Although the community of gamers is always in disagreement on every type of concept, we can instead say without problems that this 2020 was truly a terrible year: the health emergency, the various deaths of famous people, not to mention everything that led us to do Covid-19 (limitations, blocks of all kinds, having to stay at home). In short, all this to say that the (less than) 48 hours that separate us from 2021 have a decidedly different taste from previous years. But here on Resources4Gaming.com - despite the fact that we are not automatons and we too have experienced the consequences of this emergency - we are talking about video games, and if after all we let ourselves be pervaded by a bit of healthy Christmas spirit and try to see it from the right perspective, for the video game hasn't been a terrible year.
As we read yesterday, video games have earned more this year than cinema and sports: certainly, the hand of the virus has moved the balance a bit - if we think about it, sport and cinema have suffered more serious setbacks than a form of entertainment that, on the other hand, benefits from staying at home - but if we had to a second to get away from it all, we could say that this has been a fantastic year for video games. Obviously it is not my intention to belittle what has happened and is happening, but if you could follow the thread of my speech for 10 minutes, you could see that 2020, for the video game, was the beginning of many things.
Obviously there would be so much to talk about, so forgive me if I missed some detail that you liked about this videogame year, I don't do it with malice.
Comebacks: no longer a mirage
If they had told me ten years ago that I could see my childhood heroes in a new light, I would not have believed them. Let's talk clearly: it is enough to come down from this decade to have a totally different perspective. I don't know if you remember how it was before: a game came out, became a cornerstone in some boy's heart, and then disappeared for years, maybe it changed completely. The idea of sequels, of returning to origins, of comeback of the heroes of the past were dreams that young people kept in their hearts as utopias of a world in which the problem was not to see that character return. These last few years (2020 included) have been decidedly different: we have witnessed several times great and welcome returns, and this only warms the heart. Of course, the new IPs should not be abandoned in favor of safer products, and this too we could discuss at length.
Not having seen a new Crash, a new God of War, a new Half-Life for years is in my opinion due to the terror of the software houses to anger gamers, to create a poor quality product or to remain a stain of the past. . If there is one thing this 2020 has brought (as a result of years of work) it is customs clearance of this concept. Seriously, even if we look forward to some returns that are still missing, would you really be amazed if for example tomorrow they announced a new Soul Reaver? In the end this aperture was born also thanks to the remakes created to perfection - we thank those companies that have made these restoration processes their core business - and therefore thanks 2020, because after all we now hope that our heroes of the past will be able to return under new shine in the coming years. And now? Now we look forward to the arrival of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition to make us a complete run, waiting for the new chapter of the series.
Cyberpsychosis due to cyberproblems
I consider myself a pragmatic person - for better or for worse - and this always leads me to eat my liver and make my blood sour when I read things on the internet. Okay, objectively Cyberpunk 2077 wasn't this announced masterpiece, mostly due to glitches ranging from funny and annoying bugs on PC to issues from Defcon 1 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One S. At the same time, we can't even scream at the absolute freedom inside the game: but did we really expect it as in our head? In short, a video game in itself is a set of design rules inserted in a technical skeleton. How do you get the freedom you have on a paper RPG, where those two limits are given by the head of the Game Master and the players? Despite everything, as an RPG player I felt that freedom both in those missions that are basically a bit linear, both in those times that passing near a bar, perhaps witnessing a robbery, I was forced to leave because in numerical inferiority. I could have been a hero, maybe risked everything, or walked away with a little remorse. Is that remorse something that really affects the game? Obviously not, if you play it as yet another title to finish by completing everything. Or yes, if you understand that that game is an experience to be lived, an adventure to be lived following your own instincts. I've already enjoyed a full run of the game, and can't wait to get back to it for more.
So if we go to exclude all those comments that define Cyberpunk 2077 a crap and an absolute masterpiece, the truth remains: Cyberpunk 2077 has opened the doors to new RPGs. We haven't had a similar experience since Deus Ex, and honestly since The Witcher 3 and Skyrim we didn't have a pulsating world to visit like this. The real peculiarity, however, remains the attention to detail, definitely not at the level of The Last of Us Part 2 but still of quality. But let's remember that this game is an open world full of features and details, and not a linear single player with a closed world. But there is to see the glass half empty, and for this I invite you: come back to play when it has been patched properly, because not playing it you may have a regret in the future. I am convinced that, for better or for worse, this game has changed the idea of the video game and how it should be sold to the gamer.
Videogames: Next Generation
2020 was also the year of the new generation of consoles. A generation born to be adaptable to requests, to be performing and low cost, to have everything the players want, except itself. As we speak, the PlayStation 5s appear to be sold out until March, the Xboxes appear to be until April. As if this weren't enough, touting is king in this market, and entering the Next-Gen is practically impossible. Obviously Covid-19 has influenced this chain, but it is a bit sad to talk about something that some people cannot have and not by choice.
Why this Next-Gen is really fantastic: In spite of any kind of Console War, we have to get into the head the idea that this time we are ahead of silent revolutions. No mileage in graphics, no eye-popping scenarios (although I challenge you to see how the improved games run on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X). Here we find features of the pad capable of making us stay open-mouthed like children, economic services that are able to make hundreds of titles available to us, the possibility of playing without any type of wall. If you really think that posts on any Facebook group are enough to try to wage a futile war, then you are wrong. We are facing a leap forward in the concept of the video game itself, and in any case we are facing a new generation of consoles, something that does not happen every day. Let's enjoy it, because the challenges to overcome should only be those within video games, not those made with keyboard strokes on stupid things.
The Last Among Us
2020 also put us ahead the extreme poles of a video game idea. On one side The Last of Us Part 2 (and many others) on the other Among Us and his multiplayer companions. Let's realize that we have experienced on our skin a much awaited sequel, masterfully written, with a gameplay that left us speechless and with a scary attention to detail. I stopped playing for 3 days after the finale, I lived every single shot and every single part of the story on my skin, empathizing with all the characters. These emotions are unique, they are something exceptional, and I am grateful to have had a similar experience in this nefarious year. At the same time, if we jump to the opposite bank, we find an avalanche of brilliant multiplayer games: this is due to the breaking down of development barriers, to opening up to new ideas and also to the courage of those who set out to create these pearls. I screamed in fear with Phasmophobia, cursed over yet another kill in Gears 5, and spent hundreds of words trying to frame another player on Among Us. How can we forget the arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch, which like no other game has been able to keep me company during the first terrible wave of the pandemic, creating a world of sharing and allowing me to "get out of the house" from the comfort of my sofa ? And all this I did with a smile, having fun like I haven't done for a long time. I could go on talking about excitement and fun for hours, but honestly I leave the ball to you here: what were your games of 2020?
And now?
And now guys turn off your brain, unplug, rest your brains. Play, have fun, celebrate within the limits of the rules we have these days, and break these barriers perhaps by spending an online evening shooting at you virtually, or have a laugh on Quiplash 2. Experience all those online modes that you have never tried because you preferred to see each other live, close this 2020 in beauty. Because basically this pandemic was a disaster, but it hit us at a time where technology has been really useful and inclusive. So guys, from me and all the editors of Resources4Gaming.com, we wish you a happy new year and we look forward to seeing you next year.
