2020 had some brilliant games

2020 has been a shit year for pretty much everyone but thankfully video games have helped get many of us, myself included, through it.

Amidst all of the fire (because 2020 decided to set the world on fire) we got some pretty damn awesome games and I’ve come up with my top 10 games of 2020.

Without further ado, here are my top 10 games of 2020.

10. Hotshot Racing

For many years now there’s been a lack of Ridge Racer. A lack of stylish arcade racers, with brilliant soundtracks and overall fun factor. Hotshot Racing came drifting in and filled that void perfectly.

The art style for Hotshot Racing is simplistic but damn it’s gorgeous and very vibrant. The music is incredible, it sounds as if it came from Ridge Racer Type 4. Drifting is fun and the cars handle really well. The tracks are diverse and are a lot of fun to race around. As I played Hotshot Racing, I felt happy, as it felt like Ridge Racer was back.

Lucky Mountain Games have made a fantastic old school racing game, one they should be proud of. I’m very much looking forward to a sequel in the future and I know, that LMG can deliver.

9. Astro’s Playroom

This little game came as a huge surprise because of how good and wonderfully charming it is. Astro’s Playroom is a delightful little platformer that comes packed in free on the PS5.

The game is not only a pretty darn good platformer but it’s also a celebration of PlayStation and its history. Astro is an awesome little robot who could definitely be another PlayStation mascot alongside Ratchet and Clank.

Astro’s Playroom was one of the surprises of the year. I want to try out the Astro VR game and I hope we see more of Astro in the future.

8. Miles Morales: Spider-Man

Miles Morales: Spider-Man was short (which was to be expected) but brilliant experience, that showed how well Insomniac have nailed down the Spider-Man feeling. What it also did, was to show how good of a character Miles is.

Miles Morales is a fantastic character and this game showed that brilliantly and dare I say, he is better than Peter Parker. He has so much style but he is also just so damn likeable.

The story of Miles Morales is good, I enjoyed it massively but I was sad when it ended. It left me wanting more which is exactly what the 2018 Spider-Man game did.

Insomniac have done it once again and I wonder if we will play as Miles or Peter in the next Spider-Man game. Or will we play as both? Whatever Insomniac decide to do, I know they will knock it out of the park.

7. Resident Evil 3 Remake

Resident Evil 3 Remake is great, it’s a remake of one of my favourite RE games and it features my favourite RE character, Jill Valentine. I enjoyed RE3 Remake a lot, so much so that I got the platinum trophy.

Jill Valentine makes her triumphant return and damn she is good. Capcom, why do we not have more RE games with Jill in? Jill is badass in RE3 Remake and I really enjoyed seeing badass Jill in the RE Engine. It was also nice to see Carlos after so many years and RE3 Remake, made me care about him. I hope we see more of him in the future as he was kind of forgotten about after RE3.

Jill and Carlos weren’t the only thing that returned, big boy Nemesis showed up as well. Nemesis is terrifying but I do wish that he was a random encounter and not a fixed appearance.

Capcom have delivered once again and now all eyes are on Resident Evil 8: Village. My god am I excited for RE8.

6. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2

The nostalgia, the insanely fun and innocent nostalgia. I’ll keep this one short otherwise I will never shut up about Tony Hawk; which will end up with me talking about Jackass, which will end up with me talking about Wildboyz.

TONY HAWK PRO SKATER IS BACK AND IT’S INCREDIBLE. HOLY BALLS IT IS GOOD.

I cried tears of happiness when this was announced and again when I played it for the first time. Thank you for bringing Tony Hawk Pro Skater back. Now, onwards to a new THPS or remakes of Pro Skater 3 and 4.

5. Zombie Army 4: Dead War

Zombie Army 4 is placed higher than Tony Hawk because of how much this game surprised me. Zombie Army 4 is brilliant and is one of most fun games I’ve played in years.

This game is dumb fun, pure and simple. Zombie Nazis, zombie planes, zombie tanks, zombie Hitler and a FREAKING ZOMBIE SHARK. It’s the best B-movie game ever made in my opinion.

Play Zombie Army 4. It’s dumb, it’s brilliant and it is immensely fun. Also a side note, Rebellion are a brilliant studio, I can’t wait for Sniper Elite 5.

4. Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy VII Remake was finally released and damn was it good. FF7 Remake is very good and very pretty. Every character looks incredible and Midgar looks beautiful.

The world of FF7 was fleshed out so much with the remake. Nearly every aspect of it was finely crafted, detailed and it’s great to see this world and its characters in gorgeous HD. Cloud looked great, Tifa and Aerith are stunning and Barret is my favourite character out of the party. Barret is so damn cool. We can’t forget Sephiroth and his long silvery hair, he looks fantastic and menacing.

This was part one of the remake, as it has been split up into parts. If Square Enix can carry on this level of quality for FF7 Remake Part 2, we could be looking at something truly special.

3. DOOM Eternal

DOOM Eternal kicks ass. Enough said.

Seriously, this is the best first person shooter I have played in years. It is the best FPS game on PS4. It is fast, brutal, challenging and stupidly fun. The music, good lord, it is absolutely brilliant. Stellar heavy metal and industrial metal, head pounding music which is perfect for killing demons.

Play DOOM Eternal. It is good, very good. Play DOOM Eternal otherwise Doomslayer is going to knock on your door.

2. Yakuza: Like a Dragon

The last 2 games on this list are pretty much tied for Game of the Year. I just want to point that out.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is brilliant, incredible and amazing. I loved every single second. Kasuga Ichiban is a great character and is a brilliant protagonist. By the end of the game I decided that not only was Ichiban awesome but also, that he was worthy of leading the series going ahead. Filling in the shoes of Kazuma Kiryu who has been the series protagonist for 15 years, will take some doing and Ichiban is off to an incredible start.

Ichiban isn’t the only star of the show. The supporting characters are all individually fantastic. Nanba has a likeable charm about him; Adachi has a dry and great sense of humour and Saeko is smart and badass. Saeko takes shit from no one. There are other characters that join the party but I don’t want to spoil the story.

Speaking of the story, it is phenomenal. It’s brilliantly written and get ready for an emotional rollercoaster. I like that RGG Studio decided to go a bit wackier with this game, in the Yakuza universe it fits.

The gameplay changed in Like a Dragon. No longer is it a brawler, Yakuza has turn based combat and it works, it’s fun, in-depth and can be downright silly at times. From summoning a crying Yakuza baby to sending a flock of pigeons to attack someone; to calling for a satellite laser, Like a Dragon definitely has a sense of humour. I’ve not mentioned the sub stories which are amazing in Like a Dragon and the mini games are a fun, with Dragon Kart being my favourite.

If I don’t shut up about Yakuza: Like a Dragon, I’ll keep talking about it. It’s amazing. One of the best games of 2020. I absolutely adore this game.

1. Ghost of Tsushima

This game… just wow. I knew this game was going to be good. I knew I would like this game. What I didn’t expect, was to be completely floored by it. This game is brilliant. My jaw hit the floor so much with this game, due to the story moments and because of how immensely gorgeous it is.

I love its story, its characters and the absolutely stunning world. Jin Sakai is a great character, one I want to see return. The combat is fun, brutal and very satisfying.

I loved every single second I spent with this game. When I completed it, I felt sad. Sad that it was over. Sad that I will never be able to experience Ghost of Tsushima for the first time again. It’s very rare for a game to make me feel like that but Ghost of Tsushima did. The year of 2020 was awful but Ghost of Tsushima made it a bit brighter. Thank you Sucker Punch, for an unforgettable experience.

Those are my top 10 games of 2020. What do you think of my list? What games make your top 10? Let me know in the comments below.