Top 10 Best Video Games of 2020 (So Far)

Resurrecting long-dormant retro franchises can be a risk, especially when you don’t stray far from a decades-old formula. Strip away the updated visuals and Streets of Rage 4 could be mistaken for a game from the early 90s. Yet somehow, this new entry in the classic arcade beat-em-up series not only works, it’s one of the year’s most enjoyable games. Thanks in large part to its stripped-down design and pitch-perfect controls, this update to the Sega series expertly leans into nostalgia, while finding ways to show there’s still life in the beat-em-up genre. Add in co-op support for up to four players and you have one of 2020’s most pleasant gaming surprises.

Media Molecule has been a champion of user-created content since the original LittleBigPlanet, but it still felt like the British developer was taking a huge risk with Dreams. Best characterized as an ambitious experiment, Dreams gives players the tools to make their wildest video game fantasies a reality. Want to make a shooter? How about a puzzle platformer? All are possible thanks to Media Molecule’s intuitive creation tools. Not interested in designing your own game? No sweat. You can dive into other players’ creations and just have fun. While the jury’s still out on how sustainable Media Molecule’s community-driven game will be in the long run, it’s hard not to admire what Dreams has achieved so far.

In an industry where every new third-person action game seems to owe a debt to Dark Souls, few titles have actually managed to crack FromSoftware’s winning formula. Nioh, Team Ninja’s surprise 2017 hit, arguably came the closest and three years later, the sequel offers improvements in nearly every category. Set in a heightened fantasy version of Japan’s Sengoku Era, Nioh 2’s best asset is its flashy, rhythmic combat system, which is both complex and deeply customizable. Frankly, it can all be a bit overwhelming at times but players looking for a challenge will no doubt relish all that Nioh 2 throws at them.

Ori and the Blind Forest remains one of this generation’s most pleasant, beautiful surprises. Expectations for the sequel were high and for the most part, The Will of the Wisps meets and exceeds them. Less punishingly difficult than its predecessor, the game still manages to be bigger in scope and ambition. As adorable guardian spirit Ori, players are taken on a journey filled with wonder, melancholy, jumping puzzles, heated combat, and a whole lot of backtracking. Thankfully, navigating the game’s massive map is made a bit easier this time around with slick traversal mechanics and a slew of fast travel points. While framerate dips and other technical problems hurt the overall experience, this is still one of the finest 2D action-platformers of its generation.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been a dominant force in eSports for years, but that didn’t stop Riot Games from going after Valve directly with Valorant, a hero shooter that shares a lot of DNA with CS:GO. However, this is no mere copycat. Applying what they’ve learned from years of dominating the competitive MOBA scene with League of Legends, Riot injects a healthy dose of personality and fresh ideas into the 5v5 round-based shooter template. By tossing fun player abilities into the mix, Valorant strikes a satisfying balance between Overwatch’s dynamic teamplay and CS:GO’s hardcore, skill-based experience. Only time will tell if it can compete with those titans over the long run.

Sometimes, you just need a power fantasy escape. A direct sequel to the shockingly good 2016 reboot, Doom Eternal cranks everything to eleven and lets players run wild through a heavy metal hellscape filled with demons that need slaying. Or disemboweled. Or shotgunned to the face. Or … well, you get the idea. Whereas most games punish you for being too aggressive, Id Software’s shooter demands constant movement, creating an intoxicating dance with death filled with guns, explosives, and mountains of demon gore. While we could do with less annoying platforming sections that grind the pacing to a halt, when the action clicks, Doom Eternal is easily one of the most primally satisfying games of the year … or any year, for that matter.

Most modern remakes of old games are content to slap on a new coat of graphical paint and call it a day. Not Final Fantasy VII, though. Instead, Square Enix has crafted a faithful recreation of the RPG classic that’s also a bold departure, taking the original game’s first act and blowing it wide open. Sure, there are the updates you’d expect: the new engine is gorgeous and the overhauled combat system is deep, stylish, and real-time (sorry, turn-based fans!). But it’s the new content -- the extended scenes, the mysteries, the ways in which Midgar comes alive -- that really set this one apart. In short, it’s both Final Fantasy VII and an all new game. It’s also the new gold standard of video game remakes.

While many fans are surely still upset to not have Half-Life 3, what they got instead is an incredible game in its own right. Following fan-favorite resistance leader Alyx Vance, Valve’s latest is both a satisfying new entry in the Half-Life universe and an incredible virtual reality experience at the cutting edge of everything the tech offers. An action-horror game, it’s a tense experience where even the simple act of healing your character is uncomfortable and strange. While it’s unfortunate that the game’s VR-exclusivity limits the number of people who will get to experience it, Half-Life: Alyx is still a welcome return to a long dormant franchise.

Naughty Dog’s original survival horror epic is regarded as one of the best games of the last console generation. Naturally, expectations were through the roof for The Last of Us Part II and while the response has been somewhat polarizing, there’s still plenty to admire about this ambitious sequel. On the aging PS4 hardware, Naughty Dog’s game is a technical marvel and the talented vocal cast deliver some of the finest performances in the medium. While it’s debatable how well the game succeeds in its narrative ambitions (players are meant to feel bad about their actions but are also encouraged to brutally kill hundreds of enemies -- hey, did someone say ludonarrative dissonance?), The Last of Us Part II is still an absolute must-play.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

For Reminding Us That Sci-FI Games Are Allowed to Be Funny.

For Scratching That Deckbuilding Itch.

Because We Need More Games That Let You Play as a Shark.

For Being Paper Mario With Bugs.

Every so often, a game comes along at just the right time and in a year like 2020, timing really can make all the difference. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released just as much of the world was entering lockdown. Stuck in their homes and filled with unease about the outside world, millions of players turned to this Nintendo Switch title for some much-needed relaxation and social interaction. The game’s low-stakes island community building became an escape, while the unique online features allowed players to share the experience with friends and strangers in a suddenly socially-distant world. Is New Horizons the best game of the year? From a critical perspective, maybe not. But is it the most important? Absolutely.