This year was so long. It was so LONG, gang. And when you’re talking Game of the Year, you’re talking about the impact a game left on you. Sometimes, very short games left a big impact! That’s why we have Game of the Decade. For the decade-like year that was 2020, what games kept us entertained for long spans of this purgatory?
The Winner
Hades
Because we had to, right? Hades was our Game of the Year in 2019, and by our rules that means it can’t win it again in 2020. I’m very grateful for that rule, because without it Hades very well might have won two years in a row. For me (Six), Hades was mostly a 2019 game: I played a ton of it in that year. I certainly played a lot of it this year too, but I associate the game more with 2019. For Kyrie, though, this was a 2020 game. She didn’t touch it til it hit 1.0, and then she fell in love.
And why shouldn’t she? Great core gameplay. Beautiful art. Engaging music by the ever-talented Darren Korb. Great writing for charming characters. A loop that is honestly unPARALLED. For so many, Hades is game of the year. For us, it already got that, so I hope it can be content with Game of the Decade.
The Runners-Up
Apex Legends
I played SO MUCH Apex Legends in 2020, gang. I fell DEEP in. Shoutouts to friend of the site Ryan, my Apex buddy and a big damn hero. Our first win was me sitting in the next circle explaining the tactical disadvantages of Going In, and I was interrupted by the VICTORY screen as Ryan just took care of BUSINESS. I couldn’t ask for a better playing buddy, both in their patience and the way they helped me become a more aggressive and assertive player of the game.
Apex keeps making great additions, it feels awesome to play, and there was a period where it was a game I was playing every day. Shoutouts to the best battle royale on the market.
Jackbox Party Pack 7
The Scanline crew is always spread out, geographically. Obviously Kyrie and Jen live with each other, but they and I are on opposite coasts of the United States. I’ve met Jen in person tw…ice? Maybe three times, am I forgetting one? And I’ve never met Kyrie in person, or Allen for that matter. Or Nick! So the lockdown hasn’t affected our ability to hang out with each other like it has many others. That said, the stress of 2020 still had us clamoring for some experiences we could share. And Jackbox is tried and true.
They’ve made seven of these things. The quality has varied. They’re always fun. But I think 7 is the best one yet. Champ’d Up is great fun. Blather Round is a good, cooperative word game that avoids the meanspiritedness of some of their previous word games. And Talking Points is probably the best game they’ve ever done. There are other games in this pack, they’re fine. There are always less good games. But the good ones have never been better.
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I hope you’re enjoying this first category for Day Three of our Gimmick Awards. We’ve got two more categories coming up today, so please enjoy those!
A big thank you to Zwimmy (@zwimmy on Twitter) for our Game of the Year art!