Tag: Best of 2016

2016 GOTY Scoreboard: Overwatch, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and More

2016 was an absolutely wild year for video games.

After years in “Development Hell,” Doom (2016), Final Fantasy XV, and The Last Guardian were all finally finished and released. Even more surprising, Nintendo temporarily bowed out of the market as they put the Wii U on hiatus and prepared to move ahead with their mysterious NX console (which we now know as the Switch). And Blizzard jumped back into original console development in a big way with the launch of Overwatch.

As the recipient of three major awards (and more than a dozen awards from individual publications), Overwatch was head and shoulders above the rest of the field in the overall “Game of the Year” discussion last year, but a number of other games took home at least one prize in 2016.

You can see more of last year’s most-acclaimed titles, along with all of their “Game of the Year” accolades, after the break.

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Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Named “Best Game” at 2016-2017 BAFTA Games Awards

Nathan Drake is going to ride off into the sunset with one last “Game of the Year” award. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosted the ceremony for the 2016-2017 BAFTA Games Awards last night, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was selected as the year’s “Best Game.”

Playdead’s Inside didn’t win the big prize, but the indie game scooped up four BAFTAs including “Artistic Achievement,” “Game Design,” “Narrative,” and “Original Property.” Ghost Town’s Overcooked (“Best British Game” and “Family”) and Campo Santo’s Firewatch (“Debut Game” and “Performer” for Cissy Jones) also managed to collect multiple awards as part of the festivities.

A whole slew of titles were able to pull out a win in one category last night, and they include That Dragon Cancer (“Game Innovation”), Rocket League (“Evolving Game”), Overwatch (“Multiplayer”), Pokemon Go (“Mobile & Handheld”), The Last Guardian (“Audio Achievement”), and Virginia (“Music”).

A complete list of winners and nominees from the 2016-2017 BAFTA Games Awards can be found after the break.

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Uncharted 4 Wins “Video Game of the Year” at the 2016-2017 SXSW Gaming Awards

Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was named “Video Game of the Year” at the 2016-2017 SXSW Gaming Awards last night, finally putting an end to Overwatch‘s winning streak. Nathan Drake’s final adventure also earned the big prize in the “Excellence in Narrative” and “Excellence in Animation” categories, and the treasure hunter himself won for “Most Memorable Character.”

However, don’t feel too bad for Blizzard, Overwatch took home three SXSW Gaming Awards including “Esports Game of the Year,” “Most Promising New Intellectual Property,” and “Excellence in Multiplayer.”

The WWE’s Austin “Xavier Woods” Creed hosted the 2016-2017 SXSW Gaming Awards, and he also handed out statuettes to a wide variety of other games including Pokemon Go (“Mobile Game of the Year”), Doom (“Excellence in Gameplay” and “Excellence in Musical Score”), Battlefield 1 (“Excellence in Technical Achievement” and “Excellence in SFX”), and Dishonored 2 (“Excellence in Design”). And this year’s “Tabletop Game of the Year” award was given to Fantasy Flight’s Arkham Horror: The Card Game.

You can find all the winners and nominees from last night’s SXSW Gaming Awards show after the break.

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Overwatch is “Game of the Year” at the 2016-2017 GDC Awards

Overwatch continues to rack up year-end awards for Blizzard Entertainment, and it picked up two more statuettes last night during the Game Developers Choice Awards.

After more than a month of deliberations, the GDC committee choose to bestow “Game of the Year” status on the team-based shooter, as well as “Best Design” for its colorful world.

Two other games collected multiple awards at last night’s GDC Awards. Playdead’s platformer, Inside, earned “Best Audio” and “Best Visual Art.” And later in the night, Campo Santo’s Firewatch was selected as “Best Debut” and its story was honored with “Best Narrative.”

“This year’s amazing slate of winners is a testament to the diversity of experiences in games,” said Meggan Scavio, General Manager of the Game Developers Conference.

Scavio added: “Pokemon Go [“Best Mobile/Handheld Game”] took gaming outdoors using AR, while Job Simulator [“Best VR/AR Game”] showed how lo-fi aesthetics could meet cutting edge tech for a winning VR experience. Overwatch once again proved Blizzard’s uncanny ability to make a perfectly balanced multiplayer game, and Inside delved deep into our dark psyches to unearth our scariest nightmares. These nominees speak to the strength of games as a medium, but also show the various textures and possible creative outlets that interactive entertainment can provide. Congrats to all of the winners and nominees for following their visions and thanks to all developers who strive to make amazing games for us day in and day out.”

The full list of winners and nominees from the 2016-2017 Game Developers Choice Awards can be found after the break.

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Overwatch Wins “Game of the Year” (and Three Other Awards) at 2016-2017 DICE Awards

Blizzard made their mark on last night’s DICE Awards presentation when Overwatch took home the trophy in four categories, including “Game of the Year.” The shooter was also honored as “Action Game of the Year,” as well as for “Outstanding Achievement in Game Design” and “Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay.”

It was also a good night for Naughty Dog, as the developer claimed four victories for their work on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End including “Adventure Game of the Year,” “Outstanding Achievement in Story,” “Outstanding Technical Achievement,” and “Outstanding Achievement in Animation.”

The full list of winners and nominees from the 2016-2017 DICE Awards (including Pokemon Go for “Mobile Game of the Year,” Pokemon Sun and Moon for “Handheld Game of the Year,” and three awards for Inside ) can be found after the break.

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Overwatch Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2016 Game Awards

The 2016 Game Awards were filled with surprises, but I’m sure no one was shocked when Blizzard’s Overwatch walked away with the most statuettes last month, including the coveted “Game of the Year” prize. The popular online shooter also won the “Best Multiplayer” and “Best Game Direction” awards, as well as the fan-voted award for “Best eSports Game.”

Developers from Naughty Dog and id Software also had a good night as both studios collected two wins apiece. The familial tale at the center of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End won “Best Narrative,” while Nolan North won “Best Performance” for his final turn as Nathan Drake. Meanwhile, Doom blasted its way into the spotlight with wins in the “Best Music/Sound Design” and the “Best Action Game” categories.

Playdead’s Inside (“Best Art Direction” and “Best Independent Game”) and Pokemon Go (“Best Mobile/Handheld Game” and “Best Family Game”) also earned multiple awards at the 2016 Game Awards.

Congratulations to all the winners, and you can find a full list of all the winners and nominees after the break.

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