Tag: Game of the Year

Hazelight’s It Takes Two Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2021-2022 DICE Awards

Hazelight’s It Takes Two continued its improbable run with a “Game of the Year” win at the 2021-2022 DICE Awards (and making it two-for-two after its triumph at The Game Awards).

More than 50 games received at least one nomination at the DICE Awards, but the membership of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences continued to come back to the same titles over and over again… which benefited the developers at Hazelight with a second trophy for It Takes Two in the “Outstanding Achievement in Game Design” category.

While it didn’t win “Game of the Year,” Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart took the momentum from its nine total nominations (the most entering the night) and tallied up four victories during last night’s ceremony across an eclectic set of categories (“Outstanding Achievement in Animation,” “Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction,” “Outstanding Technical Achievement,” and “Family Game of the Year”).

Several other games secured multiple awards at the DICE Awards, giving the development teams from Eidos Montreal (“Outstanding Achievement in Story” and “Adventure Game of the Year” for Guardians of the Galaxy), 343 Industries (“Online Game of the Year” and “Action Game of the Year” for Halo Infinite), Ready At Dawn (“Immersive Reality Technical Achievement” and “Immersive Reality Game of the Year” for Lone Echo II), and Housemarque (“Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition” and “Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design” for Returnal) two chances to deliver a speech on the DICE stage.

You can find the full list of winners and nominees from the 2021-2022 DICE Awards after the break, along with a video replay of the IGN-produced ceremony, which was hosted by Greg Miller and Jessica Chobot.

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“Game of the Year” at the 2021 Game Awards Goes to Hazelight’s It Take Two

The new release calendar was a bit thinner in 2021 for a variety of reasons, so this year’s slate at The Game Awards was truly a free-for-all. With no clear frontrunner, many people expected a big night for Arkane’s Deathloop, which received nine nominations across eight categories (including “Game of the Year”). But with more than 100 games receiving at least one nomination, there were bound to be some surprises.

And there were definitely some surprises… such as It Takes Two winning “Game of the Year.” Hazelight’s weird and wild multiplayer adventure also won “Best Multiplayer” and beat out four Nintendo-produced titles to triumph in the “Best Family Game” category.

In between a dizzying amount of trailers for upcoming games, musical performances, and a short scene from The Matrix Resurrections, host Geoff Keighley gave out a few other awards.

While it was denied the big prize, Deathloop collected two statuettes (for “Best Game Direction” and “Best Art Direction”). Other “Game of the Year” nominees had their moment in the sun, including Nintendo’s Metroid Dread, which won “Best Action/Adventure Game.” And Maggie Robertson’s appearance as Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village won over the Internet earlier this year, which made her “Best Performance” win at The Game Awards rather fitting.

Other multi-award winners included Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 5 (“Best Audio Design,” “Best Sports/Racing Game,” and “Innovation in Accessibility”), Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV (“Best Ongoing Game” and “Best Community Support”), Ember Lab’s Kena: Bridge of Spirits (“Best Independent Game” and “Best Debut Indie”).

This year’s group of nominees also included Cyberpunk 2077, which was released in December 2020 and missed the cutoff for last year’s judging period. While it received a chilly reception at launch, after a year of updates and bug fixes, CD Projekt’s sprawling futuristic RPG received two nominations, but didn’t win in either category. This year’s cutoff (November 19th) was particularly early, so we’ll likely be talking about Halo Infinite at the 2022 Game Awards.

But that’s next year. Right now, you can find a video replay of the 2021 Game Awards after the break, as well as a complete list of winners, and all the nominees.

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2020 GOTY Scoreboard: Hades, The Last of Us Part II, and More

Nintendo made last year’s pandemic-related lockdowns more bearable with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Naughty Dog ruled the Summer with The Last of Us Part II. CD Projekt finally showed us their vision of the future with Cyberpunk 2077. And Valve brought virtual reality to a new level with Half-Life: Alyx (the first expansion to the Half-Life franchise in over a decade).

Oh, and Sony and Microsoft each launched brand new consoles in November.

But it was Hades, developed by the small team at Supergiant Games, that walked out of Hell with the most “Game of the Year” accolades in 2020.

You can find the other four, as well as more of last year’s most-acclaimed titles, after the break in the 2020 GOTY Scoreboard.

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Supergiant’s Hades Collects Another “Game of the Year” Statuette at the 2020-2021 GDC Awards

This year’s Game Developers Conference is operating slightly out of sync with its normal spot on the calendar, but it was still business as usual (in more ways than one) for the 2020-2021 Game Developers Choice (GDC) Awards.

Ghost of Tsushima, Hades, and The Last of Us Part II tied for the most nominations with six apiece, so competition was stiff for the night’s biggest prize, but it was Hades that took home “Game of the Year” (as well as “Best Audio” and “Best Design”) during last night’s virtual ceremony.

Supergiant’s roguelike just narrowly missed a clean sweep of all the major year-end awards, and the only statuette to elude the veteran developers was the “rising angel” from The Game Awards, which instead went to Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II.

As you may have guessed, Sony’s one-two punch from the PS4’s final Summer didn’t go home empty-handed. The Last of Us Part II was selected as the recipient of the “Best Narrative” award, while Ghost of Tsushima picked up “Best Visual Art” and the “Audience Award.”

Other games that expanded their trophy case last night included Genshin Impact (“Best Mobile Game”), Half-Life: Alyx (“Best VR/AR Game”), Microsoft Flight Simulator (“Best Technology”), Dreams (“Innovation Award”), and Phasmophobia (“Best Debut”)

You can find a full list of all the winners, nominees, and Honorable Mentions from the 2020-2021 Game Developers Choice Awards, as well as a video replay of the show (which was hosted by writer Sam Maggs), after the break.

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Supergiant’s Hades Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2020-2021 DICE Awards

Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima, Supergiant’s Hades, and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II dominated the conversation among players in 2020, and all five were in competition for the big prize at this year’s DICE Awards.

The Last of Us Part II lead the way with 11 nominations, but it was Hades that won “Game of the Year” during last night’s ceremony. The well-reviewed roguelike also claimed four other trophies, including “Action Game of the Year,” “Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game,” “Outstanding Achievement in Game Design,” and “Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction.”

Though Hades was the big winner, each of the games nominated for “Game of the Year” won something at this year’s DICE Awards.

Ghost of Tsushima sliced its way to victory in four categories, including “Adventure Game of the Year,” “Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition,” “Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design,” and “Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction.”

The Last of Us Part II picked up a pair of trophies, including “Outstanding Achievement in Story” and “Outstanding Achievement in Animation.”

And finally, Animal Crossing: New Horizons (“Family Game of the Year”) and Final Fantasy VII Remake (“Role-Playing Game of the Year”) each won a single prize.

A complete list of all winners and nominees from the 2020-2021 DICE Awards can be found after the break, along with a video replay of the ceremony, which was hosted by IGN.

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“Best Game” Bestowed Upon Hades at the 2020-2021 BAFTA Games Awards

The critical community bestowed yet another boon on Hades at the 2020-2021 BAFTA Games Awards. The voters from the esteemed British Academy have awarded Supergiant’s roguelike adventure with “Best Game” (and a truckload of additional trophies).

After receiving eight nominations, the developers from Supergiant would ultimately climb the virtual stage five times throughout the night. In addition to the “Best Game” award, Hades was also selected as the winner in the “Artistic Achievement,” “Game Design,” and “Narrative” categories. Voice actor Logan Cunningham completed the hot streak by winning the “Performer in a Supporting Role” award for pulling sextuple duty as Hades, Achilles, Poseidon, Asterius, Charon, and The Storyteller.

Looking back, it’s astonishing that Hades wasn’t a heavy favorite heading into this year’s BAFTA Games Awards. And that’s because Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II received 13 total nominations before the ceremony, more than any other game in the nearly 20-year history of the BAFTAs. In the end, the game would emerge victorious in just two categories: “Animation” and “Performer in a Leading Role” (for Laura Bailey’s portrayal of Abby).

Other big winners at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards included Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons (“Game Beyond Entertainment” and “Multiplayer”) and Sumo Digital’s Sackboy: A Big Adventure (“Best British Game” and “Family”). Phobia’s Carrion (“Debut Game”), Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima (“Audio Achievement”), Insomniac’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (“Music”), Cardboard Computer’s Kentucky Route Zero (“Original Property”), and Rare’s Sea of Thieves (“Evolving Game”) all won a single award.

A complete list of the winners and nominees at the 2020-2021 BAFTA Games Awards, as well as an embedded replay of the ceremony, can be found after the break.

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Hades is “Video Game of the Year” at the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards

The God of the Underworld has added South By Southwest to his expansive domain as Supergiant’s Hades was named “Video Game of the Year” during last night’s ceremony for the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards. The roguelike also collected a second trophy for “Excellence in Game Design.”

Festival organizers decided to drastically slim down the category slate, presenting just a dozen awards this year (down from 17 in 2019-2020), though 43 different games received at least one nomination. Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and Moon Studios’s Ori and the Will of the Wisps led the way with four nominations apiece and both managed to score one win (“Excellence in Animation, Art, and Visual Achievement” for Sucker Punch and “Excellence in Score” for Moon Studios).

But it was another indie that managed to outshine the rest of the lineup at this year’s ceremony, as Ghost Ship Games’s Deep Rock Galactic was the only other two-time winner for “Indie Game of the Year” and “Excellence in Multiplayer.” Other winners at the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards included Half-Life: Alyx (“VR Game of the Year”), Dreams (“Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award”), The Last of Us Part II (“Excellence in Narrative”), Microsoft Flight Simulator (“Excellence in Technical Achievement”), and Doom Eternal (“Excellence in Audio Design”).

The SXSW Gaming Awards also selects a “Tabletop Game of the Year” every year as well, and this year the award went to The Search for Planet X.

A complete list of winners and nominees from the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards can be found after the break.

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Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2020 Game Awards

The winners of the 2020 Game Awards were announced last night, and in a bit of a surprise, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II won “Game of the Year” at the close of the ceremony.

The critical reaction to Naughty Dog’s sequel was decidedly mixed after its release in June, and fans have likewise been extremely divided in their opinions about the game. But its cinematic story of violence and vengeance certainly won over the judging panel at the Game Awards. In addition to “Game of the Year,” The Last of Us Part II collected statuettes for “Best Game Direction,” “Best Narrative,” “Best Audio Design,” “Best Action/Adventure Game,” “Innovation in Accessibility,” and “Best Performance” (for Laura Bailey’s Abby).

While The Last of Us Part II was the big winner at the 2020 Game Awards, three other games still managed to walk away with multiple awards. Supergiant’s Hades was crowned “Best Indie Game” and “Best Action Game.” Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake earned “Best Role Playing Game” and “Best Score and Music.” And InnerSloth’s Among Us, which was originally released in 2018, claimed “Best Mobile Game” and “Best Multiplayer.”

A video replay of the 2020 Game Awards can be found after the break, along with more winners (including Half-Life: Alyx, Ghost of Tsushima, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Microsoft Flight Simulator), and all the nominees.

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GOTY Flashback: 2005 Spike Video Game Awards

Geoff Keighley will present the 2020 Game Awards to the best games from this past year on December 10th.

But first, let’s travel back in time to his earlier awards show gig, the Spike Video Game Awards, and see what was big in gaming in… 2005.

The 2005 Spike Video Game Awards were also held on a 10th of December, which was just days after the launch of the Xbox 360 and the beginning of a new generation for consoles. Promising high definition graphics and out-of-the-box online play, the Xbox 360 offered console gamers something they had never seen before. So it wasn’t too surprising that the console’s showcase game, King King: The Official Game of the Movie, lead all titles with seven nominations (though not one for “Game of the Year”).

2005 was also the year that the PC platform came roaring back in a big way with the release of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, which was one of the frontrunners for “Game of the Year.” The massively popular game did battle against Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 2, Monolith’s F.E.A.R., and Sony Santa Monica’s God of War for the prize, but it was Resident Evil 4 that took home the trophy. Capcom’s reinvention of the franchise put a nice capper on the GameCube/PS2/Xbox generation while also grabbing the award for “Best Graphics.”

However, all the “Game of the Year” nominees would get their chance to step into the spotlight.

World of Warcraft claimed victory as the “Best PC Game” and “Best RPG.” Call of Duty 2 captured the award for “Best Military Game.” F.E.A.R. scared up the prize for “Best First Person Action.” And God of War smashed its way to the stage to collect “Best Action Game” and “Designer of the Year” for David Jaffe.

Activision’s True Crime: New York City wasn’t up for “Game of the Year,” but its cinematic presentation and stacked cast garnered six nominations ahead of the ceremony. Those Hollywood connections came in handy, the game took home two trophies (“Best Supporting Male Performance” for Christopher Walken and “Best Supporting Female Performance” for Traci Lords) on its way to becoming a multi-award winner.

While one game can often dominate an awards show, that wasn’t the case at the 2005 Spike Video Game Awards. The judging panel was in a generous mood, and more than a dozen games received at least one award during the ceremony. Lumines (“Best Handheld Game”), Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland (“Best Individual Sports Game”), Madden NFL 06 (“Best Team Sports Game”), Fight Night Round 2 (“Best Fighting Game”), and We Love Katamari (“Best Original Score”) were among the games who each picked up a single award.

King King: The Official Game of the Movie even got the chance to climb up on stage by the end of the night. The Ubisoft-published adaptation claimed victory for “Best Performance by a Human Male” (for Jack Black), “Best Cast,” and “Best Game Based on a Movie.” Publishers poured a lot of resources into game adaptations of blockbuster movies 15 years ago, and though they’re mostly forgotten today, Charlize Theron also won an award for “Best Performance by a Human Female” for Aeon Flux and Maria Menounos was named the “Cyber Vixen of the Year” for her appearance in James Bond 007: From Russia With Love.

Samuel L. Jackson hosted the Spike Video Game Awards for the first time in 2005, and he would return to MC the ceremony three more times over the next decade. A complete list of all 27 trophies he handed out (as well as all the nominees) can be found after the break.

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GOTY Flashback: 2010 Spike Video Game Awards

Geoff Keighley will present the 2020 Game Awards to the best games from this past year on December 10th. But first, let’s travel back in time to his earlier awards show gig, the Spike Video Game Awards, and see what was big in gaming in… 2010.

2010 sat at the exact midway point in the lifecycle for the PS3 and Xbox 360, making it an uncommonly good year for video games. But a slew of classic games were introduced for all three consoles and the PC that year.

Leading the way was Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption, which captured “Game of the Year,” as well as “Best Original Score,” “Best DLC,” and “Best Song in a Game.” Red Dead’s closest competitor in 2010 was definitely Mass Effect 2, which earned “Studio of the Year” honors for BioWare, along with “Best Xbox 360 Game” and “Best RPG.”

The other big story of the night was God of War III. Ten years on, it’s been overshadowed by other games in the franchise (including the 2018 reboot), but Kratos’s third adventure did win “Best PS3 Game” and “Best Graphics.” Not to be outdone, the PSP’s God of War: Ghost of Sparta took home the “Best Handheld Game” prize.

Unlike Sony’s continued commitment to the God of War franchise, Blizzard has all but abandoned the the StarCraft series in 2020. However, that uncertain future couldn’t stop StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty from flying high in 2010 as the winner of “Best PC Game” and “Best Performance by a Human Female” (for Tricia Helfer’s role as Sarah Kerrigan) at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards.

Amazingly, even the ceremony’s crop of solo winners are still fondly remembered a decade later (and many of them can be found scattered throughout the Video Game Canon’s Top 1000 too). That list includes Super Mario Galaxy 2 (“Best Wii Game”), Limbo (“Best Independent Game”), Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (“Best Action Adventure Game”) and Rock Band 3 (“Best Music Game”).

A complete list of all the winners and nominees from the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards can be found after the break.

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