Despite a numerous set of delays thanks to the usual development issues, not to mention quarantine, 2020 still managed to pump out a number of excellent games. Not only that but two consoles managed to successfully launch as well although there should be an asterisk next to the word successful.
The point is the backlog is strong thanks to the year’s lineup and the first few months of 2021 is as good a time as any to catch up on that stacked library. Of the action games, what did, and did not get enough praise? There will never be a definitive list that will apply to everyone in regard to game of the year recommendations but knowing is half the battle at the very least.
10 Not Enough Love: Deadly Premonition 2 A Blessing in Disguise
Deadly Premonition 2 is by all accounts a bad game by Metacritic's aggregate. The frame rate, especially on skateboard, is choppy. It doesn’t run well in general and the gameplay is extremely repetitive without any nuance. This can be applied to the original game as well sans the skateboard. That said, it’s a cult hit thanks to the story which is why it shouldn’t be overlooked although it does require playing through the first. There has never been a better time since said original is also on Switch. Francis York Morgan is the hero gamers deserve.
9 Too Much Love: The Last of Us Part II
The Last of Us Part II got way more praise than it deserved. Its sweeping at the Game Awards got some backlash especially with the Best Direction award as the game was delayed and went through crunch. Does crunch deserve a director’s reward? Needless to say, that caused a debate to unravel. While the gameplay was as tight as it has ever been and the graphics make it a showpiece for what the PS4 is still capable of, the story is what turned people off. To avoid spoilers, it's hard to like the second protagonist after what they do in the game.
8 Not Enough Love: Bloodstained Curse Of The Moon 2
This didn’t do that much over the original, but that said it is another solid platformer. This game, and its predecessor, are throwbacks to the NES Castlevania games before they became Metroidvanias thanks to Symphony of the Night.
More is not always better but in this case Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 is just that. A third game may push the boundaries though.
7 Too Much Love: Spider-Man Miles Morales
This Spider-Man spinoff and or expansion was a case where more of the same just didn’t quite hit it. Marvel’s Spider-Man from 2018 was a sensation as the best game the webslinger has ever seen. This was just more of that literally in the same city with mostly the same gameplay. Miles’ story is worth experiencing the game though. It just wasn’t as good as most reviews made it out to be is the point.
6 Not Enough Love: Darksiders Genesis
Technically this Darksiders spinoff was a 2019 game as a Stadia exclusive. As it did hit consoles first in 2020 it counts plus that was December 2019 anyway, which was basically the new year for some companies.
This was a turn away from the third-person action of the first three games and was instead a top-down co-op adventure. It may not be as good as the main games but for a spinoff, especially with friends, it was fun enough. Getting more Diablo-like RPGs is good for the industry.
5 Too Much Love: Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Even though this is only the third game in this RPG gameplay style, the Assassin's Creed series overall feels ancient. In many ways it felt like twenty steps back from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey even though this was a new setting. That’s because it takes about eight hours to really open up, depending on how much one does before England. It’s a slow burn not to mention it being glitchy. It's not terrible, just more of the same.
4 Not Enough Love: Sakuna Of Rice And Ruin
The reason why most overlooked this was because it launched right in-between the Xbox Series X and PS5. Even though it could be played on a PS5 as a PS4 game, it still got overshadowed in the lineup. To those that missed out then, this is like Harvest Moon crossed with something like, but not quite, a Metroidvania. Genre specifics aside, this is worth a look.
3 Too Much Love: Demon's Souls
As a PS5 showcase for load times and graphics, Demon’s Souls is a showpiece. However, unlike another huge PlayStation remake from 2020, Final Fantasy VII Remake, it didn’t really do enough to make it fit well on PS5. In some ways it is just as clunky on PS3. So, while it looks modern, it feels dated in other ways keeping a lot of new potential players out.
2 Not Enough Love: Phantasy Star Online 2
Phantasy Star Online 2 originally launched in 2012 as a PC game in Japan only. Eight years later, with many more Japanese ports in-between, it finally hit the West via Xbox One. Because this is a 2012 game ostensively it, like Demon’s Souls, both looks and plays out of date. However, as it is free it is still worth a look especially if one is looking for an easy, if not somewhat mindless, co-op game.
1 Too Much Love: Doom Eternal
It took years before the fourth Doom came out which is now referred to as Doom 2016. It blew away expectations and Doom Eternal, while good, just doesn’t feel as fresh. It seemingly doubles down on the wrong things from the first like an obscene amount of monster closets with weird restrictions on ammo. The more open environments were nice, but overall it really wasn’t game of the year material nor should it have been anywhere near the nominees.