2020 Game of the Year | THAT NERD SHOW

This is our Top 10 Games of the Year at That Nerd Show including our Game of the Year for 2020

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2020 GAME OF THE YEAR

Every so often we get one groundbreaking video game that defines a new era in gaming and is something that we haven’t seen before. It doesn’t happen every year and unfortunately the Game or the Year isn’t always that kind of game. But as lackluster as 2020 was for video games we did get that groundbreaking game that is not only great for PlayStation 4 but the new era of consoles such as the PlayStation 5. For us at That Nerd Show that game is Ghost of Tshushima. It is a true samurai game with a fantastic story that rivals any Akira Kurosawa move. Finally, we Have the closest thing to a Seven Samurai story that we’ve ever seen in a video game. and for those that like RPGs it doesn’t get any better than having an eastern story with fantastic lore and a mixture of honor and revenge within the story. You would think this was an Elder Scrolls game. The reason it is game of the year at That Nerd Show is it embodies all of the elements that we look for in a great game. It has the finest level of storytelling that you can ever find in a video game. The graphics are a quality that we haven’t seen in a while and are perfect for the next generation of consoles. The gameplay, especially the combat is some of the best that we have ever experienced and even though the gameplay may have its difficulties and you do have to learn the moves without relying on some easy level to get you through like a straight hack and slash type of video game, it’s not hard to learn. Once you do, the level of story mixed with action doesn’t get any better. For a long time gamers have sought to get ha great RPG set in the Far East that isn’t a modern day tale. We’ve wanted the seven samurai type of story for a long time and finally we got one. But there is one thing that truly makes this game fantastic and worthy of being game of the year. There is no right way to play the story. The story is determined by the choices you make to show mercy or to seek revenge and follow a Bushido code. It is one of those stories that truly shows the duality of humanity that we only experience in real life. We often say here at That Nerd Show that the best stories are the ones that you play and Ghost of Tshushima embodies that saying more than any game that we have played since the beginning of this outlet. Although some of our past game of the year winners such as Horizon Zero Dawn or God of War 4 and even the first Last of Us game, there is something more poetic an emotional with this story. Perhaps it’s because we have yearned for it for so long in a video game. Every great RPG that deals with Knights going on quests are always great games, The Elder Scrolls games have proving that, but a true samurai game, that’s something extra special. And we finally got one that would rival the storytelling of any Elder Scrolls game or Dragon’s Age, and pretty much any other exclusive PlayStation game so that is why Ghosts of Tshushma without any doubt is our Game of the Year.

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We are suckers for Star Wars games. As nerds we’ve been playing Star Wars video games ever since they decided to make an Atari arcade game of the Death Star run in 1983. Now while we’ve had our problems with Star Wars games and we still can’t quite forgive EA for the battlefront game that came out in 2015 that was never truly complete and they charged us full price for it, the last three games have been good. So it’s no wonder that their latest entry Star Wars: Squadrons would end up in our top 10 list and also be our multiplayer game of the year. We can go all the way back for our love of flying an X-Wing or some other kind of Star Wars ship ever since that beautiful Atari arcade game in 1983, but I think it’s really X-Wing vs. Tie-Fighter that truly made us fall in love with a flying Star Wars game. Squadrons is everything we could want especially a Star Wars flying game with superior graphics and maneuverability. While it could have just easily been a great DLC game for Star Wars Battlefront 2 and sometimes it does feel like that, the multiplayer aspects we’re truly phenomenal where we can have superior dogfights with X-wings and Tie Fighters as well as other ships in the Star Wars universe. But that wasn’t the only thing we got with this game, we got a small story to go with it that while short was fun as hell. Short Campaigns can be great too. It’s true that we will miss the days of LAN parties and playing X-Wing vs. Tie fighter on our PC’s, but after 20 years we finally get a game that equals the fun that we had back then and it’s the perfect game to form a squad and fly throughout a Galaxy Far Far away. It’s not a perfect game and the cross platform, which is a good idea on the surface does cause some problems when playing PC players who seem to have a better advantage, it’s still one of the best multiplayer games that we’ve played in a long time and it’s the best Star Wars flying game we’ve had on consoles. If you like playing Star Wars games then this is a must have.

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Cyberpunk 2077 maybe a game that has sparked a bit of controversy because it’s not a game that can be played on older generation consoles, but we didn’t judge how good this game is based on that. We reviewed this game by playing it on an Xbox Series X in all its full glory. A huge sci-fi dystopian type world that put you into a mixture of Grand Theft Auto, Borderlands, and Mass Effect, this is was one of the best games of the year and after eight years in development, we finally get to have a huge open-world game and the type of world that we’ve never really seen before. Between the main storyline and all the side missions, there are endless hours of fun whether you’re committing crimes, being a gun for hire, taking down scores or rescuing prostitutes, and more importantly, helping to take down an evil Corporation like you’re in the world of Blade Runner, this is truly a groundbreaking game in one of the best open-world games to come around in a while. If they had waited to release this next year when everybody had a chance to play it on a new console this could very easily be game of the year and while it’s not perfect and some of the bugs had to be worked out which is common for a lot of video games being able to immerse yourself in this futuristic dystopian world like you’re in the movie Johnny Mnemonic is truly fantastic. We feel like we’ve been waiting for this game ever since The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 was created, but it came just in time for the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. And let’s not forget how you have a character played by Keanu Reeves who is essentially your conscience as if he’s John Wick hooked up to the Matrix while you navigate the world in the game. This was the perfect video game for Keanu Reeves to be involved in. A futuristic dystopian open world is the perfect kind of game for those who like to play RPGs and you don’t have to worry about jumping from planet to planet as if you’re playing Destiny, which is not that fun anymore. There’s plenty of action in night city and it’s surrounding neighbors. The only downside to cyberpunk 2077 is it has to be played on a new console or really good gaming PC to get the full affect, older consoles just won’t work but it is still worthy to be one of our top 10 games of the year.

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been the big hit of Nintendo Switch in 2020. Nintendo finally got around to making an updated version for its new console like they have with most of their games since the release of the Nintendo Switch. And if you’re a fan of this game it’s everything you can imagine with better graphics and superior play on Nintendo that will give you endless hours of enjoyment especially with friends. Not much is really changed in Animal Crossings, if you’ve played it before it’s very familiar. but It’s truly the superior version of the game for the next generation of consoles. there’s a certain tranquility when playing this game whether you’re playing by yourself or with friends. You can say that Animal Crossings can be your own little utopia, because there’s always something to do and you can have a good time with friends. It’s not a game for everyone but truly a staple of the Nintendo catalog that needed to be part of the Nintendo Switch family. this is a game that definitely belongs in our top 10 games of the year considering how many of our staff have spent endless hours in the game. And let’s not forget like most Nintendo games it’s a cross-generational came where you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy it but it’s also a great game to play with your kids. That’s something that Nintendo has always done well when it comes to making games…after all, we never get tired of Super Mario Brothers.

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Crash Bandicoot 4, it finally came out this year for a new generation of consoles and if you’re a fan of this series, which has been a staple for PlayStation for over 20 years then this is a must-have. Developed by Naughty Dog as an exclusive for PlayStation this is just another installment in the series with the adventures of Crash Bandicoot. It’s just a fun game in the series that is very familiar, but one of the funnest games that we’ve played this year. It’s the same kind of game that we’ve played for a generation with more mazes, a chance for points. Crash bandicoot 4 is for the PlayStation what Super Mario Odyssey was for the Nintendo switch. the 4K graphics make this a fun adventure for the new consoles and will return you to your childhood reminding you of why you love the game ever since you played the first one. Of course this ended up in our top 10 games of the year and it’s a great one to introduce to your kids that you don’t have to buy a Nintendo Switch to play.

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Some games are just meant to be remastered for the new consoles. And that’s pretty much any game of the Resident Evil Series, but Capcom has taken his step further and not just remastering a game, but remaking some of their best games with a different take on the story so you get the advantage of having something that was already great remastered with better graphics, but also remade with a different take on the story. Resident Evil 3 still follows the story of Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliviera as they tried to escape the zombie apocalypse but are also being hunted by a zombie bioweapon. It’s always been one of the best horror survival games ever made but to remake with a bit of a change to the story and 4K graphics for new consoles. These games are always meant to be played in high definition. The remastered edition probably would have done just fine, but remasters don’t end up in our top 10 list when you can remake a game and give us a different perspective on what is already great and that just makes it even more special. The remake of Resident Evil 2 was one of our best games last year, I think they might have been able to top themselves with Resident Evil 3. This version of the game is superior in every way not only from the graphics, but the gameplay as well. it’s definitely a little bit more challenging when you’re dealing with ultra-sensitive sounds that can awaken zombies to come after you while also still being haunted by the bioweapon. We look at Resident Evil 3 as not just getting a fresh coat of paint for new console, but giving us a whole new experience with an already beloved game and making the horror survival aspect of it even better. It was one of the best rated games of 2020 so it deserves to be one of our top 10 games of the year.

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Doom is one of those historic franchises when it comes to a first-person shooter. The first network first-person shooter that you could play with your friends on PC, this franchise already has a long storied history, but I love the fact that they keep making these games for new generations of consoles. it was cool that they made a new game back in 2016 with the best graphics that we’ve ever seen in a Doom game, but Bethesda studios was set on making this game better with each new generation of console. More blood, more gore, more ultraviolence, and it keeps getting better and better. Plus adding a battle mode so that players could be online and networked together just like in the old days is cool as well because doom is always been one of the Premier multiplayer games out there. I would honestly say that this is a better game than the one that came out in 2016 and is easily our shooter of the year. each version gets better and gets more challenging and when it comes to blood and gore in a video game, nobody does it better than the doom franchise. While this game came out before the release of the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, they made a game that would work perfectly on the new consoles and make the graphics even better. The new consoles just enhance all the gore and violence that we love about this franchise and when you’re looking for a good shooter just to kill monsters, demons and zombie like creatures, look no further than the Doom franchise. we generally regard the Resident Evil series as one of the best horror survival series ever made in video games, that may be true, but we honestly have to say that Doom is right up there. This was a perfect edition two are top 10 games of the year.

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After 26 years we finally got a new Streets of Rage game. The side-scrolling beat ‘em up game created by SEGA and originally started as an arcade game. Sure, the developers could have made a 3D version just like it was some kind of beat ‘em up RPG game, but they know what the fans like and they made same 2D side scrolling action that we’ve always loved about Streets of Rage, but with superior graphics. It still makes you feel like a kid when you play this game if you grew up with the franchise, it still has its challenges and learning how to time everything properly to get through the levels especially dealing with the big bosses. maybe there wasn’t any reason to make a fourth treets of rage came because this is a game that really does live in the past. However, any game that is made purely for our nostalgia for old games is worth playing because sometimes the best games we ever played were the ones when we were a kid at the arcade or on an 8 and 16 bit graphic console. I mean, be honest what was the first game you played when you got one of the Sega Genesis flashback consoles, of course it was Streets of Rage. Just like Crash Bandicoot this game is purely made for those who grew up with the franchise and as a way to introduce a younger generation to the best games that were ever made. There may not be anything particularly special about this game except for the fact that it’s made purely from nostalgia, but that’s okay because sometimes those are the best games that are made. Did we love this game? Duh, of course we did, and that’s why it’s one of our top 10 games of the year. it was reasonably priced and even better, yet it ended up on Xbox Game Pass. Streets of Rage four was made for the inner fan boy and girl in each one of us and we’re glad it was made.

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Final Fantasy 7 this year was another one of those great remakes. Not just a remastered edition of one of the best Final Fantasy games, but a reimagining of the story with the graphics we’ve always wanted. Because let’s be honest getting to play a Final Fantasy game in 4K HD is the pinnacle of a gaming experience. You get to return to the Cyberpunk world of Midgar and play the character Cloud Strife all over again as he joins an ecoterrorist group called Avalanche. It’s true that the game feels very familiar, But it also feels different because it’s a reimagining of the story. This has been one of the best remakes ever and the 4K graphics are just absolutely superior to anything that we’ve seen. Also, a great remake to play on the next generation consoles. We were more amazed at the graphics and the movie like quality of this game when we downloaded it and started playing earlier this year that it just blew us away of how gorgeous it was and how enhanced the gameplay became with the remake. It was a great game on PlayStation and PlayStation 2, but if you’ve never gotten into the Final Fantasy series, then this is the game that will do it for you. This was the game that is meant to be played on a 4K TV. normally we look for new and original games, but when the best games of the year turned out to be remakes of classic games because they’ve been reimagined, then you have to put that game in your top 10 games of the year. And Final Fantasy 7 is worth the retail price. For fans of the series, you should definitely play it and if you’re interested in getting into the Final Fantasy series, this is the game to start with. Definitely one of the best games of 2020!

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We had two games time for our number 10 spot so we’re going to tell you about these two games that both belong in our top 10 games of the year. The first one is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. It is the 12th major title in the franchise and this time it takes us to the Middle Ages with the rise of Viking invasions and what is now modern-day England. It may not be the best title in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, but it is definitely one of the better games made over the last decade. And it’s a game truly made for the next generation consoles. While it could be said that it feels way too familiar and we’ve seen this particular time period in RPG’s before, it doesn’t make Assassin’s Creed Valhalla any less good. It was one of the better games of 2020 with a huge open world the brings the Assassin’s Creed style of gaming to life. While all the same tactics of an Assassin’s Creed game are there it can also be a great battle or hack and slash game at the same time and who doesn’t love killing enemies with a Viking ax. The superior graphics that were enhanced by the Xbox series X and the PlayStation 5 made it a movie quality game that was worth playing. And it is definitely worth the price because you will put in the same amount of hours into this Assassin’s Creed game as you would Assassin’s Creed origins or Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. What made this particular Assassin’s Creed game good is the fact that you will get to help reshape a medieval Europe as a Viking and forge your own path the same way you did with your character in ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire in the previous two additions to the franchise. while this game is not good enough to compete for game of the year, it is one of the top 10 games of 2020.

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The other game that tied our number 10 spot was Marvel’s Spiderman: Miles Morales. It is the sequel to the hit Spiderman game from 2018 that turned out to be one of the better games of that year. This is also one of the first titles to be available for the PlayStation 5. With incredible graphics in movie like quality, this game was fun an adding the other Spiderman miles Morales to the universe especially when he is fighting side by side Peter Parker made for a great game. the biggest downfall of the Miles Morales Spiderman game is the fact that its campaign was very short compared to the other Spiderman game so to make this game worth buying at a full retail price you could get the other Spiderman game with enhanced graphics for the PlayStation 5 on the same disk. This game felt more like a DLC game for Spiderman, but it didn’t make it any less fun and it was still one of the better games of 2020. Superhero games can be hit or miss but the Spiderman game of 2018 and now the Miles Morales game have proven that these are some of the best ever made when you’re fighting villains and web slinging throughout New York City. The gameplay was enhanced a little bit compared to the first Spiderman game and it helped that this game was made for the new PlayStation, which made it even better along with the other Spiderman game that’s available on the disc. The story itself is something that we would all love to see as a Spiderman movie and Maybe Marvel Studios will give us that. But for now, they gave us a great Spiderman game with a great story and you get to play two of the most beloved spiderman’s in the Spider-Verse. This game could have been better if it had a bigger campaign and unfortunately, it’s not worth the $60 or $70 that they were charging at retail, but if you happen to get it on sale during the Holidays that it’s definitely worth playing. But the game was good enough to tie for our last spot in our top 10 games of the year and it does make for a great PlayStation exclusive especially for the PlayStation 5.