RPGWatch - Game of the Year 2020

Game of the Year 2020
• Cyberpunk 2077
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
• Assassin Creed Valhalla

Most Promising 2021
• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
• ELEX 2
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV

Originally Posted by Morrandir
Didn't manage to play it in 2020. My gut feeling is that it would have been my second place after CP77.

You should check it out when you have a chance. Very good game.

Originally Posted by henriquejr
American Crime Story?????

I was wondering about that acronym myself. My guess is Amazing Cultivation Simulator.

Originally Posted by Myrthos
It isn't missing, it just isn't on the list. Just as a load of other games are not on the list. That's why we refer to it as a short list

You should try this game, trailers are very misleading, contemplate the sheer complexity of it the absurd depth of character building, then after reading 800 pages of guide and still not mastering it you will join the discord to try to figure it all… 300 hours of playtime later you will feel very bad for not including it in the short list , you will know in your heart that was one of the thing to really play in 2020, and a serious injustice was done… Then it will be too late and this will haunt you the rest of your life.
Its not for everyone although, but damn its something unusual in this day and age.

Originally Posted by henriquejr
American Crime Story?????

No , Amazing cultivator simulator, the title is misleading as well it's poorly translated from chinese, cultivation means meditation , training and path to enlightment .It's not moon harvest.

thank u, i wishlisted ACS.

Got intrigued, checked it on steam…
I don't have a microscope to be sure if it's the game design or my eyes caught cancer.

Originally Posted by Mortmal
No , Amazing cultivator simulator, the title is misleading as well it's poorly translated from chinese, cultivation means meditation , training and path to enlightment .It's not moon harvest.

Thanks, didn't know it! I went to Steam to check it out but at first I think it's not my type. Again, thank you for your response

Originally Posted by Mortmal
.. 300 hours of playtime later you will feel very bad for not including it in the short list..

300 hours? The rest of my life is too short to spent 300 hours or more on a single game, so that fortunately saves me from feeling bad
The short list was publicly created together with other Watchers. Nobody mentioned it, so the chances of that game ending up in the top 10 of the GOTY results, even if it was included, would be close to none.

Game of the year 2020

• Cyberpunk 2077
• AC: V
• None

Most promising game in 2021

• ELEX 2
• Pathfinder
• BG3

It'll be interesting to see if all of those are released in 2021 though. I doubt it, but we can always hope.

Originally Posted by Myrthos
300 hours? The rest of my life is too short to spent 300 hours or more on a single game, so that fortunately saves me from feeling bad
The short list was publicly created together with other Watchers. Nobody mentioned it, so the chances of that game ending up in the top 10 of the GOTY results, even if it was included, would be close to none.

Indeed there's no way it will reach top 10 , i could have missed it as well, thought it was some stardew valley or harvestmoon clone when looking at it first. 300 hours is nothing, i am closer to the end than the beggining as well, that wont prevent me to spend them, i'll die gaming like Molière died on the scene….
Now the top 10 is not the best, but the most popular , best is very subjective and that's where a bayesian poll like felipepe's poll shine, it show the satisfaction number by title . That allows some hidden gems to emerge.

I haven't played any games released in 2020 so picked based off promos and comments:
GOTY 1: Troubleshooter
GOTY 2:Cyberpunk
GOTY 3:Yakuza
MW 1:Baldurs Gate 3
MW 2:Vampire 2
MW 3:Elex 2

Did not play many of last year releases, except Mortal Shell which is my GoTY for 2020 without hesitation.

Looking forward to Solasta, Elden Ring and VTMB2 this year.

Originally Posted by Mortmal
Now the top 10 is not the best, but the most popular , best is very subjective and that's where a bayesian poll like felipepe's poll shine, it show the satisfaction number by title . That allows some hidden gems to emerge.

Of course it is subjective. Every poll is subjective. Satisfaction is subjective as well. We humans don't answer polls objectively but subjectively, based on our own experiences and beliefs. Therefore the outcome is always subjective, irrespective of what statistic you use.
So there is no way to objectively determine the best game. It is all based on what people have played and from that what they liked most, or what they think they would have liked if they would have played that game, or maybe even the game that makes their left big toe tingle the most when playing it.
For the results of the poll it is not important what criteria people have used to select their top 3 as they did. That is not the point of doing this.

WOW. This survey really put into focus how lackluster last year was for RPGs, and how bonkers (potentially) good the upcoming year will be. Picking favorites for last year was easy, next year I felt guilty for so many I couldn't give love to.

The number of quality games on the 2021 list is ludicrous, but I doubt most of them will actually release in 2021. My votes went to Colony Ship, BG3, Pathfinder 2…

But I think it was already confirmed on RPGWatch that Colony Ship wouldn't be out in 2021, so it shouldn't have been on the list anyway: https://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/show…post1061626660

And I wouldn't be surprised if the other 2 don't release in 2021 either.

Game of the Year 2020 Picks
Cyberpunk 2077
Wasteland 3
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III

Most Promising for 2021
ELEX 2
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Baldur's Gate 3

Originally Posted by Stingray
The number of quality games on the 2021 list is ludicrous, but I doubt most of them will actually release in 2021. My votes went to Colony Ship, BG3, Pathfinder 2…

But I think it was already confirmed on RPGWatch that Colony Ship wouldn't be out in 2021, so it shouldn't have been on the list anyway: https://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/show…post1061626660

And I wouldn't be surprised if the other 2 don't release in 2021 either.

Pretty sure Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has a good chance this year, Colony Ship yeah developer said Early Access this year, and Baldur's Gate III has a small chance.

Best - Dungeon of Naheulbeuk, an underrated and often-overlooked gem
Second - Yakuza, an even more offbeat gem
Third - None

Most anticipated of 2021 - Wrath of the Righteous
Second - Solasta
Third - BG3, though it is anything but a spiritual successor to BG2

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Pretty sure Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has a good chance this year, Colony Ship yeah developer said Early Access this year, and Baldur's Gate III has a small chance.

IMO all games not made with RPGmaker have a chance.

I thought Stirring Abyss was on the list for 2020. Would have voted for that. No write in candidate either. Oh well.