Despite everything else, 2020 has certainly been an interesting year for gaming. There have been plenty of ups and quite a few downs, but overall, there’s some great new titles this year.
Whether embarking on a longship to England, setting out to burn Night City, or rid Tsushima of the Mongols, players in 2020 have always needed a trusty weapon at their side. Thankfully, the year’s top titles have provided some unique, powerful, and satisfying tools of destruction.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the latest in Ubisoft’s long-running series, was one of the biggest titles of 2020. Valhalla takes the classic Assassin’s Creed gameplay to a brand new setting: the Viking invasion of England. Obviously, no game that features Norse mythology would be complete without Thor’s famous hammer, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is no exception. As one of the hardest weapons to acquire in the game, Mjolnir is also one of the most powerful. As fitting for the armament of Thor himself, Mjolnir deals heavy stun damage, and the rest of the thunder god’s armor-set piles bonuses to Stun on top.
Despite a troubled launch, there’s no doubt that Cyberpunk 2077 will be remembered as one of the most hotly-anticipated titles of 2020. Amid an entire armory worth of techno-rifles and smart guns, one weapon stands out among Cyberpunk‘s arsenal. This is because Skippy, the iconic pistol found in a random alley in Vista Del Rey, isn’t just a gun, he’s also a character. When players first pick Skippy up they’ll be able to have a chat with the auto-targeting Smart-pistol, and choose whether they’d like him to aim for lethal head-shots or merciful leg-shots. Beyond being a unique, funny encounter, there’s also a quest to return Skippy to his original owner.
Demon’s Souls, the 2009 precursor to the Souls-like genre, returned as a remake in 2020. Just like its successors in the genre, finding a good weapon is essential in Demon’s Souls. Luckily, there’s one sword that stands out so much that it has returned in some form or other in every subsequent FromSoftware Souls-game. The Large Sword of Moonlight is a colossal wedge of blue crystal that can break through any shield in the game. With its pure magic damage, overwhelming weight, and broad attack pattern, the Sword of Moonlight is one of the best weapons in the game.
When it comes to shooters, they don’t get much more quintessential than the Doom series, which had its latest entry this year in Doom Eternal. And when it comes to Doom weapons, they don’t get much more quintessential than the Super Shotgun. The classic double-barreled blaster returns in style in Doom Eternal, with a brand new trick up its sleeve. The Meat Hook is a unique mod that allows the Doom Slayer to grapple enemies and pull himself into close range. Follow this up with a blast from the Shotgun itself, and there aren’t many demons that won’t be reduced to a fine red mist.
Another classic title that returned in remake form this year was 1997’s Final Fantasy 7. While many classic weapons, like the iconic Buster Sword, returned in the remake, there were also a few new ones. One of these that particularly stood out was the Twin Stinger Broadsword for Cloud. A balanced all-rounder, the Twin Stinger is one of the only weapons in FF7 that reaches maximum Materia capacity before Level 6. It also provides the unique Counterstance ability, allowing Cloud a powerful retaliation strike after taking a hit.
Genshin Impact was one of the biggest surprises of 2020, as the free-to-play RPG from miHoYo set new expectations through a nuanced use of the gacha game monetization system. Like all games of its sub-genre, Genshin Impact is all about collecting the best characters, gear, and weaponry. Sitting atop the sword pantheon is the Skyward Blade, a pure-blue sabre with a unique buff effect. The Skypiercing Might buff gives a slew of bonuses whenever the player performs an Elemental Burst, allowing players to set up some crazy combos.
2020 hit Ghost of Tsushima follows the adventures of Jin Sakai, a samurai on a quest to protect Tsushima island from Mongol invaders. While Jin acquires many weapons throughout the game, there is none more iconic than the Sakai Storm Katana. As a family heirloom, the katana remains with Jin throughout the game, though his skills with it continue to grow. The katana combines speed, precision, and a razor-edge to cut through the invaders like chaff. It’s also very important to the story: as the iconic samurai weapon, Jin’s sword is inextricably tied to his concept of honor and Bushido.
The indie darling of 2020, Hades is a rogue-like action-RPG set in the Underworld of Greek mythology. In a quest to escape his hellish home, Zagreus, the son of Hades, must hack and slash his way through the various hostile denizens of the Underworld. To do this, he uses a variety of Infernal Arms, powerful weapons inspired by Greek mythology. While there are many great picks among them, the Shield of Chaos stands out in the pack. The Shield combines bashing attacks that knock-back, powerful throws, and perfect blocking to protect Zagreus on his journey. It can also be upgraded with a number of Aspects, the best of which is the Chaos Aspect, which allows multiple copies of the shield to be thrown with a single attack.
A unique title that released back in May, Maneater allows players to take on the role of a female bull shark as she embarks on a quest of revenge against shark-hunter Scaly Pete. While the shark’s basic arsenal is deadly enough, she can unlock new evolutions which change her abilities as she hunts. One of these is the Bio-Electric Teeth, which add a stunning electrical blast to her bites. While the teeth are effective enough on their own, when combined with the rest of the Bio-Electric set they can transform the shark into a raging ball of lightning-fueled vengeance.
Squad-based RPG Wasteland 3 launched in August this year, bringing players back to the popular post-apocalyptic series. This time the action is up north, in the freezing tundra of Colorado. The wasteland is a tough place, and anyone trying to survive it will need a powerful weapon at their side. Wasteland 3 provides these in spades, and a particular standout is the Ray Tracer. A supercollider sniper-rifle, the Ray Tracer fires a cone-shaped particle stream that shreds anything in its path. Scaling from the Weird Science skill, it’s a weapon that excels against inorganic targets, but won’t have trouble killing anything that players point it at.
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