2020 GOTY

Very simple - I'm having a hard time deciding what my Game Of The Year might be for 2020, so I'm interested in what everyone else would pick!

Looking specifically for games released in 2020, not just any old thing we played this year. Educate me on what the good stuff was and what I might have missed!

Less than 100 completions this year and a concerning amount of replays, you'd think it would be the opposite with Corinna roaming the world, but it is what it is. Below are my 5 picks:

5. Test Drive Unlimited - the only racing game I've completed in a long time and a perfect title to kick back to and relax, it really helped me get through some harder titles.
4. Dante's Inferno - technically, it's not a new completion, but it's the PS3 port and it's been played via RPCS3 to get the most out of it: needless to say, the game is underrated as HELL and undeserving of being branded as a cheap God of War knock-off.
3. Tomb Raider I - this one's quite suprising, I actually used to hate on classic TR games due to their stiff tank controls, but after letting it grow on me, I ended up being addicted to it more than to the Legend trilogy. It also gave me the idea to make a list of every possible category (story, level desing, graphics, gameplay mechanics etc) for the entire series so I could determine what game stuck with me the most: I've only completed 5, but each one of them is special in their own way (yes, even The Angel of Darkness)
2. Dark Souls III Deluxe Edition - the best game in the trilogy, but not the best Souls game all around, that title still belongs to Demon's. It combines the best of both prequels and dials down on unpredictable trial & error moments, though boss difficulty can seem all over the place. Basically, it's the most polished & fairest in the series and maintains the best balance in difficulty across the board.
1. Resident Evil 2 (2019) - Resident Evil 7 undeniably is the game to emphasize on horror the most and one to bring back first-person ever since the spin-off Gun Survivor series, but RE2R is the perfect modern recreation of an all-time classic and one I played through more than 10 times in less than 2 months, no other game offered the same replay-motivation as this one did. And that's coming from someone who loves RE3 over RE2, but we all know what happened to that remake :/

Sure isn't LOU2 that's for sure. Doom Eternal is GOTT, with Hades and Ori behind it

So far the only thing I've beaten from 2020 is Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, so that wins by default! Also playing and enjoying Ghost of Tsushima, but probably won't beat it by year's end.

Despite playing many games this year, the amount of those games that actually came out in 2020... I haven't played too many of those... So this list might be different in the future but here's the top 5 that I have played so far!

1. Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition
2. Animal Crossing New Horizons
3. A Short Hike (Switch)
4. Super Mario Bros. 35
5. Trials of Mana

Apparently I'm so focused on playing older games that I haven't played much of any new games.

Most orobably Amnesia Rebirth. I felt crazily invested in game and had such attachment with main character. After one section late in game I was literally shaking and game made me cry. It was scary on some other level which I haven't experienced in long time. Loved what they were trying to accomplish and think it's the best Frictional game and I pretty much like all their previous games. ^_^

I sure didn't finish much that came out this year.

Röki
Spiritfarer
I am Dead
Kentucky Route Zero (if the last part of the game coming out this year lets it count anyway...)

Of those Spiritfarer. Hades is excellent but the majority of my playtime is still from early access and I haven't even escaped successfully yet let alone everything else.

It's a toss-up between Ghost of Tsushima and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, both PS4, for me.

I am loving Cyberpunk 2077 but a game with performance issues this severe has no right to be anywhere near a GOTY list, no matter how good it is.

My two favorite 2020 games are both still early access and therefore probably don't even technically work as a 2020 GOTY contenders. Those would be Grounded and Phasmophobia. Both game concepts that I genuinely dreamt about before someone went and made them real.

Otherwise, I didn't really play any big 2020 releases that I really loved aside probably Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2.

- Matt

I’d say The Last of Us: Part II is my winner this year. I thought it was well crafted and had a pretty good story, although due to it being super depressing I can’t say I absolutely loved it.

I didn't really play many games that came out this year but even though I haven't played it since like July I'd have to say Animal Crossing New Horizons

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Persona 5 Royal

Those are my top three and they could be in any order. I also really enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima and Tell Me Why.
Hades deserves a mention, but I haven´t finished that one yet. I would definitely recommend it.

My hidden gem of the year would be Murder by Numbers.

I only played 3 games that released this year: Nioh 2, Trials of Mana and Genshin Impact. Nioh 2 was the best of them, but not GOTY material at all. If I had to pick a game, even though I didn't play it yet, I'd say it's Animal Crossing.

Half Life Alyx. It is almost depressing knowing there won't be another VR game of this caliber for a long time.

I'm going to be a bit hipstery here:

Vaporum: Lockdown Outstanding first person dungeon crawler that plays a bit like Legend of Grimrock or Eye of the Beholder. Has some of the best puzzles I've yet to see in an RPG.

Shadow Empire Ugly, user unfriendly, and incredibly deep. This is one of the top 4X games ever made, it just has a bit of a learning curve. Also mixes in elements from wargames in a very effective way.

Fates of Ort Basically an ARPG, but at the same time not really. It plays a bit like an action RPG, but time only moves when you move, so it's more tactical. Also this is one of the few games I've played that has a lot of different solutions to a lot of quests, yet some solutions might also make it harder to beat other side quests as a lot of items can be used in different quests. The game never locks you out of beating it though.

I'm going to be a bit hipstery here:

Vaporum: Lockdown Outstanding first person dungeon crawler that plays a bit like Legend of Grimrock or Eye of the Beholder. Has some of the best puzzles I've yet to see in an RPG.

Shadow Empire Ugly, user unfriendly, and incredibly deep. This is one of the top 4X games ever made, it just has a bit of a learning curve. Also mixes in elements from wargames in a very effective way.

Fates of Ort Basically an ARPG, but at the same time not really. It plays a bit like an action RPG, but time only moves when you move, so it's more tactical. Also this is one of the few games I've played that has a lot of different solutions to a lot of quests, yet some solutions might also make it harder to beat other side quests as a lot of items can be used in different quests. The game never locks you out of beating it though.

I have seen and even played some Vaporum. Seems like super fun game especially for people who are really into that genre. Glad You enjoyed it. When You mention puzzles I'm like... "hmm, I should play it" because puzzles are one thing which feels like missing in modern games and they are so ftw.

1. Doom Eternal
2. Yakuza Like A Dragon
3. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
4. Persona 5 Royal
5. Spider-Man Miles Morales
6. Tetris Effect Connected
7. Resident Evil 3 Remake
8. Bugsnax
9. Demon's Soul's
10. Spongebob Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated
11. Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War
12. Animal Crossing New Horizons

If we're talking games released in 2020 specifically, I'd have to say The Last of Us Part II. Although, that's kind of by default, considering it's the only game I played that came out this year. (Unless you count Mobius Final Fantasy -- RIP -- whose story campaign got its final update this year.) Even then, though, I adored Part II, I'm one of the few who thinks it's a better game than the original, so even if it wasn't by default, I'd probably pick it.

That said, when I get to the end of a given year, I choose a GOTY from anything I played for the first time that year, regardless of when it released. When your backlog is as big as mine, such a thing becomes necessary. So to that end, I'd have to choose The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Though, if I may quote myself, I said in the "games of eighth gen" thread that Zelda was my #3 of the generation while TLOU2 was #5, so it was a good year regardless.

I've not finished many games that came out this year, but I think Persona 5 Royal, Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Resident Evil 3 are up there.

I haven’t played a single game released this year, let alone completed one... apart from the personalised comedy Star Wars themed version of Asteroids I made for my brother for his birthday during the first month of lockdown.

I guess other than that my GOTY is a toss up between Forza 4, Minecraft or Farming Simulator 19, as they are the ones I’ve had the most fun in, playing online and causing all sorts of mayhem with my friend’s young son. I never otherwise play multiplayer, but it’s been a blast.

For this year, it was really hard for me to pick between two titans that I adored. Doom Eternal changed the way we look at FPS Games and is already one of the top 10 FPS games I have ever played. However, Serious Sam 4 is a game I've been dying to play since 2018 when it first go announced and besides some launch week issues, this game in my honest opinion is a masterpiece and the best Serious Sam game yet. Croteam prove themselves again to be the best Old School FPS/Boomer Shooter developer out there. Also, Astro's Playroom on PS5 is freaking fantastic and is one of the best games to play on PS5 right now. I would say that for Sackboy: A Big Adventure as well but I haven't completed it yet. Only nearly finished the second out of the five worlds. Prodeus is also freaking excellent and by far the best Modern Boomer Shooter I played yet although that's in Early Access right now.

So overall, because of my undying love for Croteam and Serious Sam, Serious Sam 4 is my GOTY 2020. I loved every moment of it and I hope the next Sam game comes out soon because I want more now!

1. Persona 5 Royal
2. Final Fantasy VII Remake
3. Astro's Playroom
4. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
5. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
6. Trials of Mana

Persona 5 Royal is easily the best game that I played all year, and almost certainly ranks among my all-time favorites. Astro's Playroom is a fantastic demonstration of the equally fantastic PS5 controller... and it's free, which is a definite bonus. Hyrule Warriors has a very strong core, and if you just stick with the 20 main story missions, it's fantastic. Alas, if you stray too far beyond that, it gets repetitive pretty quickly.

I have seen and even played some Vaporum. Seems like super fun game especially for people who are really into that genre. Glad You enjoyed it. When You mention puzzles I'm like... "hmm, I should play it" because puzzles are one thing which feels like missing in modern games and they are so ftw.

It's absolutely worth picking up. I liked the first Vaporum, but Lockdown was better in almost every way, and particularly the puzzles were improved (not that they were bad in the first game mind you).

1.) Final Fantasy VII Remake - I can't stop raving about how much I love the combat. I think it finally mixed real time action combat with JRPG roots that so many games attempted during the PS3 and PS4 era.
2.) Yakuza: Like a Dragon - I completely understand why so many people have loved the Yakuza series. It has such a zany charm mixed with interesting characters. Combat is pretty standard turn based RPG, but all the trappings around it make it worth the ride.
3.) Wasteland 3 - Tried this off a whim when it hit GamePass. Was kind of buggy at launch, but still really enjoyed my time. Had a blast with the combat and world. Probably my biggest surprise of the year.
4.) Astro's Playroom - Just such a joy to play. Doesn't over stay its welcome and is the perfect length to put a smile on your face the entire time.
5.) Bugsnax - Few games keep my Girlfriends attention, but Bugsnax had her asking me to not play it while she wasn't over. It is full of charm and cuteness, but also some of the most real personal stories I've played this year, While the world of Bugsnax is exotic, the characters struggles are relatable and touching.

Has to be Ghost of Tsushima.

Simply, a complete game.

-Excellent graphical design.
-Riveting storytelling and writing.
-Superb acting.
-Intuitive and fun combat.
-Accommodating of many different playstyles.
-Side quests that are actually fund and don't feel like fluff.