A student of mine recommended Dota, and it's been my favorite ever since. The amount of time spent on it dwarfs all other games. I don't play it as much as I used to. A game or three a week is all I managed in 2020. Even still, the years hold numerous nostalgic memories. I watched the past six International Events live. I attended a live tournament in Boston. I wrote over a dozen articles about the game and the professional scene. I developed long term friendships during the almost decade long experience. Sometimes I consider abandoning it, a recurring feeling over the years, but I've often come back reinvigorated. Regardless, it was the best game of the last half decade.
Europa Universalis IV didn't see as much play time as Dota. I had just transitioned to it from Europa Universalis III when I started the blog. But playing it with friends this year reminded me of its fantastic versatility. It will probably receive another review in 2021, as we try something new(!). Along with Dota it is the only other game I played every year for the past five years.
Dark Souls III (Best Game of 2018) is hands down the best single player game I've played in five years. There is no competition, no question. Just writing those two sentences reminded me of my desire: to play the entire series from I to III, beginning to end, and write a review. If only Bloodbourne and Demon Souls released on PC!
Alien: Isolation (Best Game of 2016) was the first game to win Awkward Mixture's Game of the Year award. I never suspected that a first person shooter, horror game, based on a movie I never saw, would be something I'd love.
The Walking Dead Finale (Best Game of 2019) had some significant failures, like a dangling conclusion. But the closing of Clementine's (and Lee's) story evoked more powerful emotions than the ending of most works of literature.
SUPERHOT (Best Game of 2017) introduced only one mechanic, but it was singularly innovative.
In contrast, the mechanics of Hellblade (2nd Best of 2019) were simple, and occasionally dull, but the atmosphere and story were as evocative as those in the best games.
Darkest Dungeon (3rd Best of 2019) was a slog in the best sort of way. The dungeon exploration, with a squad of four, allowed endless tactical options, creating unending replayability. The darkness demanded sacrifices to progress, which generates the perfect amount of tension.
Pillars of Eternity (2nd Best of 2018) is a great game that I want to love. That desire influences a person, so I'm not sure if I want to like it more than I actually do. It combined some of the deepest world building, with an epic quest of self discovery, and that can't be discounted.
Who knows what awaits in the future. But if I decide to reevaluate this list (2026?), I wonder if 2020 will appear better in hindsight (the games not the politics). Apex Legends (Best Game of 2020) is the best of the year, but comparable only to the lesser games of previous years. Playing this game with friends elevated it to the best game of the year, but when the group switched to other games, I stopped too.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2nd Best of 2020) is like a historical fiction novel set in the middle ages, with Morrowind mechanics. It performed each of these pieces competently, but was weighed down but an abundance of cliches.
Prey (3rd Best of 2020) makes one wonder whether I should have only awarded a 1st and 2nd place like I did in 2016 – 2018. It's a solid game, an Honorable Mention for sure, yet it isn't remarkably original. Like most games of lesser caliber, the ending sabotages exceptions. If it wasn't for the Mooncrash DLC, Prey wouldn't have reached the stars.
Thanks for humoring me through the top games of a half decade of Awkward Mixture.
Next Monday, the first video game review of 2021.
Recent:
Awkward Mixture's 2020 Reflection
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Awkward Mixture's First Person, Sci-Fi Shooters of 2020: A Chart Comparison
Hearts of Iron IV: Paradox Games play Best with Friends Part II
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