In the categories that actually matter.

The Game Awards, as you’re well aware, is an annual award show for video games. The clue is right in the name. Through a combination of a public vote, and input from a carefully selected jury, the show itself attempts to position itself as the video game equivalent of the Academy Awards.

The Game Awards was created following the end of the Spike Video Game Awards, which was something of a joke in its early years. I’m sure Madden NFL 04 was great, but it wasn’t the best game of 2003, now, was it? Since moving away from Spike, however, the awards seem to have become a bit more respectable in recent years. 

Now, I’ve played a lot of video games this year. Thanks to the ongoing pandemic, I’ve found myself with a lot more free time on my hands than I would have had otherwise. With that in mind, I feel far more invested in this year’s Game Awards than I would otherwise. So, for the first time ever, I believe, I’ve cast my vote. And I want to let you know who I’ve voted for, and why.

Quick disclaimer: there are a lot of categories here. Most of which are completely irrelevant. I know that eSports are huge right now, but I have no idea who the “Best eSports Coach” is. So’ll be letting you know who I voted for in the 6 categories that actually matter. Those are: Best Audio Design, Best Score and Music, Best Art Direction, Best Narrative, Best Game Direction, and Game of the Year. Got it? Good. Let’s crack on.

Best Audio Design

Nominees: Doom Eternal, Half Life: Alyx, Ghost of Tsushima, Resident Evil 3, The Last of Us Part II

Audio design is, ultimately, the background noise. All the stuff that you hear when wandering around, without music playing. Well worked audio can communicate to the player exactly what is going on around them, without a single word being put on screen. With that in mind, I voted for The Last of Us Part II, here. Playing the game primarily between the hours of 10pm and 1am, The Last of Us Part II did an exceptional job of making the game feel far more claustrophobic than it was in most parts. Be it the chatter of a Clicker, the rustle of a Stalker, or the conversations of human enemies, there were countless occasions during my playthrough where I stopped in my tracks through fear of what I heard. In terms of outstanding audio design, The Last of Us Part II is my selection.

Best Score and Music

Nominees: Doom Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Hades, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, The Last of Us Part II

Unlike Audio Design, Music and Score is the stuff you DO tend to notice. These are the themes and melodies that stick in your head for months after you’ve finished the game. For me, there are two stand out options here: Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Hades. The pair of them boast absolutely killer soundtracks that, in another year, would likely walk the award. Ultimately, I cast my vote in favour of Hades. While FF7R’s score is utterly sublime, those themes are ultimately worked from the original game. Hades does such an immaculate job building its atmosphere through eerie soundscapes through ts basic levels, only to blast you with guitar music during boss fights. The whole soundtrack is on Spotify, and I urge you to listen to it if you haven’t. Top, top drawer.

Best Art Direction

Nominees: Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, The Last of Us Part II

Again, a couple of stand out nominees for me. While Final Fantasy VII Remake did an excellent job of updating its look from the 1997 original, it is still based on those concepts. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is utterly gorgeous. The fluidity of the animation, and the way the light pops against the dark backgrounds, will never get boring. My vote, however, went to Hades. While some of the character models seem a little rough, it’s more than made up for by the hand-drawn pictures of them used in conversation. Every environment looks like it could be from a painting. A joy to explore, and that is, in no small part, thanks to the games art.

Best Narrative

Nominees: 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, The Last of Us Part II

As with the previous two categories, there are a couple of stand out’s. Hades tells a story of the dark Prince Zagreus attempting to escape the Underworld, however it doesn’t necessarily go much deeper than that. The real joy from Hades’ story comes from the interactions between the characters, and how their relationships blossom over the course of its run. My vote went to The Last of Us Part II, however. While the game itself has drawn criticism for the way in which its characters are used, I found those criticisms unjust. Having the player experience the same three days from two separate perspectives genuinely built a level of empathy for Abby, even if her experiences are, essentially, the same as Joel and Ellie’s from the first game. It’s a narrative that winds itself to a close in a satisfying manner, and reflects the journey that both characters have taken. Certainly the years best.

Best Game Direction

Nominees: Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, Half Life: Alyx, The Last of Us Part II

The description of this category, according to the awards themselves, is “for outstanding creative vision and innovation”. Taking that, the only option, for me, is Hades. Hades is everything that I should hate. A rogue-lite action title, with RPG elements, built on procedurally generated levels. Every single red flag s raised. And yet, Hades is compelling enough to keep someone with an active distaste for roguelite’s hooked for hours. That is, in no small part, thanks to the immensely satisfying combat system SuperGiant has worked to perfect since Bastion. Every swing of your spear, or shot from your bow, has a weight behind it that feels perfect. Couple that with the power-ups from Greek gods, and you’ve got a winner. Hades resets the genre. It sets a new bar for what is possible from both a roguelite, and an independent developer full stop.

Game of the Year

Nominees: Doom Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The Last of Us Part II

For me, there are only two options for Game of the Year. While I’ve already gushed over Hades, and would certainly love to see an independent developer take the prize, the only game that kept me coming back on a daily basis was Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In a year where the amount of time I could spend out of the flat was limited to basically a few hours a week at most, ACNH became an escape. As the world fell apart, ACNH gave us something to build. On a console that has Breath of the Wild, the best game of all time, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has surpassed that in terms hours I’ve logged. There isn’t a game this year that has had the cultural impact that the new Animal Crossing has had. When 2020 is long over, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the game that will be the one people remember most fondly.