Completed:

Contra  - (Mini Game Entertainment System) *Famiclone of the NES Classic, played at a friends house after his wife's 45th birthday party

Currently Playing:

Wolfenstein II:  The New Colossus  - (Nintendo Switch)

Finally got around to finishing a Switch game.

• Nier: Automata (PS4) (9.5/10) One of the best stories I've ever experienced in video games with wonderfully written characters, combined with a huge amount of gameplay variety and a fun and fast-paced combat system, which had been the weak point in Yoko Taro's earlier works. Easily going to make my top 50 games of all time list this year.
• GRIS (PC) (8/10) An absolutely gorgeous 2D platformer, easily one of the best looking games I've ever played, with a beautiful soundtrack layered on top of it all. The actual gameplay is quite simple, but solid, and there are some very satisfying moments of platforming in the game, even if none of it is all that challenging. It is a very short game, but every moment I spent with GRIS was thoroughly enjoyable.
• Middle-Earth: Shadow of War (PS4) (8/10) A solid open world game made better by the nemesis system that did the same for Shadow of Mordor. The gameplay is fun, the world has a lot of nice variety to it, and although the story is kinda silly in the context of the books, but as a kind of non-canon side thing it's fine enough. Gets a bit grindy at the end, which soured me a little towards it, but it wasn't too bad. If the epilogue had been like in the original release before the balance changes and the removal of lootboxes I probably would have not been nearly as kind towards the game, but as it stands now I do recommend Shadow of War. 
• Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4) (8.5/10) A charming and gorgeous and a sequel to one of my favourite games from the previous console generation. I'm not sure if I would rank it higher than the first game, though. The gameplay is vastly improved compared to the first one, with the battle system, side quests and the other side stuff available for you to do just being much more interesting and varied in comparison. The story and character are also very good, but I might still prefer the first game's cast and story to this one. Still a very good game, and well worth the time I put into it.
• The Banner Saga 2 (PC) (8/10) The Banner Saga-games (at least the first two) aren't necessarily groundbreaking tactical RPGs in any way, at least as far as gameplay is concerned. Every element of the gameplay can be found in other games in one form or another, but these are still very well put together games with a battle system that has plenty of tactical depth to it. The nordic mythology-inspired story is very well written and the characters are interesting as well. Still, perhaps the most impressive aspect of these games is the visual style. The backgrounds and characters look absolutely gorgeous, and the animated sequences always look great as well, though I wish there were more of them. Overall, Banner Saga 2 is a good game that I enjoyed playing through, just one that doesn't really bring anything new to the genre.
• A Short Hike (PC) (7.5/10) A charming little game that I finished on a single sitting. It's unlikely that I'll ever go back to the game, but the short story it tells is quite lovely, and the relaxing, low-stakes gameplay is perfect for unwinding in-between other more demanding games. If you're looking for a game to just take your mind off things and just relax for a few hours, this is a very good option for that.
• Nioh (PS4) (8/10) A very good Dark Souls-inspired games, that doesn't quite reach the same heights as FromSoftware's titles. I enjoyed the gameplay for the most part, the story was fine, if somewhat disjointed, and William is a good main character. The locations aren't as interesting as those found in Dark Souls for example, and the world as a whole also feels like a collection of disconnected places that don't feel like part of the same world very often. Still, despite my issues, I very much enjoyed the game overall, but unlike Dark Souls or Bloodborne I'll likely never replay it.
• Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince (PS4) (8.5/10) Played through the game in co-op, and as of right now it might be my favourite in the entire series. I'll have to go through it alone at some point to come to a conclusion, but even with the co-op playthrough Trine 4 is a very good game. The puzzles are better and more varied than in previous games, the gameplay much more fluid and intuitive, and while the story has never really been that important in the series outside of setting up a fairytale-like tone, it's fun and charming as well. Just an overall enjoyable game to play, and a great co-op title as well.
• My Time At Portia (PC) (8.5/10) This was a really fun and relaxing game, that in a lot of ways reminds me of Harvest Moon, except instead of building a farm you do so with a crafting workshop. I put almost 130 hours into this game, and I finished the main storyline and most of the sidequests in that time, and I enjoyed pretty much all of it. There's just so much stuff you can do here, besides crafting new machines and items there's farming, relationship building, dungeons to explore, ruins where you can mine for ore and relics, and so much more. 
• Deponia (PC) (7.5/10) Every once in a while I get in the mood to play some traditional point-and-click adventure games, and I'd had Deponia (and two sequels to it) on my Steam library for ages, so this was a good time to get around to playing it. Visually it's a very good looking game, and the setting is interesting and unique. The story and characters were pretty good too, though it does show that this was essentially just the first chapter in the story, so a lot of stuff was left unfinished. The main character can be somewhat annoying at times, especially early on in the game, but that also gives him some clear room for growth and development, which is nice. I guess the best thing I can say is that after finishing Deponia I'm still looking forward to playing the rest of the series.
• Wild Arms 3 (PS4) (8/10) It had been a while since I'd played a proper old-school JRPG that I hadn't previously experienced, and since I had bought Wild Arms 3 a while back on a sale I thought I'd give it a shot. Overall, I really enjoyed it. The music is great, I really like the world these games take place in, the characters are well written and interesting, and the gameplay has enough unique elements to separate it from the pack. The story is fairly standard JRPG fare, but the main issue I had with the game is the fact that it just doesn't really explain a lot of its mechanics to the player very well. Several times over the course of the game I had to go and find out what certain things actually meant from guides or forum posts, because I couldn't find the information within the game itself. Still, this is a good game well worth playing though, especially if you're a fan of the genre.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) (9.5/10) I genuinely loved this game, and it could very well end up as my GotY at the end of the year. I thought the battle system is excellent, with a genuinely well designed take on the classic ATB system at its core, the expanded story and characters were great, and visually this is one of the best looking games of the year. I'm also very curious to see where they take this story going forward considering how the game ended. The sidequests were the one aspect I would have liked to have been more interesting, but at least the gameplay made them enjoyable enough. A great game, without question. I won't compare it to the original until the whole story has been told, but this is definitely a good way to get things started with the remake.
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (PS4) (9.5/10) I finally got around to playing and finishing Trails of Cold Steel III after having it sitting on my shelf since last Christmas, and it was just as great as I expected after the previous two games. This is now the fifth game in the series that I've played, and they've made the series one of my absolute favourite video game franchises of all time, behind only Final Fantasy and Dark Souls. The story and characters are among the best I've ever seen in video games, the gameplay is a lot of fun, and the music very good as well. Now I just need to wait for Trails of Cold Steel IV
• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Remastered (PS4) (8/10) After several huge RPGs I really needed to play something much smaller for a change, and since I had the Nathan Drake Collection downloaded on my PS4 I though I'd replay the whole series through for the first time in several years. The first game in the series is still the weakest of lot, but the remastering has improved the gameplay noticeably, which was always the biggest issue in the game. Drake's Fortune also always had problems with its pacing, especially in the latter half, and that's still the case here. Overall, this feels like a game that already has all the right elements in place, they just aren't quite polished enough or don't come together as well as they should yet. Fortunately, this would change for the better in the sequels. Still a very good game, but not as good as the follow-ups.
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Remastered (PS4) (9/10) Basically just a better version of the first game, with improved balance between puzzles, exploration and combat, great set-pieces, and just an overall excellent presentation. 
• The Messenger (PC) (8.5/10) A clever retro-style game that starts as a straightforward action-platformer in the style of old-school Ninja Gaiden that turns into a Metroidvania a few hours in. The time-travel mechanic is really clever and well-designed, and the art style shifting between 8- 16-bit graphics depending on which time period you're in is a wonderful touch. 
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS4) (8.5/10) Basically Uncharted 2, just not quite as well-thought out in terms of story and pacing. Still a great game, but some of it feels like Naughty Dog just trying to come up with ways to upstage the previous game's setpieces rather than logically leading Drake to those situations in service of the story. 
• Doom (2016) (PS4) (8.5/10) Finally got around to playing Doom 2016, and I'm very glad I did, as it ended as one of the three best FPS games of this console generation alongside Titanfall 2 and Wolfenstein: New Order. This is how you stand out in the FPS genre, by taking things back to basics and just being faster and more straightforward than pretty much any other mainstream FPS around these days.
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) (9/10) It's a weird feeling when I finish a game and think it's both great and overrated at the same time. I finally got around to playing Breath of the Wild after getting a Switch and the game for christmas last year, and overall it's an excellent game. The world is gorgeous and filled with interesting places to visit, the gameplay mostly really fun, the story is good for Zelda-standards, the sense of adventure and discovery is impeccable, and yet it's just not quite as exceptional as it's been made out to be. For everything the game does right there is always a minor source of annoyance or frustration that put a damper on the adventure from time to time, and that keeps it from being the masterpiece a lot of others consider it to be in my mind. Still an excellent game, regardless.

Currently Playing:

• The Witcher (PC) Slowly making progress on-and-off. About halfway through at the moment I think, maybe a little more.
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PS3)
• Zeus (PC)

Just Finished: Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (Gamecube)

Let me start off by saying that the controls for this game are horrible. I may love the Gamecube controller for Smash Bros. but a complex game like this just highlights how awkward and undercooked this controller is. Too many complex gameplay mechanics are layered on top of each other to make the gameplay smoothly. I bought this game over a year ago, used from Gamestop.com for $45. The site currently lists the price at $60 and there aren't any in stock. Makes me happy about my purchase. I first played MGS 2 and 3 through the HD collection on Vita. I wanted to experience the original MGS before moving on to MGS 4 & 5. I heard the original PS1 game has aged like milk so that is why I sought out The Twin Snakes remake. I still enjoy the outside the box thinking of Kojima when it comes to game design. The boss battles are unique and the game makes the most out of its environments. As for the story, I could not tell you anything about it because I skipped all of the ridiculously long cutscenes. What I gleaned from the gameplay sections seemed cool though (the invisible soldier fight in the elevator). I feel as though Kojima should just become a film director as that clearly is where he draws his inspiration. The games needs an editor to streamline the story. The game is a tad on the short side. I can tell that the original must have felt revolutionary at the time and have no doubt that Twin Snakes improved on it, I'm glad I played this version. Still even this 2004 game has aged poorly. This game needs a true HD remake. Playing this on a widescreen HD television on my Wii with AV cables, the graphics were serviceable (I'm not really a graphics snob). MGS 3 remains my favorite in the series, I even enjoyed MGS 2 more than this. Snake? Snake! SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!

7/10

Full Completed 2020 List:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4)
• New Super Mario Bros U (Switch)
• Resistance 3 (PS3)
• God of War (PS4)
• Call of Duty Black Ops III (PS4)
• Bioshock (PS4)
• Shadow of the Colossus (PS4)
• Killzone HD (PS Now)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
• Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS Now)
• Kingdom Hearts Final Mix HD (PS4)
• Bayonetta (Switch)
• Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
• Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (Gamecube)

Completed:

Wolfenstein II:  The New Colossus  - (Nintendo Switch)

Currently Playing:

Captain Tsubasa:  Rise of New Champions  - (Nintendo Switch)

Just Finished: Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 (PS Now)

I played the original game on the Wii (and reviewed it for this site). I actually rented this game on PS3 from Gamefly years ago but never completed it. I recently rewatched all 8 Harry Potter films. That inspired me to go back and finish this game. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and Lego games are a not so guilty pleasure of mine. I enjoyed this experience for what it was. It's designed for kids and I think it does a good job crafting compelling gameplay for that audience. Order of the Pheonix and Half-Blood Prince do not translate as well to videogames as the rest of the books/movies. Sometimes the game is obscure and nitpicky about what object in the environment you have to interact with in order to progress, which could be a bit frustrating. The humor is engaging. The miming in the Lego cutscenes only does a so-so job of conveying the story. It should not be a problem though as I think only fans of the series would be interested in this game. Lego games are great for highlighting how many obscure funky characters populate these IPs. Couch co-op is fine but online co-op would be appreciated as well. Not much else to say. All was well.

6/10

Full Completed 2020 List:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4)
• New Super Mario Bros U (Switch)
• Resistance 3 (PS3)
• God of War (PS4)
• Call of Duty Black Ops III (PS4)
• Bioshock (PS4)
• Shadow of the Colossus (PS4)
• Killzone HD (PS Now)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
• Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS Now)
• Kingdom Hearts Final Mix HD (PS4)
• Bayonetta (Switch)
• Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
• Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (Gamecube)
• Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 (PS Now)

As a Die hard fan of the metal gear solid franchise it was such a letdown this remake, they changed the complete soundtrack and some stuff that for me ruined the experience. IMO the original one is much much better.

But glad that you could try this game!

eleventh update (93 completed games):

Games I've finished in 2020:

• The Banner Saga (Game Pass)
  
• The Banner Saga 2 (Game Pass / GwG)
• Rage 2 (Game Pass)
• Battlefield V (EA Access)
• Batman: The Telltale Series (GwG)
• Sea of Solitude (EA Access)
• FIFA 20 (EA Access)
• Zombieland: Double Tap - Road Trip (Free Play Days)
• DYING: Reborn
• Your Toy
• Wandersong (Game Pass)
• Assassin's Creed Odyssey
• Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn
• Crimson Dragon (Game Pass)
• FoxyLand
• Project Starship
• Gravity Duck
• Reed Remastered
• Call of Cthulhu (GwG)
• Subnautica (Game Pass)
• Indivisible (Game Pass)
• The Jackbox Party Pack 3 (Game Pass)
• Haimrik
• Miles & Kilo
• Batman: The Enemy Within - The Telltale Series (GwG)
  
• Captain Cat
• Mekabolt
• Tanky Tanks
• Far Cry 5
• Far Cry New Dawn
• Vampyr (Game Pass)
• Aborigenus
• Black The Fall
• Twin Robots: Ultimate Edition
• Quiplash
• Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion (GwG)
• A Plague Tale: Innocence (Game Pass)
• Guts and Glory
• Surviving Mars (Game Pass)
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Game of the Year Edition (Game Pass)
• Apocalipsis: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
• Toybox Turbos (Xbox 360) (GwG)
• Aery
• Super Box Land Demake
• FoxyLand 2
• Sigi - A Fart for Melusina
• Black Mirror
• Attack of the Toy Tanks
• Blind Men
• SiNKR
• Null Drifter
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Game Pass)
• My Memory of Us
• Just Ignore Them
• UglyDolls: An Imperfect Adventure
• Pikuniku (Game Pass)
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War (Game Pass)
• Don't Knock Twice
• SubaraCity
• Doom (2016) (Game Pass)
• Pankapu
• Stretch Arcade
• Ellen - The Game
• Mafia III
• Where the Bees Make Honey
• Transference
• Caretaker
• 2urvive
• Shadow Warrior (GwG)
• Kingdom Hearts: 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- (GamePass)
  
• The Sims 4 (EA Access)
• PixARK
• Bucket Knight
• OVIVO
• Minecraft Dungeons (Game Pass)
• Mass Effect Andromeda (EA Access)
• Stick it to the Man
• Halo 4 (as part of Halo MCC) (Game Pass)
• Timespinner (Game Pass)
• Mecho Tales
• Animal Super Squad
• Moving Out
• Grass Cutter
• The Touryst (Game Pass)
• Doom 64
• The LEGO Movie Videogame
• Devil May Cry 5 (Game Pass)
• Dirt Showdown (Xbox 360) (GwG)
• Sunset Overdrive (GwG)
• New Super Lucky's Tale (Game Pass)
• EA Sports UFC 4 (EA Play)
• Injustice 2
• Divinity: Original Sin 2

Currently working on:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered

Games I've finished:

Resident Evil VII (PC)
DOOM (2016) (PC)
Hollow Knight (Switch)
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (PC - GamePass)
Resident Evil 3: Remake (PS4)
Final Fantasy VII:Remake (PS4)
The Messenger (Switch)

Well I heard the original PS1 game has aged even worse. I want to experience all the major games in the franchise and I figure Twin Snakes was the best way to play MGS 1 in today's day and age. I played MGS 2 and 3 on Vita, which was nice, but probably not the best package for those games either.

Next up I have MGS 4. I bought the game used on PS3 (can't believe the game remains PS3 exclusive to this day) for $2 but I can also play it on my PS4 through PS Now. Then I guess I will play Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes, and Phantom Pain through PS Now/PS Plus.

Just Finished: Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)

It's funny to think that Guerilla Games made the worst game I played so far this year (Killzone HD), and now also one of the best with Horizon: Zero Dawn. The studio sure has come a long way and this first meaningful step outside of their comfort zone is a doozy. I finally see what all the hype is about three years after the game first released. The graphics and art direction are phenomenal for an open world. I played this on a base model PS4 and the results still astound me. The production values are through the roof with detailed voice acting for nearly every character, dialogue trees and all. The lore and world building in this game are top notch. This is one of the best written games I have ever played, it makes a great peer to the master scribes at Naughty Dog. Of course gameplay is what matters most. Combat is fun and challenging. The game is stuffed to the gills with content. Even some side missions are better written and more well thought out then actual story elements in other games. The game is not perfect, with so many gameplay elements stacked on top of each other it was never going to pull off everything perfectly. Gathering resources could be a nuisance and traveling is a chore until you are able to buy the unlimited fast travel pack. The sense of scale is epic, facing off against huge vicious animal-like machines. The open world feels both wide and untamed, but remarkably detailed with civilization. Its a shame you cannot continue exploring a post game version of the world (I made the same criticism about BOTW). Aloy is an amazing character and the world of Horizon is wonderfully diverse without feeling forced. There is so much content in it that I have yet to experience that I almost feel bad that the developer's work is going to wast on me. I also can't believe I bought the Complete Edition of this game brand new on disc for just $17. Was I frustrated and annoyed during certain parts of this game? For sure. Do I consider myself a fan of this new PlayStation franchise? Most definitely.

9/10

Full Completed 2020 List:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered (PS4)
• New Super Mario Bros U (Switch)
• Resistance 3 (PS3)
• God of War (PS4)
• Call of Duty Black Ops III (PS4)
• Bioshock (PS4)
• Shadow of the Colossus (PS4)
• Killzone HD (PS Now)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
• Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS Now)
• Kingdom Hearts Final Mix HD (PS4)
• Bayonetta (Switch)
• Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
• Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (Gamecube)
• Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 (PS Now)
• Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)