Alright guys, let's hear it.  What were the best games you played to stay sane through 2020?  Some honorable mentions for me:

#1 Gears of War Tactics - Pretty sure I'm going to really like this one.  I played a very small amount of it before getting sidetracked, but it has potential to be great.

#2 COD BO Cold War - I didn't care much for MW 2019, but I really like CW so far.  The maps aren't nearly as camper friendly, and the Zombies mode is a lot less convoluted than recent efforts.  The way you can upgrade your setup between games with items you get during each match reminds me of the the progression system in the Extinction game mode found in Ghosts, which is a good thing.   There was some behind the scenes drama with Sledgehammer apparently screwing up this year's COD, so Treyarch had to be brought in a year early to save the day.   It's a little light on maps, but that should change over time.

The overall winner for me:    

Streets of Rage 4   At first I was a little put off by the game's art style, but I appreciated it when I started to play it.  Yes, it's a sidescrolling beat-em up, and we've seen thousands of these, but this one is sooooo good, and it feels like a worthy sequel to one of the great 90's gaming franchises, as opposed to the senseless cash grabs gaming companies crank out to milk nostalgia.  Yes, the game does pay homage the original trilogy, including letting you play as characters from those games, exactly as they appeared in their 16-Bit days.  The characters look a bit out of place, but that's the charm.  The game's 12 levels don't suffer from that feeling of repetition that other games in this genre do, and the soundtrack, is absolutely amazing.



It's nice to see old Sega franchises like Sonic, Wonderboy, and Streets of Rage receive proper 2D updates.  Hopefully Shining Force is next.

I feel I wasted $80 on #2 COD BO Cold War  as well as the one before it. Both are great games but just over way to fast. Cold war, I got done in a day while to wife was off at her  sisters. Far Cry 5 has been my favorite to date and can't wait for the new one to come out soon.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

While it wasn't the original, it had a great story, impressive combat system, overall good voice acting other than Barret.  Getting expanded stories for people like Jessie, Biggs and Wedge was also nice.  I hate to say it, but the soundtrack was even better than the original.

It took playing through it 3 times and getting the platinum to make me fully appreciate it, ymmv.  The game is very detailed if you take the time.

Ghost of Tsushima, such a beautiful open world game.  Very well made.

Resident Evil 3 was the only new game I played this year. So I guess that automatically wins

Yeah, the COD campaigns generally feel like an afterthought to me.

I played Zelda BoTW exclusively during lockdown. Haven't played much since. It is a damn good game, though.

demons souls

I don't normally play much weeb shit, but I make exceptions for a couple and Persona 5 Royal was pretty damn good.

Doom Eternal was also great

Panzer Corps 2 was a bit thin at launch but with the expansions has turned into a damn good hex based strategy game.  Better than the first game now, I'd say.  Pumped to see all the stuff they'll add over the next couple of years.

I think Cyberpunk will end up being a fantastic game once things get patched and added; for now while I'm having a blast with it, it's not objectively good enough to be in any game of the year conversation.

Had the most fun with Doom Eternal and Streets of Rage 4.

Going to have to say Demon Souls for the PS5. I've had a blast replaying it. Love the upgraded graphics and improved quality of life changes.

ETA - Streets of Rage 4 is a close second. I was surprised how much fun it was, and it amps up when you play with friends. Just a solid game to the series.

Half Life Alyx. People can whine all they want about how it was limited to steam VR users, but that doesn’t change the fact it did stuff that no other game did this year and it changed everything.

Runner up would be Ghost of Tsushima.

Year of release for 2020 would be Streets of Rage 4.  -feels a lot like SoR3


Of the games i played, it would be Soma.  Initially released in 2015.  Most fucked up game ending ever.

@MauserMark

Did you ever play Panzer Corps 2?  Curious how you'd compare the two.  Like you with UoC, I thought PC2 was pretty meh until they've started adding expansions to it, and now I love it.  Wondering if I should try UoC as well.

I just picked it up.  I like hex based games quite a bit so I hope this one is good.

Cyberpunk 2077......jk

Streets of Rage 4 was badass!

For my 2020 GOTY, I'm kinda torn.
It's either Control Ultimate Edition which wraps up all the DLC for Control, or Cyberpunk 2077.
I'm still giving it to CP2077 though because the game is absolutely amazing. As it stands right now, the bugs are really overhyped.

Both were really immersive, games that were completely different from one another.

Ghost of Tsushima

Cyberpunk 2077 would have been the winner if they hadn't stumbled.  But I'm still playing it and enjoying it.  I'm a big fan of the genre.

Teardown

I didn't know anything about it and thought it was just a goofy demolition game. Turned out it was more of a puzzle speedrun type thing and I played it almost straight through

Half Life: Alyx

Best VR presentation in a game I've seen to date.

Wow, I forgot that released in 2020.

Definitely GOTY for me. Beautiful and awesome gameplay. I can't wait to play it again when I get home.

Jeff can eat a dick though

If you are on your own or have no interest in multiplayer, get the PC version. Runs smoother.

Alyx is definitely up there for best game of 2020 for the reasons you state, but personally I've had more fun in SkyrimVR this year than Alyx.  late 2019 and early 2020 brought us some mods to skyrimVR that really transformed it into an actual VR game.

Pavlov VR shooter would be another, with Onward being close behind.

ETA: The Golden Eye maps for Alyx tho are top notch fun, and its the modding community that has really kept that game fresh for me.  And Jeff is probably the most disappointing, over hyped enemy I've ever encountered in a video game