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2020 may have more or less tested most of us, but it’s been a surprisingly strong year from a gaming perspective.
Of course, it has become Nintendo’s MO in recent years to focus discussions on the projects it has in the works for the year in question, when we are all desperate to hear about future great games like Metroid Prime 4 and Breath of the Wild 2, we don’t expect to get details about these until they are a few months away.
While this silent approach can be frustrating, it also led to some delicious surprises this year, with some great games like Paper Mario: The King of Origami and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity announced and published in relatively short succession.
In the article below, we’ll recap some of the most important stories and games of 2020 covered by our top news and reviews teams, as well as the most popular Nintendo Life article and review of each month. this long, long year. (You can check out longer reads from the past twelve months by browsing our selection of Best of 2020 features).
So while you might be hesitant to take a trip down the recent memory lane, we promise this 2020 rundown will include mostly positive memories. That said, there will also be a few inevitable negatives to address – we’ll try not to dwell.
So buckle up and let’s step back through a turbulent twelve months.
January – Pokémon Direct, Byleth Direct, but no “ appropriate ” Direct
The Pokémon CompanyLooking at Nintendo’s 2020 slate, there was Brain training at the start of the year, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Still in mid-January, the delay Animal crossing coming in March … and not much else on the horizon. While many were hungry for a full Nintendo Direct (something we wouldn’t end up seeing all year, in fact), January’s Pokémon Direct revealed a plethora of details surrounding the Sword & Expansion Pass & Shield, HOME Pokémon, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX and more with over 200 old ‘mon returning to the expanded Galar National Dex.
Elsewhere, Byleth was revealed as the 5th DLC fighter for Smash Bros. Ultimate (as well as an all-new Fighter’s Pass), Bethesda’s retro DOOMs received an update that made them a must-have purchase for Rippers, Masahiro Sakurai revealed he has played a huge number of Playstation games in 2019, suggested a prolific leaker. We’d see a Paper Mario game and a 2D Metroid game later in the year (we’re still waiting for the latter, of course), and Hideki Kamiya started the year off on a high note with his Switch Home menu review (and fans of Switch set out to create their own theme and folder ideas).
The January games included the excellent Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition, the also-excellent 198X, and the excellent tripling To the moon.
Most Popular News Article: Remember that Zelda: Breath of the Wild Clone That Killed a PS4? He just changed
Most Popular Review: SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays – Brilliant action strategy RPG bursting with content
February – Wonderful 101 returns while waiting for the big next month …
© Platinum GamesThe same leaker that mentioned a Paper Mario release made an oblique reference to a release slated for the holidays 2020 with “tires” in it – not really much to do, but Mario Kart Live: Home circuit ended up coming out in November. Platinum Games teased The Wonderful 101: Remastered just before its official announcement, Nintendo was optimistic about the competition to come from next-gen consoles and Sakurai reacted to accusations of too many Fire Emblem characters in Smash by pointing the finger at Nintendo’s management.
Elsewhere, we’ve wondered where in the world Pikmin 4 has come to and NL readers voted for their favorite Pokémon starters (with somewhat predictable results!). More details on Animal Crossing were bubbling up, people were getting nervous about the lack of Nintendo Direct, Witcher 3 on Switch got an impressive update, and a Nintendo customer support story that went above and beyond for an elderly Tetris fan gave us all the warm haze.
The most popular New Item: Nintendo and Pokémon Company issue joint statement on sword and shield
Most Popular Review: Two Point Hospital – Arguably the best take on an acclaimed modern classic
March – A dear old favorite reappears in time
NintendoThe gravity of the global situation that would dominate the remainder of the year began to become apparent as events began to be postponed, adapted or canceled. We had an Indie World Showcase, the Nintendo PlayStation auctioned off, Nintendo hit a legal road bump in the ongoing Joy-Con drift fiasco, and everyone and their dog were trying to get their hands on it. Ring-shaped adventure before the lockdown and the game’s event schedule took a heavy hit as E3 2020 was canceled three months after its slated June slot.
That wasn’t bad news in the video game world, however. Mars announced the important and very welcome return of an old favorite around these games: of course we are referring to the resurrection of our dear sister site, Pure Xbox. Nice to see you again, my old friend.
In other news, Nintendo released a small, random life simulation that you don’t do much about. All eyes were following him except those on the other platforms which were DOOM Eternal, and even those who were sometimes distracted by delicious fan art and Doomguy / Isabelle memes.
Yes, Animal Crossing: New Horizons would come to dominate the news cycle for a good few months, fueled in part by its genius and in part by global circumstances that led millions of people to find solace and self-esteem. escape to Nook’s island getaway. Islands filled with creatures, the ability to poop, Isabelle and the Doom Slayer in animated form – you name it, Animal Crossing provided.
The most popular New Item: Fan-made website lets you create and share Animal Crossing town tunes
Most Popular Review: Animal Crossing: New Horizons – An Accessible and Addicting Masterpiece
April – Lockdown, review-bombing and a return to the streets of rage
DotemuAnimal Crossing fever took hold and people got busy showing off their talents with amazing island projects and custom designs (and bemoaning Bunny Day). The beginning of April was also filled with customary pranks, Super Mario Maker 2 received its “ final ” update, thousands of Nintendo Accounts have reportedly been compromised, and Lord of the Rings star and all-round Good Egg Elijah Wood have been visiting internet randoms to whip his turnips.
A slew of summer 2020 online presentations have been announced to fill the void left by the cancellation of E3 2020. Japan’s CERO rating organization has temporarily closed as the world responds to COVID-19, well that Nintendo’s biggest release of the year hasn’t stopped making headlines, with the game making the Financial Times front page amid all the disappointing pandemic-related news articles.
On the games side, Jupiter released its 472nd Picross Title, Mana trials Delivered a beloved and long-lost RPG classic in the West in a reimagined 3D form, Sam Barlow has continued to push the boundaries of the FMV crime genre with Tell lies, and Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, and Lizardcube took us back to the 90s in the brilliant retro revival Streets of Rage 4.
The most popular New Item: One month later, Animal Crossing: New Horizons review bombing only gets worse
Most Popular Review: Cooking Mama: Cookstar – Definitely Needs More Time in the Oven
May – Surprise announcements as Animal Crossing mania takes over the world
Nintendo released some very healthy sales figures and also revealed Paper Mario: The King of Origami release scheduled for July. The Nintendo Switch Online offering was expanded with four more titles, rumors of Pikmin 3 exploded, and the company also suffered a massive development material leak.
The news, however, was dominated by Animal Crossing as the game exceeded Nintendo’s lifetime sales forecast in its first six weeks on sale. Toom Nook grabbed the zeitgeist by the throat and wouldn’t let go, with Gary Whitta’s chathow Animal Talking attracting huge celebrities, artists reinventing characters as humans, gamers exploiting problems before they did. ‘they didn’t get corrected, and even the person who wrote the Sea Bass joke would admit he had had enough.
Elsewhere, Pac-Man turned 40, Indivisible sneaked onto the Switch eShop without the developer’s knowledge, and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition launched at the end of the month.
The most popular New Item: Have you ever wondered why a villager left your island at Animal Crossing? This latest data analysis reveals all
Most Popular Review: The Elder Scrolls: Blades – A Grindy Free-To-Play Bastardization Of Bethesda’s RPG Classic
June – The Isle of Armor, Clubhouse Games, LEGO Mario and, yes, more Animal Crossing
NintendoA Pokémon Presents show (the first of the two, in fact, although the second was sort of a wet squib) accompanied the release of the first Isle of Armor DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield and revealed a host of new Pokémon-related games and products (including New Pokémon Snap). People were a little confused as to which DLC they should buy, but the expansion itself was pretty good.
In other news, Min Min was revealed as the next Smash fighter, the Joy-Con drift saga continued, the opening of Super Nintendo World was postponed to 2021, supply constraints hampering production Switch have toned down a bit, and Nintendo and Lego have lifted the lid. their Super Mario collaboration.
Fans started making their own Direct presentation, Ori developer Moon Studios gave us the scent of a Switch port from Will of the Wisps, Tied to the earth turned 25 in the US, and Sega revealed the insanely cute (and totally useless) Game Gear Micro. And Animal Crossing continued its rampage through the press offices, with a host of brands jumping on Nook’s wagon.
Nintendo Clubhouse games: 51 world classics landed on Switch in June, as did the free downloadable title Jump rope challenge to help you stay active during the lockdown. Other notable versions included XCOM 2, Bioshock: the collection and the Legendary Borderlands Collection.
The most popular New Item: Here are the seven EA games that should change next year
Most Popular Review: The Outer Worlds – Obsidian’s Fallout-Style RPG Worth A Look On Switch
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