12 Best Video Games Of 2020 - Ranked Per Month

3. March - Half-Life: Alyx

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Valve

Animal Crossing & Doom Eternal may have had the best fan art, and Persona 5 Royal was the definitive version of an already-great JRPG, but it's Half-Life: Alyx that heads the pack as the best game of an overstuffed March.

Valve's long-awaited return to video game development saw the pioneering company do what it does best - creating smart, expertly-crafted first-person games that immediately outclass the competition.

There may be those who bemoan Alyx's status as a VR-only game, but to do so misses the point. This game simply would not work outside VR, as it shows exactly what makes these types of game so special.

What would be standard firefights in a normal FPS become thrillingly intense shootouts when you are physically ducking behind cover and reloading your gun, and the standard "hide from the invincible monster" trope takes on an entirely different dimension when you can literally reach out and touch your terrifying pursuer.

Other VR games had offered similar experiences before, granted, but none of those benefited from that special Valve alchemy that transforms old ideas into world-beatingly brilliant experiences.

March was a stellar month for gamers (if a bad one for their wallets), but for sheer genre-defining brilliance it's Half-Life Alyx that stands out as the cream of an incredible crop.

Contributor
Contributor

Hello! My name's Iain Tayor. I write about video games, wrestling and comic books, and I apparently can't figure out how to set my profile picture correctly.