10 - WATCH DOGS: LEGION
Watch Dogs: Legion is a 2020 action-adventure game published by Ubisoft and developed by its Toronto studio. It is the third instalment in the Watch Dogs series, and the sequel to 2016’s Watch Dogs 2. Set within a fictionalised representation of a future, dystopian London, the game’s story focuses on the hacker group DedSec as they seek to clear their names for a series of bombings they have been framed for, as well as liberate its citizens from the control of an oppressive private military company, which turned London into a surveillance state in the aftermath of the bombings.
Alongside traditional elements of gameplay from previous titles, Legion uses multiple playable characters that can be recruited and controlled at any time to complete missions. Each playable character has their own unique skills and backgrounds, and can be lost permanently if players enable the option of permadeath before starting a new game. Four-player cooperative multiplayer will also be included, allowing players to team up to complete missions or explore London together.
Legion was released on October 29, 2020 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia, and as a launch title in November for the Xbox Series X/S, the PlayStation 5, and Amazon Luna.
9 - SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Based on the Marvel Comics superhero Miles Morales, it is the second game in the Marvel’s Spider-Man series, following Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018). The game was announced at the PlayStation 5 reveal event in June 2020 and was released for the PlayStation 4 and as a launch title for the PlayStation 5 in November 2020. It received generally favorable reviews from critics.
The game shares most of its environment and core gameplay with its predecessor. Miles Morales begins with the ability to use webs to swing, attack enemies and crawl and run on walls. At key points in the storyline, he gains additional abilities, including Venom Blast (the ability to incapacitate his enemies with bio-electricity, and charge or drain electronics), Camouflage (temporary invisibility), and Mega Venom Blast (the ability to attack multiple nearby enemies in a massive explosion of bio-electricity). Other moves, such as the Venom Dash and Venom Jump, are unlocked either during the story or through a skill tree. Miles also has access to his own unique gadgets: Remote Mines that can attach to enemies or electrical panels, a device that can summon holographic fighters to help him in combat, and Gravity Wells that can trap multiple enemies and make them easier to hit.
8 - NBA 2K21
NBA 2K21 is a basketball simulation video game that was developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports, based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is the 22nd installment in the NBA 2K franchise and the successor to NBA 2K20. The game was released on September 4, 2020 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia, and on November 12, 2020 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S.
The game itself plays similarly to previous installments in the series. The player mainly plays NBA games with real-life or customized players and teams; games follow the rules and objectives of NBA games. Several game modes are present and many settings can be customized. Up to six expansion teams can be created and used in both MyLeague and MyGM Modes, with the possibility of a 36-team league, and any team can be relocated and rebranded. For the second time in series, all 12 WNBA teams are available to play as. There are 67 classic teams available, with the 2018–19 Toronto Raptors, 2016–17 Golden State Warriors, and 2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers being among them.
7 - DIRT 5
Dirt 5 is a racing video game developed and published by Codemasters. It is the fourteenth game in the Colin McRae Rally series and the eighth game to carry the Dirt title. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 6 November 2020, is scheduled to be released for Xbox Series X/S on 10 November 2020, and for PlayStation 5 on 12 November 2020 (for North America, Oceania, Japan, and South Korea) and 19 November 2020 (for most other regions), and for Stadia in 2021.
Dirt 5 is a racing game focused on off-road racing. Disciplines within the game include rallycross, ice racing, Stadium Super Trucks and off-road buggies. Players can compete in events in a wide range of locations, namely Arizona, Brazil, China, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Nepal, New York City, Norway and South Africa.The game includes a dynamic weather system and seasons, which affect the racing; for example, the player can only compete in ice racing events in New York during winter months. A four-player splitscreen system is also introduced into the game.
Dirt 5 also features a narrative-focused career mode that pits the player character against a rival driver called Bruno Durand in a series of championships. The player also has a mentor called Alex “AJ” Janiček who provides them with advice throughout their career.
6 - DEVIL MAY CRY 5 SPECIAL EDITION
Devil May Cry 5is a 2019 action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sixth installment in the franchise not counting mobile games and the fifth installment of the mainline Devil May Cry series. Capcom released it for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on 8 March 2019. The game takes place five years after Devil May Cry 4 and follows a trio of warriors with demonic powers: the returning Dante, Nero and a new protagonist named V as they attempt to stop the Demon King Urizen from destroying the human world. Across their journey in Red Grave City, the player can use these characters in different missions. Each of them has their own way of fighting and becoming stronger. As this happens, the mystery behind V is revealed along with his connection with Urizen.
Devil May Cry 5 was directed by Hideaki Itsuno whose goal was for this installment to be his best work. He aimed to make the game balanced for both newcomers and returning gamers by providing adequate, difficult and new enemies. Capcom also wanted to bring a more realistic design inspired by the “RE Engine” used in their previous work, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. As a result, models were used to make the character’s faces. The plot was written by returning writer Bingo Morihashi while the setting was based on various locations in London. Multiple composers worked together to produce the game’s audio, creating three main themes centered around the playable characters.
Devil May Cry 5 received positive reviews from critics, praising the variety of techniques the three characters bring, while also liking the handling of the narrative. The game won multiple game awards in both 2019 and 2020, sold over two million copies less than two weeks after its release, and surpassed three million in a year, becoming the top-selling game in the franchise. A light novel and manga related to the game by Morihashi have also been released. An expanded version called Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition was released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, featuring the addition of Vergil as a playable character. For players on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Vergil is available as paid DLC.
5 - DESTINY 2: BEYOND LIGHT
Destiny 2: Beyond Light is a major expansion for Destiny 2, a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie. It was released on November 10, 2020, as the fifth expansion of Destiny 2. Players travel to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa to confront the Fallen Kell Eramis, who plans to use the power of the Darkness to save her people and take revenge on the Traveler back on Earth, as she and many Fallen believe that the Traveler had abandoned them before the Golden Age of humanity. The player’s Guardian also obtains this new Darkness-based power as a subclass called Stasis, which also features new abilities. The expansion sees the return of the Exo Stranger from the original Destiny’s campaign, as well as Variks from the original game’s House of Wolves expansion, both of which guides the Guardian on Europa. Furthermore, Beyond Light adds other content across the game, including missions, player versus environment locations, player gear, weaponry, and a raid. Beyond Light is the first expansion of Destiny 2 to be released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms. Bungie described this expansion as the beginning of a new era for the Destiny franchise.
Beyond Light maintains the basic gameplay of Destiny 2; the player, as a Guardian using a power called Light that gives them superhuman abilities and the ability to be regenerated, fight in a mix of first-person and third-person shooter gameplay in both player versus environment and player versus player activities in a massively multiplayer online game world. Cooperative activities include various bounties, story-related missions, strikes, raids, open-world public events, special seasonal events, while competitive matches include matches with other Guardians in the Crucible or a team versus team mode in the Gambit arena. Players are rewarded with both new weapons and armor as well as various materials that are used as a form of in-game currency to gain or upgrade other equipment. Players can have up to three active characters, one from each of the game’s main classes: Titan, Hunter, and Warlock, each that has several subclasses based on the type of elemental damage they select prior to missions. Players seek to improve their character’s overall Power level—a rough average measuring the quality of weapons and gear they have collected—that allows them to take on more challenging activities in the game.
4 - DEMON’S SOULS
Demon’s Souls is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 under the supervision of Japan Studio. It was published in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment in February 2009, in North America by Atlus USA in October 2009, and in PAL territories by Namco Bandai Games in June 2010. The game is referred to as a spiritual successor to FromSoftware’s King’s Field series.
Demon’s Souls is set in Boletaria, a kingdom consumed by a dark being called the Old One following its release through the use of forbidden Soul Arts. Players take on the role of a hero brought to Boletaria to kill its fallen king Allant and pacify the Old One. Gameplay has players navigating five different worlds from a hub called the Nexus, with a heavy emphasis on challenging combat and mechanics surrounding player death and respawning. Online multiplayer allows both player cooperation and world invasions featuring player versus player combat.
3 - CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS COLD WAR
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a 2020 first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the sixth installment in the Black Ops series, and the seventeenth installment in the overall Call of Duty series. Serving as the direct sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010) and the direct prequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012), the game was released on November 13, 2020.
Black Ops Cold War is set during the early 1980s of the Cold War. Its campaign follows CIA officer Russell Adler as he pursues Perseus, an alleged Soviet spy, whose stated goal is to subvert the United States and tilt the balance of power toward the Soviet Union. Multiplayer has new game modes, more extensive customization, and new map dynamics and elements. The game received generally favorable reviews from critics.
2 - ASTRO’S PLAYROOM
Astro’s Playroom is a 3D platformer in which the player controls Astro Bot using the DualSense controller. Like the previous game, he is able to jump, hover, punch enemies and objects as well as spin attack by charging his punch. The haptic feedback of the controller is used to provide realistic tactile vibrations from actions such as walking on different types of material, walking through rainfall and into wind. The game starts in a hub world called CPU Plaza which is modelled after the inside of the PlayStation 5 console and provides access to four worlds which are each themed after a component of the console: GPU Jungle, Cooling Springs, SSD Speedway and Memory Meadow. The plaza also houses two other areas: Network Speed Run, in which players can compete in unlockable time trials for the fastest time which can be shared to online leaderboards, and PlayStation Labo, which houses all of the collectables a player has collected.
The game was announced on June 11, 2020 at the PlayStation 5 reveal event.It was released on November 12, 2020 in select territories, and worldwide on November 19, 2020.
1 - ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an open-world action-adventure game structured around several main story arcs and numerous optional side-missions, called “World Events”, the game recounts a fictional story during the Viking invasion of Britain. The player takes on the role of Eivor, a Viking raider, as they lead their fellow Vikings against the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The player has the choice of playing Eivor as either male (voiced by Magnus Bruun), female (voiced by Cecilie Stenspil) or letting the game alternate between the two at key moments in the story, and is able to customize Eivor’s hair, warpaint, clothing, armor, and tattoos. The variety of weapons available to the player has been expanded to include weapons such as flails and greatswords. Combat has been changed to allow dual-wielding of almost any weapon, including shields, and every piece of gear that the player collects is unique. The Eagle Vision mechanic of previous titles returns in the form of “Odin Sight”.
The player’s companion animal is a raven named Sýnin who can be used to scout the nearby areas, much like previous avian companions had done in Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, and other parts of the game world from afar before Eivor engages in combat. There is more focus on the stealth aspects for both traversing the game world and in combat. The “social stealth” concept from earlier Assassin’s Creed games returns: Eivor can hide from enemies not only in stationary environmental objects but can pull down their hood and slip into certain crowds to use them as cover. Eivor can feign death, use their raven to distract guards, and can access a hidden blade for near-instantaneous assassinations. The game’s key bosses all, through specific combinations of approaches, tactics, and weapon selection, are able to be assassinated through a single attack, but still can be defeated through numerous other routes.
The game was released on November 10, 2020, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Stadia, while the PlayStation 5 version was released on November 12. The game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the graphics and story but criticized it for technical issues and lack of innovation.