Now that 2020 has come to a close, I want to look back on the games I played throughout the year. I set a goal to complete at least 20 games for the year, and I achieved it with 23. 18 of them have been reviewed on this blog, so this list will be of those games, instead of including the other 5. I plan on replaying four of those games to write reviews for them, while one is the SUPERHOT Prototype I talked about in the review of the full game. For games I played with expansions, I'll only choose one of the games within them. Anyway, let's get started with...
This one was a tough choice for me. I wasn't sure whether or not to put Denki Blocks! or Monument Valley: Forgotten Shores in my tenth slot. Both games were very fun to me, but I ended up choosing Denki Blocks!, due to its replay value and content.
Denki Blocks! is a 2001 puzzle game, developed by Denki. The object of the game is to maneuver "gumblocks" of the same color around a static board, to connect them. The puzzles start easy enough in the beginning but soon become more and more challenging to the point I ended up looking for guides to figure things out. You only have to complete 15 puzzles out of the 25 in each section, but you can finish the other 10 for special rewards. With over 100 puzzles and 3 different game modes, it adds a lot of content to the game. If you're a fan of puzzle games like me, then give Denki Blocks! a try!
Available on: GBA (played), GBC, PSP, Android, iOS
I forgot I played a game that came out last year until I saw the name. If you couldn't guess, I don't play a lot of recent games.
Dadish is a really fun platformer by Thomas K Young. After a dad, who just so happens to be a radish, loses his kids, he must embark on a journey to retrieve all 40 of his "stupid children". The game is full of funny dialog and banter. Each level is designed very well and all of them, except for boss levels, have stars. Collect all of the stars, and you'll unlock Possum Mode; which is pretty much the same game with a lot of screeching.
If you want a challenging platformer, pick up Dadish! It's even free! After I wrote my initial review, it was ported to the Nintendo Switch in October. As of writing this, it's on sale for $2 in the eShop. There's even a sequel planned to release this month. I didn't know about it until I wrote this part of the list, so I'll watch the trailer later.
Available on: Android (played), iOS, Switch
Last year I planned on playing all of the Megami Tensei games from the start of the franchise to where it's at now. Including the many spin-offs. I started with the SNES remaster of the very first MT games, Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei. Kyuuyaku compiles both Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei I and II, with updates from the three Shin Megami Tensei games that were released after them. It started well enough, but after a while, I ended up getting bored because of the monotony and lack of a plot to keep me invested. Maybe I'll replay Kyuuyaku with cheats or something. At the time, I couldn't find any. After retiring that playthrough, I skipped to Shin Megami Tensei.
To me, Shin Megami Tensei was way more enjoyable than Kyuuyaku. For one, there was actually a plot, characters, more demons to recruit, and all-around felt like a drastic improvement over its predecessor; even though Kyuuyaku was released three years after this. Unfortunately, Kyuuyaku tries to stay as close to the original NES/FC games as possible, and it shows. The story in Shin Megami Tensei ends up going all over the place, but not to where the game seems too random. Without spoiling much, the story is based around good and evil, or rather God and the Devil. Because of that, there are three different paths you can follow. You can either do the law path, chaos path, or neutral path like I did.
It was a really fun RPG with some interesting replay value. I usually use cheats in some games, and this was one of them. It gets kind of grindy near the end, and a lot of the time enemies can easily waste you if you're not careful. If you're a fan of RPGs, like me, give it a try. Unfortunately, there's only one official English translation, and that's for iOS. Since I don't own an iPhone, I played the SNES version with an English patch.
Available on: SNES/SFC (played), PC Engine, Sega CD, PS1, GBA, iOS, Android
Shadow of Destiny is a time-traveling adventure game by Konami I love a lot. The game offers eight different endings you can unlock. All of which adds more to the plot. Last year I only played for the A ending, but it's worth seeing the other seven. You play as Eike Kusch in the German town of Lebensbaum. In just the opening cutscene, Eike dies and that's how our time-traveling mystery unfolds. We end up having to travel to multiple different decades to figure out who Eike's murderer is. The characters and setting were great and there are even a few side quests you can do. I recommend this game a lot. Especially if you're a fan of mysteries like me.
Available on: PS2, Xbox, PC, PSP (played)
I played SUPERHOT a few years before on my old laptop, but never finished it. Since I got a new computer last July, why not give it another shot? SUPERHOT truly did end up becoming "the most innovative shooter I've played in years". With its metanarrative plot, fun levels, and "time only moves when you move" mechanic being utilized in every facet of the game, it became a really enjoyable experience. Even with the levels I got stuck on... There are secrets you can find in most levels, and endless and challenge modes. My only real gripe is that after you beat the game, you can't play the campaign again unless you delete your save or something. I still find myself playing the endless mode on occasion; not so much for challenge mode. I recommend SUPERHOT to whoever is willing to try it. To me, it's worth it.
Available on: PC (played), Xbox One, PS4, Oculus Quest, Switch, Stadia
Velocity Ultra is a shoot 'em up I replayed last year, originally playing it back in 2019. You navigate the Quarp Jet, a teleporting ship, through levels to defeat enemies and rescue survivors. It starts simple enough and gradually gets harder because of the puzzles used to utilize the Quarp Jet's teleportation ability. The game isn't too long and it took me four hours to complete it with mostly silver and gold rankings. Give it a try!
Available on: PS Vita (played), PS3, PC
Falcom's Ys series is something that has caught my attention for some time now. My first experience with the series was with Ys Seven for the PSP a few years ago. I'm not even sure how I found the game, but I'm glad I did. I never finished Ys Seven all those years ago, though I liked what I played. It was enough for me to want to get into the rest of the series. I ended up playing Ys I on PC a few years after that, but never finished it.
Fast forward to 2020, and I played Ys I again. This time finishing it! I thoroughly enjoyed Ys I. It wasn't very long of an RPG and it didn't have too much of a plot, but what was there was fun and interesting to me. The game's soundtrack might have become one of my favorites. Most fans complain about the "bumper cars" combat, but I liked it and it wasn't hard to get the hang of. I loved this game a lot!
Available on: PSP (played), PC, Android, iOS
Ah, the game that started the blog. Monster House is a movie I like a lot, and somehow I didn't know it had a video game until last year. Actually, I didn't know a lot of movies I like had games until last year. All ranging from... various levels of quality. Because of that, I usually have low expectations for tie-in games. Especially ones with the THQ logo on the cover. So I was pretty surprised this was actually a good game.
Monster House plays like a top-down Zelda game, with a touch of Sweet Home. I think it works well for a GBA game, and it's probably one of the only horror games for the handheld. And it being like Sweet Home, gives puts it in the survival horror genre with that and Resident Evil. There are three versions of the game, but each version is different. I'm planning on playing the PS2 version this year for the blog's first anniversary, so I'm looking forward to that.
Available on: GBA (played)
2) The World Ends with You (2007)
Back when I was getting into DS emulation a few years ago, I gave TWEWY a try. I don't remember getting farther than the fourth day. Back then there were a lot of games I played at once, so there's a lot I started but never finished. Even though I liked a lot of them, like TWEWY.
In TWEWY you play as loner, Neku Sakuraba, after he wakes up in the middle of Shibuya's scramble crossing. The game has you play the Reaper's Game for three weeks. Over those three weeks, you get different partners and meet different characters. Especially enemies. The combat is great and I love how it uses the DS' screens. I remember giving the mobile version a try once and quitting because I wasn't too big a fan of the single screen combat. A small nitpick, but it's what made the game unique for me. There's supposed to be an anime releasing this year and a tie-in game I'll pick up if possible. I'm kind of glad they didn't make a direct sequel. Even though I loved the game, I felt like it was fine as a standalone one. But I know other fans think differently.
Available on: NDS (played), iOS, Android, Switch
1) Shovel Knight: King of Cards (2019)
Available on: PC, Wii U, 3DS, PS3, PS4, PS Vita (played), Xbox One, Switch, Amazon Fire TV
That's it for my top 10 list of games I played in 2020. I want to continue making lists like this each year. Hopefully, it isn't too late for 2020 reflections. Remember to click on the game entries to see the actual reviews. I rearranged my backlog a little to put games I haven't finished or want to replay at the front. Hopefully, I can play most of them. I'm still playing Ys II right now. I'm at the end, and I'm slowly getting the energy to play it again. Maybe I'll spend a day this weekend just playing the last few hours. Anyway, happy 2021!
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