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The Game Awards 2017!


ddracarys

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Hey all! As I'm sure most of you already know, The Annual Game Awards are approaching and will be streamed worldwide this upcoming Thursday (or Friday if you're in my part of the world). If you're looking for exact times and places to watch the show, check this page out for all of the details. The VGAs will be entirely streamed covering all of this year's best of the best in the gaming industry. The nominations are officially all out now, and you can vote for your favourite games here. Choose wisely, as you will not be able to retract your votes!

 

In terms of gaming, 2017 has been a steady year with slow but big releases. 2017 kicked off with headlining titles such as Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Horizon: Zero Dawn, it closes with some old gems that have been remastered or ported for this generations standards, such as Skyrim VR and Okami HD. This year was also personally special for me as I was able to experience amazing, breathtaking games from the previous years of gaming. These games include Life Is Strange, Metal Gear Rising: Revengance, Vanquish, and so on.

 

I wanted to share with all of you my personal votes for this years VGAs, why I voted for what I did, and hopefully hear what you guy's have voted for too! So please, feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and votes on this years VGA nomainations (though please try to remain as spoiler-free as possible)! Here's what I voted for and why:

 

 

 

 

Game of the Year 2017 - Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)

Best Game Direction - Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)

Best Art Direction - Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4)

  • Horizon: Zero Dawn is easily the best game I played in 2017, therefore these three awards are fitting. It's fun gameplay, emotional soundtrack, breathtaking art style, lovable characters and expansive world are just several of many reasons that made Horizon a masterpiece. I've easily clocked in roughly 120 hours in the world of Horizon and plan to pickup the imminent GOTY Edition of the game too. The only real problem I faced with Horizon is that it's Main Quests fail to answer all of the player's questions. And though there is a surplus of Side Quests you can take on with Aloy, they only address minor concerns in your adventure. I appreciate Guerilla games for taking a turn in development, going outside of the box and creating a new icon that can headline the gaming industry. The short but sweet Frozen Wilds DLC expands on a part of the Main Quests we never got to properly take a look at. And so, my personal Game of the Year for 2017, the much deserved Horizon: Zero Dawn. Horizon also takes the crown for game direction from me. I had never really seen a game like Horizon before. I've been looking into the game since 2015 and it's concept art always intrigued me. I wondered what those massive machines we now know as Tallnecks held for me, as the player. I remember reading somewhere that Guerrila took influence from many different titles. From Skyrim, to The Last of Us, all the way to games like Tomb Raider. And all of these influences are recognizable within the game. Upon playing you will notice several different gameplay features or secret nods to some of your favourite series. Though Horizon: Zero Dawn had many influences, it still stood out as such a unique title for me. Robot dinosaurs? I mean, where else have we been able to see those as clearly as Horizon displays them? In terms of Art Direction, this is arguably the most important award for me personally. One I had to really think about. As a designer, art is very important to me. It's something that can throw me off any sort of media easily if poorly done. I believe art is the most important thing when it comes to videogames. The best definitions or engines can only get you so far, it's how you present your world and it's occupants that really matters. And Horizon: Zero Dawn does that magnificently. As I mentioned above, Horizon is a game that has been on my radar since 2015. Back then I was running to my local library every new month to check out the newest edition of the PlayStation Magazine. Back then, the PlayStation Magazine was covering Horizon: Zero Dawn's concept art piece by piece every month. And for three pages a month I was blown away. Jan-Bart van Beek took the spot as lead designer in Guerilla for Horizon, and he created a vibrant, beautiful work. The world of Horizon, artistically created from the ground up from Jan-Bart has been among the biggest influences in my design life. Horizon has bred, continues to breed an endless amount of art around the world. And that's what makes Horizon the game with the best Art Direction. For a game to influence this much artistic vision in the world, now that's amazing.

 

Best Narrative - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (PS4, PC)

Games for Impact - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (PS4, PC)

Best Independent Game - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (PS4, PC)

  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a powerful, emotional game that puts the player into a confusing situation from literally the first minutes of gameplay. Throughout your disappointingly short adventure, you will experience the affects of mental illnesses and how much they can truly tear you apart. Senua sets on a path of redemption to reclaim her state of mind, and this game does an amazing job of pretending the player isn't there at all. With Hellblade not teaching you how to play or giving you any sense of direction, you must find your own path. And that's why I think Hellblade has the best narrative. With the player out of the game's hair, all of it's time can be devoted into telling it's story. And what a story it has to tell! Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice touched me on many emotional levels. It gives voice and layers to mental illnesses, but one in particular that Senua herself suffers throughout the game: Psychosis. I fortunately don't suffer from Psychosis, so although Hellblade was a very big deal for me, I can't imagine how amazing this game must of felt for victims of Psychosis. I could tell you how much awareness Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice raised on Psychosis, but I figured showing you would be better. The Accolades Trailer for the game is beautiful, and makes me cry every time. It contains messages and screenshots all directly from the fans themselves. Or if you have the time, the Developer Diary of the game highlights all of the important details. Mental illness, Psychosis specifically, fundraising and awareness, why the developers decided to create a game for a community that never really had a spotlight before, etc. I highly recommend you check these links out, I am literally in tears experiencing all of this again myself. Hellblade had such a major impact on me personally, and as clearly seen in the links I provided, on the world too. It's slow paced, tough, dark and gruesome world somehow all looks so beautiful through Senua's eyes. Hellblade took me on a journey that I was hoping would never end. This is why I think Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (REALLY) deserves the awards for Games for Impact and Best Independent Game.

 

Best Audio Design - Destiny 2 (PS4, XONE, PC)

Best Score / Music - Destiny 2 (PS4, XONE, PC)

Best Ongoing Game - Destiny 2 (PS4, XONE, PC)

Best Action Game - Destiny 2 (PS4, XONE, PC)

Best Multiplayer - Destiny 2 (PS4, XONE, PC)

  • Whether you're in a heated gun fight, grabbing items from your Vault, handing in a Quest, looting a precious Exotic or even simply just booting up Destiny 2, there's a beat, jingle, hum, sound, tune and chord for it all! The reason why I grouped these two awards together (Best Audio Design and Best Score / Music) is because I chose them both for the same reasons: Destiny 2's orchestra is the biggest I've ever encountered. Now I don't know about all of you, but I'm the type of Guardian who spends a lot of time in the Social Space organizing my Vault. Between the constant sounds of acquiring and storing gear, the atmosphere that fills this peaceful period is soothingly harmonic. Inspiring, even. Hearing Destiny 2's soundtrack start off slow and gradually turn into epic battle music. It inspires me to get out in that world and fight off bosses that would otherwise be intimidating. Destiny 2 was easily my first choice for both of these awards that focus on music / audio. Through my many years of Destiny, the one thing that has remained beautiful throughout all these years of harshness is it's music, it's sounds, it's soundtrack. Say what you will about Destiny as a game, it's several soundtracks will blow you away, and can put the player in an inspiring situation. My opinion on gaming soundtracks in general is that, if they reach into me, give me butterflies even, they have to be amazing. Destiny 2's OST does this magnificently, and I have never been so pushed by a score before. Destiny 2 is game that keeps giving, weekly rotations and regular updates will keep you hooked on the grind as new gear is up for grabs. There are also your weekly Milestones that offer generously high leveled gear in which you can use to get to the cap extremely fast. With a game updating as frequently, with so much to offer, Destiny 2 is also my vote towards Best Ongoing, Multiplayer and Action game. Destiny 2 is a game I can always return to knowing I'll have something to do. And starting next week, there will also be a lot more to do in Destiny 2, so I'm hyped!

 

Best Performance - Laura Bailey as Nadine Ross in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

  • Nadine Ross, Helena Harper, Chun-Li, Rayne, Kid Trunks, Sherry Birkin, Dahlia Gillespie, Blaze the Cat, Serana, Serah Farron, Lady Comstock. These are only SOME notable voices Laura Bailey brings to the gaming industry. Laura Bailey is my favourite VA in gaming, so this choice of mine is definitely biased. Between Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Meina Juergens as Senua in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and Ashly Burch as Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn, I'd be lying if I said this choice was easy. But Laura Bailey has been my Queen across many, many years. And she's still slaying on top! I'm looking forward to what she plans on bringing to The Last of Us 2. I guarantee it will be a flawless performance, as always.

 

Best VR / AR Game - Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (PS4, XONE, PC)

  • Full disclosure: I have not played Resident Evil 7 in VR. I have heard it's great though, and I played the game itself and I loved it. So among all other nominations for Best VR / AR Game, Resident Evil 7 stood out very clearly. If you're a veteran of the series, you're probably very conflicted with this new addition to Resident Evil. But if you're new, this is a great place to start in the Resident Evil universe. I personally am a veteran of the series and have been playing the games since as long as I can remember, therefore I definitely had my doubts about this game. But after actually playing through Resident Evil 7 I realised how much this game shows homage towards the earlier works in Resident Evil. It mixes modern day suspenseful Horror gameplay, with it's classic gameplay features and style of story. As I said, I cannot speak for Resident Evil 7's performance on VR, however this game was an absolute blast to experience and I highly recommend it to all. Whether you're a long time coming fan, or a filthy casual, Resident Evil 7 is the game for you. Resident Evil 7's Banned Footage DLC is a disappointing mix of repetitive, annoying minigames. Some can prove very challenging too, such as the Ethan Must Die mode. With the Exception of Bedroom and Daughters, which were very well done and offer a bit more story. This month, Resident Evil 7 will be getting even more content which covers certain plot holes that occurred during the campaign.

 

Best Action / Adventure Game - Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PS4)

  • Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was an unexpected play from me. I had received the game for free, and even after doing so I was contemplating for about a week whether or not I wanted to play it. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved the previous Uncharted games and Chloe was my favourite character too so picking this one up was definitely tempting. After roughly a week of contemplation, I finally started The Lost Legacy, and boy am I glad I did! The short but definitely action packed campaign following Chloe and Nadine will take you on a trip to breathtaking views and dangerous crypts. I personally enjoyed this game a lot more than any other Uncharted game, as I felt Chloe fitted the protagonist role better than Nathan Drake ever did. Obviously I'm not expecting everybody to agree, but The Lost Legacy was a special game to me as it was the first Uncharted game which I did everything on. This included experiencing my first ever Crushing playthrough, which just made the game that much more action packed and fun. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy took me on an adventure with Chloe and Nadine this year that I will never forget.  

 

Best Fighting Game - Tekken 7 (PS4, XONE, PC, Arcade)

  • TEKKEN > EVERY OTHER FIGHTING GAME #childhood

 

Most Anticipated Game - The Last of Us 2 (PS4)

  • Though we have only seen small glimpses of what The Last of Us 2 could potentially be, this game has already blown me and others away. The Last of Us 2 is easily my most anticipated game. The anticipation of this game is quite killer. The suspense and intrigue of what Ellie and Joel have become these past five years is eating away at a million fan theories currently online. And though I have a theory of my own, I refuse to watch or read any other theories on the game as some people out there can actually predict pretty crazy, accurate things. In which case, I would consider a spoiler. The Last of Us 2 is definitely a game you do not want to get spoiled for you, as it's already seeming to deliver a powerful story with fan favourites Ellie and Joel. There is currently no known release date for The Last of Us 2, however if it plans to surface in 2018, it will be a very strong contender for Game of the Year 2018.

 

All of the follow awards I also voted for, but don't care that much for or don't really have a reason for voting for these or I simply just have not played the game, so I have nothing to say about it. I just chose whatever I favoured the most here, as some of these games I plan on playing in the future. So I'm sure they're all going to be amazing.

 

Best Mobile Game - Old Man's Journey (Android, iOS, Macintosh, PC)

Best Handheld Game - Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia (3DS, 2DS)

Best Role Playing Game - Nier: Automata (PS4, PC)

Best Family Game - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

Best Strategy Game - Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (Switch)

Best Sports / Racing Game - Grand Turismo: Sport (PS4)

Trending Gamer - Steven Spohn

Best Esports Game - Overwatch (PS4, XONE, PC)

Best Esports Player - Je-hong "ryujehong" Ryu

Best Esports Team - FaZe Clan

Best Debut Indie Game - Cuphead (XONE, PC)

 

So, once again, what games have you voted for? And why? I'd love to see all your personal nominations below! 

 

UPDATE: HOW THE NIGHT REALLY WENT...

 

So, this years VGAs are over and wow, what a horrible night that was! I don't really know why I was so excited, the VGAs are never so amazing. And the multiple developers that end up releasing GOTY Editions for their games kind of make the awards obsolete anyway. Some of what I predicted above ended up coming true, which is what the night bearable. But the rest of the night was full of undeserving awards, disappointment, second hand embarrassment, more disappointment and possible tears. As always, the night ended off with the GOTY winner. This year, that winner was personally the least expected I thought would win this year. It almost felt as if the awards were loaded, especially since I noticed half the nominees didn't even show up! Awards aside, several sales / promotions on the PlayStation Store, eBay and McDonalds took place during the night in celebration of the festivities. I believe all of these promotions have expired however, especially since PSX has already dawned upon us! 2017s Game Awards contained many announcements of new games and projects we have never seen before, or further looks at games we haven't seen in a while. Unfortunately, most of these announcements were just crappy VR games. It was cool seeing Death Stranding and Way Out again, Witchfire was also the only new announcement that actually stood out for me. All in all, 2017s VGAs were possibly the biggest disappointment in the gaming world this year. But I was probably expecting too much, for some reason.

 

If you're curious to see who won throughout the night, you can check out all of the award winners here. Polygon also covered all of the night's announcements here.

Edited by ddracarys
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1 minute ago, HaSoOoN-MHD said:

Evil Within 2 deserved a Best Audio, Best Score and Best Art Direction nod and Shadow of War for action.

 

I'm not surprised Shadow of War isn't on there, for having a lot of MTX controversy earlier this year. But I also expected to see The Evil Within 2 in there somewhere. I haven't played the game myself yet, but I've heard it's good.

 

3 minutes ago, stupot00 said:

How do I choose between Nier and Personna 5 for best music? 

 

How did pubg get nominated when it isn't a released game? It's been early access all year hasnt it? 

 

I haven't played either Nier or Persona yet so I wouldn't know, but I'd just say follow your heart! Also, yeah, I'm not sure why PUBG is there myself. I'm also annoyed that games like CS:GO and Overwatch were nominations. These games time's have long past.

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3 hours ago, ddracarys said:

I haven't played either Nier or Persona yet so I wouldn't know, but I'd just say follow your heart! Also, yeah, I'm not sure why PUBG is there myself. I'm also annoyed that games like CS:GO and Overwatch were nominations. These games time's have long past.

 

CS:GO, Overwatch, etc have still running service so that's why they are on ongoing. No idea why Destiny 2 is there since it's almost 3 months old.

 

PUBG shouldn't even be on the list since it's a Early Access title meaning it's in Alpha/Beta and has not properly being released.

 

Also what the hell is with Best Player, Best Team and Trending Gamer. I thought this was the Game awards not the Gaming awards.

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4 hours ago, Doomsdayman said:

CS:GO, Overwatch, etc have still running service so that's why they are on ongoing. No idea why Destiny 2 is there since it's almost 3 months old.

 

You disregard the CS:GO and Overwatch nominations, but disagree with why Destiny 2 is a nomation? Wait what? Destiny 2 was released in 2017 (quite a big release, actually) therefore it fully deserves its nominations and all of the awards I listed for it above. Destiny 2 is still very much alive / ongoing, with regular updates / rotations / DLC.

Edited by ddracarys
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Aight, gonna make a list of games I'd like to win and predictions of games that will win:

 

Aight

 

Game of the Year:

My pick - Persona 5 (although I really wanna play Super Mario Odyssey)

Who will win - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

 

Best Game Direction:

My pick - Resident Evil 7

Who will win - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 

Best Narrative:

My pick - NieR Automata

Who will win - Wolfenstein II

 

Best Art Direction:

My pick - Cuphead

Who will win - Cuphead

 

Best Music:

My pick - NieR Automata

Who will win - Super Mario Odyssey

 

Best Audio Design:
My pick - Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice

Who will win - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WIld

 

Best Performace:

My pick - Melina Juergens in Hellblade

Who will win - Ashly Burch in Horizon

 

Games for Impact:
My pick - Night in the Woods

Who will win - Life is Strange Before the Storm (because it's Life is Strange)

 

Best Ongoing Game:

My pick - Overwatch

Who will win - PUBG

 

Best Mobile Game:

Don't give a fuck

 

Best Handheld Game:

My pick - Metroid Samus Returns

Who will win - Metroid Samus Returns

 

Best VR Game

My pick - Resident Evil 7

Who will win - Resident Evil 7

 

Best Action Game:
My pick - Cuphead

Who will win - Wolfenstein II

 

Best Adventure Game:
My pick - Super Mario Odyssey

Who will win - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

 

Best RPG Game:
My Pick - Persona 5

Who will win - Persona 5

 

Best Fighting Game:
My pick - Tekken 7

Who will win - Injustice 2

 

Best Family Game

My pick - Super Mario Odyssey

Who will win - Super Mario Odyssey

 

Best Strategy Game:

I have little to no interest in this genre to know who will win

 

Best Sports Game:

Don't give a fuck

 

Best Multiplayer Game:
My pick - PUBG

Who will win - PUBG

 

Most Anticipated Game:
My pick - Red Dead Redemption 2

Who will win - The Last of Us Part II

 

Best Independent Game:

My pick - Cuphead

Who will win - Cuphead

 

Best Debut Indie Game:
My pick - Cuphead (although I haven't played Hollow Knight yet)

Who will win - Cuphead

 

Best Esports Game:

My pick - Overwatch

Who will win - Overwatch

 

.

 

And that's about it, I have nothing else to say about the other awards.

Edited by Crzy Minus
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7 hours ago, Crzy Minus said:

Aight, gonna make a list of games I'd like to win and predictions of games that will win:

 

Aight

 

Game of the Year:

My pick - Persona 5 (although I really wanna play Super Mario Odyssey)

Who will win - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

 

Best Game Direction:

My pick - Resident Evil 7

Who will win - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 

Best Narrative:

My pick - NieR Automata

Who will win - Wolfenstein II

 

Best Art Direction:

My pick - Cuphead

Who will win - Cuphead

 

Best Music:

My pick - NieR Automata

Who will win - Super Mario Odyssey

 

Best Audio Design:
My pick - Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice

Who will win - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WIld

 

Best Performace:

My pick - Melina Juergens in Hellblade

Who will win - Ashly Burch in Horizon

 

Games for Impact:
My pick - Night in the Woods

Who will win - Life is Strange Before the Storm (because it's Life is Strange)

 

Best Ongoing Game:

My pick - Overwatch

Who will win - PUBG

 

Best Mobile Game:

Don't give a fuck

 

Best Handheld Game:

My pick - Metroid Samus Returns

Who will win - Metroid Samus Returns

 

Best VR Game

My pick - Resident Evil 7

Who will win - Resident Evil 7

 

Best Action Game:
My pick - Cuphead

Who will win - Wolfenstein II

 

Best Adventure Game:
My pick - Super Mario Odyssey

Who will win - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

 

Best RPG Game:
My Pick - Persona 5

Who will win - Persona 5

 

Best Fighting Game:
My pick - Tekken 7

Who will win - Injustice 2

 

Best Family Game

My pick - Super Mario Odyssey

Who will win - Super Mario Odyssey

 

Best Strategy Game:

I have little to no interest in this genre to know who will win

 

Best Sports Game:

Don't give a fuck

 

Best Multiplayer Game:
My pick - PUBG

Who will win - PUBG

 

Most Anticipated Game:
My pick - Red Dead Redemption 2

Who will win - The Last of Us Part II

 

Best Independent Game:

My pick - Cuphead

Who will win - Cuphead

 

Best Debut Indie Game:
My pick - Cuphead (although I haven't played Hollow Knight yet)

Who will win - Cuphead

 

Best Esports Game:

My pick - Overwatch

Who will win - Overwatch

 

.

 

And that's about it, I have nothing else to say about the other awards.

 

That's an interesting list! Very different from what I'd expect, honestly. I'm looking forward to the VGAs to see which list is closer to being valid haha. At least we can agree on a couple nominations there. :devil:

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16 hours ago, ddracarys said:

 

You disregard the CS:GO and Overwatch nominations, but disagree with why Destiny 2 is a nomation? Wait what? Destiny 2 was released in 2017 (quite a big release, actually) therefore it fully deserves its nominations and all of the awards I listed for it above. Destiny 2 is still very much alive / ongoing, with regular updates / rotations / DLC.

Yes, but it's to early to tell how great the ongoing service is. It has only been 4 months.

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20 hours ago, Doomsdayman said:

Yes, but it's to early to tell how great the ongoing service is. It has only been 4 months.

 

Not really, considering Destiny has been an ongoing service since 2014. Destiny 2 isn't a separate game, per say. More like a massive DLC for Destiny. And there is a small community of Destiny veterans who have stuck by the game since day one (myself included). The ongoing service of Destiny 2 is based off of this small community of players. Not the game's release. Destiny 2 isn't exactly its own game. 

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On 5-12-2017 at 8:04 AM, ddracarys said:

 

Not really, considering Destiny has been an ongoing service since 2014. Destiny 2 isn't a separate game, per say. More like a massive DLC for Destiny. And there is a small community of Destiny veterans who have stuck by the game since day one (myself included). The ongoing service of Destiny 2 is based off of this small community of players. Not the game's release. Destiny 2 isn't exactly its own game. 

 

But then you could say the same of Battlefield as a service.

 

By putting a 2 in there they acknowledge it's the next game in the franchises.

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On 12/7/2017 at 2:09 AM, Happy said:

Ah yes, i was just wondering where i’d get my yearly dose of second hand embarrassment. Can’t wait for my favorite games to not win anything and yet another Death Stranding trailer without any gameplay.

 

The past three VGAs in a nutshell.

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17 hours ago, Eyjabria said:

The results were mostly what I thought would be, but Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle scoring a win in Best Strategy Game category was very unexpected and a nice surprise. :)

http://thegameawards.com/awards/

 

Thank you, I have updated the OP with how the night really went if anybody is curious.

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