With the nightmare of 2020 behind us I thought I would look back on the 217 games I played and list my 10 favorites. Now this list is my personal preference and some of these games were not even released in 2020 but they are the ones I had the best time playing! All games are Xbox/PC Games that were either purchased on the Xbox store or played through Game pass. This list is in no particular order, bar the number one spot, as it was too difficult to rank them bar my favorite game of the year!
Honourable Mention – Immortals Fenyx Rising
I just wanted to add Immortals to this list in an honorable mention. I only managed to get a handful of hours of playtime on the game by the end of the year due to so many games being available but it is one of the best new IP games I played all year. If you like Assassins Creed but don't like how bloated they have become then this plays like a stripped down version with added puzzles set in a beautiful world and full of mythical themes! I loved what I played but I can't give it a spot on the list on the fact I didn't play it much, BUT give it a try and you wont be disappointed!
10 - Saints Row The Third – Remastered
The third Saints Row game was probably one of my favorite games on the Xbox 360. It was the perfect blend of an open world gang/crime game, comedy and over the top action. This remaster is the exact same game but with much improved models/textures/lighting and all the DLC included. If you haven't played this game but love games like GTA I highly recommend it as it was the pinnacle of Saints Row before the decline with Saints Row 4.
9 - BulletStorm
I played the first level of Bulletstorm on its release on Xbox 360 and thought it was ok. I saw the remastered version on sale for £3.50 on the Xbox store (including Duke Nukem DLC) so I decided to pick it up and I was not disappointed. This is a fun, combo based FPS with a dumb story that's a great waste of a few hours!
8 - Tony Hawks 1 & 2 HD
This is how you do remakes. 2 of the best skateboarding games of all time bundled into one fantastic experience. It looks amazing, it plays amazing and bar some slightly grindy unlockables its a must own. These are the games I played as a kid and I can pick up and play as if no time has passed! A great walk down memory lane.
7 - Tell Me Why
The makers of Life is Strange brought us a new episodic game exclusively on Xbox. If you like this style of games you will really enjoy this. The setting and twin dynamic adds to an interesting mystery in the story that had me going back every week to play the next chapter. I honestly think this would be a good way to release more games on game pass.
6 - New Super Luckys Tale
I love platformers and the original Luckys Tale was a launch exclusive on the Xbox One that I immediately picked up. I was extremely disappointed when the developers released an improved and almost remade version of it on the Nintendo Switch that fixed a ton of the problems the original had so I was ecstatic when they finally announced it was coming to the Xbox. Not only is it a vastly improved game, but they also took a look at the achievements and removed/changed some of the insanely difficult/grindy ones for this version.
5 - Forza Horizon 4
This is the pinnacle of fun arcade racing games. It looks beautiful, runs stunningly and has so much content I still find things to keep me busy with after a year of playing. The Scottish setting may not be as breathtaking as past instalments but it suites the new weather/seasons system perfectly. Throw in a Lego world to race around in as DLC and your golden!
4 – Submerged
Submerged was a game I picked up on a whim because it was on sale. Its a non combat, exploration game set in a flooded city. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did and came away glad I had made the effort to play it to completion. You explore the city in your boat, climbing deserted buildings looking for supplies. It's pretty simple and straightforward but its a really pretty, relaxing game to play at a decent price.
3 – Minecraft Dungeons
This makes the list purely on the amount of fun I had playing with friends over Xbox Live. It's basically a beginners Diablo but its fun to play and easy to pick up and jump in and out of games. Add in the regular expansions that brought a variety of new worlds, enemies, mechanics and loot that all have their own identity and its becoming an even better game!
2 – Moving Out
If you like couch co-op games that are fun, stupid and sometimes challenging then I definitely recommend Moving Out. Imagine Overcooked but swapping the dining for house clearing! This game went down well with my whole family and we had nothing but laughs throwing things through windows, slapping each other and trying to keep away from the ghosts (Yes there are ghosts in it too!).
Honourable Mention 2 – SpongeBob Battle for Bikini Bottom
I just wanted to add this in because I never played the original release. It's a fun platformer I'm gutted I missed out on as I had a great time playing it. It's very faithful to the TV show, has the original voice cast (barring the weird Mr Krabs Replacement) and even has an added co-op mode for the kids to mess about on (It's not that fun for the adults). If you can get it at a good price you should!
1 – Assassins Creed Valhalla
I never thought that my game of the year would be an Assassins Creed game. They are stupidly large open worlds with massive amounts of collectibles and the story alone will take 50+ Hours to complete. As someone who doesn't get a lot of time a day to play games I usually don't really get into these types of games or get far enough in to appreciate them, but hey here we are at the beginning of 2021 and I managed to put nearly 90 hours into this game already. The graphics are gorgeous (especially when playing on the Xbox Series X) and I absolutely adore the Viking Setting and Eivor character. I finished the story but still haven't gotten through all the secrets and hidden items (in fact after writing this I will probably be back on to play more Orlog games!) so I think I still have tens of hours left to go, and I don't care. I love this game so much and I cannot wait for the DLC to release to expand the story even further. Is it a perfect Game? No, it's buggy and some of the Modern Day story elements are a bore but as a Viking game its one of, if not the best around!
And that's my list for 2020. What were your favourites???
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