Prima Games | Game of the Year 2020 – AAA

The Prima Games team have come together to pick nominees and a winner for the 2020 Game of the Year in the AAA category. We’re breaking up the awards between AAA and indie because there were so many incredible indie games released this year, and we want to be able to highlight more of them as nominees.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the nominees and Game of the Year winner! 

Prima Games | Game of the Year 2020 – AAA

Nominees

• Ghost of Tsushima

• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

• Final Fantasy VII Remake

• Void Terrarium

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• Yakuza: Like a Dragon

• The Last of Us Part II

• Demon’s Souls

• Doom Eternal 

• Half-Life: Alyx

And the winner is…

Winner: Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Here’s what the staff thinks of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and why the team ultimately ended up choosing it as the AAA Game of the Year.

Lucas

Like a Dragon speaks to me on a deeply personal level. The more I’ve played it, even past the review I wrote, the more that’s cemented in my mind. Yakuza as a series definitely has its issues. But the way this story is so heavily about class conciousness, about the way people percive poverty, sex work, and homelessness, it all hit me square on the jaw.

It’s the most relatable and empathetic game in a series that’s already known for its emotionally-driven storytelling. And like half of it is a massive Dragon Quest homage too so it may as well say “created specifically for Lucas” in the credits. It just be like that sometimes.

Jesse

Yakuza was an easy pick for me. It’s a series I got into only a few years ago, but it’s one with a lot of heart and a great cast of characters. I was worried about the new protagonist and the switch to turn-based combat, but damn was that a great decision. It doesn’t always work, but when it does it sings.

In a stacked year of AAA games, I still hold Yakuza: Like A Dragon above all of them, and I continue to look forward to what RGG does next. 

Morgan

I feel like on people’s GOTY lists this year, a lot of people will miss Like a Dragon and it’s a shame given how incredible the game is. On its own, it’s everything you could ever want from a compelling RPG with great writing, great characters, and fun gameplay. As part of the Yakuza lineup, it stands on its own as something truly unique, original, and special.

Like a Dragon helps push the series forward, and I can’t wait to see how it influences Yakuza games in the future. While I’ll always have a soft spot for Ghost of Tsushima on the GOTY list, I can’t deny… no other game captured my heart this year quite like Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The game is a stunning achievement in every aspect, and I’m proud of the Prima team for picking it as our GOTY for AAA.