avoided playing most of the new releases that came out this year. If anyone is curious, I’m really picky about what games I play, and most of the big releases were just not on my want list. I will say, there were a bunch of games that I more enjoyed watching than playing. But I’m a weird person.

As for the rest of the year, my plan is to replay Lego Dimensions on the PS4, so that I can get to 100% (though this may move to January 2021). I also want to play Bugsnax, which I went ahead and picked up for PS4, because it’s damn fun looking. I also want to finish up Erica, so that I can pretend this game never existed. And finally, I kinda want to play through Disneyland Adventures again, just because. No real reason. Of course, it all depends on what I get on Christmas.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!

Until next time!

Considering how crazy this year has been, it’s no surprise that video games have just skyrocketed into major popularity. From having some of the biggest releases ever, to having a political candidate make an island in Animal Crossing to connect with the younger generation of voters, this year has really bridged the gap between gamers and the public.

I’ve been gaming since I was five or six. My dad bought my family a Super Nintendo for Christmas in 1995/6, the year or so before the release of the Nintendo 64. I grew up playing Aladdin and Lion King. It was only a few years later that I got my hands onto a Game Boy Color and Pokémon Blue. I’ve been a gamer ever since.

Now that I’m in my thirties, I can look back and see just how many generations of gaming I’ve been apart of. Heck, I’ve owned a lot of consoles. For home consoles, I started with the Super Nintendo, then finally upgraded to the GameCube. I got a Wii when I was fifteen, as a present for not completely freaking out when my mom ended up in the hospital with food poisoning during my cousin’s wedding. Playstation entered my life at thirteen with a PS2. The PS3 was a gift for getting into USF. I bought my PS4 in 2016 (one of my first “big” purchases after college), and it remains my favorite console. As for my Xbox One, that was purchased in 2018, then not touched until after we moved to California, except for making sure the damn thing worked. No seriously, it honestly stayed in the box until after we moved into our second California apartment, when it is now set up and haunting me at night.

As for handheld consoles… I grew up with a Game Boy Color. Then, after much begging, I got a Game Boy Advance. (Both of them were the see-through purple versions, the far superior ones.) I paid for a GBA SP when it came out thanks to chores. Then the DS arrived, and that was a day one purchase. I got a DS Light about two months after that released… then won one in an arcade about three months later and gave it to my best friend, Kit. That was actually my last hand held console for years. I was gifted a Playstation Vita in Christmas 2015 (and I’ll leave the story behind that at the end of this post). As for my Nintendo Switch, I bought it during the Summer of 2018, before my move across the country. I’d figured I would have some time during the drive to play, but I ended up driving my car most of the way. That’s a story for another time.

So, I’ve played a lot of games in my life, and I’ve watched a lot more (thanks speedrun events). But I honestly do have my clear favorites, the ones I come back to when I need a pick me up.

My all time favorite series is the Kingdom Hearts games, especially the console games (I, II, and III). I have gone back and played through the games multiple times. I’ve also given the other games some love, but I always come back to the trilogy. I know there is a large portion of the population that just cannot stand KHIII, and I get it, but I enjoyed it. Yes there were parts that I would have edited down or out (the required musical in the Frozen world to name one glaring issue), but on the whole I felt it was a good ending to the series. Now, it’s also true that the DLC has been out for a year and I have yet to play it (thanks Lego games), but it’s on my list.

Speaking of Lego games… I have a few that fit this list. Lego Dimensions, Lego DC Supervillains, Lego City Undercover, and Lego Marvel Superheroes. Each one I like for different reasons.

Lego Dimensions is a game that is so large, it should be easy to get lost. But I never did. Each world is self contained. The extra story and level packs don’t take away from the main storyline, nor do they impede on it. Yes, there are some parts of the game that I have issue with – the incompleteness that is the Lego Batman World comes firmly to mind. But I do enjoy like 99% of it. Even if it was a cash grab. They got my $800 bucks.

Lego DC Supervillains is the Lego comic game for the new gamers, the young and the old. It is spectacular. The voice cast is on point, the story is (mostly) amazing and not bogged down. The character roster isn’t too humongous. Most areas aren’t completely filled with missions. It’s a great Lego game. But let’s not talk about the DLC levels, ok? I still have some issues with them (Aquaman and Shazam get two?? WHY.)

Let’s jump ship and hit one of the best original Lego games. Lego City Undercover is huge. No serious. The game take like 40 hours to 100%. The story is actually pretty good, and for the most part it doesn’t hold your hand. What blew my mind is the fact this is the only Lego game in memory that you don’t have the secondary character chasing you around while you are doing overworld stuff. It’s just… Chase. And it is brilliant. Now, I do thing that the post-game is a bit long. And by a bit… ok, it’s just too damn big. But I have a thing for the final section of Level 15. Don’t judge me too much.

My last favorite Lego game is Lego Marvel Superheroes. I’m talking the first one. The one with the X-Men and Deadpool and the Fantastic Four. This one is my all time favorite. I’ve played through the game three times already, and I cannot wait to get my hands onto the Xbox 360 copy so I can do it again. The cast of characters is great (hello Peter Parker being adorable), the story is on point with a great mix of teams, and it feels really tight. I also like the other two, but they just aren’t up to par with the original.

There’s a indie game called The Sexy Brutale that is absolutely gorgeous, and it is wicked hard if you get turned around. You play a character that has the ability to turn back the clock on a single day, to save his employer and his friends from death. It’s brutal, it’s smart, it’s a puzzle game who’s story took me by surprise. I’m planning on replaying it on Xbox one of these days, because it really caught me in a way that I wasn’t expecting.

Another game that probably is on everyone’s favorite list (especially if they are a PS4 player) is Marvel’s Spider-man. Wow, this game blew me out of the water. The surprisingly mature storyline was great, and I really felt Peter’s despair during the latter half of the story, which I absolutely believe is because of Yuri Lowenthal’s amazing vocal performance. I also didn’t really feel as though the post game was too much. Now, the DLC, and those damn Screwball Challenges… There’s a reason why I haven’t gone back to finish them. But I really needed to act least do the final DLC mission. Now that Miles Morales is out (and playable on PS4, since I won’t be getting a PS5 for a while), I’m gonna give that final mission some love. (Though, please don’t get me started on Marvel’s Avengers. PLEASE.)

I have a love for indie games, though I don’t talk about it too much. There’s a game called Lili: Child of Geos that caught my eye one day, and I fell in love with it. It’s the tale of a young girl who goes to this island to study the flowers, only to get involved in overthrowing the psychotic overlord of the island. It’s all fine and cute and fun, and minus one trophy, goes really fast. (Ok, two trophies, but if you know the trick, one is quick). I’ve played it twice, and it’s a crime that is isn’t on Xbox. It’s a good one.

Speaking of Xbox, I have a special place in my heart for Disneyland Adventure, which is an Xbox game taking place in Disneyland. Yeah, that’s the premise. You “ride” the classic rides, collect a million little things, and meet up with characters. I had a good time playing through this game on stream back when I was streaming, before my internet issues started to crop up. I really need to go back and give this a complete. It was fun to run around and play through the storylines, though some characters… aren’t the best.

I’d be remis if I didn’t include Life is Strange. Now, I have played through the prequel, Before the Storm, but not the sequel. I enjoyed the original game for the most part, though by part four I was starting to get over Chloe and Max and their issues. (And yes, I picked Bay over Bae, fight me.) The prequel actually made me feel like the series had lost all the ground it had gained with the first game. As for the sequel, I’d rather have more of Max’s story. The two new characters didn’t do it for me. Why would I include it on my favorite list? Besides giving me one of my all time favorite glitches, I connected with Max for the most part. It gave me prospective.

There’s another indie title called Blackwood Crossing that also caught my eye when I was trophy hunting. And wow, did it destroy me. It tells the story of grief and regret in a very mature way, while using a child to drive the story. I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this one, so much so I got the EU copy as well to play through again. It’s not the perfect game, but it’s well worth a playthough.

I have one more game that I put on my favorites list, even though I actually haven’t completed it yet. That’s Persona 5 (and Royal as well). There’s something about this game that makes me want to play it. I usually don’t like turn based RPGs, nor do I like 100+ hour games, where one mistake can mess you up way down the line. But the story of Persona 5 blew my mind. I have seen the show, I’ve read the manga, and I have watched let’s players go through it. It’s complex, it’s thought provoking, and it’s on point. The characters are dynamic, and have their own personal storylines. It’s worth playing through, even just one.

And that’s all she wrote. There are so many games I would have loved to include on this, but I didn’t want to bog this down too far (and then I went and added the note from hell, shut it). This is a sampling of some of my favorite games. Is one of yours on this list? Or did I just introduce a new game to you? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time!

As for the Vita story… (please excuse the subscript, there’s a lot.)

_{We had a family friend living with us for nearly four years, until about March of 2016. During Christmas shopping for 2015, I flat out asked for a PS4. I wrote it down on my Christmas list (yes, we do Christmas lists. It makes it easier for everyone to make sure we’re getting the right things, like console specific things or DVDs/Blu Rays). I said it to Mom’s face. But when it came time to order it, the friend convinced my mom I meant the Vita, not the PS4. Because I would hate the PS4, and she didn’t want to ruin Christmas with my disappointment, right? Yeah, I was 25, I’m not going to whine if I’m gifted the wrong thing for Christmas. I just say thank you and snag the receipt so I can return the damn thing and get what I asked for. Anyway, come Christmas morning, I can tell there isn’t a PS4 under the tree. Oh well, I’ll buy one later on. When I opened the box that had the Vita, the friend made it a point to call it out, saying that he made sure I got exactly what I wanted, I could be thankful he fixed my mistake, ect. I just shrugged, said thanks to Mom, since the damn thing was from her, anyway, and set it aside. She kept on trying to confirm if she got the right thing (she’s kinda hopeless with consoles, hence the lists), and I just said sure, it’s cool, let’s talk after breakfast.}

_{Later on, when we could speak privately, I explained that no, I actually did want the PS4, thanks roommate, but I’m perfectly happy with the Vita, I’ll get some trophy games and it’ll be worth it, don’t worry. She was pissed at the friend for convincing her that I was wrong that she almost kicked him out on Christmas. As it was, she made it clear that his time in our house was at its end, move on. She was so embarrassed that she messed up. But I promise I wasn’t ungrateful. I just didn’t want a Vita. But I actually made a point to save up for the PS4 and I got it that October.}

_{Why didn’t I include this in the main part of the post? Well, one, it’s a bloody long story, and doesn’t fit the topic of the post. But also, should mom read this, I don’t want her to think I’m calling her out, because I’m not. Heck, I’m trying again this year. Since there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of me getting my hands onto a PS5 or Xbox Series X, I asked for a Xbox 360. I’m honestly curious if I get one. But if not, I’m totally cool with it. I feel blessed that I own so many consoles, even if I’m down to six right now (PS3, PS4, Vita, XBox One, Switch, and NDS Lite). If I don’t get it, fine, I’ll get it later in the year. It’s just gonna be a Lego gaming machine as it is….}

_{As for the friend, he moved out in March. This was the second time he’d done something like this, but this time it was a more considerable amount of money. The first time was the previous Christmas, and I’d asked for some movie novelizations of a couple comic book movies, and he told her no, I meant the comics, and proceeded to get her to order collections that were outside our price range. I had a hard time selling them, since they weren’t popular collections and they weren’t what I asked for. I think they ended up at Goodwill and I bought the novelizations myself later on.}

_{Oh, and the whole selling thing? We have a deal. We save receipts, because we both have major different tastes, but we both try. If we mess up, here’s the receipt, enjoy. No hard feelings. It works for us. Ok, that’s all. That’s a lot longer than what I thought it would be.}

I am almost positive that most people don’t really play hidden object or hidden picture games in 2020. At 27, I figured I was in that same boat. But back in 2017, I found a company that is bringing hidden object games to PS4 and Xbox one. And they’d been doing it for years.

The company is Artifex Mundi. They are based out of Poland. And they create and publish hidden object games.

And by games, I mean a lot of games.

As of now, there are approximately 37 games that have been released on PS4, and I’ve played all but the latest one, only because I’m bogged down by Christmas stuff. (I’ll be playing it tomorrow.) There about the same amount on Xbox, and a good handful that are being posted over to Nintendo Switch.

And then there is Steam. There are so many more that have been released on Steam and the app stores. There are more than 70 different games in their library. And I emphasize the “more than.” I stopped going back at 2012, but I know there are more.

What drew me to this genre was actually the fact that the first game I found was on the list for quick platinums. I was having a bad day, and I went searching for something that I could beat easily while still playing something with a story. I just needed that feeling of “I completed it!”

So I downloaded Clockwork Tales: Of Ink and Glass.

It’s been a few years since I dove into this steampunk store, but I do remember that I actually enjoyed the story, and wow did I have to really chick everything to make sure I got all the clues.

Since then, I’ve played stories featuring murders and mysteries, magic and mayhem. You play as a variety of different characters (mostly strong and smart women, which YAY!). You solve cases and save people and lock people in different dimensions.

I’m not saying that these games are the best things on the market. No way. I’m also not saying that the writing is great. Many times I find the writing to be wooden, and logical leaps to be… well, not logical. The voice acting is hit and miss at the best of times. A lot of the actual stories leave a lot to be desired.

But.

But I still like them.

I admit, I play a lot of not so great games. I also have played AAA games. I play what I like (which is why I probably will never play GTA or God of War or basically any FPS game on the market). I don’t really care if a game comes from one of the biggest studios on the market, or from a small team out of Poland. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it can be buggy are horrible as hell. All that matters is that I enjoy it.

Tonight, I’m playing the latest one released on PS4, and I cannot wait. I want to see where they take the story of the Persian Desert. (It’s a thing, go with it) Let’s see where this one goes.

Until next time!