The other week I linked to a few “best of…” lists for 2020. On Twitter, Hampus also suggested another round-up source here https://www.cbr.com/best-video-games-2020/ I’ve since collated those lists along with the video games already listed on the Hugo Sheet of Doom. I’ll confess that I have taken a scattershot approach to deciding whether games are SFF or not. It isn’t always easy! Does a historical game count as alternate-history if you can reshape events (eg Crusader Kings III)? Is Call of Duty SFF because there is a zombie option? I don’t know! In the end I didn’t include Call of Duty but did include “Yakuza: Like a Dragon” because the second sounded more wacky. I didn’t delve into eligibility much in terms of when the game was released unless I already knew it wasn’t eligible (e.g. Among Us) and there are games here with eligibility questions (Hades) and also there are remakes which may be technically eligible but which don’t have new stories.
Finally, I ordered the games by how many lists they were on. Here all the games that were on at least three lists.
Title | LB Hugo Sheet | Polygon top 50 | Esquire top 11 | Vulture 10 Best | Time 10 Best | CBR 10 Best | Count |
Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6 |
Hades | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |
Final Fantasy VII Remake | Y | Y | Y | Y | 4 | ||
Spiritfarer | Y | Y | Y | Y | 4 | ||
The Last of Us Part 2 | Y | Y | Y | Y | 4 | ||
Blaseball | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||
DOOM Eternal | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||
Fall Guys | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||
Ghost of Tsushima | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||
Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||
Spider-Man: Miles Morales | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||
Star Wars: Squadrons | Y | Y | Y | 3 | |||
Yakuza: Like a Dragon | Y | Y | Y | 3 |
I’ve played only three of those but each one is in the top four. I haven’t finished playing Spiritfarer but I’ve played enough to write a review and I really like it.
Here are those same games again but with links to reviews.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons https://www.thegamer.com/animal-crossing-best-selling-switch-game/ https://time.com/5804599/animal-crossing-new-horizons-review/ https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a32079954/animal-crossing-friends-money-life-lessons/ https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/14/22166004/best-games-2020-ps4-xbox-one-switch-pc-series-x
- Hades https://www.cbr.com/hades-deserves-game-awards-win/ https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/14/22166004/best-games-2020-ps4-xbox-one-switch-pc-series-x
- Final Fantasy VII Remake https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a32035981/final-fantasy-7-remake-game-review-midgar-chapter/ https://www.polygon.com/22158953/final-fantasy-7-remake-game-of-the-year
- Spiritfarer https://www.cbr.com/tag/spiritfarer/ https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/8/18/21373518/spiritfarer-review-release-date-switch-pc-ps4-xbox-one-thunder-lotus
- The Last of Us Part 2 https://www.cbr.com/why-last-of-us-ii-story-works/ https://time.com/5847508/the-last-of-us-part-ii-review/ https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a32907593/last-of-us-part-2-review-ellie-abby/ https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/6/12/21288535/the-last-of-us-part-2-review-ps4-naughty-dog-ellie-joel-violence
- Blaseball https://www.polygon.com/22174009/blaseball-game-of-the-year-2020
- DOOM Eternal https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a30515069/doom-eternal-game-trailer-breakdown/ https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/3/17/21182306/doom-eternal-review-pc-xbox-one-ps4-stadia
- Fall Guys https://www.cbr.com/tag/fall-guys-ultimate-knockout/ https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a33509197/fall-guys-game-review/
- Ghost of Tsushima https://www.cbr.com/ghost-tsushima-deserves-game-year-award/ https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a33308985/ghost-of-tsushima-game-review/ https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/23/21333631/ghost-of-tsushima-kurosawa-films-samurai-japan-abe-politics
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/3/10/21172961/ori-and-the-will-of-the-wisps-review-xbox-one-pc-glitches-patch
- Spider-Man: Miles Morales https://www.cbr.com/tag/spider-man-miles-morales/ https://time.com/5907872/spider-man-miles-morales-police/ https://www.polygon.com/22173765/spider-man-miles-morales-game-of-the-year-2020
- Star Wars: Squadrons https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/10/1/21495929/star-wars-squadrons-review-ps4-xbox-one-pc-vr
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon https://www.cbr.com/yakuza-like-a-dragon-classic-jrpg-homage/ https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2020/11/4/21547663/yakuza-like-a-dragon-review-xbox-series-x-pc-ps4
11 responses to “Thirteen Notable Video Games of 2020 (maybe?)”
[…] (7) BIG GAME HUNTER. Camestros Felapton continues to assist Hugo voters with a new compilation of possible nominees: “Thirteen Notable Video Games of 2020 (maybe?)” […]
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How about World of Warcraft: Shadowlands? It came out Oct. 27th. 80% PC Gamer. 8/10 IGN.com
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I just found an Articel of a German weekly Newspaper(Spiegel) which listed the following games(I marked the not Generegame most are genere):
Hades
Doom Eternal
Microsoft Flight Simulator (not G)
Ghost of Tsushima
The Longing (for me that looks like G)
Demon’s Soul (Remake for P5 so not eligable I think)
Dreams (looks like not G)
Half-Life Alyx
The Last of Us Part 2
Animal Crossing New Horizon
Cyberpunk 2077 (probably the only ones who still have this on a list)
Perhaps interesting.
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Thanks 🙂
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I’m currently playing Neverwinter Nights, released round about the millennium…so this probably isn’t the Hugo for me!
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I know what you mean! “New” game to me means “anything in the past ten years”
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I am a bit more current last game played The Witcher 3 or DA Inquisition, so no idea what to do whit that Hugo. (Kind of Interested in Final Fantasy and Hades sounds more and more like an interesting game)
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Hades is fun up to a point…but I got tired of it.
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Of the ones I’ve played I’d definitely nominate/vote for Hades and Last of Us 2. I’d probably leave Animal Crossing off and I’d definitely leave Fall Guys off. I wouldn’t complain if Ghost of Tsushima was on the shortlist but I wouldn’t nominate it myself, and I’d put it at the bottom of my ballot. I’d add Age of Calamity – it’s not the most exceptional game but the story is well executed and has been a nice way to cap the year off for Zelda fans.
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I suspect Hades is the front runner
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Eligibility misgivings aside, I’d agree. It’s doing something quite novel with how its gameplay and story unfold through the game, and that for me is what the video game Hugo should be seeking to award. Last of Us 2 is exceptional but much more “traditional” in its approach to story.
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