The Last of Us Part II wins big at the Golden Joystick Awards 2020 while the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 takes the Best Gaming Hardware prize

Although it is controversial to some and has been subject to review bombing because of its polarizing content, The Last of Us Part II has continued to prove itself to be the current darling of the gaming industry by picking up five trophies at the Golden Joystick Awards. The adventure title won Best Storytelling, Best Visual Design, Best Audio, PlayStation Game of the Year, and most importantly the Ultimate Game of the Year award. With Naughty Dog also winning an award, a total of six Golden Joysticks were related to The Last of Us Part II.

Many have praised the game, with it tackling divisive subjects that have left The Last of Us Part II facing a similar contradictory reception as the movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi. While critics loved The Last of Us Part II (93 Metacritic) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (90% Rotten Tomatoes), gamers and movie-watchers have been less captivated by the changes and direction of these intellectual properties, offering much lower scores of 5.7/10 and 42%, respectively. There was also some noise about the failure of big hits like Ghost of Tsushima and Final Fantasy VII Remake in preventing The Last of Us Part II’s noteworthy trophy haul.

As for gaming hardware, it was Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3080 that won the Golden Joystick in this particular category. The competition was varied, with the GeForce RTX 3080 competing against the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, the PC Engine Mini console (TurboGrafx-16 Mini), and the TCA Sidestick Airbus Edition joystick. Undoubtedly, Nvidia’s name and the GeForce RTX brand carry a lot of weight, which would have likely helped the RTX 3080 to this particular win. In other categories, unsurprisingly God of War: Ragnarok picked up Most Wanted Game while Hades was awarded with Best Indie Game and the Critics’ Choice Award.