2020 Blue Gartr Game of the Year Discussion Thread: Remakes, Waifus, and Delays Galore!

[Kaslo]

It's back for the fifth year in a row! The mods/admins will have their say in their blog post, but this is the time for us as a community to shit on each other's GOTY choices!

I tried to include the major GOTY contenders from around the interwebs along with a few surprises! This list was extremely hard to trim to 20, so if your GOTY isn't on there, I'm sorry!

Myself, I played just a handful of games, some of which I haven't finished (Age of Calamity and Cold Steel 4), but it's going to be hard not to go with Final Fantasy VII Remake, other than some spoilery stuff, the game felt perfect!

2019 Thread: https://www.bluegartr.com/threads/13...me+of+the+year
Winner: Seikro: Shadows Die Twice

2018 Thread: https://www.bluegartr.com/threads/13...oooo-last-year
Winner: God of War

2017 Thread: https://www.bluegartr.com/threads/13...me+of+the+Year
Winner: Nier Automata

2016 Thread: https://www.bluegartr.com/threads/12...me+of+the+Year
Winner: Overwatch

[Tyrath]

Right now it's Hades for me but I'm gonna wait to play Cyberpunk a bit before I vote.

[Johnblaze]

Hades for me until Cyperpunk as well.

[Krandor]

With as buggy as Cyberpunk sounds think it's gonna stay Hades for me, with runner ups to Doom Eternal and Ori and the Will of the Wisps

[Daydreamer]

Hades so far, but Yakuza could shape up to be a contender by the time I finish.

[Karbuncle]

Only game I've played this year is Doom and it was kick ass, so I voted that.

[Salodin]

I think it has to be Hades, hands down unless cyberpunk wrecks it all

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[Byrd]

2020 release games I have played, in order of preference, with Cyberpunk still to come:

Final Fantasy VII Remake
The Last of Us Part II
Astro's Playroom
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Ghost of Tsushima
Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
Bugsnax
Little Hope (Dark Pictures Anthology)

None of these were actually bad games, even Little Hope, but some worked better for me than others. Astro's Playroom was the best one night game I've played in years, and highly recommended both from a game perspective, and as a giant nostalgia bomb. Ghost of Tsushima was graphically outstanding, but didn't work for me as well as it did many others (still platinumed it, though). Miles Morales' story was fun, but a lot of fetch quests to kind of pad the short length felt tacked on. I probably spent the most time of any game on this list on Fall Guys (I actually spent the most time all year on Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, but that's not a 2020 release).

I really don't have a strong preference between FF7R and TLOUII. They were both outstanding games that I felt got a lot of unfair criticism due to the expectations of previous games. I ultimately went with the FFVII Remake; I felt the last act of TLOUII dragged on unnecessarily, whereas FFVII was a tighter story, even with the addition of the whispers. I found them annoying at first, but by the end of the story, I understood what they meant and was OK with them. I eagerly look forward to the next game and the Golden Saucer.

[Celeras]

God of War beat Monster Hunter in 2018? Fucking jabronis.

Nothing jumps out at me this year. Remakes feel like a copout, and I wouldnt vote for 7 because Im so torn on how it ended. I'll hold the vote and it'll probably end up as Cyberpunk. If not, then I guess Demon's Souls.

[Melena]

FF7 Remake was the only one on the list I played, so that got my vote, though if the poll maker put Persona 5 Royal on there, I would have gone with that instead.

[Andalusian girls]

FF7 Remake

[Lucavi]

Remake, but Hades is a goddamn close second.

[Corrderio]

Went with Hades myself. If Cold Steel 4 were on the list I'd jump on that in no time.

[Sonomaa]

I have absolutely played Animal Crossing the second most this year.
The most was XIV lol

Hades and VII were magnificent though, I havent finished Hades yet and once I was done with the MSQ of VII I didnt follow up with it for too much more. Ill replay it again on PC release.

Doom Eternal was great but when I was done I uninstalled it to save hard drive space.

[Madeline]

Damn, I've been slacking and haven't played most of these. Of what I have, probably Doom Eternal..

I am missing out with Hades I'd think, I've heard nothing but praise to the point I'd be surprised if it didn't take the vote.

[Corrderio]

Damn FF7 is killing it. Guess I shouldn't be surprised though

[Deathbringer]

I gave my vote to Hades

The rest of the games on the that came hella close in order for me was:

7 Remake
Tsushima <-> Nioh 2
Doom Eternal

[Cantih]

Another for the "gotta get around to Hades" crowd. It's just not in my budget/on my slate for a while.
I'd like to say FF7R, but jesus that final chapter sours things. I'll likely give my vote to Tsushima, Yakuza, or Cyberpunk, once it comes out and I have a look at it.

That said, I've played a lot of Fall Guys. Actually, I need to get back to grinding the season levels, only a few days left and nine to go.

Also, props to Madeline with the Hazbin Hotel avatar.

[synistar]

I haven't played enough games to toss a vote in there so I'll put in commentary.

My frontrunner would have been Animal Crossing for the sheer impact the game had during the beginning of the pandemic. Still getting updates. But Nintendo still sucking the air out of the room recently with their antiquated ways.
Honorable Mention would go to Hades. Probably the 2nd best "Bang for your Buck" game on the list. When you consider AAA titles are running north of $60, Hades comes in at $25 and is lauded for being a GOTY contender.

A Snub but not really one because it's an older game that was released years ago - Among Us. Also a pandemic social game that was what the world needed with the vacuum of the lack of physical social interactions. And it was only $5!
As much as Fall Guys was a party game that made a dramatic entrance, the anonymity and the max 4-player party in a 100-Jellybean FFA fell off fast. Plus the rage during the team games put that crown out of your reach so many times.

Best game from a technical standpoint Doom Eternal with a tight bunch of "also rans" closely trailing behind: Ghosts of Tsushima, Nioh 2, and, FF7R, Spiderman Miles Morales.

[Kirin]

Untitled Goose Game can't be for this year as well?

Animal Crossing I think wins for sheer staying power over the whole year. I know I got burnt out like I normally do, but the combination of that and the pandemic really left an AC shaped footprint on the gaming year as a whole.

The only other title on that list that had a similar impact was Hades. Everything else either has been a ~2.5 week success and then nothing or has such negatives swirling around it (Cyberpunk) that no way will it overcome its own demons.