My top 10 Japanese games of 2020

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While 2020 was a pretty awful year, there were big Japanese games to play, and I thought I’d share my personal preferences.

This is the fifth year I’ve put together my favorite Japanese games, since I started back in 2016 and made similar entries for 2017, 2018 and 2019.

As always, these are my personal favorite Japanese games this year and are not expected to be definitive beyond that. That’s not to say I only include games I’ve actually played.

So with all that square away, here are my 10 favorite Japanese games of 2020.

10. Super Mario 3D All-Stars

While this may be far more from a remaster standpoint, the fact that we have classic games is like Super Mario 64, Sunshine Super Mario and the amazing Super Mario Galaxy the Switch is definitely welcome. Each of these games represents an important part of the history of games, as well as the evolution of platform games as they made the transition from 2D to 3D. So while this pack is a bit rough around the edges, it’s definitely still worth a look.

9. Earth Defense Force: Brothers of the Earth

Just released a week ago in Japan, this is the latest Land Defense Force game from Yuke’s, with their last entry very good Iron Water. Brothers of the World it’s a bit different though and is incredibly pixelated and centered around gathering “brothers” in your quest to defeat the Dark Legion. The basic game is pretty much the same as most Land Defense Force games, because you have to knock down alien insects. But, in Brothers of the World you need to lead a team of four characters, which you can change the fly. As soon as this game comes to the West, I will give it a good detailed review.

8. Mario Kart Live: Home Disability

This was an amazing concept and brilliantly executed. There, he took a classic Mario Kart into the real world and if you had created paths around your house so you could drive in. Each set gave you one kart and a handful of cardboard trail signs. The game itself is a download from the Nintendo eShop, but once it’s installed it’s a lot of fun. Inside each of the karts is a small camera, this brings its video feed back to your Switch and the “track” becomes part of your living room. While Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still going to Mario Kart game for the Switch, Home Disability it’s also an amazing game in itself.

7. Final Fantasy Remake VII

Naming several thousand years ago, we found the first part of this remake of Final Fantasy VII this year. While this is more of an action game now and makes major changes to the plot, it is still a very good game. Not only is it appealing to fans of the original games, it is clearly trying to bring newer players into the fold as well. As I said in my review though, this is more of a remake than a remake. So your miles can be different on that.

6. Hyrule Heroes: Age of Calamity

First Hyrule Heroes it was a tough game on the Wii U and the Switch. Comes with the game of Dynasty Heroes and Zelda into a reasonable package, Age of Calamity has taken this foundation a step further. In particular, Age of Calamity set one hundred years before the events took place there Breath of the Wild and doing its best to fill the reporting gaps. It also uses a similar engine and graphic style as well Breath of the Wild, so it also looks as it should. It makes sense that this is a Dynasty Heroes kind of a game though, as it has been making real sticks on a large scale, but this type of game isn’t for everyone, so keep that in mind.

5. Super Robot Wars X.

Just like redistribution Super Robot Wars V. a few months earlier, Super Robot Wars X. is a re-release of the original game but ported to the Switch. The results were as easy as Super Robot Wars T. and what with the whole isekai approach to the story and the anime mecha series introduced, Super Robot Wars X. he had a special baby. So if you missed out on this when it was first released on the PlayStation 4 and Vita, you should take a full look at the Switch version.

4. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Editing

Le Biography of Xenoblade 2 given its success on the Switch, it was inevitable that we would see a port of true origin Biography of Xenoblade from the Wii. The game had several improvements and other quality of life changes over the original Wii game, but I was just glad it was available again. After all, it’s obvious that the story is connected between the two games, so this allowed players who missed the Wii version to catch on. I just hope we see Biography of Xenoblade X. ported to the Switch, but there may be technical hurdles that need to be resolved before that can happen.

3. Crossing animals: New Horizons

Mostly the game that saved us all from 2020 and made sure it was easy to carry. While I haven’t played this for hundreds of hours, as some of my friends have, I have enjoyed the appropriate cool approach the game builds and maintains your own little island. The characters here are also very entertaining and are good at immersing you in their cute little world.

2. Dragon Quest XI S: Definitive edition

Despite another release of these amazing gaming consoles, now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, I’ve had a lot of fun with this. Considering that there is one version or another of it Quest Dragon XI has been on my 10 favorite lists for the last few years, you should tell me how good this game is. My only gripe, and it ‘s a small one, is that I wish I could bring in my original game only from the first release of Quest Dragon XI on PlayStation 4. In any case, like the Switch version, this Definitive editing allows you to play the game in both 3D and 2D modes and comes with all sorts of extras. If you haven’t played yet Quest Dragon XI, then this is the version you need to get.

1. Gundam Extreme Versus Maxiboost ON

I never thought we would ever see this game transported to a token after we got it Gundam Versus. Not to mention the complete lack of Gundam Extreme Versus games that were released in the West back when the PlayStation 3 was still with us. But, here it is now, and this is the hidden arcade multiplayer game we all knew it would be. With a strong online setting and extensive mission mode, there’s a ton of content here to keep the toughest fighter busy. I just want Evo to add this game to its lineup, because it definitely deserves a place in the tournament scene.

So that’s it for this year. There are usually a few things left out, with games like Death Strand absent, just because I found it just too tedious and weird. I did not include a repetition of it Demon Souls, because I haven’t got a PlayStation 5 yet.

Plus, it’s been a good year for all of Japanese games, and I’m looking forward to what 2021 will bring. If you’re at all curious about my other game reviews, come on in. -null to my page at OpenCritic.

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