If the best films of the year have their awards during the Oscars, the same would be for video games at the Game Awards. Both events serve as an excuse – of great importance – to pay tribute to the best works that were able to amaze more than one during 12 long months. And it is not for more, since 2020 will remain as one of the most chaotic years in modern history, but also as one of the most creative and important in the gaming universe. A year full of sequels, remakes, exclusive games, new releases, and where the independent industry once again stomped on a universe dominated by the big developers.
Founded by specialist journalist Geoff Keighley in 2014, the Game Awards were gaining notoriety and prestige from the masses, to become one of the most anticipated events for video game fans. And it is not for more, since during the awards there is always a “little gift” from the developers, to end one more year and prepare the next. An example would be Cyberpunk 2077 which will be released today for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia; By 2021, versions for PS5 and Xbox Series X / S will be released.
As always, all the lights of the awards will be for the Best Game of the Year (GOTY). Last year who stole the stage was Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, one of the many great works of From Software; But, for this 2020, the fight is close and with many surprises on the way. The contenders for the title are Doom Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us: Part II, Hades, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Four titles were already there to fight for the GOTY. We talk about Doom Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us: Part II. Each of them boasts a great plot, exceptional gameplay, player immersion in the story, incredible graphic details, and a good dose of nostalgia; but, it is a surprise that within tremendous games, there are two that are far from those already mentioned above, but with several nominations in the way.
On the one hand, we have Hades, the gem of Supergiant Games and the only representative of indie games in this award. The independent RPG stands out for its gameplay and narrative, as it tells the story of Zagreus, the son of Hades, who tries to escape the Underworld by his own means. In the process, you will come across different gods and moments from Greek mythology, as well as various mythological beasts. The game was able to gain worldwide fame and prestige. To his credit, it has the Best Indie Game award and the Critics’ Choice Award during the 2020 Golden Joystick Awards.
In turn, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was not far behind. While most of us had a lousy year thanks to Covid-19 and the whole pandemic thing, Nintendo was able to release a title that served as an escape valve for many gamers around the planet. New Horizons was able to break sales records in the Japanese developer and, thanks to its constant updates and various events, it kept thousands of villagers busy and happy who just wanted to experience something more than the four walls of the home.
Thanks to the many delays in the development of the game, Cyberpunk 2077 will not be present at this edition of the Game Awards, but it will surely compete for a place in the next edition of the awards. And it is almost certain that, like the other 6 titles competing for the GOTY, the RPG from CD Projekt RED will fight to be the winner of the most important award of the night.
In summary, this December 10 will be another atypical day thanks to the whole issue of the pandemic but a great day for the world of video games, the developers who make life within the industry, and their loyal fans who, year after year, hope to enjoy one of the best titles of the year and those that are about to come out.
If you don’t know who are the nominees and nominations for the Game Awards, don’t worry. We leave you the complete list so you do not miss a second of the event and play any of the titles that you have missed this year:
Game of the Year (GOTY):
- Doom Eternal
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost Of Tsushima
- Hades
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Game Direction:
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Half-Life: Alyx
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Narrative:
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Art Direction:
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Hades
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Score and Music:
- Doom Eternal
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Hades
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Audio Design:
- Doom Eternal
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Resident Evil 3
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Performance:
- Ashley Johnson as Ellie(Last of Us)
- Laura Bailey as Abby (Last of Us)
- Daisuke Tsuji as Jin Sakai (Ghost of Tsushima)
- Logan Cunningham as Hades (Hades)
- Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales (Spider-Man)
Games for Impact:
- If FOund…
- Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
- Spiritfarer
- Tell me Why
- Through the Darkest of times
Best Ongoing:
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Fortnite
- CoD: Warzone
- No Man’s Sky
Best Indie:
- Carrion
- Fall Guys
- Hades
- Spelunky 2
- Spiritfarer
Best Mobile Game:
- Among Us
- CoD Mobile
- Genshin Impact
- Legends of Runeterra
- Pokémon Café Mix
Best Community Support:
- Apex Legends
- Destiny 2
- Fall Guys
- Fortnite
- No Man’s Sky
- VALORANT
Best VR/AR:
- Dreams
- Half-Life: Alyx
- Marvel’s Iron Man VR
- Star Wars: Squadrons
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Innovation in Accessibility:
- Assasin’s Creed Valhalla
- Grounded
- Hyperdot
- The Last of Us Part II
- Watch Dogs Legion
Best Action:
- Doom Eternal
- Hades
- Half Life: Alyx
- Nioh 2
- Streets of Rage 2
Best Action/Adventure:
- Assasin’s Creed Valhalla
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- The Last of Us Part II
Best Role Playing:
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Genshin Impact
- Persona 5 Royal
- Wasteland 3
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Best Fighting:
- Granblue Fantasy: Versus
- Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
- Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
- One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
- under Night In-Birth Exe: Late
Best Family:
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Crash Bandicoot 4
- Fall Guys
- Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Paper Mario: Origami King
Best Sim/Strategy:
- Crusader Kings III
- Desperados III
- Gears Tactics
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- XCOM: Chimera Squad
Best Sports/Racing:
- DIRT 5
- F1 2020
- FIFA 21
- NBA 2K21
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Staker 1+2
Best Multiplayer:
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Among Us
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Fall Guys
- VALORANT
Content Creator of the Year:
- Alanah Pearce
- Jay Ann Lopez
- NickmerCS
- TimTheTatMan
- Valkyrae
Best Debut Game:
- Carrion
- Mortal Shell
- Raji: an ancient epic
- Röki
- Phasmophobia
Best Esports Athlete:
- Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter – CoD
- Hed ‘ShowMaker’ Su – LoL
- Kim ‘Canyon’ Geno-Bu – LoL
- Anthony ‘Shotzzy’ Cuevas-Castro – CoD
- Matthieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut – CSGO
Best Esports Coach:
- Danny ‘Zonic’ Sorensen – CSGO
- Dae-Hee ‘Crusty’ Park – OWL
- Fabian ‘ Grabbz’ Lhmann – LoL
- Lee ‘Zefa’ Jae-Min – LoL
- Raymon ‘Rambo’ Lussier – CoD
Best Esports Event:
- Finales BLAST Premier de primavera 2020 (Europa)
- CoD League Championship 2020
- IEM Katowice 2020 – CSGO
- Worlds 2020 – LoL
- Overwatch League Finals 2020
Best Esports Game:
- CoD: Modern Warfare
- CS:GO
- Fortnite
- League of Legends
- VALORANT
Best Esports Host:
- Alex ‘GoldenBoy’ Mendez
- Alex ‘Machine’ Richardson
- Eefje ‘Sjokz’ Depoortere
- James ‘Dash’ Patterson
- Jorien ‘Sheever’ Van Der Heijden
Best Esports Team:
- DAMWON Gaming – LoL
- Dallas Empire – CoD
- G2 Esports – LoL
- San Francisco Shock – OWL
- Team Secret – Dota 2