The pandemic year 2020 was a real sonofabitch — we’ve been over this. However, for gamers, 2020 had its share of blessings. For one, we ushered in a new console generation and that’s something that’s always exciting and special — we only have so many console launches in our lifetimes. I’ve grown up with gaming, from the Atari to the Playstation 5 and everything in between. In the past, I’ve told funny stories about how my father thought the Super Nintendo was a scam by Nintendo and refused to buy it for us, instead purchasing a Sega Genesis — different company, different name, checks out. Throughout my decades of gaming, I’ve always found the fanboy drawn battle lines, amusing if not downright obnoxious. It’s only gotten worse in recent years and I’ve been an owner of both Sony’s machines and Microsoft’s machines. Right now, it’s only the PS5 for me because the Series X doesn’t have any exclusive offerings worth plopping down an extra $500 to secure. I’m sure, in a year or two, things will be different but for now, I guess, I’m a Sony pony.
All that aside, 2020 still dished some awesome gaming experiences, including a contender for the greatest of this past generation, if not all-time. I’ll start with a few of the games I didn’t yet get a chance to check out. This is my attempt to quell any outrage for a few games not being included on the list. Maybe nobody would’ve gotten angry but my caution remains. I haven’t yet played Immortals: Fenyx Rising but I do have a ps5 copy ready to go. The same goes for Maneater (next up for me) and Demon’s Souls (next after that). I also never played the Avengers game.
On to my honorable mentions. These games were either released in prior years and I just recently got around to them or not quite good enough for the top ten. Either way, here they are.
LIFE IS STRANGE 2 began long prior to 2020 but didn’t finish its episodic run until early in the year. The story of two Mexican-American brothers on the run from the law, hit me right in the heart. I’m a big fan of DontNod as a studio and vibe with most of what they do. Speaking of DontNod, I also played their gothic horror game, VAMPYR. A little rough around the edges but featuring some cool gameplay ideas, a great setting and tidy story. Fun stuff, especially if you love Dracula as much as I do. Continuing on with games that were released before 2020, I got in some good time with my Nintendo Switch this year. It’s the perfect machine for late night gaming in bed. I played the remastered versions of two 90s rpgs near and dear to my heart: FINAL FANTASY 7 & FINAL FANTASY 8. The Final Fantasy series is probably my favorite gaming series of all-time. The music is provided by Nobuo Uematsu who is my favorite composer of all time. The earlier character designs and art were drawn by Yoshitaka Amani, who is one of my favorite artists of all time. As for how the games hold up, Final Fantasy 7 is better than I remember it. I used to find it slightly overrated but I’ve again changed my mind — wonderful game. Final Fantasy 8, however, doesn’t hold up as well. For years, I was a huge defender of 8 but it’s like an adolescent child — the parts are there but it’s a bit clumsy. Oh yeah, and I played through FINAL FANTASY 12 too — I forgot about that. Twelve features the best combat system ever in a final fantasy game but the story kind of sucks. (I’m about to start a new play through of Final Fantasy 9 pretty soon, so I’ll have more to say about how that one holds up at a later date) Last on the Switch was TALES OF VESPERIA. Fun game, cool art, not much else to say. Moving on and this past summer saw the release of a remastered version of the GHOSTBUSTERS video game. I had a blast playing this again and the fact that they got the original cast members for the voices made it all the more enjoyable.
2020 also saw me dive back into a game from 2019 when Remedy released the FOUNDATION DLC for CONTROL. The game, in 2020, was in much better shape and ran pretty smooth this time around. I love Remedy, so much so that I’m willing to stick it out amidst the bugs and crashing that sometimes plagues their titles. Foundation saw them tie ALAN WAKE and CONTROL into a larger universe and I am down for it all. Onward and another year means another Call of Duty and another Assassin’s Creed. The newest entries are not among their respective series’ best but they’re still decent. I enjoyed the side missions and extra intel in CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS COLD WAR but that title is still a nightmare. The rest of the campaign was a bit ho-hum, especially when compared to 2019’s stellar MODERN WARFARE. As for AC Valhalla, it feels rushed and a bit copy and pasted from Odyssey. There are some serious flaws in the game design but it is fun to get lost in 13th century England. Lastly, we have CYBERPUNK 2077, the game to launch a thousand refunds and lawsuits. Is it good? Yeah, when it works but it rarely works. The game was an absolute nightmare to run, even on my ps5. I’m hoping that once CDProjekt Red gets their shit together and irons everything out, I’ll be able and willing to revisit Night City and have some actual fun this time.
Okay, we’re nearly at one thousand words already so enough chit-chat and let’s get down to business.
2020. Pandemic. Games. Top ten. Now:
10. THE DIVISION 2: WARLORDS OF NY – (ps4) – I know this is technically dlc but whoa baby! This is the best dlc I think I’ve ever played for any game, ever. It’s also massive in size and scope. Returning to New York and finally getting to the business of hunting Aaron Keener made me smile wide as can be. The mission design and boss fights are some of the best of the entire series and the twist at the end of the story has me begging for more. Bravo, Massive. Bravo.
9. KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO: TV EDITION – (switch) – I never played this as an episodic adventure, instead choosing to wait until the game was completed. This is the completed version and it’s a brilliantly written adventure game about the idiosyncrasies of life and embracing one’s fate and ultimate death. Heavy stuff but just as poignant.
8. SACKBOY: A BIG ADVENTURE – (ps5) – A launch game for the PlayStation 5 and a beauty to boot. Sometimes we just need an adorable platformer to cut through the difficulties of our daily lives and Sackboy provides this in spades. Wonderfully inventive at every turn and a great showcase for the brand new dualsense controller.
7. WATCHDOGS: LEGION – (ps5) – I love this game. It’s just a video game-ass video game. The ability to recruit to your team and play as any person you see is absolutely awesome. Rampaging around a near-future London is breathtaking. The story is less of a focus (WD2 being a high point for the series) but it’s still a serviceable story. There’s one mission in the game dealing with an advanced AI afraid to die that struck me as particularly insightful. Also, the final mission is batshit nuts and a great showcase for the new consoles’ power.
6. ASTRO’S PLAYROOM – (ps5) – Pure joy. Pure fun. The best “tech-demo” ever. All of these are true statements. A blast from start to finish and the first game I played on my brand new ps5. Also the perfect showcase for the dualsense controller.
5. TONY HAWK PRO SKATER 1+2 – (ps4) – A wonderful trip down memory lane. It’s the Tony Hawk games we grew up with and loved but newly remastered and updated for new technology. I’ll be going back to this game over and over and over again in the years to come, even though I now absolutely suck.
4. GHOST OF TSUSHIMA – (ps4) – The music. The art direction. Memorable characters. The combat. Nearly everything about this game is *chef’s kiss* although the story crescendos a little too early and lets down a bit in the third act. Minor quibbles. Suckerpunch gave us the best Assassin’s Creed game in history with this one. Marvelous.
3. FINAL FANTASY 7: REMAKE – (ps4) – This is the reason I went back and replayed the original again. A remake of one of the most influential and adored rpgs of all-time? Bad idea. Crazy idea. But they pulled it off. By diving in deep and blowing the story and characters out as much as possible, Square created something else pretty special. They also made interesting story choices which somehow still respect and incorporate the events of the original. I now like Cloud! Never said that before, lol.
2. SPIDER-MAN MILES MORALES – (ps5) – Perfect game play. Better than the original in terms of story and how they handle the characters. The game could’ve used some more boss fights but that’s a tiny little complaint in an otherwise extraordinary game. I’ve loved Spider-Man since I was a tiny little child. Superheroes weren’t that big with me growing up, I was a bit more strange and into different things like Voltron and Sandman but Spider-Man always spoke to me. He was a nerdy kid who became special but still often used his brain to thwart enemies. I loved that and still do and Miles Morales, between this new game and the recent Spiderverse film, has become my favorite version of the character.
1. THE LAST OF US PART 2 – (ps4) – I’ve already written thousands of words dissecting this beautiful and brilliant game. It is every bit the equal to the first entry and those unfamiliar are in for a shocking treat when the HBO series adaptation hits our eyeballs (hopefully) sooner rather than later. I love Joel but Ellie has stolen my heart in totality. She is one of my favorite characters in any medium, ever. And now I have two new characters to love with Abby and Lev. I truly hope we either get dlc or a new game featuring Abby and Lev. The persistent danger, excellent combat, complete understanding of story, world building, and tone helps to provide one of the best experiences we’ve ever had with a game. The Last of Us has become the gold standard of storytelling in games. Naughty Dog easily crafted 2020’s game of the year and a contender fo game of the generation, if not all-time. An outright classic.
And now, like Porky Pig says: That’s All Folks!
Next week, films. Until then, love each other.
Open Mouth Insert Words 