2020 Games of the Year

Game of the Year

Ghost of Tsushima

When you have Japanese developers wondering why they have not made a game on this scale about Japanese culture you know you are doing something right. Sucker Punch took a chance after helping launch the PS4 with Infamous: Second Son by closing out the PS4 era with this truly exceptional game. Jin Sakai after one game is on the Mt. Rushmore of Sony first party characters. The island of Tsushima is lush and colorful with vibrant colors ranging from amber to pink and white depending on what part of the island you are on. Combat is engaging with the choice of stealth and straight up swordplay making every encounter feel new. The first time you use Jin's ghost ability and behead a lieutenant and watch soldiers flee in terror is one of the most memorable moments in gaming. Swapping between four fighting styles depending on the enemy type as you block incoming attacks makes you put more thought into encounters than other games where you might be able to push through with button mashing. Jin's journey from samurai to ghost while trying to be the good son (or nephew) is enthralling. Then, in the midst of all that seriousness, you can take time to run around in your underwear and pet foxes that help you find power ups. Yin and yang. 

Runners-up

Cyberpunk 2077

For the gamers that have had a lot of problems with Cyberpunk 2077 I am sorry because there is a truly great game there. Playing on an Xbox Series X I only had a few issues mostly with game freezes, but otherwise my almost 100 hour playthrough was relatively bug free. It is a massive achievement to craft an open world. CD Projekt RED took 7 years and to have the game come out and not be what gamers wanted is a shame. For me it was the Blade Runner game I wanted. 

Mafia: Definitive Edition

Hangar 13 threw everyone a curve ball when they announced that they were following up Mafia 3, not with Mafia 4, but with a complete remake of 2002's Mafia. Completely rebuilt from the ground up and looking like a stunning modern game. This gave gamers a chance to revisit the tale of Tommy Angelo, or if you are like me, play his story for the first time. My first Mafia was Mafia 2 so this was a welcome addition to go back and see how things connect to Part 2 and 3. With this and Final Fantasy VII a new bar has been set for remakes. 

Marvel's Avengers

I am going to say that this game is not going to be on many peoples best list. Technically I am not even putting this as a "best" game, but rather as a "had fun despite itself" game. The story is decent and the missions are entertaining despite their repetitiveness. You know, a live service game. The good here is that the combat is responsive and fun as well as giving you enough gameplay without getting into microtransactions. Make no mistake the game wants you the dislike it, but I had fun with the time I put into it. 

Most Disappointing Game

The Last of Us Part 2

Like I said last year with Anthem, I do not come hear to dump on The Last of Us Part 2. Actually, that is not true. I come hear to take a massive, steaming dump on The Last of Us Part 2. Now I will preface what I am going to say with this; if you think The Last of Us Part 2 is the Game of the Year and one of the greatest games ever made, that is completely understandable. I can see how people would want to throw awards on this game. It is gorgeous to look at and is a technical marvel. It shows that Naughty Dog are wizards when it comes to crafting a game that plays, sounds and looks amazing. The problem is not understanding how to craft a story.  "You're just mad Joel died." "You don't like Abby because she is a strong female character." These are the most prevalent arguments from people that love the game. To which I say, I had expected Joel to die or already be dead when the game was announced and if I didn't like strong female characters why would I be so excited to play a full game as Ellie? The game goes so far out of its way to make Ellie a piece of shit and almost begs you to like Abby despite her only redeeming quality being that she pets dogs. The writing is contrived and suspends any disbelief with characters acting out of place just to move along the lazy plot. Neil Druckmann said the first game was about love and the second was about hate. He ended up inadvertently predicting how many fans felt about both games.

Most Not Really Disappointing Just Expected More

Assassins Creed: Valhalla

Assassins Creed Origins was my favorite game of 2017. Odyssey was a step down mostly because it seemed way too bloated with useless quests, more so than you should expect in any open world game. The thing is that Origins had a better main character in Bayek and Odyssey at least owned its style of humor. I mean you could attend a sex session with multiple people...and a goat. So it is hard to say that Valhalla was...meh. Eivor is not near as good a character that Bayek is and the game is very drab and devoid of any of the humor that made Odyssey fun. Yes, the Vikings were not exactly known for their fun times, but Valhalla can not make up for that with a story that matters or characters that make you feel connected to them. It is the first trip up in the new set of Assassins Creed games.