It’s The State of Gaming Podcast for November 2020, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our hosts Cory Galliher and Nate Evans guide you through the best, worst, and everything else making headlines and headway in the fine world of interactive entertainment.
December is here and with it comes opur final in-depth look of the year focuses on just a handful of heavy-hitters, though there’s still plenty to talk about as the most miserable year in recent memory finally comes to a close. Good riddance! Now let’s get to it!
The Games of December 2020
No other game has attracted as much attention, positive or negative, as CD Projekt Red’s long-awaited Cyberpunk 2077. Unfortunately, it’s been mostly negative. Not necessarily about the game itself, but how it was delivered and performed on last-generation consoles PS4 and Xbox One. Our hosts delve deep into why such a game has managed to attract such a visceral reaction from practically everyone, including developers, publishers, journalists and fans. But is Cyberpunk 2077 worth all this attention? Listen and find out!
Also on the table are extended chats about Ubisoft’s viking-powered Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, possibly the culmination of all the recent open-world Assassin’s Creed historical adventures, and Bethesda’s latest “impossible port” of their rip ‘n tear powerhouse sequel running on underpowered hardware, DOOM Eternal on the Switch.
NPD: November 2020
November is typically the single-biggest month for video game sales, new and evergreen alike, and November 2020 didn’t disappoint. The arrival of two next-generation hardware helped give the industry the boost it needed with Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s twin Xbox Series X/ S platforms.
On the Top Twenty software side the crown, once again, went to Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla coming in second. The arrival of the PS5 (grab one if you can) helped stimulate a very good month for exclusive Sony software, including Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales in third, the Demon’s Souls Remake in tenth, and open-world favorite Ghost of Tsushima at twentieth.
Nintendo had a stellar month as well, with Breath of the Wild prequel (and second Dynasty Warriors blended) Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity coming in at sixth, Animal Crossing: New Horizons in eighth, and the latter half of the top twenty list populated with various Super Mario-branded hits. Momma, mia!
Everything Else
Apart from controversy-stirring blockbusters and record-smashing sales, perhaps the biggest – and most emotional – story of the month goes to none other than Nintendo’s own Shigeru Miyamoto, aka Mario’s Dad, who took the lead in the latest Nintendo Direct presentation to share our first good look at the company’s Super Nintendo World Amusement Park at Universal Studios Japan.
Set to open its mushroom-themed doors sometime next year, the iconic creator of Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, StarFox and so many other beloved franchises was every bit the proud papa as he gave anxious fans a personal guided tour though perhaps the most anticipated new theme park since Walt Disney World. Try not to smile when Miyamoto tells fully costumed Mario and Luigi that “dad’s busy!”
