Gaming was a treasured respite in 2020 with the state of the world and the list of great games this year was massive. So massive we couldn’t possibly play them all. However, here at MP1st we have put together our list of the Top 10 Games of 2020.
Similar to our Game of the Generation list, we have used math to come up with our list rather than spend time arguing our respective lists. Everyone was asked to provide their top ten games of the generation, in order. The number one game on each respective list was assigned 10 points, the number two game assigned nine points and so on down to the tenth game on the lists receiving one point. Any game that appeared on multiple lists had their points added to a final total and the game with the most points was number one, second most points number two, and so on.
It should be noted that the staff here at MP1st (and our sister site, SP1st) are very AAA focused so if you’re looking for your favorite pixelart indie made by two people you’re going to be disappointed. Actually, based on the results of this list, I expect to see a lot of disappointment but hopefully you’ll also be pleasantly surprised. So without further preamble, lets’ DO this!
The point total is how much the game scored to place on the list and shows where it landed.
With that explanation out of the way, on to the good stuff!
10. Immortals Fenyx Rising & Risk of Rain 2 (TIE)
(7 points)
“If you would have told me that the Ubisoft open world game I barely had any interest in would have made my top 10 games of 2020 list I would I laughed and yet Immortals Fenyx Rising is right there in my top 5 for the year. It takes the excellent formula of Breath of the Wild and adds some new ideas, more to do in the world, and makes combat so much fun that it’s become a “Think about playing when I’m not playing” game for me. Love it.” – Sean
“This is probably my multplayer game of the year. I had my worries with it going 3D, but man this game is just nonstop fun.” – James
9. Deep Rock Galactic
(9 points)
“Normally, Co op isn’t my thing. I prefer competitive multiplayer; team based modes I enjoy but usually only when the opponents are other players. But Battle Rock Galactic strikes stuck a perfect mixture of interesting mechanics and variations in moment to moment tension that the repetitiveness most co op modes have is thankfully absent. Going from charting a path through one of the dingy procedurally generated caves looking for precious materials to mine to suddenly fighting for our lives against a massive group of giant killer bugs leaves such a marvelous impression that I plan to return to the asteroid on occasion for years to come.” – Tim
8. Doom Eternal
(14 points)
“Guns, demons and lots of gore. Doom is precisely the type of game to play when you need to blow off a little steam, and the sequel to the 2016 reboot didn’t disappoint. Was the story a bit bland? Sure, but not many people are still enjoying this franchise in 2020 for its story alone.” – Kyle
“Just sheer mindless 90’s fun.” – James
7. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
(15 points)
“Once he was introduced in 2018’s Spider-Man and obtained his Spidey powers, it was only a matter of time until Miles Morales was thrust into the spotlight. This game has a tremendous amount of heart and representation that isn’t seen very often. The only downside is how short his adventure was, but the future is so, so bright for Harlem’s Spider-Man.” – Avery (You can read his 9.5/10 review here)
“People should not be dismissing this game as DLC. Is it shorter than the first Spider-Man game? Yes. But this “DLC” gave me 18 hours of gameplay which is plenty of time to tell a good story and give me plenty to do. I wish I felt something more for the relationship between Miles and Phin so the game had the same kind of emotional weight of the original game, but Miles’s struggle to come into his own was enough to keep me invested throughout.” – Sean
6. Demon’s Souls
(18 points)
“Remaking a cult classic for any game isn’t an enviable task, let alone the game that put one of the most revered developers of modern gaming on the mainstream map and yet, I’ll say it from the start; Bluepoint Games’ remake of FromSoftware’s Demon’s Souls is an incredible game. From’s gameplay and impeccable level design remains largely uncharged, Bluepoint gives the entire experience a fresh coat of visuals and audio paint, as well as quality of life improvements that brings the 11 year old cult classic into modern gaming with applaudable success and is a true showpiece for the power of the PS5.” – Sean (from his 10/10 review).
“Why is demons souls so fucking good?” – James
5. Tony Hawks’s Pro-Skater 1 + 2
(19 points)
“Maybe it’s just the nostalgia talking, but this remaster had no business being as good as it was. Tony Hawk was a throwback to simpler times, and I was here for it. The visuals were excellent, and replaying two of the most iconic games in the PS1 days in HD with a much better frame rate just brought everything together.” – Kyle
“There’s tightrope to walk when resurrecting a dormant IP. You need to update and modernize it, but you can’t do so at the expense of the established fans or you risk burning your core customer base. Vicarious Visions managed to thread that needle with laser precision. Whether it’s more remakes or an all new game, I could not be more excited for whatever outing digital Tony Hawk and his friends go on next.” – Tim
4. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
(25 points)
“Breathtaking is the word I would use to describe this game. The art style is something no other platformer has matched, and playing this on the Series X at 120 fps gave me another reason to enjoy this game all over again.” – Kyle
“Ultimately, Moon Studios could have rested on its laurels and just made more of the same but it’s clear they wanted to make a sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest that will feel familiar for fans of the first game while also expanding on their already stellar formula. Ori and the Will of the Wisps does everything a sequel should do. Give you more of what you love, while bringing new ideas. The scope of that ambition comes with some technical issues I wasn’t expecting on an Xbox One X. I also wasn’t a fan of the trial and error of the escape sequences returning and felt the boss fights didn’t bring enough new to make them truly stand out. The overall experience I had playing Ori and the Will of the Wisps was moving, addicting and most importantly fun.” – Sean (from his 9/10 review)
3. The Last of Us Part II
(26 points)
“The Last of Us Part 2 is a title that every PS4 owner (or gamer, even) must play, since it does push the narrative-driven, single-player action genre forward in more ways than one. This is one title that will cause a divide among gamers long after its finished, and I don’t think Naughty Dog would have it any other way.” – Alex (from his 9/10 review)
“My personal Game of the Year, The Last of Us Part II is Naughty Dog’s finest moment, at the height of their powers. The story is their best. It challenged me, moved me. It took a swing and for me it knocked it out of the park. Very few games have me still thinking about the story long after it’s ended but The Last of Us Part II hasn’t left me since that first playthrough.” – Sean
“Somehow, saying that The Last of Us Part II is an amazing game would be an understatement. For what many people thought should’ve ended as a one-n-done adventure, Naughty Dog delivered on the much-anticipated sequel. Even though it’s ranked a bit lower on my list [6th] and the overall experience wasn’t as profound to me as others, there’s no denying the brilliance of it and everyone involved deserves all the praise for it.” – Avery
2. Final Fantasy VII Remake
(27 points)
“When Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy VII Remake would be spread across multiple games, it dampened my level of hype for it. After playing through Midgar, I’m honestly glad they took this route. I loved the micro approach of exploring Midgar and the enhanced character development that we did not see in the original. It was a dream come true.” – Avery
“I went into this Remake expecting it to not hold up to the original and ended up being completely wrong. Final Fantasy 7 Remake excels in every expectation that I had, making this one of the best Final Fantasy games to date. It may not be the Remake that many had hoped for, but rest assured it is still Final Fantasy 7 in every other way. This will be sitting alongside other classics in the years to come, and we look forward to seeing where the journey ends.” – James (from his 9.5/10 review)
1. Ghost of Tsushima
(34 points)
“I was cautious on this one seeing that I was wanting something more along the lines of super power, but Sucker Punch really surprised me with this one. Hours spent digging into its open world are unforgettable, just as it’s superb story. As for the multiplayer, very few single player focus games get it right, and Sucker Punch knocked it out of the park.” – James
“Admittedly, I was a little skeptical on whether or not I wanted to jump into what I thought was clearly an Assassin’s Creed knockoff. Boy, could I have been anymore wrong. Sucker Punch’s masterpiece tells a truly touching tale about a man who would do anything he could to save his people, even if that meant giving up his own honor to do so.” – Avery
And there you have it! Our top 10 games of 2020! Did your favorite make the cut? What was your favorite game of 2020? Let us know in the comments!
Crap games for kiddies…..