My games of the year 2020 (GOTY 2020)

Best Action game

The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

With Ellie as official heroine of The Last of Us II, a dream came true. So I took the time to go through the anticipated title between my usual Japanese games. Those were incredibly intense days, proportionally to the quality of this outstanding adventure. Even though I thought the story was very plain, the sequence of events, the action parts and especially the ending were really stellar.

Runner-up : none

Best Shooter

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War (PS5)

I came back to Call of Duty after a downright horrible Black Ops 4, and I was pleasantly surprised. Black Ops Cold War reintegrates the solo campaign with great effort. Innovative, varied, non linear, it’s the best solo play since Black Ops II. The multiplayer mode being still enjoyable, I’d say the mission is accomplished for COD this year.

Runner-up : none

Best RPG

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Obvious to say that Final Fantasy VII Remake was much awaited. FFVII is the reverse of FFXV. SquareEnix then had to choose if they wanted to release a JRPG, or a FFXV-like RPG. Fortunately, Final Fantasy VII Remake keeps the original spirit while adding very good hybrid gameplay and state of the art graphics.

Runner-up : Persona 5 Strikers (PS4)

Best Design

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Final Fantasy VII Remake beautifully revives the original game, its locations and its characters. The charisma of the protagonists is incredible, this is Advent Children in real time! In terms of locations, you re-discover a Midgar of fresh and real look. In other words, the backgrounds have turned into a really immersive megalopolis. SquareEnix has further improved the greatness of the FFVII universe thanks to limitless efforts and creativity.

Runner-up : Atelier Ryza 2 (PS5)

Best graphics

The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

It’s hard to decide between The Last of Us Part II and Final Fantasy VII Remake, but the former seems slightly above in terms of graphics and animation. The extreme realism given to Ellie, the other characters or the places you go into are just mindblowing.

Runner-up : Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Most disappointing

Atelier Ryza 2 (PS5)

I will write a big review about this, but I now really think that the Ryza series is downright killing Atelier. Aside the pure alchemy system, everything just became horribly commonplace. Characters, story, dialog, artwork… all that has reached concerning levels of mediocrity. Gust now must choose either to restore former Atelier glory or pursue the content breakage to seduce mainstream audience, in which case the Atelier we know will just disappear.

Runner-up : Death end re;Quest 2 (PS4)

Game of the Year

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Like I said, discovering Final Fantasy VII Remake has been the most heartwarming moment of 2020. Yes, we got to experience a great JRPG again with great characters, great side content, great atmosphere… in even better thanks to stellar technics and direction! The return of FFVII is an astounding success and SquareEnix is officially great again.

Persona 5 Strikers (PS4)

The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War (PS5)

2020 – A Year In Review

So eh… yeah, I skipped every possible article this year. COVID terror, lockdown, lot of work, (non-COVID) hospital stay and ultimately moving house made me eat lot of time this year. After all, it’s not so bad to review all of it at once, right?

Ys IX Monstrum Nox (PS4)

As it was my second favorite game of 2019, you’d suspect there’s a very high mark here. From storytelling to quest system, Ys IX is a truly enjoyable Action-RPG that also puts an admirable effort in its (very large) character cast. From Adol to the smallest NPC, everyone you meet in Ys IX has an incredible personality and all this together forms a colorful and memorable new Ys Universe.

Persona 5 Royal (PS4)

This needs no introduction. The very best JRPG of the PS4 generation comes back with added content, but late added content. Sadly enough, I need to wait until you’ve finished the Persona 5 part order to add Su… eh, Kasumi as permanent member. This is a hundred hours of doing it all over, but the other surprise guest in the Royal part might make it worth the trouble.

Sakura Wars (PS4)

Sega more or less ruined the comeback of Sakura Taisen here. It’s more difficult to make a great action game than a decent Strategy-RPG. Sakura Wars PS4 could easily have been a decent SRPG, but in the end became a terrible action game. Combat is horrendous and boring. The dating part was cool though, as well as music, graphics and Tokyo’s historic look. A partially fun game that can be interesting at a reduced price.

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

A ray of light in the heart of the COVID scare. SquareEnix did a near perfect job in reviving the most iconic Playstation JRPG. They kept everything that made the legend of FFVII over the years, and didn’t try to tone it down, westernize it or worse, make it look even a tiny bit like FFXV. There’s guenuine RPG gameplay, ridiculous mini-games, fuzzy sidequests, eccentric characters… In other words, Final Fantasy creators have not forgotten what a JRPG is. That alone, is the greatest thing in 2020 gaming.

Death end re;Quest 2 (PS4)

After clearing this game, I do believe it is the beginning of the end and Death of Compile Heart. Death end re;Quest 2 has been utterly tame in its horror aspect, that is to say its main aspect. Illustrations have been toned down and don’t look especially frightening anymore. Gameplay is a sub-version of the previous system, character development is pitifully wrong and story doesn’t even feel like it happens in the same universe as Death end re;Quest 1. I don’t think we can expect anything anymore from a company that wastes half of its time porting old games instead of putting real effort in the new ones.

Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris (PS4)

What went wrong there, seriously? It was the chosen one in the long saga of SAO games and just miserably failed to offer a entertaining experience. SAOAL has a really big and fascinating Xenoblade-like world, but full of tedious mandatory quests, boring combat full of duplicate characters when they absolutely HAD to translate the uniqueness of SAO Underworld. I hear there’s still tons of DLC planned but, seriously, who will even care now? Fairy Tail was so massively superior that they could as well rethink their way of doing stuff and get to something else.

13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (PS4)

I’m very glad the consensus went so positive about it. 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim is the best and most clever storytelling I’ve seen in quite some time. True, it’s not very difficult and the battle graphics are unimpressive, but the gameplay had something deeply fun into it. The aesthetitics of 80’s Tokyo are as as charming as the characters. A great exclusive I recommend to anyone who’s into Japanese gaming.

Persona 5 Strikers (PS4)

A year with double ration of Persona 5 can’t be that bad. Atlus knew that people wanted more Persona 5 and they gave it : the true and marvelous Persona 5 sequel which brillantly extends the pleasure. OK, you won’t have the stellar turn-based system, but instead you have a stellar Action-RPG system. So there zero reason to complain about the “Warriorization” of P5S. It’s an absolutely fantastic continuation of Persona 5, true the Persona spirit.

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War (PS5)

I had been very curious about Black Ops Cold War from the very first teaser. It turned out that Activision delivered exactly what was promised : a fascinating historic experience and a deep dive into the Cold War era. It definitely has one of the greatest (best or second-best I’d say) COD campaign. It’s very innovative including puzzles, infiltration, choices and… sidequests! The multiplayer is enjoyable as well, even though far still from the Battlefield level of awesomeness.

僕の冬 #2018

Years go by and each of brings new standards, new evolutions, in good or bad. Mine this year will be perhaps disappointing for those who enjoy reading this blog, because I will mostly stop posting game reviews on it. I recently joined VGChartz as writer, so this is a whole new challenge for me. VGChartz staff are great people and they gave me the warmest welcome I could ever imagine, so technically I could keep posting reviews here but at some point the amount of publishing between French and English is too demanding. January has already strained me quite a bit. So reviews should be found in the VGChartz review list from now on, although I might keep a few little ones for the blog. That doesn’t mean blogging stops here : I will replace with posts like this on anime, and I seriously consider translating my posts about my travels in Japan (although that might kill me completely given the extensive content). Opinion pieces will still be there, so it’s not goodbye or anything.

I got PSVR for Christmas, mostly by curiosity about a few titles since the VR craze hasn’t really been convincing to me. Yet my short experiment of Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash in VR certainly was. I hadn’t expected such a deep level of immersion. I was at loss for words after getting the helmet off, stupefied by the scale of the revolution I had just witnessed. If such incredible result was achievable in 6 months of PSVR, just imagine what content will be available in 5 or 10 years ! The array of possibilities are staggering, this will be truly a human revolution if they become reality. Since then I’ve bought Hoshi no Kakera no Monogatari which is amazing as well.

In a more classic way, Dissidia FF NT has come to warm the icy week-end of January. With all the efforts, raging and twitching, my body always end up feeling like burning. In short, the usual symptoms when playing a good fighting game. SquareEnix’s product is beautiful, the animations are incredible and it has a dream-like soundtrack for series fans. More than ever, the FF universe is recreated perfectly. Online play is really harsh though, which exacerbates some unbalance between character types. Terra, like all Shoot characters, is tricky to play as because far to slow and virtually defenseless. It’s exhausting to try to earn a few points and that’s a shame because so the rest of the game is so good. But enough of gaming and let’s talk other media.

Kûsen Madôshi Kôhosei no Kyôkan is an old harem that was sleeping in my hard disk so I thought I could give it a try. That anime is about Kanata, a nonchalant military instructor who has been given the task to turn three lousy magical knights aspirant girls into tactical pros. Action scenes were under the par but for the rest it was fun nicely directed. Character management was pretty good, especially in the last episode because it breaks the rules of the genre and let the girls strike the final blow and not the hero.

A spin-off about an interesting character is generally worth the time, even when the original work is poor. Aiz is the main character of Sword Oratoria and expectedly it’s a lot better than Danmachi, even though the writers couldn’t refrain from liking it to the main story, which is annoying. The Loki family is quite a entertaining group, composed of characters a lot more amusing and charismatic than the crybabies of the original anime. Battles aren’t jokes, there are serious confrontations and a real show. In fact, it has almost everything that Danmachi lacked.

Classroom of the Elite was fairly interesting for its originality. 4 classes of highschoolers rival each other to get the best positions later, but the ranking isn’t just made of school marks. It involves points, the management of which is complex and only the best minds can get the most of it. Ayanokôji, the protagonist, is an expert in the field and will discreetly come up with plans to beat the other classes, despite the poor students of his class. Classroom of the Elite is one of those animes that invent complex but fascinating rules, and the mystery surrounding Ayanokôji is another reason to want more.

Gamers made me think a lot. It shows the numerous misunderstandings between five gaming fans in love with each other. It kinds of busts the fundamental contradiction between love and gaming. It’s almost too well directed : the dream-like relationships between those otakus guys & gals is like advising us to look for a similar reality ourselves. Fun and moving, it was clearly a great show.

Masterpiece here. Princess Principal tells the missions of 4 spy girls in a fictional London split into 2 at the beginning of the 20^th century. A unique universe featuring political intrigues, betrayals and admirable moral messages. That anime surprises you almost every time, especially in episode 8, which overturns the narrative so much that my brain made a system error : impossible to get a clear picture of what that meant for the rest of the story. Mind-blowing and best anime of the season.

The first thing I do when coming back from Japan is always symptomatic. In October 2015, I had booted the PS4 version of Nights of Azure. In 2016, I had started Persona 5. In Spring 2015 I… … maybe it’s better not saying that. In 2017, I rushed to my TV to start watching the 2^nd season of New Game, my favorite of 2016. Although it loses its originality, this show keeps delivering, especially in depicting rivalry and ambition. The shattered hopes of Aoba made an unforgettable scene. I also appreciated the renewed role for Hifumi and Umiko, and all the parodies of professional life were as true, and hilarious, as ever.

I found that manga on a bookshop display in Fukuoka station. Pretty sure it shouldn’t have been there though… What Ijôsha no Ai tells or shows is absolutely gruesome, and certainly not for all audiences. Midô is your not-so-average middle schooler in love with a young boy called Kazumi. She’s so deeply in love with him that one day, she just stabs one her rivals in love in the classroom. Unable to erase Kazumi from or head, she’ll quickly come back to haunt her loved one, after years of isolation. Then starts a real thriller between Kazumi who seeks revenge, and yandere gold medalist Midô capable of doing the most horrible things to keep him for herself. The narrative, full of shocking scenes and amazing twists, ends up hooking. But I repeat, the level of psychological violence here is unprecedented.

Most anticipated games of 2018

Fate Extella Link (PS4/PSVita)

How great to see Marvelous keeping Vita version for Fate Extella Link ! PS4 version obviously getting a huge graphical overhaul, it was far from guaranteed. But yes, we’ll be able to fight for the holy Grail in cross-play, with new fun or classy characters like cute Astolfo or sexy Sacthach. There’s even a full Mah-Jong game in the limited edition !!

Girls und Panzers Dream Tank Match (PS4)

Girls und Panzers on PSVita already being a good adaptation, I’m looking forward to experiencing the same sensations in a prettier, smoother and richer PS4 entry. Girls und Panzers Dream Tank Match features all the characters, all the tanks and all the battles from the movie, all this also in multiplayer.

Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet (PS4)

At long last ! Three years… I’ve been waiting 3 years for an SAO game taking place in the fantastic universe of Gun Gale Online, featured in the Phantom Bullet arc. I’m gonna be able to SNIPE at will as Shinon or the original avatar. Because Bamco finally understood that the player wants maximum choice : you’ll have Kirito and his friends plus an original character to create yourself, who’s gonna have its own story. Artworks looks extremely promising and multiplayer should be implemented again. It’s time for SAO to be back on top.

Senran Kagura Burst Renewal (PS4)

Thanks to Senran Kagura Burst Renewal, we’ll almost be able to wipe the series history clean of Nintendo systems. The founding game telling the story of the first two ninja schools is being remade for PS4 in splendid 3D and 60 fps, with redesigned menus.

Shining Resonance Refrain (PS4)

Clearly no one expected Shining Resonance to show up again. And when you think it’s coming back with a whole new scenario in which you have Jenuis and Excella from the start, the hype goes high ! The story would need to be re-written entirely, and I’m curious to see how.

Death End Request (PS4)

Compile Heart is in dire straits. Sales keep dwindling, new ideas and skillfullness lack clearly. Their last hope is Nanameda Kei, Compile’s new star illustrator, and the Galapagos RPG team. Taking place in an MMORPG from where the heroine Shiina cannot escape, Death End Request seems to be the innovative and deep title the company needs, not to mention it respects Compile’s spirit.

Caligula Overdose (PS4)

Yet another remaster with additional content, but this one is interesting : adding to new friends and foes, Caligula Overdose includes an “if story” in which you’re gonna side with the opposing gakushi, and explore their personalities as you did for your allies.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4)

Was it all a bad dream ? I kind remember playing a failed Action-RPG called Valkyria one year ago… Yeah, that was surely a dream. Valkyria Chronicles, the real one, is coming back like it has ever been, in an episode featuring the missions of the Atlantic Federation (you know, the diplomats trying to lure you in the first game) against the Empire in snowy lands. Game system, battle system… everything is inherited from the original Valkyria Chronicles (they understood that it was better not to change anything) and characters seem charismatic. This means a big 14’000¥ collector’s edition for me.

Soul Calibur VI (PS4)

SoulCalibur’s return was sure desired, but less expected. But still we’re gonna be able to cross swords a 6^th time. Namco has mention some ideas about reboot and “simplicity”. Quite not what I want to hear but they did a good job with Tekken, so that should go well…

Catherine Full Body (PS4/PSVita)

This wasn’t expected either, even less on PSVita. Thanks to that handheld version, I’ll be able to experience that strange dating/puzzle game. Vincent, a unresolved young man, spends his days in a bar where a girl called Catherine tries to seduce him. During the night, Vincent is trapped in his dreams, in which he must escape by climbing a sort of Jenga tower ! A clear UFO that will be perfect for commuting.

13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (PS4/PSVita)

Let’s say it again, 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim has the potential to become the next 2D adventure masterpiece thanks to its incomparable atmosphere. A handful of high-schoolers must act before and after the end of the world, helped by strange mechas. With time and choice parameters, it looks absolutely outstanding.

Final Fantasy XV (PS4)

Final Fantasy XV development is going smoothly according to SquareEnix, who publishes Active Time Reports on a regular basis.There will be an early access version on PC in a few weeks, with only 4 playable characters (not the best ones). Probably SquareEnix will polish the game at this occasion, before hopefully giving all the information on the final version.

Zanki Zero (PS4/PSVita)

Quite austere Survival-RPG, Zanki Zero was back at TGS with new interesting hints. As developers had already shown, the characters should age, and there seem to be some strange resurrection mechanic… Well, the fate of those 8 survivalists is still shrouded in mystery.

The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel IV (PS4)

Trails of Cold Steel IV is a nightmare for Western fans of The Legend of Heroes (you, actually). The first pictures are potential huge spoilers about Trails of Cold Steel III and they’re being shared everywhere in the world as we speak. But of course, for me and Japanese fans, those informations are highly valuable for knowing what to expect.

Granblue Fantasy Re-link (PS4)

The gameplay video of Granblue Fantasy Relink surprised pretty much everyone. No one expected such high end graphics and exciting action. We should have though, because the people behind this are the geniuses of Platinum Games. Although the talented developer seem to stay on Nintendo’s side, we’ll gladly take such epic heroic-fantasy, especially since it will be in VR too.

I’m also waiting for Persona 5 Dancing Star Night (PS4/PSVita), Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night (PS4/PSVita), Project Lux (PSVR), Ace Combat 7 (PS4), Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (PS4), Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4), Ni no Kuni II Revenant Kingdom (PS4), Code Vein (PS4), Senran Kagura 7EVEN (PS4), World End Syndrome (PSVita) and Bullet Girls Phantasia (PS4/PSVita).

Unfinalized Fantasy XV

 

We’ve come used to day one patches. Developers fix the problems in their games after release, benefit of the internet age. Although it leaves the door open to some lack of polish, it’s clearly a progress compared to the time you were stuck with a freezing disc. But when Hajime Tabate patches Final Fantasy XV, it’s a whole different story.

Final Fantasy XV started strong in Japan with more than 700’000 copies sold first week (digital taken into account), and 5 millions shipped worldwide. The always tired-looking producer could have boasted about those figures, if he hadn’t said a little too much. In the short term, he wants to re-balance the gameplay in the 13^th chapter, said to be something horrendous according to GAF. The mid term objective is to enrich the narrative with new cutscenes, in order to explain the destiny of some characters better. Last but not least, in the long term, key-characters of the narrative will become playable, and character creation is thought about. Yes, you read that right : SquareEnix is going to re-develop Final Fantasy XV in 2017. The game wasn’t finished at all when it hit shelves on November 28^th 2016.

All this is disastrous of course. Lots of outraged players consider having been mocked. They’re right on this : they could live only part of the experience planned by the developers. They might start it again when the changes are in place, but nothing will replace the delight of experiencing a game for the first time. Some said they would stop playing at once, others congratulated themselves for cancelling their preorder, and some simply said they would “wait”. The latter, and that’s my case, are the big winners in this whole FFXV mess : next year, they’ll have the full Final Fantasy XV experience for half price, whereas day one buyers paid full price for half the content. In other words, they paid 60€ to be beta testers. No wonder many are screaming in anger today. It’s a huge blow dealt to SquareEnix’s brand image, and to Japanese gaming in general. A true national shame. After that, people will still be surprised that the Japanese gaming market digs year after year. How can it be otherwise when it creates its own deflation? Indeed, because of apparatchiks like Mr. Tabata (or Mr. Futami for Sword Art Online) who rush unfinished games on the market, the best thing to do is always to “wait”.

But all this is also, at the same time, absolutely wonderful. To be the true heir of the series, Final Fantasy XV lacked more playable characters, and gender equality. You’ve never heard of a main Final Fantasy that would have only one playable character. You’ve never heard of a main Final Fantasy where women would have a walk-on part. Can you imagine even one second Final Fantasy IX without Dagga or Final Fantasy X without Yuna? The setting of Final Fantasy XV is obviously freakin’ dumb as it is now, an abnormality usurping its name. The very good news is that now, we know that this was not the objective : Final Fantasy XV wasn’t doomed to be simply bromance stuff, SquareEnix just wanted to get the money earlier. I’d rather imagine that the key-characters include Cidney, Iris and Aranea. The developers were saying last October that they would “tackle the question of [playing as a female character]”. Character creation might also allow us to revive Stella or make Luna something else than a fleeting narrative object. That still leaves the problem of Gladio, Ignis and Prompto, only playable via paid DLC… … … hum, actually not a problem. How cares about those three? The deal is now fair and square, Final Fantasy will be Final Fantasy again, even though we’ll have to wait the “long term”. This pain in my chest, I feel it vanishing.

This day is the worst day, and yet the best day for Final Fantasy in recent memory. Tabata and SquareEnix have been deceiving people to get the bucks earlier. They discredited themselves in front of the world, public thunderstruck that they could sell them a game that wouldn’t be complete before months. Still, while the publisher didn’t lose its marketing tricks, it also hasn’t lost sight of what is a JRPG, and what makes a Final Fantasy. The looming clouds in the series’ horizon have cleared.

But where do those names in JRPGs come from? (D)

Daeva

Final Fantasy X-2 : Deva is a demonic-looking monster.

Origin :　Zoroastrianism

In Avestan language, generic term for demon.

Daigoro

Final Fantasy X : Yojimbo’s dog

Origin : Manga

子連れ狼 (Kotsure Ôkami, Lone Wolf and Cub in English) is a manga by Kazuo Koike published in the 70’s. It tells the vengeance of Ôgami Ittô, a high-rank shogunate officer, against the Yagyû clan. One day he comes home, he finds his wife assassinated next to their 1-year old son Daigoro. The father then gives him the choice between a ball and a sword. If the boy catches the ball, Ittô would kill him. But Daigoro gets close to the sword, and his father considers he’s chosen the path of the warrior. Hence he takes his son along in its crusade.

Dante

Project X Zone : Dante is one of the numerous guest characters

Origin : History of Italy

Dante Alighieri is an Italian author of the 13^th century. He’s often regarded as the greatest poet in Italian language, notably for its masterpiece, the Divine Comedy. He also had an important political role for he was appointed high magistrate of Florence in 1300. However, because of internal strife at that time, he was banished of the city in 1302. Banishment that was lift in… 2008!

Divine Comedy

Final Fantasy : the name of Ifrit’s attack (French version)

Origin : Italian literature

Very famous and long poem by Dante Alighieri that tells the road from Hell to Paradise. Dante puts himself in hard trials by which he will atone for his sins, helped by the poet Virgil. Dante starts in a dark wood symbolizing its worst sins, where Virgil tells him to take a long a tiring side path, presumably through Gool and Evil, so as to avoid the sins. Then he and Virgil go down deep in Hell, witnessing the suffering of sinners and traitors (notice that the traitors, considered as the most evil humans on Earth, are tortured at the deepest level), and then exit to Purgatory and Paradise.

Djinn

Golden Sun : summon beasts in this series

Origin : the Koran

Djinns are invisible creatures said to be born from fire. They can be of various forms (animal, plant, antropomorphic…). Like humans, they have free will and can be inclined for good, evil or neutrality. 

Dullahan

Final Fantasy VI : boss depicted as an undead chariot driver

Origin : Irish legends

Dullahans are said to be spirits that can take off their head, which they generally bear under their arm. Travelling in a chariot which is in fact a coffin, they drive a black horse with a whip is is no other than a human backbone. When the Dullahan stops, it means that someone will die. It calls that person, who dies on the spot.

Durandal

Final Fantasy X : a blade for Tidus

Origin : French literature

In Roland’s Song, epic of the 11^th century telling the glory of knight Roland, Durandal is the sword that he wields during the battle of Ronceveaux moutain pass. Injured to death by the Vascones, Roland tries to smash the blade into pieces on a huge rock to avoid that the enemy seizes it, but the rock was destroyed instead.