Games of the Year 2020 - Biggest Disappointment

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Nick: Bounty Battle

In theory, Bounty Battle should have been awesome. Make a Smash Bros-esque fighting game using popular characters from a wide variety of indie titles and let the masses rejoice. Except there was no rejoicing to be had. First the release pushed back multiple times, but even with that extra time to polish things up, Bounty Battle just felt incredibly unpolished. The visuals, the controls, the modes… basically everything after the game’s introductory movie just fell flat. 

Pierre-Yves: Hellpoint

Hellpoint is the second Soulslike or Soulsborne on my list. It had EVERYTHING that it needed to be amazing from dark passageways through a derelict space station to creepy enemies and hordes that could come through once the station rotated in the direction of a black hole. Unfortunately, things just didn't quite click whether it was from hitboxes or just the general lack of impact from certain enemies such as being hit from a massive beast and you wouldn't even flinch or acknowledge the hit until you saw your health tank. I'm hoping to give Hellpoint another try down the line once it's had a bit more work done on it, but unfortunately, for this year, Hellpoint is sitting in this category.

Richard: Is it Wrong to try and pick up girls in the dungeon: Infinite Combate

So, I'm gonna ignore the fact Is It Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in the Dungeon? Familia Myth Infinite Combate essentially has two subtitles and just say that playing this game is time I'll never get back. Very rarely, if ever, have I gotten 100% in a game and hated myself for it. The gameplay is amusing for all of 10 minutes, then just gets repetitive and boring, inventory and weapon shop progression between characters is separated (which is one of the dumbest conscious decisions I've ever seen in video game development), the bonus dungeons were the biggest cop out I've ever seen (and that's saying a lot), and the game is way too short. The main game can be completed in under an hour. As someone who likes the source material (Danmachi), I was pretty excited. Now? Now I'm going to pick through any other titles with a fine tooth comb because of how disappointing this was.

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Games of the Year 2020 - Guilty Pleasure

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Nick: Langrisser I & II 

This updated packaging of the first two Langrisser games was a treat for me. People who have followed the site for years know I am a tremendous fan of Warson (Langrisser I) from the Sega Genesis days. That being said, part two never made it to the US back then, and I had never played it until this release. Updated visuals, improved quality of life, lots of endings and branching story paths made this one a joy for me to get that platinum trophy for. 

Pierre-Yves: Zombie Army 4

If there's one game that I've played the absolute living hell out of (heh... didn't even plan that one) this year it would be Rebellion's Zombie Army 4: Dead War. Continuing from where the original Zombie Army Trilogy left off after the defeat of Zombie Hitler, the gameplay was refined, new systems were put into place and now instead of just having access to an array of weapons you now had that AND perks as well as special abilities to be used on top of weapon modifications to suit your own personal playstyle. While Izzy and I have been through the original Trilogy only once, we've been playing through Zombie Army 4 since over and over and while we are only one trophy away from the Platinum which both Richard and my brother Marc are helping out with, we've also enjoyed the hell out of the expansion content that is being added over time through two season passes so far.

Susan N: Cook, Serve, Delicious 3

I don’t know how I stumbled across the Cook, Serve, Delicious series but I have two of them. Nope. I’m wrong. I was introduced to this title by a friend of mine. I don’t know why I thought this could be fun. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I have worked in fast food. Perhaps I nabbed the title because I thought it would be an interesting change of pace. Or I wanted to see how it would hold up against Overcooked. Who knows? But what I discovered is that Cook, Serve, Delicious 3 is a highly entertaining and fast paced game. Unlike the previous version where players decorate and upgrade their own kitchen, this new installment takes players out of kitchen and into a food truck! That’s right, players have to prep all their dishes before they reach their destination and I love it. Sometimes other food trucks will try to shoot at you (which is an interesting mechanic.) It is a game that I enjoy playing. Weirdly, I find that it helps me focus on the rush and not real life. Cook, Serve, Delicious 3 is definitely my guilty pleasure of 2020.   

Richard: Moero Crystal H

Moero Crystal H is a solid dungeon crawler with a huge cast of viable characters,  some really good battle music, and a super huge post game as well, there's a lot to like about moero crystal H. Ok, the cast might be almost entirely female...and monster girls (sort of...), and you might have to strip them and rub them to require them, but that isn't so bad...right?

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Games of the Year 2020 - Biggest Surprise

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

 

Nick: Fairy Tail 

I really didn’t have much of a history with Fairy Tail before this game, having seen bits and pieces of it in the past and enjoying what I encountered, but that was about it. Despite a rather confusing start to the game (likely due to my relative lack of familiarity with the material), what I did find was a thoroughly enjoyable JRPG that had me wanting to uncover every little nook, cranny and secret along the way. I spent way more time with this one than I had expected to, and enjoyed every minute of it. 

Pierre-Yves: Mortal Shell

Mortal Shell is one of two Soulslikes or Soulsbornes on my lists for this year. Having replayed Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3 while finally getting around to almost Platinuming Bloodborne (FINALLY almost there), I didn't have super high expectations but this was something that blew me away this year. Mortal Shell, instead of relying on RPG mechanics allowing you to just power your way through if you're having a hard time instead forces you to make due with what you have as each Shell that can be occupied can only be slightly upgraded leaving the rest in your hands. It's not the hardest once you get the hand of everything but it was damned fun and with the new types of challenges that it brought to the table there's no way it couldn't have been on this list.

Susan N: Minecraft Dungeons

Okay. I’ll be the first to say it. I’m not a Minecraft fan by any extension. Anyone that knows me knows that I generally don’t play games that have no end goal. This year, Minecraft Dungeons released and I was over the moon about it. Here is a game with all the same graphics and creatures loved by millions of people in all age categories, but now it is packaged in an RPG format. I’m totally here for this specific version of Minecraft because it harkens back to the old Diablo games. (You know, when Diablo was still good…) Players can get gear, battle monsters, and follow an actual story line. Minecraft Dungeons even has a couple of DLCs available for greater challenges and new mobs! This is a Minecraft game I can get behind and I didn’t even see it coming! Thus, it is my biggest surprise of 2020. I didn’t expect there to be a Minecraft that I would like and yet, here we are. 

Richard: Keen: One Girl Army

I'll admit, when I saw Keen: One Girl Army I was like "meh, I like puzzle games, this looks a little lower end, but I guess I'll give it a go". I was pleasantly surprised. The gameplay is smooth, level designs are both intuitive yet challenging, and the bonus objectives were both reasonably yet difficult enough to really add that extra level of challenge for those who want it. Heck, I even got my dad playing it,  and he was having fun.

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Games of the Year 2020 - 2nd Runner Up

 

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

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Nick: Genshin Impact

This is a game that the developers could have easily charged people full AAA price for and it would have been bought up. That it is a free-to-play and so polished is kind of amazing really. The microtransactions are there of course (they need to make some money on it), and they’re pretty unobtrusive as the levels are all accessible right off of the bat. There is a very Breath of the Wild influence at play here, with tons to do over an ever-growing map. The game’s not complete, and I was reluctant to include it on my list because of this, but Chris and I have spent so much time playing it already that even as a living game that will continue to expand, what is here is pretty fantastic.

Pierre-Yves: Undermine

I've been a fan of Roguelikes for a long time. There's just something about the challenge that will either make or break you that I find interesting. With nothing more than your wits and a bit of luck, Undermine captures the magic of a more traditional Roguelike only allowing you to bring back some money in hopes of buying better gear to make your next run through the mines easier. Taking it a step up from that however, and now, instead of just making your life easier by getting new gear, once you do get the new and shiny equipment bonuses to help, the mine itself will start to throw nastier things at you keeping you on your toes at all times. It was brilliant and I'm glad that I had the chance to see what both the Xbox and the PC versions had in store as they weren't quite identical at the time with one coming out of Early Access.

Susan N: Pumpkin Jack

My second runner up is Pumpkin Jack for a couple of reasons. First, it is just an amusing character. Sure, it’s a pseudo 3D platformer that I’m generally terrible at playing, but I had a fantastic time with this title. When I think back on my playthrough of the game, I wickedly laugh at the idea that the skins you can purchase throughout the game were actual skins. From other characters. Thankfully, you don’t see how those skins are acquired. I also was amused at the fact that there were times where Jack had to literally take off his head to complete a couple of puzzles! Overall, the uniqueness of certain elements as well as the biting wit of certain characters places Pumpkin Jack on my list of favorite games from this year.

Richard: Prinny 1 & 2 Exploded and Reloaded

I'll admit, I'm a sucker for side scrolling platformers, Disgaea, and almost anything NISA puts out. But Prinny 1 & 2 came around just as I was thinking "most of the stuff I've played recently is either too easy, or the difficulty is artificial". Yeah, Prinny 1 & 2 will make you cry, but it's an enjoyable cry.

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Games of the Year 2020 - 1st Runner Up

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Nick: Romance of the Three Kingdoms XV 

Over the last several years, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series has gotten away from its more turn-based roots and created a bit of a divide in their fanbase as a result. While I absolutely pine for more turn-based strategy gameplay as well, something about this latest release really clicked with me in a way that the last few did not. For being such a dense strategy game, it was surprisingly easy to pick up, even with the new changes in this release. I found myself restarting multiple times, convinced I could get it perfect the next time around. Of course, that never happens, and that’s the beauty of this series – but boy was it addictive. 

Pierre-Yves: Final Fantasy VII - Remake

I haven't "felt" anything like Final Fantasy VII's remake made me feel in a long time. It was simply brilliant. Having releases on our four day Easter weekend, while in lockdown, I loaded it up on the Friday and finished it by Monday a mere 36 some odd hours later. Now here's the thing with FFVII, it's not even one of my favorite Final Fantasies, it's not even in my top 5, BUT, the remake? it sure as hell has made it up and into that top 5 alongside FFIV, FFVI, Tactics and I'll figure out what actually got booted later. The scripting of the characters, the personality that Cloud finally has making him likable, and that they weren't afraid to start messing with the timeline to make something new while still keeping some familiarity. I've been trying to not go back and replay it again and again as the next time I do will be for a platinum run while on the harder difficulty.

Susan N: Tell Me Why

Dontnod has previously published a number of titles that I’ve enjoyed immensely and Tell Me Why is no different. It is my first runner up because I love the concept of having two siblings who live through a traumatic childhood that reunite years later. One sibling discovers that the other has transitioned. Not only are they dealing with physical and emotional adjustments, but they have to deal with their past in order to move forward. For me, I was drawn to this game because of the publisher, the concept, the characters, and the fact that GLAAD was directly involved in its accuracy.  Tell Me Why is a spectacular and visually stunning game that I absolutely adore. It is gut wrenching and I love it.  

Richard: CrossCode

I don't know how I missed CrossCode when it first came out. The characters are funny, gameplay is solid, and it feels like you're playing an MMO without those annoying other "real" people. If it weren't for the occasional crash or the fact that the plant biology section would freeze the game when looking at it (which I haven't checked to see if they fixed), it would definitely contend for first place.

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Games of the Year 2020 - Top Picks

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Nick: Final Fantasy VII – Remake 

There were a lot of really good remastered releases this year, but Final Fantasy VII was completely remade, and the results were amazing. Admittedly, I would loved to have gotten the full game all at once, and not just part one of three – but what we did get was a beautiful presentation, excellent storytelling and engaging combat that leaves me anxiously awaiting the next installment. The devs took a big chance changing up so much of the original game, but it paid off nicely 

Pierre-Yves: Persona 5 Royal

Picking ONE title over everything that we've either reviewed or played for our own enjoyment over the course of the year isn't easy. So it's with a lot of thought that I finally landed on Atlus' re-working of their already hit Persona 5 with the Royal treatment back in March. Having played most of Atlus' work over the years, and having fallen in love with the Persona series itself from Junpei's leveling up to Teddy's antics, Persona 5 Royal just hit all of the right notes from the social simulators to the various styles of dungeon crawling for that JRPG fix that had been a bit lacking in my life. With a brilliant story that never felt rushed, even near 100 hours later and trying to finish up those trophies I'm still loving this title as I try to both find that damned Reaper and not get one-shot...

Susan N: Spiritfarer

Of the games that I’ve played and reviewed this year, Spiritfarer is the clear winner for game of the year. It is an adventure game with some light platforming. On top of its pleasing graphic, the story of each characters end of days is beautifully depicted. There was more than one occasion where I teared over the passing of a character (particularly Alice and Atul.) Spiritfarer handles the topic of death respectfully and each character represents a family member or friend of the dev team, making the game an amazing tribute to those they love. Furthermore, Spiritfarer is a game that can be played by all ages. Finally, the game is respectful of all players who have different faiths. All in all, Spiritfarer is my favorite title of this year and it shouldn’t be missed. 

Richard: Death End re;Quest 2

When I was looking back at the titles I'd reviewed this year and saw Death End re;Quest 2, I thought "hey, I've only got 3 trophies left to platinum this, and 3 for the first title", so I went back to the first game to finish up the platinum trophies. Now, it had been a while since I played the first title, and good lord were the improvements they made to the battle system readily apparent in the second game. It almost physically hurt to go back to the clunky and oftentimes infuriating things in the first title that were improved so well in the 2nd. Compa certainly does take their gameplay improvements seriously.

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Happy Independence Day 2020!

Hi everyone!

Happy 4th of July to everyone from the states!

See you back here on Tuesday, enjoy your weekend and keep on gaming!

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Happy Canada Day 2020!

Hi everyone!

As about half our team is Canadian we figured we would give them the day off today while our American half will have Thursday.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more reviews but in the meantime start enjoying your summer and keep on gaming!

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Jaggy's Corner - February 28th, 2020

Hello everyone and welcome back to Jaggy's Corner where I discuss various video gaming topics during the week. This time around I'm talking about a player who is now banned from all FIFA events.

I'm, of course, talking about Kurt "Kurt0411" Fenech who was found in violation of EA's code of conduct. The professional esports player, Kurt, repeatedly stated his criticisms about FIFA 20 on his YouTube channel and his Twitch streams. He would engage in rants about the game on Twitter as well. Unfortunately, Kurt ended up on the receiving end of old big and nasty EA play. In fact, EA was so offended by his actions that they even went as far to shut down Kurt's FIFA Ultimate Team account - which he had had for over 10 years - they unloaded numerous copyright strikes to his YouTube channel and attempted to shut down his Twitch channel. After following through on their actions to take Kurt down, EA proceeded to post a press release about their decision to ban the player from all tournaments. (What? Isn't that a little extreme?)

Keep in mind that all of this is happening to a player who is the second most popular player/streamer/content creator of FIFA 20, and not to some random player who thinks they're good at the game. One would think that as a major contributor to the community around the game, that EA might have considered other means of dealing with the situation. But, sadly, this is not the case. EA claimed that Kurt was threatening staff, and without citing any sources, took down as much of the player's content as possible. I think that might have been overstepping their bounds...

But, this isn't where the buck stops when it comes to EA. Earlier on in the year, Donovan "Tekkz" Hunt, another professional player of FIFA 20, mentioned at the FUT Champions Cup in Paris that the game was "unrewarding" and that "games were 50/50." (This information can be found here.) And yet, even though Tekkz has also been critical of the game, he has not received any of the same treatment. Yet this particular player made it into the semi-finals and is part of team Fnatic. I have to question why would one pro player receive extremely harsh punishment and not another? Is it because Tekkz is perhaps less aggressive with his criticisms? Though, if Tekkz keeps up with the criticism, EA might still go after him. Right now though, that is mere speculation.

https://twitter.com/EA/status/1232060677507801091

Now, there are a couple of things that I've also read about the situation. The first is that some EA employees Twitter accounts were hacked following Kurt's ban. Tweets were sent out in support of the player through Twitter, leading EA employees to believe that Kurt, or people in his community, are responsible. (Though I should add that even if he or his community was responsible, that having some basic protections against hacking benefits everyone who uses social media. Basically, everyone. There may not be a full-proof way to do this, but reducing the risk is never a bad thing. And, in this case, if EA's employees accounts were hacked into, I have to question EA employees ability to have security...) The other bit of information I stumbled upon is that earlier today, both Apex Legends and FIFA 20 servers went down due to outages. In fact, this is the second time in less than a month this has happened. To me, while that may not be related, it seems like convenient timing.

So this is what I'm thinking about. I feel like EA's press release was a bad idea for them because they destroyed the reputation of one of their top players without (as far as I can tell) reaching out to him in an attempt to find a resolution. By publishing the press release, not only did EA make Kurt a scapegoat, but they also potentially ruined his life. As such, it feels a lot like a hit piece, which is a published article that aims to smear the name of an individual or company. While to the public the press release seemed like a harsh warning to the community, I see EA's actions as something more - otherwise, why post about it?

But what really perplexes me about the situation is why EA didn't cite proof of Kurt's alleged threats? They nuked any evidence showing the statements / criticisms made by Kurt. If they wanted people on their side, wouldn't they have something to show for it?

Other questions come to mind like why did EA only go after this one player? What does this prove? And don't you guys think that was too much, regardless of how much Kurt may have complained about things that needed to be fixed? We aren't talking about a one-time player here, this is someone who has spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours in that game. He might have SOME useful insight even if he stated his opinions in aggressive ways. And furthermore, if multiple players are experiencing the same issues, wouldn't it have been better to actually listen so that maybe the game could be MORE successful?

I mean, Sports games aren't really my thing, and at the end of the day, this topic isn't something I'm truly passionate about. However, if game companies don't listen to their players, how do they really stand to survive? In this case, I believe that EA is setting an example of what not to do as a billion-dollar company. But that is just my thoughts on the matter.

Until next time peeps!

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