{"id":18918,"date":"2021-01-25T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vgu.tv\/?p=18918"},"modified":"2021-01-24T13:14:05","modified_gmt":"2021-01-24T18:14:05","slug":"graydons-game-of-the-year-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vgu.tv\/?p=18918","title":{"rendered":"The Ones That Matter – Graydon’s Top Five Games of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Allan told us that we didn\u2019t have to include exclusively<\/em> 2020 releases on these Game of the Year lists, the gears in my head started turning. I knew that I hadn\u2019t played many new games this year, because I had started a list at the beginning of 2020 and, well, it\u2019s small, to say the least. I\u2019m not proud of my output regarding new games this year, and to make matters seemingly worse, nearly half of them are mobile games. But, when I went back to this tiny list to pick out a top five, I came away with easy choices and didn\u2019t even need to dip into the old backlog catch-up. 2020 was a year that will go down in history for many reasons, and one of those reasons is its game releases. There were some truly stellar video games this year, and I\u2019ve yet to touch most of them! So no, you won\u2019t find The Last of Us Part II or Miles Morales on my list. On the contrary, you\u2019ll find some smaller titles you might not even know about! But if you stuck with me through this crazy year, you\u2019ll know I have sung their praises from the nosebleeds. So without further ado, I officially give to you\u2026 my top five games of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Harmonix<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fuser<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuser <\/em>is the underdog of 2020, and if you have no clue what I mean by that, well, just sit down. Harmonix has been one of the nearest and dearest developers to me since my childhood. From FreQuency <\/em>to DropMix<\/em>, I\u2019ve followed their career of rhythm-based releases for two whole decades, spanning countless Rock Bands<\/em> and Dance Centrals<\/em>, and even a Fantasia <\/em>sprinkled in there for flavor. But Harmonix\u2019s 2020 project, Fuser<\/em>, was one of the most ambitious games I\u2019ve seen in a while. Based on the formula set in motion by their board-game-esque product, DropMix<\/em>, Fuser <\/em>tasks the player with sampling multiple different music tracks \u2013 from drumlines and guitar riffs to synthesizers and horns \u2013 to create DJ sets meant to blow the virtual audience away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I say Fuser <\/em>is ambitious because it\u2019s without a doubt the most musician-oriented Harmonix game to date. Not just anyone can pick up this game and play it like you could a plastic guitar at a drunken dorm party. On the contrary, Fuser uses multiple rhythm gimmicks simultaneously in order to maintain the flow of the mix, and while this can be confusing, it can make a musician feel right at home. I found myself just getting lost in the gameplay, and the songs on rotation are varied and catchy enough to keep the entertainment going for prolonged sessions. I don\u2019t know if I would say I picked up any genuine DJ skills from Fuser, but it certainly left a lasting impression on me and further solidified Harmonix as rhythm game gods. Even more impressive was the fact this was the first game played on an Xbox Series X, and my god, the loading screens were nearly nonexistent! The colors popped off the screen, the animations were fluid, and everything just felt as if it were on another level of quality. Fuser <\/em>is one I will go back to again and again, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: One More Level<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ghostrunner<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve followed me across the numerous podcasts this year \u2013 and even our Snapchat \u2013 you\u2019ll know I was a fan of Ghostrunner <\/em>from the moment I laid eyes on it. I first played this game at PAX East back in February, before the entire world went to hell in a handbasket. Ghostrunner <\/em>supplied me with some much-needed hype, as its frantic skill-based gameplay and cyberpunk environments caused me to turn a 10-minute demo into nearly a half hour. I sucked at the game, yes, but I couldn\u2019t help yearning for more as days went by. Thankfully, September saw the full release of Ghostrunner<\/em>, and although it eventually found its way to every console, I preordered the PC version to prove my dedication to the game\u2019s roots. It should come as no surprise why this game ended up on my Best of 2020 list, but let\u2019s just say\u2026 it did not disappoint. All that time spent longing to have this game in my presence was made worth it as scenes of fast-paced sword swinging flashed before my face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghostrunner <\/em>makes you work hard for progress, and it can be painful at times. You\u2019ll find yourself playing segments over and over just to get everything right, like a Rube Goldberg contraption of blood and viscera. As frustrating as it can be, the entertainment and satisfaction derived from passing every checkpoint make Ghostrunner <\/em>one of the best games of the year. Even if you\u2019re not a fan of the Dark Souls<\/em>-esque \u201cthis game wants you to die\u201d style of play, Ghostrunner <\/em>is so rewarding \u2013 and breathtaking to watch \u2013 that it\u2019s really worth a try from every type of gamer. For visuals alone, this game is something everyone should consume at least once. I came away from Ghostrunner <\/em>thankful for not only the developers who worked tirelessly all year to make this happen, but also thankful to live in a world with games like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Nintendo<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel a lot of 2020\u2019s Game of the Year lists will include Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/em>, albeit not in a very sincere way. You\u2019ll probably find people mentioning how it was the only game to play at the start of the year, and although we did<\/em> have Doom Eternal<\/em> alongside it, New Horizons<\/em> helped us all through the pandemic as we tried to stay connected to each other and entertained while shut up in our homes. This is undoubtedly the reason Animal Crossing<\/em> rose to prominence this year \u2013 as well as the influx of Nintendo Switch sales \u2013 however, New Horizons<\/em> certainly has the wherewithal to stand on its own amongst the pantheon of 2020 video games. I talked about it a lot in my co-op review of New Horizons<\/em> with Josh<\/a>, but as a series veteran myself, I found this installment to be chock-full of quite a few new features that help it stand apart from the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting from scratch, the player moves to an island at the behest of Tom Nook, who quickly teaches them the ropes of leading their own community. As time goes on, players recruit new neighbors, open buildings, craft countless items for furnishing houses, and reorganize the island\u2019s layout to create the perfect floating utopia. Not only is life on the island packed with things to do, but the inclusion of visiting procedurally generated islands \u2013 giving players the ability to recruit new animal friends and find rare fruits and resources \u2013 makes gameplay feel even richer and satisfying. Animal Crossing: New Horizons<\/em> welcomes new players to the franchise, as it gives back what you put in. If you play the game for hours at a time, every day, the progress shows in big ways, and that\u2019s the most rewarding aspect of these games. New Horizons<\/em> is colorful, adorable, soothing, and complex \u2013 the perfect formula for a handheld game in a global pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Dontnod Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tell Me Why<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a little bit of a blindside: I\u2019ve been stating for months now that Tell Me Why<\/em> would be my Game of the Year, but now it finds itself in second place! This is true for no reason other than\u2026 I thought of a game I liked even more. Tell Me Why is in no way a bad game, and honestly, it might be tied for first place. This was the only new release this year that grabbed a hold of my emotions from the very beginning. It\u2019s not easy to just fall in love with new characters right off the bat, but Tell Me Why delivers these twins \u2013 Alyson and Tyler \u2013 in a way that\u2019s reminiscent of Dontnod\u2019s world-building in Life is Strange \u2013 so you get it now, right? To drive the point home even further, I still haven\u2019t gone past the first hour or so of The Last of Us Part II, simply because it didn\u2019t grab me, in the same way, Tell Me Why<\/em> did. Even if this wasn\u2019t released episodically, I probably would\u2019ve consumed it as an 8-hour experience based on adrenaline alone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love mysteries, and mysteries based on family secrets really get my blood pumping. So when Tell Me Why<\/em> put me in the shoes of two siblings trying to uncover their mom\u2019s troubled past, I was sold from the get-go. The story is thrilling, the puzzles are original, and the graphics are absolutely breathtaking. Tell Me Why<\/em> is an epic like no other. I would be remiss if I didn\u2019t talk about the progressive nature of this game a bit. Tell Me Why<\/em> features a transgender character, and I must say, I learned a lot from this game regarding the struggles of transgender people. Tyler\u2019s character is so deep and relatable that you can\u2019t help but feel what he\u2019s going through and want to know more. I\u2019m thankful this game came into my life, and I\u2019m grateful for the information I walked away from it with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: E-Line Media<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beyond Blue<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back on this crazy year of amazing games with varied genres and plots, I kept coming back to one of the simplest, shortest ones I\u2019d encountered in 2020. Beyond Blue<\/em> is the story of a deep-sea diver whose love of whales finds her breaking from her typical days of wildlife live-streaming to investigate the cause of the whales\u2019 disappearance in the region. As I streamed this entire game myself over the course of about five hours, I was blown away by every single aspect of it. Not only was the story compelling and eye-opening, it genuinely made me laugh and made me cry at times. On top of this, the game looks gorgeous and provides a calming nature I haven\u2019t felt since the days of Endless Ocean<\/em> on the Nintendo Wii. The acting is brilliant, the music is fantastic, the gameplay mechanics are simple but never feel tedious; Beyond Blue<\/em> delivered on every promise it made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is no surprise, seeing as E-Line Media has become one of my favorite indie developers in recent years. With their previous release, Never Alone<\/em>, my sister and I received a co-op experience that tugged at our heartstrings and kept us puzzled by every puzzle we encountered. Beyond Blue<\/em> trades those brain busters in for teachable lessons, with every set piece brimming with facts about undersea life and the destruction mankind has caused to our world. Beyond Blue<\/em>\u2019s message may be sad, but it leaves the player filled with hope for a better future, and if everyone could see the love and care pumped into this tiny game, they\u2019d feel that same sentiment. While it\u2019s been quite a few months since I put the controller down and rolled credits on this masterpiece, I can still recall how mesmerized I was by such a little game. Months of waiting and development diaries led me to this finished product, which impacted this crappy year for the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

As we look to the future in hopes of a brighter tomorrow, 2021 seems to offer up some amazing games on the horizon. With better graphics and faster frame rates, the next generation of consoles promises some of the most exciting experiences the world has ever seen. I know we all can’t wait to see what this year has in store, so I hope you’ll stick with VGU as we discover the next game of the year together! Thanks for reading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Without further ado, I officially give to you\u2026 my top five games of 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104224742,"featured_media":18937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"As a new year begins, Graydon's taking a look back on his favorite games of 2020!","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[682621100,682626066,1914],"tags":[682626058,682622404,682622359,682625894,682622357,682626067,682622349,682622130,682625745],"class_list":["post-18918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-of-the-year","category-goty-2020","category-video-games","tag-2020-goty","tag-animal-crossing-new-horizons","tag-beyond-blue","tag-prime-3","tag-fuser","tag-game-of-the-year-2020","tag-ghostrunner","tag-goty","tag-tell-me-why"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Ones That Matter - Graydon's Top Five Games of 2020 - VGU.TV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Join Graydon as he lists his top five games of 2020, a year that will live in infamy. 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