Something I’ve found myself doing more in 2020 is going back to old games. I spent my summer replacing my GameCube’s disc drive with an SD card reader (and you thought next-gen load time improvements were exciting!) and the thing I was most looking forward to with Xbox Series X and PS5 was revisiting missed treasures through backwards compatibility. But looking back, even my favourite new games of the year have a hint of nostalgia to them. Maybe it’s just one of those years where, without realising, I needed a bit of familiarity.
Matt’s games of 2020Animal Crossing: New HorizonsAstro’s PlayroomDestiny 2: Beyond LightThe Last of Us Part 2Resident Evil 3
Like most of us, the game I’ve sunk the most time into this year is Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I’ve played every Animal Crossing since the long awaited PAL release on GameCube, and though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each one, I never stuck with them. Whether it’s on DS or Wii, three or four months in and my lofty ambitions at fully completing the museum falls by the wayside. I’m pleased to report I’m almost there with the Switch version, give or take some pier fish that stubbornly wouldn’t spawn and are now out of season, which means I’ll be forced to chip away at it until May of next year – something which I’m secretly delighted about.
Destiny has on and off been my ‘go to’ game since 2014, and this year saw me give up the guilt of sinking yet another evening playing Gambit matches (yes, there are some of us out there who enjoy it!) and embraced it as the best way to unplug after a long week, especially when combined with a podcast or three. It’s been a mixed year for the game – there’s a sense developer Bungie has struggled to adjust to a seasonal rhythm post-Activision, but the last few months have seen a remarkable turnaround between new expansion Destiny 2: Beyond Light – perhaps the best since The Taken King – and a fantastic next-gen version which showcase the game’s stunning worlds in the best possible light. If you’re like me and have been falling in and out of love with Destiny over the years, now’s the perfect time to jump back in.