Allkeyshop presents their “Game of the Year” winners from 1972 to 2020. In our comprehensive list of winners, you will come across games you still play and some you have probably forgotten you played.

By    Ingo  |    Windfell

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Dive into the history of video games, and let us guide you through the decades of your favorite pastime.

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1972 | Pong

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Facts:

• Pong is a table tennis-themed arcade game.
• Pong was originally intended to be used as training but released as a game when finished.
• Pong became the first victim of a video game lawsuit when Atari settled out of court with Magnavox Odyssey as Pong took inspiration from another table tennis game for that console.

Platform:

• Arcade

Genre:

• Sports

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1973 | Space Race

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Facts:

• In Space Race, two players race rocket ships to be the first to reach the top of the screen from the bottom.
• Players must avoid asteroids during the race, and hitting one sends the player back to the start.
• Space Race is Atari’s second commercial video game, after Pong.

Platform:

• Arcade

Genre:

• Racing

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1974 | Maze War

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Facts:

• Maze War features a first-person 3D perspective with players able to walk forward, backward, and turn left and right.
• Maze War is responsible for influencing both FPS and RPGs.
• The game is thought of as the first to feature multiplayer via two peer-to-peer computers.

Platform:

• Imlac PDS-1, Macintosh, NeXT Computer, X Window System

Genre:

• FPS

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1975 | dnd

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Facts:

• dnd players create a character and venture into a multi-level dungeon to seek out two ultimate treasures.
• dnd is the first game to feature bosses.

Platform:

• PLATO system

Genre:

• RPG

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1976 | Breakout

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Facts:

• Players must use a paddle to break layers of bricks using a ball that bounces off the walls.
• Players lose a life if the ball touches the bottom of the screen.
• The arcade machine version of the game used a black and white monitor, but the bricks had colored cellophane over them to appear colored.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Action

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1977 | Combat

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Facts:

• Combat was a launch title for the Atari 2600.
• It was 27 games in one, all consisting of biplane, tank, and jet gameplay.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Shooter

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1978 | Miniature Golf

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Facts:

• The game features nine playable holes.
• Every time the player strikes the ball, it adds a stroke to the score.
• The goal is to put the ball into the cup on every hole.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Sports

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1979 | Space Invaders

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Facts:

• The Space Invaders aliens are modeled after octopuses, squids, and crabs.
• It was the first game that you could achieve and save high scores.
• Space Invaders made more than $600 million in 1978, and it’s estimated to have made more than $13 billion to date.
• The world record for the highest score on Space Invaders is 184,870

Platform:

• Arcade

Genre:

• Shooter

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1980 | Superman

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Facts:

• Superman was one of the first-ever licensed video games.
• Superman can use three powers; x-ray vision, strength, and flight.
• Two players can play the game.
• It was one of the first games to use a pause button.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Action Adventure

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1981 | Asteroids

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Facts:

• The aim is to destroy all asteroids and flying saucers.
• The Highest score stands at 41,336,440, set by a 15-year-old in 1982.
• Asteroids became the best-selling arcade game for Atari of all time.

Platform:

• Atari 2600

Genre:

• Arcade Shooter

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1982 | David’s Midnight Magic

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Facts:

• The game features multi-colored 4-player action.
• Hitting all five upper targets gets you 5,000 points, upper right targets give you 3,000 points, orange targets award 250 points, white bumper 500 points, and lower kicker gives 300 points.

Platform:

• Apple II, Atari 2600, Commodore 64

Genre:

• Pinball Simulator

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1983 | Ms. Pac-Man

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Facts:

• The player earns points by eating pellets and avoiding monsters.
• When Ms. Pac-Man dies, she dramatically swoons and falls.
• In 2016, Time placed it 5th on their Best Video Games of All Time list.

Platform:

• Atari 2600, Commodore 64, NES, Sega Genesis, SNES, Game Boy

Genre:

• Arcade

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1984 | Ultima III: Exodus

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Facts:

• Ultima III: Exodus was one of the first RPGs to feature animated characters.
• At the beginning of the game players can choose from 11 classes, including Fighter, Paladin, Wizard, and Druid.
• Exodus is the first in the series to feature 3D-looking dungeons.

Platform:

• Apple II, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, NES, Sharp X1

Genre:

• RPG

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1985 | The Way of the Exploding Fist

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Facts:

• The game features 1v1 karate matches and is two-player.
• Players can use 18 different moves, including roundhouse kicks and jumping kicks.
• The game’s soundtrack takes inspiration from the Dance of the Yao People, a 1952 Orchestral piece.

Platform:

• Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Acorn Electron, BBC Micro

Genre:

• Fighting

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1986 | Gauntlet

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Facts:

• Gauntlet is a top-down dungeon crawler where the player must touch the exit in a level.
• Players control one of four characters, a warrior, wizard, elf, or valkyrie.
• Creator, Ed Logg, is also the co-creator of Asteroids and Centipede.

Platform:

• Commodore 64, Master System, ZX Spectrum, NES, MS-DOS, PlayStation

Genre:

• Hack and Slash

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1987 | Out Run

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Facts:

• Players must avoid traffic and reach the destination within the time limit.
• Out Run was Sega’s most successful arcade cabinet in the 80s.
• Only four programmers, five graphic designers, and a sound designer worked on the game.

Platform:

• Arcade, Master System, Game Gear, Sega Saturn, Nintendo Switch

Genre:

• Racing

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1988 | Speedball

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Facts:

• Speedball is a top-down violent sports game.
• There are ten variations of courts.
• The game has power-ups that can electrify the ball and teleport it to a teammate.
• The game features two game modes; league and knockout.

Platform:

• Amiga, Sega Master System, Commodore 64, Blackberry, PC

Genre:

• Sports

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1989 | Kick Off

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Facts:

• The game is a top-down football game.
• The ball didn’t stick to the players’ feet, requiring some skill from the player.
• Kick Off features action replays, tactics, fouls, injuries, and referees with different moods.

Platform:

• Amstrad, Atari ST, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, NES

Genre:

• Sports

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1990 | Rick Dangerous 2

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Facts:

• Rick Dangerous is set in London during an alien invasion.
• Rick can shoot a laser gun, plant bombs, punch, and use a flying vehicle.
• The game ends on a cliffhanger, with no sequel ever made.

Platform:

• Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, MS-DOS

Genre:

• Platform

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1991 | Sonic the Hedgehog

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Facts:

• In this side-scrolling platformer, Sonic must rescue the animal population of South Island from Doctor Robotnik.
• Losing all lives forces the player to restart the game with no saves available.
• Sonic features six zones, each containing two acts and a boss battle with Robotnik.

Platform:

• Game Gear, Master System

Genre:

• Platform

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1992 | Street Fighter II

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Facts:

• Street Fighter II is one of the top three highest-grossing video games of all time, having sold more than 15 million units.
• The game is a one-on-one fighting game and is multiplayer.
• Players can choose from eight playable characters.
• Players can perform throw attacks, various standing punch and kick attacks, and special moves.

Platform:

• Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Arcade

Genre:

• Fighting

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1993 | Mortal Kombat

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Facts:

• Mortal Kombat features digitized sprites based on real actors.
• There are seven playable characters to choose from, each with unique fatalities.
• It is possible to fight the secret character, Reptile, by meeting conditions on the Pit.
• The original arcade version earned more than $300 million in 1993 – more than the gross earnings of Jurassic Park released the same year.

Platform:

• Arcade, Amiga, MS-DOS, Sega CD, SNES, Genesis

Genre:

• Fighting

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1994 | Donkey Kong Country

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Facts:

• Players battle their way through 40 side-scrolling platformer levels to recover the Kongs’ banana hoard from the Kremlings.
• The game can be played single-player or multiplayer.
• Both characters can roll, jump, run, and throw objects.
• Donkey Kong Country was the fastest-selling video game and the third best-selling SNES game when released.

Platform:

• SNES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance

Genre:

• Platform

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1995 | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

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Facts:

• The game follows Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong as they attempt to free the kidnapped Donkey Kong.
• Levels are much more varied from the previous game, with levels involving swimming, riding mine karts, and swinging on vines.
• Bonus barrels hidden throughout levels teleport the player to bonus levels.

Platform:

• SNES, Game Boy Advance

Genre:

• Platform

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1996 | Super Mario 64

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Facts:

• Super Mario 64 was the first 3D Mario video game.
• The game takes place predominantly in Princess Peach’s Castle.
• There are a total of 120 stars to find in the game.
• Mario can wall jump, backflip, and long jump.

Platform:

• Nintendo 64

Genre:

• Platform

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1997 | Final Fantasy VII

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Facts:

• Final Fantasy 7 won plenty Game of the Year awards, including the first ever at the now called D.I.C.E. Awards.
• The player takes control of Cloud Strife, a mercenary working with an eco-terrorist group to bring down Shinra.
• The game’s original setting during writing was New York City in 1999.

Platform:

• PlayStation, iOS, Windows PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch

Genre:

• RPG

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1998 | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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Facts:

• This is the first 3D Zelda game and the fifth in the series.
• The game introduced context-sensitive actions and Z-targeting.
• Throughout the game, Link learns 12 melodies for the ocarina that, when played, helps him to solve music-based puzzles.

Platform:

• Nintendo 64, Gamecube

Genre:

• Action-adventure

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1999 | Unreal Tournament

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Facts:

• Unreal Tournament is a fast-paced arena FPS where players compete to be Grand Champion.
• The multiple game modes include Assault, Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, and Domination.
• Matches can be player-vs-player or against bots, where players can choose the skill level of the bots.

Platform:

• Microsoft Windows, Classic Mac OS, Linux, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast

Genre:

• First-person shooter

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2000 | Deus EX

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Facts:

• Deus EX is set in a cyberpunk world in 2052, where nanotechnology gives people superhuman abilities.
• The game won more than 30 “Best of” when released.
• It has been included in multiple “Greatest Games of All Time” lists, including for IGN and GameSpy.

Platform:

• PC, PS2, PS3

Genre:

• Action RPG, FPS

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2001 | Halo: Combat Evolved

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Facts:

• Halo began as a real-time strategy game, then a third-person shooter, and finally a first-person shooter during development.
• The game’s believed to have modernized the FPS genre and drove the success of the Xbox.
• IGN named the game the fourth-best FPS of all time.

Platform:

• Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre:

• FPS

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2002 | Grand Theft Auto III

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Facts:

• GTA III is the first in the series to feature an over-the-shoulder 3D perspective.
• GTA III was the highest selling game of 2001 and the second highest-selling in 2002, only behind Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
• The game featured open-ended gameplay, with IGN and GamePro naming it as one of the most influential and important games of all time.

Platform:

• PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox, PC

Genre:

• Action-adventure

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2003 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

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Facts:

• The game takes place in 1986 in Vice City, which takes influence from Miami.
• After completing missions, certain gang members will fight alongside you, and others will attack you on sight.
• Vice City is the first in the series to feature a fully voiced protagonist.

Platform:

• PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC

Genre:

• Action-adventure

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2004 | DOOM 3

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Facts:

• DOOM 3 is a prequel to the series.
• The game features four game modes – all four of which are deathmatches.

Platform:

• Xbox, PC, Linux, Mac OS

Genre:

• FPS survival horror

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2005 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

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Facts:

• San Andreas is a massive game, and the map is 38.2 square kilometers in size.
• There are roughly 212 vehicles within the game, compared to 60 in GTA III.

Platform:

• Xbox, PlayStation 2, Android, iOS, Fire OS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Genre: 

• Action-adventure

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2006 | The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

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Facts:

• Oblivion is an open-ended game, and a player can continue even after completing the game.
• Players can equip 21 spells spread across combat, magic, and stealth.
• The developers designed NPCs to make choices to achieve predetermined goals.

Platform:

• Xbox, PlayStation 2, Android, iOS, Fire OS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Genre:

• Action-adventure

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2007 | Gears of War

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Facts:

• The first in the franchise is set 14 years after the Locust first attacked Sera.
• Marcus has blue eyes because Cliff Bleszinski’s father had blue eyes. 
• Boomers were named after the robots from Bubblegum Crisis, which was inspired by Blade Runner.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC

Genre:

• Third-person shooter

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2008 | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

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Facts:

• CoD 4 was the first in the franchise to move away from the World War II setting.
• The game won plenty of awards, with GameSpot ranking it third in their list of “Top 10 Best FPS Games Ever.”
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered released in 2016 and 2017.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows

Genre:

• FPS

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2009 | Fallout 3

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Facts:

• Fallout 3 was the first to be made by Bethesda after purchasing the franchise.
• The game was the first in the series to feature 3D graphics and real-time combat.
• Players can switch from third-person and first-person at any time.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Genre:

• Action RPG

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2010 | Mass Effect 2

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Facts:

• Mass Effect allows players to use their saved game from the previous title or create a new character.
• For the game, Bioware introduced rechargeable shields and limited ammo to put more of an emphasis on the gameplay over story.
• The game won a lot of awards when it launched, including lots of Game of the Year awards, and Bioware even won Studio of the Year.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Genre:

• Action RPG, third-person shooter

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2011 | Portal 2

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Facts:

• The Portal series shares the same universe as Half-Life.
• The cooperative campaign takes place after the single-player campaign, though they can be played in any order.
• GLaDOS, the ever-supporting character, is voiced by Steven Merchant.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac OS

Genre:

• Puzzle-platform

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2012 | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Facts:

• Skyrim features more than 60,000 recorded lines of dialogue.
• Jim Cummings and Charles Martinet, the voices behind Mario and Winnie the Pooh, voice several Skyrim characters.
• The dragons may not be dragons after all, but instead wyverns.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4

Genre:

• Action RPG

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2013 | Grand Theft Auto V

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Facts:

• GTA V’s map is larger than Red Dead, GTA IV, and San Andreas combined.
• The three main characters represent the three types of players. Michael represents those that want to take it easy, Franklin is eager to play, and Trevor is the destructive one.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X

Genre:

• Action RPG

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2014 | Dark Souls II

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Facts:

• Dark Souls II features eight playable characters from a mix of spell casters, tanks, and fighters.
• In 2014, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin launched. It updates visuals, improves enemy positions and behaviors, and includes content from the base game and all three DLC campaigns.

Platform:

• Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4

Genre:

• Action RPG

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2015 | The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt

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Facts:

• The Witcher III is set on the Continent where elves, dwarves, humans, and monsters co-exist.
• The game’s map is 20% larger than Skyrim’s.
• When The Witcher Netflix series released, the game saw a 554% increase in sales that month.

Platform:

• Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch

Genre:

• Action RPG

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2016 | Dark Souls III

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Facts:

• Dark Souls III features fewer maps than Dark Souls II, but they are more extensive and more detailed to promote exploration.
• The game introduces the luck stat while also removing the adaptability stat from Dark souls II.

Platform:

• Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4

Genre:

• Action RPG

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2017 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

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Facts:

• Satori Mountain is named after the late Satoru Iwata, the CEO of Nintendo that passed away in 2015.
• Hyrule in this game is more than 10 times the size of Twilight Princess.
• This is the best-selling Zelda game of all time.

Platform:

• Nintendo Switch, Wii U

Genre:

• Action-adventure

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2018 | Fortnite Battle Royale

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Facts:

• Fortnite has more users than Netflix, hitting more than 125 million players in less than a year of its release.
• Fortnite made more than $2 billion in 2018.
• Parents hire Fortnite coaches to help their children get better at the game.

Platform:

• PC, MacOS, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Android

Genre:

• Battle Royale

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2019 | Resident Evil 2

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Facts:

• The game is set two months after Resident Evil.
• Leon and Claire both start with handguns, but both get access to different customizable weapons throughout the game.

Platform:

• PC, PS4, Xbox One

Genre:

• Survival Horror

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2020 | The Last of Us Part II

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Facts:

• The game takes place five years after the original.
• Notes are wet when you read them in water.
• Ellie squints when you zoom in.

Platform:

• PlayStation 4

Genre:

• Action-adventure

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Ingo Ingo is fast! Studied e-commerce and has his roots for now in lively Germany. At the same time, as an ambitious influencer consultant, he is close to gaming communities & game developers. He often knows what trends are currently going on. Ingo has a special fascination as game review editor.

 

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