Is 2020 really the best year? It depends on how you look at it.

Despite the very long year of a worldwide pandemic, online events up the wazoo, and a struggling economy, video games seem to be doing just great. Since people already have their consoles and platforms from a year or so ago and are mostly indoors, it’s only a matter of buying games that are complete to entertain yourself.

Granted, the end of 2020 is arguably a questionable time for folks to spend RM2,000+ for a luxury next-gen console. However, if you can snag one, you’re still in for a treat.

But we’re here to talk about the best games and the best game-related things of 2020. What are they? Why are they?

Starting today from 14th December to 15th January (Mondays to Fridays), we’ll be counting down our 30 best games of the year. Technically we’ve already mentioned our top 16, but we’ll be putting it in word form for the sake of this month-long feature to celebrate the best of 2020 gaming. This is despite the year being, well, crummy.

Just a few amendments & stipulations:

-We are only including games that received a score of 70 and above on our site. Having said that, we will make acceptions for a few titles that we played but didn’t review in full form.

-We are not including compilations, remasters that aren’t full-on remakes), and legacy collections on our final 2020 games list. Sorry, Mega Man Zero/Zero Legacy Collection, Mr Driller Drilland, and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. You’ll have to make do on the Honorable Mentions list or something, but with July arrivals and onward, we have to make room for other newer titles that need attention.

–We will also not be putting in games made in 2018 on a 2020 list for obvious reasons. We’re definitely excluding you, Among Us.

So in no particular order, here is game #30, which should not come as a surprise to many of you who follow our JRPG and Final Fantasy antics.

#30. Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

We can’t help it: there’s just a lot to unpack from Final Fantasy VII Remake. It’s one-half a nostalgia trip and one-half revisionist history exercise that forms a 30 to 40-hour action RPG title with a neat battle system and a boatload of challenges.

Even when it’s long in the tooth with some of its dungeons, the overall experience ended up being a grand experiment that succeeds in all fronts. It serves both as a gateway drug for newer Final Fantasy fans, kinda. But mostly as a love letter to old-school fans who want to see a new take on a game they cherished 20 plus years ago.

Plus, the appearance of the Whispers and that last chapter further proves that the “Remake” moniker is pretty inaccurate. This one’s truly for the fans who have stuck around the Final Fantasy VII name and legacy for god-knows-how-long. Yes, even through the dark ages when Square Enix thought it was a good idea to make Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus.