20. TIE - Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 (Switch/PS4/XOne/PC) / Watch Dogs: Legion (PS5/PS4/XSX/XOne/PC)
If you liked Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, then you will like Curse of the Moon 2. It's more of the same, but in the best way: more levels, more characters, a cleaner interface, and lots of balance tweaks to make everyone play a bit better. You should check out Curse of the Moon first, since it's an excellent game on its own, but if you have a hankering for '80s Castlevania action, then Curse of the Moon 2 will give you everything you need.
Watch Dogs: Legion is an enjoyable sandbox that gives you plenty of room to play around and experiment with objectives. If stealth gameplay is your thing, put this one on your pickup list.
19. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (PS4/PC)
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is not a perfect game, but it's an incredibly fun one. With satisfying and brutal combat, open-ended areas to explore, and fun survival and crafting mechanics, the title is a blast to play. It may be removed from the quality it can reach on the PC, but this is the full experience and works surprisingly well. No matter the sacrifices and minor annoyances, I kept coming back to the game long after I was done with it. I've spent more time in the headset for S&S than I have with many other games. Even though it's late in the PS4 life cycle, Saints & Sinners is a standout title.
18. TIE - Fuser (Switch/PS4/XOne/PC) / Spiritfarer (Switch/PS4/XOne/PC)
Harmonix has a winner on its hands with Fuser. The ease of use and array of tools ensure that anyone can create a great-sounding track. While Fuser is a good game to bust out at parties, the ability to share small mixes online ensures that the creations will get some exposure until we can have local gatherings again. More so than the campaign and multiplayer modes, the online sharing functionality is what gives the game some legs. Assuming the DLC keeps coming in steadily, Fuser is a title that rhythm game fans should check out.
After everything I've mentioned so far, it's not a surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Spiritfarer. What initially looked like an eerie combination revealed itself to be a thoughtful, relaxing, and enjoyable journey that deals with loss and caring in heartwarming ways. It's not a flawless masterpiece or a crowd-pleaser, but it knows what it's good at and executes it to an incredibly satisfying degree. If you vaguely enjoy titles like Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley, be sure to pick up Spiritfarer.
17. TIE - Star Wars: Squadrons (PS4/XOne/PC) / Streets of Rage 4 (Switch/PS4/XOne/PC)
Star Wars: Squadrons is exactly what it sets out to be: a modern revival of the old-school Star Wars flight simulators. It isn't particularly ambitious, but it is a lot of fun. Just being able to zoom through the wreckage of a ship battle while trying to get a bead on that darn X-Wing is enough to keep your attention for a while. The game lives and dies by its multiplayer, and hopefully the community is thriving for a while. Do you want to pilot an X-Wing? Then Squadrons is the game for you. Die-hard simulator fans might find it to be too simple for their tastes.
Streets of Rage 4 is the perfect love letter to Sega's fan favorite beat-'em-up franchise. It captures the spirit and soul of the games while adding great new mechanics and tons of style. At its heart, it's a short, sweet, and well-made game about punching criminals until you can punch the biggest criminals of all. The price tag might be a bit steep if you're not someone who loves beating things up with friends, but for Streets of Rage fans, it is everything it should be.
16. TIE - Persona 5 Royal (PS4) / Tetris Effect: Connected (PS4/XSX/XOne/PC)
Persona 5 Royal does what it set out to do: Make Persona 5 a better and more rounded experience with more content. It mitigates a lot of the minor flaws but doesn't get all of them right. For the story, there are plenty of unskippable or slow areas with extensive hand-holding. Royal is an even easier experience than P5, including the Platinum Trophy, which is probably one of the easiest ones I've achieved to date. Those minor gripes aside, it's still an incredibly mesmerizing game that sucks you in and immerses you in an all-around great experience. I'm not sure I'm OK with the $60 price, though. A paid update to the original game would've been the better move here. With that being said, if you love Persona 5, you'll love P5 Royal. If you haven't played it yet, what are you waiting for?
I may be done with this review, but I'm not done with Tetris Effect: Connected. I may not be seeing tetrominos during my day job, but I do have a newfound obsession with Tetris. Since starting this game, I've gone down YouTube rabbit holes learning about t-spins, tips, and tricks to improve my Tetris game. I've replayed modes to beat my previous high score, which I don't normally do in games. Even after this review, I'm eager to jump back into Journey mode to hear some of my favorite songs before booting up another title. As an added bonus, the multiplayer options make for a solid package that should offer players tons of hours of Tetris.
15. Dreams (PS4)
Dreams is a social network, a content platform, and a creative suite all in one. It's probably the hardest game to review, but it is easy to fall in love with it. It is incredibly polished and does exactly what it promised to. It isn't perfect, but it is as close as it can be given the game's incredible scope and ambition. There are only minor gripes I can report, and even those pale in comparison to the many things that it does right. It's unknown whether Dreams' potential is going to be realized by the community. It isn't at the point where Dreams is a must-buy for the content alone, but it's vital if you're curious about the game development process. I also found the PSVR support to be a necessary and greatly enhancing feature for Dreams VR.
14. Nioh 2 (PS4/PC)
Nioh 2 is going to be compared to Sekiro, but it is its own beast. It's an excellent follow-up to the original game, and it isn't any lesser for being compared to FromSoft's attempt at the samurai Soulsborne genre. The new features help keep the smooth gameplay feeling intense and exciting, and the various tweaks do wonders for keeping the game fresh.
13. TIE - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (PS4/XOne/PC) / Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS4/XSX/XOne/PC)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is emblematic of how good the original arcade skating formula is and how excellent Vicarious Visions is at remastering jobs. Everything here feels just as tight as those original titles but with a fresh coat of paint that will impress those who still play those PlayStation and N64 originals to this day. The quick runs and easy-to-learn controls make for an addictive experience, so you'll find yourself going for just one more run. The addition of online leaderboards and created levels give this game some serious legs, so THPS1+2 is a must-have for your gaming library. The only people who wouldn't enjoy this title are those who live and die by a sim skateboarding experience.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is a wonderful addition to the franchise. It hits the mark with a likeable new protagonist and an engaging new combat system without losing what makes Yakuza great. It features top-notch humor and charm, so if you like Yakuza, then you'll like Like A Dragon. It is everything that makes the series great and is one of the freshest entries since Yakuza 0.
12. Gears Tactics (XSX/XOne/PC)
Gears Tactics is a solid turn-based strategy game that has something for genre veterans and newcomers alike. The faster pace and more aggressive style of the game will appeal to fans of the franchise, while the tweaks to established elements, like action usage and overwatch, will also tickle the fancy of strategy fans. The brutal difficulty may be par for the genre, and while the lack of multiplayer will turn off some players, the strong campaign and post-game skirmishes will keep others interested for quite some time. Both the series and Splash Damage are relative newcomers to strategy, but they've done a good job of convincing people that they can handle the challenge.
11. Immortals: Fenyx Rising (Switch/PS5/PS4/XSX/XOne/PC)
Overall, Immortals: Fenyx Rising is a good game. It's a shameless clone, but it's fun, and it's clear that Ubisoft's take on the formula was done with enthusiasm. If you were disappointed that this year's Breath of the Wild game was a Dynasty Warriors title, then Immortals might scratch that itch. It's always going to live in the shadow of the games that inspired it, but sometimes, all you want to do is climb some cliffs and slay some monsters, and Immortals provides exactly what it promises.
Editor's Note: Be sure to tune in tomorrow (Jan. 3, 2021) to see what WP considers to be the best game of 2020!
UPDATE (Jan. 3, 2021):