2020 has been an interesting year for gaming. We've seen the launch of a new generation of consoles, a number of long forgotten franchises rising from the dead and some truly fantastic games . While the lists of the best and top selling games are mostly filled with the usual suspects though, there have been a few titles that crept under the radar and surprised everybody.
If given a list of the announced and expected titles at the beginning of the year, most gamers could have predicted the ones that were going to perform well with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Thanks to some surprise announcements and some plucky underdogs however, this year in gaming wasn't quite as predictable as it may have first seemed.
10 Monster Train
With overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam and an 85 rating on Metacritic, it's fair to say that Monster Train is, at the very least, a critical success. Sales may not be as a high as some of the other big-hitters of 2020, but, given the size of the team over at Shiny Shoe in comparison to some of the others', the game is a huge achievement.
The developer has a strong track record when it comes to quality games and Monster Train continues this tradition. In many ways, it is similar to Slay the Spire, although it introduces some new ideas that help to differentiate it and keep the experience feeling fresh. The gameplay is fluid, the soundtrack is catchy and the art style is gorgeous. For fans of deck-building roguelikes, Monster Train is an absolute must play.
9 Super Mario 3D All-Stars
Speculation about a new Mario All-Stars pack had been rife for quite some time when the special Mario 35th Anniversary Nintendo Direct rolled around. That it and so much new Mario content was announced all at one time still came as quite a big shock to fans of the mustached plumber though.
The Super Mario 3D All-Stars pack features three of Mario's greatest 3D adventures. While they haven't aged as gracefully as some of the other games of their era, they're still incredibly enjoyable to play and look great in both handheld and docked modes. The inclusion of a music player and the improved visuals are nice little touches to what is already a near perfect package. It's just a shame that Super Mario Galaxy 2 didn't make the final cut.
8 Genshin Impact
The free to play market is a crowded one where many games get buried beneath the hordes of generic microtransaction fueled titles that are so prevalently placed within it. That one was able to claw its way out from the dogpile and attract the kind of attention that Genshin Impact has is therefor an achievement in its own right.
Its beautifully designed world is bursting at the seams with things to do and places to explore while the core gameplay loop is incredibly addictive. It's far from perfect, but its constantly growing player base suggests that it will be around for long enough for developer miHoYo to continue to make improvements.
7 Ghost of Tsushima
At first glance, one would be forgiven for thinking that Ghost of Tsushima was developed by a Japanese studio. Its depiction of feudal Japan is at times breathtaking and the attention to detail is really quite amazing. That it is actually the work of a Western developer makes this all the more impressive.
One could certainly argue that a PS4 exclusive published by Sony finding success is not too shocking. It should be remembered though that this was Sucker Punch's first game in six years and by far their largest project to date. With these things in mind, for it to have turned out as amazingly as it did is a big - but welcome - surprise.
6 Streets Of Rage 4
A lot has changed in the three decades since the very first Streets of Rage game. Thankfully, the series isn't one of them. Sure, there have been a few quality of life updates and the visuals are a lot crisper, but, at its core, it is still an incredibly enjoyable beat 'em up with enough content and challenge to keep players busy for quite some time.
There was a real concern that after such a long hiatus, the Streets of Rage formula might no longer work. Any notions of this are swept away within the first few minutes of playing though. Dotemu did an amazing job and fully deserves all of the praise and revenue that Streets of Rage 4 has generated.
5 Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Fall Guys made a big splash back in February thanks in large to the publisher's gutsy decision to release it free of charge to PlayStation Plus subscribers. The game's jelly bean shaped creatures instantly captured the hearts of gamers while its simple yet addictive gameplay kept them entertained for hours at a time.
Although the game was unable to carry its early momentum throughout the year, it racked up around 30 million downloads on PS4 and more than 5 million on Steam. Even though a large chunk of those downloads didn't generate any money for Mediatonic, sales of the game's in-game currency likely made them a pretty penny.
4 There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension
Every now and again, an indie game comes along that transcends the genre. There is no Game: Wrong Dimension is one of them. The game's creator, Pascal Cammisotto, faced many setbacks on his quest to make it, including a failed Kickstarter in 2016. His perseverance paid off however, as the finished game has proven to be a big hit with both players and critics.
It's a simple point & click comedy adventure that utilizes a number of different art styles. Its excellent narration is reminiscent of The Stanley Parable while the often bizarre comedy elements feel like something from the mind of Sacha Baron Cohen. The experience that the game provides is a strange one, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.
3 Among Us
What makes the runaway success of Among Us so surprising is not that it's a low budget title, but that it was actually released back in 2018. For whatever reason, the initial response to the game was fairly lukewarm. Thanks to the game's popularity with streamers though, it blew up earlier this year.
The game's meteoric rise in popularity had its developers scrambling to improve server stability and implement new features. Whether or not it will be able to hold on to its new player base in the long run remains to be seen. With plans for a sequel now on hold though, it seems that the team at Innersloth believe that it will.
2 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
That Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is an amazing game isn't the least bit surprising. After all, the original games were two of the best extreme sports games of their era. That the remake even exists however is really quite remarkable.
When the surprise announcement came back in May, it had been five years since the last Tony Hawk's console release and thrice that since the last good one. As such, the series' return was unexpected to say the least. The final product is by far the best looking Tony Hawk's game ever made and, even in spite of a few flaws, it is one of the most enjoyable entries in the series as well.
1 Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
2020 has been a terrible year for humanity, but for fans of classic gaming franchises, there has at least been a silver lining. The N. Sane Trilogy may have brought Crash out of retirement back in 2017, but few were expecting a new Crash game. Even those who were could never have foreseen it arriving quite so soon.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time was announced at the end of June and released just over three months later. For Crash fans, it was like Christmas coming in October. That the game is actually fantastic was of course a nice bonus as well. It sold incredibly well in numerous territories, even beating out Star Wars: Squadrons in some countries. With Toys for Bob at the helm, the series once again has a bright future.