After checking out these picks, which games are you most excited for this year?
10) Ghost of Tsushima (PS4)
Kicking off this countdown is Ghost of Tsushima, developed by Sucker Punch, the minds behind the Sly Cooper and InFamous franchises. Sure, the game checks a lot of the boxes of a PlayStation first-party game: third-person perspective, open world, action-adventure--but it's difficult to deny that the PlayStation brand's first-party output has skyrocketed in quality over the past generation or two. Thus, it's hard to doubt that Ghost of Tsushima will do anything other than impress and delight when it releases later this year. I look forward to stealthily slicing and slaying my way through hordes of enemies in Ghost of Tsushima.
9) Trials of Mana (PS4, NSW)
I've been on a bit of a Mana kick recently, having played through Final Fantasy Adventure (aka Adventure of Mana), and am now playing through Secret of Mana as part of the Collection of Mana compilation on the Nintendo Switch. I have yet to start Trials of Mana's original version from that collection, but it's my hope to do so before its full fledged remake arrives in April. That way I can see and appreciate just how much effort was put into the remake and what has changed. This colorful and whimsical game already looks right up my alley, so here's to playing the final, finished product when it releases in a few months on both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
8) Doom Eternal (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)
The 2016 revival of the Doom franchise was one of my favorite first-person shooters released in a long time. Its near perfect mix of platforming, exploration, and traditional run and gun action made for a game that I loved Platinum-ing on the PlayStation 4 and beating fully on the Switch soon after. While the Switch version of Doom Eternal won't release along the other versions, that's alright for me, as it's not preferred place to play the game. What I expect out of Doom Eternal is a game that is bigger, better, meatier, and gorier than the original, and I hope I'm not disappointed when the game launches in March.
7) Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (NSW)
Despite owning Xenoblade Chronicles on two platforms now, the Wii and New Nintendo 3DS, I still have yet to beat the game. I look to change that with the Definitive Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles, due to launch sometime in 2020 on the Nintendo Switch. What I played of the original Xenoblade I greatly enjoyed, and I got very far in the game before other titles took my attention. That said, this is one lengthy game, and the additional content (just rumors for now on what that content actually is are being circulated) will no doubt make the game even longer. However, I'm ready to take on the challenge, Xenoblade Chronicles, so bring it on!
6) Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition (PS4, NSW, Mobile)
This is a bit of wild horse on this list of my most anticipated games of 2020. It's a remastered version of a game that came out in 2004 in North America. It's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition, and the original GameCube game was one of my favorite titles on the system. The action-focused, co-op-centric multiplayer dungeon crawler was quite unlike anything else at the time, and the added bonus now of being able to play online with friends and randoms alike will add to my love of the game. I just hope that I won't always be stuck carrying the chalice!
5) Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS4, XB1, PC)
While I'm not a huge fan of Dragon Ball Z, and could not sit through a whole saga due to the original show's atrocious pacing, I do find the characters and spectacles of the fights to be incredible to witness. Being able to play a role in them is what gets me playing games like Dragon Ball Xenoverse and Dragon Ball FighterZ, for instance. While playing through the entire Dragon Ball Z series isn't anything new, the approach that Bandai Namco Entertainment takes with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot very much is new. It's essentially a 3D version of The Legacy of Goku games from the Game Boy Advance era, and adding a much heavier sense of size, scope, and scale. I won't have to wait long to play the game either, as Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot launches in less than two weeks.
4) Resident Evil 3 (PS4, XB1, PC)
After loving Resident Evil 2's remake so much that I put it on the #3 spot of my Game of the Year list, I very much look forward to the sum of Resident Evil 3's part, the full remake in the vein of Resident Evil 2, and the asymmetrical multiplayer part with Resident Evil Resistance. Obviously though, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't looking forward to seeing the new changes and improvements to the original Resident Evil 3 more than playing Resident Evil Resistance. With a fresh coat of paint and new looks to old familiar characters such as Jill and the grotesque Nemesis, who I dread running in to if Mr. X from the previous game is anything to go by, Resident Evil 3 is shaping up to provide a terrifyingly fresh perspective to a classic game.
3) Animal Crossing: New Horizons (NSW)
March 20, 2020 is marked on my calendar. Okay, I don't have a calendar, but I do have the date etched in my memory banks anyway. That's the date that the latest installment of the Animal Crossing series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, finally arrives. It's been over seven years since the last new traditional Animal Crossing game, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, has released on a Nintendo platform, so the extended wait has been excruciating. Not even the most ardent fan of Animal Crossing can play a game every day for seven years straight without wanting something new. Well, we're getting something new finally not just game-wise but concept-wise with an island to restore to its former glory, as well as new mechanics to help out with the process. I'm ready to lose what's left of my free time to the cozy and comfortable world of Animal Crossing once more when New Horizons launches on the Nintendo Switch in just over two months.
2) Dreams (PS4)
Speaking of games I'll lose a lot of free time to this year, Dreams comes from the developers of a franchise that I've lost hundreds of hours to--the LittleBigPlanet series. Dreams, however, is so much more. It's not built or marketed as a tool to create your own levels. Instead, it's a tool to create your own games, and the sky is the limit. It's not hyperbole to say that if you can think it, you can conceivably build it. Already, players of the beta have crafted creative and clever concoctions from playable builds of the Final Fantasy VII Remake (albeit in a much more rudimentary form), platforming levels a la Crash Bandicoot, and even an exceptionally mouth-watering, darn-it-if-that-doesn't-look-real English breakfast. There's no limit to what genre you can make, either, so you're really only limited by your imagination. As someone passionate about game design, I look forward to fully utilizing all of Dreams' tools with the hope that the level of accessibility is there for all players to enjoy making their own creations.
1) Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)
It's probably a gaming sin for someone of my gaming literacy to admit, but I've never played all the way through the original Final Fantasy VII. I got so far as Disc Three, but something way back when interrupted my progress. That said, what I played of the original FFVII I really enjoyed, and while I have an idea of what to expect from this wholly re-imagined remake, I eagerly anticipate being surprised by the curve balls the development team will throw in there to spice things up. Final Fantasy VII Remake is of course not just exciting because of the new content being placed into the game, but it's also one I anticipate because of seeing familiar areas given a whole new lease on life with an impressive makeover. Already, I've seen places in Midgar that have been touched up with such pristine, masterful care that I'm close to salivating at the thought of finally playing the game when it launches this March.
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