[Editor’s note- This article will most likely contain strong language and disturbing metaphors, but for this article, we’ve left our resident self-proclaimed parent-shagger to say exactly what he thinks. Parental discretion for this article is advised].
Introduction
2020’s been a hell of a year, hasn’t it? From us getting our mojo back (and our shiny new facelift), to a veritable raft of new games, there’s been a lot to like, but crikey! When on our Zoom calls, we got asked to write which games got our votes for Game Of The Year, I was confused. Do I go for an Indie Game? Does it have to be a AAA game? Which game do I pick that doesn’t attract the wrath of President Furukawa’s legion of flying monkeys?
To put it simply to you lovely people, there are about as many different right opinions as there are gamers and so, it’s a difficult pick. Whilst we’ve been locked in our houses since March 2020, there have been some absolute bangers that have been released. Some brilliant, some not so good, and some that seem brilliant but don’t quite stick the landing.
So, whilst this pick was originally going to be Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and please click here to read Ultan’s brilliant review, I can’t choose it. Sorry, Ultan, your review is superb and I love your handle on the game, but I couldn’t quite pick the game.
Chris Josty, who is one hell of a gamer, recommended that I pick Watch Dogs Legion, and if you read as to why from his first impressions, it’s not hard to see why. Watch Dogs Legion is a superb game, and we all enjoyed playing it. I personally love that game, but there’s something just not quite right, something I can’t quite put my finger on with that game. Something doesn’t quite feel right for me when I play that game.
A Game Of The Year candidate needs to have that moment when you boot it up for the first time, and you feel as though you’re witnessing Gaming History. I got that with Marvel’s Spider-Man, and I could wax lyrical about that feeling with Burnout Paradise Remastered, but this year, it’s been almost impossible to feel that. I can’t pick Cyberpunk 2077, due to the game only releasing in November. Sorry folks, but I suspect one of the other reviewers will let you know what that game’s like.
Truth is, I have two Games Of The Year in this crazy year.
Option 1: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
Do you remember what I said earlier about feeling as though you’ve witnessed Gaming history? Well, I got that feeling when this game launched up for the first time and honsetly, it’s not hard to see why I felt this way. As I said in my long-form review of this game, I’m somewhere south of 30 and north of 25 years old, and this game was more-or-less nostalgia delivered intravenously. It’s a brilliant blast-from-the-past with all that you come to expect from the earlier Tony Hawk franchise, with brilliant nods to gaming of days gone by.
The amount of levels and pro-skater challenges are enormous, and getting to grips with this game felt organic. Although I used a Xbox and not Sony’s PlayStation for reviewing this game, everything that was there before seems to be there this time around. The way in which you manage to keep your balance whilst grinding, performing manual and lip tricks is all there from the original games, whilst also adding in tricks and techniques from later games.
In short, this game gets a nomination because it’s fucking brilliant. Everything I could have hoped for in this game is there.
Option 2: Football Manager 2021
I’m aware that every gamer is different, and that we all have our tastes. This would be an appropriate gap for a your mum joke. However, the only reason putting a “your mum” joke works is because there’s only one per article. However, as stated, we all see things through different lenses, and over time, our tastes do change. For example, I never used to like Macaroni Cheese, but nowadays, I can’t get enough of it. Like Macaroni Cheese, I never used to like simulation games that involved management. This however, was to dramatically change during lockdown.
Bear with me here, people, this will make sense. When my whole country got thrown into lockdown in March 2020, I tried to keep a sense of normality by having my games console mimic what would normally happen. From simulating wrestling matches on WWE 2K19, to wanting my football and basketball games to carry on, the Football Manager franchise proved extremely useful. I made a decision by April, and that was to get the new game when it released, and I’m very glad that I did.
In the article that I’ve just linked, you can read me waxing lyrical over how good this game really is, and please read it, and then give this game a go. It’s fucking amazing to play, and a marked step up for the franchise in a way that I really have enjoyed. Seriously, games like this are why I do my job.
Also, whilst this is not our official game of the year, these are merely my suggestions.
So, those are my nominations! Do you agree with me here? Do you think I’ve missed the obvious? Either way, you can let me know in the comments, or contact me on twitter here to let me know. Until tomorrow, gamers…
Davey
