WHOA BOY IT'S THE NEW YEAR.
Hello everyone, and welcome to 2021! We didn't explode at 12:01 AM, and Nomura didn't play a Kingdom Hearts and made it 2020.05 or something weird like that. We're here, and with a new year comes new games, and looking back on the games we played in 2020 and what we enjoyed or not.
To cut straight to the chase here, this little list I'm giving is my favorite game narratives of 2020! Please note this list will include games that came out in 2020 that I did play in 2021, and games I started last year that I am still playing, AND games that didn't come out in 2020 that I did play and love so much. So ya know, don't throw me on a pike or anything please thank you.
(Also the list isn't in any order SO OKAY HERE WE FINALLY GO)
Starting with number 1...
#1 - Darksiders Genesis (Xbox One)
The characterization of two characters previously, especially War, given pretty much little to no characterization is so incredibly endearing. There is optional scenes where you get little cutscenes of War and Strife discussing their past and how it's changed them, and seeing the two characters honestly act like siblings, let it be serious or joking moments (which are some of the best in this title) is so refreshing and honestly makes you question what in your brain is making you love some of the Horsemen of the apocalypse.
A lot of this is also put on the voice actors as well, both Liam O'Brien (War) and Chris Jai Alex (Strife) bring these characters to life way beyond what is normally given in a top down shooter/RPG. They make little sprites burst with character and humor, and the comic book style-cutscenes done by Powerhouse animation (Castlevania) are so fun and lively. Completely fit for the style the games were meant to be, anyway.
My only downside with Genesis is how much the characterization is seemingly lost as you get to the other games in the series. And while there is story reasons for War, Strife not having much of an impact save for a smaller role in Darksiders 3, is super disappointing. Honestly, it makes me incredibly hopeful that Airship Syndicate is working on the next mainline title once they done with the League game their working on (which let's be fair, I sadly don't care about)
#2 - Final Fantasy 7 Remake (PS4)
So even though this title came out like, way at the beginning of that hell year, it's so hard to talk about because I still don't think you should spoil yourself on the FF7 Remake. A lot of my love for the story it's diversions honestly comes from the fact I am a huge Kingdom Hearts fan. Diverging something people know by heart is a way to either throw people completely off of whatever your working on or instantly drawing them in, and I can totally say I am in the latter. Especially with the way FF7 Remake ended and what it was leading into .
Seeing all the original characters be turned into (much more 3D) polygons and actual people was so much fun, and witness characters like Jessie and Biggs be given honest personalities and fun characters who I personally cared for all through the title. With Nomura's many...talents (oh god I use this word lightly) I find it incredibly admirable how he can take side characters and make fundamentally more important then we put them out to be. This is done so much in the KH franchise, and easily be seen in the latter two characters of the Remake.
Thinking back on the Remake as I write this, I'm curious to know which of the two groups are going to enjoy remake the most as it continues. Will the original fans love the detour the story is taking, or will they hate the complete disregard for canon they appear to be doing? On the flipside, will those who have never played the original be okay with the canon changing so heavily, or will it cause them to seek out the original if they haven't already?
Can't wait to find out!
Also someone please let Nomura sleep, god.
#3 - Call of Duty Cold War (PS5)
Alright everyone, hear me out here. Call of Duty campaigns have been incredibly hit or miss in the past, (looking at you whatever the fuck Black Ops 3 was) but recently, as in Modern Warfare 2019 (an amazing retelling of the original title) and this one here, Cold War, has completely changed that. Cold War is honestly one of the best 80s spy thrillers I have had the pleasure of witnessing, and all the credit goes to Treyarch's writing team. Call of Duty has been, recently, trying to have it's story run by well-rounded characters and stories that hit you in the heart way more then the 'bang bang shoot shoot' mentality it's always held, and Cold War is a great example of this.
While this isn't the first CoD to allow you to pick your character's gender, it is the first to give much more control of how you experience the narrative. From side quests to character dialogue options as you talk to your squad in between missions, finding out more about their backstories and how they relate to you. While the campaign is very short (for me, it took around 6-7 hours, that was completing every side missions and story) and I really, really wanted more, it stayed around long enough that I have continually thought about replaying it since then.
The one thing that's always interested me in Call of Duty campaigns is how cinematic they have become, not just in their cutscenes (which are a huge standout in this entry) but in their comparisons to other films. Surprisingly, I saw a lot of Jacob's Ladder in Cold War, so much so I would be infinitely curious to know if they did take some things from that film. Once again, an interesting choice as the film was an anti-Vietnam and MK Ultra art piece, both things Cold War handles very heavily...
#4 - Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4/PS5)
I was very hesitant to put Cyberpunk on this list. Which, sounds odd, as I am enjoying the hell out of the experience I am currently having. Yes, a reason for this is because I am not done with the game, though in recent works and *cough* due to recent unemployments *cough* I have had the time to sit down and just take in Night City and gradually fall in love with it as I have been. But it's also because of frankly, a lot of the bullshit CD Projekt has been spitting to it's customers. Let's not beat around the bush, the game is broken. It's not a finished product and that sucks. We could also go on about the company's transphobic remarks and comments, but this list isn't for that, and there has been so many other amazing people who have discussed that in great detail. Highly recommend seeking those out.
But here, I ended up putting Cyberpunk on this list because of how engrossed I have become in my V. The background I have given her in my head, the way she interacts with characters, the way her and Johnny's relationship has divulged from hatred due to my early dialogue options to hesitant, but mutual friendship between the two. It was honestly so refreshing and really fun to watch grow, even though there is still some scenes where you can tell the tension between the two. A lot of the chemistry I can chock up to both Keanu Reeve's and Cherami Leigh's (the female V voice acter ) acting throughout the scenes. Cherami gives V such emotion and pain throughout the whole story, and the sarcasm she gives is so much fun, while Keanu makes Johnny Silverhand a character you hate with all of your passion, only for you to fall in love with him as the game goes on.
The story, following V as you try to help the cyber-ghost of a fading rockstar and try to save yourself in the process, is a story that lives on it's tropes. But the way Cyberpunk handles it, which interwoven deeper narrative and plots from the original pen and paper game, creates a story that is rich in detail and history and rewards you for picking different dialogue options with the knowing that whatever option you pick, you are guaranteed to get a V that is responding in a way you can see yourself. It's hard for open worlds to do this, but Cyberpunk is one of the first open worlds I have played where I feel like *I am* V.
Not, you know, counting the hair style I've had way before the game PLEASE GUYS BELIEVE ME.
#5 - The Last of Us Part 2 (PS4)
Following the events of the last game, Part 2 focuses on Ellie as she's on a cross-country road trip out to get revenge for the death of a Joel. Following Ellie's journey, you see her spiral down the wrong path and realize, when it's too late, who she had become. Through that, we see Ellie through her PTSD of both Joel's death and the deaths and injury of more of her loved ones. We also see how others treat her with her PTSD, and as someone who went most of my life undiagnosed, and having people tell you what your feeling is just 'nerves' or such as that, it hit me incredibly hard. I am very lucky now to have a support system, but I can truly understand what Ellie is going through. When she accepts her trauma, she believes getting revenge is the only way to make it go away, which it isn't.
While the last half of the game is handled in such a weird, heavy handed way to me, the rest of the experience, also including Abby's segments in a huge degree, was so memorable to me. The way Part 2 handles it's main characters, to be honest in a way most games are scared to, by making you understand that what the main character we see as a hero is doing is extremely villainous and becoming everything she wasn't supposed to, is incredibly hard to watch and even more to play through. Everyone who has played Part 2 has different ways they see this, while I saw it as a tough decision, but one that makes the ending hit so much more harder.
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And there we go! My top 5 narratives of 2020. This was, strangely, a very hard list to make even though I honestly didn't play much this year in a way of narratives effecting me the way they did. I know my list is going to differ from so many other people, but that's what so much fun! You enjoying things and have conversations with people who had a completely different list.
2021 is looking like an incredibly fun year for games, so I cannot wait to see where it takes us!
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