I think we can all agree that 2020 was a bit of a dumpster fire, but through all that fire, I managed to get a lot of time to play tons of games. These aren't entirely games that came out in 2020, but also games that I just picked up and played a lot of. So with that said, let's get into the list.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
So this one is kind of cheating since it's DLC for a game that I started playing in 2019, but I'm throwing it in since the DLC came out this year for PC, and it was A LOT of DLC. Iceborne brought tons of new monsters to fight, weapons and armor to make, and hours and hours of hunts to play with my friends. Thanks to this expansion, Monster Hunter World is now my most played game on steam, clocking in at over 400 hours. Now I just have to see if I can do the same when Monster Hunter Rise comes out in March.
Crosscode
A good friend of mine has been telling me and bunch of our other friends about how good of a game Crosscode is for a long time, so earlier this year, I picked it up on Steam. I have not regretted that decision in the slightest. It's a great RPG to get lost in with its fast-paced combat, different skills, and variety of environments. The narrative is really what kept me glued to the game though. Lea is such a great representative of silent protagonists in video games, and it was amazing to go along with her and her friends in the story and discover more about her. One thing I know is that once the new DLC comes out for the game, I'm gonna need to relearn how to play the game, and I look forward to every minute of it.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Currently standing as the most played game on my Switch, I'm sure I'm not the only person to sink this much time into the new Animal Crossing. So much was built upon since New Leaf, but the biggest change has easily got to be the customization expansions. Being able to physically change the geography of my island and place items outside really let me make my most memorable island. On top of that, it also introduced me to my new favorite villager; Stitches. The first 3 days he was on my island, I got a gift from him each day, and on top of that, he's just such a fun personality. We'll see if I can get him on my next island.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
Yes, really; another Monster Hunter entry. One of my friends wasn't able to run World on their PC, so a few of us decided to pick up Generations Ultimate for the Switch so we could still play with them. While I do think I've been spoiled by the quality of life features in World, going back to an older game I think has made appreciate the series even more. Getting to see all of the old monsters that I'd never heard of, and seeing some of the old friends from World was awesome to do with my friends, and has made me so happy to get more involved in the series.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
The wave of nostalgia that hit me when I started this game up was everything I wanted from it. I had Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team for my original DS back when I was still in elementary school. I never really got as far as I would've liked to, so this game was a great way to make up for that. It brought me back to that pre-gen 4 feel that the series had, and I was all for it. My absolute favorite part was the music though. All of it was exactly the same as it was in the original game, and hearing all of these old songs that I loved was icing on a great cake.
Shantae & The Seven Sirens
Ever since I played Half-Genie Hero, I've been pretty invested in the Shantae series. Seven Sirens was a real treat because it was a pure metroidvania, and since I played Hollow Knight, I've been itching to play more of those. At the same time, it also offered the same Shantae charm and humor, while also giving us some really great animated cutscenes. All of these combined made for one of the most entertaining games in the series, and one of my personal favorite metroidvanias.
Well, there are my favorite games that I played in 2020. Here's hoping the 2021 is another fun year of gaming (and hoping it's a better year in general).