This year, the story of the games industry was one of two sides; as the eighth generation of consoles came to a close there was a wide variety of releases. Some of these found great success and others ended up being massively disappointing; a lot of the latter comes down to continued unethical practices that companies still fail to address.
Of course, the onset of the pandemic also had a great impact which ended being a double-edged sword. On the one hand, games found their place under lockdown entertainment, but they also casted both delays and difficulties on developers. Many of the big events in the gaming calendar were either cancelled or moved online and the arrival of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X were also limited.
Games That Came And Went With Low Impact
3rd: Battletoads
Having long been dormant, the return of one of Rare’s most popular franchises was met with a mostly muted critical reception. This was perhaps down to new consoles entering the scene and the smaller scale nature of the title.
2nd: XCOM: Chimera Squad
After XCOM 2 made such an enormous improvement over Enemy Unknown in 2016, Chimera Squad stands out a mere sideshow on the way to the next major release. Outside of its unique hybrid squads of humans and aliens, it doesn’t do much to move forward.
1st: Crucible
In its bid to compete with the likes of Overwatch and Rainbow Six: Siege, Amazon Studio’s first big game failed to catch on with players. This caused the developer to pull the plug on the game and take it back offline before it could even cultivate a community.
Biggest Gaming Casualties
3rd: Ubisoft
Rocked by countless allegations of sexual abuse at their companies, Ubisoft’s already battered reputation took an even worse downturn this year. Add to that the continued unethical business practices and you have a corporation that refuses to progress.
2nd: Naughty Dog
Once a titan of the gaming industry, Naughty Dog has suffered an enourmous fall from grace after the failure of The Last of Us: Part 2. They’re simply not the team they used to be and the developers are now being forced through some gruelling crunch to keep their jobs.
1st: CD Projekt Red
Not content with crunching its developers to ridiculous levels, CDPR’s reputation is now in tatters after they withheld poor performing copies of Cyberpunk 2077 on the base PS4 and Xbox One. With respect to the dev team, their management dropped the ball this year.
Most Disappointing Game
3rd: Cyberpunk 2077
Despite some qualities in its story and main quest, Cyberpunk 2077 has fallen far short of its promises. Its open world, attention to detail and overall quality are all leagues behind its contemporaries while also dragging CDPR through the mud.
2nd: Marvel’s Avengers
Easily the most corporate release of 2020, everything about Marvel’s Avengers is designed to loot money from players and the license. After Spider-Man on PS4, you’ve got to do far better to craft an engaging experience. Here’s hoping it’s the last live service debacle.
It certainly isn’t a bad game thanks to its visceral combat and fantastic presentation, but the follow-up to Naughty Dog’s magnum opus is a colossal let-down. Any improvements to both gameplay and multiplayer were sacrificed on the altar of a poorly written story.
Best and Worst Industry Trends
Best: Games bringing people together in lockdown
In a difficult year where many of us spent a lot of time in lockdown, games were able to provide quite the escape. In a rare case, this went beyond simply immersing one’s self in an imaginary world. Titles like Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout and Among Us provided incredibly enjoyable multiplayer experiences that connected people online. I greatly enjoyed some rounds of the latter with friends myself. What’s most impressive about these releases is how simple they are.
Worst: Long-awaited titles falling very short after years in production
The AAA scene continues to deliver disappointment and this year felt particularly damning; with The Last of Us: Part 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 falling flat, it’s honestly hard to have faith in gaming as a whole. If even the biggest developers are unable to push the boundaries, is this where the industry stops? Just endless bloated budgets and samey trends that lead nowhere? The ninth generation has some work to do, not to mention the rethinking of practices within the business.
Strongest Company Performance
3rd: ID Software
Continues to be one of the premier FPS studios in the business, always keeping their eye on what makes their franchises work. With their focus set purely on furthering the rebooted Doom, there’s no doubt they’ll continue to put out great work.
2nd: Valve Corporation
After nearly a decade of not making any games, Valve made a smashing return this year with the finest VR game yet seen. With Half-Life: Alyx, they’ve made a straightforward statement; “We’re back, and Half-Life is here to stay”.
1st: Sucker Punch Productions
The dark horse of PlayStation’s exclusive line-up, Sucker Punch took their time and delivered the goods. They let Ghost of Tsushima do the talking, rather than boasting of their achievements, while also creating great value for their fanbase.
Weakest Company Performance
3rd: Nintendo
With its poor treatment of third party modders and the baffling choice to limit copies of Super Mario 3D All Stars, Nintendo continues to make baffling decisions. They may be succeeding with the Switch, but their business is in need of improvement.
2nd: Naughty Dog
Some serious internal problems have dogged Naughty Dog over the last few years with employees leaving the company and speaking of a toxic work culture. It all boiled over this year with the disappointment of The Last of Us: Part 2.
1st: CD Projekt Red
From The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red’s apparent commitment to the community above all else has appeared to be a sham. This has destroyed their standing and credibility in the industry and the lawsuits are now pouring in.
Worst Games of the Year
3rd: Disintegration
Despite the designer of Halo putting his name on the box, Disintegration’s efforts to blend first person shooting with light strategy commands comes up short. The game was quickly abandoned shortly after launch by both players and its developer.
2nd: Predator: Hunting Grounds
Continuing from where Friday The 13th left off, what could have been a unique asymmetric use of the license is instead a buggy mess. Some have argued the cost of acquiring the license took away from the game itself.
1st: Fast and Furious: Crossroads
A movie-licensed game that belongs in the early 2000s; as popular as the Fast and Furious franchise is, this pitiful excuse for an action racing game offers none of the over-the-top fun that made the films so entertaining.
Best Games of the Year
Honourable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Half-Life Alyx and Hades
3rd: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
A delightful release and a welcome return for a long dormant Nintendo franchise. It fully embraces what made Animal Crossing work while moving away from gimmicks. The only issue is that you’re only allowed one island per Nintendo Switch console.
2nd: Doom Eternal
A rip-roaring and impactful sequel that successfully continued from its predecessor’s excellent gameplay cycle, with the possible exception of the Marauder. It was certainly robbed at The Game Awards this year.
1st: Ghost of Tsushima
After a long wait, Sucker Punch Productions made a smashing return this year with the most beautiful open world and engaging combat in the open world scene. On top of all that, the developer added a multiplayer mode completely free of charge.
With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X having hit the scene, the ninth generation of consoles beckons. See you in 2021.
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