It’s finally the end of what has been a trying year for so many people and while we all can’t wait to be rid of 2020 and its unwanted anomalies and disappointments, there is no denying that 2020 has been a very good year for video games and the gaming community in general partly due to the stay-home effect enforced by the enraging pandemic. 2020 ushered in the release of various new consoles from the console giants: Sony and Microsoft and even new graphics cards and tech for the PC gamers alike, provided you can get your hands on them of course. The year has also seen a variety of spectacular new releases and as it’s tradition to rate our best games of the year at the end of the year, here is my take on the best games of 2020.Bear in mind that this is purely my personal opinion and you might have a very different take on what the best games of the years should be. Without further ado, here are the ten best games of 2020.
10. WATCH DOGS: LEGION
The most recent installment to the watchdog franchise takes the story to a future dystopian world of London. Being a sequel to the 2016 entry, the game once again focuses on the hacker group Dedsec on a mission to clear their name after being framed for a series of bombings as well as liberating the citizens of London from an oppressive military government. In this world, London is now a surveillance state with every citizen being tracked and monitored by an oppressive private military company contracted to protect London after the bombings.Watch Dog: Legion introduces several new features along with numerous open world features from previous games. Some of these features include the ability to recruit numerous NPC’s with unique skills and background to complete missions for you. Also, another feature known as permadeath which can be enabled before the start of a new game has been added. With permadeath enabled, recruited NPC’s can be lost permanently in battle giving players a sense of responsibility towards the safety of their recruited operative.Like previous game, a mission can be completed by employing a variety of approach depending on the operator’s skill set. Operators that are good at hacking are best suited to a hacking approach using hackable items to defeat enemies, there is also the stealth approach which involves using the environment as cover and taking down opponents silently to avoid detection and the combat approach involving all out gun fight or fist fight with opponents. Despite all the notable additions and improvements to the previous games, Watch Dogs Legion received mixed/average reviews with critics stating that though the permadeath mechanic is a welcome addition to the feanchise, it was sadly not implemented as well as it should have been. Some critics also had things to say about the repetitive natire of the missions among others.
9. ASSASSINS CREED: VALHALLA
Assassins creed is a franchise that has literally travelled round the globe from Asia, to Africa and back to ancient Greece and it’s most recent release takes it to the helm of the vikings during the vikings invasion of Britain in 873 AD.The game follows a fictional story of Eivor, a viking raider who is caught between the conflict of the Brotherhood of the Assassins and the Order of the Templar.Players have the choice of playing Eivor as either male or female. The game takes a lot of characteristic features that are staple to the assassins creed franchise howbeit with improvements. While the game was praised for its graphics, story and its take on the open world, it was largely criticized for some technical issues it suffered and ‘a lack of innovation’ as some fans think the Assassins Creed formula is now over-saturated at this point with some even going further to say its like buying different versions of the same game every year with minor tweaks. However, Assassins creed valhalla received generally favourable reviews according to main review organization and a host of other awards and nominations. Sales-wise also, it also performed excellently with the PC version of the game being Ubisoft’s most successful launch on the PC.
8. CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE
Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play multiplayer royale game and an extension to the 2019 title, Modern Warfare. Featuring two main modes: Plunder and Battle royale and a variety of maps and individual content, Warzone received generally favourable reviews from critics with the most praise attributed to its maps.Game modes are similar to other games in the genre with the battle royale featuring a shrinking map and the last man standing takes home the price. Unlike other games however, Warzone offers a respawn mechanic which allows players that have been killed back into the game depending on their performance against other defeated players in an arena called the gulag.Also, players may use in-game currency to purchase respawn tokens for other players. In the plunderer mode, teams of players have to find stacks of cash scattered around the map. The team with the most amount after the clock runs out wins and player respawn is automatic and infinite in this mode. In addition to these game modes, warzone features a variety of other game modes with distinct features and appeal.Warzone has been nominated for a myriad of awards including the best multiplayer game at the games award 2020. The game also boasts of a staggering 85million players worldwide.
7. MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR
MFS is one of the few games in 2020 that caught almost everyone by surprise and had us sink a lot of hours into it since release.It is one of those games that you don’t know you needed until you give it a try. It is quite ironic and funny at the same time that the game released in a time where all international flights were banned. It was even cited as ‘the safest way to travel during the covid-19 pandemic’ but I digress .Microsoft flight simulator is a beauty to look at and there are portions of the game that are so photo realistic that some probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference at first glance. Visiting popular landmarks is always so exciting and it feels like you’re actually out there, sight seeing, which is definitely needed in 2020 . The level of detail in the game is also very impressive for a world generated by AI.The control scheme however stand out as they are a direct replica of a real airplane to the extent where pro pilots have testified that it’s just like piloting an actual airplane. This makes the controls quite intimidating at first for most players as obviously everyone is definitely not a professional pilot. The game uses data from cloud-based technology to simulate most in game events and features such as terrain data, humidity, pollution levels, weather and real-time meteorological data an lots more. An offline AI extrapolates geometry from satellite imagery and populates the world accordingly. Microsoft Flight Simulator received universal acclaim on release which critics praising its graphical fidelity, gameplay and immersion and even going ahead to term it a technological marvel and phenomenon.However, there is much to be desired when it comes to the game’s load times.
6. THE LAST OF US II
Without mincing words, Naughty Dog is hands down the best in the business when it comes to story telling in games. Though their latest entry hit the ground garnering mixed reviews, it’s clear that they didn’t rest on their oars in the story aspect of The Last of us ii. Set five years after The last of us, it is a sequel and continuation of the story. The game finds strength in its visual fidelity, gameplay, characters but it’s narrative was considered lacklustre by critics for obvious reasons. However, this didn’t stop the game from receiving numerous awards and accolade from several gaming publications. It went on to be the fastest selling ps4 exclusives and one of the best selling playstation 4 games with over four million units sold just in its release weekend. The gameplay aspect saw major improvements from its predecessor. Players control two characters and control intermittently switches between one of the two characters: Ellie and Abby. The last of us II had a very good reception with publishers like IGN siting it as “a masterpiece worthy of its predecessor”, a very positive review among numerous other publications.There is no doubt that The last of us II is one of the best sequels of all times and hands down one of the very best releases of 2020.
5. DOOM ETERNAL
The sequel to the 2016 masterpiece, Doom, Doom eternal has quickly captured the hearts of both fans and critics alike with its fast paced, gruesome gameplay and a banging soundtrack. The first person action shooter received critical acclaim for its single player campaign, graphics, fast paced gameplay and combat mechanism and a host of multiplayer mode that further help to up the ante.Once again, players take on the role of the Doom Slayer as he battles to end hell’s consumption of Earth.The game sees a lot of added features and improvement from the previous entry, some of which are: a new system called ‘Destructible Demons’ where enemies bodies gradually deteriorate depending on damage meted on them. This also has game play implications as enemies lose power and certain abilities as there deteriorate. Also, a new health system have been introduced which allows the Doom Slayer to respawn at exactly where he died instead of the last checkpoint if he has spare lives. There are also a lot more enemy types to combat with unique strengths features and weaknesses in the new entry giving the game a ton of diversity and even replayeability. Doom Eternal is a solid 2020 entry from id software and bethesda sofworks which has garnered well deserved praise in its execution. Major strengths of the game according to critics is its soundtrack, graphics, level design, campaign and combat. Others dislike its increased focus on storytelling stating that it is not signatory for a Doom game.
4. GHOST OF TSUSIMA
If you’re anything like me and have had several random thoughts of what it would be like to live in ancient japan as a samurai warrior, then think no more because your answer is Ghost of Tsushima! And boy, is it a darn impressive and immersive experience. Ghost of Tsushima is an action-adventure ps4 exclusive title with stealth elements played from a third person perspective. You follow the story of Jin Sakai, a samurai warrior on a quest to protect Tsushima island from the ruthless general Khotun Khan during the first Mongol invasion of Japan. The game is notable for its aesthetics and visuals and its portrayal of the open world and combat that was extremely satisfying, flowed and felt right. Though it was criticized when it came to activities found in the open world.The game received numerous awards and accolades including nomination for The Game Award 2020 among several others. Sales wise, it topped several charts in the first week of its release and as at November of 2020, the game is said to have sold a total of over 5 million copies worldwide
3. ANIMAL CROSSING:NEW HORIZONS
Nintendo’s new release in the simulator series Animal Crossing is nothing short of excellence and perfection executed with style and finesse, a brand identity of Nintendo at this point. Having sold over 26million copies and bagging a host of awards and nominations it’s no wonder why it has received ‘universal acclaim’ from all and sundry. Being a life simulation game played in real time, it sports a lot of impressive features that immerses players to the island along with being open-ended. It boasts an impressive customization system which is a huge step up from previous entries, the in-game weather now changes and adjusts to the seasons depending on the player’s real world location. Various reviewers have cited that the game’s success can largely be attributed to the covid-19 pandemic stating that it was the covid-19 distraction the world needed.
2. CYBERPUNK 2077
Cyberpunk 2077, though not perfection by any means has still managed to catch the world by storm, selling more than 13 million copies barely a month from release. From the creators of the witcher series,CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077 is a futuristic RPG shooter set in the fictional world of Night City. Having what could be largely termed as a disastrous launch, the game’s reviews were largely positive. Critics praised the quality of the story, depth of side quests, stunning visuals(on the PC), and an immersive world that duly conveys the cyberpunk futuristic atmosphere.However, some features such as the crafting system were deemed too abstract by many and hence received mixed reviews. Though most consumers suggest that the game needed a little more time in the oven because of the present buggy state of the game especially on consoles, it is pleasing to know that it’ll only get better from here with cyberpunk constantly working to release patches and bug fixes to improve the game.
1. HALF LIFE: ALYX
After a long wait of over a decade and a half, Valve has finally gifted fans of the ground breaking classic a much needed Half Life release In the form of the VR’s first killer app, Half Life Alyx. Though not quite the release we were expecting as it is a VR game and a prequel to Half Life 2, there is no denial that Half life Alyx is absolutely phenomenal. It brought over robust features like the iconic physics system that’s now symbolic of the Half life franchise, intuitive physics puzzles, robust combat and survival horror elements with even more polish and finesse.The events of the game takes place between Half life and Half Life 2 and sees players step into the shoes of Alyx Vance for a change. To be honest, a sequel to Half Life 2 would have been a daunting task for even valve to undertake considering how it raised the bar of expectation for FPS games as a whole coupled with the tremendously high and unrealistic expectations fans demanded from a Half Life game and the fact that valve managed to deliver sometime extra-ordinary with Half Life Alyx is a testament to their genius and goes to show that they are highly capable of coming up with a hit sequel/continuation to the franchise.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE
-HADES
-FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE
-ORI AND THE WILL OF THE WISPS
-FALL GUYS:ULTIMATE KNOCKOUT
-AMONG US(released way back in 2018 but received and lot of publicity in 2020)
-TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 1+2
(DEDICATED TO MY MG - I PURPLE YOU(23.03.13))
Had a great time with these games
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