12-27-2020, 08:30 PM
Feature: Nintendo Life’s Alternative Game Awards 2020
<div><div class="media_block"><a href="https://images.nintendolife.com/b701f5eac4e26/large.jpg"><img src="https://images.nintendolife.com/b701f5eac4e26/small.jpg" class="media_thumbnail"></a></div>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="2020 Nintendo Life Alternative Awards" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/b701f5eac4e26/2020-nintendo-life-alternative-awards.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="https://images.nintendolife.com/b701f5eac4e26/2020-nintendo-life-alternative-awards.900x.jpg" width="900" height="506" alt="2020 Nintendo Life Alternative Awards"></a></figure>
<p>It’s GOTY time, people! Yes, as 2020 draws to a close, the internet is flooded with customary lists touting the best <em>whatever</em> of the year (with <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/hades">Hades</a></strong> rightfully being at the top of <a href="https://twitter.com/harddrivemag/status/1337034598484766722">most of them</a>). We’ve had <a href="https://twitter.com/harddrivemag/status/1337034598484766722">our say</a> — and <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/feature-best-nintendo-switch-games-of-2020">so have you</a> — but today we’re going to have some fun with the Nintendo Life Alternative Game Awards 2020.</p>
<p>As you’ll see from the categories below, this is where we let loose a little festive cheer and highlight things that cropped up throughout the year that we believe deserve recognition for some reason, usually because they raised a smile (or an eyebrow). We had fun with these light-hearted gongs <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/12/feature_nintendo_lifes_alternative_game_awards_2019">last year</a>, and we’re all in need of some holiday levity.</p>
<p>So, join us for a look at Nintendo Life’s 2020 ‘alternative’ GOTYs. We begin with the most unnecessarily unweildy title…</p>
<h2>Most Long-Winded Switch Game Title 2020</h2>
<p>Winner: <strong><strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/shiren_the_wanderer_the_tower_of_fortune_and_the_dice_of_fate">Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate</a></strong></strong></p>
<figure class="picture strip">
<div class="img"><a title="Shiren The Wanderer The Tower Of Fortune And The Dice Of Fate" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/d9eb11b42cfa7/shiren-the-wanderer-the-tower-of-fortune-and-the-dice-of-fate.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="lazy" src="//www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 450'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="900" height="450" data-original="https://images.nintendolife.com/d9eb11b42cfa7/shiren-the-wanderer-the-tower-of-fortune-and-the-dice-of-fate.900x.jpg" alt="Shiren The Wanderer The Tower Of Fortune And The Dice Of Fate"></a><span class="image-credit" title="Image Credit">Spike Chunsoft US</span></div>
</figure>
<p>Runners-up: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/is_it_wrong_to_try_to_pick_up_girls_in_a_dungeon_familia_myth_infinite_combate">Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Myth Infinite Combate</a></strong>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/dr_kawashimas_brain_training_for_nintendo_switch">Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training for Nintendo Switch</a></strong></p>
<p>Finding the right name for your game can be tough (as we found out when <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/10/feature_playing_the_name_game_-_the_art_of_finding_the_perfect_title">we spoke to various developers</a> earlier in the year on just that subject) but brevity is usually a virtue. At least, brevity is a virtue to us writers, but then we have to type out the full titles more than most.</p>
<p>The title which struck us as particularly cumbersome this year is Spike Chunsoft’s Switch release of previously Japan-only DS title <em>“Noun the Noun: The Noun of Noun and the Noun of Noun”</em>. Nothing against this roguelike dungeon crawler — it’s always nice to see Japanese-exclusives come to the West — but the noun soup of <em>Shiren the Wanderer: Etc., Etc</em> wound us up for some reason. As Indiana Jones taught us, four nouns is your absolute limit, preferably with an adjective thrown in for some spice.</p>
<p>Incidentally, blandest title of the year goes to <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/immortals_fenyx_rising">Immortals Fenyx Rising</a></strong>. <em>Ergh.</em></p>
<h2>Best ‘Game That Doesn’t Fit Neatly On Any Of Our Genre Lists’ Award 2020</h2>
<p>Winner: <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/part_time_ufo"><strong>Part Time UFO</strong></a></p>
<figure class="picture strip">
<div class="img"><a title="Part Time UFO" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/191632e0c1c21/part-time-ufo.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="lazy" src="//www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 450'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="900" height="450" data-original="https://images.nintendolife.com/191632e0c1c21/part-time-ufo.900x.jpg" alt="Part Time UFO"></a><span class="image-credit" title="Image Credit">HAL Laboratory</span></div>
</figure>
<p>Runner-up: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/hypnospace_outlaw">Hypnospace Outlaw</a></strong></p>
<p>We do our best to keep our <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/tags/switch-essentials">Switch Essentials genre lists</a> fresh, and we continually add and cull entries as new worthy titles are released. Sometimes, though, a game comes along that doesn’t easily sit on any particular list and we’re left in a quandary as to how to highlight it as a solid gold good’un.</p>
<p>HAL Laboratory’s Part Time UFO is a wonderfully quirky example. As per our tagline for the review, it’s <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/part_time_ufo">a game about picking things up</a>. It’s cute and physics-based. It’s split into stages and has puzzle-y elements. It’s a bit like <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/world_of_goo">World of Goo</a></strong>, sort of. It’s a… well, it’s a game — a good one!</p>
<p>Just go download it already.</p>
<h2>Best Switch Icon 2020</h2>
<p>Winner: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/a_short_hike">A Short Hike</a></strong></p>
<figure class="picture strip">
<div class="img"><a title="Best Switch Icons 2020" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/d641701c4df1c/best-switch-icons-2020.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="lazy" src="//www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 323'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="900" height="323" data-original="https://images.nintendolife.com/d641701c4df1c/best-switch-icons-2020.900x.jpg" alt="Best Switch Icons 2020"></a><span class="image-credit" title="Image Credit">Nintendo Life</span></div>
</figure>
<p>Runners-up: <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/florence"><strong>Florence</strong></a>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/i_am_dead">I Am Dead</a></strong>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/control_ultimate_edition_-_cloud_version">Control Ultimate Edition – Cloud Version</a></strong></p>
<p>We’ve seen some lovely Switch icons appear on our console menus this year. The <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/05/feature_the_ever-changing_world_of_nintendo_switch_menu_icons">wonderful (and ever-changing) world</a> of Switch game icons is a topic we’ve examined before, and <a href="http://www.switchiconshowdown.com/">Switch Icon Showdown</a> is a site devoted to nothing but ranking the best and worst examples. For the most part, developers have arguably got better at assembling a pleasing little icon that sits nicely on the Switch menu screen; A Short Hike was perhaps the loveliest we saw all year.</p>
<p>It’s all a matter of opinion, of course. Some people may have adored the original <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/08/carrions_controversial_nintendo_switch_menu_icon_has_been_changed">Carrion</a></strong> icon. Each to their own.</p>
<h2>Best ‘End-Of-Year Arrival That Dropped Too Late To Make Our GOTY List’ 2020</h2>
<p>Winner: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/dicey_dungeons">Dicey Dungeons</a></strong></p>
<figure class="picture strip">
<div class="img"><a title="Dicey Dungeons" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/74c7ce09df8c2/dicey-dungeons.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="lazy" src="//www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 506'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="900" height="506" data-original="https://images.nintendolife.com/74c7ce09df8c2/dicey-dungeons.900x.jpg" alt="Dicey Dungeons"></a><span class="image-credit" title="Image Credit">Distractionware Limited</span></div>
</figure>
<p>Runners-up: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/doom_eternal">DOOM Eternal</a></strong>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/among_us">Among Us</a></strong>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/puyo_puyo_tetris_2">Puyo Puyo Tetris 2</a></strong></p>
<p>December is a busy month for anyone who likes video games, and if you’re writing about them, you’ve got one eye on your GOTY shortlist (and backlog), and the other on pre-holiday end-of-year prep. It’s likely that most of the team won’t have had the opportunity to give late-releasing games a fair shake — if they’ve had time or access to play them at all — so there’ll inevitably be some real gems that fall through the cracks when it comes to voting. This is usually followed by a pang of regret after the holidays that we can’t go back and massage our picks to acknowledge a late-comer or two.</p>
<p>Roguelike deckbuilder Dicey Dungeons is one such game; the couple of us who have managed to squeeze in time with it over the past week or so have loved every single minute. Cracking music, addictive battling with a great art style and sense of humour; if you’re looking for something to while away the hours this Christmas while the rest of the family are watching Home Alone 3 or some such rubbish, this one’s an absolute winner.</p>
</div>
https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2020/12/...ards-2020/
<div><div class="media_block"><a href="https://images.nintendolife.com/b701f5eac4e26/large.jpg"><img src="https://images.nintendolife.com/b701f5eac4e26/small.jpg" class="media_thumbnail"></a></div>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="2020 Nintendo Life Alternative Awards" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/b701f5eac4e26/2020-nintendo-life-alternative-awards.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="https://images.nintendolife.com/b701f5eac4e26/2020-nintendo-life-alternative-awards.900x.jpg" width="900" height="506" alt="2020 Nintendo Life Alternative Awards"></a></figure>
<p>It’s GOTY time, people! Yes, as 2020 draws to a close, the internet is flooded with customary lists touting the best <em>whatever</em> of the year (with <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/hades">Hades</a></strong> rightfully being at the top of <a href="https://twitter.com/harddrivemag/status/1337034598484766722">most of them</a>). We’ve had <a href="https://twitter.com/harddrivemag/status/1337034598484766722">our say</a> — and <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/feature-best-nintendo-switch-games-of-2020">so have you</a> — but today we’re going to have some fun with the Nintendo Life Alternative Game Awards 2020.</p>
<p>As you’ll see from the categories below, this is where we let loose a little festive cheer and highlight things that cropped up throughout the year that we believe deserve recognition for some reason, usually because they raised a smile (or an eyebrow). We had fun with these light-hearted gongs <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/12/feature_nintendo_lifes_alternative_game_awards_2019">last year</a>, and we’re all in need of some holiday levity.</p>
<p>So, join us for a look at Nintendo Life’s 2020 ‘alternative’ GOTYs. We begin with the most unnecessarily unweildy title…</p>
<h2>Most Long-Winded Switch Game Title 2020</h2>
<p>Winner: <strong><strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/shiren_the_wanderer_the_tower_of_fortune_and_the_dice_of_fate">Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate</a></strong></strong></p>
<figure class="picture strip">
<div class="img"><a title="Shiren The Wanderer The Tower Of Fortune And The Dice Of Fate" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/d9eb11b42cfa7/shiren-the-wanderer-the-tower-of-fortune-and-the-dice-of-fate.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="lazy" src="//www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 450'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="900" height="450" data-original="https://images.nintendolife.com/d9eb11b42cfa7/shiren-the-wanderer-the-tower-of-fortune-and-the-dice-of-fate.900x.jpg" alt="Shiren The Wanderer The Tower Of Fortune And The Dice Of Fate"></a><span class="image-credit" title="Image Credit">Spike Chunsoft US</span></div>
</figure>
<p>Runners-up: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/is_it_wrong_to_try_to_pick_up_girls_in_a_dungeon_familia_myth_infinite_combate">Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Myth Infinite Combate</a></strong>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/dr_kawashimas_brain_training_for_nintendo_switch">Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training for Nintendo Switch</a></strong></p>
<p>Finding the right name for your game can be tough (as we found out when <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/10/feature_playing_the_name_game_-_the_art_of_finding_the_perfect_title">we spoke to various developers</a> earlier in the year on just that subject) but brevity is usually a virtue. At least, brevity is a virtue to us writers, but then we have to type out the full titles more than most.</p>
<p>The title which struck us as particularly cumbersome this year is Spike Chunsoft’s Switch release of previously Japan-only DS title <em>“Noun the Noun: The Noun of Noun and the Noun of Noun”</em>. Nothing against this roguelike dungeon crawler — it’s always nice to see Japanese-exclusives come to the West — but the noun soup of <em>Shiren the Wanderer: Etc., Etc</em> wound us up for some reason. As Indiana Jones taught us, four nouns is your absolute limit, preferably with an adjective thrown in for some spice.</p>
<p>Incidentally, blandest title of the year goes to <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/immortals_fenyx_rising">Immortals Fenyx Rising</a></strong>. <em>Ergh.</em></p>
<h2>Best ‘Game That Doesn’t Fit Neatly On Any Of Our Genre Lists’ Award 2020</h2>
<p>Winner: <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/part_time_ufo"><strong>Part Time UFO</strong></a></p>
<figure class="picture strip">
<div class="img"><a title="Part Time UFO" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/191632e0c1c21/part-time-ufo.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="lazy" src="//www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 450'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="900" height="450" data-original="https://images.nintendolife.com/191632e0c1c21/part-time-ufo.900x.jpg" alt="Part Time UFO"></a><span class="image-credit" title="Image Credit">HAL Laboratory</span></div>
</figure>
<p>Runner-up: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/hypnospace_outlaw">Hypnospace Outlaw</a></strong></p>
<p>We do our best to keep our <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/tags/switch-essentials">Switch Essentials genre lists</a> fresh, and we continually add and cull entries as new worthy titles are released. Sometimes, though, a game comes along that doesn’t easily sit on any particular list and we’re left in a quandary as to how to highlight it as a solid gold good’un.</p>
<p>HAL Laboratory’s Part Time UFO is a wonderfully quirky example. As per our tagline for the review, it’s <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/part_time_ufo">a game about picking things up</a>. It’s cute and physics-based. It’s split into stages and has puzzle-y elements. It’s a bit like <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/world_of_goo">World of Goo</a></strong>, sort of. It’s a… well, it’s a game — a good one!</p>
<p>Just go download it already.</p>
<h2>Best Switch Icon 2020</h2>
<p>Winner: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/a_short_hike">A Short Hike</a></strong></p>
<figure class="picture strip">
<div class="img"><a title="Best Switch Icons 2020" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/d641701c4df1c/best-switch-icons-2020.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="lazy" src="//www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 323'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="900" height="323" data-original="https://images.nintendolife.com/d641701c4df1c/best-switch-icons-2020.900x.jpg" alt="Best Switch Icons 2020"></a><span class="image-credit" title="Image Credit">Nintendo Life</span></div>
</figure>
<p>Runners-up: <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/florence"><strong>Florence</strong></a>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/i_am_dead">I Am Dead</a></strong>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/control_ultimate_edition_-_cloud_version">Control Ultimate Edition – Cloud Version</a></strong></p>
<p>We’ve seen some lovely Switch icons appear on our console menus this year. The <a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/05/feature_the_ever-changing_world_of_nintendo_switch_menu_icons">wonderful (and ever-changing) world</a> of Switch game icons is a topic we’ve examined before, and <a href="http://www.switchiconshowdown.com/">Switch Icon Showdown</a> is a site devoted to nothing but ranking the best and worst examples. For the most part, developers have arguably got better at assembling a pleasing little icon that sits nicely on the Switch menu screen; A Short Hike was perhaps the loveliest we saw all year.</p>
<p>It’s all a matter of opinion, of course. Some people may have adored the original <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/08/carrions_controversial_nintendo_switch_menu_icon_has_been_changed">Carrion</a></strong> icon. Each to their own.</p>
<h2>Best ‘End-Of-Year Arrival That Dropped Too Late To Make Our GOTY List’ 2020</h2>
<p>Winner: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/dicey_dungeons">Dicey Dungeons</a></strong></p>
<figure class="picture strip">
<div class="img"><a title="Dicey Dungeons" href="https://images.nintendolife.com/74c7ce09df8c2/dicey-dungeons.original.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="lazy" src="//www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 506'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="900" height="506" data-original="https://images.nintendolife.com/74c7ce09df8c2/dicey-dungeons.900x.jpg" alt="Dicey Dungeons"></a><span class="image-credit" title="Image Credit">Distractionware Limited</span></div>
</figure>
<p>Runners-up: <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/doom_eternal">DOOM Eternal</a></strong>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/switch-eshop/among_us">Among Us</a></strong>; <strong><a href="https://www.nintendolife.com/games/nintendo-switch/puyo_puyo_tetris_2">Puyo Puyo Tetris 2</a></strong></p>
<p>December is a busy month for anyone who likes video games, and if you’re writing about them, you’ve got one eye on your GOTY shortlist (and backlog), and the other on pre-holiday end-of-year prep. It’s likely that most of the team won’t have had the opportunity to give late-releasing games a fair shake — if they’ve had time or access to play them at all — so there’ll inevitably be some real gems that fall through the cracks when it comes to voting. This is usually followed by a pang of regret after the holidays that we can’t go back and massage our picks to acknowledge a late-comer or two.</p>
<p>Roguelike deckbuilder Dicey Dungeons is one such game; the couple of us who have managed to squeeze in time with it over the past week or so have loved every single minute. Cracking music, addictive battling with a great art style and sense of humour; if you’re looking for something to while away the hours this Christmas while the rest of the family are watching Home Alone 3 or some such rubbish, this one’s an absolute winner.</p>
</div>
https://www.sickgaming.net/blog/2020/12/...ards-2020/