John Ferrari's 2020 Games of the Year
John Ferrari, Contributing Editor
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)
In a normal year, I’m not sure Animal Crossing would make this list. After all, it’s not the most technologically-advanced game to debut this year. It spends more time iterating than innovating. Not to mention the variety of ways the game attempts to masquerade responsibilities (like paying a mortgage) as whimsy. But for many gamers, myself included, New Horizons was a game that arrived precisely at the right moment. As lockdowns orders came rolling in across the United States, Animal Crossing flew in on its cartoon seaplane and delivered the gaming equivalent of a Quaalude. Nintendo provided a cornucopia of time-wasting tasks to a nation suddenly flush with both time and nervous energy. But, most importantly, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a reminder that cultural importance isn’t measured in technical specs.
Street of Rage 4 (Nintendo Switch, PS4, XBOne, PC)
An entire generation of gamers was born, raised, and matured to adulthood in the 26 years since the previous Streets of Rage. Yet very few series have been resurrected as successfully or with the integrity of Streets of Rage 4. What could have been a nostalgia-fueled cash grab turned out to be a reminder that the beat’em up genre still has plenty to offer. It was proof that sometimes the best way to rejuvenate a series is to just make a banger of a sequel. The music, art, and gameplay not only live up to expectations but aim the series in an enticing new direction without forgetting what made the series special.
Final Fantasy VII: Remake (PS4)
2020 saw plenty of remasters, re-releases, and remakes but none were as ambitious or as successful as FFVII. Instead of just going for a graphical update, Square Enix took a masterpiece and built it up bigger from scratch. Remake is additive without feeling bloated and expansive without losing its sense of intimacy. Square Enix not only remade a game but redefined what consumers should expect from remakes to come.
Street Fighter 5: Championship Edition (PS4, PC/Steam)
Street Fighter V isn’t the best fighting game this generation. In fact I would wager that a majority of devoted Street Fighter players wouldn’t even name it as their favorite entry in the series. But if nothing else, Street Fighter V has proven to be enduring in a time when the fighting game community desperately needed stability. The FGC (Fighting Game Community) was poised to have a banner year in 2020. Instead a combination of game delays, event cancelations, and revelations of predatory sexual behavior by leading community members resulted in something of a lost year for fighting games. Street Fighter V was one of the rare silver linings for the FGC in 2020. Capcom announced an unprecedented season 5 DLC (featuring a number of fan favorite characters) that would carry the game into its 5th year, while an influx of new players discovered the game as a free title on Playstation Plus. Street Fighter is a tent pole series for the FGC and Street Fighter V proved that it is a status well earned.
Hades (PC, Switch)
It isn’t easy taking characters that are 2500+ years old and making them feel fresh. But developer Supergiant does an amazing job taking existing ideas and combining them in unexpected ways. A mythological themed rogue-like that allows me to pet a 3-headed hell hound was not on my wishlist for the year, but I’m happy it arrived. Hades overdelivers in every category, while never trying to do too much. A polished gaming experience that’s equally fun for the new player at hour 1 as it is for an experienced player at hour 30. Had this been 1995, Hades surely would have occupied a spot nearest to the door of the arcade in order to draw in gamers as they passed by.
For more GOTY fun, check out Blake Reno and Claire Brownstone’s lists!
