Interactivity is definitely the biggest thing that sets gaming apart from other entertainment media. In addition to that, however, is much of gaming's multiplayer aspect. That truly shared experience, rather than individually watching something in a group, likely holds many of our most fond gaming memories. In 2019, there were plenty of games that lent themselves to creating those memorable moments.
Here's the list of nominees (and here's the list of nominees for all award categories):
- Apex Legends
- Borderlands 3
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
- Tetris 99
Readers' Choice - Borderlands 3
Developer: Gearbox Software | Release Date: September 13th, 2019 | Game Page
The insanity that is the Borderlands world is best shared with other folks. There's plenty of zany nonsense and joy to be had alone, but just about everything is funner to experience with someone else. Borderlands 3 is no exception. From the raids, to the story missions, to the mountain of loot, Borderlands 3 has a ton of things to do with other people.
Third Place - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Developer: Infinity Ward | Release Date: October 25th, 2019 | Game Page
By Alex Santa Maria
Modern Warfare is not a perfect game. In the multiplayer, its stab at a spec ops cooperative experience fell flat, and there’s plenty of microtransactions and battle passes to waste your money on. However, that lack of focus elsewhere may be because the developers honed in on delivering one of the tightest deathmatch suites Activision’s shooter franchise has seen in years. Every option and mode you want from past releases meld together into a best-of collection that feels like an old veteran going for a victory lap. This probably isn’t the end for Call of Duty, but it will be a mode that’s hard to top.
Second Place - Tetris 99
Developer: Arika | Release Date: February 13th, 2019
By Andrew Stretch
An early surprise from Nintendo this year came in the form of Tetris 99. Among the flood of Battle Royales, this was a welcome change from getting dropped onto an island. Tetris 99 took a game that has been re-released since the original gameboy and added a unique twist.
The base game itself is unchanged: drop tetronimoes into place to complete a line and clear it. Earn more points for scoring a Tetris and clearing four lines at once. Players need to not only balance what they're doing on their screen but can also choose where to send their blocks. You may pick a random target or team up with others to try to knock people out of the competition early.
Being released for free with Nintendo Switch Online, it built a great community for players wanting to show off their T-Spin skills. Even now, Tetris 99 has continued to have a thriving player base adding events such as new boards, and new features.
Winner - Apex Legends
Developer: Respawn Entertainment | Release Date: February 4th, 2019 | Game Page
By Andrew Stretch
The new Battle Royale that hit the ground running. Releasing in February, it was one of the first hero-based Battle Royale's to really succeed in the spotlight. Tying in loosely with the world of Titanfall, as three-man squads your aim is to navigate the island and be the last man standing. Millions of players flock to Apex every week and developers Respawn Entertainment have been able to continually provide content. Now in its third season, the push for Apex to become more dominant in eSports comes with recent announcements of the Global Series.
What did we get right? Wrong? Miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!
Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net
Andrew is the Editor in Chief at TechRaptor. Conned into a love of gaming by Nintendo at a young age, Andrew has been chasing the dragon spawned by … More about Andrew
