As garbage of a year 2020 was, it did have some radical highs to accompany its desolate lows. Had a complete blast at PAX East with the full MV crew, finally graduated school, and even got a job in my career fresh out of graduation. The cost was concerts and films I had been eagerly anticipating being lost to the void. Games were still pretty good though, with some pretty fun surprises this year like Streets of Rage 4 and Fight Crab supplying moments of joy in this oppressive year.
10. Maneater
As a longtime Jaws fan, all I’ve ever wanted was the right game to capture the visceral POV of being the shark and boy did Maneater deliver that in spades. The RPG angle to it was neat, and getting to make my shark increasingly more gruesome with upgrades was devilishly delicious as I terrorized the citizens of Port Clovis.
Best Moment: Tail whipping a beach goer into the stratosphere
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
It honestly feels really good to give a shit about a Call of Duty again. I’ve been off the wagon since the criminally slept on Advanced Warfare, and Cold War is a fantastic return to (modern) form. The campaign, while never reaching the highs of the first Black Ops, still manages to scratch that conspiracy movie itch and the competitive multiplayer is great as it ever was. Zombies is there too I guess.
Best Moment: The flood of hate messages I get during matches gives me that serotonin
8. Phasmophobia
I’m hard pressed to call Phasmophobia a “good” game. It’s repetitive as hell (more so once you learn the ghost triggers) and beyond buggy with a mandatory 10-20 minute setup period each session to make sure mics are working. But even with all that, it’s made some of my favorite multiplayer moments in recent memory. Hearing someone’s mic cut off mid-scream, and not knowing if the ghost killed them or if the electronics are down is a terrifying experience, that’s then immediately punctuated by me walking back into the room to shit talk the ghost.
Best Moment: Being ready with Brian’s hairspray
7. THPS 1+2
The mad lads actually did it. After the absolute disasters that were THPS5 and THPS HD, we finally got the remakes we deserved. THPS 1+2 does what a good remake should always do: override the original version of the game as the new definitive way to play. By preserving the way you remembered these games playing, and including the improvements from later titles in the series, they nailed these remakes.
Best Moment: Seeing an infinite grind level already premade for you because the devs know exactly who their audience is
6. Hades
I had heard of Hades when it dropped in early access initially but didn’t think to look into it since I wasn’t too hot on Transistor and I had my fill of roguelikes at the time. I picked the game upon its “release” and am really kicking myself for not checking it out sooner. Its blend of visual novel/dating sim elements with the roguelike genre is almost effortless as you actually enjoy dying during a run because it means you get to speak with the denizens of hades more often. Each time I’d boot the game up I’d tell myself I’d only play for maybe thirty minutes, then a quick blink and it’s suddenly somehow 3 am.
Best Moment: Petting Cerberus
5. ULTRAKILL
I love me my boomer shooters, but ULTRAKILL isn’t that. Taking a pinch of DOOM, and a liberal spreading of Devil May Cry, and you’ve got one of the most creative first-person shooters in years. With a roaring soundtrack, ULTRAKILL challenges you to not only kill violently but stylishly as well with a combo system that’ll have you constantly impressed with the maneuvers you can chain together. It’s one thing knowing you can parry enemy bullets, but another entirely when you realize you can parry your own bullets as you fire them. Only the first act is currently out, but I’m eagerly anticipating the release of the next two.
Best Moment: The 1v1 mirror match boss fight
4. Ghost of Tsushima
Sucker Punch was clearly just as tired as we were of waiting for Ubisoft to get off their ass and make an Assassin’s Creed game in feudal Japan so they went ahead and did it themselves. As a massive fan of samurai movies, Ghost of Tsushima took the elements I love of the genre and created an absolutely beautiful world to play in, with some visuals I was constantly floored were running on a PS4. Strutting into a Mongol base to talk shit, then insta-kill a handful of chumps like some samurai John Wick never stopped feeling cool. Add onto that, a fun Halloween co-op expansion and you’ve got a hell of a package.
Best Moment: Spending hours in photo mode
3. DOOM Eternal
There are two villains in games that always illicit a childlike glee when you get to ruthlessly slaughter them: Nazis and demons. Taking the foundation of the brilliant 2016 game, DOOM Eternal cranks everything way past eleven as you bounce from level to level, ripping and tearing everything in your way. The new mobility options just help speed up an already breakneck game, and the weapon options require you to treat each combat arena as more a puzzle than mindlessly holding the trigger button (although you can do that sometimes too). It’s easily the best playing shooter in years, if not ever and that’s a hill I’ll die happily on.
Best Moment: The feeling of pure euphoria after finishing some of those slayer gates on your first go
2. Deep Rock Galactic
Rock and stone brothers! Deep Rock Galactic is easily my biggest surprise of the year. I’ve dropped dozens of hours in it, captured just as many clips of memorable moments, and overall had some of the best co-op experiences of my life with a game I hadn’t even realized had come out until a friend brought it up. Taking a page from Starship Troopers, Deep Rock Galactic tosses you and three other dwarves deep in a bug infested planet to mine precious resources that your corporate overlords need more than the inhabiting species. Just don’t think about it and toss back another beer at the bar to keep your mind from realizing you might actually be the baddie in this situation.
Best Moment: Neck deep in a hole with my dwarf brothers as we stave off a relentless wave of bugs and the hype music kicks off
1. Yakuza: Like A Dragon
How does a studio take a seven game deep franchise and not only soft-reboot it with a completely different protagonist, but drastically alter the combat system without missing a single step? Like A Dragon is easily peak Yakuza, with the series’ signature blend of silly shenanigans and serious crime drama mixed perfectly. Ichi is a worthy successor to Kiryu and honestly one of my favorite protagonists in years, with his wholesome outlook in life being a much-needed presence right now. If you’ve never dipped your toes in the Yakuza series, there really isn’t a better time to start than now.
Best Moment: Anytime they bring up Dragon Quest and wondering how Square Enix didn’t come after them for it
