Best Video Games of 2020: CNET’s Favorite Titles of the Year

When it comes to entertainment, 2020 robbed us a lot. It took our movies, took live music, and it kept the audience away from sports. But games are one of the thriving areas of the coronavirus era. Not only was this year’s big release released as intended, but people around the world have more time to play the game than ever before.

Earlier this year, there were three particularly hype games: FINAL FANTASY 7 Remake, Last of us part 2 The first two were highly praised for receiving full marks from our sister site, GameSpot, and responding to hype. Third, I have a love for that huge open world and a dislike for dangerous performances, especially on the PlayStation. 4 and Xbox One.

And when it comes to PS4 and Xbox One, with the introduction of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S platforms in 2020, the platform that entered this year as the “current generation” has become the “last generation.” So, as you can see, it’s no exaggeration to say that this year has been a big year for the game. Here is our favorite game.

Fall Guys

Mark Celels, Editor-in-Chief

I’ve acknowledged, Fall Guys It was a little flash. Sure, no one really talks or plays about it anymore. But for about two months I didn’t do anything other than Fall Guys. And that was great.

Most online games, especially shooters like Counter-Strike and Valorant, take pride in their balance. By removing random elements, we create an environment where the best players can win with their skills and ingenuity. Fall Guys did the opposite. Fall Guys succeeded because of their absolute commitment to chaos.

An insane battle royale game inspired by programs such as Ninja Senshi and Takeshi’s Castle. Fall GuysBrightly illuminated hell landscape of late capitalism in full bloom.. “A video game in which your potential successes and failures are almost entirely dependent on factors outside your control. Fall Guys has no empathy and no safety nets. You lose, it’s completely It will be unfair.

But for some reason I still don’t fully understand, it didn’t stop me from coming back. Over and over again. Fall Guys, I love you and your bullshit.

Ghost of Tsushima

Dan Ackerman, Senior Managing Editor

If most of what happened in 2020 doesn’t go through successfully, it’s hard to pick the best game of 2020. We are suffering from forced indoor isolation, turbulent political seasons, massive social unrest, disinformation campaigns, and various other worst timeline disasters. In addition, we got two new next-generation game consoles that rarely actually moved the hands of innovative games, at least at the time of launch.

At a purely technical level, this year’s game has simply been the best made, the most meticulously created, the most clearly optimized and fun. A fascinating experience is Ghost of Tsushima.. Everything about it feels incredibly fine-tuned. At first, it was rejected as a skirmish game with many battles. This isn’t usually like me, but the combination of storytelling, voice acting, visual design, and historical background is just a masterclass of game design.

Played the next generation version of Assassin’s Creed: Valhara, I found Ghost to do almost everything and look better on the PS4 than most PS5 games. Watch Dogs: Legion isn’t very fine-tuned, but it has a great semi-realistic London and freight drone to ride. Still, Ghosts is probably the purest fun I’ve played this year.

Bonus: The real best game of the year is Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. This is a great desktop strategy dungeon crawl that feels like a great PCRPG in the form of paper and plastic.

Hades

Andrew Gebhart, Senior Associate Editor

Hades Special and unique title In a year full of sequels, retreads and remakes. Explore new ways to tell a story using the media and make it happen with great character work, fun gameplay, and thrilling music. It’s my game of the year and it’s not particularly close.

I had a hard time participating in other games in the roguelike genre-as defined by starting from scratch each time you die. In Hades, instead of starting from scratch, it gets stronger and stronger with each run (which causes fraud).Light Sub-genre). At an early stage, it was easy for me to keep trying, as it was easy to store enough permanent resources to unlock new weapons and powerful stat upgrades.

More than that, every time you die, you return to your home at the foot of hell (your character is trying to escape) and have a relationship with a roster of characters revisited from classic Greek mythology. Can be built. Imagine losing the first boss, going back to the base and chatting with her about it, or finally hitting her and exaggerating your next time while she sits in the bar and tries to ignore you please try.

As you build up more runs, you’ll learn more about each of these amazingly deep characters, and the dialogue won’t be impressively repeated. The game reacts amazingly to your progress and your cohort gradually opens the door to you and tries to help you if you are paying attention to them.

As you increase your character’s stats and learn which powers work well together, gameplay also begins to become much more manageable. The challenge is tough but fair, and it’s very rewarding to finally defeat the tough boss who has made you try many times.

Whether you like this genre or not, I highly recommend trying Hades. The action captivated me, but the way it weaves the story and character arc into your ongoing struggle is great and will raise Hades above the field for me in 2020.

Last of us part 2

Oscar Gonzales, Staff Reporter

As an older gamer who has been playing video games for 40 years, I’m rarely surprised. There is an exception that comes once in a generation that shakes me completely from the beginning and breaks the preconceptions I had. The Last of Us Part 2 did just that..

Of course, I don’t want to delve into the story spoilers, but it’s more like a roller coaster of emotions from a two-hour movie, rather than a ten-fold longer game. It’s clear how Naughty Dog wanted to provide a series of bowel punches that embarrassed Mike Tyson, and I was on each receiver. The development team has also made the game fun to play, whether it’s providing stealth and brutal takedowns or barking for fear of clickers patrol the area.

The· A wave of anger with the release of The Last of Us Part 2 Not lost to me. It’s like endless anger, still burning months after its release. I don’t see people claiming that the game is inferior, but I do understand how games like The Last of Us affected those who played it.

Super Mario 3D All Stars

Jackson Ryan, Science Editor

just kidding.

Spelunky 2

Morgan Little, Social Media Director

No, it’s not as revelatory as Spelunky HD, and it’s not even better in the series. But what’s more thematically more appropriate than Spelunky in a year full of slow, cautious progress interrupted by quick failures and a return to where everything started? Enter each level knowing what to do, what the traps and dangers are (or you will learn them at least soon for the next avoidance).

Playing:
Look at this:

PS5 and Xbox Series X: Ultimate Comparison

15:36

What is the worst thing that can happen? Oh, you bubbled you into spike blocks that were too distracting and unnoticed, and who knows when you will get the jetpack and 20 bombs again? I might have been more careful. You may have been able to consider your options, but your progress has stimulated bravery instead of equal consideration, and now you are back in the square.

That orbit is at the heart of Spelunky 2 And it is the core of the 2020 experience. You don’t have to beat both at some point and come back again.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Daniel Van Boom, News Editor

I’m embarrassed and tired that my colleague isn’t getting any more love Animal Crossing: New Horizons..

Who was there for you when the world was closed in March? Tom Nook. Who was dating you when your Shelter-in-Place order was extended until the end of April? Timmy and Tommy. What calmed you down when the blockade became New Normal in May? exactly, Water the flowers of your tropical paradise..

Games such as The Last of Us 2, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Cyberpunk 2077 could have been big titles in January 2020. But when everything changed in March, it was Animal Crossing that made me feel unlikely. It was the right game at the right time-or at least it was the time it was most needed.

It is revealed by its success.When Over 26 million units sold, It’s a bigger money-making for Nintendo than Breath of the Wild, Smash Brothers, and Super Mario Odyssey. The Last of Us 2 is great, Final Fantasy 7 isn’t ashamed of its name, and cyberpunk is certainly huge. However, 2020 was the year of Animal Crossing.

FINAL FANTASY 7 Remake

Sean Keane, Staff Reporter

It came out.The fact that I played FINAL FANTASY 7 Remake It feels like a miracle in 2020-almost 23 years later Glory original Fifteen years after the PlayStation hit and fans asked for a remake with a nice PS3 tech demo, it launched on the PS4.

And it was incredible. Cloud and the company are more attractive than ever, and SQUARE ENIX used their experience in combat systems to make combat very refreshing and it was a pleasure to explore Midgar. It’s one of the few virtual worlds I’ve always wanted to see, as the rearranged version of the composer Nobuo Uematsu’s original soundtrack captivated me completely.

The ending also takes an unexpectedly big story swing that makes you think, “Did I like it?” After a bit of reflection, I conclude that I like it-the end that re-evaluates the experience is a winner for me.

Roll on, part 2..

Madden NFL 20

Scott Stein, editors in general

I know what you are trying to say. “”Madden NFL 20 It didn’t come out this year either. ”

Want some games I loved? OK, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Half-life: Alyx.strange Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.. Lots of VR games like The Room VR. I went in and out of many of them.

But when the world was closed and I stopped playing Animal Crossing, I turned to Madden. I picked up the poor New York Jets, started jumping into franchise mode, and moved forward in time. 1 year, 5 years, 10 years. I am now in 2034.

I’ve seen players go up and down. I’ve seen a lot of championships run. I fell in love with players who didn’t even exist and felt sad about their inevitable trades and releases. By the way, I’m not a good Madden player. I use the coach’s suggestions. I use it as an anesthetic, a meditation routine, and a way to hone my knowledge of the mysterious American sports that I fell in love with because my dad sent me to the game when I was a kid.

What did you do every night for months? Madden 20. Did I sink for hundreds of hours? Madden 20. And when Madden 21 came out and its updates were less than stellar, and recently disappointed with its overwhelming next-generation features, what did I come back to again? Madden 20.

Where will you be tomorrow, probably around midnight? This is the same as every other night you spend at home during an endless journey to quarantine. Madden 20.

This is until 2021.