#f-19

Stealth fighter F-19

Revell 1/144 scale F-19

Fun Fact: Before the F-117 was publicly revealed, Testors Corp produced a kit of this airplane, claiming it was the 100% real top secret F-19 stealth fighter they somehow got insider info on.

Everyone freaked out, congress got involved, Tom Clancy wrote it into one of his books, there was a Transformer based on it, and then like a year later everyone found out the real stealth jet looked like a collapsed tent rendered on a Playstation 1. Everyone forgot about the Testors F-19 model after that.

Not me though. I remember about the F-19. Look at how lovely it is! Even when it's so, so small.

Yeah I know that was last year, but for various reasons I never got around doing a GOTY write up for 2020. I’m going to do this one a little different from usual. Instead of a single game of the year, there are three games in particular that I want to talk about. Also unusual for this year, all the games on this list did indeed come out in 2020, so I don’t need my usual disclaimer.

To see the list of all games that I played in 2020, check out the 2020 page of my game-tracking sheet.

Most Representative of 2020: Animal Crossing New Horizons

It’s hard to think of any one game that represents or symbolizes 2020 like New Horizons did. Its release coincided with the explosion of a worldwide pandemic, it broke every Switch related sales record, and was how so many people escaped from the newfound troubles of isolation. Actual real life talk show hosts held interviews in it for a short time. Animal Crossing was a social experience shared among friends both near and far, a place to virtually hang out, and a relaxing break from the stresses of everyday life. 

This game was a part of my daily life for almost the entire year: an hour of Animal Crossing after lunch or before bed. It was a regular and lackadaisical refresher from not just reality, but also my own work on my own game. It was the perfect game at the perfect time.

Most Personally Inspiring Game: Project Wingman

⚠ Gamer Disclaimer ⚠ I backed this game on Kickstarter for $200, bought it three times over to support the game even more, and am friends with the lead developer.

First things first: If you are at all into arcade action flying games, you need to play this game. I’m obviously biased, but I’m biased because this is exactly the kind of game that I want to see more of. Until the game came out, Ace Combat was the only entry in the Ace Combat genre, and this game more than earns its place alongside of the best examples of that series. Don’t just take it from me.

I’ve been following this game since its early days. I still have one of the earliest public builds ever released of this game from back in 2016. This game is made predominantly by one absolute madman with no prior experience who literally learned how to make video games (3D modeling, programming, sound design, etc.) just to make this game. It is passion project in every meaning of the word, and the final is nothing short of astonishing. Play this game.

Best Game I can’t Believe Even Exists: Star Wars Squadrons

In 2020, EA, a multi-national 5 billion dollar company with a very poor track record in the past few years, notorious for being risk-adverse and at the forefront of exploitative monetization strategies to maximize profit, released a new X-Wing game. Squadrons is a traditional space sim, flown only from the cockpit, where every instrument in the cockpit is functional, featuring shield management, power management, and enough targeting keys to fill your keyboard.

I genuinely don’t understand how a game like this can possibly happen in this industry, at this company. I’m convinced EA was tricked into greenlighting this game. There aren’t even any monetization options! It’s just a video game you buy and play!

On top of that, the game is actually good! It is unfortunately multiplayer focused (though it does have a short SP campaign I didn’t play), so I’m not sure what state it’s in today, but I had a blast playing this when it came out. Between all the energy management and flight mechanics, it had a surprisingly high skill ceiling for a game of this type. This game was a dream come true: a modern AAA(!) take on a classic game. The visuals, audios, and immersive space fighter pilot gameplay are the Star Wars experience I never thought could happen today.

(Bonus!) The “Your Father’s Lightsaber” Award: F-19/F-117 Stealth Fighter

I’ve been hearing for years from my father about how good this game is. In 2020, I finally played it myself and I was so awestruck by how brilliantly designed and presented this game is, that it gave me a game design crisis. Every aspect of this flight simulator is in service of creating a tension-filled, immersive, flying stealth action game. Even the manual is part of the experience.

This is done, finally.

2 Slightly redone oc’s and 1 new Angel!

(Middle) F-19

(Left) Dominic

(Right) Holiatra 

I plan to make these three Hunters/Runners.

. https://theaviationist.com/2026/06/04/mysterious-next-gen-aircraft-allegedly-spotted-near-area-51/

. https://www.twz.com/15337/this-usaf-intelligence-squadrons-insignia-appears-to-show-the-f-19-specter