So unlike films and TV, video games have largely been unaffected by the pandemic. This is because most of the work is done from computers which works well for working at home. But of course some things like motion capture development and actually showing off games to people at events such as E3, has caused some delay and people wanting to play the games more so than ever. Then just as things were settling, the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X became a thing and normally when a new console launches they have enough stock. But possibly thanks to the pandemic and bots and scalpers, lots of people (myself included) are finding it difficult to actually buy those consoles. Plenty of games came out and I'm looking at the best ones I've played that were released everywhere this year and on platforms that I personally use. Remakes that are considered very different to the original will be counted, but ports will not. So without delay, let's play some games:
Star Wars: Squadrons
Last year, the dream of many fans wanting to experience the journey of becoming a true Jedi was fulfilled and thus finally put EA in the right direction with their Star Wars games. This year, another fans dream was fulfilled; an experience of flying a TIE Fighter or X-Wing from the comfort of home with enhancements that similar games before it couldn't do at the time. The game follows a story told from both the rebel and Empire perspectives as you navigate the galaxy in the after mentioned spacecraft. It may have a weak story and some other lingering issues, but it's not often that you get a game that takes advantage of VR and joysticks alongside the more traditional controls. Its certainly not something well known in the triple A games world, that's for sure. So overall, a fun experience for fans, but not a perfect one.
Marvel's The Avengers
There is no question that
Marvel's The Avengers was not all as cracked up as we all wanted it to be. I will give the developers credit for trying to replicate the MCU look, but it ultimately made some of the characters look ugly. The story too is nothing new with it being a simple team disband over something only to come back together to face a great threat after some convincing from someone else. Its shining glory came in the form of Miss Marvel whose appearance is the first for a mainstream audience and is seen as her introduction before her own Disney+ series. So yeah not the perfect Avengers game we were hoping for, but still worth playing for nostalgia as well as to have something to do with Marvel Entertainment this year.
Ghostrunner
There is one reason why this game is here. Its because its unlike any game I have played before. Normally I'm used to playing games where I can stop where I like prior to any quick time events, cutscenes or whatever. But with this game, I was out of my comfort zone. Having to keep moving, jumping from platform to platform all while dealing with enemies as I go.
Ghostrunner is a great game that really tests players no matter what player they are whether it be elite, hardcore or even casual. Its quite something this game is.
Cyberpunk 2077
Sure CD Projekt screwed up with this game as it became one of those overhyped, but underdeveloped types of games. I mean after such a fantastic series like The Witcher, most of us were really looking forward to this game only to be disappointed with its bugs and lacking innovation. But it's not a completely bad game and over time just like any other game these days, it will be fixed and updated. Not just that, but soon enough everyone will be able to play it if they didn't buy it before it was recalled. I like how it gives us three different but similar campaigns, how the RPG elements fit in and the open world which goes beyond the main city or town which is something most developers don't do much of in open world games. So yeah give it a chance and some time and who knows, it may be better than it is now over time.
The Last of Us Part II
Kind of ironic isn't it that the sequel much like its predecessor comes out just as it's initial console is coming to its final days before the successor comes along. Doesn't matter though as
The Last of Us Part II is in every way like its predecessor, but much better in terms of design and gameplay. Like the last Uncharted game, it takes advantage of what the PS4 can do and even though it's played in a linear fashion like the first game, some parts have big open world spaces. The story is more of a revenge story this time around instead of a find the cure to save the world story. The story can be a tad predictable at least when the main villain is revealed, but its another great game from Naughty Dog and I look forward to seeing what they make next especially on the PS5.
These are of course just some of the games that came out this year that were really good. I haven't played them all obviously and have still yet to get my hands on a PS5 and Xbox Series console. But these are some of the best ones and if they are buggy at first, wait patiently till developers fix all the problems, and then you may enjoy it far better than you do now.
But before I go, let us remember some of the people who have a connection to gaming who passed away this year:
Robert Anderson - president of Mattel during the Intellivision era
Jenny Esson - a mental health advisor who worked on Hellblade
Keiji Fujiwara - voice actor for many Japanese media but especially Final Fantasy
Sterling Greene - an EA worker from the 1990s
Paul Haddad - voice actor who worked on Resident Evil 2
Kazuhisa Hashimoto - the guy who created the "Konami Code"
Rick May - voice actor who worked on Star Fox and Team Fortress 2 among many other games
Landon Montgomery - a co-founder of Gearbox Software
Sami Vanhatalo - a co-founder of Remedy Entertainment as well as a Finnish games pioneer
Max von Sydow - a voice actor who worked on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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