It took about 15 minutes for me to fall in love with Hades. And thinking about it while writing this makes me want to hop on my horse again and ride through the game’s picturesque world - or maybe even just write another haiku. I was hooked on Ghost of Tsushima all the way to its extremely satisfying ending. The one-on-one sword fighting duels were epic clashes of strategy and skill, made all the more impactful when facing off against characters I once called allies. Jin Sakai’s huge toolkit of skills made taking on hordes of enemies thrilling. (I wrote one about strife that ended with the phrase “shattered, but alive,” which remains my mantra for 2020.) The action was great, too. Writing haikus was genuinely peaceful and meditative. The game’s musical score is one of my favorites of the year. I thought Ghost of Tsushima’s landscapes were stunning. Maybe that lack of expectation is what allowed me to fall so hard.
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In a year full of blockbusters like Animal Crossing and Final Fantasy, it seemed that there was no way that it could match up to those other heavyweights. I didn’t expect to like Ghost of Tsushima as much as I did. The only thing more impressive at this point would be if the sequels are even remotely as good.
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But FFVII Remake succeeded in spite of all of that by nailing every high point it could - the Honeybee Inn sequence stands vivid in my memory - and staying true to the Final Fantasy series by giving us an experience we’ll love looking back on years from now, when its flaws are more easily forgiven and forgotten. The game encompassed just a small fraction of the original, inevitably leading to shoddy pacing, tedious side quests, and an overly linear structure. It’s a modern-day masterpiece, combining what fans loved about the original with a deep and engaging battle system, surprising character depth, incredible music, and a completely out-of-left-field final stretch that promises to shake up the sequels in a big way. That’s not what happened with FFVII Remake. Square Enix hasn’t had the greatest track record over the last decade, letting many of its projects become bogged down by years of overwrought production until the end product feels like a nostalgia-filled compromise. Jon Porterįinal Fantasy VII Remake could have been a disaster. It means you’re never able to lose sight of the game’s smaller details, which is where its best moments are to be found. New Horizons is a game that frequently feels like a chore to navigate.
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I had group chats and Slack channels ablaze with Dodo codes after obscure friends of friends of colleagues found themselves with good prices for Turnips, or just tips for how to catch the bugs available in a given month. There’s always a fossil to dig up, an interesting-looking bug to catch, or a balloon overhead to shoot down.īut what elevated New Horizons to become one of my favorite games of the year was the cultural moment it had. But New Horizons is a game filled with little distractions that mean you can play for hours without ever getting around to it. I always have a vague idea about something I’d like to do, like some bit of my island it’d be nice to touch up, or maybe a fish that’s available to catch this month. For me, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game about pottering.