Tag: Best of 2020

2020 GOTY Scoreboard: Hades, The Last of Us Part II, and More

Nintendo made last year’s pandemic-related lockdowns more bearable with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Naughty Dog ruled the Summer with The Last of Us Part II. CD Projekt finally showed us their vision of the future with Cyberpunk 2077. And Valve brought virtual reality to a new level with Half-Life: Alyx (the first expansion to the Half-Life franchise in over a decade).

Oh, and Sony and Microsoft each launched brand new consoles in November.

But it was Hades, developed by the small team at Supergiant Games, that walked out of Hell with the most “Game of the Year” accolades in 2020.

You can find the other four, as well as more of last year’s most-acclaimed titles, after the break in the 2020 GOTY Scoreboard.

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Supergiant’s Hades Collects Another “Game of the Year” Statuette at the 2020-2021 GDC Awards

This year’s Game Developers Conference is operating slightly out of sync with its normal spot on the calendar, but it was still business as usual (in more ways than one) for the 2020-2021 Game Developers Choice (GDC) Awards.

Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, and The Last of Us Part II tied for the most nominations with six apiece, so competition was stiff for the night’s biggest prize, but it was Hades that took home “Game of the Year” (as well as “Best Audio” and “Best Design”) during last night’s virtual ceremony.

Supergiant’s roguelike just narrowly missed a clean sweep of all the major year-end awards, and the only statuette to elude the veteran developers was the “rising angel” from The Game Awards, which instead went to Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II.

As you may have guessed, Sony’s one-two punch from the PS4’s final Summer didn’t go home empty-handed. The Last of Us Part II was selected as the recipient of the “Best Narrative” award, while Ghost of Tsushima picked up “Best Visual Art” and the “Audience Award.”

Other games that expanded their trophy case last night included Genshin Impact (“Best Mobile Game”), Half-Life: Alyx (“Best VR/AR Game”), Microsoft Flight Simulator (“Best Technology”), Dreams (“Innovation Award”), and Phasmophobia (“Best Debut”)

You can find a full list of all the winners, nominees, and Honorable Mentions from the 2020-2021 Game Developers Choice Awards, as well as a video replay of the show (which was hosted by writer Sam Maggs), after the break.

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Supergiant’s Hades Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2020-2021 DICE Awards

Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima, Supergiant’s Hades, and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II dominated the conversation among players in 2020, and all five were in competition for the big prize at this year’s DICE Awards.

The Last of Us Part II lead the way with 11 nominations, but it was Hades that won “Game of the Year” during last night’s ceremony. The well-reviewed roguelike also claimed four other trophies, including “Action Game of the Year,” “Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game,” “Outstanding Achievement in Game Design,” and “Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction.”

Though Hades was the big winner, each of the games nominated for “Game of the Year” won something at this year’s DICE Awards.

Ghost of Tsushima sliced its way to victory in four categories, including “Adventure Game of the Year,” “Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition,” “Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design,” and “Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction.”

The Last of Us Part II picked up a pair of trophies, including “Outstanding Achievement in Story” and “Outstanding Achievement in Animation.”

And finally, Animal Crossing: New Horizons (“Family Game of the Year”) and Final Fantasy VII Remake (“Role-Playing Game of the Year”) each won a single prize.

A complete list of all winners and nominees from the 2020-2021 DICE Awards can be found after the break, along with a video replay of the ceremony, which was hosted by IGN.

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“Best Game” Bestowed Upon Hades at the 2020-2021 BAFTA Games Awards

The critical community bestowed yet another boon on Hades at the 2020-2021 BAFTA Games Awards. The voters from the esteemed British Academy have awarded Supergiant’s roguelike adventure with “Best Game” (and a truckload of additional trophies).

After receiving eight nominations, the developers from Supergiant would ultimately climb the virtual stage five times throughout the night. In addition to the “Best Game” award, Hades was also selected as the winner in the “Artistic Achievement,” “Game Design,” and “Narrative” categories. Voice actor Logan Cunningham completed the hot streak by winning the “Performer in a Supporting Role” award for pulling sextuple duty as Hades, Achilles, Poseidon, Asterius, Charon, and The Storyteller.

Looking back, it’s astonishing that Hades wasn’t a heavy favorite heading into this year’s BAFTA Games Awards. And that’s because Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II received 13 total nominations before the ceremony, more than any other game in the nearly 20-year history of the BAFTAs. In the end, the game would emerge victorious in just two categories: “Animation” and “Performer in a Leading Role” (for Laura Bailey’s portrayal of Abby).

Other big winners at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards included Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons (“Game Beyond Entertainment” and “Multiplayer”) and Sumo Digital’s Sackboy: A Big Adventure (“Best British Game” and “Family”). Phobia’s Carrion (“Debut Game”), Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima (“Audio Achievement”), Insomniac’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (“Music”), Cardboard Computer’s Kentucky Route Zero (“Original Property”), and Rare’s Sea of Thieves (“Evolving Game”) all won a single award.

A complete list of the winners and nominees at the 2020-2021 BAFTA Games Awards, as well as an embedded replay of the ceremony, can be found after the break.

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Hades is “Video Game of the Year” at the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards

The God of the Underworld has added South By Southwest to his expansive domain as Supergiant’s Hades was named “Video Game of the Year” during last night’s ceremony for the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards. The roguelike also collected a second trophy for “Excellence in Game Design.”

Festival organizers decided to drastically slim down the category slate, presenting just a dozen awards this year (down from 17 in 2019-2020), though 43 different games received at least one nomination. Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and Moon Studios’s Ori and the Will of the Wisps led the way with four nominations apiece and both managed to score one win (“Excellence in Animation, Art, and Visual Achievement” for Sucker Punch and “Excellence in Score” for Moon Studios).

But it was another indie that managed to outshine the rest of the lineup at this year’s ceremony, as Ghost Ship Games’s Deep Rock Galactic was the only other two-time winner for “Indie Game of the Year” and “Excellence in Multiplayer.” Other winners at the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards included Half-Life: Alyx (“VR Game of the Year”), Dreams (“Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award”), The Last of Us Part II (“Excellence in Narrative”), Microsoft Flight Simulator (“Excellence in Technical Achievement”), and Doom Eternal (“Excellence in Audio Design”).

The SXSW Gaming Awards also selects a “Tabletop Game of the Year” every year as well, and this year the award went to The Search for Planet X.

A complete list of winners and nominees from the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards can be found after the break.

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Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2020 Game Awards

The winners of the 2020 Game Awards were announced last night, and in a bit of a surprise, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II won “Game of the Year” at the close of the ceremony.

The critical reaction to Naughty Dog’s sequel was decidedly mixed after its release in June, and fans have likewise been extremely divided in their opinions about the game. But its cinematic story of violence and vengeance certainly won over the judging panel at the Game Awards. In addition to “Game of the Year,” The Last of Us Part II collected statuettes for “Best Game Direction,” “Best Narrative,” “Best Audio Design,” “Best Action/Adventure Game,” “Innovation in Accessibility,” and “Best Performance” (for Laura Bailey’s Abby).

While The Last of Us Part II was the big winner at the 2020 Game Awards, three other games still managed to walk away with multiple awards. Supergiant’s Hades was crowned “Best Indie Game” and “Best Action Game.” Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake earned “Best Role Playing Game” and “Best Score and Music.” And InnerSloth’s Among Us, which was originally released in 2018, claimed “Best Mobile Game” and “Best Multiplayer.”

A video replay of the 2020 Game Awards can be found after the break, along with more winners (including Half-Life: Alyx, Ghost of Tsushima, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Microsoft Flight Simulator), and all the nominees.

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