My Top 3 Backseat Gaming Games of 2020

My husband plays a lot of video games. I tell him to. As a result, I end up watching him play a lot of video games. The following list contains the video games that he played that were the most fun, for me, to watch. The criteria for this list is:

• the game must have come out in 2020 (so Destiny 2 or Remnant: From The Ashes won't be on this list);
• I must not have played it with him (so no Fall Guys or Bugsnax).

List is ranked with my most favourite at the end. Enjoy!

List items

• 

  Cyberpunk 2077

  Honourable Mention:

  This game makes honourable mention because I don't have any opinions one way or the other about its goodness. Sometimes it's a bit stale, and as a backseat gamer, often the backgrounds/scenery all look the same and some of the characters are BORING. BUT, Keanu Reeves is in it, and the stuff with him, as well as the comical way the characters get into a bed (sideways?!?), makes for a mostly enjoyable watch. We also watched Johnny Mnemonic at the beginning of 2021, so unless I see a cyber-psychic dolphin, nothing in Cyberpunk 2077 will ever be good enough (to be fair, he hasn't finished it yet, so maybe there is one...no spoilers please).

  It's separated as an honourable mention because I tended to enjoy its flaws and shortcomings more than any strengths of story line or gameplay (glitchy bugs are funny) which I don't think is especially fair.

• 

  Astro's Playroom

  This game is cute, silly, smart, and cute. Having grown up with a Sega Genesis, and being generally suspicious of nostalgia, I have no particular affinity for or deep knowledge well of Playstation consoles or games, but I really liked watching my husband interact with the Astrobots and seeing what shenanigans they got up to.

  I was on "what's that game reference?" duty, so it was my job to Google the games that the Astrobots were recreating in their little movies when he didn't immediately recognize it. The ones for Heavy Rain, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, and God of War were my favourites. The GPU music is fab and if my husband so much as hums the first few notes, it proceeds to worm its way into my brain for the next couple of hours. The cute interactions and seamless way everything works together make for a fun and cute viewing experience. Did I mention its cuteness? I don't know if I mentioned its cuteness.

• 

  Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

  I loved watching my husband play 2018's Spider-man, and I even played a bit of it for him after his hard drive crashed and he lost the whole game. Sidenote: the character model change for Peter was stupid (he looks NOTHING like Tom Holland, and he looks like a baby, which really doesn't work for a character that's supposed to be a young adult) but whatever.

  Anyway, watching him play Spider-man again was just as fun, but this time I had the (fracking incredible) Spider-verse for context. Miles deserves more than a spinoff game, but this was a good start. The quippy humour, combat, cool costumes, and web-swinging, in Miles' game make for a thrilling ride on the couch. Seriously, the web-swinging is so relaxing and exhilarating, even as a backseat viewer. Just a fun time all around.

• 

  Hades

  This. Game. Rules. Whenever my husband asks me what he should play, my answer is usually Hades, even if he just played it. I'm not dexterous enough to play it myself (yah, yah, I could if I tried but I don't really want to) but this is easily one of the best games to just sit back and watch. The art is beautiful, the music is phenomenal, the combat is thrilling, the voice acting is stellar, and the writing is perfect.

  The way this game morphs Greek mythology into a cohesive story (as a government worker, the idea of Hades running Hades like a bureaucracy thrills me (paperwork is parchmentwork!)) is a feat in and of itself (have you tried to keep those stories straight!?!).

  Each of the characters brings something wonderful to the table. Dusa is adorable, Meg is sassy, Bouldy is a boulder, and Theseus is such a dick that watching my husband crush him into a fine powder over and over again is genuinely satisfying. The first time my husband beat Hades, in a relative nail-biter, I too was on the edge of my seat waiting to see if he could do it. Much Hades art will adorn our domestic abode. Much. The Game Awards shafted this game hard!