This Slogging post is about the 5 best video games of 2020 that helped me get through the year with my sanity in check.
2020 was a terrible year for many people around the world, but it was arguably one of the greatest years for the gaming industry. Since people were forced to stay indoors in many places, lifelong gamers could devote more time to their gaming passion and complete newbs started taking up gaming as a hobby.
We also saw major releases of Triple A titles we've been waiting many years for: The Last of Us: Part 2, Final Fantasy 7: Remake, and the infamous Cyberpunk 2077.
Since there is enough content about those games online, I'm purposefully not going to talk about the Triple A blockbusters in this article. Instead, I'm going to talk about the multiplayer games that helped me cope with the pandemic and keep in touch with friends, as well as some lesser-known titles I want to help bring awareness to.
These titles might not be new and might not even have been published in 2020, but they are all amazing and I suggest you give them a try.
This post was created in Slogging's official #self-posts channel, and has been edited for readability.
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1. What_Remains_of_Edith_Finch - I gotta admit I dropped the ball by waiting so long to try this game out. I'd been meaning to play it for awhile and it went on sale on Steam and I grabbed it immediately.What Remains of Edith Finch might be classified as a "walking simulator" to some, but it is some of the most innovative gameplay I've seen in a long time. It is the perfect example of how developers can tell stories through gameplay, not cutscenes. I'd even say that it could be a great intro into gaming for those that don't play at all. It is a game that shows the power of games as a storytelling medium.
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2. The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners - Saints and Sinners is by far the best VR game I've played to date. Developer Skydance Interactive recreated the haunting world of Kirkman's The Walking Dead for every major VR headset. While Half Life-Alyx was the game every VR gamer was hyped about, to me it just felt like a half-life wave shooter optimized for VR with cool innovative puzzle mechanics.On the other hand, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is a game that wouldn't really work outside of VR. The survival mechanics, fatigue system, crafting elements, and combat were all designed with realism in mind and VR UX at the core of every decision. If you love the zombie genre or apocalypse genre, this game is 100% a must-play.
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3. Call of Duty: Warzone - There is no way I could leave Activision's hit battle royale off of this list. While there are so many VR titles and RPGs in my backlog, Warzone is the game that took up most of my time in 2020.Not only is it a polished battle royale with balanced gameplay mechanics (outside of overpowered guns), it's a social experience that's helped me keep in touch with my friends on the other side of the world.
Is there anything new in terms of FPS mechanics? No, not really. However, the large map and variety of tools and weapons allows for players of all types to load in and have fun. With skill-based matchmaking, you don't have to have the best aim in the world to compete in this battle royale shooter.
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4. Among Us - Proof that simple and solid gameplay mechanics will always rule over AAA fluff, Among Us is a breakout hit of 2020 that allows you to play a Clue-like game of mystery and suspense. In Among Us, you and your friends must repair a broken ship while trying to evade the impostors among you (see what I did there?).The impostors try to kill off all the crew mates without getting caught.
IF you really want to test your teamwork and our friendships, Among Us is the best way to do it. Available for free on mobile and just $5 on PC, this game is affordable and provides countless hours of fun.
It it highly-accessible for both hardcore gamers and complete newbs alike. I've played this game with friends who've never picked up a controller in their lives and everyone had a blast.
With people feeling isolated in 2020 due to lockdowns, this game could not have come at a better time.
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5. Pavlov VR - The first time I ever played a first person shooter was when I was 8 or 9 years old and Counter-Strike 1.6 was the most-played FPS in the world. It wasn't just about the shooting mechanics. It was the idea that we could type and chat with anyone in the world in real-time as we enjoyed this game together.The idea was mind-boggling to my young brain and it might have been then that I started to fall in love with gaming.
Fast forward 19 years in the future and nothing in the gaming scene gave me that same sense of wonder, until I tried VR for the first time. Finally, something different had come along.
When loading into Pavlov for the first time using my ProTube VR Gun Stock, I thought "This is the future of gaming."
Pavlov is young, and just like CS 1.6 19 years ago, it's not perfect. But that's what's special about it. It's new and we're discovering the potential of it together. It's like we, who are relatively speaking early adopters of VR, are given the chance to try out the rides at Disney Land before it's built.
For the most part, the community isn't toxic and communicating with your team while gunning down the enemies makes you feel like a real-life soldier or SWAT team member.
There are community maps and custom gameplay maps that are limited only by our creativity. In Pavlov, I've:
With an amazing community, Pavlov is leading the VR FPS market. Everyone who is remotely into shooting games in VR has to give Pavlov a shot.
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So those were the 5 best games I played in 2020. I played a lot more games than this, so I may waver and change a title or two. But for the most part, these were the 5 games that came to mind that I just had to mention here.What are the best games you played in 2020? Let us know on Twitter!
