Picross with Phoenix Wrighty visual novel interludes, but yes. The picross takes a while to get going, but once it does it’s among the more challenging I’ve played. And the other half of the game grows on you, though it’s very simplistic.
Best Games of 2020 So Far–Authoritative Edition (if you’re me):
- Wide Ocean, Big Jacket
- XCOM: Chimera Squad
- Master of Pottery
- Golf on Mars
- Wattam
- Spelunking
Those last couple could very likely fall off the list by the end of the year, but I did enjoy both!
Indeed. For the record, Picross is way better than Sudoku.
Very nice pick, I just bought it the other day!
Every time I see this title, I think of this:
I have played two games that were released in 2020.
- XCom: Cimera Squad
- The Last of Us 2
I didn’t care for Cimera Squad and still haven’t finished a campaign.
I finished TLoU2 so I guess that’s my GOTY so far.
My favorite games so far this year:
-
Old World (Early Access, but already fantastic. The update that the Civ formula needed.)
-
XCOM Chimera Squad (The shorter mission/breach structure just fits very well into my limited available gaming time.)
-
Monster Train (I like that every run is about building a completely ludicrous combo, and the game is balanced around that.)
-
Radio General (I can’t believe that Dog company is lost. Again.)
I have lots of other stuff, but nothing that would hit a best list. Shadow Empire is promising, if I can ever find the time to wade into it. Super Mega Baseball 3 is a good diversion, but it feels a little stale at this point. Murder by Numbers has picross (yay!) but I can’t get past the story that gets in the way of my puzzling.
For whatever reason, I didn’t like Doom Eternal at all, despite enjoying the previous Doom.
For me, also Old World (I have been taking a break to give new updates a chance, and to not burn myself out), and Shadow Empire. Along with stuff like Xenoblade Chronicles update, which probably doesn’t count. I think Clubhouse Games on the Switch is pretty good, too.
Thats mean!
Cloudpunk is one the best games of 2020 - And I loved all the characters in it, even the dog!
Maybe you are right that there isn’t that much traditional game in it, but I loved the atmosphere, the world (Which in my opinion gave you just enough background to feel like a character itself) and the driving, which was beautifully done.
I don’t normally complete games, but this one I did, after 7 hours, and I was totally engrossed all the way.
C’mon, man. I’m not sure who this was directed at, but whoever you think you’re replying to added a lot more to the conversation than your dismissive image. What’s up with throwing out a sneer like that?
The world certainly did look incredible, and there were cool references to the world outside and within the city, but I felt the city itself never really took on any personality other than “sexy Vangelis soundtrackscape”. Which it did well, but it was ultimately a bit one-note for me. There are a couple of times when you’re directed off the beaten path, and those were kind of cool. I wish there had been more of that. Because the areas within the city proper all looked the same to me. One neighborhood was like any other. :( I couldn’t even tell you where my apartment was!
As for the driving, what killed it for me was realizing that if I just hugged the ground, traffic never mattered. All that work put into making busy Blade Runner/Fifth Element streets for flying cars, and I never had to interact with them at all. That, to me, is a sign of how little gameplay they actually put into traversal, of any kind, whether it was driving or walking. And don’t get me started on the economyh [sic]. I feel like it could just as well have been a point-and-click adventure.
I did appreciate the lead actress, and I appreciated some of the the themes of immigration and culture in the story. I didn’t like the Camus voice actor, but I did like the concept behind him. It’s always nice to see clever ways of adding AI companions in stories. Cloudpunk definitely did that.
-Tom
It’s a Steam image/award people have been awarding Razgon on his front page review for the game. I coincidentally noticed it when reading this thread and Steam reviews for the game at the same time. I just wanted to give him one of my own and be cool too.
Oh, cool. I can see it at the top of the user reviews from my friends list! Nicely done, @Razgon. I was going to add another fire-breathing rooster, but I see it costs some kind of Steambucks that I have zero of.
Sorry for thinking you were just being a dick, @kerzain.
-Tom
See, this is what happens when we don’t have likes. There’s a lesson here.
I bought this and forgot about it amid the flood of other recent games but I’m eager to play it! Thanks for the reminder.
Yeah, that initial ‘wait, where are my seeds?’ moment is pretty daunting huh? You’ve got it though: you have to venture out into the surrounding wilds to gather various resources, from seeds and pickaxes to upgrades and tractors. Each area is a different biome, home to different enemies and seed types (each with their own properties and value). I think a large part of the appeal for me was slowly working out the loop of the game, learning little tricks and synergies, and trying to get a rhythm going within the (very tight!) day/night cycles to turn in a good harvest so I’m in better stead for the next day. There’s a lovely risk/reward element to exploring during the day and getting back to properly tend your land before night. Do you go deep and vacuum up as many goodies as possible for the future and risk a low harvest or do you bail early and organise your plot for maximum yield? There are also numerous abilities that give you more freedom here as well.
It took me around 12 hours to beet the first year. There are some persistent upgrades but as far as I can tell, subsequent years are the same but harder, with longer day/night cycles that demand you venture into the outer reaches of the surrounding wilds. I feel like there’s more to discover here but it’s been a good game to fire up, do a season or two and quit out. When you start getting some good synergies going and have your eyes on bigger crops for bigger yields it can get pretty addictive. I do agree that the game could give you a few more pointers on the basics but the learning process was still enjoyable for me. Lots of ‘Ohhh!’ moments and I always felt like I was getting better, and further.
The game technically left early access, which is why I eagerly picked it up, but I think it needs a little longer in the oven. I want to adjust the controls, for example, but also: leaderboards. Every time I die, I see:
I think this would be a great score-chaser!
I really enjoyed the Gloomwood demo too (I nearly call it Gloomhaven all the time and I’ve zero experience with that game). The only problem with Gloomwood is that for all its immersive sim Thief likenesses (the aesthetic, man, I didn’t realise how much nostalgia I had for that Dark Engine look; the leaning; the surface noises; hiding bodies; the arcane street machines hissing and buzzing; the non-linear exploration) it was pretty much a shooter flirting with stealth. Once I realised that I could only kill (and there was no penalty in doing so) I didn’t fret too much about sneaking around or even hiding bodies. Ammo wasn’t scarce enough to make me worry about going for melee kills either so… maybe this is a sign that I should have played it on Full Moon or Blood Moon? Either way, the guns felt great (particularly the reloading) and the whole thing left me eager to play more so mission accomplished with the demo! I sound down on this but I’m not! Loved the feel of it all.
Gloomwood also made me buy Thief: Gold and Thief II: The Metal Age on GOG for the fan missions (I have the big box versions on my shelf), check out The Dark Mod and ready Dishonored for the DLC and sequel, so I’ve been down that rabbit hole this last week. The Dark Mod is very impressive.
This is a priority once I’ve made some more room on my plate!
Yeah, it’s more of a survival horror than pure stealth, and normal is probably too easy. I played on Full Moon, and it felt just right. I made it through the crowbeggar nest by the skin of my teeth, with absolutely no ammo to spare.
The full game is supposedly going to have some incentive to not kill everything in your way - a lot of dead bodies is going to attract something called a corpse duster, which will be unpleasant.
Ooo, that sounds like a very cool and neat idea.
Did you find all the coins? I missed a couple, one I would never have found (inside a sack) and the other was pretty deviously hidden (near the beginning through the window).
“I’m not going to put Resident Evil 3, Nimbatus, Chimera Squad, Plebby Quest, Fort Triumph, Bloodlust 2, Streets of Rage, Deep Rock Galactic, or Station Flow on a top ten list”
Add one more game and you’ve got top 10 games that didn’t make the top 10 list.
Corrections:
“I though[t] about just adding”
You don’t need a lot of room! It only takes about 60-90m to play. Hope you like it.
Hah, I never figured that out, regarding driving. I tried staying on the top, but that didn’t always work out.
Agree about the rundown parts of the city - those were terrific, and terrifying actually. Especially the thing about the cold was…not nice.
Its a shame about the apartment - thats the kind of stuff that I love, but I couldn’t find it either, after that first visit.
Haha, thanks for that @kerzain - I do kinda feel that the award is slightly sarcastic - I mean, who actually means it, when they say “hot take”?
Funny that my review was at the top - why is that?