RPG Codex - GOTY 2020 Results

BG3 and Solasta didn't cut into the list because they are in EA?

JFarrell71 said:

Credit where credit is due: I like that they make a distinction for ports. I don't think a several year old game could/should be a GOTY the year it simply gets released on a different platform.

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The reason is that RPGWatch's focus is the PC gaming market. As a result, some games wont be voted on during their year of release, their year of release as far as RPGWatch is concerned in the year it arrives on PCs.

It's a similar nuance to Kickstarter and early access games, in that some games will already have been played for years before they are officially released and thereby qualify for the RPGWatch poll.

It just the rules that we play by. You have to have rules if you want to have focus.

gabrielarantest said:

BG3 and Solasta didn't cut into the list because they are in EA?

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Yes.

See my above post replying to another similar question.

Any game still receiving regular updates or patches (save for some miniscule/low odds game breaking thingie) should also be disqualified, at least in my book it should be. Expansions, of course, being obvious exceptions as that's new content.

All votes and all lists are subjective. At least they are more open about method than 'media polls' etc.

HiddenX said:

This is my top 3 as well - only Troubleshooter would be on the first place.

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Huh, I just noticed that game on Steam the other day and wishlisted it, now with your endorsement I guess I'll have to go ahead and buy it.

I like the looks of that Troubleshooter game meself, I just haven't pulled the trigger on actually buying it.....yet!

Keep in mind that you have to spend >200 hours to finish Troubleshooter.

HiddenX said:

Keep in mind that you have to spend >200 hours to finish Troubleshooter.

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Well...I have nothing better to do this year.

Way to up-sell it, HiddenX. Grrrrrr! =p

I haven't played a better rpg released this year than Wastleland 3, that said I found it in many ways dissapointing. For every improvement over Wasteland 2, there was something worse. And in general I think the improvements came at too steep a cost. For example, I'd trade WL3's improved combat for Wasteland 2's more hubs, more npcs, & more quests, but that's me. I found the last half of the game difficult to finish, because it is so combat heavy and so thin on everything else. It's still a pretty good game. I really thought the main story quest was well written and well concieved. Kudos to whoever came up with the concept for it. In other years WL3 wouldn't have made my top 3. If that's the best this year has to offer its pretty sad. That said I will play Troubleshooter, which is in my library and Cyberpunk, when the price comes down.

I've always liked the system they use to vote. Is it different? Yes, but why should every site be the exact same? I like the variety. As long as you know how they tally the votes and take that into account it works fine.

As always the graph is really the best part of their poll. As everyone else has already made the good points about the 2020 winners, how about that 2017-2020 graph they included? Because I have too much time on my hands apparently, here is my breakdown.



1. Good games but not for everyone. Given the games not too surprising. Although I would not have guessed that Disco and Elex are the #2 and #3 most played games of all, even surpassing Pathfinder which going in blind would have been one of my guesses for top 3 most played.

2. 85% played and still over 80% approval? Very nice. And it's %played is WAY higher then anything else. Not surprising that it is the most played but, to me at least, a little surprising that it is that much higher in % played then anything else.

3. Simply put, overall good games. Once again not too surprising. Nier could perhaps be lumped with group 1 instead of 3 (but that would not have looked as pretty with my circles!)

4. Best of the best. ATOM might not make my personal best of this list but Kingdom and pathfinder would (no disrespect to ATOM, I really liked it, I'm just thinking of my personal top 3/4).

5. Why haven't you played these games yet! What is wrong with you?! By the way I have played neither. Both are on my wishlist though.

6. These are the niche games that most experienced gamers can tell whether or not they will enjoy without actually playing. Well made and fun for who they are made for.

I really like the approach the Codex uses. I'm not so sure about breaking out the ports - I guess that depends on whether you're likely to play a game on the other platform. I've never had a chance to play Persona 4, for instance, so it's essentially a new game to me. If it were FF7, though, I would be wondering what it's doing on the 2020 list.

HiddenX said:

Keep in mind that you have to spend >200 hours to finish Troubleshooter.

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If you want to finish it. It's only $25 USD so it isn't like you wasted money if you only played the first third of the game.

From the write up:

Only 48% of voters played [Wasteland 3], while 65% played Wasteland 2 in 2014. This is really surprising, given how WL3 is also on consoles & on game pass, was released earlier in the year than WL2 and there weren't many other big RPGs competing against it. People really played less games.

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I wonder if people are playing less recently released games? I don't know if Steam Spy or some such can track game reviews to see what games are getting lots of up votes over the past X months, but I would be curious.

I kinda can't believe people are playing games less than before Covid outbreak.
It is just that the game in question got some people, me and silent ones, on the wrong foot. Although I loved WL2.

Truly, these past few months I find myself catching up on books and films more than playing video games. Even items that I've read or viewed before, often it gives me far more satisfaction than gaming does.

I have probably played more game during this last year than the 5 previous years together. I used to have a pretty busy social life... not anymore.