The Best Surprises of 2020
I’m sure I’m the first person who’s going to tell you this, so I’m just going to lay it all out there: 2020 wasn’t a great year. If there’s any collection of 365 days that needed a good surprise, it’s these. I hope you can forgive me for relying on the specter of 2020 to open this article, but these games are hopefully enough to banish it long enough to get some quality time with your gaming console of choice.
And now, COGconnected’s Best Surprises of 2020.
7. Fuser
It’s been years since Guitar Hero and Rock Band dominated the industry. There was a time you couldn’t go to a party without being tempted into picking up a plastic instrument and being made to feel like you, too, could be a musical genius. As someone who misses that era pretty much every day of my life, I’m glad to see Fuser and other games like bringing the rhythm game back to popularity. With Fuser, you don’t need any of those expensive accessories: all you need is a controller. In-game you play as a DJ just starting out, and the freestyle mode really lets you go wild with the music-making controls. Fuser is a rhythm game for a new (and so far, bad) decade, and that’s a welcome surprise.
Did we expect a game where you could play as a shark? Not really. Do we love it? Yes, obviously. It might not be perfect, but Maneater is both comical and emotional, overcoming its flaws to leave a long-lasting impression on players. Obviously. Because it’s a game where you play as a shark. This might not be a completely new concept, but it’s playing as a shark is like the Spanish Inquisition: you can never expect it.
The existence of a Hyrule Warriors game in itself isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that it’s actually good. As we said in our review, “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity succeeds on two separate fronts. This is a prequel with the narrative heft required for a game in the Zelda franchise. But, this is also a Musou/Warriors game that twists that formula into something unique and engaging.” If you really hate that formula, you might still bounce off, but for everyone else, it’s safe to give this one a try.
Click over to PAGE 2 for the top 4 surprises…
