Oh man, am I the only who’s happy that 2020 is over, or what? What a fucking year. I mean, look at all the shit that happened last year that really made life difficult and unexpected. And that’s not even counting my personal struggles – outside factors had a huge influence on everyone’s lives in 2020. And not even video gaming remained unaffected by the whole situation. We had a major hardware release cycle which saw the releases of the latest generation of consoles – Xbox Series X/S and the PlayStation 5 – and the release of the much-anticipated Nvidia GeForce RTX GPUs – all of which have been in short supply thanks to the COVID-19 global pandemic. (Heck, I still haven’t been able to get my hands on either of these three products and I’ve always been fortunate enough to get my hands on the latest tech at least within a week or two of release. But I digress…)
Still, 2020 did manage to deliver us some quality games despite that situation that affected a majority of the world. Surprisingly, there are game on this list of My Favorite Video Games of 2020 that I never thought would be on my list when I looked at the initial release date lineup when the year began, but the video game industry is always full of surprises, isn’t it? I mean, I was highly anticipating the release of Cyberpunk 2077 for the past several years and look how that mess unraveled. The less said of that mess, the better. But looking at my list of games here, even my honorable mentions, I was surprised by quite a few of the games that had a huge impact on me over the year.
And please note, this list is subject to my personal preferences as this is a list of my favorite games of 2020, NOT the best games of 2020. To make a list like that I feel I would have to actively be a part of gaming journalism, and I think I left that part of me behind a few years ago. But as a fan with a platform, I wanted to share with you my thoughts and feelings. So, I hope you enjoy the list, and I welcome any comments discussing your concurrence or discordance with any of my selected entries.
Honorable Mentions: Genshin Impact, Hades, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Star Wars: Squadrons, Watch Dogs: Legion
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Developed by: Nintendo EPD
Published by: Nintendo
Genre(s): Social simulation
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Release date: March 20, 2020
No kidding, I hadn’t played an Animal Crossing game since New Leaf was released on the 3DS back in 2013. I’d followed the series, obviously, but I had little interest in playing the games in the series since. But there was something different about New Horizons that looked interesting. But who knew that the timing of it’s release would help cement this game as one of my favorites of the year because it was really one of the only casual games that I could play with friends during the early onset of the pandemic and lockdown.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal
Published by: Ubisoft
Genre(s): Action role-playing
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia, Luna
Release date: November 10, 2020
I’m not going to lie: I thought there would be a lot more characterization in Valhalla, but the balance changes and world exploration that was to be found in the game was the best that I have experienced in the Assassin’s Creed series since Brotherhood. This is the AC experience that I have been longing for in a long time. Like I said, I wanted a bit more character work in the game, but the game did tie up a few lingering ends left from other games and made for a one of the best stories in the series.
Doom Eternal
Developed by: id Software
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Genre(s): First-person shooter
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Stadia
Release date: March 20, 2020
Released the same day as New Horizons, Eternal helped me get out that frustration and angst that the pandemic and lockdown started bringing to a boil. Fast-paced, pulse-pounding and extremely addictive, Eternal was a return to form for the Doom franchise that included one of the best gaming soundtracks of the year, some of the best shooter combat I’ve ever played, fun and creative level designs, and amped up graphics. The puzzles and challenges in the game decent at best, but all the positives in the game certainly made up for the shortcomings.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Developed by: Mediatonic
Published by: Devolver Digital
Genre(s): Battle royale, Platformer
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS
Release date: August 4, 2020
Fall Guys may have been a flash-in-the-pan phase that many gamers quickly moved on from, but for the few months that I did play they were some of the most fun and competitive that I experienced all year. And hey, I even found a game that made my ever so calm wife rage quit because of how competitive the early days of the game were. But it’s cutesy characters, unique platform designs, and addictive gameplay made Ultimate Knockout one hell of an experience – even if I did move on from it after a few months.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Developed by: Square Enix Business Division 1
Published by: Square Enix
Genre(s): Action role-playing
Platform(s): PlayStation 4
Release date: April 10, 2020
Full disclosure: I am more of a Final Fantasy VIII fan than I was of Final Fantasy VII – but I would be an idiot not to acknowledge how influential and game-changing (no pun intended) VII was. And I was extremely excited to see how the Remake would be on the latest generation of consoles. And, my friends, it didn’t disappoint. Some story changes and gameplay mechanics aside, I loved what Remake brought to gamers. It was such a memorable, nostalgic treat that brought enough modernization to it to make FFVII Remake an incredible gaming experience.
Ghost of Tsushima
Developed by: Sucker Punch Productions
Published by: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Genre(s): Action-adventure, Stealth
Platform(s): PlayStation 4
Release date: July 17, 2020
Ghost of Tsushima has its flaws, but tell me that you have experienced a video game as beautiful and pleasing as this one. Oh man, this game was just as much a cinematic experience as any other game I have ever played. I definitely took my time playing through the game as I took in the aesthetically unique landscapes that made up the game world. And, to me personally, the combat mechanics in the game were as smooth as any top-level gaming experience could produce. Some people focused on the flaws of the game… I can easily gloss over them for all the positives it brought.
Minecraft Dungeons
Developed by: Mojang Studios, Double 11
Published by: Xbox Game Studios
Genre(s): Dungeon crawler
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Release date: May 26, 2020
Is Minecraft Dungeons the dungeon crawling experience that games like Diablo, Torchlight or Path of Exile are? No – Dungeons is a very simplified version of a dungeon crawler game, much to many gamers’ regret. But as a Minecraft player who plays the main game for its chill and simplified feeling, that Minecraft Dungeons provided much the same experience was the biggest draw to the game for me. I could get my Diablo and Minecraft fix all in one game without the frustration and grind that I would usually go through while playing Diablo.
Streets of Rage 4
Developed by: Dotemu, Lizardcube, Guard Crush Games
Published by: Dotemu
Genre(s): Beat ‘em up
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Linux, macOS
Release date: April 30, 2020
Back in the early 90s, I was a huge fan of the Streets of Rage series – so much so that Blaze was one of my early video game crushes. But once the original trilogy ended, I never expected that in 2020 I would be talking about a new Streets of Rage game, much less listing it as one of my favorite games of the year. But the mix of nostalgic gaming and reworked and updated combat mechanics made for such an enthralling and encapsulating games that I really hope that the series continues. And maybe that more classic games like this may be given the same treatment.
The Last of Us Part II
Developed by: Naughty Dog
Published by: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Genre(s): Action Adventure
Platform(s): PlayStation 4
Release date: June 19, 2020
Straight up, I’m going to say it here first and loud: Fuck the haters, The Last of Us Part II is my favorite game of 2020. The characters were amazing. The story was above spectacular. The acting was second to none. The gameplay was incredible. And the technical aspects of the game (sound, graphics, direction) were the best that video gaming has presented all year. Some gamers criticized the game because they didn’t agree with the narrative and direction the game took, even if they didn’t play the game. But I look at the game as a whole and see the future or storytelling and gaming as a whole in The Last of Us Part II and challenge anyone who will tell me differently about it.
Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r]
Developed by: Arc System Works, French Bread, Ecole Software
Published by: Arc System Works, Aksys Games
Genre(s): 2D fighting game, Visual novel
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release date: February 20, 2020
Truth be told, this entry is a bit of a cheat because the main Under Night In-Birth game was released way back in 2015. But after a few updated releases to the game, the final version was released in early 2020 with the update of Exe:Late[cl-r] – and talk about a clear and exciting change – and enough of a change to mark it as a totally distinct game.. Online flaws certainly tarnish the game a bit, but when playing the game solo, this is one of the best fighting games of the generation that walks the line between easy to get into but hard to master. And it’s the kind of exciting challenge that I enjoy in a fighting game.
