The Best Video Game Picks Of 2020
Video games have been a wonderful bit of respite this year. Even when they're breaking our hearts, we're so glad to have these games distracting us, entertaining us and keeping us company.
Below, you'll find ten of the best games that came out in what might just be the worst possible year.
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13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (PS4)
While this mish-mash of mech anime, visual novel and tactics gameplay was easy to miss among the big-hitters of 2020, it's actually a must-play game for anyone with a PS4.
"13 Sentinels" earned a "Superb" 9/10 rating from Gamespot, and reviewer Heidi Kemps says:
…13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a character drama: a twisting, turning sci-fi epic jumping through time and dimensions as it follows the lives of its numerous teen protagonists. Missiles, Gatling guns, and armor-crushing metal fistcuffs are merely a side event to the everyday drama of highschoolers who find themselves unwilling pawns in a bigger game with the fate of the world at stake. And you know what? That's great…
The Last Of Us Part II (PS4)
Set many years after the first game, Part II has you explore both the emotional and geopolitical fallout from the world-altering decisions made by Joel. Not only is it an interesting story continuation, it's also a graphical showpiece.
Over at IGN, Jonathan Dornbush has this to say in his 10/10 review:
But while Part 2 is a thrilling adventure, it still makes time for a stunning, nuanced exploration of the strength and fragility of the human spirit. The PlayStation 4 has one of its best exclusives in one of the generation's best games.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)
This latest installment hit right at the beginning of the pandemic, and it has been a reliable, comforting friend throughout. We plan on spending the months ahead mostly indoors, and the pleasant escapism offered here is much appreciated.
In her review for Gamespot, Kallie Plagge says:
New Horizons certainly came at the right time, and its strengths are particularly comforting right now. I'm as excited to see what random events await me each morning as I am glad to have it during hard times, and that's sure to keep me coming back for the foreseeable future.
Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)
For many millennials, Final Fantasy VII looms large. It was massively popular when it hit the PlayStation in the 90s, and it has fundamentally changed the way we think about JRPGs. More than two decades later, this remake of the first section of the original has fleshed out the characters and scenario, and it makes us reconsider core aspects of its storytelling. It's better than we could have hoped.
In his glowing review for The Guardian, Steve Boxers says:
Remaking a universally acclaimed classic was always a fearful responsibility, but like its own sword-wielding heroes, Square Enix has risen to the challenge spectacularly.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS4, PS5)
Miles Morales is a smart spin-off to Insomniac's previous Spider-Man game from a few years back. Miles, newly dubbed Harlem's Spider-Man, has to deal with both saving his city and dealing with the disappointments from the people who mean the most to him.
At USGamer, Mike Williams sums it up thusly:
Miles Morales proves that the first game wasn't a fluke. Insomniac knows how to translate Spider-Man and his world to gaming, while also offering their own spin on these popular comic characters. And like Uncharted: Lost Legacy, I find the tighter focus of Miles Morales actually benefits the game and the character.
Dreams (PS4)
Media Molecule has a long history of giving players the tools needed to make their own wonderful worlds and marvelous moments, but Dreams takes it to a whole new level. This is a full-fledged development environment, and it lets us all get a taste of making our own games.
T.K. Hale, writing at Gaming Trend, explains why this is such a successful release:
Dreams is an ambitious game that succeeds on every front where others have failed. Media Molecule took what they designed, developed, and created over the years and encapsulated it into an experience that has endless possibilities; for them and us.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Cross-Gen Xbox, PlayStation)
It took a few releases, but Ubisoft has fully transitioned the Assassin's Creed series from stealth games to full-on action RPGs in the mold of The Witcher. Valhalla is definitely their most robust release to date, and the Norse/English setting is easy to love.
And in her review at RPGFan, Eva Padilla argues that the best way to play this massive game is as the woman version of the protagonist:
It's still an enjoyable romp: a world filled with brutal combat encounters, a slew of arcane mysteries, and diverse sights that can be achingly gorgeous, powerfully harrowing, and even bizarrely psychedelic. But in the course of my playthrough as Feivor, I feel that I've received Valhalla as it should have been.
Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity (Switch)
Nintendo set the bar high this generation when they released Breath of the Wild. Countless games are aping its aesthetic this year, but Age Of Calamity has the benefit of being an authentic prequel story. The gameplay is very different from the original game, but fans of the hack-and-slash "Warriors" or "Musou" games will be very pleased with this smart mashup.
USGamer's Nadia Oxford had this to say about this action-first Zelda:
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity isn't The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, but it's a great musou game with a lot of content for starved fans of Breath of the Wild. Even if you're a Zelda fan who can take or leave musou games, Age of Calamity is worth taking.
Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch)
If witty writing and complex combat are what you're missing on your Switch, you need to snag The Origami King right this instance. It's colorful, whacky and surprisingly challenging at points.
Sam Loveridge at GamesRadar appreciates the changes made in this iteration of Nintendo's long-running RPG series:
An excellent story, charming characters, and the ability to team up with your oldest foes makes The Origami King a triumph. Yes, it may not be the new Thousand-Year Door RPG, but it's something special that should be celebrated.
Crusader Kings III (PC)
Crusader Kings III is, on its surface, a game about trying to control warring states many hundreds of years ago. However, what it really succeeds at is generating the wildest drama imaginable in impossibly complex social networks. Everyone has an opinion about everyone else, and there will always be repercussions for every action. Let's hope you can navigate the assassins and rival factions to secure your lineage remains in control.
Gita Jackson at Vice Games nails exactly why CK3 sucks you in:
It is so easy to slip into your world, lording over a few counties, totally engrossed in the minute dramas of your court. But the real marvel is when you scroll out to see the whole world, and you see how much of it has developed without you.
Kentucky Route Zero (PC, Switch)
Kentucky Route Zero is an adventure game has been rolling out in episodes over most of the last decade, and now we finally have the entire game in one beautiful, heart-wrenching package. Few games speak to us on deep, emotional level like this one, but KRZ has what it takes be labeled a true masterpiece.
At PC Gamer, Rachel Watts wraps up exactly why these small-scale stories of Appalachian ennui resonate so well:
Kentucky Route Zero tells the stories of people and their collision with social or natural forces that they are powerless against. But KRZ isn't completely melancholy. The last chapter is warm, hopeful, and a finale that feels good regardless of whether it took you seven years or seven hours to get there. Its storytelling is slow but purposeful and blends fiction, history, lore and the supernatural to conjure up an intricate portrait of America and its wanderers.
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