The Last of Us Part II, Animal Crossing, Hades lead 2020 Game Awards nominations

By Giovanni Colantonio November 18, 2020

The Game Awards nominations are here, giving us a look at 2020’s game of the year race. The topnominees include The Last of Us Part II, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which are joined by smaller hits like Hades and Among Us.

The nominees for Game of the Year are The Last of Us Part II, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ghost of Tsushima, Doom: Eternal, Hades, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Each game is nominated in multiple categories, with The Last of Us Part II leading the pack with 10 nominations.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons picked up additional nominations for Best Multiplayer Game and Best Family Game. Nintendo once again dominates the latter category, with Paper Mario: The Origami King and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit also grabbing nominations there.

Indie game Hades made a major splash, picking up eight nominations in some of the show’s most prestigious categories. The game is nominated for Best Game Direction and Best Narrative alongside high-budget titles like Ghost of Tsushima.

Smaller games made a big splash this year with surprises in multiple categories. Multiplayer hit Among Us is up for a few awards, despite originally coming out in 2018. Free-to-play game Genshin Impact landed nominations for Best Mobile Game and Best RPG. Recent horror hit Phasmophobia picked up a nomination for Best Debut Game.

Next-gen games didn’t fare too well in high-profile categories, though a few do make an appearance on the list. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales are both up for Best Action/Adventure Game.

The Game Awards will air on December 10. Here’s the full list of nominees.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Section Editor, Gaming

Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…

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The Last of Us Part I makes Part II’s flaws much more apparent

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The Last of Us Part I may not be meaningfully different from the original game or its 2014 remaster, but the context around the franchise has notably changed. That’s because of The Last of Us Part II, a sequel that’s spurred as much critical praise as it has heated debate. The 2020 release built on the first game’s strong foundation by delivering a more complex story that further muddied the “good guys vs. bad guys” trope we see in so much media. It's a story about cyclical violence where Joel’s actions at the end of the first game directly impact Ellie on her own misguided thirst for blood.

It's a bold game, one that’s significantly longer and larger to fit in all of its ideas. I respected Naughty Dog’s ambition when I played the sequel two years ago, but walked away feeling like it was as swollen as one of the series’ Bloaters. After revisiting both The Last of Us and its excellent Left Behind DLC in the new PS5 remake, I feel more sure of my original critique. The Last of Us works because it's a lean and focused game. Part II, on the other hand, makes it clear that excess is Naughty Dog’s Achilles' heel.
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What I immediately noticed in my replay of The Last of Us is that there’s barely a wasted moment. From its tense opening sequence to its gripping final hour, most scenes play a crucial role in the story. For instance, the winter-set chapter where Ellie takes charge serves as an important way to show how Joel’s ruthlessness has begun to infect her. My mind wandered once or twice during my 12-hour playthrough.

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