Papanomics

I've been trying to get this freakin' console since launch. Honestly, there is nothing I want to play on it right this moment. But I wanted to have the hardware for when those games do come out.

I got mine at Target by following Twitter users who have inside information as to when these drops go live. Good luck to those of you hoping to get one.

I just want to accent a few titles that have made my 2020 so much more bearable.

Final Fantasy VII Remake:

This is my personal Game of the Year. It came at a time where I was very uncertain about my future with my job, and with COVID. It gave me a gateway to enjoy a story, and what a story it was. I did not play the original FF7, but I fell in love with nearly every character, enjoyed the combat for the most part, and the music was so good. This was the ultimate gaming experience for me in 2020.

Animal Crossing New Horizons:

Another game that came at the absolute best time. This game has kept me sane through some of the most troubling times, and is still a joy to go back to an explore. It's strange that although 2020 is and forever will be a crappy year, it was pretty decent for gaming. My mom picked up a pro controller for the first time in her life, and while she still struggles with the controls a little, she looks forward to playing her islander in ACNH every weekend.

Hades:

Yes, I know that this game was available in 2018, but The Game Awards really put this in the spotlight, and it's 2020 release on Switch is what caught my attention. It had me hooked from the start with the simple but deep combat, the face paced action and sometimes bullet hell segments, the randomization of enemies and terrains, the fun boss battles, perfect music, beautiful and interesting characters and stellar voice acting. Everything about Hades is awesome and if I only played it sooner, I really think it would be my Game of the Year.

I don't know why, but I really don't like this game. The characters were young adults and looked awesome. Then this gum thing turns them into weird kids. The gameplay is odd to me and there are already people who are amazingly good, and it just don't look like there's much depth. I don't know, maybe I need to give it more time.

Apparently this game is free for a couple of days on Playstation 5 and Xbox? Not sure if it's also free on Switch, but hey... free game.

I'd like to honestly play a lot of horror genre games. The worst part is that these games somehow get into my head. Yes, I know that they are fictional, created by a studio of talented programmers and writers and artists, and have been made purposely to freak people out while providing a hopefully satisfying and relatable adventure/experience.

I just can't mentally deal with some of it. Dead Space, this stupid weird pixel game called Claire, even things not so graphically intense like Deadwood, or something like Soma. I just can't handle games like that. Nevermind Fatal Frame or Silent Hill. It's just not in my DNA to hammer through games like that... and to many, those games are actually fun, being scared is a fun time.

Not for me, my heart starts to struggle with some of this stuff. Jump scares are the worst of it, especially in games or media you don't expect them to be.

I can say that with full confidence that I will never play Outlast one or two, Amnesia, the Forest, or any game like that.

Other games like The Last of Us (screw the leaks and keep away from social media if you can), do have horror elements, but the narrative really drives me, and the monsters are more of a secondary threat.

Maybe I'll become more courageous soon, but I can't risk a heart complication in these times. Hospitals are basically nesting grounds for this still looming COVID garbage.

Stay safe, I'll be playing Sakura Wars.

I played the game I thought I never would get to, Final Fantasy VII Remake was tremendous, I loved it. It did have it's low-lows, but man did it have high-highs. Having never truly completed original FFVII, this gave me a fresh slate to try to soak in this massive world, rich cast of characters (Tifa and Aeirth are so yum) and mess around with a cool combat system.

Honestly, working regularly, as I would have been without the lockdown, it would have taken me forever to finish this game. With more time to myself, I was able to do it in just under two weeks, and will play it again in a few months. What's left in April that is of some interest to me?

Sakura Wars: I'm a huge Bleach fan, in turn that makes me a fan of Tite Kubo's design craft (especially the females, ya know). Never officially played a SW game before and the little I know about them is from games like Project x Zone

Trials of Mana: I like the design, I've been trying to get into the genre a little more, and this game rubs me the right way with it's style, music and combat.

Streets of Rage 4: I didn't think they would ever make this, and then they did. I've always loved beat em ups like Turtles in Time, Simpsons Arcade, X-Men and Battletoads (even though Battletoads was broken looking back). Admittedly, I wasn't the biggest SoR fan as I was a bit more into Final Fight, but this fantastic design on Blaze that's got me swooning is all I need to try it. Pair that up with a bad ass Moonbeam City/ Vice City night life soundtrack and a few new characters and I am freaking sold.

That will hold me until May, which should be fairly quiet but hopefully some MK11 news, and June which should be rather quiet too until Fairy Tail releases.

So, since March... 15th I want to say, I have been working from home. It's not quite the same as the workload is significantly less, I can use my own bathroom, watch TV shows or play video games in down time, and the best thing ever is no need to commute. Still, many people are sick and dying everyday around here and I hope this all passes very soon. Many games have seen delays, events cancelled, things I took for granted like going to the ball park to see my favorite baseball club, walking into a coffee shop or my favorite restaurant. It almost seems fictional, but the people getting sick and dying is all very real. I am thankful to have work, although I don't like my job, I'm happy to know my relatives are keeping safe, and I do appreciate this extra time to just... enjoy things I want to enjoy... indoors. I've played many games, watched many episodes of anime (Naruto Shippuden mostly, trying to catch up) and stay up late, since the commute doesn't exist. I hope everyone is keeping safe, take this time to do something you may have wanted to try before. Maybe playing a scary game, or the opposite of a scary game if you love scary games. Watch shows you normally wouldn't have the time for, learn to cook something or bake something. Always be protective of yourself and those who live with you. This will pass, I know that. I'm not looking forward to the commute to work honestly. I do want to see my family and be able to go to public places again though. Time will tell. I didn't want to not document this somewhere and just lose it. I will be trying to finish some big games I never got the chance to. Persona 5, Witcher 3, GTA 5, Spider Man, and God of War (2018) just to name a few. The world will keep moving and things will go back to normal if we play our part, stay safe, and help protect those around us. Thank goodness there are things like video games to help us with the boredom than can come from being closed in.

Starting date: January 1, 2020 Completed games at sign-up: 418 Link to your list: http://myvideogamelist.com/list/Papanomics Link to your blog entry: Challenge Packs: Action, Franchise, History

I generally think this year, compared to last especially, was disappointing. Many of the world premiers fell flat for me. The last reveal was a FAST AND FURIOUS game that looks like it was built as a PS3 game, no Smash Bros. announcement (even though Reggie was there), and the music was bad in my opinion.

Sure there were some cool moments like the muppets and Reggie's inspiring speech, and some interesting reveals, most exciting for me being Wolf Among Us 2 (sadly). There was way too much attention on Google Stadia and Magic the Gathering stuff, and it just wasn't what I was hoping for.

Harada did post a tweet about Tekken x Street Fighter, that for me is enough to tide me over. What a massive disappointment this year...

There are of course thousands of lovely characters in the medium who can strike as beautiful. Here are my favorites, which change depending on what I'm playing sometimes:

(10) Bayonetta - Bayonetta

(9) D.Va - Overwatch

(8) Shermie - King of Fighters

(7) Baiken - Guilty Gear

(6) Sylvannas Windrunner - World of Warcraft

(5) Midna - Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

(4) Lulu - Final Fantasy 10

(3) Mai Shiranui - King of Fighters

(2) Chun Li - Street Fighter Series

(1) Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy 7