Despite 2020 being a veritable dumpster volcano, it has been a surprisingly solid year for gaming, and boy have I had time to play them. Here is my rundown of my favourite titles in a surprisingly packed gaming year.
10. Ori And The Will Of The Wisps
Stellar sequel to Blind Forest, which retained the graphical beauty and creative navigation of the first, but also beefed up the combat system greatly to make a far more satisfying whole.
9. Mafia Definitive Edition
More of a remake than the title might suggest, this highly impressive upgrade fleshed out the great original story, significantly tightened up gameplay, and graphically enhanced Chicago to a high sheen. One of the finest period gangster games ever made from 2003 earns that crown all over again in 2020.
8. Streets Of Rage 4
This long awaited – like, decades long – sequel far exceeded my high expectations. Pitch perfect brawler combat, slick new aesthetic, and unlockable fan service for days make this one of my favourite retro franchise returns.
7. Tony Hawk Skateboarding 1+2
It’s the Tony Hawk classics you remember, only arguably better. Stop reading this and play it.
6. Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Mini follow up to the 2018 superhero hit, which gave a much tighter runtime experience and a more in depth combat system. Think of it less as a shorter experience and more as the first game with the fat trimmed. Great stopgap before the inevitable full sequel.
5. John Wick Hex
Lionsgate Games went outside the conventional licensed game box for this one, tapping Thomas Was Alone’s Mike Bithell to come up with a tactical combat game that plays more like an isometric Superhot than it does an X-COM. It always has you playing Wick chess; thinking three moves and two bullets in the chamber ahead. Satisfying.
4. Watch Dogs: Legion
Third time lucky, I guess. Taking an innovative “hire any protagonist you like” mechanic is an interesting move that’s surprisingly robust when you get into it, but where this one really worked for me is the moving away from the rather conventional modern urban open world formula and harking back to the more anarchic nature of games like San Andreas and Vice City, throwing logic to the wall and really letting you have fun messing with the sandbox.
3. The Last Of Us Part 2
Having been more a fan of the plot than the gameplay of the first, for me the two finally meet with the sequel. I thought the story’s subverting of expectations was pretty ballsy for such a high profile franchise, and the gameplay is pitch perfect, matching up favorably with the best third person survival horror action titles, and some incredible setpieces (screw you, Rat King. I nearly swallowed my tongue).
2. Doom Eternal
2016’s Doom was a cathartic blast from start to finish, but Eternal isn’t interested in cruising though demons with a shotty; it wants you to think, and eventually not think. Combat now has an almost micromanagement element, which requires you to consistently switch weapons and tactics to stay in the fray. While daunting at first, it all becomes second nature and I found myself tearing through Marauders in muscle memory nirvana. And yes, it’s still metal as f**k.
1. Cyberpunk 2077
Yes, this one. I see the response and I understand, but I can only speak to my own experience, and my time on the Series X has been a complete blast. Sure, it doesn’t reinvent the action RPG wheel, but I love spending time in the world. Night City is as vast vertically as it is horizontally, and it’s incredibly tangible and well realized. I found the stories, buried lore and characters fascinating, and the character builds and gunplay is satisfying and surprisingly granular when you dig into the stats. I was three quarters of the way through the game and already planning a second run with a different class, ready to burn the city a second time.
