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Over the next eight days, Hardcore Gamer will be revealing its Best of 2020 Awards leading up to our Game of the Year. Today we present you with the Best PS5, XSX, PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch Game. Please note that Cyberpunk 2077 did not meet our eligibility deadline for Best of 2020 Awards, but will qualify for consideration in our 2021 awards alongside any game released after December 9.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator came out of left field as one of the biggest games of the year. Sure, it looked nice in the preview shots, but it’s a flight sim and we’ve seen plenty of that kind of game in the past. Go through some training to get a feel for the planes, set the sim elements to a comfortable level, whether that be tourist or pro pilot, and take to the skies. It’s not even like you’re taking cargo from place to place to improve a business, so how engaging can it be? Well, that’s where the entirety of the planet Earth came into play. Not only does Microsoft Flight Simulator model the world based on data from Bing maps, it even uses photogrammetry to recreate over 300 cities worldwide. Want to take a tour of your home area? It’s surprisingly engaging whether done from 15,000 feet or as unrealistically close to the ground as your flight skills can manage. Turning on real-time weather can yield incredible results as well, such as flying through hurricanes and typhoons while feeling morbidly guilty at using a natural disaster for personal entertainment. Anyone who’s lost any amount of time exploring Google Earth knows the power of getting lost in a map and Microsoft Flight Simulator enhances that by bringing the map to stunningly beautiful life. We all live on the same planet but it’s so huge that we can explore the globe from the moment we’re born to the day we die and not see more than a small percentage of it. Microsoft Flight Simulator makes that a little more accessible, from the snowy shores of Antarctica to the cities and wilderness of Africa, Americas both North and South, the uncountable islands of the Pacific, and the mind-bogglingly huge landmass of the Eurasian continent. As a boy once said to his tiger, “it’s a magical world, Hobbes ol’ buddy. Let’s go exploring!”
Runner-Ups
Half-Life Alyx
Crusader Kings III
Wasteland 3
Ghostrunner
Demon’s Souls
It’s hard to believe that over a decade ago, Sony declined to publish Demon’s Souls in North America and instead it went to Atlus. How things have changed as the FromSoftware title would alter the gaming landscape in an incredible way. The overly-challenging but overwhelmingly=rewarding formula took off and captivated gamers across the world, even getting to the point where the next FromSoftware game is collaborating with Game of Thrones writer George R. R. Martin. Because Sony still owns the rights to the IP, they have elected Bluepoint Games, best known for their work on Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and the Shadow of the Colossus for PlayStation 4, to remake the classic for a whole new generation. The results are nothing short of spectacular. Beautiful visuals tied together with a familiar formula that stayed true to its original counterpart, Demon’s Souls was the perfect game to play in 2020. It’s not only the best PlayStation 5 launch title, but one of the best launch titles in the last two decades.
Astro’s Playroom
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
As far back as its debut, Yakuza had maintained a solid affinity with the PlayStation platform. Surprising it may have been to see Yakuza: Like a Dragon taking a radical departure on the gameplay front, so too it was a touch odd to see it crop up during one of Microsoft’s many eager pushes to get people playing on their newest machine, the Xbox Series X. But it seems that the stars were aligned just right for Yakuza to re-introduce itself to a new platform and new audience after more than a decade’s worth of entertaining ventures on, for the most part, one platform. A game that was, in itself, a sort of new chapter for the series on top. New protagonist, new locale and entirely new gameplay mechanics to suit. Like a Dragon succeeded on that exact same excellent formula of fantastic writing, slapstick presentation and a bevvy of content to invest in. All the while convincing us turn-based battles were a certified fit going forward. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a phenomenal, smartly-orchestrated reinvention for the series and possibly the birth of a new subset of fans in possession of a Series X/S.
Call of the Sea
Tetris Effect: Connected
Gears Tactics
Immortals: Fenyx Rising
Ghost of Tsushima
This was a difficult category to narrow down a winner. Not only did we have a remake of one most memorable classics of all time, but we also had a sequel to one of the best games of the last generation, a new IP from the LittleBigPlanet developers, and of course a sequel to a title that’s arguably better most of the Souls games. Unfortunately, there could only one winner and it had to be the gorgeous, tranquil and downright exciting new IP from Sucker Punch Productions. Ghost of Tsushima captured minds and hearts as players take control of Jin Sakai, a samurai who fights with his values to do what’s right for his people. It’s an emotional, heartwarming story that’s only elevated by how well the world is built and the entertaining combat system that’s in place. Where last year there were good, but not phenomenal PlayStation 4 exclusives, Sony over packed 2020 with some of the best games we’ll probably be talking about for years to come.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
The Last of Us Part II
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
The sequel to Moon Studio’s fantastic 2015 debut, Ori and the Blind Forest, has been a staple of Xbox’s marketing both in and outside the annual conventions and shows. And for good reason: 2020’s Ori and the Will of the Wisps suggested a feeling of greater ambition and effort placed in the world Moon were hoping to carve and bowl people over with, both visually and mechanically. Suffice to say Ori’s second outing is nothing short of a monumental achievement not just for the Metroidvania sub-genre, but for video games as a whole in modern times. A world more immersive and finely-detailed than its predecessor, a combat system thankfully evolved, a soundtrack that’s just as emotional and thematic as the original’s was. Not to mention, a puzzle-platforming experience that never talked down to its players – trusting both their wits and their abilities to the end. It was hard to find an aspect or department the game faltered on – Ori and the Will of the Wisps truly was one of those rare concentrations of constant, absolute bliss from uplifting start to melancholic end. A deserved winner of Xbox One’s best game of 2020.
Tell Me Why
Welcome to Elk
Spiritfarer
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
It’s no surprise that Animal Crossing: New Horizons quickly raced up to be one of the best-selling Switch titles to date. It’s an escape from real life to the virtual life of running an island, catching bugs and relaxing on the beach. The latest entry in the series has continued to see updates throughout the year that continue to pull players back who may have taken a break, as there’s always more than can be done to decorate one’s island. The best part of all is much like New Leaf, nothing beats being able to take Animal Crossing on the go. With both local and online play friends and family have been able to stay connected all year through one of the most wonderful titles to grace the Switch since its launch. Of all the games that launches for Switch this year, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is our absolute favorite as it’s just hard to beat that wonderful cozy feeling it brings along with it.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
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