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2020 is almost here, so we’ve asked GameSpot’s staff to share which games they’re looking forward to most in the new year. New consoles are going to dominate the headlines, but at the end of the day it’s all about the games, and there are a ton of exciting ones to look forward to. When you’re done reading this entry, follow along with all of our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best of 2019 hub and our Most Anticipated of 2020 hub.

When the original Psychonauts launched in 2005, the platformer’s heyday was already fizzling out–contemporary action games like God of War, Resident Evil 4, and Gears of War saw to that. Fortunately, platformers are far more common again these days thanks to indie developers, which has once again saturated the genre. Still, I look to Psychonauts 2 to remind me why I love the platformers, but in new ways.

In Psychonauts 2, I am most excited about the level design. The original game’s stages were created around the psyche of various characters whom our hero Raz is trying to help. Physical education teacher Coach Oleander sees the world as a Normandy-esque battlefield; conspiracy-theory loving security guard Boyd Cooper is plagued with anxieties of undercover milkmen secretly spying on suburban households. This reflexive level design is the embodiment of “show, don’t tell,” a narrative concept that lets the player discover more about characters without overlong cutscenes or expository text boxes. And the ideas are ridiculous enough that you can laugh at each stage you’re leaping through–there’s a circus made of meat in there for Crueller’s sake.

I’m excited to see what level design concepts the sequel explores, especially since we’ll be meeting a whole new cast of characters. The adventure picks up right where VR spin-off Rhombus of Ruin left off, with Raz and company arriving at Psychonauts HQ. Apparently, the organization has been up to no good, and at least one agent has been dabbling in necromancy. I can’t even imagine what mental gymnastics they did to justify that–or what literal gymnastics I’ll do in the level based on this necromancer’s mind.

It’s been a long journey for Psychonauts 2, one that started with a super successful Kickstarter campaign in January 2016. We didn’t end up seeing an official first trailer until The Game Awards 2018. Despite the surprise reveal, the sequel was later pushed back until at least 2019–the first of two delays. The second came after Microsoft acquired developer Double Fine, who, despite announcing it’ll be publishing Psychonauts 2, will still be releasing the game on PS4 and PC as well. However, just a few weeks after that announcement, the game was delayed again, this time into 2020. I genuinely hope that’s the last one because I want to get my telekinetic hands around Psychonauts 2 soon.

2020 is almost here, so we’ve asked GameSpot’s staff to share which games they’re looking forward to most in the new year. New consoles are going to dominate the headlines, but at the end of the day it’s all about the games, and there are a ton of exciting ones to look forward to. When you’re done reading this entry, follow along with all of our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best of 2019 hub and our Most Anticipated of 2020 hub.

Announced at Gamescom 2019, Little Nightmares 2 was a sequel I never saw coming, but I’m absolutely delighted that it’s happening. The upcoming horror puzzle-platformer from Tarsier Studios is confirmed to be released in 2020, although no exact date has been revealed.

I still remember the exact moment I first caught a glimpse of Little Nightmares at a convention in late 2016–the cute-but-creepy, Tim Burton-esque style immediately grabbed my attention. If you’re a fan of horror, Little Nightmares does not disappoint. The game follows Six, a hungry little girl in a yellow raincoat, as she makes her escape from a terrifying vessel known as the Maw. Six encounters a host of gruesome residents aboard the vessel, including a dreadful long-armed Janitor, the grotesque Twin Chefs, and blood-sucking leeches.

Little Nightmares is similar to games like Limbo or Journey in that the story is communicated through the environment and silent encounters rather than dialogue. Even without her speaking or even revealing her face, you grow attached to Six and emotionally invested in her escape as she makes her way through the dangerous Maw. And while the end may leave you with questions, Little Nightmares offers up a unique and unforgettable world that sets the stage perfectly for a sequel.

We know that Little Nightmares 2 will introduce a new character, a little boy named Mono, who teams up with Six after her escape from the Maw. In the sequel, you’ll play as Mono, and Six will be your guide as you set out to explore a mysterious humming transmission from a distant Signal Tower. Of course, there will be new monstrous residents after them, including a sadistic Teacher, and stealth and puzzle-solving will be a major aspect of the gameplay. The trailer even shows some light combat, a new addition to the series.

I’m incredibly excited to see how the sequel expands on the story started in Little Nightmares and its mobile prequel, Very Little Nightmares. In the first game, we caught a glimpse of the monstrous Guests boarding the Maw, and now we’ll finally learn what horrors lie in the world outside. We know Little Nightmares 2 will mostly take place outside of the Maw, introducing new settings like a creepy forest and an ominous cabin occupied by the bloodthirsty Hunter.

Even more intriguing are the retro-style TVs that appear to be scattered throughout the game, which are likely connected to the Signal Tower and seem to hold hypnotic powers over the residents. There’s also the question of that shadowy figure on the cover, who also appears in the TV at the end of the trailer. Is he our big bad in Little Nightmares 2?

It’s a testament to the first game’s incredible worldbuilding that there’s so much ground to cover in the sequel. The world of Little Nightmares is about to get a lot bigger in 2020, and I can’t wait to be absolutely terrified by it.

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker finally arrived in cinemas over the December 20-22 weekend, and as expected it opened to #1 at the box office. The ninth film in the Skywalker saga, and fifth Star Wars film released under Disney, had a huge opening weekend–albeit not as huge as one might expect, performing well below The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

The Rise of Skywalker opened to $175.5 million domestically, while also pulling in $198 million internationally for a global total of $373.5 million. For reference, The Force Awakens opened to $247,966,675 domestically in its first weekend, and The Last Jedi made $220,009,584. Both managed global opening weekends well above The Rise of Skywalker’s total too.

This is not necessarily a disappointing result, though–it’s the third best December opening weekend of all time, and above Disney’s own conservative $160 million prediction. It also opened well above Rogue One ($155,081,681) and Solo ($84,420,489.) But a $175.5 weekend is also on the lower end of industry predictions. The mixed reviews likely did not help; GameSpot gave the film a 4/10, calling it “a galactic disappointment.”

It’s too early to tell if The Rise of Skywalker will become Disney’s eighth 2019 film to cross the $1 billion mark globally. Christmas Day often sees huge cinema attendance, and the film’s performance this week will give us a better idea of how high it might ultimately rise.

Speaking of disappointments, Cats bombed in its opening weekend, openingto $6.5 million on 3,380 screens. For a film opening on over 300 screens, that’s the 18th worst performance ever; the reviews, which suggested that the film is a nightmare, likely didn’t help. Cats carries a budget of $95 million, and is unlikely to recoup production costs. The version of Cats in cinemas reportedly features various clear visual errors, with a new print being shipped to cinemas in the wake of reports like the one below.

Holdovers Jumanji: The Next Level and Frozen 2 performed well, while Bombshell, starring Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbie, is struggling as it expands wide.

Here’s the domestic top 10 for the weekend of December 20-22. The full charts are available at Box Office Mojo.

1. Star Wars: Episode XI – The Rise of Skywalker: $175,500,000
2. Jumanji: The Next Level: $26,125,000
3. Frozen II: $12,300,000
4. Cats: $6,500,000
5. Knives Out: $6,125,000
6. Bombshell: $5,075,000
7. Richard Jewell: $2,565,000
8. Queen & Slim: $1,850,000
9. Black Christmas: $1,800,000
10. Ford v Ferrari: $1,800,000

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