Editor’s Note: 2020 was rough for a lot of reasons, but it also gave our Geek Force squad a chance to reflect on the good things that came out of this year. Check out their top picks. Maybe a few will help start your 2021 on the right note.
Ray’s Favs of 2020
December always brings a lot of reflection and appreciation with it. As Thanksgiving passes and we inch closer to Christmas and New Year’s, remembering the ups and downs of the year has become a warm ritual in our lives. We’ve felt the craziness of 2020 all year, but my time in entertainment has been really great.
I’ve personally spent much of this year finally shaving down the endless backlog of things. Quarantine gave me a lot of time to cross off games and shows I’ve been meaning to get to, for example: XCOM2, Control, Justified, and Steven Universe. However, I also had time to jump into the new stuff 2020 brought us and have narrowed down my favorite game, TV show, and geek moment of 2020 (finish enjoying your vacation, new movies!).
Favorite Video Game: Hades by Supergiant Games
I think the average amount of time I’ve spent on Supergiant titles before Hades was somewhere in the 20-40 hours range. I’ve loved each of their titles, especially for the atmosphere, music, and narrative that they each bring. With Hades, they’ve outdone themselves in every way. I don’t give very many “Masterpiece” reviews, but this game is on that list. I think part of the reason why is the commitment to the early access model that Supergiant used during development. The game spent over a year in this state. They periodically implemented new content while also incrementing the game with the constant feedback they were getting from players.
The product is an incredible experience, with tight gameplay, amazing dialogue, and a narrative that’s very fun to progress through. At this point, I’m over 110 hours of playtime on a $25 game. There might not be a better value out of a “new” game. Do yourself a favor and go pick Hades up on your PC or Switch, and give massive respect to Supergiant and Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld.
Favorite TV Show: Dave on FX/Hulu
A personal favorite from 2020, Dave definitely shocked me. Starring Dave Burd, maybe better known as Lil Dicky, the show is a fictional autobiography of his rise as a rap artist. If you’re already a Lil Dicky fan, just go watch. If you’re a fan of quick-witted humor or miss the feel of old school Adam Sandler movies, I think you should give the show a chance. Its first impression is penis jokes and jerk main characters. But as the show progresses, the onion layers start to peel back and you notice all the detailed character nuances, well-written dialogue, and strong performances from the actors and non-actors alike. One of the stand out episodes focuses on GaTa, Burd’s real life hype man, and has a strong message about mental health in the music industry. I was impressed by the show, and am hoping for a strong second season of more character growth and development.
Favorite Geek Moment: The release of Last of Us 2 by Naughty Dog
Let me start this section by declaring my possible bias. Naughty Dog is easily in my top three developers of all time (the other two being Supergiant and Bioware, if you’re wondering). The only series I haven’t played from their library is Crash Bandicoot because I didn’t own a PS1 growing up, but I’ve been hooked since Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.
Back to this moment in time, you can’t help but laugh at the entire controversy. Naughty Dog clearly created a game that was designed to divide fans. That was obviously their intention with The Last of Us 2. It did such a good job at that, the game had the designers split, leading to one of them leaking a ton of narrative details before the game’s launch. That decision is probably what really set off everything else. Many vocal fans were devastated by the leaks, and they made sure it was known while they bombed comment threads and social media with their opinions. Eventually this led to the bombing of the game’s Metacritic store from tons of users while the game had only been out a few hours. Clearly a vast majority of those reviews were from fans that hadn’t played or who barely had time to touch it.
Truly, I think everyone has to play the complete game before they can really have a full opinion about it. But I also think if you know any of the leaks going into the game, the roller coaster is ruined. The Last of Us 2 is one of the greatest emotional experiences in gaming (despite if you like or dislike it). As with any emotional experience, it hits differently depending on how it’s fed to you. Most of the outrage would have been entirely different without the initial narrative leaks, but watching the whole thing unfold online was easily something to be remembered. RIP original Metacritic policies!
Marlin’s Quarantine Selection
2020! Damn, you was wilding! You emotionally tried to level us month after month, you got damn close. Personally, I’m thankful we live in a time where technology brings people together despite the trials and tribulations. Without it, the separation would have been so much more unbearable. This year brought a lot of media that connected folks and allowed us to separate from our realities together. Here are some of those moments that I think were best of 2020. Enjoy!
Favorite game: Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch Productions
This game came at the perfect moment, five months after businesses went into lockdown and just in time for the summer (if you could call it that). Ghost of Tsushima is a beautiful action-adventure game, combining so many of our favorite game mechanics in a beautiful open world. The stealth combat of Assassin’s Creed, the moral greyness of Last Of Us, and multiplayer missions similar to Destiny.
These combined with a Kurosawa-esque story and the PlayStation graphics gave us 20+ hours (not including multiplayer mode) of enjoyable game play. So, if you’re down for a fun ride, grab your Katana and get Ghost of Tsushima
Favorite show: Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami (Shonen Jump)
Now, I know that technically the Manga dropped in 2017! But I was introduced to this show via a clip I saw on a popular social media site known for dancing. In that clip I saw some amazing fight choreography and jean shorts. I was sold. Was I disappointed, no! The show combines some OG anime themes you might be familiar with from the 90’s. It drops the main character into the world of the occult similar to Yu Yu Hakisho, especially when the show discusses the characters’ innate connections to the supernatural world.
We also get some great fight scenes that allow the viewer to observe just enough of the fight before doing those transportation cuts. It reminded me of the fight between Neji and Rock Lee. All hands, no games! Lastly, the story is what’s wild. The main character, Yūji Itador, is friendship goals. He takes self-sacrificing to the next level and I look forward to another season of this show, only up from here (or down lol)! If you have the time to take on a new anime series, you should seriously take a look at Jujutsu Kaisen, you won’t regret it!
Favorite Geek Moment: The Mandolarian
I like Stars Wars. I even liked a few of the Prequels (looking at you 1 and 2). The Mandolarian had me immediately at its release.
It’s the one reason I subscribed to Disney+. Mandolarian season 2 did something I didn’t think the franchise would do: tie in the other Star Wars material that exists.
It’s something I always wondered about. Why wouldn’t they just commit to a movie around the dope shows that already exist and have been reviewed favorably to the fandom? This season finally did that and I love it! It’s so satisfying to see characters and references to Rebels and Clone Wars. Almost like it was worth ingesting those properties and characters to memory. Especially if a show is going to exist within the same timeline as the other characters. It might seem polarizing but I think it’s a fun nod to the lore that exist.
And let’s not forget that Star Wars has a TON of lore. From movies, to TV shows, to comics, to books. Not everyone is going to be caught up but the info that’s introduced in the show is all about opening up some of these doors for folks. Don’t know who a character is, well guess what you’re on Disney+ and all of Star Wars is on there. Check out the shows and enjoy the ride! As an educator I’m all for obtainable independent work, especially in this pandemic.
Cat’s 2020 Essentials
This year was not easy for everyone. However, because of this, people became creative in finding their outlets and expanding their hobbies. But for us already introverted, geeky homebodies? Oh, we for sure took advantage of everything. New game? Play it in thirty hours and create a highlight reel of your victories. New anime show? Watch it religiously and create a FB group dedicated to the hotness of its characters. New books to read? Start a ZOOM book club and meet every week to discuss the plot and why Afro-centrism is amazing!
So, I would say all these things and more have made it a pretty great year to be a certified geek, seven days a week. But the difficult part is discussing what was the number one favorite! Ahhhh so much, but I think I have this covered. Let’s see…
Favorite TV Show of the Year – Castlevania
In a year full of great animated shows, from anime to streaming services’ originals, there was a lot to choose from. For me, it was Season 3 of Castlevania. Not only did we have to wait a year for this season to drop, but it was jam-packed with so many unforgettable scenes. From Belmont and Sypha’s fiery fight in the village to Alucard’s new friends in his castle to the introduction of the extraordinary Isaac and his goals. The characters were phenomenal, the stakes have been raised higher thanks to Issac and his squad, and the animation is just freaking amazing. I had hoped for another hit with Blood of Zeus, but it didn’t even come close (and they’re approved for a second season whaaa?!). I can’t wait for the next season of Castlevania; there’s so much more to explore.
Favorite Video Game of the Year – Animal Crossing
For a girl to spend most of her time playing an MMO, what could be my favorite new game of the year? Thanks to COVID, it’s Animal Crossing. Everyone had purchased this game and streamed it, and I had fallen in love with the design, the characters, and the cute little interactions. I wanted it.
But I didn’t even have a Nintendo Switch!
This was during the beginning of the pandemic where everyone was hoarding toilet tissue, sanitizing wipes, and apparently the Nintendo Switch. I had to scout out prices daily to find the right one, buy one, and THEN purchase the Animal Crossing game.
Once I received the game, oh man was it on.
I spent hours building my island, waking up early on Sundays for them turnips, and hanging out with friends on their islands. I had theorized Tom was a con man/in some organized crime and had run this island business either to pay back debt or to start his own branch of the mob family he’s from.
And don’t get me started on Harvey, one of the creepiest characters in the game. DON’T GO TO HIS ISLAND, Y’ALL.
I will be honest, I haven’t played as much, but when I do log in, it always brings me joy and a quiet sense of peace as I’m grinding to have the perfect aesthetic for my island or to market my island as the place to move to and live there. I’m grateful for the new updates that are out every few months to keep me engaged (it’s so easy to finish this game). I highly recommend everyone to try this game at least once; for the sake of saying you tried it; plus, you can’t deny the cute humor and the silliness of your neighbors!
Favorite Geekiest Moment of the Year – Hamilton available on streaming on Disney+
My favorite Geekiest Moment of 2020? I had to really narrow down all the magical moments since being a geek at home is at an all-time high right now. So many great tech gadgets, amazing video game news, and new theatrical movies to watch in the comfort of your home (all at the unhealthy price of $29.99). But for me, there was one part of the year where I had geeked out the most (I still do till this day. My conversations involve so many of Lin-Manuel’s lyrics).
I’m talking about the announcement of Hamilton premiering on Disney+ on 4th of July.
First off – theatre – not theater, but theatre – was always not accessible for most, so to have a hip-hop Broadway show featuring people of color was always a dream of mine to see in person. But them ticket prices though. The specific cities tour, being available to travel to see it; so many damn factors. It was not as easy as seeing a Fast and the Furious movie in your local theater. No. Having it be available on Disney+ was a HUGE move for this and to NOT have the viewer pay extra to view it (*side-eyes Mulan*) was great. If you have the app, you can see the original cast in all of their glory. It’s extremely worth it.
Secondly, you can watch it as many times as you want. AS YOU WANT. I can fast-forward and replay all my favorite moments. I couldn’t do this with Wicked at all. Which leads me to my third point…
Thirdly, this has opened doors to how Broadway shows can grow their audiences and not just pander to a certain crowd. Hamilton is a great fictional play that has some pretty cool American history facts. This is such a good show for kids to watch while being exposed to the arts. Think of the many successful plays that could follow Hamilton‘s example. Even with COVID eventually ending, there will be people who want to learn more and watch more Broadway shows but can’t. Why not build up streaming options for these shows? If they can play anime movies and operas in movie theaters, they can definitely do that for streaming. There are so many great shows out there, and I believe it should be available for anyone to watch. Thanks to the success and popularity of Hamilton, so many people have fallen more in love with it more. Because we are able to witness the close-ups, the drama happening in the side-wings, and not be distracted by someone’s phone or annoying habits. Just you and the screen.
And I didn’t even get into the exciting in-depth discussions of this show! So much new story/character development has been revealed by Lin-Manuel and crew recently, after people had viewed it multiple times. Such a great example in how the fan base grew as more and more people watched it. You love to see it.
With that said, I have (and still am) enjoyed my geeking out to Hamilton. And although history has its eyes on us during this pandemic, I’m looking forward to other popular Broadway shows to follow in Hamilton’s shoes to follow suit.
