Tales From The Backlog

Another year, another level completed. This year would have been an amazing year to get a lot of games off of my backlog. What happened instead was a lot of picking up a lot of games on sale and drowning myself even more. Even so, I’m surprised that I was able to enjoy some games that came out this year. I’ve played enough that I could make my own top 10 games of 2020, but that is boring and unoriginal. I want to highlight some of the games that I played this year and some of the achievements that I’ve made along the way. 

So welcome to my 2020 Game Award/Recognition/List thingy. The games chosen for each category were done by a panel of one and voting was done using a room full of kittens. In the spirit of being original, The Last of Us Part 2 is not featured anywhere since I haven’t (and probably never will) played it. So with that, let’s get on with the list!

The Award for Being #10 On My Top 10 Games of 2020, AND, My Most Disappointing Game of 2020

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition

What more do I need to say about this game. I did finish it recently and it reminded me why I never finished it on the GameCube (the final boss took me an hour or two to beat). I am interested in doing the remix dungeons one day, but for now I’m going to continue being bitter about what could have been a wonderful multiplayer game. If you need a reminder of why this game disappointed me so much, you can read a previous post that I made on the topic.

The Award for Game That I Have Been Playing All Year And Slowly Working My Way Through

Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin

Hot take. I enjoy Dark Souls 2 way more than the original. It feels less challenging than the first, but it does have areas that take time for me to get through. My opinion may change once I replay DS3, but for now I’m enjoying my slow playthrough.

The Award for Being #9 On My Top 10 Games of 2020

Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics

There is something fun about a simple board game that you can play with anyone. While I haven’t played a lot or even all the games in this collection, I have had fun with the ones I have played. I also like learning some of the history of the games that are included.

The Platinum Award For Getting A Platinum Trophy In A Game

Soul Calibur 6

If you were to tell me that I would get my second platinum from Soul Calibur, I would be surprised like you. Soul Calibur has become one of my favorite fighting games, and the sixth entry really clicked with me. Character creation is a feature I always enjoy and it will make me play almost any fighting game with one. I haven’t forgotten that I was supposed to write a fanfic about the stars of my chaotic world.

The Award For Being #8 On My Top 10 Games of 2020, AND Having The Longest Title Of Games I Played This Year

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. MaxiBoost ON!

I enjoy a good Gundam game. I got the game about a month after it came out and thought the online community would still be active. I’ve had no luck so far, so those online achievements may stay locked forever.

The Award For Making Me Go “AAAAHHHHHHH” Late At Night

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

After finishing this game I immediately put in the fourth game. I want to wait until I finish the entire saga before writing my thoughts about it all. 

The Award For Being #7 On My Top 10 Games of 2020

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memories

Technically, this is not my game, but I had to help Kat out with some of the more difficult challenges so that she could get the platinum trophy. It is a unique rhythm game that took a while to get the hang of. I’m not as close to the Kingdom Hearts franchise like her, but I can always appreciate games that highlight the legacy of music. 

The Game That I Meant To Play This Year But For Some Reason I Didn’t Award

Ghost of Tsushima

I don’t know what prevented me from playing, yet alone, getting this game. I was very intrigued when watching the trailers and gameplay demos. This game also came out during the summer so it should have been a perfect time to play. At this point I should wait until I find it on sale or until I remind myself to pick it up.

The Award For Being #6 On My Top 10 Games of 2020

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2

I didn’t grow up playing the Tony Hawk games, but I did have a demo disk for the first game that I played a lot. It was great to finally learn how to play this game and get the full entertainment value from it. This game also fulfills the curse of being announced after I get the original version.

The Award For A Game That I Bought This Year And Have Yet To Still Play

Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight

I got this game on January 4. I was going to play and platinum it in one sitting since Kat did it with Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. What happened instead was Kat playing and platinum it in one day before I played it. SInce then, I told myself I would do it, but eh.

The Award For Being #5 On My Top 10 Games of 2020

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4

It wouldn’t be a top 10 list without a musou game showing up. I haven’t had this game for that long this year, but one night I started playing and now aiming for the platinum trophy. I haven’t felt this type of mindless enjoyment since the Gundam musou games. Every character is unique and the speed is just right for me. There are some things that I have issues with, but they go away quickly when you blow hundreds of enemies away.

The Award To The Game That I Got In 2019 That I Still Need To Play

Astral Chain

I keep telling myself that I need to play this. I got it last year from my visit to the Nintendo Store in New York. I think Trails of Cold Steel prevented me from playing it at the time since I wanted to finish that first. And then the cliffhanger made me play the second game. And then I just never got around to play it. There is always next year!

The Award For Being #4 On My Top 10 Games of 2020

Yakuza: Like A Dragon

My only regret with this game is that I didn’t stream it when I first started. I’m only on Chapter 2 and I’ve been enjoying goofing off and creating funny dialogue while traveling the streets of Kamurocho and Yokohama. I have a feeling once I get further in the game and unlock some of the new classes and mechanics, this may become a favorite RPG for me.

The Award For Being #3 On My Top 10 Games of 2020

Final Fantasy VII Remake

I had fun playing this! My biggest enemy in the game was the camera, but that has been a normal issue for me as of late. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next since I enjoy telling new stories with familiar elements. Maybe now I will go back and finish the original and not get my data deleted.

The Award For Being My Most Dislike Game That I Played In 2020

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

This game looked fun, and then it became unfun. I got it for free on PSN and each match I played filled me with anxiety that I did not need. Maybe it’s because I am bad at platformers or I was taking the game too seriously, but I have no desire to ever play it again. 

The Award Yada Yada for #2 Yada Yada 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

I was glued to this game when it first came out. Then a few months later, I kinda left it on the sideline. Recently, I have been playing this daily to improve my island slightly. There are a lot of features that I miss from previous ACs, but there are a lot of things that I enjoy in this version. Seeing how it currently holds the highest playtime on my Switch at this time, I think it speaks for itself how much I actually enjoy this title.

The Award For Would Have Been On My Top 10 of 2020 If It Actually Came Out This Year

Among Us

Yeah I know everyone and their grandma has mentioned how fun this game is, and I would agree that it is fun. What I don’t agree with is everyone saying that it is the best game that came out this year, when technically it didn’t (if you don’t count the Switch version). I do believe that the game deserves praise for being fun and simple. In the end, that’s all a game needs to be.

The Super Shiny Sparkly Glamorous Shimmering Luminous Award For Being #1 On This Stupid List of My Favorite Games of 2020

The friends we made along the way.

No. It’s Hades.

The only reason I played Hades to begin with is because I like Supergiant games and they haven’t produced a game that I dislike. That record continues with Hades and I am extremely mad at how they got me to love this game. I hadn’t played a roguelike game before this, and now I’m upset that I may not play another one like this. There is so much I can say about this game, but there have been other people who have expressed why they like this game, and my opinion is of the same. 

So that is my take of this year. I would like to thank the Academy for rejecting my letter to host my own TV special going over this list as it would have cost too much money and no one would want to watch. So I hope all who were curious enough to read my personal thoughts enjoy reading this. If you would like to know more about my opinions on any of the lovely games that were presented today, let me know and it might persuade me to write a full (non-review) opinion piece about it. And as always, let me know what some of your favorite games from this year were.

Thank you for reading,

DanamesX