It was a great year for video games and that was represented by the diverse cast of games that were nominated for prizes. I saw no Call of Duty: Infinite Borefare on the list of nominees so I guess that money can't buy nominations and awards
The truly heartfelt moment of the event was when That Dragon, Cancer won an award for Games for Impact. The autobiographical game which retells the developers Ryan and Amy Green's four-year-old son Joel's battle with cancer. Ryan's winner speech moved me. The Game Awards, for the most part, is just a circlejerk of cinematic game trailers and ads, but that was a real human moment in a sea of artificial. I implore you to watch it here and please buy the game and support the Greens. If you needed proof that video games are art, the beautiful narrative and impact of That Dragon, Cancer is more than conclusive.
The biggest performer this year was Blizzard's Overwatch. Jeff Kaplan and the team deserve all the plaudits they're getting for the fantastic shooter. Bagging Game of the Year, Best Multiplayer, Best eSports Game, and Best Game Direction. With more free content updates to come including new map Oasis and possibly new heroes, it is well worth a buy!
With another decent year in gaming, we're hyped to see what 2017 will hold. One certainty that is known, Kettle will be here to give you the best coverage and reviews of all things gaming, so stay tuned!
GAME OF THE YEAR:
- DOOM (id Software/Bethesda)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Titanfall 2 (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
BEST GAME DIRECTION:
- Blizzard (for Overwatch)
- DICE (for Battlefield 1)
- id Software (for DOOM)
- Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
- Respawn (for Titanfall 2)
BEST NARRATIVE:
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Mafia III (Hangar 13/2K)
- Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SIE)
BEST ART DIRECTION:
- Abzu (Giant Squid/505)
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SIE)
BEST MUSIC/SOUND DESIGN:
- Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
- DOOM (id/Bethesda)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
- Thumper (Drool)
BEST PERFORMANCE:
- Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia III
- 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 Summer as Henry, Firewatch
- Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
GAMES FOR IMPACT:
- 1979 Revolution (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:
- Firewatch (Campo Santo)
- Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
- Inside (Playdead)
- Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games)
- The Witness (Thelka, Inc.)
BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD:
- Clash Royale (Supercell)
- Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
- Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
- Pokemon Go (Niantic)
- Severed (DrinkBox Studios)
BEST VR GAME:
- Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/WBIE)
- EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
- Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
- Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
- Thumper (Drool)
BEST ACTION GAME:
- Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
- DOOM (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
- Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME:
- 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:
- 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)
- World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard)
- Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)
BEST FIGHTING GAME:
- Killer Instinct Season 3 (Iron Galaxy Studios/Microsoft Studios)
- King of Fighters XIV (SNK/Atlus USA)
- Pokken Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokemon Co.)
- Street Fighter V (Capcom)
BEST STRATEGY GAME:
- Civilization 6 (Firaxis Games/2K)
- Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
- The Banner Saga 2 (Stoic Studio/Versus Evil)
- Total War: Warhammer (Creative Assembly/Sega)
- XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games/2K)
BEST FAMILY GAME:
- Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix)
- Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion/WBIE)
- Pokemon Go (Niantic)
- Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Skylanders: Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)
BEST SPORTS/RACING:
- FIFA 17 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
- Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios)
- MLB The Show 16 (SCE San Diego Studio/SIE)
- NBA 2K17 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES Productions/Konami)
BEST MULTIPLAYER:
- Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
- Gears of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
- Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team 17)
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
MOST ANTICIPATED GAME:
- God of War (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Mass Effect: Andromeda (Bioware/EA)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)
TRENDING GAMER:
- AngryJoeShow
- Boogie2988
- Danny O’Dwyer
- JackSepticEye
- Lirik
BEST FAN CREATION:
- Brutal Doom 64
- Enderal: The Shards of Order
(The winner has yet to be announced for this catergory, two of the nominees were removed for unknown reasons)
BEST ESPORTS PLAYER:
- 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 Seeon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter V)
- Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.)
BEST ESPORTS TEAM:
- SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
- Wings Gaming (DOTA2)
- SK Gaming
- ROX Tigers (League of Legends)
- Cloud 9
BEST ESPORTS GAME:
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
- DOTA2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot)
- Overwatch (Blizzard)
- Street Fighter V (Capcom)
