The Golden Joystick Awards have been around since 1983, as one of the longest-running video game awards in the industry. Back in inaugural ceremony, a game calledJetpactook home the Game of the Year award, and titles such asSonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario 64, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion,andThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of theWildhave been named number one since. TheGolden Joystick Awards 2021winnershave been announced, but this year a new category was also added, andDark Soulswas chosen as the winner.
Dark Soulsis now a 10-year-old game, but the impact the title has had on the gaming community and the industry at large is hard to deny. While 2009’sDemon Soulswas the first of the “Souls” games, many would argue that the popularity of the series exploded withDark Soulsin 2011. With the Golden Joystick Awards being a “people’s choice” award that is entirely voted on by fans,Dark Soulswas able to take home an incredibly prestigious prize of Ultimate Game of All Time.
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To celebrate 50 years of video gaming, going all the way back to 1971’sComputer Space, the Golden Joystick Awards added two special awards this year. The award of Ultimate Hardware of All Time was given to the PC, which makes sense given the fact that fans have been enjoying gaming on the platform for decades. Meanwhile, the title of Ultimate Game of All Time was awarded toDark Souls.
In a Twitter statement and an article published by Yahoo Japan,Dark Soulsdirector Hidetaka Miyazaki said that he was “deeply moved by the award” (according to Google Translate). Miyazaki said that it is unbelievable to him that fans voted for his game among all of the nominees. He thanked everyone at FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment, as well as the fans for their ongoing support.
Dark Soulsis an unabashedly difficult game, but completing the challenge comes with a true feeling of satisfaction.Fans have voted for Dark Soulsas one of the more frustrating games everin the past, just as fans now voted forDark Soulsas the Ultimate Game of All Time. It is a game that appears to have only grown in popularity over time, as theSoulsgenre has continued to influence the industry as a whole.
There were some other titles hot on the heels ofDark Soulsin terms of the voting. The winner received 12%, but 1993’sDoomwas at 11% and TheLegend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildreceived 10% of the voting. Games likeThe Last of Us, Minecraft, Street Fighter 2, Tetris,andHalo: Combat Evolvedwere also nominated, as generally they are consideredsome of the best video games of all time. It certainly wasn’t a runaway, butDark Soulscan forever stand tall as the winner of the Golden Joystick Awards Ultimate Game of All Time.
Dark Soulsis available for PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
