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Media Roundup of the Best Games of 2020


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I guess I don't fully understand the love for Hades.

 

It's decent, but I lost interest a few days after playing. I was expecting to love it in the same way I love(d) Dead Cells, but it just didn't click with me. Maybe because some of the power ups feel *significantly* better than others which made each run feel far more luck dependent than it ought to.

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Getting Celeste deja vu here with the reactionary vibe to the positivity.  That’s still a great game.  Hades, IMO, is even better.

 

3 hours ago, legend said:

It's decent, but I lost interest a few days after playing. I was expecting to love it in the same way I love(d) Dead Cells, but it just didn't click with me. Maybe because some of the power ups feel *significantly* better than others which made each run feel far more luck dependent than it ought to.


Depends on the build, weapon, weapon upgrades, mirror upgrades, etc.  Its probably more skill based than it leads on, with people going for win streaks or dialing up the difficulty options.  The artifacts that give clear bonuses can really stack on.

 

I need to get to Dead Cells, playing Hades has really rekindled my love of rogue-likes.  I know I’d appreciate it too.  Is the PS4 version kept up to date with the PC build?  I’ve got a physical copy.

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5 hours ago, legend said:

I guess I don't fully understand the love for Hades.

 

It's decent, but I lost interest a few days after playing. I was expecting to love it in the same way I love(d) Dead Cells, but it just didn't click with me. Maybe because some of the power ups feel *significantly* better than others which made each run feel far more luck dependent than it ought to.

 

I've seen a couple of people play the game and it seems that you need to be willing to accept the RNG to really get it to click.

I saw one of the YVG guys complain about RNG, wanting the perfect boons to have an amazing run and he didn't enjoy it so much. However, it was surprising to see Max really embrace this game. He was able to enjoy the RNG aspect and get it to work for him. And that's basically what the game is, you have to bathe in the chaos (literally and figuratively) and build around a possibly bad starting gift. The game isn't meant to be finished in one shot and that's something you'll have to accept that, but you could turn something ugly into something beautiful. Also, there's tons of depth after the fact with upgrades and all the other stuff surrounding the game.

 

Personally I'm one of those "supergiant overrated" people too, or was for Bastion which was just alright. Hades is a culmination of a lot of great elements that makes for a great game.

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edit: not that you should care about a random youtuber more than anyone else:

Spoiler

10. The Last of Us Part II

9. Resident Evil 3 Remake

8. Paper Mario: The Origami King

7. Streets of Rage 4

6. Doom Eternal

5. Spider-Man Miles Morales

4. Hades

3. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

2. Ghost of Tsushima

1. Final Fantasy VII Remake

 

Honorables: Carrion, Mortal Shell, Battletoads, Immortals Fenix Rising, Ori and the Will of the Wisps

 

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11 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

Getting Celeste deja vu here with the reactionary vibe to the positivity.  That’s still a great game.  Hades, IMO, is even better.

 


Depends on the build, weapon, weapon upgrades, mirror upgrades, etc.  Its probably more skill based than it leads on, with people going for win streaks or dialing up the difficulty options.  The artifacts that give clear bonuses can really stack on.

 

I need to get to Dead Cells, playing Hades has really rekindled my love of rogue-likes.  I know I’d appreciate it too.  Is the PS4 version kept up to date with the PC build?  I’ve got a physical copy.

 

Not sure if DC PS4 is kept up to date, but I would suspect it is? For me, my strong positive reaction to DC is basically what I'm seeing people have with Hades and I'm a little disappointed I didn't feel the same way.

 

 

6 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

I've seen a couple of people play the game and it seems that you need to be willing to accept the RNG to really get it to click.

I saw one of the YVG guys complain about RNG, wanting the perfect boons to have an amazing run and he didn't enjoy it so much. However, it was surprising to see Max really embrace this game. He was able to enjoy the RNG aspect and get it to work for him. And that's basically what the game is, you have to bathe in the chaos (literally and figuratively) and build around a possibly bad starting gift. The game isn't meant to be finished in one shot and that's something you'll have to accept that, but you could turn something ugly into something beautiful. Also, there's tons of depth after the fact with upgrades and all the other stuff surrounding the game.

 

Personally I'm one of those "supergiant overrated" people too, or was for Bastion which was just alright. Hades is a culmination of a lot of great elements that makes for a great game.

 

Maybe. I do kind of hate RNG like that :p My general philosophy is that RNG should be included in a way that forces you to think about risk/reward, but not have a large variance on win outcome as long as you're actually playing well w.r.t. the risk. In Hades, there's not really a strategy to mitigate effects of randomness because it's all independent of anything you do. Instead you simply have to deal with what you're given.

 

DC naturally has a bunch of RNG too, but there are so many ways to shift your starting equipment and it never feels as if it makes big difference on your playthrough and you can still choose between the key styles. In Hades on my 4th run I got to the end of the 4th area because of the items I got (life leech build) and then promptly fell on my face for many next runs because I didn't get those again. I have no doubt a good player can do well without life leech and perhaps even that once you get good there are better builds, but the effect of luck was so significant that it rubbed me the wrong way. I did get better even without that build as I kept going, but then I I just kind of lost interest.

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40 minutes ago, legend said:

 

In Hades, there's not really a strategy to mitigate effects of randomness because it's all independent of anything you do. Instead you simply have to deal with what you're given.


Technically there’s items that re-roll rewards. You can get them persistently from mirror upgrades.
 

I’m pretty sure room rewards aren’t completely random in any case.  You’re not going to get a ton of gemstones/keys/purple stuff several rooms in a row, for example.  You’d at least be able to choose other options.  Feels like the guiding hand is pretty strong to me.  Those five chambers at the end will also always have a heart and coin, for example.

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48 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:


Technically there’s items that re-roll rewards. You can get them persistently from mirror upgrades.
 

I’m pretty sure room rewards aren’t completely random in any case.  You’re not going to get a ton of gemstones/keys/purple stuff several rooms in a row, for example.  You’d at least be able to choose other options.  Feels like the guiding hand is pretty strong to me.  Those five chambers at the end will also always have a heart and coin, for example.

 

Thanks. Maybe I just need to give it a bit more time then. Where I was though the RNG felt overly influential. 

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Destructoid - Best Overall Game of 2020

Hades

 

 

Game Revolution - Best Game of the Year 2020

10. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
09. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
08. Ghost of Tsushima
07. Half-life: Alyx
06. Microsoft Flight Simulator

05. Doom Eternal
04. Hades
03. The Last of Us Part II
02. Final Fantasy VII Remake

Spoiler

01. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

 

 

Gamepur - The Best Games of 2020

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Call of Duty: Warzone
Doom Eternal
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Ghost of Tsushima
Hades

Half-Life: Alyx
Immortals Fenyx Rising
The Last of Us Part II
Legends of Runeterra
Ori and the Will of the Wisps

 

 

Goombastomp - The 22 Best Video Games of 2020: 22 to 11 / 10 to 1

22. Paper Mario: The Origami King
21. Yakuza: Like A Dragon
20. Astro’s Playroom
19. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
18. Demon’s Souls
17. Spiritfarer
16. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
15. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
14. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
13. Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
12. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2
11. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
10. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
09. Ghost of Tsushima
08. DOOM Eternal
07. Resident Evil 3
06. Final Fantasy VII Remake
05. The Last of Us: Part II
04. Persona 5 Royale
03. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
02. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

Spoiler

01. Hades

 


Gamespew -The 20 Best Video Games of 2020

Among Us
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Disc Room
DOOM Eternal
Final Fantasy VII Remake
If Found…
Immortals Fenyx Rising
The Last of Us Part II
Necrobarista 

Neon Abyss
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Star Wars: Squadrons
Streets of Rage 4
Tell Me Why
Watch Dogs Legion
Welcome to Elk

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

 

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VG 247 Editors - Best of 2020

 

James Billcliffe

Wasteland 3

Cyberpunk 2077 (yes, yes - the PC version)

The Last of Us Part II

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2

 

Tom Orry

Astro's Playroom

Splatoon 2

Ring Fit Adventure

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

 

Alex Donaldson

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Ring Fit Adventure

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Streets of Rage 4

 

Lauren Aitken

Crusader Kings 3

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Immortals Fenyx Rising

 

Sherif Saed

Ghost of Tsushima

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath

DOOM Eternal

Horizon Zero Dawn (PC)

 

VG247’s Alternate Game Awards 2020

Biggest 2020 Mood – Flight Simulator’s giant hell pit

Best Willy – Minecraft Steve in Smash

Horniest on Main – Hades

Best Effort-to-Profit Ratio – Super Mario 3D All-Stars

Best Nerd Fandom Piss Boiling – Final Fantasy VII Remake

The You Poor Bastards Award for Enduring Disaster – Capcom Employees

Biggest Traitor – Kirk McKeand

Best Exclusive next-gen Xbox Series X Launch Game –

Biggest Deja Vu – Marvel’s Avengers

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Eurogamer Editors/Contributors - Best of 2020 (In Progress)

 

Emad Ahmed - 2020's best games saw adventures go wrong

Alba
Call of the Sea
Guildlings
Kentucky Route Zero
Tales from Off-Peak City

 

Emma Kent - Games gave me the variety 2020 could not

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Call of Duty: Warzone
Crusader Kings 3
Hades
Star Wars: Squadrons

 

Robert Purchese - 2020s best games reimagined old ideas in new worlds

Call of the Sea
Cyberpunk 2077
Ghostrunner
Grounded
Pendragon

 

Martin Robinson & Aaron Lee - 2020's best games gave me the normal I craved

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Half-Life Alyx
Inertial Drift
iRacing
Microsoft Flight Simulator

 

Chris Tapsell - 2020's best games were all play and no work

A Monster's Expedition
Tetris Effect: Connected
Football Manager 2021
Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows
Hades

 

Malindy Hetfeld - The games of 2020 gave me moments of shared excitement

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Hades
If Found

 

Christian Donlan - 2020's best games enlightened and transported

Before I Forget
I Am Dead
Paper Beast
Spelunky 2
Umurangi Generations

 

Matthew Reynolds - 2020's best games were comforting throwbacks

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Astro's Playroom
Destiny 2: Beyond Light
The Last of Us Part II
Resident Evil 3

 

Vikki Blake - 2020's best games kept us cool, calm, and connected

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
Fall Guys
The Last of Us Part II
Ori and the Will of the Wisps

 

Oli Welsh - My games of this year were my games of every year

Astro's Playroom
Hades
The Last of Us Part II
Kentucky Route Zero
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands

 

Edwin Evans-Thirlwell - 2020's best games took me under the surface

Carrion
Creaks
Final Fantasy VII Remake
In Other Waters
Othercide

 

Wesley Yin-Poole - My favourite games of 2020 sound awesome

Call of Duty: Warzone
Wasteland 3
Hades
Tetris Effect: Connected
Spider-Man: Miles Morales

 

Matt Wales - Best games of 2020: My globe-trotting year indoors

Microsoft Flight Simulator

American Truck Simulator

Call of the Sea

Paradise Killer

Tell Me Why

 

Lottie Lynn - 2020's best games gave me the quiet magic I was seeking

Coffee Talk
Dépanneur Nocturne
Röki
Spiritfarer
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town

 

Grace Curtis - Having a proper heart to heart with 2020's best games

A Summer's End: Hong Kong 1986
Spiritfarer
If Found...
Coffee Talk
A Short Hike

 

Omar Hafeez-Bore - Some of the best games of the year didn't come out in 2020

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Ring Fit Adventure
Final Fantasy IX
Kero Blaster
Mario 3D All-Stars Collection

 

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8 hours ago, legend said:

 

Not sure if DC PS4 is kept up to date, but I would suspect it is? For me, my strong positive reaction to DC is basically what I'm seeing people have with Hades and I'm a little disappointed I didn't feel the same way.

 

 

 

Maybe. I do kind of hate RNG like that :p My general philosophy is that RNG should be included in a way that forces you to think about risk/reward, but not have a large variance on win outcome as long as you're actually playing well w.r.t. the risk. In Hades, there's not really a strategy to mitigate effects of randomness because it's all independent of anything you do. Instead you simply have to deal with what you're given.

 

There are a lot of things to unlock that can "nudge" the RNG to a particular thing.

 

Like, there's keepsakes that will insure your next boon will be from a specific god. Or there are mirror abilities that let you reroll boon offerings.

 

IMO, you can beat the game consistently once you get the mechanics (and unlock key upgrades) regardless of what weapons/boons you get.

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Rocket Chainsaw - Top 10 Games of 2020

09. Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Hades (tie)

08. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

07. Paper Mario: The Origami King

06. The Last of Us Part II

05. Final Fantasy VII Remake

03. Yakuza: Like A Dragon and DOOM Eternal (tie)

02. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Spoiler

01. Ghost of Tsushima

 

 

The Review Geek - The Top 10 Video Games of 2020

10. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
09. The Last Of Us Part II
08. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
07. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
06. Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Part 1)
05. Dreams
04. Persona 5 Royal
03. Doom Eternal
02. Ghost Of Tsushima

Spoiler

01. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

 

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USgamer Editors Personal Top 10 Games of 2020

Kat Bailey

10. Among Us

09. Final Fantasy VII Remake

08. The Last of Us Part II

07. Microsoft Flight Simulator

06. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

05. Star Wars: Squadrons

04. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

03. Yakuza: Like a Dragon

02. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Spoiler

01. Hades

 

Mat Olson

10. Hades

09. FUSER

08. Star Wars: Squadrons

07. Spelunky 2

06. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

05. Mixolumia

04. Umurangi Generation

03. Among Us

02. Kentucky Route Zero

Spoiler

01. Half-Life: Alyx


Eric Van Allen

10. FUSER

09. Spiritfarer

08. Astro's Playroom

07. If Found...

06. Final Fantasy VII Remake
05. Blaseball
04. Yakuza: Like A Dragon
03. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

02. Umurangi Generation

Spoiler

01. Hades

 

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Video Games Chronicle - 2020 Awards

Person of the Year - Phil Spencer

Innovation of the Year - DualSense

Platform of the Year - PlayStation 4

Studio of the Year - Supergiant Games

Game of the Year - Animal Crossing: New Horizons

 

 

Tom's Guide - The Best Games of 2020

15. Townscaper

14. Superhot: Mind Control Delete

13. Persona 5 Royal  

12. Phasmophobia 

11. Ghostrunner 

10. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

09. Doom Eternal 

08. Animal Crossing: New Horizons  

07. Half-Life: Alyx 

06. Hades 

05. Assassin's Creed Valhalla 

04. Star Wars: Squadrons 

03. Spider-Man: Miles Morales 

02. Demon's Souls 

Spoiler

01. The Last of Us Part II 

 

 

I've also updated the posts for PC Gamer and Eurogamer.

 

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On 12/24/2020 at 10:04 AM, crispy4000 said:


Technically there’s items that re-roll rewards. You can get them persistently from mirror upgrades.
 

I’m pretty sure room rewards aren’t completely random in any case.  You’re not going to get a ton of gemstones/keys/purple stuff several rooms in a row, for example.  You’d at least be able to choose other options.  Feels like the guiding hand is pretty strong to me.  Those five chambers at the end will also always have a heart and coin, for example.

The RNG is really impactful -- the most important things in moving forward and getting are the boons -- and you are inherently beholden to the RNG for that.

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GamesBeat/VentureBeat

 

Mike Minotti - Top 10 Games of 2020

10. Streets of Rage 4

09. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

08. Ghost of Tsushima

07. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2

06. Astro’s Playroom

05. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

04. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

03. Final Fantasy VII Remake

02. Hades

Spoiler

01. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

 

 

Dean Takahashi - My Favorite Games of 2020

10. Cyberpunk 2077

09. Watch Dogs: Legion

08. Total War Saga: Troy

07. Hades

06. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

05. DOOM Eternal

04. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War

03. Ghost of Tsushima

02. Call of Duty: Warzone

Spoiler

01. The Last of Us Part II

 

 

Jeff Grubb - Top 10 Games of 2020

10. Streets of Rage 4

09. Microsoft Flight Simulator

08. Paper Mario: The Origami King

07. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2

06. Pikmin 3: Deluxe

05. Astro's Playroom

04. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

03. Hades

02. Hardspace: Shipbreaker

Spoiler

01. SnowRunner

 

 

GamesBeat - Game of the Year 2020
10. Yakuza: Like A Dragon

09. Ghost of Tsushima

08. Spider-Man: Miles Morales

07. SnowRunner

06. Astro’s Playroom

05. The Last of Us Part II

04. Crusader Kings III

03. Final Fantasy VII Remake

02. Hades

Spoiler

01. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

 

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Not traditional in the sense of these other lists but Max released his top 5 of the year.

 

Maximillian Dood's Top 5 of 2020

 

  1. Doom Eternal
  2. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
  3. Ghosts of Tsushima
  4. Hades
  5. Final Fantasy VII Remake

  • With a special nod to Alien Isolation

 

 

But since he was always going to give it to FF7RE that means Hades is the real GOTY :]

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Eurogamer - Game of the Year

 

 

PC Gamer - Game of the Year 2020

YP5yr3PZmQZdjhGREBMypm-1200-80.jpg
WWW.PCGAMER.COM

Truly no game encapsulated 2020 better than Kojima's journey to reconnect the world.

 

 

Stevivor - Game of the Year Awards 2020

Best Sports/Racing game: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2
Best RPG: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Best Action/Action-Adventure game: Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order
Best Multiplayer game: Call of Duty Warzone
Best Ongoing game: Destiny 2 Beyond Light
Best Indie game: Hades
Best Audio & Sound Design: The Last of Us Part 2
Best Narrative: Hades
Best Direction: Hades
Best PC game: Microsoft Flight Simulator
Best Switch game: Animal Crossing New Horizons
Best Xbox game: Tell Me Why
Best PlayStation game: Spider-Man Miles Morales
Game of the Year: Hades

 

 

Press Start - Game of the Year 2020

10. Ori and The Will Of The Wisps

09. Animal Crossing: New Hori

08. Spider-Man Miles Morales

07. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

06. DOOM Eternal

05. Hades

04. Immortals Fenyx Rising

03. Final Fantasy VII Remake

02. Ghost of Tsushima

Spoiler

01. The Last of Us Part II

 

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I hate these lists so much!!

 

I just went and put Spelunky 2 and Hades in my Steam cart! I haven't even ever heard of Hades, where have I been? Spelunky 2 has always been on my radar but I do get frustrated with overly hard games. With games like Ghost of Tsushima still to get {I haven't played anything on my PS4 Pro except Destiny2 all year!} I end up buying them all up like a Steam sale!! I really really want Hases on Switch but am worried about frame rates so I end up buying them all on PC or xbox, ps4.

 

Guys How well does Hades run on Switch, is the game cross play save file wise and who has it on switch and another console to better compare them? Thanks...

 

Well shit too late bought them both {Spelunky2 and Hades} on steam for $37 something! This way I can play them on my MSI GTX2070 laptop too if I want... Trick is to hold off on Ghosts till Cyberpunk 2077 is finished. I've made it this far!

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1 hour ago, HardAct said:

 

Guys How well does Hades run on Switch, is the game cross play save file wise and who has it on switch and another console to better compare them? Thanks...


Runs great, occasional slowdown but hardly  a dealbreaker.  It’s only on PC and Switch at the moment but is cross save.

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