Game of the Year 2020 Voting Thread (Voting Concluded, Results Coming Soon!)

[BetoJR]

Okay, let's do this.

1) The Last of Us - Part II - To me, a perfect sequel in almost every way - and one of my favorite games, ever
2) Final Fantasy VII - Remake - An almost subversive remake, kudos to Square Enix
3) 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - Playing with sci-fi tropes and getting the upper-hand with (very) charismatic characters
4) Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Still the best time I've had with a game on the PS5, so far
5) Streets of Rage 4 - Wasn't a big fan of the trailer reveals, but the game was so darn good... still need to get back to it, sometime
6) Animal Crossing: New Horizons - It provided just the right amount of respite when the pandemic was starting to hit hard, I'll forever be grateful for it
7) Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate - I've had a lot of fun with the story mode and some of the challenges
8) Among Us - This is, without a doubt, one of the things that's gotten me closer to my son and his friends throughout this whole ordeal we're still in
9) Astro's Playroom - What a great little game to come with a console, this one. My kids loved it
10) Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout - This provided a few laughs for my kids, I can appreciate it quite a lot

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
3. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
4. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
5. [PS4] [Beat 'em up] [DotEmu] Streets of Rage 4
6. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
7. [PS5] [Fighting] [NetherRealm Studios] Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
8. [Switch] [Party] [Innersloth] Among Us
9. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
10. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

 

[Noisepurge]

1. Final Fantasy VII Remake - An amazing Year of the Remake, topped first place as well with a true remake, rather than a remaster. Everything was done to perfection while still having a lot of suprises for fans of the original. Great music, great additional dialogue and character development, amazing combat. 10/10.
2. Last of Us Part II - Naughty Dog pulls it off again. Such a hard call with the plot, but it makes the player truly feel things. It´s not an easy feat. Story topped off with industry leading visuals, combat, accessibility options and music. A level not many can rise to.
3. Mafia Definitive Edition - Another perfect remaster that was a dream come true to an old fan of the original. These are the games that remastering makes most sense. Original is hard to go back to due to ancient mechanics and only being on Win98 level PCs :D
4. Saints Row the Third Remastered - A personal favourite of the series just got better with a nice level of additional polish.
5. Spider-Man Miles Morales - Great shorter additional chapter to the Spiderman saga while we wait for a true Spiderman 2.
6. Demon´s Souls - A true PS5 showcase and yet again an amazing remaster where everything is just pitch perfect.
7. Ghost of Tsushima - A few years ago you would have been laughed out if you said a western developer would make one of the most authentic and amazing samurai adventures. It´s just a warm blanket of visual aesthetics and smooth combat.
8. Resident Evil 3 - We´re not done with remakes yet! Similarly to Miles Morales, RE3R is a great additional chapter to RE2R that adds about 10 hours of _more_ of the goodness.
9. Spelunky 2 - I still haven´t beaten it. But i keep getting further every time. well...almost every time... :D
10. Doom Eternal - Not my absolute favourite as i like Doom 4 more than this, but when the combat clicks it´s just a pure adrenaline rush. PS4 back paddles mandatory.

1. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
2. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
3. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Hangar 13] Mafia: Definitive Edition
4. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Deep Silver] Saints Row: The Third Remastered
5. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
6. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
7. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
8. [PS4] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
9. [PS4] [Platformer] [Mossmouth] Spelunky 2
10. [PS4] [Shooter] [id Software] Doom Eternal
    

 

[JudgmentJay]

Reposting mine since I forgot FF7R exists...

1. Demon's Souls
Demon's Souls is one of my favorite games of all time so it makes sense that the remake is at the top of my list. I don't like every change Bluepoint made to the game, but I think they did an excellent job bringing this masterpiece to a new audience.

2. Hades
Roguelike is not a (sub)genre I dabble in often, but I'll be damned if Hades didn't hook me hard. I thought I'd be done with it once I cleared the game once, but nah, I just kept going. 95 hours and a platinum later it's now in my top 20 of all time. Super addicting gameplay, a great sense of progression, beautiful artwork, ridiculously good characters and voice acting.

3. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
I'm a big Vanillaware fan, but 13 Sentinels is very different from their more recent games so I was a little nervous. Turns out they can make great video games no matter the genre! One of the best stories I've experienced in a video game accompanied by that god-tier Vanillaware art and soundtrack.

4. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
At the beginning of 2020 I was certain that this would be my GOTY. In any other year it definitely could be. I love the original Ori and it sat on my top 10 GOAT list for a good while. Will of the Wisps retains the amazing art and soundtrack of the original while vastly improving the weakest area... the combat. Super fun game and one I see myself returning to from time to time.

5. Resident Evil 3 Remake
It's not quite as good as Resident Evil 2 Remake, but I'd place Resident Evil 3 Remake near the top of my Resident Evil rankings. I'm always down for quality survival horror, and this game delivers. It's the Aliens of the original trilogy... more action oriented than its predecessors, but still survival horror at its roots. A bit shorter than I would have liked, but what can you do?

6. Doom Eternal
Pure gameplay perfection. Beautiful environments, fun weapons, high skill ceiling, lots of secrets. Pretty much everything I want out of a game in the DOOM series.

7. Final Fantasy VII Remake
I almost forgot this game was released in 2020. Square did a great job updating this classic to the modern era while simultaneously being faithful to the original and putting a new spin on things. Maybe the best battle system I've ever seen in a JRPG.

8. Astro's Playroom
It's crazy that a game of this quality came bundled with the PS5. It's short, but it's such an amazingly good demonstration of what the DualSense controller is capable of. I really loved soaking up the nostalgia as well.

9. Ghost of Tsushima
I don't play many open world games, but this is the most fun I've had with one in a while primarily thanks to the combat and beautiful Japanese aesthetic.

10. The Last of Us Part II
Better gameplay than Part I, worse story. It's a pretty alright video game.

1. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
2. [PC] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
3. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
4. [PC] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
5. [PC] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
6. [PC] [Shooter] [id Software] Doom Eternal
7. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
8. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
9. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
10. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
    

 

[Deleted member 4212]

1. THPS 1+2 in 144 fps just sings. You have to play this game at a high refresh rate, it's wonderful.

2. Death Stranding is a masterpiece. Loved this game on PC - absolutely beautiful.

3. Final Fantasy 7 remake was a great experience for me. I'm still in awe that they pulled this off.

4. Yakuza 0 is some of the most fun I've had. This isn't a 2020 game but it is a big part of my 2020.

5. Ghost of Tsushima is beautiful and has an awesome tone throughout. Play it if you have a PS5.

1. [PC] [Sports] [Vicarious Visions] Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
2. [PC] [Action] [Kojima Productions] Death Stranding
3. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
4. [XBO] [Action Adventure] [Sega] Yakuza 0
5. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
   

 

[ghostcrew]

A list absolutely shaped by a weird 2020. Needless to say, certain games rose with the tide of shit in 2020 and other games fell thanks to the constant, crushing woefulness of the year. With that in mind...

1. Microsoft Flight Simulator
As the official (editor's note: unofficial) Euro Truck Simulator mod, it's the law that a boring sim like Flight Simulator needs to be on my list. But number one?! Look... in any other year I would have spent my year travelling the world, sitting on planes and visiting friends in other countries. A typical year will see me flying abroad probably six or seven times due to my line of work and having friends/family across the globe. It is what it is. 2020, on the contrary, has seen my industry on it's knees and has had me sat in the same room, on my own, for basically 365 days. I haven't seen my friends or family basically all year.

Microsoft Flight Simulator let me travel. It's no surprise that a game that let me visit anywhere on the globe would be pretty freakin' important to me in 2020. When I sat back and looked at my list last week I couldn't, in good conscious, put anything higher than this. Truly an important game for me. And sims are cool!

2. Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Similar to the above, 2020 shaped a new journey with the Yakuza franchise for me. I've always played Yakuza and I would paint myself as *a big fan* ever since the PS3 entries. But during lockdown v.1 back in March, my partner walked into the room while I was messing with Yakuza 0 and, unusually for her, got absolutely hooked on watching me play it and exploring the world with me. Like Flight Simulator, this was virtual tourism. We should've spent Christmas and New Year's in Osaka, visiting our best friends. We've spent the last four or five years travelling back and forth from Japan. It's truly special. To experience such a beautifully rendered aproximation of cities that we know and love in a damn VIDEOGAME hooked her and we set out on a challenge to play through all of the Yakuza games before Yakuza 7 finally hit Western shores. We failed, only getting as far as doing 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2 and Yakuza 3 Remastered but this journey culminated in finally experiencing a new Yakuza game in the same year that it actually released and, to make it better, with my wife. Also, what a fucking game.

3. Paradise Killer
This one came in super late for me. I actually bought it day one thanks to some good eShop pre-order discount but it sat there, installed, on my Switch for basically the whole year until I finally decided to see what was up in December. Holy fuck, I'm glad I did. A gripping investigation that just leaves the player the fuck alone and let's you work it out yourself. An amazing city-pop soundtrack and unexpected references to 2000's era ska-punk that truly took me back to the grimey walls of pub venues as a teenager.

4. Spelunky 2
I actually thought Spelunky 2 was going to be my number one GOTY for most of 2020. It's a flawless game and, no surprise, if you loved Spelunky 1 then you need to play it. I have no slight to put against as to why it didn't make number one. It's basically perfect. It's just that other games came in late with more of an emotional punch. But, yeah, still absolute 10/10 and might as well be number one.

5. Half-Life Alyx
It's a crime that more people aren't able to experience Alyx due to the constraint's of the hardware and, let's be honest, space. It's the peak of VR support so far and a shining beacon of what's possible when a giant, rich developer puts everything they have into a genre that's generally dominated by smaller, cheaper, experiments. It's barely worth pointing out (because everyone already knows) that Half-Life Alyx is a must-play if you have the gear to play it.

6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Another '2020 made this game', really. For a whole heap of reasons, I really can't argue that Animal Crossing is 'the game of 2020'. It just is. It came at the perfect time and truly crossed boundaries and gave people a prime slab of Nintendo awesomeness and escapism when they needed it the most. And it's a great Animal Crossing! I might not've got quite as hooked on it as many of my friends (I see you with your 500 hours logged on your Switch accounts, friends) but I had a good 40 hours of daily check-ins, visiting friends and doing dumb seasonal events in the zeitgeist with everyone else.

7. Dreams
Ah, Dreams. Such an ambitious, wonderful project. I almost didn't put the game on here but I've realistically been playing it since 2019 since it entered Early Access but, it's true, the game didn't really kick off until full release and more people could get their hands on it. It hasn't quite set the creation world on fire like I was hoping it would but there's a large part of me that's glad that the fucked up, experimental, arty crowd are the one's who are seemingly carrying the game. I don't need 'Crash Bandicoot demo made in Dreams' version 345. I do need the more experiemental things we see and that are largely the cream of the crop of the community. Nobody can doubt the amazing job that MM have done with creating this suite of creation tools. It's honestly a million times better than it has any right to be.

8. The Last of Us Part II
Yeah, that one. I can't think of many games I've played this decade that exude the 'AAA'ness that TLOU2 does. Everything in it is absolutely top tier, best in class and it all comes together in one of the most essential journeys that you can take in the medium. Without straying into spoiler territory, I truly connected with a lot of the decisions that the writers took based on the end of TLOU1 and that honestly blew me away. I think a lot of people felt this, but it felt 'made for me'. Just finally bring me Factions 2.0 and we'll be complete.

9. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Valhalla stands toe-to-toe for me with TLOU2 as 'big AAA game about sneaking through grass and hitting triangle on dudes while crafting and putting points into skill trees'. You know the drill. But it also stood toe-to-toe with it in terms of a lavish, large production that truly wowed me so often. I give it extra points for bringing Assassin's Creed to parts of the UK that aren't London (who hasn't wanted to go on a viking assassination spree through Tamworth and Repton?!) and, again - hi 2020 - travelling even that far, to places that I actually know and would normally frequent, was a positive this year.

10. Streets of Rage 4
I was so ready to case SoR4 onto the pile of 'why did you ruin this legacy'. But then I played it at EGX a couple of years ago and the demo piqued my interest. It... wasn't shit?! And then the game came out. And I loved it. It's such a triumph. How a studio has managed to drag something with such narrow scope into the modern era while giving it new gameplay but still retaining what it is that makes it 'it'. I have few bad words to say about Streets of Rage 4 and urge everyone to play it.

1. [PC] [Flight simulator] [Asobo Studio] Microsoft Flight Simulator
2. [XSX] [RPG] [Sega] Yakuza: Like a Dragon
3. [Switch] [Adventure] [Kaizen Game Works] Paradise Killer
4. [PS4] [Platformer] [Mossmouth] Spelunky 2
5. [PC] [Shooter] [Valve] Half-Life: Alyx
6. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
7. [PS4] [Game Creation] [Media Molecule] Dreams
8. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
9. [XSX] [Action RPG] [Ubisoft] Assassin's Creed Valhalla
10. [XBO] [Beat 'em up] [DotEmu] Streets of Rage 4
    

 

[Kaswa101]

1. Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Loved every minute of it (except for those cairns!). A true return to form for the franchise and the storylines were all amazing and so satisfying, and don't even get me started on that GOAT soundtrack. GOTY for me by far.

2. Astro's Playroom: Pure joy and nostalgia. Made me smile way more than any other game in 2020, and it's just overflowing with charm. Music is so damn catchy too. Perfection!

3. Ghost of Tsushima: Felt like an old-school Assassin's Creed but with way better combat and an amazing setting. Thoroughly enjoyed the story, exploration and artstyle. Sucker Punch did themselves proud on this one.

4. The Last of Us Part II :Amazing production values and the gameplay was top notch. While the story (and especially the pacing) didn't really do it for me, it's hard to argue against this being an astonishing technical achievement - even on the base PS4. Great stuff.

5. Spider-Man: Miles Morales: Short and sweet. While I still preferred the original, Miles delivers the fun in spades. Insomniac gives us everything we've come to expect from them.

6. Immortals Fenyx Rising: Good game, but needed more variety and better writing imo. But if this turns into a franchise, I'm excited to see what it does next. Enjoyed this a lot as an "Assassin's Creed Lite" sorta game.

7. Dreams: What's not to love? What Media Molecule accomplished is insane and should be hailed as one of the greatest innovations of the generation. Sublime stuff.

8. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout: So damn fun with friends. Such a simple idea but it's executed really well and makes for some really good light entertainment.

9. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time: Super difficult and extremely frustrating, but oh so satisfying and well designed. Not really my kinda game anymore but I'm so glad to see Crash back in his prime.

10. Hades: This would probably be higher in my list, but I haven't quite finished it yet. Thoroughly enjoying it so far though, and it's for sure one of the best games of 2020. Supergiant don't miss.

Honourable mentions:

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered: I loved it in 2018 and I love it now. Excluding from the list because I personally don't think a remaster should really be listed amongst 2020 games.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Not even close to finishing this one yet so I won't include it on the list, but I had a lot of fun with it. Improves on the original immensely imo.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Had a lot of fun with this in early 2020, but didn't play enough of it to really form a solid opinion. Will need to jump back into it in the future.

What an amazing year for gaming.

1. [PS5] [Action RPG] [Ubisoft] Assassin's Creed Valhalla
2. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
3. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
4. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
5. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
6. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Ubisoft] Immortals Fenyx Rising
7. [PS4] [Game Creation] [Media Molecule] Dreams
8. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
9. [PS4] [Platformer] [Toys for Bob] Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
10. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
    

 

[Deleted member 53506]

1. Hades - Excellent art, music, gameplay-loop, and unconventional story-telling make this an easy GotY pick for me. Played it exclusively on Switch, but the cross-save functionality with Steam and EGS is notable for those who want to make use of it.

2. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Easily the best Warriors game I've ever played, with gameplay inspirations taken straight out of BotW. Must play for Warriors- and Zelda-fans alike, especially for those who liked BotW. While it lacks the crossover craziness of the original Hyrule Warriors, it makes up for that with better map designs and a more focused overall experience.

3. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - A Wii classic JRPG modernised, including an all new epilogue. Still the same great game, now made better.

4. Persona 5 Royal - Still not completely gone through this game, but another great JRPG, with additional content the original release did not have.

5. Nioh 2 - This is an interesting one for me. When it comes down to it, I think I preferred the first Nioh, but the new gameplay features made for an interesting experience.

6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - COVID lockdown made me pick this up as my first AC game, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I initially thought I would. Was especially fun to use as a chill hangout place with friends, during a time we could not meet in person.

1. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
2. [Switch] [Hack and slash] [Omega Force] Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
3. [Switch] [Action RPG] [MonolithSoft] Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
4. [PS4] [RPG] [Atlus] Persona 5 Royal
5. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Team Ninja] Nioh 2
6. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
   

 

[Twstr709]

1. The Last of Us Part II - I was a half a year late to this game, but I heard that it was controversial. I even had people spoil a certain part of the game for me. If you played, you know what I'm talking about. Despite all of that, I found this game to be just fantastic. The gameplay took a huge step up from the first game. Throughout the game, it kept putting new things into each encounter that it never got stale. I thought the story and characters was incredible. What stuck out to me though, was that killing enemy NPC's had an impact. Just having a little thing like calling for a person's name after you kill them adds a ton of weight. So many games have you just killing mindlessly and this is one of the few that makes you take a step back and think about what you are doing.

2. Ghost of Tsushima - This game has many factors going for it. Story/characters are good. Combat is good. Music is good. The thing that makes it for me is that it's just so pretty to look at. You can easily just stop what you are doing and look off into the distance. It's not even the graphics, it's the style and movement of everything. Going into this, I thought the wind was a bit silly, but after playing this, the game would not work without it.

3. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - I did not expect to finish this game at all. So many say this is the longest AC game and it is. Despite that, I couldn't put it down. I think dividing the main quests into many different arcs and areas was a good idea. It also helps that there are hardly any side quests anymore. It's mostly just world events. The game is buggy as hell too, but they are at least the funny visual bugs.

4. Fall Guys - This game was so much fun to play. I don't play it anymore, but I have some good memories of my two wins.

5. Among Us - This was a really good experience playing with my friends. It didn't have a lot of staying power, for me unfortunately.

6. Astro's Playroom - An awesome way to show off what the PS5 controller can do.

7. Genshin Impact - This game was just ok for me. I'm not into the anime style, but the BotW feel made it kind of nice.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
3. [PS5] [Action RPG] [Ubisoft] Assassin's Creed Valhalla
4. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
5. [Switch] [Party] [Innersloth] Among Us
6. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
7. [PS4] [Action RPG] [miHoYo] Genshin Impact
   

 

[ClearMetal]

1. Nioh 2

The surprise of the year for me. I picked it up for a quick Souls-like fix, but I ended up with 300 hours and counting into this action RPG. Brutal levels, an interesting and honestly unique (for me) backdrop of late 16th century Japan, challenging bosses, tons of loot, satisfying character customization and, last but not least, a staggeringly deep combat system elevated this game into something so much more than just another Soulslike, a word which does a very poor job at describing Nioh 2.

I will be playing this game for years to come.

2. Persona 5 Royal

The original was my GOTY 2017 so I knew it was going to be good. But could this re-release bring enough improvements to the table to justify playing it again? The answer is yes. Even outside the new story content there are a ton of small improvements under the hood that at the end of the day result in a markedly better experience than the original. Being able to vicariously experience the hustle and bustle of modern Tokyo just as the first COVID lockdown hit was an unexpected but very welcome bonus.

------------

Disappointment of the year: Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

I wondered if I should include this game in my top 3. At first I did. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised I would only include it because I only played 3 games from 2020 in the first place. The truth is that this game was something of a disappointment for me. Odyssey is one of my favorite games ever, which perhaps raised false expectations. I knew I wasn't going to love medieval England as much as ancient Greece. But even then Valhalla's England turned out to be surprisingly desolate and empty. Its protagonist, Eivor, missed the charisma that made Kassandra a joy to play. Parkour and stealth played second fiddle to melee combat and *shudder* raids. Loot was for the most part uninteresting and every environmental puzzle felt the same. I dropped the game at some point and so far the only thing that makes me occasionally remember its existence is the OT in my watched threads list. Ouch.

------------

Best game not released in 2020: Civilization 6

This game is pure crack. Forget Nioh 2 and its 300+ hours. I bought the PS4 version of Civ 6 on sale in January and I must have poured at least 1000 hours into it. Somewhere in April (?) the developers introduced the New Frontier Pass and it made an already excellent game even better. Miles better. New civs, alternate leaders, new gamemodes and balance updates every month: what a brilliant choice this 'season pass' turned out to be. The Secret Societies and Heroes and Legends gamemodes are all but permanently enabled in my games. More than anything, The New Frontier Pass is the developers finally doing away with three years of careful balancing and handing over the reins to the player. "Here are some terribly unbalanced but very fun game modes and new civs: go and have fun with them." And boy did we.

1. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Team Ninja] Nioh 2
2. [PS4] [RPG] [Atlus] Persona 5 Royal
   

 

[illmatic22]

1. The Last of Us: Part II

Following up the original game was no easy task but Naughty Dog came through with a sequel that not only plays better, but features a strong narrative that left the biggest impression on me of the games I played in 2020. Please do better with the whole crunch thing tho. No video game is worth it.

2. Final Fantasy VII: Remake

It exceeded my already high expectations. The new voice cast bring Cloud and co. to life better than ever, and the combat is fantastic. Very interested in where they take the story in the future. I need the sequel. NOW.

3. Ghost of Tsushima

Sucker Punch hits the big time with a new I.P. similar to how Guerrilla did with Horizon. Stunning vistas and colors make Tsushima pop along with it's surprisingly good swordplay.

4. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

It may be shorter than the first title but it's no less thrilling. Miles bio-electric powers make you feel overpowered in the best way. The story has heart, and being a Puerto Rican myself, it was great to see my culture so well represented.

5. Demon's Souls

I got the Platinum without the dupe glitch this time! I am a real gamer now! Bluepoint continue to be the remake/remaster experts. Demon's Souls was already fun, but now with stronger visuals and stable framerates it's never been better.

6. Astro's Playroom

The love letter to PlayStation that PSABR wishes it was. Astro pays homage to the hardware and games that made the PlayStation brand a hit. And it's also a great platformer. I'm kinda addicted to getting lower times in the time trials. Maybe someday the catchy GPU song will leave my brain.

7. Resident Evil 3

It's over in a flash but imo it's still a worthy follow up to RE2. I like Jill's design and the game keeps moving like an action movie.

8. Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy is the pure platformer without the creation stuff I'm no good at I've been wanting from LBP. The co-op is well designed and the music in this title really livens things up.

9. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

Multiplayer games usually aren't my cup of tea but this hilarious Battle Royal had me hooked through the summer. Bless the folks who sucked enough to let me win a few crowns.

10. Marvel's Avengers

The campaign was a pleasant surprise led by the game's breakout star Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. Admittedly the game's environments get stale and the enemy variety is weak. But the gameplay is strong enough when playing with others to make this worthwhile for the Marvel fan in me.


Honorable Mention to Kingdom Hearts III Remind. The secret boss in this dlc was the best boss battle of 2020 for me.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
3. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
4. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
5. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
6. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
7. [PS4] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
8. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sumo Digital] Sackboy: A Big Adventure
9. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
10. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Crystal Dynamics] Marvel's Avengers
    

 

[Phoenixazure]

It's been an odd year with my game tastes to go along with the odd year due to outside circumstances. It's also one of the worst years for me when it came to my mental health and has led to what people would consider to be a glaring omission to the list. With that said...

1. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - This is kind of cheating as im hitting the very end of the game as of this writing but this game....THIS GAME...This is everything that I love about games like The Zero Escape Trilogy, Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts, and other "mindfuck" game stories but done in such a complicated yet easy to digest manner. While I understand that people are turned off the nude character portraits for the teen pilots (which make sense in context but not an excuse) or the design of one of the major characters (no excuse for that at all), but the game is like nothing else and helps really justify why it HAS to be done in a game and not in a movie or TV series. I also have to give props to Destruction mode aka the RTwP Strategy game. The UI is sleek and there's definitely a depth that be searched there if it is to be desired.

2. Hades - My bedtime game. I dipped into it during Early Access on PC but spent the vast majority of my playtime on the Switch. It was always my game where I play a run before I go to bed (as I did with other roguelikes in the past on my switch like Children of Morta and Binding of Issac). The gameplay is finely tuned thanks to years of feedback gained from Early Access. Beautiful Graphics, Amazing music, and a memorable cast of characters (shoutouts to my girl Dusa) Once the story began to really dig in, I was hooked. It came at a point in my life where my parents were in the process of having a progressively messier and messier divorse and Hades' themes of Family really struck home for me...

3. Yakuza: Like a Dragon - Ichiban Best Himbo. Saeko best Girl. This game is what I always wanted Persona to become after playing it for the first time. Persona but for older people. I haven't finished it yet but I adore this game to death. Can't wait to get back to this once i wrap up with 13 Sentinels

4. Final Fantasy VII: Remake - The summer blockbuster that I wanted. Just enough of really solid combat mechanics, some really adorable characters (Full convert to team Sassy Aerith) awesome voice acting, and that Nomura flavored mindfuck story that I enjoy to take part in from time to time. Shoutouts to a VERY welcome cameo which I hope leads to something substantial in the sequel.

5. Resident Evil 3: Remake - While I recognize Resident Evil 2: Remake as the superior game, I enjoyed the gameplay in 3 thanks to its dodging mechanic, emphasis on environmental hazards, and general increase of enemies. Jill Valentine in RE3 Remake is my new Archetype for Strong Female Protagonist. Just a total badass that commands respect. Carlos has also become my favorite supporting RE character since Sheva in RE5. I hope we won't be left in a cold, cruel, Carlos-less world for long.

6. Marvel's Avengers - I REALLY like playing this game. The campaign blew my expectations in its story and cast of characters. Despite their designs and uninspired voice cast, they did hire the best in the best and their delivery and ability to emote really helped engage me in the entirety of its campaign. Its just a massive shame that they built this whole post game loot driven GaaS thing that barely worked at launch and just isn't that engaging. Its frustrating because after unlocking all the skills, each of the characters can play in a variety of ways with a level of freedom and depth which reminds me of earlier Character Action Games. Pulling off sick combos with Captain America throwing shields and bouncing them off people and juggling them before a Giant Stretchy Hand smashes them all in a sick combo. Also have to acknowledge Kate Bishop as one of the coolest movesets in recent memory.

7. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - I really liked what I played but what I did first was the entirety of Spider-Man 2018 remastered so I ended up having my fill of the gameplay mechanically. From what I played of Miles Morales, it made a lot of gameplay improvements and its story thus far has engaged me much more. Maybe because I'm Hispanic but I get on more with Miles and the story with Ganke, his mother, and childhood friend. Also the story of Harlem and that area's attempt to keep its identity in the face of a giant corporate company moving in. I look forward to finishing this.

8. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - This year was the year I got really deeply back into Musou games with Dynasty Warriors 8: Extreme Legends and Warriors Orochi 3. Thanks to that, I really got a lot enjoyment out of Hyule Warriors Age of Calamity. I would probably play it more if it didn't run so horribly. Shame too because it looks really good too and the story I find engaging. Here's to hoping the Switch Pro is a thing.

9. Granblue Fantasy: Verus - Thanks to this game I got into the GATCHA game itself. What a wonderful cast of characters and AMAZING music and artwork. Arc Sys and CyGames did a really good job bringing these characters to life. Worth noting that the fighting game's story seems to be the sequel of a series of Side Stories in Granblue Fantasy called "What makes the sky blue" which helped put a ton of the game in context. Something I wish the fighting game proper did. Hopefully they'll patch in better netcode or crossplay to help keep the scene alive. This game probably would've gotten higher on my list if Fighting Game Tournaments were a thing but this pandemic did quite a number to everything these days.

10. Star Wars: Squadrons - I love the X-Wing/TIE Fighter games from back in the day, so plaything this with my HOTAS setup and ultrawide monitor was such a joy. Even bigger when I found my old Oculus Rift S and put it all together. Only reason It hasn't gone any higher is because i barely played much of it. Another game I hope to revisit in the coming months.

Other shoutouts to Half Life: Alyx (just found my headset so hopefully i'll get around to playing it). Demon's Souls (graphically amazing, but not in the mood for a Soulslike) Microsoft Flight Simulator (Made my computer cry),The netcode updates to KOF 2002: Unlimited Match (one of my favorite KOF Games) and Guilty Gear XX Accent Code: Plus R (one of the best in the series) among others. Cyperunk 2077 was disappointing as someone who has Witcher 3 as one of my favorite games of all time seeing CD Projeckt Red make stupid decision after stupid decision. Maybe it'll be in a good enough place for me to give it a proper shot down the road but it still has a lot to answer to. I have no desire in playing the last of us 2 due to its subject matter and development issues. Maybe down the road I'll look at it but everything I've heard of it thematically sounds disgusting and redundant for me. Hopefully they'll have better representation of people of color down the road without having to treat its staff like crap via crunch in future games. I won't hold my breath though.

1. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
2. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
3. [XSX] [RPG] [Sega] Yakuza: Like a Dragon
4. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
5. [PC] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
6. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Crystal Dynamics] Marvel's Avengers
7. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
8. [Switch] [Hack and slash] [Omega Force] Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
9. [PS4] [Fighting] [Arc System Works] Granblue Fantasy Versus
10. [PC] [Space combat] [Motive Studios] Star Wars: Squadrons
    

 

[SinglePlayerFan]

1. Ghost of Tsushima was easily the most fun I had with a game in 2020.
2. Miles Morales builds on the fantastic Spider-man game in so many ways
3. Sackboy was so much fun to play with my niece and nephew
4. Astro's Playroom blew me away not only with how fun it was but as a demonstration of how revolutionary the PS5 DualSense really is for games.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
2. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
3. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sumo Digital] Sackboy: A Big Adventure
4. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
   

 

[coma]

1. Ori and the Will of the Wisps: It's like the first game, but better.

1. [XBO] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
   

 

[Deleted member 22750]

The Last of Us Part 2 - Beautifully tragic story that deals with the theme of empathy. Too many struggle with what the game was presenting. Its a lot of emotion to handle. You either see what people are going through and you can put yourself in their situation or you cant. I have a feeling some people didn't like this game because they fell for the trap of picking one character over the other. Really? You played this game and decided to pick a side in this battle? They both went through hell and had trauma shatter their world. Traumatic events change you. Both take that trauma and let hate overcome them. Hate is baggage. Revenge won't bring someone back. The game was truly amazing and I really think that we need to examine our own bias and hatred towards others. Thank you Naughty Dog for this experience.

Demon's Souls - I love all of the souls games. I prefer the original to the remake. The souls formula will never get old to me. Bluepoint did a great job and I had a blast. Will probably replay sometime soon. Bring on the next remake bluepoint im ready to play another game I haven't played in a long time.

Cyberpunk 2077 - Disaster for console players and rocky on PC. Im hoping they can get the PS5 and XSX versions to be stable a year from now and more people will be able to actually play the game. I debated putting it lower but decided against it.

Wasteland 3 - I never played wasteland before so I really had no clue as to what to expect. I wouldn't have given this a try if I didn't have gamepass. This is criminally underrated. PLAY THIS GAME.

Hades - Loved my time with it and I can see why it is getting GOTY all over the place. Ive been neglecting the switch and this ws just the cure.

Doom Eternal - Doom 2016 renewed my faith in single player shooters. Game is very good and is on my list because I love Doom. But I gotta vent about subtraction by addition. They unnecessary additions to the formula hurt the experience. Why am I complaining? Because Doom is amazing and despite my gripes it is worthy of a spot on my list.

Ori and the will of the Wisps - Beautiful. Was also my first game at 120hz with VRR. Will never forget it and hope Ori continues to get love from the community.

Nioh 2 - I had to add this on here because I hope more developers try to make games like this and are not scared to. I put a lot of hours into both Nioh titles and have not been disappointed.​

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
3. [PC] [Action RPG] [CD Projekt] Cyberpunk 2077
4. [XBO] [RPG] [InXile Entertainment] Wasteland 3
5. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
6. [PS4] [Shooter] [id Software] Doom Eternal
7. [XSX] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
8. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Team Ninja] Nioh 2
   

 

[Optional Objectives]

1. Paradise Killer

Where to start with this one... it's certainly the game I've written about the most this past year, from a review, to an interview, to writing it up for Unwinnable's 2020 GOTY list. Like I titled it for that list, this is the year's best demigod mass murder investigation. That combination of words goes a long way towards explaining why I have it at number 1. Here's what I wrote for Unwinnable:

Paradise Killer is a maximalist experience. The city pop tunes looping from towers of Perfect 24, a tropical island of demonic vaporwave statues large and small, provide the grooves behind the many sumptuous details of its island setting. There's always something around the corner, through the gate, under the bridge, or just up the mountainside. Maybe it's a scene from a back alley bar on Perfect 25, the next island world in line after Paradise Killer's setting. Or maybe players will find a scrap of the past, describing how an ancient god deceived the main character and led to 3,000,000+ days of exile. There are also mechanics to uncover as well as story: turning the right corner might reveal a footbath that inexplicably grants a double jump or air dash. Paradise Killer gives players both the tools and the motivation to cover every inch of its depopulated, detailed neighborhoods.

It's remarkable that Kaizen Game Works managed to pack so much density into a very open game. Paradise Killer makes few demands on the player. There are colorful characters to meet and a noir-inflected murder mystery that may or may not implicate them all, but its up to players to decide when they've heard and found enough. It's possible to start the final trial at any time – the game won't judge you for irresponsibly conducting a sham trial. It also won't judge you for withholding evidence if you want to let a couple old friends slide.

That open approach can lead to some dodgy results. It's quite possible to miss the bloody class politics that underpin the ruling elite's attempts at perfection. Each of 25 attempts at that have been built on some heinous deeds. The island's underclass consists of harvested souls who are enslaved and sacrificed to fuel each new revision. It's up to the player to look into that history and its relevance to the investigation at hand, just as it's up to the player to decide which evidence to reveal and which characters to implicate in Paradise Killer's central mystery. That balance between style, lore and autonomy makes for an intoxicating blend. It's just the right kind to enjoy at a closing bar at the end of a world, before another one starts up all over again.

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2. Kentucky Route Zero: Act V

Here's what I put down about this episode, and this wonderful game, on my backlog notes:

I don't know how Cardboard Computer managed to stretch themselves and provide a new experience in each act, all without losing the plot. But they did, and Act V brings the story to a conclusion. True to Kentucky Route Zero, it brings it to a conclusion, but not a definitive one. And also, true to form, the player has a say in where it seems most characters will end up. They do this through a negotiation with the game through text, nudging responses here and there. More so even than previous chapters, this one felt like a great evolution of old hypercard games. Click this bit of text here to see how that story might change in the telling, but weigh how many times you'll be able to do that – the game usually won't let you explore every option.

Following how Act IV took away some player agency with a river and tugboat that moved in just one direction, in Act V, the player can roam in the most open 3D environment that Carboard Computer has yet created. That free movement is brilliantly balanced out by limited conversational perspective – the player is put in the position to overhear conversations and participate in them through limited means. That eases the feeling of control over these characters – after all, at the end, the player has to let them and the story go. Thiis amounts to a very free, open approach to the ending. Cardboard Computer has often provided players with different perspectives throughout their journey. Act V continues to open things up, providing one more day at the end of the road.

Click to shrink...

3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

What more could I add that someone hasn't about AC:NH? Here's what I put down about it on my GOTY list for Gamers With Glasses:

Finally, some words for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I didn't expect to enjoy New Horizons as much as I did, having bounced off the previous games. To be honest, I expected to have more fun with Isabelle in Super Smash Brothers (a runner-up to my "played in 2020" list). Yet New Horizons delivered for me at just the same time that it seemingly did for everyone else. It provided memorable evenings with distant friends, friends who may not have been together in years due to complications of geography, schedules, and attention. Because of the pandemic, however, we all had the time to be in the same place. Yes, I also enjoyed building surreal themed rooms in my house. It was fun to figure out how to turn a chunk of beach into a trash fire without pissing off Isabelle. But the game itself was purely secondary to my enjoyment of it. New Horizons wouldn't have made my list in another year, but circumstances conspired to make it central to daily life and socializing for some time in the spring and summer. Credit where credit is due - even with Nintendo's horribly obtuse online functionality, New Horizons was a great place to be.

Click to shrink...

4. Hades

It's really, really good. I'm still playing it to get 10 clears and still enjoying it. Supergiant keeps polishing their approach from previous games, and this has a delightful mix of all three of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre all throughout. Again, from my GOTY list for Gamers With Glasses:

Hades is a fun game. I've been playing it daily for the last week or so, after about a month away from it. I very much enjoy Supergiant's spin on the Greek pantheon, especially my main man Dionysus. I like the way that its structure moves the story forward as its protagonist, Zagreus, dies run-by-run. Its gameplay is fluid, the art is vivid, and Darren Korb is as solid on the tunes as usual (although I would say it's only his third best OST, after Transistor and Pyre, and without a standout like "Build That Wall (Zia's Theme)" from Bastion). Supergiant is an interesting studio in an almost classical sense of the word, filled with a house style and cast. Hades is a strong development from them, integrating lessons learned from their previous games. It's very good, and that's why it sits at number four on my new releases list.

Click to shrink...

5. Final Fantasy VII Remake

Still playing this one, too. It's funny to say about such a huge release that was anticipated for so many years, but FF7R caught me by surprise. I knew it would look and sound great, but what I didn't expect was the fluidity of its combat and exploration. It hits some false notes in some of its characters and pacing, but it's still one of my favorite Final Fantasies.

6. Treachery in Beatdown City

Don't sleep on this genre-bending gem. From my review on Clickbliss:

After the opening cutscenes of Treachery in Beatdown City finish rolling, Lisa Santiago beats the shit out of a racist. The racist in question rudely complains about the state of the bathrooms at her home boxing gym and demands that she clean them. It should be noted that Santiago is not an employee of the gym. She's just there to blow off some steam after hearing that third-term President Blake Orama has been kidnapped.

...

As for that asphalt-pounding combat, the gameplay of Treachery is a fun mixture of brawling animations and turn-based combos. Whether intentional or not, it most reminds me of Parasite Eve, with its combination of a refilling active time bar for attacks and real-time movement. With well-paced progression for new moves and well-placed save points and boss battles, the mechanics come together for an innovative spin on the genre.

Click to shrink...

7. Spelunky 2

How many of this list am I gonna keep playing into 2021? A ton. 2020 was a shitshow, but a good year for game releases. Like Hades, Spelunky 2 is a gift that keeps giving. It's also completely unforgiving, to an indifferent degree. But the ludicrous death animations, especially when my character is being tossed around a level, keep things light. I still wish the stunlock wasn't quite so intense in this or its predecessor, but it is what it is. From my Gamers With Glasses piece:

It's a strange thing to make a sequel to a game like Spelunky. Like other roguelikes, its levels are procedurally generated according to a sprawling (but, for the most part, internally consistent) set of rules. Those rules are part of the appeal - discovering exactly what can and cannot be done makes run after run intriguing. Other roguelikes have tended to avoid direct sequels in favor of updates, expansions, and remasters, each adding new combinations and possibilities. I think of The Binding of Isaac, which isn't so much a single game as an expanding behemoth of cartoon body horror. That sprawl and the resulting ways in which players can creatively break the game is part and parcel to its appeal.

Click to shrink...

8. Mixolumia

My favorite puzzle game of 2020. From my backlog notes:

Marathon and Endless modes are relaxing, and Intense is suitably difficult. There's just enough difference to other drop puzzlers (Puyo Puyo and Tetris being the classic references) and match-3/4 games to provide something new, all with crisp low-bit textures. Developer davemakes also pulls back the curtain on the dynamic sounds and music, which has opened up a music pack mod scene. All around, a highly replayable, brain-twisting, scorechasing time.

Click to shrink...

9. Streets of Rage 4

This game is fun no matter how you experience it, from solo to co-op to just watching someone stream it. One of my favorite streams of 2020 was watching Monti from Uppercut go all the way through a play a night or two before it was widely released. From my backlog notes:

A faithful sequel to a most excellent brawler series. The smooth cartoon graphics, varied movesets, and kickin' soundtrack all do credit to the Streets of Rage name. This one preserves its arcade-style roots while adding all kinds of accessibility along the way, from more varied characters to assist modes. 4 player co-op multiplayer is the icing on the cake. Brawlers are underrated, and SoR4 is simply a blast to play. The picture of simple to learn and hard to master, and fun the whole time.

Click to shrink...

10. Wide Ocean Big Jacket

I had a feeling, from its release early in the year, that this one was going to make it all the way to my GOTY list. Like I said elsewhere, Wide Ocean Big Jacket nails its focus on short scenes, camera control, and genuine comedy. Some of the best writing in games is found in short takes like this, where people can make sure that dialogue and characters really charm. There's a good chance you have a key to this one from itch.io - take 45 minutes and give it a spin.

1. [Switch] [Adventure] [Kaizen Game Works] Paradise Killer
2. [PC] [Point-and-click adventure] [Cardboard Computer] Kentucky Route Zero
3. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
4. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
5. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
6. [Switch] [Beat 'em up] [Nuchallenger] Treachery in Beatdown City
7. [PS4] [Platformer] [Mossmouth] Spelunky 2
8. [PC] [Puzzle] [davemakes] Mixolumia
9. [Switch] [Beat 'em up] [DotEmu] Streets of Rage 4
10. [Switch] [Visual Novel] [Turnfollow] Wide Ocean Big Jacket

 

[dodo667418]

1. Genshin Impact

No game this year took me by surprise like Genshin did. I didn't know about the game prior to release. I didn't even play it until like 2 weeks after it came out because of the constant praise here on Era. And with the "F2P" concept in mind, I didn't expect much. What I got is one of my favorite RPGs ever in one of my favorite virtual worlds to be in. I spend hundreds of hours in the game, still play daily and still have lots of fun with it. The initial playthrough of the story, exploring all of Mondstadt and Liyue for the first time just overwhelmed me in the best possible way. The exploration part is better done than in BOTW in my opinion. Controversial opinion, but Genshin absolutely has aspects that make me prefer it over BOTW. Every single thing you find along the way can become important. Maybe not right now, but if you get some cool new character a few weeks later and realize you are stocked up to the brim with his upgrade material already because you like to pick up all the stuff you come across while exploring, that's just retrospectively rewarding you for your exploration. The soundtrack is amazing, it's easily the best looking anime style game I have ever played with some beautiful vistas. And the combat system is just addictive, it doesn't get boring. Of course the game does have problems and it being a gacha game comes with nuisances, but so far the qualities of the game far surpass those. With how good the new content has been so far, I can see myself playing this for a loooong time.


2. Demon's Souls

I never finished the original on PS3. It never clicked with me, that only happened with Bloodborne a couple of years later. That's why I was looking forward to revisit the game and I was not disappointed! Gameplay feels super tight, graphics are fantastic. The super quick loading times provided a great first next gen experience. The only negative thing about the game is that a lot of bosses are "trick bosses", once you understand what their weakness is, the fight becomes somewhat trivial. From Software improved their bosses a lot with every new Souls game. Still a fantastic experience that I put enough time into to get the Platinum trophy, a thing I rarely do.

3. Half-Life: Alyx

I never played the Half Life games. Might sound crazy, but I didn't have a PC when they came out and never got around to catching up on them. As a first day HTC Vive owner and a VR enthusiast, it obviously was still a no-brainer to get this game. Even without the Half Life attachment, I was able to fully enjoy the experience. Interaction with the game world is masterfully crafted, just playing with random things feels amazing. Gun play is among the best in VR. The Gravity Gloves are such a fun mechanic.The graphical presentation is also among the best in VR. This felt like the first true VR AAA blockbuster game and I loved every second of it. Also, it's low-key one of the best horror games ever made.

4. Spider-Man. Miles Morales

I quite liked the original Spider-Man, but Miles Morales easily tops this experience for me. A game that is shorter and more tightly paced is good news for someone like me with a huge backlog, so the length of MM felt just right to me. Swinging feels as good as ever, combat is just deep enough to keep me engaged. The story is fun, the snowy city setting is amazing. It was a blast to play this over Christmas. Also, being able to play this in 60 FPS on PS5 made the experience even better.

5. Fall Guys

It's no Rocket League that to this day I still play regularly, but it felt like a similar sensation at release. The mini games are super fun, I don't even mind the team games. The thrill of getting a crown is amazing. The game is so cute that I actually felt compelled to unlock cosmetics. It did drop off after like a month for me because of a lack in variety, but during the first month, I had tons of fun with the game. I should actually revisit this game more often, seeing as they have added some new content over the months.

6. Astro's Playroom

As a VR fan and PSVR owner, it was no surprise to me that the newest Astrobot game would be great. Rescue Mission is one of my favorite VR games and that is mainly due to the charming levels, clever collectables and tight jump'n'run gameplay that is all present in Astro's Playroom as well. It also served as a fantastic first presentation of the PS5's and Dualsense's features. It was also meatier than I expected it to be as a free pack-in. Great little adventure.

7. Hades

I quite like roguelikes. Hades definitely is the best game of the genre I have played so far and became my "play a quick round inbetween whatever"-game. Switch is the perfect platform for the game. The story beats are very cool, writing and voice acting is top notch. Gameplay is fun and engaging, the progression systems are very motivating.

8. Final Fantasy VII Remake

I haven't yet finished the game, but liked what I played. Apart from some texture bugs, the game felt incredibly well made and like an interesting new take on the original.

9. Murder by Numbers

I never played Picross before, but turns out I really like it. I also really like Visual Novels, so this was a surprise hit for me. This became my go-to game for short playing sessions on the go right after Hades.

10. Cyberpunk 2077

The game definitely has a lot of issues, but I still enjoyed it for the most part. I played on PC, so visuals and performance were less of a problem. In fact, at moments this game is among the best of the best visually and just stunning to look at. Gun play generally feels okay, hacking can be fun and the game does have some very interesting quests and activities. The world can also feel extremely well built at times. It could have been so much more, but I still had fun with the game.


Unfortunately my backlog is still big, notable omissions due to no / little game time: TLOU2 (PS5 upgrade when), Ghost of Tsushima, 13 Sentinels, Yakuza Like a Dragon (also waiting for PS5 upgrade). These possibly would chart in my top 10 if I played them for a more substantial time. Looking forward to complete all these in the next couple of weeks.

1. [PC] [Action RPG] [miHoYo] Genshin Impact
2. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
3. [PC] [Shooter] [Valve] Half-Life: Alyx
4. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
5. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
6. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
7. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
8. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
9. [Switch] [Visual Novel] [Mediatonic] Murder by Numbers
10. [PC] [Action RPG] [CD Projekt] Cyberpunk 2077
    

 

[Akumatica]

1. Yakuza: Like a Dragon - The series has been one of my favorites since the PS2 days and they pulled off the swith to a turn based system amazingly. I'm not a fan of the management game here, but the story, characters, sidequests & variety of things to do were amazing.

2. Final Fantasy 7 Remake - I could never get into the original FF7 on the PS1, but I found this to be a hell of a lot of fun. The action, mini games, side quests, world and characters were great.

3. Moon: Remix RPG - A wonderful adventure game with quirky charm. Loved the music, the mood and the writing.

4. Murder By Numbers - Picross and an Ace Attorney style adventure game go together extremly well.

5. Trials of Mana - I loved the battle system and colorful world here. A great package overall.

6. Paradise Killer - The music, the art style, the large 3D world to explore, the colorful characters & the story are all great. It definitely shows its Suda51/Grasshopper Manufacture influence.

7. Voxelgram - Just a very fun 3D picross game.

9. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - Great 2D art and well done puppet/live2D animation + A good story that's part Dark City, The Matrix and Evangelion with a number of likeable characters.

But the RTS Destruction mode is awful. All the maps look similar, everything is too busy and I just wanted it to be over. Luckily it's easy to spam turrets, interceptors and super missiles on casual to get through it.

So a flawed package overall for me.

9. Deadly Premonition 2 - A big step down in most departments from the original with a boring, glitchy, badly running overworld & reduced combat options.

There's some fun to be had- skateboarding around, doing mini-games etc.. It's essentially a weird 3D adventure game with a calendar system that is close to a game like Moon Remix RPG Adventure. Figure out the quirky character's daily and weekly schedules to clear side missions.

Then there's the tonally different horror parts that make up a fraction of the game time and each chapter's framing device. The main plot does go to some bloody and perverse areas, it just does't feel connected to what you do for 90% of the rest of the game.

So, it's alright. Just not what I wanted or expected from a sequel with a 2 in the title.

10. Resident Evil 3 Remake - Only placed here to fill out a top 10 of 2020, this was a big let down for me.

The missing areas, enemies, live selection choices, mercenaries mode and puzzles were a bummer.

Capcom had a lot to live up to when comparing it to the previous remakes. 2 was also a bit of a let down, though it was much better than this. RE Remake won't be topped by the current teams imo.

1. [PS4] [RPG] [Sega] Yakuza: Like a Dragon
2. [PS4] [RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy 7 Remake
3. [Switch] [RPG] [Onion Games] Moon: Remix RPG Adventure
4. [Switch] [Visual Novel] [Mediatonic] Murder by Numbers
5. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Trials of Mana
6. [Switch] [Adventure] [Kaizen Game Works] Paradise Killer
7. [Switch] [Puzzle] [Procedural Level] Voxelgram
8. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
9. [Switch] [Survival horror] [TOYBOX Inc] Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise
10. [PS4] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake

 

[Tali'Zorah]

2020 was kinda disappointing for me personally but I still found some games I really enjoyed, my top 5 especially which are the games I've got write ups for:

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - I've been hyped about this game since before it came out. Please play it if you can. This is one of the best visual novels in years. Insane story told in such a unique way.

Persona 5 Royal - one of the all time great JRPG's in Persona 5 is somehow made even better. Kasumi is an awesome addition PLUS it gave me more time with my girl Haru. An all-time classic.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA MegaMix - The all time best rhythm game series finds a natural home on Switch. Basically a best-of collection of the Miku games and is ideal for both series veterans and newcomers. Probably my most played game this year, I've sunk dozens of hours into it and still keep coming back for more.

Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen - A remake of a 2002 game and is somewhat outdated in some aspects but goddamn is it well written. It'll make you care about characters so much. The ending made me legit cry.

Final Fantasy VII Remake - I liked the original FF7 but not thaaat much, but this version is stunning. An awesome battle system and it does so well to take what was essentially 5 hours of the original and flesh it out to 30-ish hours here. Some of the twists and changes from the original are wild.

1. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
2. [PS4] [RPG] [Atlus] Persona 5 Royal
3. [Switch] [Rhythm] [Sega] Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix
4. [PS4] [RPG] [Leaf] Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen
5. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
6. [Switch] [RPG] [Atlus] Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
7. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
8. [XBO] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
9. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
10. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
    

 

[Jamix012]

Maybe I'll add more later but these two games are the only ones so far I feel comfortable voting for. FF7 was slightly more fun, but as a totally original game I think 13 sentinels really deserves the number 1 from me this year - tantalizing story and artstyle.

1. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
   

 

[Eirwaz]

Hades - is the most engrossing storytelling experience ive encountered in a game since Brother: a tale of two sons. just like Brothers Hades uses the trappings of the videogame medium to tell a story that could only be told through an interactive medium. supported by amazing visual, music, voice acting and incredibly tight gameplay i am still experiencing this story every day, a little piece at a time. also let this game be an inspiration for the game development scene as a whole please. You dont need crunch

Ori and the Will of the Wisps - is certainly my favorite, visually speaking, game of the past year. everything in its presentation feels like it belongs and fits perfectly within this marvelous spectacle. its the first game i have ever forgotten has "graphics" after a while i sort of forget i am playing a video game. The stellar animation and tight responsive controls is equally responsible for this, but i never consciously thought about them, that is how good and natural they felt. If only the story spoke to me like the first game

Ghost Of Tsushima - lets me be every type of samurai ive envisioned playing in a game. and thats about it. the rule of cool, or mabye aesthetics in general, is strong with this one. and everything in the game is set up to play off of that hollywood samurai fantasy from the obviously excellent visuals to the almost nonexistent minimalist interface. Good job sucker punch.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake - made me nostalgic for a game i never played. ive played 9 and 10 but that was years later and i cant tie this franchise to my childhood or upbringing in any way. And thats how a remake should feel when playing it. it is immediately obvious that the games' overall sryle is very 90s, but it never feels old or tired. i imagine this is what kids experienced in their heads back in the day.

The Last of Us Part II - Made me feel things, a lot of things. Sadly a lot of those feelings where initially negative and some never recovered. But overall Part II was a worthwhile experience. Naughty Dog has pulled out all the stops trying to immerse you in this game and its noticeably overproduced in moments. i just wish they let the story speak for it self, it deserves so much better. Those guitar moments tho, Fire.
​

1. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
2. [PC] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
3. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
4. [PS4] [RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy 7 Remake
5. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
   

 

[DOATag]

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - its the game I cant give up. Even if I walk away for a week, the desire to go back and even just check in on my little island paradise keeps sucking me back in. This is a game I expect I will still be playing by next christmas, even if its just to stop by and give my residents a little gift

Hades - Enough has ben said about Hades that I dont need to say more (but I will). It is the combination of tight, reward gameplay, a loop that satisfies, and an engaging cast of characters that keeps you saying, one more run

Journey to the Savage planet - a metroidvania like game that I actually enjoyed (you heard me). The coop is what made this game

Yes your grace - you ever sit down for 20 minutes to play a game, and 5 hours later youve beaten it in 1 sitting. Thats what this game did for me, I had no expectations, no idea what I was getting into. But the sim/mangement aspects of the game kept me going, just one more day, just one more, until the fate of my litttle kingdom would be revealed

Tell Me Why - the episodic storytelling of DONTNOD is on point once again. These developers have become some of my favorite and I hope they continue this stride

Spiritfarer - this is the game I wanted to like more. I loved the begining, I liked the middle, but by the end, every request felt like a exercise in futility. Character Y wants this one specific item, that you will sail to every different corner of the world to get, then spend 20 minutes growing/crafting the item, to then do it all again. The story had impact, but the gameplay loop brought it down

1. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
2. [PC] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
3. [PC] [Adventure] [Typhoon Studios] Journey to the Savage Planet
4. [PC] [RPG] [Brave At Night] Yes, Your Grace
5. [PC] [Adventure] [Dontnod Entertainment] Tell Me Why
6. [PC] [Adventure] [Thunderlotus] Spiritfarer
   

 

[Haloid1177]

So as usual I didn't play a LOT of games in a year, but I did at least manage to beat the majority of the ones I started, which is saying a lot for my bad habits.

1. The Last of Us Part II
When I finished this game, it haunted me for the entire weekend. It made me care about a character I was assuredly going to hate, to the point where I hated a character I loved. It's beautiful, it plays astoundingly well, the soundtrack is memorable, and I think this is the best game I have ever played.

2. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
I loved the first Ori, even though it had a lot of issues that were covered by environment design and soundtrack. This game fixed everything in the first game, added extremely satisfying combat, and produced another game that haunted me after I finished it with the storytelling. And replaying it on XSX in 4K/120 after the iffy PC release was a dream come true.

3. Doom Eternal
This was honestly the game I was most hyped for this year, and it placing third isn't an indictment on it, but rather shows just how much I loved the first two on this list. Doom 2016 is a top game of the gen for me, and Doom Eternal did everything that game did, better. I understand certain complaints about being forced into a gameplay loop instead of being granted a level of freedom, but it's one of the best gameplay loops I've ever experienced, and I would not hesitate to say it has the best FPS combat for a campaign I've ever experienced. You have to trust in what the game is doing, but it's so rewarding once you do that.

4. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Full disclosure, I hated the 2018 Spider-Man game. I felt it was overly long, repetitive, had boring characters, and the MJ missions were truly fucking awful. This game stripped out all the bullshit, condensed the good parts into a 12 hour game, and actually gave us a cast worth caring about. I went in with low expectations for this, and I was floored by how much I enjoyed it. The biggest plus was the venom strikes in combat, because using gadgets never clicked with me, but that power up made everything feel so much better. As my first next gen game to play, this exceeded all my expectations.

5. Ghost of Tsushima
This is a weird one for me. I enjoyed the map, the art style, and the combat, but I could not bring myself to care about the story, or Jin, for the first two acts. And it finally hit hard in the third act, and it roped me in, but that is the reason it's so low on my list. Sure it had typical open world fluff, but it was fun, especially the side missions, which had so many parts that I appreciated it not being one and done every time.

6. Astro's Playroom
I expected nothing from this, I had planned to delete it the moment I booted up my PS5, but then a friend convinced me to play it, and it was such a joyful experience of fun platforming, fantastic use of DualSense to show the tech in the controller, and a trip of nostalgia for all the PlayStation references. Truly the surprise of the year.

7. Final Fantasy VII Remake
Going into this, I was hyped to finally be playing this game more than I was hype for the game itself. Yet once I started, I realize that I had a level of nostalgia for FF7 that I never even realized. And then the story kept changing, and the combat loop was great, and I ended up beating it in a single weekend. I think depending on where they go with the sequels, this could make the case to be placed higher on my list in hindsight, but as of now, it's good, but holds the last spot on my list.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PC] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
3. [PC] [Shooter] [id Software] Doom Eternal
4. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
5. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
6. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
7. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
   

 

[Baloota]

Persona 5 is my fav game of all time, P5R is even better

I finally got a chance to try out P4 and it's amazing and it made me appreciate P5 even more.

And lastly, Demon's Souls is my first and fav Souls. Now it's even better.

1. [PS4] [RPG] [Atlus] Persona 5 Royal
2. [PC] [RPG] [Atlus] Persona 4 Golden
3. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
   

 

[DGS]

1. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
2. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
3. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
4. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
5. [PS4] [Simulation] [Two Point Studios] Two Point Hospital
6. [PS4] [Sports] [Vicarious Visions] Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
7. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
8. [PS4] [RTS] [Mimimi Games] Desperados III
9. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
   

 

[PRrambo_]

1. The Last of Us Part 2 - Naughty Dog dared to craft an even more ambitious follow up to it's universally acclaimed title from 2013. A story that examines different themes about loss, vengeance, and forgiveness has remained on my mind to this day. Paired with its absolutely sublime TPS and stealth mechanics, and the best looking graphics offered on consoles today, Naughty Dog has once again set the standard for Cinematic AAA video games.

2. Final Fantasy 7 Remake - Long awaited remake had heavy expectations placed upon it, and in my opinion Square Enix delivered. A strong voice cast breathes new life into the classic story, with familiar locales getting a beautiful makeover, Midgar looks just as amazing as I imagined it to be when playing the original. The real time combat and ATB battle system is the real star of the game, alongside the best boss battles this Gen had to offer. The cherry on top is the lovely remaking of the classic soundtrack, overall FF7:R is truly the best Final Fantasy game I've played in years.

3. Demon's Souls Remake - A masterpiece of a remake of the only Souls game I've ever finished. Only this time I didn't have a friend carry me through the endgame. Bluepoint have outdone themselves with this effort. It's a bid jarring to have a souls game be a graphics showpiece, yet here we are. It's THE reason to own a PS5 at launch. Buttery smooth framerate makes it easy to jump into New game Plus and try to attain all the weapons, spells and miracles.

4. Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales - An amazing, spectacular follow up to my favorite superhero game of all time.
I could spend hours just playing with the excellent web swinging amidst a beautiful snowy New York backdrop. Miles Morales is a tremendous protagonist with new powers and unique animations that set him apart from the Classic Spidey. The game is just long enough to stand on its own and offers an exciting glimpse into how Insomniac is evolving their blockbuster hit into a franchise.

5. Ghost of Tsushima - Suckerpunch has it's Horizon Zero Dawn, in that they've made a blockbuster hit both critically and commercially. They've done an excellent job respecting and honoring the Japanese culture, and it's resulted in a beautiful representation of Tsushima. The swordplay is addictive. I found myself foregoing the stealth most of the time, opting instead to strike enemies down one by one with Jin's katana. I hope there is a sequel, but regardless Sucker Punch's time amongst the big developers has truly arrived. Also how is the loading this fast on a PS4?

6. Astrobot's Playroom - I had the biggest, dumbest grin ony my face the whole time I played through Astrobot. A touching love letter to the history of PlayStation, I was constantly lost in nostalgia remembering the times I played Jumping Flash on PS1, Uncharted on PS3, and Tearaway on the Vita. All whilst enjoying a smoove platforming experience featuring the most charming mascot in Astrobot. SONY, do yourselves a favor and put Astrobot EVERYWHERE.

7. Pikmin 3 Deluxe - My favorite experience on the Wii U has become my favorite experience on the Switch. Despite not offering hardly any improvements visually or performance wise, the story of three cute little adventures from Koppai and the little Pikmin they enslave to do their bidding is still a fun time. The DLC, and time attack modes offer a lot in terms of replayability. I beg of you all, buy this underrated gem so we get a fourth installment.

8. Resident Evil 3 Remake - Jill is my favorite protagonist in the RE series now. Excellent design, and personality. Nemesis is an intimidating presence, and the action movie pacing lends itself well to this fun TPS survival horror. Some folks think it's too short, but I don't mind at all that a game didn't attempt to overstay its welcome for once.

9. Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout - My summer fling, the cutest, goofiest BR yet, Fall Guys brought some much needed joy with friends during lockdown. Running "stacked" four man squads and chasing after crowns resulted in the best Multi-player experience I had this past year.

10. Sakura Wars - I finally played through a Sakura Wars game! The great character designs from Bleach Creator Tite Kubo was enough to make me dive in, and despite a lot of flaws I enjoyed my time with it. The gameplay itself is a lackluster "warriors" series combat which I could take or leave. The real fun is the narrative, and the relationships you develop with each member of the Flower division.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
3. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
4. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
5. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
6. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
7. [Switch] [RTS] [8ing] Pikmin 3 Deluxe
8. [PS4] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
9. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
10. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Sega] Sakura Wars

 

[Mik317]

2020 sucked balls lol. But selfishly not so much for me. As a piece of shit who barely went out much and was blessed to have a job that still existed in the "times", I was guuci. And gaming was pretty sweet for me overal. My top 5 games pretty much took over my life at differemnt parts to keep my mind off the bad shit. The bottom 5 are all games I enjoyed a lot but have not finished or played as much as I wanted to. But all in all a good ass year for games in a fuck ass year for life.

10. Granblue Fantasy Versus : I didn't get to play it as much due to it releasing near other games and such but this is a good ass fighting game. Has solid single player offering and enough depth to keep things interesting. The thing that holds it back is the source material not being something I am super into but even then there is enough to get one intrigued. This game got fucked hard by COVID and its delay netcode tho. Also WHENS P5A?

9. Spider-Man: Miles Morales : More Spiderman with the swagger of a bla-- um yeah. Poor wording aside; its more of Spider-Man ps4 with new graphics and electric stuff. I will say that the wonder has worn off a bit but still slanging around the city is just pure videogame bliss. Insomniac is going to need to go bigger on the eventual true sequel tho. Wonder how they will do so.

8. Cyberpunk 2077 : Woooo boi; what a goddam mess this game is huh? Constant crashes; glitches galore; crunch; lying; and just an overall unfun discourse. And yet...i enjoyed my time with it a lot. Perhaps the simple act of wondering around a future city is enough for me to overlook the "troubles" or perhaps its because sans the crashes, I didn't run into many bugs on my ps5 or...maybe its just fun? IDK. I dropped it waiting for more patches and just time in general to play it and for it to not be this misery circlejerk to talk about. But bottom line; I had fun. And for a genre of game I have bounced off of..thats good enough for me.

7. Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories : late comer to the list probably getting propped up due to that but this is a nice pile of jank that harkens back to the "good ole days" where we didn't need stable FPS or good audio quality (seriously the footsteps wtf) to enjoy a game. You whippersnappers are all saawft I tells ya. But no seriously; this is just a fascinating game if only for it to release in todays gaming industry. Its jank is charming and just wondering around the world and running into wacky nonsense is what I play games for. Super glad I checked it out.

6. Persona 5 Royal : Its Persona 5 but more of it. Nuff said. I am actually experiencing this through my sister's playthrough and I am still enjoying it. I think some of the issues from base are still there and the new content is pretty predictable so far but its more of Persona 5 yo. But again...WHENS P6?

5. Animal Crossing New Horizons : I tried to play this series multiple times and multiple times I bounced off. The stress of having to check in every day or miss out on content triggered my anxiety something fierce lol. But thanks to "the times"; that wasn't an issue this time and I broke through the barrier. Shits cozy as fuck. Building up your island/home is great and it just is a chill ass time. Some of the issue start to peak through however (villagers of a same type basically repeating the same dialouge for example) and I probably will never play it again but those 3-5 months was fun.

4. 13 Sentinels : Aegis Rim : This is just like my Japanese Animes. But yknow good. (I kid I kid). This game is really fucking good and the story is really fucking good. The art is really fucking good. Its just good. Buy it. Tell your friends to buy it. Only reason its not higher is due to how good the top 3 is.

3. Nioh 2 : I Bounced off of the souls series a lot; finally broke through on DS3 and realized my limits as a human with Sekiro. But this has character customization and loot...so yeah I am back in. I am still ass but got rather far before dropping it but yeah this is peak videogame; might jump back in with the ps5 patch.

2. Final Fantasy VII Remake : Few things to know. I never beat FFVII proper. I know the story tho. Second; Nomura has created some of my favorite games of all time and his big brained kino bullshit is right up my alley. So yeah I really really really enjoyed this. The changes didn't bother me at all and I can't remember another game I blitzed through as fast as this. This is why I play videogames and if this year wasn't 80 months long and number 1 didn't hit; this is easy GOTY..yet.

1. Genshin Impact : Genshin Impact has everything I want out of my videogames. Anime bullshit. Check. Big world thats fun to throw yourself around? Check. Team building? Check. Great OST? Check. Fun combat? Check. And its free...ish and had more content on the way. The big elephant in the room is the gatcha bullshit. It is a major hamper on the game. ..and yet I know why its there but it hurts the progression a lot. It would be enough to push it down some but I am still playing it...every day. I am going to be playing it for like years probably. I can still lose hours just wondering around. I have said it multiple times in this post but that is peak videogames for me. And in a year in which I needed that...it provided a lot. Now if you excuse me I am going to summon Satan so I can roll this Ganyu on this single pull.

1. [PS4] [Action RPG] [miHoYo] Genshin Impact
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
3. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Team Ninja] Nioh 2
4. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
5. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
6. [PS4] [RPG] [Atlus] Persona 5 Royal
7. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Granzella] Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories
8. [PS4] [Action RPG] [CD Projekt] Cyberpunk 2077
9. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
10. [PS4] [Fighting] [Arc System Works] Granblue Fantasy Versus
    

 

[ShaggsMagoo]

10. The Last of Us: Part 2 - Fantastic gameplay and a gripping story that is too long for it's own good.
9. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time - Great throwback to the PS1 Era crash games.
8. Murder By Numbers - Interesting blend of Picross, Ace Attorney, and Murder She Wrote.
7. Doom Eternal - Pure, Fun, FPS action.
6. Trackmania - Infuriating and crazy. The kind of game that keeps you going for one more run to try to get that next medal.
5. Yakuza: Like a Dragon - Batshit crazy Yakuza story paired with okay but not great JRPG combat.
4. Ghost of Tsushima - Great playing and looking open world game.
3. Hades - Great controls and a masterful story line anchor Supergiant's latest effort.
2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 - Would be number one if it wasn't a remake, best playing game from one of gaming greatest series. It's a shame it looks like we won't see any followup.
1. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout - The most fun I have had in a game all year, just pure excitement and frustration. Except for the egg and grabbing games. Fuck those games.

1. [PC] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
2. [PS4] [Sports] [Vicarious Visions] Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
3. [PC] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
4. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
5. [PC] [RPG] [Sega] Yakuza: Like a Dragon
6. [PC] [Racing] [Nadeo and Firebrand Games] Trackmania
7. [PC] [Shooter] [id Software] Doom Eternal
8. [PC] [Visual Novel] [Mediatonic] Murder by Numbers
9. [PS4] [Platformer] [Toys for Bob] Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
10. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
    

 

[lightchris]

The Last of Us Part II:
An awesome sequel to an awesome game. Hits a lot of strong notes story and character wise while the gameplay is engaging as well. Couldn't have hoped to get anything better.

Final Fantasy VII Remake:
A big fan of the original game, I was initially sceptical about this one. I often prefer turn-based combat in JRPGs, especially in this day where most games aren't turn based anymore. But FF7R's combat was surprisingly fun and and unique (and a huge step up coming from the overall disappointing FF15), plus everything around it was handled well for the most Part. Great music and mostly great visuals, fitting character development and some bold variations to the story. There's still room for improvement though, as it was overall not a good idea to stretch out relatively little content of the original game into something quite lengthy.

Cyberpunk 2077:
I was a bit sceptical about CP2077 too because of the way it was marketed. It turned out to be less action-oriented and quite interesting in terms of story and characters. It can also be praised for not being yet another sequel and instead offering something farily unique. The state the game was released in though is undoubtebly bad though, especially consoles, but there's still a lot of bugs on PC too. Luckily it didn't affect me too much in my playthrough, so that I still had enough fun to put it in this list.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
3. [PC] [Action RPG] [CD Projekt] Cyberpunk 2077
   

 

[Meg Cherry]

Honorable Mention - The Lowered Expectations Award - Watch Dogs: Legion
Going into WD:L, my entire experience was painted by one thought - "Man, this is going to seem antiquated after Cyberpunk 2077 comes out". That sentiment lived in my head like a virus, reminding me of all the bits & pieces of stereotypical Ubisoft open world design that plagued the game. It also sneakily raised by expectations for CDPR's hotly anticipated title, giving me a very fresh reminder of what open world games were. Yet despite it being a clearly mediocre product, I stuck with it. Mainly because in the early days of November 2020, I really needed a good distraction that (despite the heavy-handed theming) felt mercifully trivial. I built a crew, I checked off quests, and I drove across London to a surprisingly well crafted soundtrack of modern Brit alt-rock & electronica.
Then Cyberpunk 2077 released. And as I played through the buggy, problematic mess, another thought infected my head. "This isn't as good as Watch Dogs: Legion." Once my refund was processed for CP2077, I found myself returning to Legion's shores - taking in the consistent experience with a sense of glee. It gave me a new appreciation for Ubisoft's tired formula, and reiterated the value of bolstering a good thing. Is Legion one of the ten best games of 2020? Absolutely not. Yet for me, it might be the year's defining experience.

10. Call of the Sea

Much hubbub has been made on this forum about XBox Game Pass, and the ways it has changed the ways people interact with games. A percieved threat that without the buy-in of a retail purchase price, games lose value. That it demeans the product, as has happened in the music, TV, and film industries. While I can't speak to the impact on monetary revenue - I can say that it has only made me branch out, and try more games that never would have seemed reasonable at full MSRP. Case in point, Call of the Sea.
A first-person point & click game about a woman in search of her missing husband, who took to a mysterious island to find a cure for her emerging disease. It's a charming and humble bit of puzzle design, loaded with narrative. It's also a visual stunner on Series X. The island opens up in gorgeous ways, presenting landscapes straight out of a vintage romance novel.

9. The Last Of Us 2

Resetera's 2020 Game Of The Year is flawed in many, many regards. The slick, hyperviolent combat is at complete odds with the game's demure tone. The narrative focus on 'violence's cyclical nature' comes off as an unneeded retread of TLoU 1's less-than-subtle subtext. It is a game that is screaming about how much it has to say, without saying much of anything at all. But I'd be a damn liar if I said it wasn't one the year's ten best games. Naughty Dog's world design has never been as tight, and masterfully pathed as this game. Plus as a Seattle resident, the novelty of seeing downtown so semi-accurately depicted was a real thrill.

8. Jackbox Party Pack 7

Staying social during a pandemic has been one of the most reliably frustrating parts of 2020. The novelty of 'Zoom hangouts' wore thin within weeks, yet they stuck around as people desperately tried to keep social bonds strong. So thank god for the team at Jackbox Games, who seemingly knew about this virus eight years ago - and spent that time developing a suite of party games specifically designed for this social moment. The Jackbox suite has been a weekend standard, and hasn't just kept me in touch with old friends - but helped me make new ones. Party Pack 7 may be their finest accomplishment yet - blending classic hits like Quiplash (now with a GOOD third round!) with remarkable new ideas like Talking Points.

7. Spelunky 2

Back in 2014, I was amazed and transfixed by a hot new Roguelike that stormed Steam with a procedurally-generated grudge. It was tough, unforigiving, and packed with the potiental for viral moments. As I dug deeper into its' soul, I found it worthy to declare the best game of the year (and not just for myself - but for the entire University of Oregon). That game was Rogue Legacy. But that year the remaster of Spelunky also came out, and I set it aside pretty quickly because it was too hard. But in the years that followed, I spent hundreds of hours in Spelunky - slowly chipping away at its' many mysteries.
This year, Spelunky 2 seems like it's hit a similar fate. Sure, another roguelike came out the same week and ate not just Spelunky's lunch - but probably its' entire year of food. Yet for those that did stick with the 'thinking man's roguelike' (as assholes describe it) - a wonderfully challenging and deviously complex sequel awaited. It still kicks my ass consistently. I'm still not done with Spelunky 2. But this time, I'm not underestimating it. As much.

6. Fuser

It should tell you a lot that me - a DJ Hero devotee, and idiot who spent real money on Dropmix - can only find the strength to put Fuser at my #6, and not in my top overall slot. Harmonix's mash-up adventure is defined by fleeting moments of pure musical magic. Grafting the vocals of Mr. Brightside onto the instrumentals of Livin La Vida Loca. Isolating & warping the vocals of Tubthumpin' so its' just a lady saying "Pissin'" over and over again. A perfectly timed drop that gives Jolene a ripping RATM guitar solo. The underlying tech is magic, even when the game it's grafted onto isn't. I wish Fuser was a better arcade rhythm game, yet that'd probably remove some of the wonderful depth from the creation suite. I wish it was a deeper creative tool, yet that'd also make it a worth rhythm game. Fuser is magical precisely because it doesn't commit fully to being either a videogame, or a piece of audio software. Instead, it's a tool to give you the same feeling that a great Rock Band night did - making you feel like a superstar.

5. Golf On Mars

For me, mobile gaming has taken up a place in my life that is less like recreation - and more like meditation. Threes! was a simple sliding puzzle that eased me off many an anxiety cliff in 2016. For 2020, that soothing balm was Golf On Mars. The spiritual sequel to Desert Golfing, Golf On Mars is a game where you strike the ball into the hole. Might involve going over a hill. Might involve spinning the ball. Ball goes in hole, hole fills up, you head for the next hole. It's simple, it's satisfying, and it goes on for approximately 25 billion holes. It is in no way infinite - but on the scale of human life, it might as well be. It's a game just one step above us on the cosmic time scale, a pasttime for elder gods. I like to imagine immortals comparing speedrun times as they kick through billions of holes in one sitting, looking at my 15,000 holes as if it were a blink of an eye. I am but a grain of dirt on Mars' ever-stretching plains.
I find this soothing.

4. Among Us

I'd like to thank the team behind Among Us for putting this game out on Switch this year - exclusively so it can be eligible for this list, and frustrate people who get really particular about release years. Among Us is 2020's defining game, namely because it couldn't exist in any other moment. It didn't just need streamers to find it - it needed people to be at home, desperate for another thing to do with friends over Discord. And with Among Us' brilliant simplicity and low barrier to entry, it has excelled in the space. This vein of 'werewolf'/'hidden identity' game has existed for years - but Among Us gives everyone an easy way to hop in and be engaged. It's a brilliant bit of multiplayer design.

3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Every day in Animal Crossing is a routine. Talk to your neighbors, check out the daily event, see what's in the shops - and make incremental progress on whatever little goal you want to accomplish next. It's easily disregarded as a game of chores, or as something to be min-maxed to get immediate access to everything. But in 2020, the value of AC's basic gameplay loop became very obvious. When all traditional routine is stripped away from us, we find ourselves craving it. When it feels like we have no power, the ability to accomplish those small goals feels magical. And if Nintendo was held to the same standards as any other videogame company in the 21st century, the online play would be seamless enough for all of this to be impeccably shared across all borders. Instead, it is a herculean effort just to see each other in this series of walled gardens. But this year, the extra effort felt like it was worth it.

2. Hades

Few games have ever succeeded as hard at their core ambition as well as Hades. Supergiant's take on roguelikes has lofty goals, but not the sort that you expect out of a GOTY contender. It wants to imbue story & character into a game of repetition and replayability. And it wants both of those elements to feel in concert with each other, rather than at conflict. It's a formula that only balances when everything goes right - and for Hades, it does. The combat loop is swift & varied enough to make you crave another round. The story is clever, with engaging takes on classic characters of mythology. Sonically, it pumps you up and edges you into an adrenaline high. As the rounds stack up, just enough changes and challenges get sprinkled in to spark the imagination. It's the standard any roguelike will be held to for the coming decade - and the genre will be better for it.

1. Spiritfarer

Death was on my mind a lot this year. Both the everyday reality of it, and the philosophical idea of it. I couldn't help but ruminate in the really rough questions that come up when you're living right now. What do I mean to people? What am I going to mean to them when I die? What role do I play in their lives? Am I happy with the answers to those four questions? What does it mean if I'm not? Spiritfarer isn't tackling all of that. But it was the piece of art this year where I felt comfortable to ruminate in that space.
It's a game about the afterlife, specifically about the voyage between death and eternal rest. As you accumulate a crew of lost spirits, the theological conversations dance with the mundanity of their demands. Is this one bucket of Fried Chicken really the difference between purgatory and eternal peace, Atul? Or is it just the tool you need to come to peace with what that chicken reminds you of?
Spiritfarer's wonderfully crafted world leaves a mark on your soul. It brought me to tears many, many times - because it let me grapple with a lot of stuff that I can only really think about when I'm partially distracted by a videogame.

1. [XBO] [Adventure] [Thunderlotus] Spiritfarer
2. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
3. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
4. [Switch] [Party] [Innersloth] Among Us
5. [Mobile] [Sports] [Captain Games] Golf On Mars
6. [PC] [Rhythm] [Harmonix] Fuser
7. [PS4] [Platformer] [Mossmouth] Spelunky 2
8. [PC] [Party] [Jackbox Games] The Jackbox Party Pack 7
9. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
10. [XBO] [Adventure] [Out of the Blue] Call of the Sea
    

 

[Darkkahn]

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
3. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
4. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
   

 

[Linus815]

Yakuza 7 took a huge risk and it paid off beautifully. I'd say it's even better than 0, which is already a pretty incredible game.
It's just so endearing. Ichiban is a fucking fantastic character. He's just so relentlessly likable and positive - it's honestly motivational. But it's not just Ichiban, the entire cast of characters is amazing. The story has some weirdly janky moments, but the heights are incredible - and it absolutely nails the ending. Outside of RDR 2 and Nier automata I can't think of a more emotional video game moment than this game's ending in recent memory.

Plus, the gameplay is actually aces. I was against the turn based combat when it was announced, but you know what..? I actually ended up liking it more than the brawler style. Strangely enough. Combined with the amazing "ichiban vision", the combat finally feels fresh again in Yakuza.

FF7R was a fantastic game as well. Amazing sense of adventure, amazing combat. Loved the extra character stuff they added. The pacing isn't the best, and the visuals are very inconsistent in some chapters, but those are pretty small blemishes considering how good this game is when it's firing on all cylinders.

I'm pretty sure KH3 ReMind doesn't even count, but... damn. Despite the first half of the DLC being pretty lackluster, the 2nd half is just insane, and peak Kingdom Hearts. It did some things that KH fans have been waiting for over a decade to happen. It's insanely spectacular, ultra delicious fan service with some of the best action RPG combat in existance.

Mafia 1 used to be my favorite game for a very long time. I still consider it amazing and a classic, but theres no denying time hasn't been kind to it. The remake is faithful to a tee. Unlike FF7R, there isn't really any story changes here outside of a few lines of dialogue and there is no expanded content either. It's a testament to how well done the original story was that even like this, it holds up extremely well.

Dirt 5 shares a lot of dna with Driveclub. Satisfying arcadey driving model combined with great track design, awesome weather and the ability to get in and out of races quickly. I like how to the point it is. It's hard to deny some of its technical shortcomings especially at launch, the lack of events and some of the disciplines just straight up not being fun, however this is one of the few racing games that actually made me sit down for several hours per session to play it. Nowadays, it's usually only Forza that manages that.

RE3 Remake is my final game I'd like to nominate. I have a lot of issues with how short it is, with the changes compared to RE3, and how Nemesis feels weaker and less intimidating than Mr X. However, it's also a damn fun romp that I've completed multiple times since release. The new Jill is fucking awesome, as well as Carlos. The action gameplay is perfect, the dodge is a nice addition compared to RE2R. Less focus on exploration and more on straightforward progression works well for this game.


I have played many more games this year like Tsushima, Last of Us 2, Doom eternal, Ac valhalla, WD Legion... but sadly I don't think I liked either of those games enough to feel like they deserve any points from me. With AC valhalla for example, I played it for 10 hours then I dropped it because, god damn it just feels way too damn janky and glitchy. Maybe in a few months I'll try again. TLOU 2 is a damn masterclass in gameplay and presentation but I didn't care for the story whatsoever - even when I approcahed it without any premature judgment. GoT felt like the most bog standard 2014 ubisoft experience to me with incredibly strong art direction on top of it. It carried it far, but not far enough - for me.

1. [PC] [RPG] [Sega] Yakuza: Like a Dragon
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
3. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Kingdom Hearts 3 Re Mind
4. [PC] [Action Adventure] [Hangar 13] Mafia: Definitive Edition
5. [PC] [Racing] [Codemasters] Dirt 5
6. [PC] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
   

 

[Canucked]

1. The Last of Us Part II – I still play The Last of Us yearly, so my hype for this game was high. I was on a total media blackout for it for years and knew nothing of the spoilers going in. Which was a blessing because as I engage in more conversations about it, I find them incredibly toxic. This game was astonishing. The movement and shooting alone were great but the visuals can't be beat. It's gonna be a long time before other games are looking this good. Abby was super interesting. I loved that twist and her character so well realized. I finished the game twice and I still think about it. The narrative stuck with me, in my thoughts long after finishing. I was on a crane in SM: Miles Morales and I thought of the crane scene from TLOUP2 and just sat there, thinking of that story and what a different feeling it was. I still want to go run through that world again. And I probably will, yearly, like I did with the first game.

2. Spider-Man: Miles Morales – As a long-time comic and Spider-Man fan, I had high hopes for Miles' story. Its was great. Loves the bad guys. Loved how the grunts were more distinct than other games I've played. And I can't say enough good things about Spider-Cat. I want more games of this size and less games of Valhalla's size.

3. Ghost of Tsushima – You can pet foxes. I shouldn't need to say more but also, the world is perfect. While it's bigger than I expected it was never as bloated as Valhalla. I wanted to find shrines and secrets. Follow the wind and foxes. It's really all these little touches that made it so beautiful. I hope there is a lot more to come from this world but if not, I am eager for SuckerPunch's next project.

4. Hades – I really like this game even if I haven't finished it. It's just the perfect little Switch game. Great for a jump-in-jump-out session or a long play on the TV. The art is top notch (I'd buy and art book) and the atmosphere is perfect.

5. Assassin's Creed Valhalla – I really liked the story of Valhalla, and I usually rate AC games much higher but two things kept this from hitting the top for me. 1) The swordplay was terrible. Your sword didn't always hit boxes or door bars. There were many times my sword would just swing right through enemies with no damage or reaction. Some enemies visibly reacted to actual hits, some did not. It made me want to play stealth more but this isn't really a stealth oriented game. 2) The game is waaaay to bloated. They could have easily cut out two whole sections of map and still had a very large game. But male Eivor's voice was so beautiful. I just wanted to listen to him talk all day.

6. Final Fantasy VII Remake – This isn't what I wanted, but I knew that going in. It's a great game. Does it nail the feel of FFVII? No. Does it manage to create a great feeling all its own? Yes. I loved Tifa and Aerith. Wish Red XIII was fully playable, even if only for a bit, but I can wait for Part II for that. The story is a bit messy but still interested to see where it goes. The final boss was a bit too dramatic in scope. Is this going be the song-and-dance of all parts? Some forced in skyscraper entity? By the end of the remake will big scope bosses have any gravitas? Villains can be nuanced. I still prefer the original soundtrack but the music did okay.

7. Tokyo Mirage Sessions – This was a fun little brainless romp for me. I enjoyed an SMT style game with a less complicated. They story was nothing heavy or super deep which was kind of great for the start of a pandemic.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
3. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
4. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
5. [PS5] [Action RPG] [Ubisoft] Assassin's Creed Valhalla
6. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
7. [Switch] [RPG] [Atlus] Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
   

 

[ara]

1. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
   Been a fan of the series for quite a while now, but the one thing I could never really get into was the brawler combat system. Y7 fixed that with a somewhat basic but flashy and fun combat system and added an incredibly lovable new protagonist, a fantastic cast, a wonderful new city to explore and an engaging, twisty Yakuza story. It's definitely not perfect (it's still uncomfortably misogynistic at times, some of the dungeons/enemies were really grindy, the substories should have included the party members too, character progression wasn't very well thought out), but fuck if it wasn't good despite the flaws. Got misty-eyed during the long ending sequence quite a few times, can't even remember the last time that happened with a video game.
2. Wasteland 3
   One of the buggiest games I remember ever playing at launch, but it was extremely worth it. The absolutely ridiculous sense of humor, wild quests and NPCs and intriguing tactical combat turned this into the spiritual sequel to Fallout 2 I didn't even realize I wanted.
3. Hades
   While the game would have definitely benefited from more variety between runs especially later on, the first couple of dozen hours I spent with Hades were incredibly fun. Tight as fuck gameplay, amazing OST and visuals, addictive progression and entertaining characters made for some of the best video game evenings in quite a while.

That's it. First year when I vote for less than ten titles, I think. While I absolutely adored these three, the rest of this year's heavy hitters were all pretty disappointing to me. Doom Eternal, FFVIIR and Demon's Souls just weren't very fun to play, P5R was surprisingly addictive but way too long and uneven, CoD BOCW was a step in the right direction and I appreciated the arcade gameplay but it felt unfinished and grindy, TLoU 2 was certainly impressive technically and had a couple of very fun encounters but the ham-fisted melodrama kinda ruined it for me. But I LOVED the three I voted for, like they're probably some of my favorites of recent years. So was it a good year or a bad year? I have no idea.

1. [PC] [RPG] [Sega] Yakuza: Like a Dragon
2. [PC] [RPG] [InXile Entertainment] Wasteland 3
3. [PC] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades

 

[Kokboi]

2. Wow what a trip of nostalgia. Yes, Final Fantasy 7, is also one of my favorite games ever and is one of gaming greatest and an icon of the industry. What a legacy to uphold, but SE have done a tremendous job in remaking this classic title.

The combat is great, now in my second playthrough on hard, it's mechanics are really deep and there is much to love how Square Enix managed to redefine the combat. The characters, the look, the VA, their personalities are all how it should be. Remake is crafted with care and love. Midgar is great, but in the original it lasted only 5 hours. My excitement for the next chapter is through the roof, as it could only get better. Bring on the next chapter, I can not wait.


1. Many have credited Naughty Dog's latest masterpiece of its writing, characters, story and ambition. I think TLOU II deserve those accolades, but I really want to honour another side of not only this years best game, but one of the best games of this generation.

Looking back the most memorable aspect of this game to me was the brutal violence and heart pumping action in this claustrophobic and atmospheric, yet beautifull world. It's settings is as frightening as any survival horror. The action is fast, but smooth and responsive as any action orientated game. There were great boss fights and memorable encounters. The AI is fantastic. I have experienced many palm sweating fights and they were fun and hellish at the same time. This game among its many achievements is just a damn great game to play.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake

 

[Sax]

Half Life: Alyx
I've always used VR for fun "activities" games that aren't possible on a screen. Stuff like Beat Saber, Pistol Whip, table tennis. I'd bounced off narrative games because, honestly, they just weren't that good, and usually had a bunch of "LOOK THIS IS VR!!" mechanics for gameplay. Half-Life: Alyx is the real deal. It might not have a "3" but it's absolutely a new mainline Half-Life entry that moves the series forward. The storytelling, the characters, the interactivity, the world, all come together into a masterful VR experience that's easily the defining game for the platform. It's just a shame so few people will get to play it.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Everything the already great first game did, but better and refined. Incredible journey of a game that nails its platforming and combat as well as it does its visuals and music.

Cyberpunk 2077
I played this on a powerful PC so the experience was pretty smooth. Outside of a couple of visual bugs couldn't say I had any issues with it. The game itself delivered on what I wanted out of it. Interesting characters, story, quests, world. Night City had me stopping to just look at it fairly frequently. My preferred gameplay style was superbly realized as a stealth hacker god. It's certainly not GotG or even GotY level, so I can understand being disappointed if that's what you were expecting, but it checked my boxes for sure. I'll be there day one for the expansions.

Squadrons
As a massive Star Wars fan that grew up playing the old PC flight sims this is as good of a modern take on those as one could reasonably ask for. It's too bad it won't be getting extended support. Even though I came into it knowing that in advance, a multiplayer game these days needs that to stay alive. Still, getting the B-wing and TIE Defender in an unplanned update is an amazing and unexpected gift. In VR it's like a dream come to life. Now if we could maybe get a campaign expansions... ;D

Hades
Roguelikes aren't my thing at all so despite being a huge fan of Bastion and Transistor I was skeptical about trying this game until the overwhelming positivity around it finally forced my hand. And man was I glad for it. Dropped 30 hours into it in just a couple of days due to the incredibly compelling gameplay loop that managed to get me to enjoy all of the weapons even for gameplay archetypes I don't usually like in ARPGs. But not just that, the way the story is woven into the roguelike DNA of the game drove me forward as well, wanting to keep building relationships and my own character run after run.

Cloudpunk
I wasn't expecting to like this game as much as I did thinking that I would get bored of the simple A to B gameplay very quickly, but the main character's voice actor and the conversations you have with various characters as the game goes on were enough to keep me playing to the end. Also helps that it's quite the looker =D. A perfect game to just chill with for a few hours.

Black Mesa
Though this has been trickling out for a long time now it finally hit a "complete" state this year with the addition of Xen and was the first time I played it. The original game is a classic but it's very dated to play these days and this brings it forward with a remake that impressed me with how faithful it was in capturing the feel and tension of playing the first game many years ago. The expansion of the Xen areas also does wonders for bringing that world to life.

Doom Eternal
As much as Cyberpunk made me feel like a stealth hacker god this game made me feel like a rampaging warrior god. The feel of the shooting is just *so* good that when combined with the weapon and enemy variety makes for a high octane experience that's almost exhausting in its intensity.

Spiritfarer
A game that I was looking forward to since the first media of it was shown. The eclectic mix of gameplay involving building, resource management, platforming, metroidvania all comes together pretty well and those are all things I love in games. The slow pace of it is relaxing to play although I did end up wishing there was more to do. And oh, it's just gorgeous.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla
I feel I almost have to include this just cause I've put close to 90 hours into it and still trucking =P. I generally just like the formula and historical fiction settings of the franchise and it's a good old dependable diversion for me every time it comes around.

1. [PC] [Shooter] [Valve] Half-Life: Alyx
2. [PC] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
3. [PC] [Action RPG] [CD Projekt] Cyberpunk 2077
4. [PC] [Space combat] [Motive Studios] Star Wars: Squadrons
5. [PC] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
6. [PC] [Adventure] [ION LANDS] Cloudpunk
7. [PC] [Shooter] [Crowbar Collective] Black Mesa
8. [PC] [Shooter] [id Software] Doom Eternal
9. [PC] [Adventure] [Thunderlotus] Spiritfarer
10. [PC] [Action RPG] [Ubisoft] Assassin's Creed Valhalla
    

 

[Qurupeke]

1. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - I was actually thinking whether I should give this the first or second place on my list, but in the end I decided that it deserves to be number 1, more than anything else I played this year. I hadn't played a Vanillaware game before, even though I was aware of how beloved games like Muramasa was, and hearing so much good feedback from people that had played the Japanese version, was more than enough to get me on board. And it sure delivered. It's an adventure game that may seem a bit daunting at first, as you follow the perspective of 13 characters, but once you get past the prologue, the real game starts and it's done so in a very unique way. You choose which story you want to advance, you choose whether you want to play the adventure parts or the rts-like parts of the game and essentially you create your own experience. I found it really awesome that my playthrough and my initial impressions for a character could be very different to the ones of other people. Also, each character route feels very unique both in tone and narratively. You have a story that is a closed loop and you need to solve the mystery behind that, you have another that is more of a whodunnit, or another that plays out like a traditional shoujo story. Not to mention the abundance of sci fi elements the game uses, which might seem a bit on the nose for some, but I think the writing is so good that everything not only seems cohesive but very satisfying. It just mixes all its elements so well that no matter how you decide to play, you'll still find it overly engaging as an experience. I'd argue that there's no story that I didn't like, because everything has something to offer. And last but not least, the art is simply beautiful. The animation and the art style elevate this further, creating both cool and cute moments and giving a lot of personality to the quite big cast. With this game, George Kamitani proves that he's a very talented individual, as both the writing and the art contemplate each other and create a fantastic experience like this one.

2. Final Fantasy VII Remake - I actually played FF7 like a couple of years ago, so definitely I didn't have to anticipate this as much as other people did. In any case, this is a remake that gives me everything I'd like from a remake, while still being a great game on its own. While the whole "Remake" project is overly ambitious, and we will likely not see its conclusion for years to come if ever, I believe this initial part is more than satisfying as an experience in its own right. The story has a structure with a start and an end, and in between it manages to both recreate a lot of iconic moments from the original game and also have some pretty cool additions. Sure, not everything new pans out greatly, but I believe it does a fine job considering how hard of a task that is. Moreover, I'd argue that it succeeds in making the core cast a lot better, and this is also not an easy feat as the cast was already great. Aerith and Cloud's interactions are probably my highlight of this year, and the game did such a fantastic job with them. But even Tifa and Barret are more than fine, as they get their own character development, and of course, the interactions between each member of the party are great, ranging from charmingly funny to serious and human. Also, I couldn't omit mentioning the gameplay, as this is actually my biggest surprise with the game. While the narrative is great, I don't think the game would manage to land on this spot of my list without the amazing gameplay that accompanies it. Square Enix managed to strike a very nice balance of action and turn based combat with its new system, giving a lot of strategic elements to it while still keeping the rush and the flow of the action. It's just way too fun and doesn't feel mindless at all once you get the hang of it, and thankfully the systems of the game, like the combat and the materia, are vey easy to understand and easy to experiment with.

3. Persona 5 Royal - I played the original game back when it released, and honestly, while I loved it, I actually didn't feel like coming back for Royal at first. It's a great game but very long, I had played the original in a week or so, and it felt like I had dedicated to it pretty much all of my free time then. Nevertheless, I decided to give Royal a try eventually, both because I was getting nostalgic on it and because of the reception it gathered. However, I also decided to have a different approach with it, instead of trying to finish it by playing a lot for a few days, I'd try to finish it over the span of 1.5 month or so. Second time I play through a Persona 5 game, and to my big surprise, I felt like I was enjoying it even more this time, even the bits I had mixed feelings for originally. The long dungeons didn't feel that bad this time, and I had a lot of fun with a bunch of P5R's systems. I wasn't able to advance a lot of Confidants when I played P5, but Royal was much easier to do so, and it gave me a lot of cool stuff to try, both in combat and out of it. It basically clicked with me in a way the original never did and it kind of elevated Persona 5 for me. Not to mention that I found pretty much all the additions it had really good, though still not as many as I'd hoped. The new characters and story arc that comes with them are really good, and the QoL stuff helped to alleviate a lot of issues I had. It is without a doubt the definitive way to experience it, and I'd dare to say probably the greatest turn based JRPG I've played, as a result of its story and gameplay.

4. The Last of Us Part II - I'm not going to lie, I was kind of torn on this at first. While I had enjoyed the Uncharted games, I was kind of skeptical on TLoU. And the sequel managed to gather a lot of controversy to boot. However, what actually grabbed me is the fact that this seemed to be a technical spectacle. And I'd say, the reason I loved it isn't actually the story, I didn't actually feel that invested on it as others. It's the gameplay. This game is absolutely amazing to play, everything about the combat and the stealth is fun. It has fantastic atmosphere and it knows how to raise the tension, some sections were downright out of a horror game. A lot of really memorable set pieces too, on which Naughty Dog is great at. Basically, even if you take out the story out of the equation, it's still a fantastic game that deserves the recognition and praise it gets.

5. Nioh 2 - Played through it and the DLC this year, it's probably the game I spent the most time on. Nioh 2, while it's not so different than Nioh 1, feels like a vast improvement in every aspect of it, maybe other than the difficulty. Great enemy variety, better environments and a story that was kind of fun to follow. The combat is very improved, and I'd say that it just feels so right when you know all the mechanics around it. I can see why it is a bit intimidating for some, but once you get used to stuff like the Ki pulses and the stances, you learn to take advantage of the new mechanics like the yokai abilties and the burst counter, and you find a weapon that feels convenient to you, you're set. It's a very fun game that has a lot to offer, I think there's definitely a lot of love put on it from Team Ninja and it shows.

6. Ghost of Tsushima - I'm kind of surprised that this ended up as good as it did. Main reason I was interested in it in the first place was the setting. Japan is a beautiful country and I feel there aren't enough games that show that side of it, especially with an AAA budget. Sucker Punch outdid themselves in that regard, as the art direction of the game is really strong and the island of Tsushima looks absolutely stunning. But even aspects of the game like the combat and the story are very good, game is surprisingly fun and a very tight experience overall.

7. Demon's Souls - First time I played this, the remake is a very nice introduction to the next generation and PS5. Visuals are stunning, I'd say even the most dull looking environments are looking good. Honestly, the only reason this is low on my list is because after playing other From Software games, Demon's Souls feels like a remnant of the past. Weaker bosses and level design, fewer mechanics and stuff like world tendency didn't really click with me. If this was 2009, it'd likely be my top choice, or at least top 3 though.

8. Astro's Playroom - A surprisingly fun game that's basically a glorified tech demo. Nevertheless, this feels deserving of a place on my list because I actually really enjoyed it, and the use of the DualSense is basically a real next gen feel.

9. Hades - This game will probably be higher on many other lists, I was actually thinking of excluding it completely. Roguelike games aren't my cup of tea, I found it very repetitive and while I enjoyed my time with it until the first escape, I didn't really felt the need to continue. The plethora of voiced dialogues and the quirkiness all of the characters display are really very unique though.

10. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Good game, but it basically doesn't offer anything new compared to the original, though it basically improves everything about it. Nevertheless, I'm not a huge fan of Spider-Man games, even though I like them generally.

1. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
3. [PS4] [RPG] [Atlus] Persona 5 Royal
4. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
5. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Team Ninja] Nioh 2
6. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
7. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
8. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
9. [PC] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
10. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
    

 

[Mashdyno]

1. The Last of Us Part 2 - No game this year had me thinking about it long after I finished it than this game. I almost never play games more than once and I jumped back in immediately after finishing it the first time. Cannot wait for the PS5 patch to go through again.

2. SpiderMan: Miles Morales - This game was a great iteration of what Insomniac started with their 2018 version. Loved the characters and it was gorgeous. It wasn't perfect but I really loved it.

3. Ori and the Will of the Wisps - Such a beautiful game and it just feels so great to actually play. I loved the new mechanics, especially the added combat element. Great story and the length was just perfect.

4. Spiritfarer - This is a game I didn't expect to play until I saw it pop up on Gamepass. I'm so glad I gave this a chance because the story and characters absolutely touched me. I still think about those guys and will remember our days floating around the sea.

5. Xcom: Chimera Squad - I was so happy when this was stealth released on Steam last summer. Tactical shooter are absolutely my jam and this was an enjoyable one. I liked that they added some depth to the squad mates, now lets get crazy and add permadeath with an expandable roster of other fleshed out characters.

6. Final Fantasy VII: Remake - I loved most of what I experienced with this game and some things I didn't care for. I actually prefer turn based battles so the combat was not the revelation for me that most people seemed to think it was. The music, story and environments completely floored me though. Bring on part 2.

7. Wasteland 3 - Another game I played because of Gamepass. Its not a super high budget completed polished game but I really loved rolling around Colorado with my crew of misfits. The story was good enough and I liked the turn based combat. The crazy cast of characters is where this game really shines. InXile has a new fan in me after playing this game.

8. Gears Tactics - Not going to mention Gamepass again but come on! The combat in this game was excellent and I love how aggression is rewarded with additional action points. The missions, however, were super repetitive with the game forcing you to do side quests. I hope they take what they created and expand it with a great campaign in the follow up.

9. Ghost of Tsushima - This game is breathtaking and overall I really enjoyed it. I did feel that it was a step behind in terms of design. It felt a bit clunky at times and at it worst is extremely basic. Cant wait to see how amazing the follow up looks on PS5.

10. Resident Evil 3 Remake - This game was far from perfect but I just love this series so much. Probably doesn't help that I'm so damn hyped for Village after the showcase last week. Give me more RE!

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
3. [PC] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
4. [PC] [Adventure] [Thunderlotus] Spiritfarer
5. [PC] [Turn-based strategy] [Firaxis Games] XCOM: Chimera Squad
6. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
7. [PC] [RPG] [InXile Entertainment] Wasteland 3
8. [PC] [Turn-based strategy] [Splash Damage] Gears Tactics
9. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
10. [PS4] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
    

 

[Moff]

This has been an exceptionally strong year for me, all of the titles could have been GOTY candidates in weaker years

Cyberpunk 2077
Witcher 3 and BOTW were my GOTG so far and honestly, the last few gameplay videos of cyberpunk looked even a bit janky. then terrible reports about CDPR and finally the bugs and missing features really kept my expectations low.
but I was incredibly surprised how good this game was. I loved the art design, the character, the story. this is the ultimate cyberpunk experience. Having played every CDPR title so far my quality benchmark for cyberpunk 2077 was witcher 3 and honestly I think it's the better game. mostly because the gameplay is actually fun this time, the hacking combat is even fantastic and truly unique.

Doom Eternal
straight up the best fps ever made, period. was the safest GOTY ever for the longest time.

Wasteland 3
great RPG with many fun ideas

Hades
the first roguelike that ever clicked for me, great gameplay, great art design, super motivating narrative

Shadowlands
Glad to have a good expansion again

Desperados III
never got into shadow tactics, but Desperados III just feels, plays and looks so much better that it got me hooked, very nice mission design, too

Valhalla
I very much welcomed the BOTW oriented open world approach

Squadrons
one of the most immersive Star Wars games ever made

Alyx
Another "first" for me this year, the first VR game that really got me hooked

C&C Remaster
felt great to relive that part of my gaming history with a product that was obviously made with a lot of passion

1. [PC] [Action RPG] [CD Projekt] Cyberpunk 2077
2. [PC] [Shooter] [id Software] Doom Eternal
3. [PC] [RPG] [InXile Entertainment] Wasteland 3
4. [PC] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
5. [PC] [MMORPG] [Blizzard Entertainment] World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
6. [PC] [RTS] [Mimimi Games] Desperados III
7. [PC] [Action RPG] [Ubisoft] Assassin's Creed Valhalla
8. [PC] [Space combat] [Motive Studios] Star Wars: Squadrons
9. [PC] [Shooter] [Valve] Half-Life: Alyx
10. [PC] [RTS] [Petroglyph Games] Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
    

 

[Deleted member 2620]

I mostly participate in this as an excuse to talk about all the games I played this year, so as always, don't put a lot of weight into the order I've selected here.

1. HORIZON VANGUARD
   David "Tain" Williams
   
   
   
   
   
   I know it's incredibly corny for me to include my VR hoverbike action game, but how could I not? It's a project that I spent years of my free time on, it thoroughly reflects my tastes over the past few years, and it's a game that, by and large, is greater than what I originally pictured. How could it not be my favorite? I've learned so much from working on this and I'm proud as hell that I largely realized a nonexistent game that I wanted to play.
   
   I don't know if I'll ever stop making games from here on out.
   
   
2. Half-Life: Alyx
   Valve
   
   
   
   
   
   Played on Hard with Continuous motion.
   
   This was actually not much of a surprise to me!
   
   Half-Life's desolate and moody cities, gross aliens, and combine technology are all as fascinating as they were in the 2000s, and all of these aesthetic strengths of the series get hugely boosted by VR. Mechanically, Alyx synthesizes a lot of the cutting-edge ideas that have been happening in VR since 2016 with a surprising amount of restraint.
   
   You won't see the crazy physics-based climbing, aiming, or melee in here that you do in Boneworks, but the world is still absolutely stuffed with physics toys (with way more detail and variety) and your hands react convincingly to everything in it. The guns don't demand an H3VR level of steps to reload and operate, but each one is fun to learn and become more proficient in reloading, and some of the upgrades even involve further learning of their own. You won't be darting around like in the flatscreen games, but player's speed is well-tuned to the maps, and the maps never feel hindered by anything related to VR navigation. You have continuous motion if you can handle it and teleportation if you can't, and there are a good amount of other accessibility options in there (single-hand, standing/seated, etc).
   
   The pace of the game is perfect. After being spellbound by the intro you're given gravity gloves and quickly find that scavenging around for items using them is, for the first time in the history of video games, really fucking fun. You're then given a pistol and taught how to operate and reload it, and things don't really ever slow down from there. There's a constant flow of new puzzle and combat wrinkles, the games highs get really, really high. Just like the rest of the series the game is probably too easy overall (by the end I found the combat to be pretty solved), but every chapter feels fresh both aesthetically and mechanically.
   
   I don't want to frame this as the first great VR game, because there have been a lot of them and I'm not sure this is my favorite. What I will say is that this is a natural progression from where Resident Evil 7 left off and I'm real excited for the future of this genre.
   
   
3. DoDonPachi True Death Exa Label
   CAVE, EXA-AM2
   
   
   
   
   
   An enhanced 2020 release of the 2012 arcade original, this time as a cartridge for the Exa Arcadia arcade board. Among other things, this release includes the high-resolution Xbox 360 art (freed from the poor image quality of that port), a new English localization titled DoDonPachi True Death Exa Label, M2-style gadgets onscreen, and four modes: the original game, a new "Exa" arrangement, the Xbox 360 port's arrange mode, and a raw "Inbachi" mode where you directly fight against the true last boss. There's a lot in here, and thankfully none of it has the Xbox 360 port's input lag issues. I certainly liked that port at the time, but I didn't dig into it nearly as much as I have with this release this year.
   
   Picking it up in December, the Original mode initially felt like a game far above my skill level. The actual enemy formations and attacks in this game seem brutal to me. There's a wide range of fast shots to test your reactions and slow, dense crowds for you to micro-dodge through, often layered on top of each other, and this game more than any other Cave game can make me sweat even in the early stages.
   
   That said, I'm traditionally stubborn about starting to Use My Resources, and once I started doing so I found things to be at least more approachable (albeit still hard as hell): this isn't a game heavy on bullet cancelling like Daifukkatsu was, but it is a game where you consciously build up your Hyper meter (something you can get better at) and either use it all at the right time to perform a quick screen wipe and power up for a little bit or hold on to it to stock it up for a ramping benefit. Even when playing for survival you're always weighing yourself here: the patterns are nasty and there are so many places where it's temping to spend your lvl1 Hyper, but having a lvl3 for the boss could be really useful if you can just make it through this next stretch! There's a satisfying rhythm to using it, too, where timing the end of the Hyper period correctly can help you quickly restore your Hyper meter afterwards.
   
   Hypers share a button with bombs, so bombs aren't really on the table while you have a hyper stocked... except for autobombing. This is maybe the first STG where I've actually liked the autobomb system. Getting hit will expend all of your bombs, and the bomb duration is an incredibly small fraction of the prolonged safe period you'd get by pressing the bomb button yourself. This full-stock cost keeps you constantly wondering if you can make it or if you should pull the trigger. To add another tough decision, you can opt-out of autobomb entirely when selecting your ship type, and this gives you more bomb stock with each death instead of a flat three bombs per life. It's incredible how much hemming and hawing this mechanic has put me through, lol.
   
   The stage design is strong all around, but Stage 3 in particular might be my favorite STG stage. The start and end have you sweeping across the screen hunting down bee statues and avoiding lightning-fast turret fire (reminiscent of stage 5 Muchi Muchi Pork), making me constantly change where I'm looking. It has this wonderful extended Ketsui-style midboss that scrolls diagonally, limits your horizontal movement, gives you incredibly fun patterns to kite and crawl through, and rhythmically gives you reprieves in the form of building turrets that wipe the screen when destroyed. It's so fucking fun.
   
   Now that I can play this on a big display without the ugly upscaling of the 360 game I'm confident in saying that whatever you may think about DoDonPachi's saturated sci-fi theme, these are easily Cave's best-executed visuals. Everything is so lush and varied, mixing CG that has just the right level of detail for 480p with generous pixel-art touch-ups, and ultimately it all looks way more cohesive than anything they've released since they started messing with CG in the late 90s. Maybe the cleanest mixture of pixel art and CG I can think of?
   
   I need to put more time into the Exa arrange mode (probably after I 1-loop Original), but I'm excited about it. From the credits I've played so far it seems to have more of a focus on rank management (rank is prominently shown in all modes in this game), bosses have dramatically different behavior, and the new soundtrack is great.
   
   Saidaioujou was probably Cave's final arcade-designed game, and I feel like this release completes it by making it the proper sendoff that it always should have been.
   
   
4. DOOM Eternal
   id Software
   
   
   
   
   
   Nightmare mode, no weapon wheel. Doom Eternal leans even more into Ninja Gaiden territory than even Doom 2016, which was already a hugely unique game. The way all the mechanics interlock is beautiful: like in the last game you usually gain health via melee "glory kills" instead of picking up items in the arenas, so you quickly learn to treat the weaker enemies as quick health resources by shooting them -just enough- to stagger without killing, and you get such a good feel for exactly how much health each of the fodder types has. You juggle a bunch of supplementary cooldown abilities to do similar things with armor and ammo, but they have wrinkles of their own (chainsaw fuel, for example, auto-replenishes enough to give you ammo from fodder but can instead be piled up to one-hit bigger enemies as well).
   
   And the enemy variety is so good. There's a huge cast here, but more importantly, there's a diverse spread in both the threats they pose and how you deal with them. Some are incredibly aggressive from a melee standpoint, others are nasty to you in the air, others do area denial, and so on. And they have all these little weaknesses that are super satisfying to take advantage of. Particular shoutouts to the late-game drones (they can be dangerous when ignored but you generally want to save them so you can uniquely headshot them to gain resources) and the Mauraders (who block everything and need to be hit at critical Punch-Out moments). Just like in the last game, the designs, animation, and music are perfect during all of this.
   
   The stuff outside of the combat helps flesh the game out into slightly more of an adventure, again not unlike Ninja Gaiden. You'll occasionally take a tiny breather to do a small puzzle, you'll take your time to find secrets (which are more fun to look for in this game for whatever reason), you'll head back to your home fortress and gear up a bit, you'll sometimes be asked to do a slightly elaborate platforming sequence, and so on. It's pretty well-paced.
   
   
5. AKA & BLUE TYPE-R
   TANOSHIMASU
   
   
   
   
   
   An arcade remake of the 2017 stage-by-stage mobile game made by ex-Cave staff. Rebalanced for 4:3, continuous five-stage play, and joystick controls.
   
   It's awesome that there have been so many great STG releases this year. Being generally in the Cave style there's obviously some overlap here with Saidaioujou, and both of these games in particular can get pretty nasty with their mixture of extremely fast fire with slower, denser patterns. In fitting with the brashness of one of the game's two main characters (which get a surprising amount of spotlight for an STG), AKA & BLUE is a lot more straightforward with its mechanics when it comes to survival. You have one bomb-style attack that only ever provides a brief screen wipe followed by, if your aim is right, a flood of score medal items that can help you stack it back up. There's way less safety in AKA & BLUE, and there's something unique and satisfyingly aggressive about the pacing to its bomb mechanic. Where Saidaioujou has you constantly trying to stretch your resources, AKA & BLUE wants you to slam that button and get in their face, over and over again.
   
   This game rules aesthetically. On top of having maybe my favorite UI in a game in years, the in-game art is clean and colorful with a neat sketch effect both on the polygonal and sprite-based elements. Combine that with a good soundtrack, cool camera sweeps, and optional colorful banter.
   
   This game shipped internationally in 2020 so I'm counting it. Looking forward to grabbing the 1.2.0 update, heh.
   
   
6. Streets of Rage 4
   Guard Crush, Lizardcube
   
   
   
   
   
   A sick game. The combo system is flexible and satisfying, but thankfully the enemies don't have massive lifebars and the pace is probably about in-line with the originals. The music is fantastic (maybe the best soundtrack of the year), and the visuals are crazy-impressive in terms of animation and tech (and grew on me stylistically, too). Unfortunately the game's Arcade mode has to be unlocked by playing Story, but fortunately Story is way more palatable than most modern games in the genre: you're given a few lives and have to single-credit each stage one by one. And that arcade mode is strictly limited to a single credit, which is kinda neat!
   
   Looking forward to checking out harder difficulties, going for a 1cc, and checking out allll the unlockables (there certainly seem to be a lot of characters). Super cool so far.
   
   
7. Serious Sam 4
   Croteam
   
   
   
   
   
   Played on hard, no quicksaves.
   
   Serious Sam 3 is the first game in the series that I loved and is probably one of my top three first-person shooter campaigns of the past decade. Serious Sam 4 is a worthy sequel. Just about all of 3's strengths are here: the cast of enemies has a ton of distinct roles (all with readable cues to help you understand what's going on in the gigantic arena battles), the weapons all have their specialties, the arena destruction and dust effects are great (though underutilized this time around), the ammo is paced well enough to make you use everything thoroughly, the scope is huge, the autosaves are rolling (play it without quicksaves), and the music rules.
   
   The most obvious mechanical additions are headshots, gadgets, vehicles, and a skill tree. The headshots are clearly indicated and deal enough damage to make you want to land them. The gadgets are a blast to use and super powerful, making them a great incentive to do the clearly-marked sidequests and to find a lot of the game's smaller secrets. The vehicle segments are rare but mostly pretty fun. I'm not crazy about how you can respec the skill tree mid-battle, but mercifully the tree is small and non-granular. Some of the abilities to unlock are awesome, and thankfully the most fun one (using enemies as mounts to ride around the battlefield) is also one of the most useful. I also noticed that, moreso than in Sam 3, the secrets range from endearingly stupid sideshows (like stumbling across a soccer field hosting a botmatch of a bunch of Sams playing Shitty Rocket League) to genuinely clever jump puzzles.
   
   Most other complaints are pretty minor. The scale of the game keeps growing right up to the end, but the final fight is a bit overshadowed by the fights leading up to it. Performance isn't good right now. Modes are surprisingly sparse. Definitely not enough to hold this back from being one of the best FPS campaigns out there.
   
   
8. Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire
   AlfaSystem
   
   
   
   
   
   A genuinely arcade-styled Alfa System STG from a couple years back but just recently localized and released on Steam.
   
   I haven't played a ton of any single Shikigami no Shiro, but this game feels a lot like what I remember of Shikigami 2. The characters have pretty wild abilities, all of which are super different, and while I don't want to call them balanced in any way I'm not seeing any obvious choices towering over the others. It's a fairly easy 1cc on Normal, but it's a game full of unique patterns and some surprising stage gimmicks that are fun to adjust to. Finding the scoring sprites is cool and it's very satisfying to pop the x16 on bosses.
   
   Hard mode changes things up a lot. Haven't seen the final boss but I bet there's one more form at least.
   
   
9. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2
   Vicarious Visions
   
   
   
   
   
   This is probably as good of a remake as anyone could hope for. Everything related to the core skating mechanics and camera is spot-on and you can tell that VV has the original game logic running under the hood for these elements. Things look excellent without being unreadable. The soundtrack is a perfect mix of old tracks and well-selected new ones. You can play everything with the default THPS3-style moveset (a great choice in itself) or, should you choose, limit yourself to THPS1 or THPS2 abilities (leaderboards for these modes specifically would be cool). Local split-screen multiplayer wasn't axed. All the new stuff has a surprising amount of personality of its own: bailing and respawning now comes with glitch-effect trappings, NPC cars now drift cartoonishly all over the place, and the stages have fundamental cosmetic reworkings beyond "make 'em HD" (like the mall now being an abandoned ruin).
   
   It's a tragedy that we won't get to see VV make an original game in the series, and it's still dumb that you can't buy the original games on modern platforms.
   
   
10. The Last of Us Part II
    Naughty Dog
    
    
    
    
    
    Like the original, this game actually kinda rules mechanically. It's not terribly complex, but there are a lot of options in these combat arenas and they're all elegant and organic. Item distribution and carry limits keep you using all sorts of different approaches. The crafting is fast and boiled right down to the essentials. The menu-y actions are all accompanied by animations that justify things in-world. And while the mix may not be terribly unique these days, I was surprised at how well the stealth is reigned-in to compliment the action: all of the stealth-related enemy and player behaviors are brisk, you'll weave between combat and stealth frequently, and the strict carry limits help encourage you to use your stocked-up resources (which are fun as hell) to occasionally blast through encounters instead of leaving you feeling like you have to get some nonexistent "ghost" rating. Even the cast of enemies gets decently varied by the end, and in general things stay engaging for the entirety of the game's long campaign.
    
    Outside of that core, the game is huge. Environments are detailed and densely-packed with reasons to search them, and for being a linear game that constantly takes you to new environments and shows you elaborate interactive and non-interactive cutscenes, it's simply *long as hell* (fortunately without overstaying its welcome). While I have a few minor contentions with it, the narrative plays a huge role and is undeniably gripping, and I'd say that it justifies the game's pacing oddities.
    
    I also want to mention that I love this game's options. On top of having a thorough amount of accessibility options for those who want to use them, the difficulty level is highly customizable. Each of the difficulty settings AND each of the five individual "custom difficulty" axes thoroughly spell out the ways they affect the game and none of the options are locked before the player starts. I wound up playing on the stock Hard mode.
    
    It's a shame about the working environment at Naughty Dog, and they (like all other studios that are similarly managed) deserve all the criticism they've received on this front and then some. I'm not convinced that such an environment is required to make a game like this, and even if it is, I doubt that future titles from them couldn't benefit from a reduced scope.
    

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Strania EX
  G.rev
  
  This is an expanded 2020 arcade release of an awesome, varied "memorizer" that got completely overlooked in 2011. I played a bit of it back then but didn't dedicate. I knew it had a cool three-slot two-arms weapon system, a mech theme that reminded me of 90s Taito, lots of terrain, and some flashy presentation, but I didn't know how awesome and dramatic the later stages would get. Some of the bosses can get steamrolled pretty easily if you're playing for pure survival, but each stage is extremely unique and figuring out ideal weapons and strategies is a lot of fun. There's also a ton here: the game includes an entirely separate set of levels in the Vower side, which I have yet to dig into, and both Strania and Vower sides have user-selectable difficulty courses (kinda like Mushihimesama but probably not as drastic?).
  
  Normal mode provided a good challenge for sure, I can't imagine what the later parts of the new Hell mode is like.
  
  The scoring system is something I don't totally understand, but a large part of it encourages you to constantly switch weapons. Seems pretty hectic and fun.
  
  
• Mechstermination Force
  Hörberg Productions
  
  This game rules. It's a fairly simple action-platformer with a Cuphead-style structure and Contra's control mechanics (including wall climbing and ceiling hanging, which play a huge role), but the gimmick is that each stage is a gigantic mech. It's full of creative attack patterns and mech designs and is pretty much the perfect length for its core mechanics.
  
  
• Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
  Edelweiss
  
  Super cute game that interleaves day-to-day rice cultivation and Tales-style side-view juggle-heavy combat. Cultivating rice by managing the farm and completing chill mini-games raises Sakuna's stats, and you progress through the story by completing objectives scattered among the island's tons of kinda-samey side-view stages. While Sakuna's moves mostly keep the action crunchy and satisfying, the nature of the game's structure stops any of this combat from being terribly focused. By the end of the game you're left with a general sense of how all of the game's mechanics connect together instead of a clear one. The cast and aesthetics are really endearing and there's nothing else structured quite like it, though, so ultimately I'd suggest it.
  
  
• Resident Evil 3 (2020)
  Capcom
  
  It's not the monumentally good game that Resident Evil 2 (2019) is, but it shares a lot of the same strengths. It's certainly not as creepy, and funny enough Nemesis isn't as scary of a predator as Mr. X, but the dodge mechanic is fun to use and fits perfectly with this game's stronger action focus. Good difficulty curve on Hardcore despite the lack of ink ribbons and the safe room being a bit less meaningful.
  
  
• XCOM Chimera Squad
  Firaxis Games
  
  A take on turning XCOM into something smaller and more controlled, not totally unlike Into the Breach, with lots of distinct abilities between the cast. A way easier game than XCOM 2, but still great.
  
  
• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
  Vanillaware
  
  An absurd visual novel that slams together a million sci-fi tropes and somehow makes it engaging and functional. Everything is delivered through seriously unbelievable Vanillaware visuals and lightly peppered with some strategy scenes. The strategy layer is extremely simple but the variety is welcome.
  
  
• Granblue Fantasy: Versus
  Arc System Works
  
  A refreshingly simple-system'd fighting game with all the polish and visual prowess you'd expect from Arc System Works. This was more my speed than DBFZ.
  
  
• Star Wars: Squadrons
  Motive Studios
  
  Mostly great. This isn't a genre I've spent a lot of time with and on Veteran mode here I was a bit confused on some of the finer points of the mechanics, but ultimately I found the core dogfight mechanics to be pretty engaging and issuing commands on top of them wound up playing a pretty large role. The VR support in a game like this is hard to mess up, but the cockpits are all sick looking and it's pretty satisfying to follow an enemy visually by watching them fly over your shoulder.
  
  Overall there really aren't any surprises here. I just wish that the few Starfox-y linear bits were expanded on a bit, but this is a minor complaint. I should dig into the multiplayer.
  
  
• Ghostrunner
  One More Level
  
  A first-person action game focused around platforming through Titanfall-style movement and simple combat. I liked a lot of this. The core movement is satisfying (like in Titanfall), the slow-mo lateral slide is pretty novel, the player powers are all useful and encourage different styles of play, the arenas are well laid out and not obviously exploitable, new elements are introduced at a perfect pace (with many of the best elements showing up late-game), and even the upgrade system is pretty fun to toy with!
  
  The downsides are largely related to the structure. This is a game built around *extremely* short challenges. Everything dies in one hit and segments are brutally hard with checkpoints rarely more than 20 seconds apart. Playing some of the harsher challenges in this game I found myself blasting through double-digit lives per minute, and these parts in particular made me really want to see a game like this built around a three-hit health bar and more spaced out checkpoints. The game also has some occasionally big readability issues, and I was pretty underwhelmed with an RTX implementation. Still pretty good though!
  
  
• Vertigo Remastered
  Zulubo Productions
  
  Another solid VR singleplayer FPS. Like Boneworks it feels like a budget version of what would become Half-Life: Alyx, but it's far more comfortable and varied than Boneworks. Vertigo 2 should be something special.
  

As the years pass I find the idea of talking solely about newly-released games to be more and more constricting, and I don't always like grouping my thoughts at the start of each year. Combining that with my slowly fading engagement with the forum more broadly (largely due to the limitations on the kind of discourse allowed at ResetEra and with my disagreement over how the moderation team has interacted with certain marginalized communities), I think this will be my last year doing the GOTY thing here. Been a fun fifteen or four years.

1. [PC] [Shooter] [tain a.m. works] HORIZON VANGUARD
2. [PC] [Shooter] [Valve] Half-Life: Alyx
3. [Arcade] [Shooter] [Cave] DoDonPachi True Death Exa Label
4. [PC] [Shooter] [id Software] Doom Eternal
5. [Arcade] [Shooter] [Tanoshimasu] AKA & BLUE TYPE-R
6. [PC] [Beat 'em up] [DotEmu] Streets of Rage 4
7. [PC] [Shooter] [Croteam] Serious Sam 4
8. [PC] [Shooter] [Alfa System] Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire
9. [PC] [Sports] [Vicarious Visions] Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
10. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
11. [Arcade] [Shooter] [G.rev] Strania EX
12. [PC] [Action-Platformer] [Hörberg Productions] Mechstermination Force
13. [PC] [Action] [Edelweiss] Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
14. [PC] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
15. [PC] [Turn-based strategy] [Firaxis Games] XCOM: Chimera Squad
16. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
17. [PC] [Fighting] [Arc System Works] Granblue Fantasy Versus
18. [PC] [Space combat] [Motive Studios] Star Wars: Squadrons
19. [PC] [Action] [One More Level] Ghostrunner
20. [PC] [Shooter] [Zulubo Productions] Vertigo Remastered
    

 

[Colfari]

1. The Last of Us Part II: An amazing achievement, the most challenging game I have ever played. Technically above all other games imo, but that is not why it is so remarkable. They took so many risks story-wise, and while I was not onboard at the beginning of the seond half, it completely changed my mind later on, which I would never have been able to predict. It dares to challenge your own views on so many things, and I learned quite a bit about myself, which is quite a feat for a AAA game. I was an emotional wreck after finishing it, but would not have it any other way after thinking months about it.
2. Demon's Souls: The original was one of the first games where I was absolutely consumed by the world it presented, and Bluepoint was actually able to recreate that feeling. Have the platinum trophy (over 140 hours in), but I am sure, that I will keep playing this game. Bloodborne was the same, I had to sell it to stop me from playing it. DS is not quite there, but that also means that I can keep playing it when I have the urge to plunge into this mesmerizing adventure.
3. Hades: I love SG, but still was surprised how they were able to put so much story in a roguelike game, and what a lovely story it was. Gameplay was thrilling, controls were tight, plays like a dream, though a bit repetitive after awhile. But the story and amazing characters will keep you going.
4. Ghost of Tsushima: Waited for my PS5 to arrive to play this, and man, was I rewarded for it. Absolutely stunning visuals, art design is through the roof, just riding through the fields of Japan is so relaxing, had to constantly stop to take it all in. Surprisingly great combat as well, the best of any open-world game in my opinion. And Jin is such a great character, which was another surprise. I still haven't finished it tbh, but it clearly deserves a top spot in my list.
5. Spider-Man: Miles Morales: Everything that made Spider-Man on the PS4 a joy to play is here as well, with arguably the better main character with Miles. Best traversal in any open-world game, runs smooth af in 60fps. While the story is not a strenght of this game, I sure enjoyed every minute of it. And it has Spider-Cat, 'nuff said.
6. Astro's Playroom: More than just a tech demo, it's an enchanting look at the past of Playstation, makes you feel all fuzzy inside, you'll be overwhelmed with nostalgia. And so fucking adorable. Also makes it hard to go back to any other controller, my jaw was on the floor constantly.
7. Chronicon: That was such a surprise, was mainly done by one person with help of others of course, and it blows other games in the genre out of the water with QoL improvemens I would never even have dreamed off. If you are just slightly interested in dungeon crawlers, you have no excuses not to play it, especially for its laughably low price. I was wondering all the time while I was playing it, how on earth it was possible for such a small developer to produce such quality. Still can't wrap my brain around it.
8. WRC 9: Another surprise on this list, have not played rally games in over a decade (and even back then with a wheel and on pc), was mainly looking for a racing game with good dualsense implementation, to make the wait for GT7 bearable. And it delivers, on every front. 120hz seems to be a must for racing games from now on. Great developer too, they actually fix their shit and improve the game with every update as it seems. Glad I picked this and not Dirt 5. It's challenging at times, but it' still fun all the way.
9. Risk of Rain 2: Another roguelike on this list, and I have not played it quite as extensive as every other game in my Top Ten, but it has a great artstyle, it's quite challenging as well, especially with gamepad on pc, but I am getting there.
10. Destiny 2: Played a shit ton this year, my guess is over 1000 hours (in this year alone, steam says 1800 hours in total), but burned out before Beyond the Light hit, also my friends only played one week at most after every new expansion/season, and there is only so much you can get out of it solo. Again, I have around 1800 hours in it, the game is hardly at fault here.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
3. [PC] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
4. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
5. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
6. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
7. [PC] [Dungeon Crawler] [Subworld] Chronicon
8. [PS5] [Racing] [Kylotonn] WRC 9
9. [PC] [Roguelike] [Hopoo Games] Risk of Rain 2
10. [PC] [Shooter] [Bungie] Destiny 2

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

What is the call on fan translations of old games that came out last year, if I may (since the one in question didnt come out this year officially)?

 

[Sir Sonic]

Hades
Kept me up most of the year, truly Amazing. the Best part for me definitely was voice acting. It's superb

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Good that some classics are no longer in Wii's bind. Hoping that Mario Galaxy 2 and Zelda:SS will come along later

Ori and the Will of the Wisps
I was waiting for Silksong to happen in 2020. didn't happened but got something as good as it

Astro's Playroom
It was a Demo, And hell, some games should have as much as a tinsy bitsy soul that this game carries on his back

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
For a game that I CANNOT GET INTO and not my cup of tea, Animal Crossing is hella fun.

1. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
2. [Switch] [Action RPG] [MonolithSoft] Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
3. [Switch] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
4. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
5. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
   

 

[hologram]

I'm only doing three games, since these are the only three I really feel are deserving.

1. The Last of Us Part II
I don't think I can say much about this game that hasn't already been said, but it's easily one of the best games I've ever played. The narrative and themes really stand out compared to most other videogames, and the gameplay, graphics, and animations are all top-notch. Like others, I felt it was maybe a touch too long, but upon reflection I realized there was very little that actually could have been cut - every part of the game served a purpose.

2. Hades
Any other year, an Indie game this incredible would have easily got my GOTY pick, and it still nearly did this year. It was only because of how incredible TLOU2 was that it comes in second. The extremely tight gameplay, the surprisingly layered and non-linear narrative, the awesome artstyle... what more is there to say?

3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Like many others, I was obsessed with this game upon release. I played for hours each day for several weeks, and then at one point just... stopped completely. I think the slow pace means that it's never a game I'll be playing long-term, but it's a great, relaxing game and it was certainly the exactly the game needed at the beginning of the pandemic.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [PC] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
3. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
   

 

[Herey]

A strong year of games for my taste. These aren't all the games I played but the ones that made the most impression on me. There are also games that I would include high on the list but are from previous years sadly.

———

The Last of Us Part 2 - absolutely fantastic game on all counts. The plot might not be the most original but it is still a really well told revenge story that both moves characters into new, interesting directions whilst also staying true to and expanding upon the character motivations and themes of the original.

From a gameplay standpoint it has solidified itself as one the best tps out there for me, the level and encounter design was top tier and it was really nice to see just how far Naughty Dog have come in their gameplay design over the last decade. The dynamism of the combat kept me constantly on my toes even deep into the second half of the game, really helping sell the experience of getting by by the skin of your teeth. Production values were of course great, as was the VA.

Also shout out to the accessibility options. Genuinely one of the most impressive things I've seen in a AAA game for decent while. Hope more devs are inspired and follow suit.

———

Hades - Supergiant at their very best. Stunning art direction coupled with an incredibly engaging combat loop made it a close 2nd. The replayability of the rogue-like formula appears to have been made for their games, with the relatively simple combat that spins outwards with a variety of different buffs, boons and weapons.

The story interlinked with the replayability was very smart and pretty much all the characters made an impression ( ( ＾◡＾)っ ♡ Zagreus), even those with little screen time.

Nice to see Supergiant get their deserved success with this one.

———

Persona 5 Royal - feels a bit like cheating given this is mostly the same game as the OG P5, but still, it is a special game for me. The improvements to the core gameplay make it the definitive way to play one of last generation's best games, and the added content gives enough intrigue for prior players to be interested. The new music slaps too.

It came out when I needed it to and just felt like putting on a warm blanket while playing through. For that, it deserves 3rd.

———

Demon's Souls - one of the most impressive remakes out there, and while recent From games make it look a little dated, still a great experience with fabulous atmosphere.

Astro's Playroom - one of the best pack-in games there is. Fun little platformer with tons of personality.

Fall Guys - the early days when it first exploded were some of the most fun I've had in a multiplayer game in years.

Resident Evil 3 Remake - pretty under appreciated, in my opinion. Streamlined as hell but still a fun romp.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake - great combat and fun characters, super interested to see where they take it next.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
3. [PS4] [RPG] [Atlus] Persona 5 Royal
4. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
5. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
6. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
7. [PS4] [Survival Horror] [Capcom] Resident Evil 3 Remake
8. [PS4] [RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy 7 Remake

 

[Alex840]

1) The Last of Is Part II - I can't add much to what hasn't already been said by many. Not only did Naughty Dog continue to bring their A game on a technical perspective; with arguably the best visuals and animation on the PS4, the story was bountiful with unexpected twists and turns. The gameplay was genuinely excellent too. The new probe mechanic and ability to craft new types of ammo on the fly made the gameplay even more engaging and a was a joy to play throughout.

2) Ori and the Will of the Wisps - A sequel to one of my favourite Metroidvania's ever, this game was everything I wanted from a sequel. It improves on the original in almost every way, and I couldn't have asked for more.

3) Final Fantasy VII Remake - I've not played through the first half of the original last year, so I have no nostalgia coming into this one. But wow, was I surprised. The world is genuinely interesting to explore, the soundtrack is easily the best of this year, and the combat system is my favourite in any RPG I've played.

4) Hades - As a big fan of Supergiant, I've been looking forward to this for years, holding out on the 1.00 release. I'm not typically a fan of Roguelikes, but the momentum of the combat, coupled with the interwoven narrative throughout kept me hooked for dozens of hours

5) Demon's Souls - After Bloodborne, I went back to try some of From's other games, starting with Demon's Souls. I only put a couple of hours in before dropping it due to the slower pace of combat not being what I wanted. But the remake, with its higher frame rate and better animations, makes the game feel wonderful to play and no longer is a hindrance to me exploring the world.

6) Animal Crossing: New Horizons - My 2nd most played Switch game after BotW. They really nailed the satisfaction of checking into you town every day and building towards goals.

7) Ghost of Tsushima - A little less impactful playing it right after TLOU 2, but still a great game nonetheless. The style and flamboyance really made this game feel special.

8) Spider-Man: Miles Morales - The story didn't resonate with me as much as some others, but what was there I enjoyed. The new powers were super fun and I can't wait for Spidey 2.

9) Sackboy: A Big Adventure - One of the biggest surprises for me this year. Fun platforming, great level design and really difficult challenges if you're up to it.

10) Streets of Rage 4 - Everything I could have wanted from this game. Snappy, punchy combat, great environments and a kickass soundtrack.

11) Star Wars: Squadrons - Haven't had time to dig into the multiplayer much, but the single player missions really show off the depth of the gameplay. One of the best VR experiences I've ever had too.

12) Spelunky 2 - Hades took the spotlight off this game for me so I haven't played nearly as much as I would have wanted, but what I did play was great. Looking forward to digging in deeper this year.

1. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
2. [Switch] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
3. [PS4] [RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy 7 Remake
4. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
5. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
6. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
7. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
8. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
9. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sumo Digital] Sackboy: A Big Adventure
10. [Switch] [Beat 'em up] [DotEmu] Streets of Rage 4
11. [PS4] [Space combat] [Motive Studios] Star Wars: Squadrons
12. [PS4] [Platformer] [Mossmouth] Spelunky 2

 

[FliX]

Demon's Souls is an amazing remake and an amazing game in its own right.
Astro's Playroom is much better than it has any right to be, showcasing the new and amazing dualsense
Bugsnax has a lot of heart and is just really cute.

1. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
2. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
3. [PS4] [Adventure] [Young Horses] Bugsnax
4. [PS4] [Shooter] [Raven Software] Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
5. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Tripwire Interactive] Maneater
6. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

 

[looprider]

1. 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim: Bought it blind and so glad I did. As a huge fan of Sci Fi movies, this hit all the right spots. The 2D sprite art is gorgeous. Soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a video game in a long time. But the story is really the star. The twists on twists on twists method of story telling shouldn't work, but it does, and my brain felt like it was getting a workout. Just an amazing game everyone should play.

2. FFVII Remake: The mad lads actually did it. It kind of falls apart in the last couple of chapters, but up until then it is a stunning game. It feels modern and fresh. Graphics were incredible even on the base PS4, the orchestral OST is chill-inducing, the gameplay is fun and a true mix of turn based and real time, and most importantly the characters are all treated with respect. Looking forward to see where SE goes with the next games in this remake series.

3. Nioh 2: It's basically more Nioh, which is not a bad thing. The game kept me busy for most of 2020 with the deep character customization and addictive multiplayer. It really is Ninja Gaiden Dark Souls Diablo 3, a combo that doesn't sound like it could work, but oh it does.

4. Ghosts of Tsushima: I usually hate the traditional open world game design but this one had me hooked. I loved the setting, the world building, the ambiance. Combat was a fun mix of being sneaky until you got bored then just killing all the baddies in a few minutes because Jin is super OP. I have yet to try the multiplayer but will dip in eventually. The game was solid on its own and didn't need a multiplayer, so the fact it sounds like it may actually be good, is another impressive facet.

5. Xenoblade DE: One of the greatest JRPGs made better in every way.

6. Trials of Mana: Listen, I know it's a midbudget game and it's a little janky. But I loved it. Just a chill, colorful game to pick up and play on the switch with enough depth that kept it interesting all the way to the post-game dungeon.

7. Destiny 2 Beyond Light: While not as good as Forsaken, it really was a great expansion for me. The Stasis class is for sure the star, but the Europa map is great, the way the grind feels rewarding, and just how busy the game can keep you if you let it are all plusses for me. It got me back into Destiny in a big way.

1. [PS4] [Adventure] [Vanillaware] 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
2. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
3. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Team Ninja] Nioh 2
4. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
5. [Switch] [Action RPG] [MonolithSoft] Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
6. [Switch] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Trials of Mana
7. [PS5] [Shooter] [Bungie] Destiny 2
   

 

[Rush_Khan]

1. Persona 5 Royal

Quite possibly one of the greatest JRPGs I have ever played, if not the best. I still can't believe this originally released in 2017 (an absolutely amazing year for games). It may be a really long game (took me 90 hours) but I honestly loved every minute of it. That may be because I never played any game in the Megami Tensei universe so everything felt new to me.

I've played a lot of great JRPGs that released after the vanilla Persona 5 and made it onto my GotY lists: Octopath Traveller, Kingdom Hearts III, Pokemon Sword/Shield. These JRPGs are a complete and utter embarrassment compared to Persona 5, and it's because the stakes are always so high in Persona 5, all the way up till the end. When you think you're at the end of the game, you are probably nowhere near the end. Persona 5 is the benchmark in JRPG storytelling.

(Disclaimer: I only played the vanilla version, but it was so good that I'm voting for the Royal edition anyway, and will double-dip later in the year).

2. Hades

Hades might not have the biggest budget, but it certainly possesses the biggest heart. With so many different play-styles, a terrific cast of characters coupled with excellent voice-acting performances, and a plethora of secrets to discover, you'll be trying to escape from the Underworld over and over again, mostly just for fun! Once the credits start rolling, you won't have a better feeling of satisfaction from any other game this year.

3. The Last of Us Part II

The most technically impressive video game to date. Not only does The Last of Us Part II push the PS4 to its limit, it raises the bar even further in terms of animation, AI and, above all, riveting storytelling only possible in this medium. The only criticism I have is that it felt six hours longer than it should have been, but other than that, the game cannot be described in any way other than 'flawless'.

4. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

More of the same from its predecessor but that's not necessarily a bad thing! The set-piece rush moments are even bigger and the game's artistic design never ceases to amaze.

5. Ghost of Tsushima

Despite a slow start after the explosive opening, Ghost of Tsushima stays loyal to its premise throughout the game and was the most surprising game of the year. The Legends muliplayer mode was even better than the single player mode.

6. Demon's Souls - Honestly felt like an entirely new game even though I played the original.
7. Final Fantasy VII Remake - It was a decent remake, but not a fan of the episodic structure at all.
8. Fall Guys - It's a great game and I'm happy for my former colleagues who joined Mediatonic to work on the game.
9. Spider-man: Miles Morales - The previous game was my personal GotY and this one was more of the same.
10. Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition - It was fun but I wasn't a fan of Nero. Really enjoyed V though, and playing the Vergil DLC.

Disappointments

• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered - A complete disgrace of a remaster. Couch co-op which was the entire point of success for the original game. Probably should've used smartphones as the controllers for the game.

Honourable Mentions

• Animal Crossing New Horizons
• Furi
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Switch)
• Astro's Playroom
• Among Us

1. [PS4] [RPG] [Atlus] Persona 5 Royal
2. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
3. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
4. [PC] [Metroidvania] [Moon Studios] Ori and the Will of the Wisps
5. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
6. [PS5] [Action RPG] [BluePoint Games] Demon's Souls
7. [PS4] [Action RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy VII Remake
8. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
9. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
10. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Capcom] Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
    

 

[AtmaPhoenix]

1. Final Fantasy 7 Remake - I know this wasn't what a lot of people expected or wanted from a Final Fantasy 7 Remake. But for me, it not only hit every nostalgia button I wanted it to, but it gave me something I didn't even know I wanted. The soundtrack is fucking phenomenal, the art direction is amazing (aside from that one door) and I loved everything that was expanded upon. Also this is probably the best translation from ATB to action-RPG that Final Fantasy has done.

2. Hades - This is the perfect roguelike, it does everything right from the story to the setting to the mechanics. I can't think of a game in the genre that's more perfectly crafted than this one.

3. Yakuza Like A Dragon - It's hard to think of another game that is jampacked with as much diverse content as Yakuza: Like A Dragon. On top of that it's an accepting, progressive game where the protagonist grew up around sex work and listens to people, no matter what their station in life is. If you're looking for an entry point into this series it's a great place to start.

4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - The perfect game for 2020. Sherb is my ride-or-die buddy.

5. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - It's the same high quality that Insomniac gave the first Spider-Man game, the web-swinging is still the best open-world traversal I've ever used. I played it on PS4 and everything worked smoothly for me.

6. Fall Guys - Beans falling is fun.

7. XCOM: Chimera Squad - I love the new Firaxis XCOM series and this is a great spin-off entry in the formula that does a lot of neat twists on the gameplay. It also tried to focus on story and character moments but didn't do enough with either of them to justify the concept, unfortunately.

8. Spelunky 2 - The original Spelunky was probably the first game in the overall roguelike genre I ever played, and I'm going to admit I probably didn't understand it at the time. But now I understand everything a lot more and Spelunky 2 is addictive as hell, just like the first.

9. Dark Pictures: Little Hope - Little Hope starts off strong and keeps the pace going for the entire playthrough. The scares, enemies, and death-defying encounters are back-loaded as the first half is almost all set-up, but it works in this case because it got me invested in the characters.

10. Panzer Paladin - This was a surprise for me, it came out of nowhere through a Nintendo Direct and I immediately grabbed it and fell in love. It's like Blaster Master meets Mega Man with weapon degradation that actually works well with the gameplay. It's also got a stellar retro sounding soundtrack.

1. [PS4] [RPG] [Square Enix] Final Fantasy 7 Remake
2. [Switch] [Roguelike] [Supergiant Games] Hades
3. [PS4] [RPG] [Sega] Yakuza: Like a Dragon
4. [Switch] [Simulation] [Nintendo] Animal Crossing: New Horizons
5. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
6. [PS4] [Party] [Mediatonic] Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
7. [PC] [Turn-based strategy] [Firaxis Games] XCOM: Chimera Squad
8. [PS4] [Platformer] [Mossmouth] Spelunky 2
9. [PS4] [Interactive drama] [Supermassive Games] The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
10. [Switch] [Platformer] [Tribute Games] Panzer Paladin
    

 

[bushmonkey]

Dreams: I've put over 500 hours into Dreams before the VR expansion came out. I must have spent double that amount of time since. The sculpting in 3D in VR is amazing and worth the prize of entry Alone. The fact that you get so much more in this package is nothing short of incredible.

Ghost of Tsushima: best open world game since Days gone. Beautiful, great story and fantastic gameplay.

Last of us part 2: my playthrough will stay with me forever. I still think about the story beats to this day. Gut wrenching but so good.

Bugsnax: great surprise. The story goes places and the characters and bugsnax are fantastic. My kids and I still shout Bunger at each other all the time.

Astro's playroom: sold me on the Dual sense. This game feels so good

Spiderman - miles morales: doesn't overstay it's welcome, fantastic from start to finish

Assassin's creed Valhalla: my favourite of the new waves of AC games, female Eivor is a great protagonist.

Yakuza: like a dragon: I'm still early on in this game but I can tell it would rank even higher if id found the time to play it more

Tony hawk 1 + 2: the 2 best Tony hawks reimagined exactly how I remember them in my head. Perfect remaster

Star wars: squadrons. Flying in PSVR is incredible.

Honourable mentions:
Doom eternal, Scott pilgrim, Minecraft dungeons, Dirt 5, watchdogs Legion, COD: cold war, Maneater, RPG Maker PS4, sackboy

Games I didn't get round to playing yet but I would imagine would have been competing for a top spot:
13 sentinels, Kentucky route zero, FF7R, Demons soul, P5R, Haven, Hades, Nioh 2, paper Mario, the last campfire

Games I would have expected to like but didn't:
Cyberpunk 2077 (on console), Animal crossing, RE3R, spelunky 2, Genshin impact, Fall Guys, If found

1. [PS4] [Game Creation] [Media Molecule] Dreams
2. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Sucker Punch Productions] Ghost of Tsushima
3. [PS4] [Action Adventure] [Naughty Dog] The Last of Us Part II
4. [PS4] [Adventure] [Young Horses] Bugsnax
5. [PS5] [Platformer] [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Astro's Playroom
6. [PS5] [Action Adventure] [Insomniac Games] Spider-Man: Miles Morales
7. [PS5] [Action RPG] [Ubisoft] Assassin's Creed Valhalla
8. [PS4] [RPG] [Sega] Yakuza: Like a Dragon
9. [PS4] [Sports] [Vicarious Visions] Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
10. [PS4] [Space combat] [Motive Studios] Star Wars: Squadrons