Archile's End of the Year Awards 2020 Part I

  Seems like... we're doing this again!

 This year's tally is.... a grand total of 165 flippin' games, Jesus Christ, when did I get the time to play so many games?! I played a lot of garbage this year, and since my N64's cables are a bit messed up and the screen gets filled with interference I haven't progressed any further. On another note, I almost deleted the blog(Again!) but decided against it, since I really like writing about how I feel about these games. So, I made it easier on myself, these are no longer 'reviews' but 'game entries', so I can be every bit as vague as I want to. Anyways, onto the list which I haphazardly just finished compiling, because, when I decided the blog was gonna go the way of the Dodo I might've deleted all my notes. No bueno, so this list might contain some errors. Hopefully not too many, if any.

==== Gameboy Advance ====

Action Capcom Classics - Mini Mix 7.5

Action Konami Collector's Series - Arcade Advanced 7.0

Licensed/Action Super Duper Sumos 6.0

Action Gunstar Super Heroes 7.5

Adventure Castlevania - Circle of the Moon 8.0

Licensed/Adventure The Scorpion King - Sword of Osiris 7.5

Licensed/Action Power Rangers - Time Force/Power Rangers - Ninja Storm 3.5

Licensed/Action Power Rangers - S.P.D. 4.5

Licensed/Action Power Rangers - Dino Thunder 3.0

Licensed/Action Power Rangers - Wild Force 4.5

Licensed/Fighting Godzilla - Domination! 5.0

Racing Konami Krazy Racers 8.0

Licensed/Adventure Disney's Magical Quest 2 Starring Mickey & Minnie 8.0

Licensed/Action Daredevil 6.5

Licensed/Action Marvel's The Invincible Iron Man 7.5

RPG Shining Soul II 8.0

Licensed/Action X-Men - The Official Game 3.0

Racing Motocross Maniacs Advance 6.5

Adventure Kirby & the Amazing Mirror 5.0

Licensed/Action Disney's Lilo & Stitch(Gameboy Advance) 5.5

Licensed/Action Fantastic 4 5.0

Licensed/Adventure Kong - The 8th Wonder of the World 4.0

Licensed/Adventure Open Season 4.0

Licensed/Other Carebears Care Quest 1.5

Adventure Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time(Gameboy Advance) 3.5

RPG CIMA - The Enemy 2.0

Licensed/Other Franklin the Turtle(Advance) 1.0

===== Nintendo DS ====

Other Professor Layton and the Curious Village 7.0

Other Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box 7.0

Other Professor Layton and the Unwound Future 8.0

Other Professor Layton and the Last Specter 8.0

Licensed/Action Power Rangers Samurai(Nintendo DS) 5.0

Licensed/RPG Avatar - The Last Airbender(Nintendo DS) 7.0

Licensed/RPG Avatar the Last Airbender - The Burning Earth 5.5

Licensed/Fighting Naruto Shippuden - Ninja Destiny 2 6.5

Licensed/Action All Kamen Rider - Rider Generation 2(DS) 7.5

Adventure Lunar Knights 7.0

Other Elite Beat Agents 8.0

Other Super Scribblenauts 8.0

Licensed/Action Naruto: Ninja Council 3 2.5

==== Nintendo 3DS ====

Other Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask 6.5

Licensed/Action Power Rangers MegaForce 2.0

Adventure Yoshi's New Island 7.0

Adventure Sonic - Lost World(3DS) 3.0

RPG Bravely Default 5.5

==== Gamecube ====

Licensed/Fighting Naruto - Clash of Ninja 4.0

Adventure Dragon's Lair 3D - Return to the Lair 4.0

==== Wii ====

Licensed/Adventure Naruto Shippuden Dragon Blade Chronicles 3.0

==== Switch ====

RPG The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt Complete Edition 9.5

Adventure Shovel Knight Treasure Trove 9.5

Action Gunvolt Chronicles - Luminous Avenger iX 8.0

Adventure Blasphemous 8.5

RPG Final Fantasy VII & Final Fantasy VIII Remastered - Twin Pack 10

Licensed/Fighting My Hero One's Justice 2(Switch) 7.0

Fighting Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[CL-R] 9.0

Action Metro Redux(Switch) 8.0

RPG Dragon Quest XI S - Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition 10

Action Contra Rogue Corps 3.0

Action Blazing Chrome 8.0

Adventure Sonic Mania Plus 7.5

Licensed/Action One Piece - Pirate Warriors 4 8.5

Action Streets of Rage 4 8.0

Licensed/Fighting Jump Force Deluxe Edition 4.5

Adventure Call of Cthulhu(Switch) 4.5

Other Donut County 7.0

Other Sayonara Wild Hearts 8.0

Fighting Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection 7.0

Action Dead Cells - Prisoner's Edition 10

Other Panzer Dragon(Switch) 5.5

Licensed/Fighting Naruto Shippuden Ultimate NInja Storm 4 - Road to Boruto(Switch) 7.0

==== Playstation 1 ====

Licensed/Fighting Marvel Super Heroes 3.0

Licensed/Fighting X-men VS Street Fighter 8.0

Licensed/Fighting Marvel Super Heroes VS Street Fighter 8.0

Action Soul of the Samurai 7.5

Action Rising Zan - The Samurai Gunman 8.0

Adventure Blaster Master - Blasting Again 7.5

Licensed/Fighting Marvel VS Capcom - Clash of Super Heroes 9.0

Adventure Ape Escape 8.0

Racing Ridge Racer 2.0

Fighting WWF WrestleMania - The Arcade Game 3.0

Racing Ridge Racer Revolution 4.0

Fighting WWF In your House 3.0

Licensed/Action Batman Beyond - Return of the Joker 2.0

Racing Rage Racer 3.5

Licensed/Adventure Gold and Glory - The Road to El Dorado 1.5

Racing R4 - Ridge Racer Type 4 8.0

Action Loaded 6.5

Fighting Dead or Alive 8.5

Other Trick'N Snowboarder 7.0

Adventure Dino Crisis 7.0

Action Dino Crisis 2 8.5

Fighting Digimon Rumble Arena 5.0

Adventure Pac-man World 7.5

Other Trap Gunner 6.0

==== Playstation 2 ====

Licensed/Action Biker Mice from Mars 3.0

Other Sega Classics Collection 8.0

Licensed/Action Mobile Suit Gundam - Journey to Jaburo 5.0

Adventure Shadow of Destiny 7.5

Action Rune Viking Warlord 7.5

Racing Ridge Racer V 8.0

Licensed/Adventure Garfield - Lasagna World Tour 4.5

Racing R - Racing Evolution 6.0

Licensed/Adventure Spongebob Squarepants - Battle for Bikini Bottom 8.0

Other Aggressive Inline 6.5

==== Playstation 3 ====

Licensed/Action Star Wars - The Force Unleashed 6.5

Licensed/Action Star Wars - The Force Unleashed II 7.0

Action TimeShift 7.0

Adventure Remember Me 6.0

Action Dark Void 7.0

Fighting Ultra Street Fighter IV 9.0

Racing Ridge Racer 7 8.5

Adventure The Legend of Spyro - Dawn of the Dragon 5.5

Adventure Tomb Raider Underworld 5.5

Fighting WWE All-Stars 7.5

Action Dead Space 9.0

Action Dead Space 2 Limited Edition 9.0

Action Dead Space 3 7.0

Licensed/Action Deadpool 5.5

Action Dante's Inferno 7.5

Licensed/Adventure The Simpsons Game 4.0

==== Playstation 4 ====

Licensed/RPG Dragon Ball Z - Kakarot 8.0

Other Life is Strange 7.5

Action The Yakuza Remastered Collection 10

Licensed/Fighting Saint Seiya - Soldiers' Soul(Playstation 4) 6.0

Licensed/Action Fist of the North Star - Lost Paradise 8.0

Action Assassin's Creed Chronicles 6.0

RPG Final Fantasy VII Remake 8.0

Licensed/Fighting My Hero One's Justice 2(PS4) 7.0

Other A Way Out 8.0

Action DOOM(2016) 8.5

Adventure Assassin's Creed Unity 8.0

RPG Trials of Mana(Playstation 4) 9.5

Adventure Ghost of Tsushima 8.0

Action Killzone Shadow Fall 7.5

Action Judgment 8.5

Licensed/Fighting Marvel VS Capcom Infinite 7.5

Other Onrush 7.0

Adventure Assassin's Creed Syndicate 7.0

Other Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS - MaxiBoost ON 10

Other Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 2.0

Other Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 8.5

Action Resident Evil 3(2020) 8.0

Other Remothered - Tormented Fathers 7.0

Adventure The Sinking City 5.0

Other Until Dawn 7.0

Action The Evil Within(Playstation 4) 9.0

Adventure Bloodstained - Ritual of the Night(Playstation 4) 8.5

Other Remothered - Broken Porcelain 1.5

Fighting Mortal Kombat XL 9.0

RPG Assassin's Creed Origins 8.0

Licensed/Other Black Clover - Quartet Knights 6.0

Licensed/Adventure Marvel's Spider-man - Game of the Year Edition 8.5

Licensed/Action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mutants in Manhattan(Playstation 4) 7.0

Licensed/Fighting J-Stars Victory Vs+(Playstation 4) 3.5

Adventure Danganronpa Another Episode - Ultra Despair Girls(Playstation 4) 6.0

Licensed/Adventure Batman - Arkham Knight 7.5

Fighting Garou - Mark of the Wolves 9.0

==== PSP ====

Other Crazy Taxi - Fare Wars 6.5

==== Playstation VITA ====

Action Call of Duty Black Ops - Declassified 4.0

Action Freedom Wars 6.0

RPG Ray Gigant 6.5

Fighting Mortal Kombat(Vita) 8.5

Adventure Oddworld Abe's Oddysee - New 'n' Tasty(Vita) 6.0

Racing Ridge Racer(Vita) 5.0

Action Killzone Mercenary 8.0

RPG Ys - Memories of Celceta 7.5

 Best Action Game: Beat'em up of 2020:
 Once again, I played a TON of action games this year, and unlike this year, I saw fit to divide this category into shooting based games and hack-and-slash/Beat'em up kind of action games. This subdivision is certainly my favorite.

5) Streets of Rage 4

 Well, can't say I was much of a fan at first, but the more I played it and learned its intricacies... the more I liked it. The fighting engine is snappy and fun, and it's a great revival of a classic series.

4) One Piece - Pirate Warriors 4

 I said it way back when I first played Pirate Warriors 3, but if there's one license that is a perfect fit for the Warriors games, it's One Piece. This Switch port runs very well and looks quite good, and I spent quite a lot of time playing this one.

3) Judgment

 If there's one studio that has yet to disappoint me it's the Ryu Ga Gotoku Team. Judgment is a brilliant spin-off, it has one of the most interesting stories they've yet told, and the new cast of characters is a loveable bunch. The fact that none of them are as tough as the guys from Yakuza means that watching them work together and struggle is much more exciting.

Runner-up) The Yakuza Remastered Collection

 But what's even better than one Yakuza game? THREE of them. I could tell you about how Yakuza 5 is the biggest Yakuza game, with the most developed combat system. I could tell you why I find Yakuza 4 so damn good to this day. But I'll just keep it at this: ever since I first played Yakuza 4 I've been in love with the series, and these games have yet to disappoint, as they tell these brilliant(and sometimes goofy) crime stories, filled with plot twists ON the plot twists, as well as likeable heroes and dislikeable villains, having mastered the ability to make even the most mundane actions feel exciting and eventful.

Winner) Dead Cells: Prisoner's Edition

 I played this game a few years ago and I instantly fell in love with it. These new additions, now found on-cart, make that fantastic game EVEN better. Few games feel so GOOD just to control as this one, and it's addictive nature makes it easy to play over and over and over again, since, if you play things right, you'll always be making progress towards unlocking something new. A new weapon, a new power, a new costume. And unlocking stuff feels nice, trying out stuff feels great, and since drops are pretty much random, you'll be trying out different things on your numerous playthroughs, which is great as it keeps things fresh. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the best games of the last generation of videogames.

 Best Action Game: Shooting of 2020:
 Th other half of the Action game category, I'm somewhat surprised by how many shooters or shooting-based action games I played this year. Although, to be fair, I'm including a few Survival Horror titles, since they didn't get a category award of their own.

5) Dino Crisis 2

 You thought Resident Evil 6 was a betrayal? Guess you haven't played Dino Crisis 2! For whatever reason, for this title Capcom decided to shift gears into full shooting action, feeling more like a full-fledged version of RE3's Mercenaries Mode than anything else. And it works. It works REALLY well, killing dinos while aiming for point multipliers so that you can buy new stuff feels really good. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded more games like this one.

4) DOOM(2016)

 I'm not really the biggest fan of DOOM, even though I have played most games in the series, and while I wasn't the biggest DOOM(2016) fan out there either, I won't deny that this game is pure quality. These arena-based no-reloading first person shooters have pretty much disappeared, so getting a new one is always refreshing, particularly if you grew up in the 90s. This game is no exception, with a pretty smooth framerate and shooting arenas that just won't let up, albeit without completely forgetting about the key-collecting that made DOOM famous in the first place makes it one fantastic voyage into simpler times, while under a very modern coat of paint. I dig it.

3) Dead Space 2

 I can't believe it took me THIS long to get into the Dead Space series, but man, what a saga! Dead Space 2 is a big-budget take on the original game, featuring a much more polished gameplay, more variety in its environments as well as a ton of exciting action set-pieces that keep your blood pumpin'. There's something about Resident Evil 4 inspired third-person action games that, when they nail it, they feel SO good to play.

Runner-up) Dead Space

 At first I had trouble deciding how to place both Dead Space games, but what edged out Dead Space 1 for me was its charm. There's a LOT of charm to the game, and what it lacks in variety it more than makes up for in its atmosphere. The fact that the entire game takes place inside a ship makes the set-up a bit more suffocating, as well as being a better tribute to this kind of horror stories. And while the next few games make this one seem a bit rough around its edges, everything works really well, the game could've been scary.... if only you weren't having so much fun.

Winner) The Evil Within(Playstation 4)

 I really don't care about what reviewers and fans had to say at the time, The Evil Within was, and still is, one of my favorite Survival Horror games ever made, and I'm so happy that people are finally noticing how good it really is. It marries the things I love the most from Resident Evil, it's gunplay, alongside what I like the most about Silent Hill, it's psychological horror, to create a game that feels like the next evolution of Resident Evil 4.

 Best Fighting Game of 2020:
 Remember when this one used to be my favorite videogame genre? I do. I can still appreciate these games, which I guess goes to show that my fighting game flame still lives on, because believe it or not, this is still a rather niche genre.

5) Marvel VS Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes

 This game gets a lot of flak for what it isn't: A straight port of the Arcade game, I've even seen a few reviews claiming that Capcom shouldn't even have bothered. And then there's me, able to appreciate this game for what it is: A different take on the Arcade classic. I think that as a one-on-one fighter it still works really well. Sure, the loading times are downright awful, but the game is still chaotic fun, and they kept 'partner' characters as summons, which has gotta count for something. I'm not saying that this game is as good as the original, but I'm saying that it's good on its own merits.

4) Mortal Kombat XL

 Mortal Kombat has changed a lot since its very humble beginnings, and XL is as good as it's ever gotten(At least as far as I've played, just lemme get to 11!). The production values are through the roof, this game reeks of money. The Story Mode is fantastic and looks just like a movie, Netherrealms shows that they are working hard to improve on their character models and animations, even if they aren't quite there yet, and the amount of content here is staggering. I just wish they wouldn't lock content behind online modes.

3) Ultra Street Fighter IV

 This is the culmination of Street Fighter IV, the game that made fighting game popular again. People claim that it revived the genre, but... what are they smoking? Mortal Kombat? Guilty Gear? Tekken? They never went away! But I digress, while this game was made as a last ditch effort to try to make up for all the money they lost with SF X T, it's still Street Fighter IV, and it's as good as always. While I'm not the biggest fan of the newcomers, they still represent more options for players to take.

Runner-up) Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late[CL-R]

 In what can only be considered a parody of Square Enix's bizarre titles, Under Night is one of the best new fighting games available. It features solid mechanics built around momentum, as well as a very original cast of characters, both in looks and gameplay. And, for whatever reason, it plays really well on Switch, I didn't whiff many of my super and special inputs, unlike with Street Fighter on Switch.

Winner) Garou: Mark of the Wolves

 I just got this game today, and I already finished the Story Mode with every character, but no, I don't need more time to simmer with this game, because I'm very familiar with Garou, also known as one of my favorite fighting games of all time. To be fair, by today's standards it's a bit lacking in content, which is fair, but considering WHEN it was made, and how it has aged like fine wine, I think we can let that slide.

 Best Racing Game of 2020:
 For someone that didn't care about the genre, I sure have started playing a lot of racing games in the last few years! But heck, I also broadened my horizons with the survival horror genre. Regardless, and spoilers, this category is pretty much made up entirely of Ridge Racer. What can I say? It's a great series!

5) Konami Krazy Racers

 While I'm pretty sure I could've come up with a better character roster, this games shines because it plays so well. Among Mario Kart clones, of which I've played quite a few, this is easily one of the best, which is the highest praise I can give it.

4) R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

 The first few entries in the Ridge Racer series were very fun to play, except maybe Rage Racer, but there was always this small lingering problem: No content, no multiplayer, no nothing. This game fixes EVERYTHING, featuring a decent amount of racers, a serviceable amount of tracks, multiplayer, analog stick control and, best of all, it keeps the gameplay as FANTASTIC as the previous games were. And if that wasn't enough, it comes with a bonus disc full of goodies, including a 60FPS semi remake of the original Ridge Racer. Pretty nifty!

3) Outrun(Sega Classics Collection

 Well, it's not Outrun 2006, but Outrun is still a classic, and this very basic 3-D remake is really good. It plays as good as the original, as far as I could tell, and the new 3-D graphics are very pretty, making for a very chilled experience.

Runner-up) Ridge Racer V

 I had a rocky start with this one, I just wasn't having much fun... until I tried another type of car, and then I got into the groove of things and everything clicked. It has a good amount of cars and tracks, it looks REALLY nice and the gameplay is as good as ever. Basically, exactly like R4, but prettier.

Winner) Ridge Racer 7

 Ridge Racer 7 did some tweaks to the formula, adding Turbos, and.... it worked SO well. I don't think the Ridge Racer formula was in need of changing or anything, but they did... and it worked out. This game is so entrancing that at its best it reminded me of how I felt when I really got into Outrun 2006. Getting good in this game is rewarding, getting the drifting into turbos right is a reward in and of itself.

 Best RPG of 2020:
 I still wish to call this my favorite genre, but.... I think the action genre has firmly taken its place! Regardless, I played quite a few. Some were surprisingly good, while others were very disappointing... regardless, I'm here to celebrate the best I played this year.

5) Final Fantasy VII Remake

 I was rather optimistic about this game, Square managed to convince me that they were, somehow, gonna knock it out of the park despite bloating the first 5-6 hours of the game into a 30 hour game. There's a lot of things I liked about it, and a few things I HATED about it. The pretentious pseudo-sequel thing they did was so misguided and idiotic, but.... They really fleshed out every main character, sans Red XIII, featured in the game. Even some secondary characters got turned into very likeable characters. The new combat system was really fun, it feels more like a beat'em up than a proper RPG, but boss fights really made the game quite memorable. So, yeah, it wasn't what I wanted, but overall its good parts outweigh the bad ones.

4) Trials of Mana

 Thankfully, for their other 2020 remake, they went for a beat-by-beat remake of another one of my favorite RPGs of all time... and this time, they knocked it out of the park. Everything that was so good about the original, namely the story and the three-character party set up, was kept exactly the same, but they revitalized the combat into something way more fun than the original could've hoped to be. I think this game is so good, that it could very well take the place of the original, as you get the same experience but with better gameplay.    

3) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition

 A bit unstable and a bit blurry, but this game plays really well on Nintendo's hybrid handheld console. Setting aside the fact that this is a brilliant downscaled port, I had never played a Witcher game before, but boy, oh boy was it a treat. I loved how the sidequests could end up on grey and gray morality choices, and even though sometimes there weren't any consequences of importance, the sidequest itself was the treat. I clocked over 140 hours on this cart, and I didn't get bored not even once, which is not something I can say about other games I've sunk over 100 hours in.

Runner-up) Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition

 A brilliant JRPG that keeps it close to its roots, it's very retro and classic in its approach, but the art design and the graphics make everything look gorgeous. I'm usually against mute heroes, but this is one of those games that managed to make it work, somehow. Probably because the entire cast of characters is just so interesting, and the story never lets up.

Winner) Final Fantasy VII & Final Fantasy VIII Remastered Twin Pack

 You mean to say that I can play my favorite game of all time, the game that means the most to me, anywhere, anytime on the palms of my hand? I mean... of course, this is my game of the forever.

Best Adventure: Platforming Game of 2020:
 Well, another category I divided into two, this subcategory of Adventure games focus on the more Platformer games, where jumping around is what matters most.

5) Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

 Ah yes, the one Metroidvania I was missing, and the one I hadn't finished before. Well, it's not as good as the others, buuuuuuut it's still a phenomenal game. It's tough, but fun, and it features an interesting take and sets on classic monsters of the series. If anything, there's absolutely no going wrong with any Castlevania entry on Nintendo's handheld consoles.

4) Disney's Magical Quest 2 Starring Mickey & Minnie

 Another fantastic entry in Capcom/Disney's collaboration, and another entry in the underrated Magical Quest series. It doesn't change much since the last game, but it really didn't need to, its simplicity is part of its charm, but it also features a new set of costumes with new abilities to play with.

3) Blasphemous

 It's not the prettiest game around, but it sure is fun. I wasn't too sure of what I was getting into, while I knew it was inspired by the Soul Series, I didn't know that it would also have Metroidvania-ish elements. It's fun to play, and it's twisted religious imagery gives it a very original look entirely of its own.

 Runner-up) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night(Playstation 4)

 A lot's been said about Bloodstained, but here is the skinny: It's one of the best Metroidvania's Igarashi has ever produced, it's also the largest one, a bit to its detriment since it can feel a bit bloated near the end. Regardless, anyone into Metroidvania's should give this one a try, and this PS4 version is way more stable than the Switch version.

Winner) Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

 I'm almost disappointed I didn't get into Shovel Knight earlier. Almost, because otherwise I wouldn't have gotten all four games, plus the bonus fighter, in this one cart. Shovel Knight is sheer platforming perfection, and this version includes all four campaigns, featuring their own mechanics, gimmicks and, sometimes, even their own unique levels. No wonder Shovel Knight is one of the most beloved indie darlings out there.

Best Adventure Game of 2020:
 Now here we have proper adventure games, mostly open-world games, or games that while jumping is a key mechanic, it isn't necessarily the focus of the game.

5) Batman Arkham Knight

 Not Arkham's finest outing, not by a long shot, but there's no denying that Rocksteady knew what they were doing, and they have created Batman's best videogames by far. Your mileage may vary on the quality of the script and on how much potential they wasted, but man, it feels good to be the Bat, and while the new Batmobile sequences are a bit tacked on, I think they are a decent break of pace.

4) Ape Escape

 It's neat seeing how this franchise started, heck, it was great from the get go! It's a bit more rough around the edges, and a bit more challenging than its sequel, but it's almost as much fun. Sony would do well to bring this series back. But I digress, even for a PS1 game they didn't keep things small, with large, interesting environments filled with quirky monkeys ready to be captured.

3) Assassin's Creed Unity

 This game has an awful reputation.... but I didn't come across any major bug like the ones it was oh so harshly criticized for. It quite clearly appeals to AC II nostalgia, and I'm not ashamed to admit that it worked on me, which is probably one of the reasons I enjoyed it as much as I did. That said, they might've gone a bit overboard with the amount of worthless collectibles, this might've been the first AC game I gave up on collecting everything!

Runner-up) Ghost of Tsushima

 Well, firstly... don't be deceived, Ghost of Tsushima is not all that different than your average Assassin's Creed game. Thankfully, it's among the better AC clones, it features a pretty decent combat system that makes fights exciting, as well as cool gadgets and armors. A huge part of what makes the game so good is, believe it or not, something as superficial as its graphics. But hey, traversing the world of Ghost of Tsushima is so pleasant thanks to all the eye candy you come across.

Winner) Marvel's Spider-man: Game of the Year Edition

 While I don't think this game has the best swinging mechanics in Spider-man games, they are still pretty close to the best and it succeeds by tying them with fantastic combat, an engaging plot and a gorgeous recreation of New York. There's a lot of new takes on classic costumes, adding ton of details to make them more realistic, as well as some really good interpretations of classic characters. It was the best open world game I played this year, with solid basic gameplay mechanics, and a decent amount of side content that wasn't filled with worthless junk.... for the most part.

Best Licensed Game of 2020:
 As per usual, same disclaimer as every year... these aren't necessarily the top scoring games, but rather, games that did their licensed justice. I mean, sometimes it's as easy as just being a good game, but other times, mediocre games can get into the ranking because of how well they did justice to their license.

5) The Simpsons Game(Playstation 3)

 Speaking of mediocrity, we've The Simpsons Game. It really wasn't very fun, but, and this is a H U G E  but, the game included a decent script written by the show's very own authors at the time, as well as a ton of exclusive animation made exclusively for the game. If that's not fanservice I don't know what is.

4) Black Clover: Quartet Knights

 Another game that wasn't particularly good, and one that I'm not even a fan of the series it's based off, but one that I felt had a few things going for it. For starters, it has a ton of new exclusive footage. It's very poor quality animation, but hey, it's exclusive to the game. Plus, it's also pretty original, being an arena team-based versus game and not just another arena fighter, and one that seems to work particularly well!

3) Disney's Magical Quest 2 Starring Mickey & Minnie

 As previously stated, another brilliant entry made in the 90s, back when Capcom and Disney worked more closely together. Mickey's games are pretty hit or miss, but this series has been nothing but hits. Hopefully I can get my hands on the third entry in 2021.

Runner-up) Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

 I've always been a sucker for games that try to recreate its source material in 3-D, which is why Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 1 is so close to my heart. With Kakarot they managed to recreate the entire story of DBZ in this little package. The one big problem with the game is how buggy it is, nothing absolutely game breaking, but many quests couldn't be completed which was a bit annoying. Still, the brunt of the game works fine, which is what really matters, and they created a simple, but fun, combat system to compliment this fantastic recreation of Dragon Ball Z. 

Winner) Marvel's Spider-man: Game of the Year Edition

 While I don't think they quite managed to get Mary Jane right, they did get everyone else right. This is one of the best Spider-man games out there, if not the best, because it's a pretty accurate representation of the character, while having some original elements of its own that don't feel out of place. The fact that it's also a fantastic game is the cherry on top.

Best Other Game of 2020:
 The category where games that are hard to categorize fall into, as well as a few games of genres that didn't have enough entries to feature their own category award.

5) Professor Layton and the Last Specter

 I finally got into Professor Layton, and I would've played the entire series.... if only Covid hadn't happened. I'm still waiting for my Azran Legacy cart, but I'm not sure if it was lost or stolen on its way to my country.... Lamentations aside, this was my favorite Layton game. I wasn't too keen on a prequel, but young Luke grew on me, and Layton's other assistant... was a nice addition to the crew! And if you look beyond the script, we've got the addition of London Life, a fully fledged 'mini' game included into the cart. Not a bad deal!

4) A Way Out

 The bad news: You can't play this game by yourself. The good news: If you get another player, this is one of the most interesting co-operative games I have played. It's a decent crime thriller in which you play as two unlikely allies go break out of jail to take vengeance on this one guy. It's not the most original of stories, but the way both players have to co-operate to get to the end is very entertaining. Situations such as having to chisel out a toilet while the other players works as a scout, so that they don't get caught. It's really good.

3) Sayonara Wild Hearts

 I'm not really into rhythm games, probably because I've no rhythm myself, but Sayonara Wild Hearts really capture my... wild heart. Fantastic soundtrack, and some impossibly cool animations that makes you feel like a badass as you play through a surprisingly captivating narrative.

Runner-up) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2

 Having played through pretty much every major console release of Tony Hawk games, I know that I much prefer the games that came after 3... which goes to show just how good this game is, that it managed to catch my attention so well. I think the fact that they included most of the moveset expansions from future games really helped make me feel at home, as pulling off combos with so much freedom is one of the reasons I like the series so much. It's a fantastic return to form for the series, and they got pretty much everything right.

Winner) Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS. Maxi Boost ON

 Japanese games and their weird titles, can't live with them, can't live without them. THIS is the game I've been waiting for throughout so many years. THIS is the Gundam VS game Namco should've released on PS4 from the get go. Every bit as fun as I remembered, but now with even MORE suits, the combinations are endless. Maybe my love for this franchise has diminished a bit. Or maybe I have so many games in my back log I need to get to that I can't spent so much time on this ONE game, whichever the case, I still had a blast playing this one, and I wish I could've spent more time on it

Most Surprising Game of 2020:
 Well, here come the games that surprised me the most, in a good way, this year.

5) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition

 Well... there's a reason The Witcher 3 has such a good rep, which is why my surprise wasn't a s big. But I wasn't expecting I was gonna get so sucked in in its world, or that I'd be looking for any moment I cold squeeze in some time with this game.

4) Blaster Master: Blasting Again

 I first purchased this game a few years ago, I think. I popped in the disc, played about 10 minutes and decided it was hot garbage. And I knew that I'd have to play it one day. I sighed. Come this year, and I decided that it's time to get this disc out of my backlog.... Turns out it was a flippin' decent adventure game. Once I gave myself time to get used to how it looked and played I found a very fun game.

3) Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

 Once again, I knew the game had a good reputation, but I didn't really care about it. I think I just wanted its amiibos, because they looked good, and decided to get the game because it'd make no sense to own the amiibos for a game I didn't own. And... well.... turns out these games were fantastic, and even though I thought they weren't my jam.... they were EXACTLY my jam.

Runner-up) Shadow of Destiny

 I've known about this game since like forever, since at the time in which it was still a new release I still purchased gaming magazine and came across many ads for the game. I've always been mildly interested in it, but lo and behold, this was the kind of game I loved. Y'know, quirky characters, behaving in odd ways, but played completely straight. The early PS2 looks just seals the deal for me.

Winner) Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom

 I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready for a top-notch platformer hiding behind an IP I really don't care about. But here we are, a fantastic game that I would've normally avoided because it featured Spongebob. Luckily, I was convinced that Spongebob had some decent PS2 games, so I might've purchased... a few of them.

Most Disappointing Game of 2020:
 Well, here come the games that surprised me the most, in a bad way, this year. In this case, all these games were heartbreakers....

5) Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

 Kirby is one of my favorite games on the Gameboy Advance, looks great, plays great, tons of extras. That, this sequel being a Metroidvania and the fact that this game is rather expensive made me think I was gonna get a winner.... but nothing works very well in this game. It's also lacking any meaningful extras. I don't know, I'll stick to Nightmare in Dreamland.

4) Bravely Default

 Oh boy... I really wanted to like this one. Everyone was calling it a return to form for Square....  but it was boring and grindy and repetitive. I really wanted to like it, I really, really did....

3) CIMA: The Enemy

 Ough....  Look at the cover. Heck, look at any in-game screenshot. Heck, even some videos might fool you into thinking that this is a bonafide RPG. The fact that it expensive only adds to it. But it's a boring lemmings-like game, with puzzles in which it seems like there's no way to solve them without taking damage. The plot is cringy, the characters are dumb and there's absolutely no redeeming quality to the game. Maybe its cover.

Runner-up) Sonic: The Lost World(3DS)

 I've always been a Mario Kid, so it's rare for a Sonic game to catch my eye. But this one did. And I played the demo, and it was SO good. And then I got the game and I hated it. It plays like hot garbage, and I thought there was no way I could be disappointed any further....

Loser) Remothered: Broken Porcelain

 Remothered: Tormented Fathers sorta took me by surprise. It was clearly made on a budget, but... but it was so good in so many ways. I was left with such a good impression from that game, that I got the sequel as soon as I could, and instead of waiting until October of the next year, I played it right then and there. And it was SO bad, filled with bugs, both big and small. And, y'know what, I endured. I endured through all of them... until I got to a part that CAN'T BE FINISHED. So I did what I hate to do and downloaded the patch and... IT'S STILL BROKEN. THE GAME CAN'T BE BEATEN. Jesus Christ, how could they screw this up so badly?