Special Feature: The Extremely 2020 The Game Awards (and Reveals)

The Game Awards, the replacement for the Spike TV Video Game Awards that’s been running via stream since 2014, was bound to be different this year. They couldn’t put on a traditional awards show thanks to what feels like the perpetually-ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and the show’s organizers care about the health of would-be attendees. Thus, the entire show was virtual this year, with developers and guests addressing the audience from their homes and workplaces via Zoom. The announcements have been just as large of a focus for this event over the years, if not a larger one given how many more there are, but they were also bound to be lesser in number thanks to the pandemic causing development hitches all around.

Fortunately, the organizers did the best they could with the current circumstances, even though there was no way they’d match previous years in terms of the reveals.

One of the most talked about was the newest character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s second season: Final Fantasy VII’s own Sephiroth. This reveal wasn’t as mind-blowing as Cloud’s for the previous Super Smash Bros. game thanks to Final Fantasy already having a presence in the franchise, and it’s yet another character who uses a sword, but the trailer was fun for the reactions and memes it spawned. A bigger showcase of the character is set for next Thursday.

Many other high-profile non-indie announcements were given teaser trailers that showed little-to-no gameplay. This included the Perfect Dark reboot from The Initiative and Rare, which showed little outside confirming that the series will return for the first new installment since Perfect Dark Zero launched with the Xbox 360 in 2005. The Xbox webpage specifies that it will be a first-person game like its predecessors. Bioware’s upcoming titles, new Dragon Age and Mass Effect games, were given teasers suggesting that both are years away.

Evil West from Focus Home Interactive and Flying Wild Hog was also given a teaser trailer with no direct gameplay. Back 4 Blood, a very aptly named successor to the Left 4 Dead series, also got — you guessed it — the teaser treatment. The same went for Elder Scrolls Online: Gates of Oblivion. Ark II’s teaser got a free pass thanks to having Vin Diesel in one of the lead roles. This was quite the theme, but perhaps an expected one considering the pandemic.

Previews for smaller games contained gameplay. It Takes Two from Hazelight looks delightful, and Evil Dead: The Game (featuring Bruce Campbell reprising the role of Ash) could be fun despite the iffy performance in the trailer. Roguelite tactical action game Endless Dungeon from Amplitude also looks good. The rumors about Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection for Switch were true, a 2.5D title that looks… okay in motion. Hopefully it’s better to play. There was also The Callisto Protocol, a new story-driven horror game from the creator of the Dead Space series due for release in 2022.

One of my favorite announcements was for Season, a third-person atmospheric adventure from Scavengers Studio starring a woman going on a bicycle road trip through a semi-realistic fantasy world with a gorgeous art style. In fact, it was the premiers of the heartfelt adventures and road trips that stole the show for me. Tchia for PC and Stadia was another one, along with Open Roads from The Fullbright Company (of Gone Home and Tacoma).

Games previously announced were given new previews. Third-person roguelike shooter Returnal from Housemarque will release on March 19th for PlayStation 5, while Microsoft Flight Simulator will release for the Xbox Series in summer 2021. Other games shown included Super Meat Boy Forever for PC, Oddworld: Soulstorm, Monster Hunter Rise (also getting a demo in January), Ruined King: A League of Legends Story (a spiritual successor to Battle Chasers: Nightwar), Scarlet Nexus, F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch, MMORPG Crimson Desert, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, Hood: Outlaws & Legends, Disco Elysium: Final Cut for PC (as a free upgrade to prior owners) and consoles, Outriders, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, and Loop Hero from Devolver Digital.

The other games shown were DLC and extra content for other games. Master Chief from Halo was confirmed for Fortnite, along with a crossover form The Walking Dead. Fall Guys Season 3 will launch on December 15th, next Tuesday. Among Us is also getting a new airship stage.

The announcements weren’t as impressive this year, but were good enough to make for an entertaining show, or as good background entertainment. Like previous Game Awards shows, the most impressive reveals were for indie titles, which actually showed gameplay compared to many AAA counterparts.

As for the awards: Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II swept them more than even fans of the game expected. It won seven awards during the night, including Game of the Year, a record for a title at the show. Not everyone’s happy, between those who dislike TLOUPartII for assorted reasons (some logical, others ridiculous), to others who were hoping the game was picking up other awards in order to let another title like Hades get the main prize — though that particular game still won the awards for Best Indie Game and Best Action Game. If you haven’t read most discussions about this in gamer-centric circles on the internet, take it from me and don’t.

There was no way this year’s Game Awards would match the spectacle of previous years thanks to the lack of a crowd and people physically on stage, but that should return next year. The focal point of these events will always be the announcements and advertising, as you can see by the clear focus in this post, which should also be more plentiful next year. In the meantime, you can watch all the trailers and clips from the event on their official YouTube page.