Rejoice, as this was a great year for gaming made better with The Game Awards. Some of the biggest titles for this year were recognized for their talent on the big stage within the Peacock Theater in LA.
There were big reveals coming from both indie and long time veterans, including some sneak peek previews for upcoming shows and products. But who could forget the small jabs made by presenters, and of course “Flute guy” made his appearance again.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way, Game of the Year, the coveted prize that distinguishes the best from the great. This year’s nominees were Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-man 2, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and finally The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. All of these are exceptional, with all the titles receiving at least one prior award, except for Marvel’s Spider-man.
The winners were the team behind Baldur’s Gate 3. When receiving the award, Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke accepted the award while wearing a suit of armor, creating a true highlight for the entire night.
Best Fighting game was Street Fighter 6, and the best family game was Super Mario Bros. Wonder, best sports/racing game is Forza Motorsport, best sim/strategy game was Pikmin 4, while best debut indie game is Cocoon, best action game was declared Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, best action/adventure had to be The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and finally the most anticipated game was Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, these are the most notable categories and their winners for a quick recap.
OD is a game by director Hideo Kojima and film director Jordan Peele. They described it as a horror experience rather than a game. Kojima is an acclaimed developer as he is behind the Metal Gear Solid series and 2019’s Death Stranding, which is currently being adapted into a feature film. Jordan Peele started directing in 2017 releasing Get Out, followed by Us and Nope. All critically acclaimed films, so with this much talent behind one game, it’s going to be great.
Another note of interest, being 10 years ago, was when No Man’s Sky was revealed for the first time. During the live-stream a small tribute was made in honor of the game. Since the terrible launch of the game in 2014, Hello Games has made huge strides with free updates to make the game we were all promised. Sean Murray, the founder of the company, wanted to make “something a little more ambitious”, revealing the trailer for Light No Fire. In development for about five years it is an “open world without boundaries” within a fantasy setting that is also procedural generated.
Cyberpunk 2077 by CD Projekt Red also had a terrible launch. No Man’s Sky had a lack of content, and Cyberpunk 2077 did too while also having some of the worst game breaking glitches and optimization issues. But just Like Hello Games, CD Projekt Red has been pumping out update after update, creating not only a playable game but an enjoyable one too. With the release of the Phantom Liberty DLC even getting Cyberpunk 2077 best on going game.
Being produced by Amazon Prime video, the Fallout TV-show got a trailer that premiered on stage. The eight episode series looks to follow Ella Purnell’s character, a vault dweller that will travel the wasteland. The show is being directed by Jonathon Nolan and releases on April 12th. The main cast and t-45 power armor revealed the best adaptation being the Last of Us TV-show by HBO, which had to compete with the Super Mario Bros. Movie for votes.
