Alongside our staff-voted Game of the Year awards, each of our writers have crafted their own personal lists, covering their top five PlayStation 5 and PS4 titles of 2020. Today, it's the turn of editor Sammy Barker.
5. Cyberpunk 2077
I’ve always appreciated The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for the impact it had on the industry as a whole, but speaking personally it wasn’t really my cup of tea. Cyberpunk 2077 caught my attention from its opening moments – and not just because of its unforgivable bugs. Frankly, this game should be higher up my list, but CD Projekt RED somehow managed to undermine its own masterpiece by taking it out of the futuristic oven far too fast. Nevertheless, with an utterly engrossing storyline, layered mission design, and an engaging cast of characters, Night City has fast become my second home.
4. Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima is like the anti-Cyberpunk 2077: it’s far less ambitious than CD Projekt RED’s open world epic, but it’s polished beyond perfection. Much like we’ve seen from fellow Sony first-party Guerrilla Games, I think Sucker Punch found its calling with this romp through historical Japan. There’s some surprisingly good character development here, but the entire experience is carried by its gameplay, which puts similar open worlders like Assassin’s Creed to shame. While the title does very little to push the genre forward, few releases are as refined as this one.
3. Dreams
Undoubtedly the most innovative game on this list, and sadly one that’s going to be criminally overlooked by critics and consumers alike. Dreams should be heaped in awards, but I’m still not convinced people truly appreciate how ground-breaking it is. As a tool for creating and sharing content, it’s utterly unprecedented, and I continue to be staggered by what the community’s concocted. But even the campaign alone – which tells the tale of a down-on-his-luck bassist – is a masterpiece, and an unbelievable showcase of the software’s overarching potential.
2. Demon's Souls
I played Demon’s Souls when it first released on the PS3 for a couple of hours and really enjoyed it, but I was reviewing virtually everything in those days and I just couldn’t dedicate my full attention to it. With this mind-bogglingly beautiful PS5 remake, I was determined to see the campaign through to its conclusion, and I had an absolute blast in the process. I don’t always have the patience for it, but when a game’s really good, I’m willing to succumb to it – and so for about 10 days I was a mess of Wikis and YouTube strategies. I’m not ashamed to admit I cheesed most of the bosses, but learning the tactics and building my character in this gem will go down as one of my highlights from 2020.
1. The Last of Us: Part II
I continue to be utterly astounded by the drama that circles The Last of Us: Part II like a clan of Clickers. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most fascinating campaigns of the generation; not just because of the engrossing narrative, but also because of the way the combat scenarios are structured and designed. I think it’s a testament to the characters that Naughty Dog has created that people feel so strongly about them, and that alone makes it a shoe-in for Game of the Year. I personally found it precisely paced, and the sheer density of the environments continues to astound me to this day. This is the pinnacle of Sony’s first-party output, in my opinion, with each frame of action a flex from the manufacturer and a reminder of how far games have come over the years.
Do you agree with Sammy's top five? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
Comments 70
Hey we found the guy who likes cyberpunk
I really thought Cyberpunk would easily be this year GOTY, but CD Projekt managed to mess that up. Maybe it'll be my 2021 GOTY with the next-gen version.
Now Demon's Souls get the top spot, and it's totally deserved.
Too bad Demon's Souls isn't my cup of tea, otherwise this could be my list. Only "push" Cyberpunk and Ghost a little more higher in the list.
Nice list. The Last of Us: Part II has been sitting on my shelf far too long now. Bought it together with Persona 5 Royal, which I just couldn't put down until the platinum trophy popped, and then PS5 happened...
I also love Cyberpunk to death, but the tricks it pulls on us poor players are just astonishing. Last night it auto-uninstalled for no reason at all (even not a crash). Luckily I could just re-install and my save files are ok. Maybe CDPR hacked into our brains and is messing with our perception of reality through this peculiar peace of software.
Im stuck on the gates of bolateria. Yep. The very start of Demons Souls. Needless to say its not going well 😅 not sure i'll get a return on my 65 quid for that one. We'll see. At least its meant i've had a chance to go back to Persona 5 Royal (shocked that isn't on Sammy's list 😉) and have picked up Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory - which i am enjoying infinitely more than KH3
I'm really enjoying Cyberpunk 2077 but unfortunately it released so broken on two consoles it was designed for there's no way it should be in any top 5 list.
Cyberpunk is #5? I guess some players have very low standards for the games they play. C2077 is an unfinished, broken (on console), buggy, glitchy mess that time and time again removes the player from its immersion and was removed from the PlayStation store because of all its issues. I don't think it's deserving on being on anyone's top 5 list.
@OrigamiCrane
Only made it to comment number 5 before someone had something to say about TLOU Part 2... I mean aint u people getting bored talking bad TLOU Part 2 yet smh.
@Cornaboyzzz Could’ve been the best but CDPR released an unfinished game & they thought they’d be spared by the people who put them on a pedestal for no reason.
Great picks, Sammy
@LittleToyTitan How on earth did it uninstall itself lol.
@Gaming365247
Yes, how dare somebody not like a game you do.
@Gaming365247
It isn't my Game of the Year but I didn't hate it, so nice try. People are allowed to have different views.
Cyberpunk 2077 really is a fantastic game. It does actually play really nicely on PC and I haven't really enountered any serious issues at all - just a few minor visual glitches. It's such a shame that it released so broken on console.
@Max2574 Beats me. It asked for the data disc and went through the whole install sequence again. Googled it, and it seems to happen to a minority of players across PS and PC. No harm done, but man; this game's programming is one big mess.
Great list! It must be said that I haven’t had half the issues some others have and it’s kind of amazing to me just how much I’m enjoying it when it is clearly unfinished, but Cyberpunk is fantastic and no one can convince me otherwise.
The world building, writing, characters, animations, music and general flow and choices of the game are all top notch and have had my imagination running wild throughout my play through. I find the actual combat far more interesting and exciting than something like Fallout and the city itself really is a sight to behold.
As an opinion piece, it absolutely deserves to be in someone’s personal top 5 list, it’s in mine without question.
If it had released a little bit more bug free, Cyberpunk would be my game of the year. As it stands, even in the shape it's in, it's still my number 2 behind TLoU2. On a standard, bare-bones ps4, I've now put in 104 hours. I'm not even half way done. Around seemingly every corner and down every alleyway there's something new to discover. The quests are, for me, the most immersive of any open world game I've played, and I've played almost all of them. I'm easily going to put in another 100 hours just with my current character build, and there are really about 5 more builds I want to try. God help me, I love this game!
@Jimmer-jammer
Very well said.
Great list Sammy. I've yet to play Cyberpunk. Decided to wait for the next gen upgrade. Also, I'm about to start Final Fantasy 7 Remake so I'll just do a top 3 list. Dreams, Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us 2. And I'd go as far as to say TLoU2 is the best game I've ever played.
@LittleToyTitan True mate hope they sort out the issue for you.
Ranking Cyberpunk in GOTY is a difficult task. With it in such an unfinished state for most console gamers, this seems akin to ranking an Early Access product against "more finished" products (hard to call anything finished in this day and age). Having said that, it would probably be in my top 5 as well. Nothing compares to how engrossing Night City can be the flexibility of the combat, and the well written characters of the game.
@LordSteev Its ok but not fantastic imo. Broken AI. Cops that are hilariously bad. Short story, missing features that were promised, okish shooting mechanics.Terrible customization and loot. Story for side content i liked and main story was ok but predictable. Overall 7/10 but from the same devs who crafted Witcher 3 it's disappointing in so many ways.
@Akurusu yep, that's why I still have hope for the PS5 version. I never planned to play it on PS4 anyway.
'Do you agree with Sammy's top five? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.'
Oh that's asking for trouble haha
Nobody needs to agree or disagree. Everyone is different.
Loved DS and I appreciate that Sammy admits everyone can play the way they want to. It's all about strategy imo. Not about skills.
You can tell when someone has really really low standards when they have Cyberpunk in their top games of the year and I’m not saying this because of the bugs but the game in general lacks a lot of physics and details that any open world should have, you can see videos on YouTube comparing this game to old GTA games that have better physics than Cyberpunk
@the Gamer83 Exactly. There will never be a game that is universally loved and praised. Even the first TLoU game has it critics (and that was a masterpiece).
Interesting that most of the GOTY contenders so far have been PlayStation exclusives - good year for Sony!
@Rob_230 why are you stuck there?
@Max2574 I understand where you’re coming from and agree with a lot of your points but just for fun I’d like to offer these counter points.
Broken AI: I don’t find the enemy AI any worse than what you find in Fallout, a comparable game.
Cops that are hilariously bad: I won’t argue this but I can say that I’ve completely ignored the cops and it has had no bearing on my play through whatsoever.
Short story: I’m 38 hours in and don’t see the end in sight. This ones a little subjective.
Missing features: can’t argue this at all.
Okayish shooting mechanics: Feels fine to me when I look at comparable game such as Fallout or Borderlands. Also there are way more options to how you approach any given scenario than those games.
Terrible customization and loot: if you’re talking aesthetics then I agree with you. Skills and perks are varied though and I’m sure my V is quite different from another. Loot has been...run of the mill? I’m okay with that.
Glad to see someone acknowledge Cyberpunk on their GOTY list. Finally started playing on my PS5 this week, and it really is an amazing games for all the reasons listed. BUT—the crashing is unacceptable. I want so badly to fly through Night City on my motorcycle and take in the amazing sights but... CRASH... I just... CRASH... can’t...
Cyberpunk is a damn good game, releasing in its current state was bad we all know that, but when you get that outlet of hours bug free it's amazing, 2 more months work releasing early February, allow fixes and keep cut content, no other game could even touch it,
Again I love the game not my GOTY that's reserved to either Ghost or FF7 and it will be amazing when that huge January update comes
So sit tight and watch the improvement to be one of the most remembered games for both good and bad reasons
Skyrims cycle was nearly identical
I so wanted Cyberpunk to be my GOTY but its a broken mess, even taking away the bug i think its merely an average game with its open world lacking immersion and detail what GTA has or even The Witcher 3, it has the honour if being the first game on PS4 i really regret buying and its easily the biggest disappointment of last gen.
@LordSteev for me, it’s kind of been like going to an amusement park on a stormy day. 1/4 of the rides are closed and I know what I could be doing but I’m having such a great time with what’s open that it’s really not bothering me, and the experience that I am having is outweighing the one I could be having. The consistent crashing for a lot of people absolutely needs to be fixed though.
@kyleforrester87 short answer is because im rubbish.
Longer answer, i keep getting surrounded by skeletons, panicking and running out of energy. Its usually the couple with the flame swords that finish me off.
I had one 'golden run' where i got into, and up, the nearby tower but it was short lived. Then it was quite depressing to lose all my progress.
I am playing as the knight class which seemed a good all rounder but it doesn't seem to be helping me much 😕
@gusglez There are a lot of redeeming qualities to CP2077. Nothing excuses the state of it's release, but there's still a solid game under all that garbage. Sammy almost certainly played on PS5 which wasn't nearly as bad as PS4.
Absolutely agree with #1 and #2
Just finished Demons Souls today and it's a truly amazing remake. I also had tons of guides to help me and even then, it was a HUGE challenge (specially the first 5 hours or so). Beautiful game, runs incredibly well, great music....A+
And the Last Of Us 2, I agree about the weird negativity surrounding it. It is not a particularly "fun" game, but it's clearly one of the best games ever made. The animation, the characters, the way it makes you feel and think....I think it's absolutely one of PlayStation's best games.
@Rob_230 Try starting Royalty class, you can pick them off safely from a distance with your spells
Favorite list so far. This captures pretty much everything I felt this year (except for Dreams, which I haven't played much of yet)
Awesome list, Sammy!
@Rob_230
If you lock on (R3) and hold up your shield, they can't get you. Just take your time and notice their attack pattern, and then swing when there is an opening.
The game is all about stamina management - you need stamina to deal damage, but also to avoid damage. When you attack, make sure you have enough stamina left over to avoid whatever damage will come at you right after your attack.
If you make it to the top of the tower, there is a shortcut you open so you don't have to do the tower again. You also get a ring that gives you 75% health instead of 50%.
@Gaming365247 at this point you apologists are way more annoying and vocal than critics of the game, but since you're paying lip service to something you cannot be the bad ones, right?
It's the second article in like a week where I see people moaning about those who criticize TLOU P2 with that horribly self-righteous tone, and noone actually criticizing it.
Sammy explicitly asked if we readers agree, and that guy simply stated that he personally doesn't like the game.
It seems you are the one who needs to get over this game, if merely mentioning a personal preference triggers you so hard that you have to point your finger at anyone who disagrees with you.
@Rob_230 as others have said, and also get a bow at the earliest opportunity so you can bait individual enemies to you where possible with arrows from a distance, as it’s always going to be easier fighting 1v1.
Get plenty of points into endurance so you can block a few attacks while still having enough stamina to get in one or two or your own and roll out of the way if needed.
It’s really, really not that hard at all once you find your groove. Especially the start. Maybe even watch a few videos to see how other people play it.
Just lock onto the skeletons, approach them with your shield up, they will go all slash happy, back off and then when they have finished they’ll be wide open for you to dip in and slash away a few times. They have pretty savage animations but between attacks they are useless.
LOUP2 would be in my top 5 the detail is something else for a PS4 title. Cyberpunk 2077 played on PS5 is by no means short, played 77 hours. At the point of no return, however some of the side quest could easily be renamed main missions. YouTube focuses on all the negatives, the city has more depth than Spiderman which outside of the main missions was a grind. Demon Souls, I'd like to try it but not at full price 😬
Agree about No. 1 choice.
Only recently started Ghost of Tsushima. I turned on Kurosawa mode and in all honesty I think that's the best way to play it (in terms of lifting up over open world games) BUT it's just so damn pretty in colour I've switched back.
So far so good, going to play it as an Assassin's Creed spin-off and go full on Ghost. Yeah it's not as honourable but they are many and we are few and sometimes it's wise to strike from the shadows.
Yet to play any of the other three games listed but Cyberpunk definitely interests me, Demon's Souls not so much although I'm sure it's very good.
Cyberpunk 2077 is my personal game of the year. Bravo Sammy for not jumping on the hate train and appreciating the game for its positives over the negatives.
@Gaming365247
The only one crying is you.
@Rob_230 I'm with @Milomaine Start as Royalty class (chose the Providential Ring as starting gift) and you receive the Silver Catalyst and Rapier, you also begin the game with both Soul Arrow and the Fragrant Ring (which recovers your MP a bit at a time). Level up your magic and intelligence and get the Crescent Falchion sword from world 4-1 - it's a brilliant starting sword that levels up with magic, you may die a few times whilst trying to get it but it's worth it. Check for a guide on wiki on how to obtain it and then get OUT of 4-1 as you'll be underpowered (for now!). Guid luck and have fun as it's a superb game when you realise it's mechanics...
@Uromastryx It's going to take longer than Jan-Feb to sort this mess out (according to Digital Foundry). Whilst it's not affected me personally as I was waiting for the physical native PS5 version as I didn't want to play backwards compat. I feel sorry for those players on the legacy machines that have been seriously let down by CDPR. I am looking forward to playing it once it's finished and out for PS5.
My top 3 are (nearly) the same as Sammy's with Ghost of Tsushima in place of Dreams. Tsushima looked stunning but the only let down for me was the characters failed to anchor me. Demon's Souls is another superb remake by Bluepoint, building on what was in place by From Software and improving it in every way, the new music, sound FX, Haptic feedback and graphics making it a firm favourite for me again.
TLOU II is my game of the generation and I realise it'll drive people right down the middle for years to come. It was a beautifully realised world pushing the PS4 to it's limits (can't wait to to see what Naughty Dog do with the inevitable PS5 upgrade). It was adult gaming and storytelling at its very best. There's not many games out there that can provoke emotion like this game did for me (I cried on a few occasions), but I felt every kind of emotion available - anger, relief, rage, upset, sadness, disgust, fear, satisfaction, relief, compassion etc, for a video game to instill that is incredible IMO...
@Jimmer-jammer Excellent counter points my friend. But think how good it could if been if those things were added and improved.
Police should of had a dynamic wanted system with bribes and assassinate certain police to remove wanted level. They have to update the fact if I drive 10 yards away they completely lose you. Spawning police out of nowhere can at times completely ruin it.
Npcs at times barely interact with you and just go round on a specific path. So more interaction and conversation options needed.
No doubt if you do all the side content its a 100hrs plus game. But main story is between 15 to 20 hours depending on skill level. They should of integrated some of the side quests into the main story. Side quests I really enjoyed btw.
Gunplay is passable but compared with Cod or Destiny nowhere near as responsive or varied.
If they can add to the game and add the features they touted it could be great and GOTY contender. But current state its good but not great.
@Max2574 The police/wanted system is so pointless I don’t know why it’s even in the game in its current state. I agree completely that there is a lot of overhauling needed to get this game to where it could be and I’m hoping the full fat PS5 release is a lot closer to the game CDPR promised. As an open world sandbox it really is a failure, but for what it is I can’t deny that I’m having a heck of time, and it does do a lot of things extremely well.
The fact that you and others have all these great ideas on how to improve it shows me that CDPR is onto something, and a passionate customer base hopefully pushes them to do just that. Have a good day!
@Jimmer-jammer Thats it mate it has potential and happy you're enjoying it. I can't stop playing Hades at present highly recommend it. But when there is a PS5 version of Cyberpunk I am sure it will be way better it has to be.
Waiting on the Cyberpunk upgrade for PS5 but if the Ai is always this bad even after the upgrades I won't bother. If the cities aren't filled with people and cars, I won't bother. It all looks very lifeless and would stop my buying it. I just can't understand how it could be seen as okay with such an empty environment.
@Max2574 Hades sounds right up my alley but I currently have no way to play it. I’m really hoping for a PlayStation release. Like Cuphead before and the upcoming Disco Elysium, I’d be there day one.
@Jimmer-jammer Yh I have it for the Switch and can't stop playing it. Graphics are nice considering its a Switch game. But gameplay is top notch. Yh First party exclusives are ok but timed exclusives suck big time and needs to go. Sure after 6 months it will be on consoles.
@GKO900 Lol I saw the physics videos - being compared to GTA4, Far Cry 5 and I think even San Andreas - I was shocked 😰
I am loving Cyberpunk on PS5, I can only guess there is a lot more issues on PS4. I completed the Street Kid (male) with the bad ending and now am doing Nomad (female) hoping to get a better ending.
As far as Tlou 2 yes it was my pick for game of the year. I hated some of the events in the game. The emotions pulled me into the game more in the end. Loved it.
I plan on finally diving into Last of Us 2 sometime next summer.
I'm just gutted I came across the spoilers of TLOU2 before playing it. I would have loved to have played it without others ruining it.
I think those that didn't like it get a bad wrap because they are the ones who flooded message boards and twitter with the spoilers and claiming SJW this and that, death threats etc.
It's fine not to like a game, it's when it consumes you, you ruin things for others and can't get over that times have progressed.
Again, it's perfectly valid and fair if people didn't like the story (I can understand that). It's the vocal minority that ruined it.
@TheArt This new game make me appreciate GTA San Andreas even more
If you count those who love Cyberpunk 2077, count me also.
And i'm playing on ps4 pro. It's stable now, with decent visuals and framerate.
And no crashes for yesterday's 4 hour session.
@Spinachie very well said. It's a real shame, but also to be expected from gamers. Many have serious issues and the internet has given them a platform to let it all out.
A very good, yet still divisive game, that went on for far too long.
@Max2574
I guess it depends on what type of game you were hoping it would be. It sounds like you want to compare it to GTA, and if that's the kind of game you were hoping it would be, I can understand why you're disappointed with it.
I'm playing with the view of it being a cross between an open world deus ex and a bethesda sandbox. I'm not doing a whole lot of shooting or driving, but playing as a quickhacker (mage) with stealth. For me, the gameplay has been VERY rewarding, and the progression fantastic.
I noticed some of the gun perks look boring as hell. 3% more damage with Assault Rifles, for example, is nothing to write home about. But the perks for quick hacking and breaching do much more. Same with the cyber implants and especially your hacking software.
A few good hacks and a high damage, low fire rate silenced pistol are what I'm using in conjunction with a monowire, and for me, it's great. Also, I try to ignore the mini-map when at all possible, and if I see something interesting in the world, or even a potential way to get on a roof (jumping ankles cybermod) I'm going to veer off and check it out. Found some great stuff in out of the way places.
The conversations actually make you feel something in this game, it's got a heart and a soul to it that, say, Ubisoft just doesn't have. It's still rough around the edges, I won't argue.
But to my way of thinking, I'd rather have a rough sketch by Picasso than a five year old's coloring book done perfectly. I'm not looking to argue with you, just trying to put in to words what is making this game so special for me.
@Jimmer-jammer
That's it in a nutshell, really. I like what you said about how the game sparks the imagination. For me, that's the one and only thing that really makes a game great. Cyberpunk has gotten me fully invested in my character. Some of the most immersive times haven't even been tied to a particular quest or plotline, either. Sometimes it can be as easy as wanting to visit a new ripperdoc and trying to find a path to lead me there.
It's hard to put into words what makes it so compelling. If you just got out your measuring stick and said: Visuals: 6, Cop AI: 4, Amount of Traffic: 5, etc., I can see how you could come up with a very average ranking. But, and here comes the cliche, this game is a perfect example of something whole being more than the sum of it's parts.
The first party bias is strong here
@LordSteev you’re spot on. The headspace a game puts me in is everything to me, it’s what makes games so unique and so great. It’s also what gets lost in the world of review scores and meta critic averages...the subjective, personal experience that no metrics can quite quantify. Regardless of what anyone says, that can’t be taken away from me. Cheers!
Everyone punish this man for not hating cyberpunk enough, form a righteous mob, pelting him with raw chicken and used condoms till he learns to have the right opinions.
Good list except for number 1
The last of us part 2 is by far the best game I've ever played in my life I've never been so emotionally involved in a game in my life. I've been emotionally involved in games before plenty of times this one had me crying, laughing, happy, sad, mad, vulnerable had no clue what was going to happen I'm not going to spoil nothing but what is is what's not, and what's not is what is. Play it you'll understand
@LordSteev Hey mate not going to knock you for enjoying it. Glad you like it and I know they will make it even better for you in 2021. Happy New year dude.
@Milomaine @KippDynamite @kyleforrester87 @Profondo Thanks everyone for taking the time to feed back. Lots of really useful tips. Definitely sounds like i need to take a step back and start with the Royalty class, and go from there.
Knowing how to assign skill points is very useful as i would probably have dropped them straight into vitality, which might not be the best approach.
If i get time this weekend, i'll try and put everything you've described into practice!!
@Rob_230 Try Royal you can use some magic for distance and sword for up close. Just keep from getting hit more than 3 times.
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