The Game Awards finally aired last night/ this morning, depending on where you live. After we made our predictions of the winners and reveal announcements, we finally got to see the show. It was a marvel to behold, with a few surprises along the way.
In this quick article, I’ll cover the Game of the Year winner, some of the top winning games across several categories, and mention a few of the best gaming reveals.
The Game of the Year: Elden Ring
After such a long wait, Elden Ring snagged the Game of the Year title. As I predicted, it beat God of War Ragnarok and the other nominees for providing so much content to gamers. Along with the most prestigious title, it won awards for the best role-playing game and art direction. Perhaps if God of War was available on more platforms for a bigger audience, it would have had a better chance. This points again to the issue with exclusive platforms.
Top winning games at The Game Awards
Despite God of War not winning the top title, it certainly won the most awards. These accolades include the best narrative, score/soundtrack, action/adventure, audio design, and innovation in accessibility. If you prefer these elements in a game, then Ragnarok may be the next game you want to purchase.
Stray also caught some attention as a cat simulation adventure game. It won two awards, namely for Best Indie Game and Best Debut Indie Game. I’m quite delighted since I really enjoyed that game. Yet, I’ve heard that Sifu has loads of action, so I’ll want to check that one out next.
Final Fantasy XIV was another big winner, taking trophies for Best Ongoing Game and Best Community Support. I haven’t personally played this game, but I’m a fan of the series in general.
Top gaming announcements
The Game Awards didn’t just present prizes. There were several game announcements, too. As suspected, we saw some gameplay features for Final Fantasy XVI with a release date of June 22, 2023, exclusive to PS5. We saw politics making an appearance as well as some huge monster battles.
Horizon Forbidden West has a reveal of its own, showcasing an expansion. Cyberpunk 2077 joined the hype by also indicating an expansion to the base game called Phantom Liberty. We also saw a brand new MMO based on a book and movie series I love, called Dune: Awakening.
Let’s look at some of my predicted announcements. Diablo IV did indeed have a reveal trailer, but the release date is later and not sooner than expected. Instead of April 2023, it will launch in June next year. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will appear in March, while Hideo Kojima revealed that Death Stranding 2 is indeed in the making.
There were plenty more reveals, but I’ll try to cover that in a separate article. If you missed the show, you can watch it here below.
