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That it's so reviled in certain circles is maybe a credit to Naughty Dog, who were willing to push back against the pressure to just be another Avengers: Endgame-a sequel that exists solely to be a crowdpleaser. It's darker, more ambitious, and more structurally sophisticated work, and it's willing to risk a lot with its portrayal of its most beloved characters. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I prefer The Last of Us Part 2 to its predecessor. The Last of Us Part 2 might actually be underrated at this point | Sony Interactive Entertainment 3. I'm glad to have Hamtown to get me through it all, because like everyone else, I suspect I'm going to need it. We've still got a month to go before 2020 finally, mercifully comes to an end, and a bit longer than that before, god willing, our lunatic of a president finally vacates the White House. In that world I so meticulously built for myself, I was able to find a little bit of solace in Isabelle yammering on about her favorite reality show. When I was on the verge of a panic attack during Election Night, I picked up Animal Crossing. I play less often now, but I still pop in from time to time, marveling at the world I built from scratch. When all is said and done, I will have put at least 500 hours into building up my island, which is an utterly absurd amount of time to spend on a game that isn't. For all the limitations of its online play, Animal Crossing: New Horizons turned out to be the perfect social game. It was a game where you could hop on Zoom and coordinate turnip sales. It was a game in which you could while away hours of quarantine time tending to your island while Netflix murmured in the background. Fricking AOC played Animal Crossing.Īnimal Crossing's success was rooted not just in its wholesome appeal, but the appeal of the Switch itself. Landing right at the beginning of the initial lockdown, it captured the imaginations of not just the gaming community, but the world at large. Most of these complaints miss the point-Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the defining game of the pandemic year that is 2020. Nintendo fans complain about its (admittedly clunky) online implementation.
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Animal Crossing: New HorizonsĪnimal Crossing fans love to grumble about how New Horizons repurposes old content from New Leaf. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the defining game of 2020 | Nintendo 2. Yakuza: Like a Dragon may yet overtake it, but for now, Hades remains my personal Game of the Year. I've run through Tartarus, Asphodel, and Elysium dozens of times now, and I've yet to tire of it. His underworld is a drab, unbending bureaucracy from which Zagreus constantly tries to escape, only to be dragged back again and again. Its most compelling character may well be the eponymous Hades, who barely hides his bitterness toward his siblings behind gruff rebukes and a stubborn adherence to the rules.
WORLD OF WARCRAFT NOMINATIONS SERIES
It's a game that seems straightforward in the early going-navigate a series of randomly-generated chambers to escape hell-but as it slowly yields its secrets, its emotional depth becomes apparent. Now I love the Olympus pantheon ask me about Artemis or Dionysus sometime, I totally have opinions. It's remarkable how much this game speaks to me, a person who doesn't even really care about Greek myth.
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I haven't stopped thinking about Hades since I finally reached the credit on my 32nd second run a couple months ago. Hades made me care about Greek mythology.
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So for the hell of it, here's my kneejerk ranking of the 2020 nominees. It'll be a group effort, so my personal preferences may well be overridden, but I still have some pretty strong thoughts on this year's slate. Also, Doom Eternal is on this list for some reason? I still haven't figured that one out.Īs one of the publications helping to judge this process, USgamer had a hand in picking the Game of the Year slate, and will also be voting on the finalists.
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Final Fantasy 7 Remake figures to be the fan-favorite The Last of Us Part 2 the most controversial, and Ghost of Tsushima the dark horse (I really hope it's not Ghost of Tsushima). The nominees consist of the usual grab bag of console exclusives and big-budget releases, with Hades being the token indie conclusion. The initial round of nominees arrived yesterday, and they've already spurred plenty of discussion on social media. It's that time of year again, when we all come together to watch Geoff Keighley (or, I don't know, Alf) announce the best games of 2020.
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