And just like that, year one of Max Frequency is in the bag. I liked working on it so much I decided to reup for year two. Max Frequency has proven to be just the kind of outlet I needed and continue to need in the video game news space. What I wrote in [[Welcome|my introduction post]] still stands true: > Max Frequency is a website for my ideas to find a home. [280 characters](https://www.twitter.com/maxroberts143) is not always enough. Writing for other sites provides pressures to output articles at an expected, often accelerated pace. Max Frequency solves both those problems for me. > > I like what I came up with—Max Frequency. It communicates the identity of the blog quite well, I think. It’s me at my frequency. No pressures for deadlines, no list of required news. Only articles that I want to write or share. It also opens up the possibility for audio content if I ever get behind the mic again. Plus, it is a pun. Not trying to make video game coverage my full time job and just expressing it through my passion for writing has been liberating to say the least. I found drive and creativity I hadn’t had for some time. And that feeling comes and goes, but I know I’ll have my own tiny slice of the internet to share my work. Before listing off the articles I’m most proud of, let’s break down Max Frequency by the numbers. Total Site Views – 2,619 Most viewed articles: - [[Chasing the Stick - The History of Naughty Dog during the PS4 Era|Chasing the Stick: The History of Naughty Dog during the PS4 Era]] – 344 - [[Analogue DAC Thoughts and Impressions]] – 237 - [[Cutting the Hair - The History of Neil Druckmann’s Hair during the PS4 Era|Cutting the Hair: The History of Neil Druckmann’s Hair during the PS4 Era]] – 168 Number per top countries: - USA – 1,558 - UK – 191 - China – 144 Most downloaded item: - [[Chasing the Stick Announcement Trailer]] – 324 Total Articles published – 260 And here is a list of the articles I am most proud of working on in my first year of Max Frequency. Thank you all for reading my work and supporting me in 2020. I have some ideas for 2021. Maybe they will pan out, maybe not, but I do know that I have immensely enjoyed writing this site and can’t see it going away. Thank you and enjoy! # [[Chasing the Stick - The History of Naughty Dog during the PS4 Era|Chasing the Stick: The History of Naughty Dog during the PS4 Era]] (duh) This is (obviously) the post I am most proud of in 2020. I never planned to write the definitive history of Naughty Dog’s PS4 years when I made Max Frequency. This was the highlight of Max Frequency in 2020. At least 655 people read or listened to the story, hopefully all of it. There is more I’d love to go back and fill in surround the final months of *The Last of Us Part II*’s development since I was avoiding spoilers like mad. Maybe next time… # [[Cutting the Hair - The History of Neil Druckmann’s Hair during the PS4 Era|Cutting the Hair: The History of Neil Druckmann’s Hair during the PS4 Era]] (double duh) What started out as a lunch break joke turned into the blog’s third most popular article of the year. It [surpassed the day one numbers of *Chasing the Stick*](https://twitter.com/MaxRoberts143/status/1310045581365202946). I attribute that entirely to co-writer Halley Gross [replying](https://twitter.com/Grosstastic/status/1309901044474806278) to it on Twitter. The foil to my serious history of Naughty Dog is definitely a favorite. Now that Neil has cut his hair, it is only a matter of time until his hair is long again and their next game is released. # [[The Last of Us Part II Review]] To round out my year of Naughty Dog coverage, I’m proud of my review of the game that kicked it all off. Spoilers ahead for those that have not finished *The Last of Us Part II*. # [[The King of Custom – PS5 Specs Revealed]] 2020 was certainly the year of hype with two brand new console family launches. The silence surrounding the reveal and launch of the PS5 was particularly annoying, especially with Microsoft being more transparent (and leak-prone). I enjoyed digging into the potential of the PS5 and seeing what developers thought of the newly revealed hardware and what it could actually mean for game development. # [[280 Characters is Not Enough]] This is part of why I made a blog. Social media and hot takes are killing thoughtful discourse. It’s truly a shame and I hope more people lean into having real conversations. # [[Returning to Death Stranding Six Months Later]] *Death Stranding* would have been my favorite game I played last year if *The Last of Us Part II* had not come out. Connecting the United States of America through packages sounds so tacky and Kojima, but it actually works. The final stretch where you cross all of America to get to the end boss is oddly profound and satisfactory. # [[Returning to Shadow Moses — My Journey back through Metal Gear Solid]] I didn’t technically play these games in 2020, but I did compile all my tweets from 2019 into a cohesive post. I am excited to have this record to look back on in the years to come when I eventually play all* of the Metal Gear Solid games again. (*I didn’t play Peace Walker or MGSV, but maybe next time). # First Impressions of New Consoles New consoles are dope. I shared my impressions with the [[Xbox Series X at First Blush|Xbox Series X]], [[PS5 at First Blush|PlayStation 5]], and (surprisingly) [[Google Stadia at First Blush|Google Stadia]]. Curious to say how both these posts and the consoles themselves will age. # [[Analogue Pocket Preview]] I knew how excited I was and continue to be for the Pocket. I figured this would be a fun topic to research and provide the most comprehensive article of information on the Pocket. I did math for this one.