VGC | John – Page 31 – Video Game Canon

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is “Video Game of the Year” at 2017-2018 SXSW Gaming Awards

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild took home another trophy last night when the “open-air” adventure was named “Video Game of the Year” at the 2017-2018 SXSW Gaming Awards. The Nintendo Switch launch title also scooped up awards for “Excellence in Design” and “Excellence in Gameplay”

PUBG Corporation’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds also picked up three awards last night (“Esports Game of the Year,” “Trending Game of the Year,” and “Excellence in Multiplayer”), and a handful of other games (Cuphead, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Nier: Automata) were two-time winners.

You can find the complete list of winners and nominees from the 2017-2018 SXSW Gaming Awards after the break.

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World Video Game Hall of Fame Will Publish “A History of Video Games In 64 Objects” in May 2018

The curators at the World Video Game Hall of Fame will offer a peak behind-the-scenes at some of the historical artifacts found in their collection with A History of Video Games In 64 Objects, an upcoming book from Dey Street Books:

Inspired by the groundbreaking A History of the World in 100 Objects, this book draws on the unique collections of The Strong museum in Rochester, New York, to chronicle the evolution of video games, from Pong to first-person shooters, told through the stories of dozens of objects essential to the field’s creation and development.

Drawing on the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s unmatched collection of video game artifacts, this fascinating history offers an expansive look at the development of one of the most popular and influential activities of the modern world: video gaming.

The hefty 352-page hardcover will include essays and photographs written by the curators that provide insight into how each object contributed to gaming’s history, as well as its impact on “the greater culture.”

A History of Video Games In 64 Objects will be available on May 29, and you can get a sneak peek at some of earliest selections (including Tennis For Two, the Nintendo Love Tester, and Ralph Baer’s Brown Box) at Dey Street‘s official website.

And don’t forget, the inductees from the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018 will be announced on May 3.

From the Trenches: Developers Look Back at NBA Jam, Smash Bros. Brawl, and Age of Empires

NBA Jam, Age of Empires, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl had a massive impact on the video game industry, and the men and women who made them surely have some interesting stories to tell.

25 years ago… NBA Jam made its rim-rattling console debut.
21 years ago… Age of Empires conquered the PC world.
10 years ago… Super Smash Bros. Brawl fought its way into our hearts.

All three of these games had a massive impact on the video game industry, and the men and women who made them surely have some interesting stories to tell.

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What Happened? The Stories Behind Duke Nukem Forever, Street Fighter: The Movie, Madden NFL 06, and THQ

In his introduction to Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier wrote that a game developer once told him it’s a miracle when a team manages to complete a game. But not every team is so lucky, and the development cycle for even the most well-funded games can often turn into a comedy of errors.

In his introduction to Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made, Jason Schreier wrote that a game developer once told him it’s a miracle when a team manages to complete a game. Over the next 300 pages, developers from Blizzard, Bungie, and Naughty Dog reinforce this point again and again. Using brutal honesty, they all discuss how close they came to disaster.

But not every team is so lucky (including the members of LucasArts that Schreier interviewed for his last chapter), and the development cycle for even the most well-funded games can often turn into a comedy of errors.

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Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wins “Game of the Year” at 2017-2018 DICE Awards

Nintendo was definitely the big winner at last night’s DICE Awards presentation. The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awarded 11 victories to the consolemaker, including “Game of the Year” for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Link’s newest adventure also received accolades for “Adventure Game of the Year,” “Game Design,” “Game Direction.”

Studio MDHR’s Cuphead received several awards for its outstanding sound and visuals at the 2017-2018 DICE Awards, including “Original Music Composition,” “Animation,” and “Art Direction.”

Developers for several other games strode to the stage to collect multiple awards during last night’s ceremony. That list includes Guerrilla’s Horizon: Zero Dawn (“Story” and “Technical Achievement”), PUBG Corporation’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (“Action Game of the Year” and “Online Gameplay”), Nintendo’s Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together (“Family Game of the Year” and the “D.I.C.E. Sprite Award”), and Oculus’s Lone Echo/Echo Arena (“Immersive Reality Technical Achievement” and “Immersive Reality Game of the Year”).

Congratulations to everyone who won big at the 2017-2018 DICE Awards. A complete list of all the winners and nominees can be found after the break.

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Dark Horse Will Publish “Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia” in October 2018

Do you know everything there is to know about Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom? Would you like to?

If you answered “Yes” to the latter question (or even if you said “Yes” to the former), then today is your lucky day. Dark Horse has announced that they’ll be publishing a Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia this October.

Weighing in at 256 pages, this reference work will cover the first 30 years of “Super” Mario’s career, beginning with 1985’s Super Mario Bros.:

The Super Mario Encyclopedia is jam-packed with content from 17 Super Mario games and spans more than 30 years of the franchise’s history—from the original Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario 3D World. Track the evolution of the Goomba, witness the introduction of Yoshi, and relive your favorite levels.

This tome also contains an interview with producer Takashi Tezuka, tips to help you find every Coin, Star, Sun, and Mushroom… even explanations of glitches! With information on enemies, items, obstacles, and worlds from over 30 years of Mario, Super Mario Encyclopedia is the definitive resource for everything Super Mario!

Dark Horse’s Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia will be released on October 23.

Shadow of the Colossus: From Modern Classic to Classic Remake

Sony and Bluepoint Games repackaged Shadow of the Colossus and Ico in a “High Definition” bundle for the PS3 in 2011. In addition to promoting the latter with the proper boxart for the first time in North America, the re-release gave PS3 owners a new opportunity to return to the worlds of Fumito Ueda. But with the PS4’s launch looming, Sony had even bigger plans for Shadow of the Colossus, and they wanted to take the famously frustrating game in a brand new direction.

Sony and Bluepoint Games repackaged Shadow of the Colossus and Ico in an HD Collection bundle for the PS3 in 2011. In addition to promoting the latter with the proper boxart for the first time in North America, the re-release gave PS3 owners a new opportunity to return to the worlds of Fumito Ueda. But with the PS4’s launch looming, Sony had even bigger plans for Shadow of the Colossus, and they wanted to take the famously frustrating game in a brand new direction.

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Shadow of the Colossus: From Humble Beginnings to Hollywood to Art

Sony recently teamed with developer Bluepoint Games to take Shadow of the Colossus and reimagine it “from the ground up” for the PS4. As one of the first games that could truly be described as “artistic,” it holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. But how did it get there?

Sony recently teamed up with developer Bluepoint Games to take Shadow of the Colossus and reimagine it “from the ground up” for the PS4. As one of the first games that could truly be described as “artistic,” it holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. But how did it get there?

Though it was critically-acclaimed from the very beginning, Ico was only a moderate hit for Sony and developer Fumito Ueda when it was released in 2001. But Ueda was thrilled with the game’s artistic ambition, and decided to create something even bigger as a followup.

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Video Game Canon’s Version 2.0 Update is Now Available

This article refers to an older Version of the Video Game Canon. View the Top 1000 to see the most recent changes to the list.

The Video Game Canon has been upgraded to Version 2.0 thanks to the addition of four new lists that were published throughout the last year. Edge Magazine’s “100 Greatest Videogames” issue, Jeux Video’s “Top 100 Best Games of All Time,” Polygon’s massive “500 Best Games of All Time,” and Stuff UK’s “50 Greatest Games of All Time” have reshuffled the ranking in a big way.

Let’s take a look…

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2017 Game Awards

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Cuphead, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice dominated this year’s Game Awards, which were hosted by Geoff Keighley last night in Los Angeles.

Breath of the Wild kickstarted the launch of the Nintendo Switch in a big way this past March, so it’s not surprising that it also won “Game of the Year” at the Game Awards. Link’s latest adventure also claimed victory in two additional categories last night, “Best Game Direction” and “Best Action/Adventure Game.”

Studio MDHR’s Cuphead was released to quite a bit of fanfare earlier this Fall, and the side-scrolling shooter delivered at the Game Awards with wins for “Best Art Direction” (thanks to its beautiful 1930s-inspired animation), “Best Independent Game,” and the fan-voted “Best Debut Indie Game.”

Finally, Ninja Theory has been touting Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice as their “AAA Indie,” and the game lived up to that billing with victories for “Best Audio Design,” “Games For Impact” (for a storyline that dealt with mental illness), and “Best Performance” for Melina Juergens’s voicework as Senua.

Congratulations to the development teams responsible for all this year’s nominees, and you can find the full list (along with all the winners) after the break.

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