The Game Awards 2016
Below are the games that were revealed and/or teased during the award ceremony. The one game I am most excited for is the prequel Specter of Torment which is set to release in the spring, and will be followed at some point by one more campaign, which will star King Knight.
Bulletstorm: Full Clip
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition brings the critically-acclaimed cult-classic shooter to PlayStation® 4, Xbox One™ system, and PC in stunning ultra-high resolutions. A disappointment to many. Fans of the game were hoping for a sequel to their beloved FPS that rewards you with points for performing increasingly ludicrous and creative kills.
Death Stranding
Hideo Kojima brought a new trailer for Death Stranding to The Game Awards 2016, presenting our first look at the game since its E3 2016 premiere. Film director Guillermo Del Toro, who worked with Kojima on the canceled game Silent Hills, stars in this latest trailer. Also appearing in the trailer is Mads Mikkelsen, star of Hannibal and one of Kojima’s favorite actors. The star of film and TV has been rumored to be a part of Death Stranding.
Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series
Not much has been revealed about Telltale’s latest series, but the developer’s Kevin Bruner says that, “In Marvel’s Guardian’s of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, players will take on multiple roles within the ragtag band of heroes, and take the pilot’s seat in directing their escapades around the universe.”
Dauntless
Phoenix Labs, a new studio whose founders list BioWare, Riot Games and other top-tier studios among their credits, arrived at The Game Awards 2016 to debut its first game: Dauntless, an online action title that will launch on Windows PC in 2017.
Prey
Prey had originally been announced five years ago, but was cancelled two years ago by Bethesda. Now the company has a new developer working on the game, and has been completely overhauled.
Breath of the Wild
Here we have a Let’s Play video in which we see Nintendo making a step forward in the right direction trying to connect with their audience.
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
You’ll not only play through Specter Knight’s own story, but also see new areas, new music, new enemies, new objects, new boss fights, new weapons, new armors, and way, way more than ever before. Even the villainous boss knights have prepared new tricks and tactics!
Halo Wars 2
The game is set in the science fiction universe of the Halo series in the year 2559, and is a sequel to the 2009 video game Halo Wars. The game sees the return of the human crew aboard the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire and introduces a new alien faction known as the Banished. Development of Halo Wars 2 began in 2014 and the game was announced at Gamescom in 2015.
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier
This game is set to release December 20th. Clem is back, but it looks like she will be taking the role as a secondary character which is just fine. I’m glad to know she is still doing well. The first Walking Dead Telltale games made me feel like she was my own and I know there are many others who feel the same.
Mass Effect: Andromeda
::Screaming::
Here are the Nominees and Winners of The Game Awards. The winning titles are in bold:
Game of the Year
For a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.
- Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Game Direction
Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision, game direction and design.
- Blizzard Entertainment (for Overwatch)
- EA DICE (for Battlefield 1)
- id Software (for Doom)
- Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
- Respawn Entertainment (for Titanfall 2)
Best Narrative
For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Mafia 3 (Hangar 13/2K Games)
- Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Art Direction
For outstanding creative and technical achievement in artistic design and animation.
- Abzu (Giant Squid/505 Games)
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Music/Sound Design
For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.
- Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
- Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
- Thumper (Drool)
Best Performance
Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.
- Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia 3
- Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch
- Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
- Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
- Rich Sommer as Henry, Firewatch
- Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Games For Impact
Honoring exemplary games that take on real-world issues and advocate for social change.
- 1979 Revolution: Black Friday (Ink Stories)
- Block’hood (Plethora Project/Devolver Digital)
- Orwell (Osmotic Studios/Surprise Attack)
- Sea Hero Quest (Glitchers)
- That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games)
Best Independent Game
For outstanding achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games)
- The Witness (Thekla Inc.)
Best Mobile/Handheld
For the best game playable on mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.
- Clash Royale (Supercell)
- Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
- Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
- Pokémon Go (Niantic Labs)
- Severed (DrinkBox Studios)
Best VR Game
For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.
- Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
- Eve: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
- Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
- Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
- Thumper (Drool)
Best Action Game
For the best game experience focused around first or third-person combat.
- Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
- Doom (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
- Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
- Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
Best Action/Adventure Game
For the best game experience that combines combat with traversal and puzzle solving.
- Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
- Hitman (IO Interactive/Square Enix)
- Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best RPG
The best game designed for rich player character customization and progression, both offline and online, including massively multiplayer.
- Dark Souls 3 (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal/Square Enix)
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (CD Projekt Red/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
- World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)
Best Fighting Game
For a game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.
- Killer Instinct Season 3 (Iron Galaxy Studios/Microsoft Studios)
- The King of Fighters 14 (SNK/Atlus USA)
- Pokkén Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokémon Co. International)
- Street Fighter 5 (Capcom)
Best Strategy Game
Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy.
- Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 (Firaxis Games/2K Games)
- Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
- The Banner Saga 2 (Stoic Studio/Versus Evil)
- Total War: Warhammer (The Creative Assembly/Sega)
- XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games/2K Games)
Best Family Game
Best game for family play, including toys-to-life, rhythm/music/dance, and other genres.
- Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix)
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
- Pokémon Go (Niantic Labs)
- Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Skylanders Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)
Best Sports/Racing
For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.
- FIFA 17 (EA Vancouver/Electronic Arts)
- Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios)
- MLB The Show 16 (SIE San Diego Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- NBA 2K17 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES Productions/Konami)
Best Multiplayer
For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences.
- Battlefield 1 (EA DICE/Electronic Arts)
- Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
- Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team17)
- Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Titanfall 2 (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Most Anticipated Game
An upcoming game that has shown significant ambition and promise in moving the gaming medium forward.
- God of War (SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Mass Effect: Andromeda (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Studios/Rockstar Games)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)
Trending Gamer
For a notable influencer, online streamer or media personality in 2016.
- AngryJoeShow
- Boogie2988
- Danny O’Dwyer
- JackSepticEye
- Lirik
Best Fan Creation
For fan-created content, such as mods, fan films, and other player content.
- Project A2MR
- Pokémon Uranium
- Brutal Doom 64
- Enderal: The Shards of Order
Best eSports Player
The eSports player judged to be the most outstanding performer in 2016, irrespective of game.
- Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok (SK Telecom T1, League of Legends)
- Coldzera – Marcelo David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
- ByuN – Hyun Woo (Starcraft 2)
- Infiltrator – Lee Seon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter 5)
- Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.)
Best eSports Team
The eSports team or organization judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2016, irrespective of game.
- SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
- Wings Gaming (Dota 2)
- SK Gaming
- ROX Tigers (League of Legends)
- Cloud 9
Best eSports Game
The eSports game that has shown creative and technical excellence in 2016 with the best gameplay, community support and content updates.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
- Dota 2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot Games)
- Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Street Fighter 5 (Capcom)
Was there a game that you wish you had seen at the awards or maybe one that had you puzzled on their win? Let us know in the comments or send us an email with your thoughts!