If you’ve followed my Twitter over the past two months, you’d know my life’s been consumed with moving. My husband, our dog, and I moved out of our apartment, bought a house, moved into said house, and then all of a sudden, it was holiday time at work. I neglected my blog, I neglected my plans to livestream again, but one step at time!
Now, the last time I made a ‘predictive’ blog, it was for CoD XP, and let’s just say I failed miserably. But, it was rather fun, so, with The Game Awards happening on Thursday night, I decided to take the four biggest categories, and try again!
Game of the Year
“Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.”
DOOM by id Software/Bethesda
Inside by PlayDead
Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment
Titanfall 2 by Respawn/Electronic Arts
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End by Naughty Dog
Will Win: Overwatch
Why? The Game Awards, and its predecessor, the Spike Video Game Awards, have nominated plenty of console-exclusive titles in the past for the coveted Game of the Year award, but the last time one won was 2009. The game? Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Overwatch proved itself to be a gaming juggernaut this year, becoming a recognized eSport with legions of followers, and one of the most critically acclaimed and most-played first person shooters of 2016.
Should Win: Uncharted 4
Why? Not many series’ out there have endured as long as the story of Nate, Elena, and Sully, and out of those who have, not many of them are looked upon as fondly either. The game was near perfect in terms of graphics, performance, level design and music. Will it hold the same acclaim as Uncharted 2? Only time will tell. But if one game can break the console-exclusive Game of the Year curse, it’s Uncharted.
Best Studio/Game Direction
“Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.”
Blizzard for Overwatch
DICE for Battlefield 1
id Software for DOOM
Naughty Dog for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Respawn for Titanfall 2
Should Win/Will Win: Naughty Dog
Why? Naughty Dog raises the bar each time they release a game, graphically, narratively, and all the other -ly’s, and Uncharted 4 was no exception. From the lush landscapes of Madagascar, to the puzzles that littered the Scotland chapters, to the quiet moments between Nate and Elena after reuniting for the last time, Uncharted 4 was a ride I’ll willingly get back on again and again.
Honorable Mention: Respawn
Why? No sophomore game has impressed me as much as Titanfall 2. The multiplayer this time around is tighter, faster, and more energetic than their first effort, if such a thing was possible. They made great decisions this time around as well; sticking with all maps and additional Titan kids being free, and a legitimate single player campaign with a coherent story. Yes, Overwatch, Battlefield 1, and DOOM all did great things in the first-person shooter genre this year, but Respawn’s commitment to their fans experience takes the cake.
Best Performance
“Award to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.”
Troy Baker as Sam Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay in Mafia III
Cissy Jones as Delilah in Firewatch
Nolan North as Nathan Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Rich Sommer as Henry in Firewatch
Emily Rose as Elena Fisher in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Should Win/Will Win: Emily Rose as Elena Fisher and Nolan North as Nathan Drake
Why? A girl can dream, right? I’m sure there’s some mechanism in the voting to prevent ties, but hear me out. Yes, Rich and Cissy were GREAT in Firewatch. And Troy Baker’s always great. I haven’t played Mafia III yet, but I hear Lincoln is a great character. And yes, Nolan North is Nolan freakin’ North, but the team of North and Rose is what took Uncharted 4 to another level. (There’s a reason I called Emily the ‘Wild Card’ last December when I wrote about my excitement for the game.)
There’s two scenes that I’d highlight to support my argument of giving them both the award; the first being their fight after she first discovers them in Madagascar. Nate’s bravado is suddenly gone as he’s trying to explain away why he lied again, and Elena going through all five stages of grief about their marriage. If I could ever ask Emily Rose or Neil Druckmann a question, it would be to ask if that moment where Elena fiddles with her wedding ring during the fight was scripted or ad-libbed in a motion capture session. Combined with what she was saying at the time, it’s an incredibly powerful moment.
The second isn’t really a scene – it’s several scenes in the chapter ‘For Better or Worse.’ Elena and Sully ended up going after Nate, and after Nate learned the truth about Sam’s ‘escape’ from prison, he was thrown off a cliff and Elena pulled him out of a river. With Sully manning his airplane, Nate and Elena are forced to confront the issues in their relationship. There’s a wonderful moment when they’re riding a lift with their jeep that’s the game’s equivalent to the giraffe scene in The Last of Us, and it drops more truth bombs about marriage than I’ve seen in any other media. Their relationship feels so tangible and real that you can’t help by feel like you’re a part of it.
Best Independent Game
“For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.”
Firewatch by Campo Santo
Hyper Light Drifter by Heart Machine
Inside by PlayDead
Stardew Valley by ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games
The Witness by Thelka, Inc.
Will Win: Too Close to Call
Why? I played and loved each of these games. I think Firewatch has a slight edge, but any of these games could pull out the win in this category.
Should Win: Firewatch
Why? I think about Firewatch and I get a stupid smile on my face. It’s simple; from the text-based intro of the game, to navigating by compass and paper map. It’s that simplicity, however, that throws you into engaging the natural environment. Which is beautiful.
Final Predictions and Thoughts:
-Uncharted 4 should clean house, even if they don’t take home Game of the Year.
-Somebody from Uncharted is going to win best performance.
-Hideo Kojima will say something that most of us won’t understand about Norman Reedus.
-Oxenfree deserved a nod for Best Art Direction.
-Jokes will be made at the expense of No Man’s Sky.
-(Most of the preceding predictions will probably be hilariously wrong.)
The Game Awards air on various platforms Thursday night! I’ll post next week with some reactions.