Woo boy, 2020 was a big ol' mess, huh? Like many of us, I had my unfair share of private and public struggles this year that almost constantly threatened to knock me down permanently. But now that we've FINALLY made it to the final month of this wretched hell year, I can look back at the smoldering rubble of the past twelve months and say this: thank God for video games.
Thanks to being stuck inside for most of the year, I found myself with considerably more time on my hands than normal. Almost all of that was spent on my couch with controller in hand. While not the healthiest habit I could've developed, it was the one I needed. It may border on cliché to say games were my saving grace this year, but it's true.
It was a minor miracle that despite all that was happening in the world so many amazing games managed to come out. Narrowing down this list to ten games was much more difficult than it was last year, and I had to leave out ones that I really enjoyed. From the nostalgia-inducing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 remake to the fantasy-fulfilling thrill of Star Wars Squadrons to the striking comeback of Crash Bandicoot 4, there was no shortage of engaging titles this year.
The following ten games were the ones that stood above the rest. They took my breath away, demanded my attention, moved me, and provided me with that desperately needed getaway.
10. Animal Crossing New Horizons
You know it's an amazing year for video games when something like Animal Crossing barely breaks into my top ten. New Horizons nearly single-handedly saved 2020, as it arrived just as everyone was entering quarantine (the first time) and immediately became a major phenomenon across the globe. And for good reason, as not only did it provide everyone with the fantasy escape we all needed in this hell year, but it took the classic Animal Crossing formula and added much more player freedom. You can design and develop the island you inhabit as you see fit, making it uniquely yours. New Horizon’s endgame stretches as far as your imagination does. I have a number of little nitpicks with the game (crafting, I'm looking at you) but Animal Crossing is so calming and full of charm it's hard to stay mad at it for long. Besides, any game that lets you buy a giant Godzilla statue and then build a shrine to it is A-OK in my book.
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9. DOOM Eternal
Famously released on the same day as Animal Crossing, DOOM Eternal was both the perfect antithesis and companion to everyone's favorite deserted island/talking animal friend simulator. While Animal Crossing provided a safe, relaxing way to escape from the never-ending nightmare that surrounded us, DOOM gave us a way to let out all of that pent-up anger, frustration, and fear we all held inside. Did you like the 2016 DOOM reboot? Good, because DOOM Eternal is that game on steroids. I did find that the platforming sections of the game slowed the pace way down, but they were few and far enough between that I didn't really mind them. At the beginning of the year I felt DOOM Eternal had a good chance of being really high on this list, but once I finished the campaign (and basically ignored the multiplayer altogether) I fell off of it pretty hard. But that doesn't downplay how much fun I did have with it. It's fast, challenging, and relentless, and probably the best first person shooter to come out in over a decade.
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It has been over six years since I put considerable time into an Assassin's Creed game, but that all changed this year when I decided to give Valhalla a try. The sheer size of the newer games in the series - Origins and Odyssey - completely turned me off of the franchise. I got anxiety just thinking about the endless side quests and collectibles and the hundreds of hours I would need to actually finish the main story. Bad news first: Valhalla is still gigantic and anxiety-inducing in the number of things to do. But it handles it all so much better this time around. There is a clear path to follow, as the game relegates smaller-size story chunks to condensed parts of the map. No longer are you just wandering around one huge world, but you have a whole set of missions (both main and side) to do in a certain area of Valhalla's open world (it also helps that certain parts of the map are gated off until you reach a certain level). The combat is swift and brutal, and the base building mechanic is a nice change of pace from all of the raiding and traversing. It's so rewarding to come back to your village after a long time away, and being able to use your new resources to upgrade shops and customize your ship and gear. I still have a loooong way to go before I see credits roll, but I know I'm in for the long haul with this one. Congrats, Ubisoft, you finally made me love Assassin's Creed again.
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7. Astro's Playroom
I know what you're thinking - how can a free pack-in game/glorified tech demo for the PlayStation 5 end up on my top ten list? Easy: be the most endlessly charming and fun platformer I've played in a long time. It may only be five or so hours long, but Astro's Playroom does so much so well within that time it absolutely blows my mind that they gave this away for free. It controls perfectly and shows off the unique features of the PS5’s DualSense controller so well that I’m actually excited for what future games can do with haptic feedback. It also doubles as a loving tribute the the history of PlayStation, filled with references to classic games and hardware. While part of me would pay for a full-price version of this (disregarding the PSVR AstroBot game from a few years ago) I realize that what makes Astro's Playroom so great is that it never outstays its welcome and is such a perfectly compact experience. What it lacks in depth and running time it makes up in sheer joy and charm.
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6. Marvel's Spider-man: Miles Morales
Insomniac hit it out of the park with their 2018 Spider-man game and have managed to outdo themselves with Miles Morales’ debut adventure. It’s leaner and more focused than its predecessor, and while its considerably shorter as well, it does so much right in that period of time. The main plot is great comic book-caliber stuff, but it’s the small character moments that happen between Miles and his family and friends that stood out the most to me. Much like Into the Spider-Verse (which this game does take a lot of inspiration from) Miles' story is all about finding himself and becoming his own Spider-man. I really love how Insomniac decided to scale down the stakes here to really focus on character. Side activities are more varied and less repetitive, collectibles are fun to find, and combat and swinging are are tight as ever. It’s not the full-fledged sequel that I may have wanted, but Spider-man: Miles Morales is an excellent companion to the 2018 game.
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5. Hades
Supergiant Games is one of my favorite developers, and they’ve quite possibly created their best game yet with Hades. Even if you’re tired of rougelike or run-based games, you owe it to yourself to check Hades out. Combat is tight and hectic, and the feeling of progression and getting better and stronger is so rewarding. The multiple weapons at your disposal are pretty varied, and while I stuck to only one or two most of the time I love how each of them changed up combat. The boons you receive from various Gods throughout your runs give you near endless choice and can make or break your success. But for me what sets Hades apart is how the narrative and dialogue unfold. The more you play (and die) the more about the world and characters you learn. Hades’ cast of (super sexy) gods is eclectic and immensely likable, and each of them have their own quirks and backstory. It would be higher on my list had I not been continuously playing it in Early Access for the past two years (it finally got a full release this year) but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Hades is a near-perfect experience.
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4. Final Fantasy VII Remake
I didn’t grow up with an original PlayStation so I never had the the reverence for the original FFVII that many others did, but I was over the moon excited for the remake. Taking such a classic and completely remaking it for a modern day audience is a super risky endeavor, but Square Enix pulled it off. For one, it’s absolutely stunning to look at, from art direction to graphical fidelity. I had an absolute blast with the combat system, which blends the active battles of FFXV with the tactical chess moves of the original FFVII. And oh my GOODNESS the music. Usually with RPGs I stall out pretty early on, but I never wanted this to end. At around 40 to 50 hours, Remake has a lot of content, especially knowing that it only covers the first 10 hours or so of the original game. Stretching the story out allows for more fleshed-out character and story moments that we never got from the PS1 game, as well as throw in some new surprises. Some of the new story elements might irk some fans of the original a bit, especially not knowing how they will pan out until future installments, but their well-done and intriguing enough to keep me wondering what will happen next. Much like Capcom did with Resident Evil 2 last year, Square Enix has practically rewritten the book on how video game remakes can be done.
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3. Kentucky Route Zero
Speaking of games that I can’t get out of my head, Kentucky Route Zero burrowed its way deep into my brain and has been living there rent-free since I played it back in January. I might be stretching things a bit with this one, as KZR technically was released in parts with the first one available all the way back in 2013. But I never played it (or even heard about it) until it released in full for the Switch, and I'm so glad I was able to experience it all at once. It's a deceptively simple magical realist adventure game that features a cast of weird and diverse characters - including a robot indie band and a boy whose big brother is a giant eagle - and delves into some heavy themes, like the slow death of middle America, loneliness and longing for purpose, and the evils of capitalism. Oh, and it features a trio of bluegrass singers as a Greek chorus of sorts. When you break it down, Kentucky Route Zero is less of a video game than it is an interactive story, but it's one that simply cannot be told in any other medium. I won't say any more for fear of spoilers, so trust me when I say this is a stunning piece of art.
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2. Ghost of Tsushima
If you were to make a checklist of video game clichés, Ghost of Tsushima would tick nearly every single one of them. Giant open world? Check. Numerous side missions and collectibles? Check. Map that uncovers as you discover things? Check. A bow and arrow AND a horse? Double check. But Sucker Punch's samurai epic does every one of those seemingly bland things SO well that I was able to forgive its lack of originality. I have grown tired of the endlessness of open world games lately but I wanted to scour every last corner of the island of Tsushima until there was nothing else left to do. The combat is sublime and I found myself stopping on the way to an objective just so I could fight some dudes. The scale of the game is on a level I rarely see in video game, matching the size and scope of something like The Lord of the Rings. I also was really drawn into the narrative - a story of honor and dishonor and the breaking of tradition. Jin Sakai is a terrific protagonist, and the cast of supporting characters is great as well. Most importantly perhaps, is that every single frame of this game is like a painting. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful video game in my entire life. Sucker Punch including the best photo mode ever made is both the best and worst thing they could've done, as I was stopping every few minutes to take a picture. Ghost of Tsushima is just a good-ass video game on every level, and would've been a shoo-in for my Game of the Year for 2020 if it had not been for…
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1. The Last of Us Part II
Leading up to its release in June, I wasn't sure I even wanted to play The Last of Us Part II. For one, how could they possibly top the original, which is probably my all-time favorite game? And why would I want to put myself through an emotional wringer when everything leading up to that point in the year was absolutely terrible? I was emotionally drained and unsure I could handle such a dark and depressing game about a world-wide viral outbreak in the middle of an actual world-wide viral outbreak. But all of those worries were squashed minutes into the game.
Yes, The Last of Us Part II is very heavy and at times very unpleasant. But it's so masterful in its execution. I felt this game deep down in my core. I cried when characters had happiness stolen away from them. I seethed in anger when characters were wronged. I felt denial and disappointment when characters I loved did things I knew were dishonorable. This is narrative that you rarely see in games, and is something only Naughty Dog could do. The first Last of Us is about love, and what we would give up to protect those we hold dear. Part II is about hate, and what is taken away from us when we lose ourselves to it. Above all, though, The Last of Us Part II is about forgiveness.
The real world is cruel and unfair, seemingly taking things from us at random. In the broken post-apocalypse of The Last of Us hope is even more fleeting, meaning the happy moments Ellie, Joel, Abby, Dina, and the others experience is all the more important. Intense sequences like the escape in Seattle where Ellie is captured by the WLF and subsequently rescued by Dina are countered with ones like the beautiful museum flashback.
The main driving force for Ellie is revenge. She is obsessed with it, thinking that killing those responsible for her pain and loss is the only way to find peace. On the flip side you have Abby, who, like Ellie, also seeks revenge. But her story story more closely mirrors that of Joel's from the first game. The time you spend with her in the latter half of the game makes you rethink everything you've come to know and feel about her. The same goes for Ellie. Their dueling narratives are what set this game apart from anything else I've played this year, and maybe even any other game that's come before.
From a gameplay standpoint Part II does everything better than the first. Shooting, stealth, and traversal are all near-perfect. And it goes without saying that this game is a technical marvel. There must be a bunch of wizards working over there at Naughty Dog because the attention to detail here is astounding (just throwing a brick through a window is mind-blowing).
It would be unfair to try to decide if Part II is better than the first game. To me, they're two halves of one extraordinary whole. They compliment each other and make each other better, add nuance and depth to one another. Naughty Dog continues to show that they are the premier developer in gaming. It's a shame I ever doubted them. I rolled credits on The Last of Us Part II nearly five months ago and I still find myself thinking about it. It is hands down the best game I played in 2020.
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