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ReviewsYear in ReviewAfter 2020 Decimated Live Fighting Game Events Great Online Play Is No Longer Optional
2020 sucked. You know it, I know it. It was amid this chaotic year that the fighting game community found itself pushed out of the arcades, hotels, and convention centers to which competitors had grown accustomed and into the unpredictable world of online play. Early on, organizers were unsure if the community could survive, but…
By Ian Walker -
ReviewsYear in ReviewAri’s Top 10 Games Of 2020
The past year has been one endless, pitch-black night with a single burning, incandescent star: video games. I mean, can you imagine what 2020 would’ve been like without video games? I, for one, cannot. Better yet, it’s not like the annual release calendar was a dry spell, either. From tip to tail, the hits kept…
By Ari Notis -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Biggest Video Game Disappointments Of 2020
God, this year sucked. Video games were supposed to be a reprieve from that, and in many ways they were. But in other ways they were just as messy, ill-fated, and broken as the year itself. Some of 2020’s big video game disappointments were minor setbacks or run-of-the-mill annoyances—the type of thing that might loom…
By Ethan Gach -
ReviewsYear in ReviewJohn Walker’s Top 10 Games Of 2020
The eternally burning tire fire that is 2020 hasn’t exactly been a laugh riot. And yet, as I reflect on what have been some of the most gruelling times I can remember, it’s interesting how much video games have played a part in getting me through. As pure colorful distraction, or even daily pursuits completed…
By John Walker -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Biggest Video Game Surprises Of 2020
Every year, we run down the best annual surprises from the world of video games. Needless to say, 2020 was not like previous years. That’s why, this year, we’re reorienting our annual tradition to focus on the biggest—not necessarily the best—ones. 2020 was full of shockers. This was the year Sony held a virtual event…
By Ari Notis -
ReviewsYear in ReviewIan Walker’s Top 10 Games Of 2020
This is the first time I’m doing one of these…well, professionally, at least. I was hired at Kotaku right before the world went to shit, and despite a tumultuous year, I’m still here. I broke news. I reviewed the PlayStation 5. I wrote about a digital dog’s butt Here are my favorite games of 2020,…
By Ian Walker -
ReviewsYear in ReviewAsh Parrish’s Top 10 Games Of 2020
Ahh! My first “Top 10 Games” post for Kotaku, so exciting! Arriving here has fundamentally changed my relationship with gaming. I have a lot more time to play a lot more brand-spankin’ new games, versus the slow arrival to already well-beloved titles that was typical of my pre-Kotaku life. So if you see some non-2020…
By Ash Parrish -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe State Of The PS4 And PS5 In 2020
Despite the harrowing circumstances impacting the world, 2020 was a stand-out year for PlayStation. Over the course of 2020, Sony published more than half a dozen top-shelf games, a huge step up from last year’s scant offerings. Beyond that, the company pushed out two models of an ambitious gaming console, and boosted support for the…
By Ari Notis -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe State Of The Nintendo Switch In 2020
It’s hard to imagine what the state of the Nintendo Switch would look like right now if 2020 hadn’t been so horrible. What could have been one of the hardware’s more stagnant years turned into one of its most memorable, when the soothing escapism of Animal Crossing met a world desperately in need of a…
By Mike Fahey -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe State Of Xbox In 2020
This time last year, Microsoft’s current flagship console was little more than a swanky video spot aired during a swanky awards show. Now, it’s the capstone to one of the biggest years for Xbox in recent memory. Time sure works in funny ways. Yes, it’s been almost one year to the day since Microsoft officially…
By Ari Notis -
ReviewsYear in ReviewThe Worst Video Games Names Of 2020
What’s in a name? When it comes to games… not much. Games can be great and have terrible, awful, dumb names. In fact, many games on this list are good games that are just unfortunately saddled with an awful title Some of these names are silly, some are dumb, some don’t really make sense, others…
By Zack Zwiezen -
ReviewsYear in ReviewZack Zwiezen’s Top 10 Games Of 2020
When I first sat down to put together this list, I wrote down two titles and then sat and thought for a while about what else I played. I think this year has thrown my whole mind into a strange funk, because I couldn’t even name 10 games I had played, let alone loved. But…
By Zack Zwiezen -
ReviewsToysHow The Decepticons Nearly Stole Christmas
The battle between the Autobots and Decepticons is a serious conflict spanning millions of years. Hasbro’s new holiday-themed Transformers stop-motion short recalls the time Megatron and his cronies very nearly stole Christmas from Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Windblade, and Grimlock. It’s nice to see million-year-old robots from another planet embracing human traditions. One would think being…
By Mike Fahey -
ReviewsMultiplatformCyberpunk 2077’s Character Creator: The Kotaku Review
The thing that interested me the most about Cyberpunk 2077 was its character creator. I’m someone who’s spent a lot of her time thinking about character creators and how they work for people who are not cis, white, able bodied, or male. I had hope that Cyberpunk’s creator would meaningfully include the wealth of human…
By Ash Parrish -
ReviewsMultiplatformImmortals: Fenyx Rising: The Kotaku Review
Immortals: Fenyx Rising isn’t the game I was expecting. I was prepared for a big Ubisoft open-world action game filled with colorful vistas, Greek gods, and some elements inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. It is all of that, but it’s not just Assassin’s Creed: Hyrule. It’s a welcome streamlining of…
By Zack Zwiezen
