As the world came to a screeching halt in 2020, the gaming industry has adapted and has become one of the biggest years to date for the industry. Two major console launches and the latest installments of fan-favorite franchises had the big three service meals to gamers left and right.
So, with 2020 behind us, the question remains, which company was best for gamers in 2020? Come take a ride with us as we take a look at the biggest highlights from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo in 2020 to decide who was best for gamers in 2020!
Sony
The Last of Us Part II
In 2013, Naughty Dog released their swan song in the PS3 era with their modern masterpiece, The Last of Us. After the years since its release, fans have wondered if the game even needed to. ‘a sequel given its open ending. Well, co-directors Neil Druckmann and Haley Gross and the rest of the Naughty Dog crew had another story to tell and officially unveiled The Last of Us Part II at PSX 2016.
The Last of Us Part II is nothing short of an odyssey, spinning an interwoven narrative between two protagonists that culminates in one of the medium’s most heart-wrenching finals. The game not only made the majority of Games of the Year, it also won Game of the Year at numerous outlets, including our own Game of the Year 2020.
Ghost of Tsushima
As the last first-part exclusive to the PS4 era, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima has closed the book with a bang. As a faltering samurai, Jin Sakai, players must defend the beautiful island of Tsushima from Mongol invaders. Ghost is packed with incredible characters, satisfying storytelling, and combat, all wrapped up in one of the most beautiful open worlds we’ve ever seen.
In the fall of 2020, Sucker Punch delivered a massive update in the form of Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, a cooperative multiplayer mode for the base game. For a free add-on, Legends is an incredibly rich multiplayer experience, full of unlockable and upgradable character classes, campaign missions, a variety of other multiplayer modes. So much the better, the base game and Legends received a generous PS5 upgrade which improved the experience far beyond what was capable on PS4. We’ve given Ghost of Tsushima a lot of thought, giving it a 4.5 / 5.
Playstation 5
While there are certainly criticisms to be made about how Sony handled the launch of the PlayStation 5, the success the console has enjoyed cannot be overstated.
Yes, we are still seeing shortages due to the high demand and limitations of this COVID era. The console reveal could also have been handled a bit more gracefully, given that the console itself wasn’t revealed until mid-2020. Consumers have received little or no notice of when pre-orders will go live. Unless, of course, you’ve been listening to the oracle of the game we all love to call, Geoff keighley.
Once you got past the rocky launch stage, the PlayStation 5 had one of the strongest launches in Sony history. Exclusives like Demon’s Souls, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure have made a strong case for picking up Sony’s console over the competition. Best of all, Astro’s game room is widely regarded as one of the best platforms of 2020 and comes free with every console.
The DualSense, which Astro was designed to show off, is such a wonderful innovation over the DualShock that it’s worth considering when deciding between the two big ones.
Microsoft
Xbox Series X / S
If there’s one thing Microsoft can be commended for throughout 2020, it’s how transparent they were as they prepared for the X and S Series. Since the X Series first reveal at VGA 2019, Microsoft has been keen to be consumer aware by providing details on the “world’s most powerful console”.
From providing preliminary previews to letting consumers know when the material would be available for pre-order, Microsoft has beaten the competition when it comes to optics.
However, just like its competitors, the X and S series have also succumbed to shortages and drama by order, mostly due to scalpers. While interest in series consoles was certainly high and demand was there, there was certainly a disparity in the amount of chatter between series consoles and the PlayStation 5.
A major criticism at launch was that there weren’t any real exclusives to speak of, which justified owning a relatively slim Series console at launch. However, it can be said that the consoles in the series were never the spearhead of Microsoft’s strategy initially. Microsoft was much more concerned with the attachment to the platform as a whole, and the BFG in its arsenal is Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass
The “best gaming deal,” as it was coined by fans, continued to be exactly that in 2020. There is no argument that what Microsoft continues to offer is a service that doesn’t. There is no rival in the field of gaming. Game Pass has for all intents and purposes become Microsoft’s main platform, and its mission is to present it to as many gamers as possible and in every way possible. Whether on Series console, PC, smartphone and possibly smart TV. Microsoft wants gamers to live within their ecosystem.
Month after month, Game Pass continues to add value with new blockbuster games and the promise of first-party Xbox titles on the day and date of release. In 2020, Microsoft paved the way for partnerships that will continue to provide gamers with the best value for their money.
Providing the EA Play service for free to all Game Pass Ultimate subscribers has been a monumental step, giving players immediate access to EA’s library of titles. However, EA Play for Xbox Game Pass for PC gamers will have to wait until 2021.
However, Game Pass’s value exploded with one of the biggest acquisitions the games industry has ever seen, Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda Softworks parent company Zenimax Media.
Acquisition of Bethesda
Microsoft’s extraordinary purchase of Zenimax Media rocked the gaming industry like nothing else in recent memory. Bethesda Softworks is responsible for the biggest franchises, from in-house developed titles like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout to its published titles like Doom and Wolfenstein. Bethesda is such a powerhouse in this industry, so much so that just five years ago they started hosting their own E3 conferences.
While the ink is not yet dry on the deal at the time of writing, the potential of Bethesda Games’ launch date and date for Game Pass subscribers cannot be underestimated. Gamers with limited income will choose between PlayStation and its acclaimed library of exclusives or the Xbox platform with Game Pass, giving them immediate access to the vast titles in the Bethesda library in addition to third-party and proprietary offerings.
The jury is still out on whether Bethesda games will ever be Xbox exclusive, but it’s clear that was never the real point for Microsoft.
Nintendo
Animal Crossing: New horizons
The first few months of 2020 have been bleak, to say the least, with plenty of people looking for distractions from the uncharted territory the world was heading towards. Nintendo came to the rescue, providing the greatest possible distraction. Paralyzing financial debt, with a greedy and greedy tanuki. Yes, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a nice remedy for the world to hand out and we all accepted it with open arms.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons came when we all really needed it, and it showed. In just under a year, New Horizons has become one of the best-selling games on Switch with 26 million copies sold in November. Nintendo has continued to support the game throughout the year with seasonal events and they show no signs of stopping. It’s fair to say that we loved Animal Crossing: New Horizons, giving it a 4.5 / 5 calling it “the definitive Animal Crossing experience”.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
While Animal Crossing: New Horizons was undoubtedly a huge hit for Nintendo, the rest of 2020, mid-year, felt a bit light. What a surprise it was then that in the fall we got our first look at Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a prequel set in the 100 years before Breath of the Wild.
While musou games cost almost a dime a dozen and don’t necessarily generate obvious enthusiasm in the community as a whole, it has shown that gamers are craving more Breath of the Wild content. Age of Calamity gives us a better look at the Great Calamity and the Guardians and Divine Beasts we only tasted in Breath of the Wild.
We were pretty impressed with Age of Calamity in our review, giving it a 4/5 calling it “one of the best musou-style games that Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have ever released”.
Nintendo Switch Online
While not the busiest year for Nintendo, 2020 has always been a pretty good year for House Mario. Nintendo Switch consoles are still stealing tablets, and it has been the best-selling console in the United States for about two years last November. So, while the release schedule for 2020 was a bit light, Nintendo has gone for our nostalgic little hearts by releasing many classic titles to Nintendo Switch Online over the past year.
For Mario’s 35th birthday, Nintendo released the awesome Super Mario All-Stars SNES collection last September. All SNES Donkey Kong Country games launched throughout the year alongside other gems like Wild Guns. While we are still waiting for the release of classics such as Chrono Trigger or Earthbound, Nintendo has been pretty stable when it comes to supporting the service with classic NES and SNES titles.
So who treated gamers best in 2020? Well, we can’t answer that exactly, can we? Everything is subjective of course! However, while this is only a brief overview of the year 2020, it paints a picture of how each company approached the year.
Who do you think treated players the best in 2020? Ring below! Want to know more about what we cook? Check out 4 New Year’s Resolutions Nintendo must keep in 2021 and the most anticipated games of 2021.
