Well, 2020 has been an interesting one, hasn’t it? From tragedy to triumph, we’ve got through it, and one thing’s for certain: games have been a huge help! This one’s a special one for EarlyGame as it’s our first year proudly bringing you our content and news every day. Covid-19 has thrown a real spanner in the works of many people's lives this year, and we can’t wait to jump into the next year with lots more games and humor.
Despite of everything, 2020 has been a fantastic year in gaming, and we reached out to all of you about the games you loved the most. Thus, to close off 2020 with a bang, we have one last treat: here are EarlyGame’s Games of the Year!
10. Cyberpunk 2077
We know it must seem a bit strange to see such a hugely anticipated, and widely praised game so low on this year’s list! The thing is: this SHOULD have been number 1. The game ended up being incredible, with a deep and satisfying main quest, with fascinating characters and some of – if not the – best side quests in modern open world games. The graphics were stunning on PC and new-gen, and we loved the game despite of the issues we faced, and the constant crashes. It really is a shame that the game launched in the state it did, so we are happy to leave that little sliver of sadness at the back-end of the list. That being said, Keanu Reeves is truly “breathtaking” in Cyberpunk 2077 (yeah, we went there!)…
9. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Assassin’s Creed has seen its share of ups and downs. This year’s release, though? Well it’s on this list, isn’t it!? We keep finding ourselves longing to return to the rolling hills of Viking-era England, plundering and pillaging our way from rags to riches. What a fantastic experience Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla was, and we can’t wait to see where Ubisoft takes the series next. Since Assassin’s Creed: Origins, they have been on a killing streak, and Valhalla is up there with the greats like AC2 and Odyssey. What’s up next? We’ll have to wait and see!
8. Call of Duty: Warzone
Ah, Warzone. What a great year-and-a-half Call of Duty has had. First the sublime Modern Warfare remake in 2019, then Warzone’s launch in March, and now Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The latter may have been as long and convoluted as its name, but Call of Duty: Warzone absolutely took the ticket. The great expanse of Verdansk was possibly the best Battle Royale map we had ever seen, or have seen since, and was filled with mysteries, great locales, and some great seasonal changes that have shaken up the playing field in interesting ways. This is certainly our Battle Royale Game of the Year!
7. Demon’s Souls Remake
Is this cheating? Well, if it is then we don’t care. Demon’s Souls was one of the most influential games of the last decade, spawning the Souls series, and an entire genre of games. It is thus, with great happiness, that we booted it up on our brand-spanking new PlayStation 5’s and jumped into this deadly demon game once more. To summarize, we weren’t bloody disappointed, you can bet your mum’s knickers on that! Just as f**king fantastic as when it first launched back on the PlayStation 3 (TWO freaking consoles ago!), as brutal, as challenging, as hauntingly beautiful, and as intense. If you have never played the classic: now’s the time!
6. Hades
We understand that Rogue-Lites are perhaps not everybody's cup of tea, but hear us out. Hades is one of the most fascinating and creative games in the genre, and took our worlds by storm earlier in 2020. It is satisfying and alluring, never failing to make you want to play more, and more, and more, and more. That is the sign of a great game, that is the sign of an endlessly replayable, deep and rewarding experience. The twitch-based action is complemented by a progressing story that adds so much to the already rich experience. If you haven’t played Hades yet, you need to. Now.
5. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Well, we’ll have to say we did not see this one coming. And boy, oh boy, did it come hard! Jeez-Magee, what a surprise. Gosh. Bloody brilliant! If you haven’t checked out Gary Whitta’s great Fall Guys podcast, Talk Guys, you freaking better get on it (it’s great). Anyway, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout itself is good too! The sweetest and certainly most fun Battle Royale on the market today, Fall Guy’s challenges are endlessly fun, charming and challenging. We are excited to see where they take it next, and are looking forward to playing more of this beans-tastic game!
4. The Last of Us: Part 2
It says a lot about the games of 2020 that we finally got The Last of Us: Part 2, it blew us away, and its STILL only number four on this list! Well, now that is a year we could get behind (if it wasn’t for, you know, that global pandemic)! So many exclamation marks, and it still doesn’t express how fantastic The Last of Us: Part 2 was. We have to give credit to everyone involved in telling us one of the most emotional, engaging, and fascinating stories in gaming. Not only that, but the mood, gameplay, graphics, music, performances, and basically EVERYTHING was great in this game. We were so happy to continue Ellie’s story, and to return to such a rich and fascinating world.
3. Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima came from the same guys who gave us Infamous. Now, Infamous was great...but where the bloody hell did this come from? This game was very highly anticipated, and we all thought it would have incredible combat and graphics. What we got, though, was one of the most fleshed out open worlds ever, an incredible historical tale, and a deep and complicated upgrade system. We are not ashamed to say that we spend many hours in Ghost of Tsushima, and would do so all over again if we had the time! It absolutely blew us away and deserves every little bit of praise that it could ever possibly get! Jump in for the incredible combat, and the stunning open world, stay for the heart and soul.
2. Among Us (Mobile)
We know that Among Us came out in 2018, but the mobile version of the game came out in 2020 and... to be honest, with its meteoric rise, it may as well have come out in 2020! An incredible concept, to create a space murder mystery in a multiplayer game. It deserves every little bit of praise it gets, and was developed by an unbelievably small and talented team of Indie developers. We want to extend our congratulations to all involved in the games development and suggest the following to anyone who has not played the game yet: a lot of us are in lockdown right now, and THIS is the perfect way to spend time with loved ones! Long live Among Us!
EarlyGame’s Game of the Year 2020 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons!
It’s almost with a tear in our eye that we reach this point. It seems fitting that in a year of lockdowns, a changed world, and the loss of many loved ones, that our Game of the Year is one that brought us all together. Everyone knew that Animal Crossing: New Horizons would be great when it dropped in March, but no one would have imagined the effect it was to have. Apart but together, we sat, building our way through the pandemic with friends and family by our side – all through this wonderful game. Bright and cheerful, beautiful and sweet, Nintendo brought us together in a way that transcended everything around us.
For that, we thank them. We also thank you, the readers, for sticking with EarlyGame in our first year. We raise a glass to you, we sing Auld Lang Syne, and we wish you the happiest of New Years. Cheers!
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For more gaming and esports news, stick to EarlyGame. Happy new years from all of, we hope you enjoyed our Game of the Year list for 2020! Do you agree with our picks? Let us know on Twitter and Facebook, and check out our YouTube channel!