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

As far as entertainment is concerned, 2020 takes a lot from us. He took our movies, he took live music and he took the audience out of the sport. But gaming is a field that thrives in the coronavirus era. Not only have the big releases of the year started as intended, people around the world now have more time to play games than ever before.

Coming into the year, there were three particularly hyped games: Final Fantasy 7 remake, Our last part 2 And Cyberpunk 2077. The first two were praised for living up to the hype – both get full scores from our sister site Gamespot – while the third is getting love for its vast open world and especially on PlayStation, Hate for Dodge Display 4 and Xbox One .

And speaking of the PS4 and Xbox One – the platforms that entered the year as “current-gen” are now “last-gen”, as will the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in 2020. S brought the platform. So, as you can tell, it’s safe to say that the past year has been pretty big for gaming. Here, then, are our favorite games.

Fall ys guys

Mark Cereals, Editorial Director

Sure, the Fall Guys were in a bit of a pan-flash. Sure, no one really talks about it or it won’t play anymore. But for a period of about two months, I played nothing but fall guys. And it was wonderful.

Most online games, especially shooters like Counter-Strike or Val Valnt, boast a balance. In eliminating random elements, creating an environment where the best players win by skill or ingenuity. Gu Guys took the wicket. The Gu Guys success was due to their complete commitment to chaos.

It’s a crazy war royal game that takes its cues from shows like Ninja Warrior and Taxi’s Castle – I described the Fall Guys. “Brilliant illuminated hellish view of late-stage capitalism in full bloom“A video game where your potential success and failure is almost entirely based on factors beyond your control. There is no sympathy, no safety net among the guys. You will lose, and it will be completely unworthy.

But for some reason I still can’t quite figure it out, which didn’t stop me from coming back. Frequently and from above. Fall Gu Guys, I love you and yours.

Susuma’s ghost

Dan Ackerman, Senior Managing Editor

It’s hard to pick the best game of 2020 when a little of what happened in 2020 goes through to normal conditions. We have endured forced indoor isolation, a turbulent political season, massive social unrest, dissolution campaigns, and many other bad time-to-time disasters. What’s more, we found two band-new next-gen game consoles that, at least at launch, did little to really move the needle on innovative gaming.

At the most technical level, this year’s game, which was just the best, was very carefully crafted and most clearly optimized to be entertaining. A beautiful experience is Ghost Tsf Sushima. Everything about it sounds incredibly nice. I dismissed it first as a second combat-heavy collision game, which is not usually my kind of thing, but its combination of story-telling, voice acting, visual design and historical historical background is just a major class in the game’s composition.

The next-version of Assassin’s Creed has played: Valhalla, I found out that Ghost does better on PS4 than most PS5 games and looks better on PS4. Watch Dogs: Legion is not nicely tuned, but it has a great semi-real London and cargo drone that you can ride. Still, Ghost is probably the purest fun I’ve played the game this year.

Bonus: Really the best game of the year is Glomehaven: The Lions of Jasmine, a fantastic tablet strategy dungeon crawl that looks like a great PC RPG in paper and plastic form.

Heads

Andrew Gebhart, Senior Associate Editor

Hades is a special, unique title in a year full of sequels, retreads and remakes. He explores new ways of telling the story using the medium, and he does so with great character work, fun gameplay and exciting music. It’s my game of the year, and it’s not particularly close.

I’ve struggled to get into other sports in the Rogolic style – one determined from the start every time you die. In Hades, you will gradually become more powerful to run as opposed to starting from scratch (which puts you in a rut)Lights Subgener). Initially, it was easy to bunk enough stable resources to unlock a new weapon or a powerful state upgrade, so the motivation to keep trying was easy for me.

Also, whenever you die, you return to your home on the brink of hell (your character is trying to escape) and you’ll develop a relationship with the re-imagined character roster from classic Greek mythology. Imagine the defeat of the master first, then return to base and chat with him about it, or finally beat him up and enjoy your next time when he sits at the bar and tries to ignore you.

As you make more runs, you get more about each of the surprisingly deep characters, and the dialogue never effectively repeats itself. The game responds wonderfully to how you are progressing, and your teammates slowly open up to you and try to help you if you are attentive to it.

The gameplay also starts to get more organized as you increase your character’s stats and learn that the powers work well together. The challenge is tough but fair, and ultimately it is absolutely rewarding to beat a tough boss who has made multiple attempts at you.

Whether you like the style or not, I strongly recommend trying out Hades. This action won me over, but it’s brilliant the way you weave storytelling and character arcs into your constant struggles and how to elevate Hades off the field in 2020.

The Last Use Part 2

Oscar Gonzalez, Staff Reporter

As an older gamer who has been playing video games for four decades under my belt, I am hardly surprised. There are exceptions that come once in a while that completely rock me out of the go-go and erase any hypotheses I have. The Last of Use Part 2 did exactly that.

Naturally, I don’t want to take into account the spoilers of the storyline, but I would say that this game was a rollercoaster ride of the kind of emotions you get from movies that are two hours longer than 10 times longer game. It was clear how naughty Dog wanted to give a series of gut punches that would embarrass Mike Tyson, and I was at the end of it all. The development team also made sure the game was fun to play, whether it was delivering a covert and brutal takedown or working with a dip in fear that clickers were patrolling an area.

This The wave of rage that came with the release of Last Us You Part 2 Not lost on me. Even today, months after its release, there is an amount of outrage that is never contained today. When I don’t look at those who insist the game is subpar, I can understand how our game like The Last Like F had such an impact on who played it.

Super Mario 3D All Stars

Jackson Ryan, science editor

I am joking.

Spelunki 2

Morgan Little, director of social media

No, it’s not as expressive as Spelunky HD, nor have I gotten better in the series. But in a year full of slow, cautious progress, where the fast began and where it all began to be paused by regression, which theme is more appropriate than Spelunki? You go through each level knowing what to do, what traps and dangers you have (or you at least learn them quickly to the next destination).

What could be the worst? Oh, you got bogged down on a spike block that you were too distracted to consider, and who knows when you’ll get a jetpack and 20 bombs again? You could have been more careful. You could have considered your options, but your progress is inspired by bravery rather than at the top of the level and now you’re back on the square.

That ball is at the root of the Spelunki 2 and the 2020 experience. Here at some point both have to beat and never go back.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Daniel Van Boom, News Editor

I am ashamed and disgusted that my colleagues have not shown much love for Animal Crossing: New Horizon.

When the world closed in March, who was there for you? Tom Nook. When the asylum orders were extended until the end of April, who accompanied you? Timmy and Tommy. When lockdown became a new norm in May, did you stay calm? That’s right, Watering the flowers in your tropical paradise.

Games like The Last Us F U2, Final Fantasy 7 remake and Cyberpunk 2077 could be the big titles back in January 2020. But when everything changed in March, it was Animal Crossing that became an unlikely sensation. It was the right game at the right time – or at least the time that was most needed.

It is evident by its success. With over 26 million units sold, it is the biggest earner for Nintendo since Breath of the Wild, Smash Bros. and Super Mario ys DC. The Last Usage 2 was fantastic, Final Fantasy 7 lived up to its name and the cyberpunk is really huge. But 2020 was the year of the Animal Crossing.

Final Fantasy 7 remake

Sean Keane, Staff Reporter

It came out. The fact that I played the Final Fantasy 7 remake in 2020 sounds like a miracle – almost 23 years after the gorgeous original hit PlayStation and 15 years after a beautiful PS3 tech demo claimed fans for the remake, I put it on my PS4 Booted.

And it was incredible – Cloud and company are more exciting than ever, Square Enix used its experience with combat systems to make combat fully exciting, and exploring Midgar was a pleasure. It’s one of the virtual worlds I wanted to see every inch of it, as the rearranged versions of the original soundtrack by musician Nobuo Yumetsu completely sucked me up.

Also, the ending takes the kind of big, unexpected narrative swing that made me think, “Did I like that?” After some reflection, I concluded that I love it – any experience that re-evaluates me is a winner for me.

Turn on the roll, Part 2.

Madden NFL 20

Scott Stein, Editor-in-Chief

I know what you’re going to say. “The Madden NFL 20 didn’t even come out this year.” Shh. Shhhhh.

Want some games I like? OK, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Half-life: Alix. Fantastic Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. Plenty of VR games like Room VR. I have thrown a lot of them in and out.

But when the world closed and I stopped playing Animal Crossing, I turned to Madden. I picked up my pathetic New York Jets, started diving into franchise mode, and moved on in time. One year, five years, ten years. I am now in 2034.

I have seen the rise and fall of the players. I have seen the championship run perfectly. I have come to love players who do not exist, and are saddened by their inevitable pursuits or publication. By the way, I’m not a good Maiden player. I use coach instructions. I use it as an anesthetic, meditation routine, the way I polish my knowledge of the Arcane American game just because my dad persuaded me to go to sports as a kid.

What do I do every day until the end of the month? Maiden 20. What drowned me in hundreds of hours? Madden 20. And when Madden 21 came out and disappointed me with its low-star updates and, more recently, coming under its next-gen features, what did I go back to? Maiden 20.

Where will I be tomorrow, perhaps, at midnight or so, just like every other night sitting at home during an endless journey of solitude? Maiden 20.

Here is 2021.