My Top Five Games of 2020

5. "Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout"

This is the lowest on the list, not necessarily because it's a bad game – it just got boring. For me and a lot of other individuals, "Fall Guys: Ultimate Knock Out" was a game that did its job around the middle of the initial pandemic. A game where jellybeans run around completing obstacle courses with the goal of earning the first-place crown is fun in theory. And there were times where rage did develop within. However, after five or so matches the game just got boring. The clunky controls – while intentional – did not do any favors in compelling me to return back to another round of trials. The controls weren't even the worst of it as the load times made the time in between matches just unbearable even for PS4 standards. And while I may have escaped those load times with our near-instant load times on Next-Gen consoles, the game's annoyance still remains overall. Hopefully, in 2021 some new updates can come and spice things up.

4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The latest entry to the Animal Crossing line of games did a really great job of connecting one another when the pandemic first hit. Massive closures of schools and work, toilet paper frenzies, and self-isolation did take the world by storm back in March which made Animal Crossing the perfect game to simply sit back and enjoy. The game finds you playing as a villager winning a free vacation to a remote island. From there you are a slave helper of Tom Nook, a tanuki who tasks you with jobs and loans to make the island as fabulous as ever. The game was a hit and really connected everyone at the time. I remember I got a Nintendo Switch exclusively for the game so I could play with my friend.

So why is it so low? Well, the game got boring after a bit. Basically, there is a limit on how much stuff you can do in the day. For example, if I begin a construction project on a Monday it won't be finished till Wednesday in real-time. Now there are people who will simply change the date settings in the system but for me, I didn't want to scheme my way to number one. But it begins to become a drag to complete my island the way I wanted to and as someone who loves to build towns and cities, I felt restricted in what I could do. On top of that, I am a very patient person so when I tell you a game is too slow you know it's a problem. I'll be picking Animal Crossing up again soon and I want to play my switch more. However, right now I cannot get myself to rejoin my island cult quite yet.

3. The Last of Us: Part II

Naughty Dog's recent entry to The Last of Us universe caused quite the uproar back in the summer of 2020. Immediately the internet separated into factions either loving or hating the game, resulting in harsh debates and video commentaries. There is so much this game does right while also kind of lacks in other aspects and I have had my fair share of debates and arguments with friends and people online about it all. What this game does so well is the world-building, I love the universe of the first game it is one of the best world-building games to this date for me. So much love and detail have gone into this universe that it keeps me coming back to revisit. The gameplay is phenomenal, I love how enemies flank, call out, and are aggressive toward the player. I also enjoy just how brutal the animations and combat are for the game. It's not over the top like other games (Mortal Kombat). Each death feels realistic and immersive – I just wish there was more of it.

My main gripe with the game is the narrative decision to sympathize with the villain. Yes, I understand what the writers wanted to do and deliver the theme of "ending the cycle of violence" and "understanding both sides on a matter". And I don't outright hate the new character they introduced to the story, I think she is a decent addition and adds something interesting to the world. However, for me, I feel like that could've been demonstrated in another forum where it did not force the player to play another 10 hours, on top of the 10 already spent, with a character not advertised on the box. Without going into spoilers, this game suffered from a lot of pacing in the latter half and telling rather than showing. Going back to my point about the combat, with the way replay-ability is structured in this game with encounters – it can be difficult to not get bored replaying the same five to six levels for Ellie and not discovering the strategies right away. I plan to play this game again in the future but right now I don't have time to devote another 23 hours into a story I only like 50% of the time.

2. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

If you know me, you know I love Spider-Man especially Insomniac Games' rendition of the character. So why is this my number two of the year? Well first let me discuss the positives of this game, I love swinging around New York in this game with the added air tricks adding another layer to web-slinging. The combat is very fun with the added venom powers that catapult your enemies in a shocking fashion. And of course, the game stars Miles Morales, an Afro-Puerto Rican teenager from Brooklyn now living in Harlem and finding himself as the New York's only Spider-Man while Peter is away. This is such a fun game that I have played through two-three times now.

My gripes with the game are (1) the length of the game and (2) continuity errors around the Manhattan map. The story is only six to seven hours long and doesn't really do anything surprising or unique with Miles which is a real shame. The more interesting parts of Miles' tale are the side missions with the people of Harlem. Interacting with people like Teo and his cat, ASL with Hailey, or helping Caleb and Camila with their stores all add a more personal feel to Harlem and Miles' world. If there was more of that incorporated into the main story, I feel like I would place this story up higher. Also like I mentioned, there are several continuity errors that I am upset about with this game. Now "Spider-Man: Miles Morales" was developed by Insomniac's B-Team as the main team is working on other projects. And while there some things out of their control like licensing rights to certain buildings, other things like buildings that did not appear in the first game and are used for flashbacks annoy me. This game overall was a good interdiction to Miles for general audiences and it was so smart of Sony/PlayStation to launch the PlayStation 5 with this game. But for me, I end up at the end of the day always swinging back to the original game. Maybe it's just my strong attachment with that first game and the memories I had with it.

1. Among Us

Now, this may not count to some seeing it came out in 2018, But 2020 should be the true release date for this game. Prior to the Among Us phase, I saw maybe thirty seconds of this game when it came out in 2018. But now it's one of my favorite games to play with friends. I haven't in a long time played a multiplayer game that made me feel connected with my friends and not simply talking at a party.

The game involves ten spacemen responsible for completing tasks on their spaceship. Meanwhile, there are imposters among them who must kill off the crewmates to win. It is such a fun game that I still find myself playing even after the hype. I think the game is great because it forces you to do many things at once. Completing tasks, lying or trying to gain the trust of your friends, and in some instances witnessing betrayal before your very eyes. The game is so simple, you may not be typing in some fancy code to simply fire a weapon, but it's in its simplicity that it finds enjoyment. The small developer team of 3-4 people deserve the recognition and should be proud of themselves. I cannot wait for more Among Us.