With 2019 drawing to a close, we here at GGA sat down to discuss our favorite video games of the year and bring you our first ever GGA Video Game Awards! We had so many terrific games this past year that it was hard to narrow it down, but we did. Renee, Emily, Tyler, Roberto and myself voted on eleven categories and video games that were eligible for nomination had to be released between December 2018 to December 2019.  We are happy to bring you the winners of our first annual GGA Video Game Awards!

Best Narrative Driven Video Game: Control

Developer Remedy Entertainment and publisher 505 Games released one of the best narrative driven games with Control. The story line is compelling and does the job of not only making us invested in the battle, but has us questioning things even after. We can not wait to see what will happen next in the battle against the Hiss.

Best Indie Video Game: Untitled Goose Game

You knew this was coming didn’t you. Untitled Goose Game from developer House House and publisher Panic Inc has been our favorite indie game this year. The simplistic play style paired with the fact that you are a lone goose wreaking havoc among a small quiet town is enough to have anyone cracking up. The real charm is that all of this hides that fact that the game is full of puzzles.

Best Art Style in a Video Game: Gris

Spanish indie developer Nomada Studios and publisher Devolver Digitial struck gold in the art category with Gris. The imagery used within the game to help describe a girls journey to face the fears within herself and find her voice are partnered beautifully with the game art. It looks almost hand painted with the use of water color and as the game progresses becomes more vibrant to watch Gris.

Best Music Score in a Video Game: Cadence of Hyrule

When you think of video game scores, it can be hard to narrow the best down to just one. The job of assigning a winner to this category was not taken lightly, but in the end we couldn’t overlook the beautiful job by composer Danny Baranowsky did with Cadence of Hyrule. Developer Brace Yourself Games did a fantastic job marrying the music to the gameplay and bringing to life a game worthy of holding the Legend Of Zelda name.

Best Fighting Video Game: Mortal Kombat 11

We think it is safe to say that when one thinks of a fighting game, they immediately think to the Mortal Kombat series. But things sure have changed since the large arcade boxes of old. Mortal Kombat 11 features one of the best storylines in a long time. The almost seamless transition from cut-scene to fight makes the game flow in a way we never thought possible.

Best Female Lead in a Video Game: Gears 5

Gears 5 won over our hearts when it was announced that the story was going to take a drastic turn and place Kait Diaz as the main character. This was not just for show either, she has a rich backstory and a real connection to the current events happening within the games world. She is the strong female lead that we all needed this year. Not to mention that she is voiced by the magnificent Laura Bailey.

Best Voice Acting in a Video Game: Death Stranding

Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding may have had us awfully confused with its storyline or cursing the need to balance packages while we trekked across the world. But one thing that had us with, hook line and sinker, was its voice acting. Norman Reedus did a terrific job alongside several other veteran voice actors to bring this story to life. With such a star filled staff and with Kojima running the show, it was a clear winner in GGA Video Game Awards voice acting category.

Best Single Player Video Game: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts really needed a home-run with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and thankfully it was out of the park. The single player storyline was strong and was compelling enough to keep players invested without the need of multiplayer. Being bold is rewarded as well as exploring beyond the quests rewards you as well. So get out there and master your lightsaber skills and become one with the force.

Best Multiplayer Video Game: The Division 2

Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft really learned from the release of Tom Clancy’s The Division, by making sure Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 had a good amount of content at launch and played amazingly, aside from small small issues that were fixed right away. The multiplayer game is strong and brings people together in this post apocalyptic world.

Best Horror Video Game: Resident Evil 2

We have played several horror games this year, but the only one we could keep coming back to was Resident Evil 2. And rightfully so, the remake is by far one of the best games this year and single handily the best horror game this year. Capcom built onto their story, making it more than just a pretty remake, and in doing so found more ways to really scare us.

RELATED: Resident Evil 3 Announced During State of Play

Video Game of the Year: Control

After discussing and voting, we decided that our GGA Video Game Awards game of the year needed to be Control. Remedy Entertainment took us on an adventure we didn’t even know we needed. The world they built never ceases to amazing players as they continue learn how to master the normal part of the action adventure game on top of the paranormal super human abilities we possess. The story answers just as many questions as it puts out, but still manages to keep us invested in it until the very end.

 

 

 

Catch Me
Latest posts by Julia Roth (see all)