Posts made by Brannox

Votes sent. Like I said for the 2009 list, that, this list, 2007, and 2006 hold the greatest potential of me being able to share my experience with a majority of the games that could potentially make our final countdown. Exciting to say the least.

@neocweeny While Crash 4 is better, I also agree with you that I prefer Crash 2. While it may not be as polished as It's About Time, it doesn't overstay its welcome and simplicity works in its favor. Less is more as the saying goes. And yeah, being shy by a point is brutal. That kind of heartbreak has happened to me across several of these countdowns.

@neocweeny At least I gave it an Honorable Mention. As I said in my last overall post, I feel it's the best Crash game ever made. Couldn't put it higher because of the exponential difficulty spike down the stretch.

1.) Final Fantasy VII: Remake
2.) The Last of Us: Part II
3.) Ori and the Will of the Wisps
4.) DOOM: Eternal
5.) (HM) Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
6.) (HM) Ghostrunner
7.) (HM) Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
8.) (HM) Gears Tactics
9.) (The only game I've watched in full but didn't play) Resident Evil 3 Remake

Melody of Memory is nothing more that playing a LOT of the entire series' soundtracks (plus a few one offs) and it's an utter delight. While it may advance the main plot just a tiny bit at the very end, this is a perfect, "Unplug your mind and just waste several hours of listening to incredible music," game. $60 for practically every song from every Kingdom Hearts game? Sold.

Ghostrunner is super cool, really fun to play, and can be done in a couple of sittings, but the second of three boss fights and the very last platforming challenge are utter garbage with their difficulty spikes. That said, it's instant reload from death is greatly appreciated with the combat encounters being puzzles and I'm excited for the sequel.

Crash 4 is the best Crash game ever made is so many ways from art design (ESEPCIALLY N'Verted mode), gameplay improvements like Modern Mode and the Mask powers, but the biggest plus is the characters and remarkably, the story. I'm actually shocked just how good of a story this game has. That said, I will always carry a smoldering anger towards it because the difficulty in the last couple of time periods, with the All Gem Path and the last stage before the final boss in particular, is outright ridiculous.

Gears Tactics may be at the bottom of my list, but it's still a really good game. The first game I've ever played of the Tactics genre, as it's pretty intuitive once you get through the first couple of chapters. Gears is suited to it quite well for being a franchise that involved being a third person cover shooter. As a die hard Gears fan, I really enjoyed the story, but the post game is repetitive and becomes old FAST, plus the absolute best parts, the three (AND ONLY THREE) boss fights can only be experienced once on one save file.

WHEW. If anyone read ANY of my posts, thank you. Again, I am VERY sorry for so much. I had to get all of this out. Not tagging everyone (obviously) but I DO want to thank @Axel for always being the driving force behind these lists over the years. And again everyone, I'm sorry this was so much.

But about the EZA Forums' GOTY winner.

Before I proceed, I feel with the incendiary nature and charged divisiveness that always seems to happen when it's discussed, the only way I can talk about it is by referencing the heaviest spoilers, so I feel a tag is prudent here.

That said:

I have absolutely no problem with Joel being killed off in the first two hours. It makes complete sense as to why with his past deeds, and it makes the narrative that much more poignant in the closing moments. When taking control of Abby the very first time you meet her, I knew she was going to be important. But when she actually does the deed, with the final swing, I felt a jolt because I was surprised Naughty Dog actually went through with it. No miraculous save. No plot armor. It is inevitable. So as Ellie sets out to Seattle, I, as designed, wanted vengeance. And playing through the first half, it was incredibly intense, particularly in Day 2 when you have to avoid the dogs, sneak through the dark building with the Stalkers, get past the first couple of encounters with the Seraphites. But when I finally got to the end of Day 3 and perspective switched, when it popped up, "Seattle, Day 1." The thought of "Oh. Shit. I'm only halfway." was a jaw-dropper. I went from curious as to how (and why) I was going to spend so much time as Abby, to really becoming invested in her relationship with Lev and Yara. And while playing as Abby, I would always be thinking, "Ok, if this is Day One, what was I doing as Ellie at this time," or "If this is Day 2, has Ellie met the Seraphites yet as I baby-crawl between these skyscrapers?" When the showdown happens, I was NOT enthused to having to fight Ellie as Abby. My nerves were SHOT. After watching (and forcibly directly engaging in) some of the most gruesome realistic gory deaths, a couple of those being completely sudden, as Abby and Lev left the theater, I couldn't imagine going any further. I thought I had reached the end. And then the most devastating part of the game soon came after. While sitting on the tractor in the field, looking at the GORGEOUS sunset, recalling both looking out at the wilderness at the beginning and watching the giraffes in the first game, the most purest form of dread seeped into my stomach, "I'm not done. There's going to be more." And sure enough as Ellie packed up to go after Abby, forsaking the ONE person who was with her the ENTIRE time, I was screaming at the tv, "NO! THIS IS IDIOTIC, ELLIE! YOU HAVE IT! YOU HAVE A GREAT LIFE! FAMILY! PEACE!" Don't get me wrong; Santa Barbara, like Seattle and Jackson, is stunning, but I do NOT like that segment purely for story reasons. And in the climax, as the monster threatened Lev in her one-track obsession of revenge, I was having some complex feelings having to forcibly proceed. And after it was all over, as Ellie walks into an empty house, no longer able to play the guitar and ultimately leaves literally everything she has behind, I couldn't go on, which shows the absolute perfect placement of the credits. If you couldn't tell, this game fucking destroyed me. All the softer moments are amplified in their impact with how devastating they are. Playing Take on Me in the music store (which, being COMPLETELY skippable, is bold). The flashbacks, in particular the one at the museum and the very last conversation Joel and Ellie would ever have, broke me in a way I can't describe. It took me 11 months to process my feelings and work up enough desire to try out New Game+ last month. And knowing what was to come, it still hit me.

Now. All spoilers aside, I can't praise the game in every other aspect enough. Animation. Environmental design. Gameplay. Crafting. It just feels so good to explore and find resources, safes, and documents. The New Game+ modifiers are very fun to mess with and break the game. Truly exceptional from top to bottom. It's my runner up because, despite how it made me feel, the fact that it DID and did so to such an immense degree, is why I admire this as a work of art.

When I make and rank a GOTY list, I've noticed every single ranking for any year follows the same format: How did this game make me feel, how consistent were these feelings kept, and how much did I get out of it, be it fun, memorable moments, or something else entirely. That's why the almost 15 years of love being payed off and why the intense rollercoaster of TLoU Pt. II's narrative won the day on my list. Speaking of which:

While I don't like to do this because the filter may think I'm spam, I MUST break up my posts, because I had too much I wanted to say. I am EXTREMELY sorry for the amount AND length of these posts. I have two personal stories to tell, one for each game before providing my list. Writing this was quite cathartic and therapeutic and I literally couldn't stop for over an hour and a half.

While not the same order as my list (more on that WAY later below), it feels good to know my three favorites were cumulatively the forums' as well. Practically 90% of my online presence is something in one way or another to FF VII because it's my favorite game of all time, so needless to say, I was waiting on Remake like so many others for almost a decade and a half. When I saw the PS3 tech demo, my early (and very ignorant) teen mind thought, "Well why can't they do the whole game like that?!" not knowing games as the technological complexities that they are. And the hype for a better version of FF VII faded as I grew older.

Then E3 2015 happened. Yes I feel it's the greatest singular announcement in all of E3's history, but the magnitude is amplified when coupled with The Last Guardian and Shenmue III. But even still, I TRULY don't think many really remember how stacked from beginning to end Sony's entire show was. And on top of THAT, that was first ever Bethesda conference with the reveals of DOOM, Dishonored 2, and Fallout 4. EA had Battlefront shown for the first time. Xbox announced backwards compatibility and showed off Halo 5 and Gears 4 (before we knew what was going to happen). And yet VII: Remake towered over them all for me. I mean it's how I discovered the Allies (I knew of GT only really through Spike up to that point).

When it was announced, I thought, "That's fine. Take your time. Don't rush." So imagine my surprise getting the gameplay trailer six months later at PSX. While I too was hesitant when I first heard of the episodic nature, I couldn't comprehend it, so I ignored the fact. Then: Silence. While so many people cried out for updates or getting impatient, I felt completely ok with waiting. I was so convinced the project had WAY too much notoriety to be canceled, so I had faith it was being worked on and it would be at the very least be really good.

Cut to the May State of Play. After the euphoria, the "IS THIS REAL?!", the year of dreams, I couldn't believe it was back. I can't begin to tell you dear reader, or even myself, just how many times I have watched the initial reveal trailer, the Trailer Score for it, that State of Play reactions from the Allies, that return trailer on its own. I looped it over and over. It's all I could think about until June.

Then E3 happened. The major deep dive Square gave it to open their show. I couldn't get enough. As the months agonizingly went by, then I was starting to feel it: That need you have when you want to play something so bad (Coincidentally, I'm going through right now, with Intergrade AND Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Because, ya know, PS5s are impossible to get.). Tokyo Game Show, The Game Awards. With each passing event, with each new trailer, the desire grew.

When the game got delayed during what at the time I called "Delaypocalyspe" when Remake, Avengers, and CyberPunk all got pushed to their respective dates, I couldn't help but laugh. I, like everyone else, had to wait even more. But when the initial release date came around, March 3, I couldn't stop myself: I had to download the demo.

I became emotional as soon as I heard the prologue. When I moved the camera and Cloud just a little, I got caught up in the moment. Then the pandemic happened. With the uncertainty of such massive, instant change to daily on a global scale, I was legitimately surprised I was able to get it the day after launch.

And what I experienced, just north of 81 hours with two back-to-back replays, one standard and one Hard, I was so taken with almost everything. I will never forget how this game moved me. Hearing the soft rendition of the main theme as I looked up at the steel sky. The absolutely bonkers ending (Of which I am completely fine with. As much as I love Crisis Core and its ending ALWAYS gets me, every time, I'm VERY fascinated with how the next installment(s) will play out). But my favorite moment is Chapter 7. And when the choir hits with the epic guitar as you're wailing on the Airbuster: Perfection.

When you love something so much and waiting for so long for it, when you finally get the thing you covet most, it's indescribable.

As much as I love it, I DO have nitpicks. Air combat when you don't have access to Barret or Aerith is annoying. Chapter 9's first half going through the tunnel is SO. LONG. when replaying it over and over with probably the soundtrack's only miss. Side quests (and more particularly the first batch of them in Chapter 3) are utterly worthless and I wish they didn't factor into which dress Aerith gets in Wall Market. The Hard mode versions of both the Bahamut fight in the simulator and Sephiroth are just absolutely BRUTAL. The mini-games on hard (I. HATE. PULL-UPS.).

But everything else? Literally EVERYTHING else? Loved it. I actually enjoyed the background textures (Except the door. That one is blatant. But the tweet Square just put out a couple of days ago was funny). I didn't mind the level design that much. I loved exploring the underside of the plate, going to Jesse's parents' house, exploring the underground lab. The characters, the writing, the story, the acting, all wonderfully faithful and modernized. Gameplay was tight, especially once I found the best Materia combinations that worked for me (Side note: Yes, I wish a one button transfer existed, and yes I wish a new Materia spawned when you reached Max level on the original). Summons are spectacles and always a treat to use. The motorcycle sections were more fleshed out and fun (though I AM surprised Roche never appears again).

I could go on and on. Hell, I HAVE gone on and on. And I haven't touched TLoU yet. So to conclude about VII: Remake: I am so happy. I can't wait for all future installments. I am so pleased to see it get the most individual GOTY votes (IF ONLY ONE MORE 1st or 2nd PLACE VOTE!! AARRGGHH!).

And that's been my journey of what is now my second favorite game of all time.

It's actually hard to know where to start when discussing Ori, because there's so much I can touch on. I was captivated with the original, so much so Ori and the Blind Forest was GOTY for 2015 (and I'm still stoked it was able to place in our countdown back then). Speaking purely in an artistic sense (so I don't mean realistic graphics), Ori is by far the most beautiful game series I've played. There's something about how the watercolor painting in constant motion is so captivating as both environments and characters alike are striking and easy to just be hypnotized by if you take a moment to stop in a relatively safe spot and take in all the detail.

But that's not the only thing that speaks to me, as the music is so incredible. Gareth Coker has a score and soundtrack that intertwines with the forests, grottos, and caves, to the point it's impossible to separate one's identity from the other. The pulse pounding tracks of escape sequences or boss battles further elevate the tension, but the ambient music that plays when you're not in combat is some of the most therapeutic and calming I've heard.

Speaking of combat, Will of the Wisps is a complete improvement over Blind Forest in several ways. While I like the original's, it can be repetitive and one note, whereas in this game, giving you three slots to equip a selection of quite different abilities gives you more freedom in how you want to fight. Personally, the Sword and the fireball you can generate to create more jumping opportunities are mainstays, and I switch between the hammer and the javelin dependent upon the boss or situation.

Platforming is solid and as you get more abilities like the triple jump or dash, it fires off all kinds of endorphins as you go from running around and figuring out where you can and can't go at the beginning of the game to zipping through the areas at top speed, which is a credit to how well both the progression and the interconnected map is designed.

While the Mouldwood Depths is a personal nightmare, I love everything about Will of the Wisps. The story is as heartbreaking as the first (though the first does get undercut a little by reversing on a key plot point), I was always moved by what was going on and whatever the objective I would be working towards at any given time. Most of the said objectives would be improving the hub area from a pretty empty place to a populated and beautiful spot that unlocks more huts and little nooks and corners you can explore the more you help out the NPCs and other peaceful creatures of the forest.

As I intimated when discussing DOOM: Eternal, this was the other game that switched spots on my overall list. This is because, initially at launch on six year old Xbox One, there were tech problems with the map taking a while to open and sometimes the game would stutter or freeze for a half-second mostly during times when I was jumping. And in a game where most of your traversal is jumping over obstacles or dangers, that's not a good thing. So for a while, Eternal was third and this was fourth.

However, when I got my Series X at the end of the year, this was one of the first games I replayed and it went flawlessly. No issues of any kind across the entire two sittings (which, side note, it always surprises me how the two Ori games are not really that long, and if you're willing to put in just a little bit of effort, are easy to 100% the map). And with a game where I can hardly find a fault whereas I have a couple more nitpicks about DOOM: Eternal, in the end, I had to switch them.

Overall Ori is phenomenal, and if there is anyone out there reading who hasn't given them a shot and is curious to try, I recommend giving them an hour or two to see if its for you. While Will of the Wisps may further muddy the definition on if Moon Studios would be considered "indie," I WILL say Ori is my favorite indie franchise. And much like DOOM: Eternal (and I suspect tomorrow's final reveal of the top two), I'm not going to tag every single voter but I just want to express that, after being only one of two people to vote for Blind Forest in our 2015 countdown, I am so overjoyed to see it get so many votes to have it be our BRONZE MEDALIST.

If Will of the Wisps had released in 2017, 18, OR 19, it would have gotten my GOTY. However, 2020 was so excellent for my interests, that I suspect the top two games I voted for will be our top two overall (which, like 2011, is crazy especially when this thread has a chance to hold my top 3 votes being the top 3 picks, potentially in the same order).

@sentinel-beach Personally, there are very few games that are hard confirmed to reach this year, and some are hoping to make it. I just prefer to give my full list, regardless of date, and it's been some time since there's been an Anticipated topic thread.

Full list in order of Highest to Lowest Anticipation:

HIGHEST (Will buy day one, no matter what):

All installments of Final Fantasy VII: Remake
Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
God of War: Ragnarok

HIGH (Likely day one buy, but not critical):

Horizon: Forbidden West

MEDIUM (Looking forward to it, unsure if it's a day one buy):

Prodeus (Console port)
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Back 4 Blood
Final Fantasy XVI
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

LOW (I need more information about it. Could rise or fall off list entirely):

Redfall
Ghostrunner 2
Replaced
The next Mass Effect
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Wrath: Aeon of Ruin Console release
Halo: Infinite

LOWEST (Much more likely to never get, but still a chance to improve dependent on certain, but still pending, details):

Somerville
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

When it was unveiled at Paris Games Week back in 2017, my interest was piqued purely off the Samurai aesthetic. When we saw gameplay at what would be Sony's last E3 show, the thing I was impressed by was the lighting of what looked like a setting sun through dark, smoky clouds hitting the field as Jin rode through. But even then I wasn't really sure I wanted to dive in.

When Ghost of Tsushima finally got its own dedicated State of Play right before launch, I finally had a good idea of what the gameplay would be, and it was a hard out for me. While the vibrant color of the world just pops off the screen, and both the wind mechanic and the "Kurosawa Mode," are wonderful ideas, seeing how it just looked like a more refined, polished, and frankly better version of pre-RPG Assassin's Creed had me feeling meh about it. I like the concept how relying on stealth and deception as a ninja is dishonorable but confronting foes head-on in deadly stand-off is the way of the samurai is incorporated into how characters perceive you, but it's that very thing which places an undue personal pressure I don't want to deal with.

I do think Ghost is another example on how Sucker Punch nails an open-world and I feel it's a worthy swan song for the PS4 before the arrival of the PS5 and with it cross-gen and ultimately PS5 only games. That said, much like Spider-man, while it may not be for me, I admire it's undeniable quality.

Following the progression of how Hades came to be via the NoClip series gives me an odd sense of unearned pride of knowing about a game LONG before it hit the incredible popularity and success that it reached. It being playable in Early Access as an Epic Games Store exclusive the night it launched (a.k.a. the same night Hades was unveiled at the Game Awards in 2018), shows how well Supergiant just crushed it with implementing community feedback and their own ideas.

While Greek mythology is an interest of mine, the rouge-like genre just doesn't do it for me. That said, I'm happy to see it garner so much success. The voice acting and music are incredible (Shout outs to Logan Cunningham and Darren Korb) and now with the just recently announced ports coming to Xbox and Playstation in a couple of months, even more people are going to try it out, which I really feel will do both Hades AND Supergiant wonders. Granted Supergiant only trailed another soon-to-be-revealed game on this countdown in GOTY nominations and awards, so I think Supergiant is doing just fine.

@phbz Personally speaking, I feel the marauders interrupt the flow of combat that Eternal tries so hard to drill into you from the jump, then halfway through this guy shows up and he just. Won't. Die. But hey, I'm happy to see he clicked for you.

Simply put, DOOM: Eternal is great and surprisingly there's a LOT more to it than I thought there would be. While the reboot was proudly about getting you into the fight immediately, its pretty linear in its level design, and letting what narrative is there be limited to codex entries made it feel like the franchise was coming back, but was setting up for more, which is what Eternal would be.

How Eternal just expands on its predecessor in every way, going above and beyond, is staggering. Levels feeling more open with a greater emphasis on verticality and momentum (Hello meat hook) really drills into you on staying on the move. Granted, the demons themselves do a great enough job doing that on their own. I actually really like the juggle of deciding what to use with what you need between health, armor, and ammo. Although even on lesser difficulties it's still a challenge, which can make the latter few environments feels more and more like a slog, ESPECIALLY the bosses.

But the gamey aspects are just delightful; the secrets like the cheat codes being floppy disks and the awesome records of the music you can listen to is a nice touch. Speaking of which, the Fortress of DOOM is perhaps the most unexpected but still delightful surprise. Running around a hub that's a love letter to the Slayer, DOOM, and the greater id history is, to use a Huber-ism, so cozy. A prison of demons to test your skills any time, a portal to launch you back to environments you've been to, and his room.... So. Freaking. Cool.

And speaking of the music, it RULES. I love just rocking out while slaughtering any demon that crosses my path. While I don't fully understand the technical details about the controversy, it's a bummer there was a falling out between Mick Gordon and id. It stands out to me because of how good the score is, but whatever the reason it's a shame. Real solid stuff.

Initially it was third on my list before switching it with a game I think has a chance to be in our top five because said game had tech issues the first time I played it, but when I got my Series X, ran flawlessly on another runback. Still being my fourth place vote, Eternal is very good.

However, I do have some things I wish weren't in the game: By going all out on a very complicated story, it didn't feel truly necessary to not only contextualize why you're doing what you're doing (DOOM has never really been that way), but there are a LOT of cutscenes. Which is very surprising as the reboot had like, four or five in the whole game. Here, it feels like there's at least two or three PER MISSION. A lot of the lore and background is still in Codex pages and in the descriptions of everything from weapons to demons, but still, it's a bit of world building.

&$#^. The. Maruder. I HATE those guys. Now, I like how there is an optimal weapon or strategy for most of the demons, but these guys are the WORST. Between them and taking on Tyrants or Barons of Hell, give me the big boys. Also, the Archvile can suck it too. Aaaahhhhhh they make everything so much more complicated.

Something else that Eternal could've done without is Battlemode. I like the idea, but it's fundamental design is kind of broken if you're the Slayer and going up against a coordinated duo of demons, as the Demons could easily outwit one player. The one time I tried it, I was lucky in going up against a couple of Marauders that didn't appear to know each other. The map had a teleporter DIRECTLY behind the spawn points, and in a game that is best of SEVEN rounds, I would spawn, turn around, go through the teleporter, and unload and not ONCE did the other two players realize where I came from every time. Not a good map and by focusing all my attention on one person who was desperately running away, it was clear I wasn't going to take enough damage from one person while the other was doing his best to escape. Battlemode needs players who LOVE it for it to both thrive and be interesting, otherwise, it doesn't provide the variety the campaign offers with the various combinations of demons.

While not really a part of the initial package, I do want to briefly touch on the DLC: The Ancient Gods. Part 1 is massively difficult, but still doable and a little uninspired with where it goes only until the very, VERY end. Part 2 tones it down on the challenge just a little, but goes BONKERS with the story, and it's actually incredibly important to the overall DOOM universe, which is WEIRD. But each introduces a mechanic not found anywhere else in the other DLC OR the main campaign, which is kind of off.

All told, I enjoyed my time with DOOM: Eternal, but I'm curious as to what id is going to do next. Mechanically, they have the FPS genre refined in a pure sense, but it stumps me how they'll top this. And as I said a couple of games above, shoutout to the crossover fan art with Animal Crossing!

Speaking of shoutouts, I won't tag everybody who voted for it because that's a lot of names and I don't want to clog up anyone's notifications, but high-five to all my fellow Slayers who voted for DOOM: Eternal!

@tokyoslim Fair, as I didn't see Shoulderguy's comment (we must have hit submit really close to one another). Point still stands all other aspects don't get talked about enough.

I'm good for whichever and I'm equipped either way regardless of whichever GOTY format it may be. Other general topics could have potential, but it really comes down to whatever the focus would be.

@tokyoslim I didn't say they were good/bad/or anything in between. I pointed out no one talks about them, and you're legitimately the first person I've seen give their thoughts about those aspects.

The only thing I ever hear about this game is apparently the story is amazing. But again, it's the ONLY thing I hear about. It must be exceptional, as it seems to be the only praise that I see persisting. Not gameplay, not art style, not soundtrack, not anything else of the other elements that make up a game. While I don't think that's a bad thing inherently, it's odd to me. From what I remember from reviews and initial conversation (if I do correctly), sometimes the mechanics may be a barrier to that, but without first hand experience, I can't say for sure. What I CAN say, is this is not a game for me on multiple fronts. But congrats to it for making it so high on the countdown.

Games that are perpetual in any sense are not for me in any way, though New Horizons will always be neat to me, not for the game, but the community making the fan-art with the crossover of what I'm hoping will make the countdown. Such jolly vibes. Stoked for those who got so much out of it, but Animal Crossing is a series I'll always stay far away from.

I don't want to rehash most of my feelings I expressed back in 2018 when discussing the first game as they haven't really changed and I don't think there's anything to change them. However, the thing I want to comment on is how this game cemented the format of smaller, stand-alone games being a viable and enjoyable option for major franchises that Lost Legacy and Death of the Outsider proved.

With a lot of major games being either live-service or an ungodly time investment, it's really, REALLY nice to have games on the same level of quality in a more manageable form. While I'm unsure if the next God of War or the just announced Tiny Tina's Wonderlands will be similar to Miles Morales, the thought they could be is exciting. Sure, if they are as full sized as their predecessors of their respective franchises, I'll be stoked. But Miles Morales should be held up as an excellent example of the different ways you can focus on more characters, stories, and fun without having to give up 30 hours at a minimum.

Plus it also REALLY helps to stand alongside the previously discussed Demon's Souls as part of an excellent launch lineup (relatively speaking) of a new generation. AND, as I write this the day Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has released, I just have jolly vibes thinking how Insomniac just hasn't missed in ALMOST a decade.

This is the one game I've seen in its entirety but have not played from 2020. And if having to rank it, I would put it 9th, a.k.a. last place on the 2020 games I've experienced. While I've become more and more endeared to Resident Evil (some entries moreso than others) courtesy of EZA, this one wasn't too bad relatively speaking when compared to the rest of the series.

For those like me who don't do horror, this is a tame game when compared to the likes of VII or 2 Remake, but I guess that scare factor really gives those games their bite. I concur with many who share the sentiment the opening hours is the game's strongest point (though I prefer it without the constant threat of Nemesis). While I don't think the lab is terrible, and the hospital is alright except for the horde-like moment, I feel the sewers and the fight once you reach the courtyard afterwards is my least favorite.

I've since gone back recently (about a month or two ago) and watched the original for the first time and I finally understand long term fans' disappointment with no Clocktower, Graveyard, or those choice moments with the either or option. It would've been neat to see those things with this modern style, but I DO like how they remixed the story (for the most part), and while the final two boss fights have some annoying mechanics, that last shot Jill delivers is quite satisfying.

Overall, it's a decent watch, but if I have order all that I've seen, I would put them like so (with updates from another thread):

2 Remake, VII, Village, 3 Remake, OG 2, OG 3: Nemesis, 4, 0, REmake, Code Veronica X, 5, 6