The Best Games of 2020 Go Head to Head.Â
The nominations have been announced for GamesRadar’s annual Golden Joystick Awards. Celebrating the year in gaming across eighteen categories, the Golden Joystick Awards are a chance for fans to vote for their favourites and show some love to the games and studios that have entertained us in this strangest of years.
The Golden Joystick Awards date back to 1983, when the video game landscape looked much different than it does today. Now hosted by GamesRadar, the awards have adapted with the industry to feature multiple categories including Best Game for Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo, and PC, as well as shining a light on the Best Indie Game and Studio of The Year. As we transition into a new generation of consoles, the 2020 awards are likely going to cap off the run for current generation games, giving heavy hitters like The Last of Us: Part II and Ghost of Tsushima an opportunity to claim their spot as defining games of the PS4 era.
The lineup for best of Xbox doesn’t carry quite the same clout as Playstation, with only four Microsoft exclusives compared to six for Sony. Nintendo predictably includes a Pokemon game and no less than three Mario titles, as well as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which enthralled gamers during the early lockdown period and is has even been used as a platform for Gary Whitta’s Animal Talking talks show! Over in the PC category it is a delight to see the return of classic strategy series Crusader Kings, also nominated for PC were Flight Simulator and Death Stranding which between them produced some of the most achingly beautiful screenshots of 2020.
The market value of nostalgia is in evidence, with nominations for the remakes of Final Fantasy XII, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, and the Super Mario 3D All Stars collection showing that we still find comfort in the familiar games of our childhood. Its not all throwbacks and franchises however, with multiple nominations for the breakout hits of the summer Fall Guys, and a Best of PC nod for the rogue-like Hades.
Unlike film and television which have a few awards shows which tower above the rest, the games industry arguably has not reached that point. There is a huge variety between different awards, with little consensus on how to categorise and compare our favourite titles. The Golden Joystick Awards feature the expected Best of categories for each major platform, however they also include more niche categories such as Best Hardware, Best Community, and even Best Expansion. There will be more nominations announced closer to the event, with likely categories including Best Perfomer and Critic’s Choice, which were both present in 2019. While ceremonies like the Oscars and the BAFTAs are steeped in tradition, game awards seem more malleable, with categories like Best VR/AR that would not have existed five years ago. Awards like the Golden Joysticks are more than willing to embrace the new, with awards for Best Streamer/Broadcaster and Best Esports Game.
As we round out what has been a very strange year indeed, its great to look back at some of our highlights, but also an opportunity to poke a little fun at our industry too. Here at COGconnected, we definitely have some opinions, check out the video below!
What categories would you like to see included? Let us know in the comments!