by Tuesday PopeAnother year, another game awards. I admittedly don’t take the awards themself too seriously because at the end of the day, you like what you like and an award show won’t change that, but I can’t deny I absolutely love the hype surrounding them. and the trailers. The main reason to watch is all the world premiers. There’s a lot to cover so let’s dive in. A quick note: some of these will be rapid fire so if we don’t cover your favorite announcement in detail here, worry not, there will be more opportunities to cover these games soon!
The awards show always starts with a preshow where a few less flashy awards are announced and we get a small taste of the trailers to come. And just like in 2019, our hostess is wearing a bizarre clothing choice that even my husband noticed was not ideal. That part isn’t important, just a weird observation, but what is important is that we start things off with best music/sound direction. Final Fantasy 7 remake snagged this award. While I’d say Doom or Hades may have been better candidates, I’m not mad with the decision because the remake has amazing music. And probably won off of one winged angel alone.
Next was a premiere trailer for Loop Hero which looks good. Tchia is an indie darling which takes place in what looks to be an area inspired by the pacific islands. The protagonist can possess different critters and objects and ends with an adorable shot of a crab wearing a flower in its…hair? Definitely will be grabbing this one. Then we have our next award. Best action/adventure game in which the hostess makes the cheeky remark that every game who wins this category wins GOTY. Which sets a precedent for the night. The Last of Us Part II wins this round which I don’t agree with. I feel TLOU2 does deserve some awards but very few of the ones it received.
Next we have more trailers including another indie title Sea of Solitude which looks really interesting. Shady Part of Me looks like it’s directly up my alley with a whimsical story and puzzle solving mechanics involving your shadow. Very cute. To the surprise of no one, Animal Crossing New Horizon wins best family game. This category ways strikes me the same way the best animated feature does. My issue there is that animation is a medium and not a genre, but the category exists to dump all the “cartoons” in and that’s the feeling best family game gives me.
Best community support goes to Fall Guys because they had to toss it one win against Among Us. This win did surprise me because it’s so new. Best debut game went to Phasmaphobia which is another well deserved win. This game is a great multiplayer game and fun. Myst continues to be one of the most ported games next to Skyrim as its now getting the VR treatment. Next we have a performance of a song from Persona. Following that was a trailer for Nier Replicant V 1.(insert numbers here) and yes, the hostess had to say all the numbers. It was really funny.
We had another performance with a digital band that was also a trailer for a life game. I missed the title because I was distracted thinking about Nier to be honest. And then the hostess proclaims “that’s a bop!” Sounding very much like an aged parent trying to be cool. Oof. Best esports is league of legends, no surprise. Esports coach is Zonic. Esports event is league of legends 2020 (which duh, they have K/DA so they win automatically. Esports host is sjocks (spelling?). Esports team is G2 Esports. Esports player was showmaker. Esports is not my forte so no comment on anything here.
Century: Age of Ashes gave me scalebound meets ace combat vibes in a multiplayer setting. You ride on dragons and do combat with them. Seems interesting. Now the show begins proper! Jeff Keely himself steps on stage. There was less pomp and circumstance overall this year due to the pandemic. Most award acceptances happened over Zoom and performances happened in their own studio. They still had an impressive stage and I honestly liked the more concise structure.
But next was the big reveal, which I’m surprised they went with first. Starting off with a bang, the new smash character reveal. The trailer played with everyone’s anticipation, giving false leads as they all faced the ultimate boss of Smash Ultimate. Only for him to be cut in half as a familiar song started. It was at this point my husband let out a scream of pure joy as Sephiroth enters the frey. Honestly I feel this was a worthy character addition. So far fighter pack 2 has been knocking these reveals out of the park. And yes, there is a shirtless costume. The rebels was full of a lot of Easter eggs that fans will enjoy. Now what will the Kirby costume look like?
Best performance was Laura Bailey as Abby in TLOU2. This I feel is a deserved win because Abby is awesome and also Laura received so much harassment that she really deserved this. the game awards tried to push this whole Abby vs Ellie thing which doesn’t work because of course Ellie wins. Next was a trailer for the next Perfect Dark game which looks amazing honestly. Back 4 Blood is essentially Left 4 Dead in all but title. It does look slightly generic, but it also looks completely fun. The Scavengers beta is out now. Hood: Outlaws and Assassins looks like it should be an Assassin’s Creed multiplayer game except it is its own thing unrelated at all to Ubisoft or the Assassin’s Creed series. Best Ongoing Game went to No Man’s Sky which with all the quality improvements they’ve made that have made the promises of release now true, it’s deserved.
Callisto Protocol was the next premiere. It looks like an interesting space horror made by the Dead Space people. Best Art Direction went to Ghosts of Tsushima which is deserved. I’m surprised honestly it didn’t go to Hades. what did go to Hades was best action game! Best VR game of course went to Half Life Alyx. It was no competition. Most anticipated game went to Elden Ring. Best Sports/Racing game went to Tony Hawk Proskater 1 & 2 remake.
Open roads is an indie daring about a road trip. The Warhammer Darktides trailer promises more fun in the vein of Vermintide. Then began the first of many Wooper Watches which were accompanied by the adorable axolotl Pokémon parading across the screen. In a tie in with Pokémon Go, a bunch of Wooper are showing up in game as well as the shiny version. I turned my Pokémon go plus on during the show at this point and they were right, there were a LOT of Wooper.
Dragon Age trailer finally is here. It appears this game will be about some races and character classes we don’t normally see in this franchise. Another Endless Dungeon is coming and looks as good as the others in the series. One of the more impressive trailers was for Crimson Dessert. This one is a fantasy game made by a Korean studio. Even with the build being early, there was some EXTREMELY impressive stuff showed off. This will be one to watch for sure.
Best Narrative went to TLOU2 which I feel was absolutely not deserved. Continuing another tradition, another Muppet was at this year’s Game Awards. The Swedish Chef did a skit with Keely and was announced to be a skin in Overcooked 2. This is the point where “commercial” breaks were becoming more frequent including one about not vaping. Okay. We were then treated to a medley of Mario songs performed via an orchestra. Which just made me miss concerts honestly. Seasons looks like an interesting indie game with style. Winner of Games for Impact (the genre made just for indie darlings) was Tell Me Why.
Next up is what we will call the Ark section. There was an overly long trailer dedicated to Vin Diesel doing action against dinosaurs and some enemy race. Then we got the big drop: Ark 2. Not only Ark 2, but an Ark animated series which will also star Vin Diesel as well as a star lit cast.
Fall Guys Season 3 is coming soon with plenty of Christmas fun. Odyssey Elite Dangerous looks to be a good expansion. Out Roders and Fist: Forged in Shadow Torch were the next interesting trailers. Then we had Tom Holland introduce Nolan North (which is cute because he’s playing Nathan Drake whom Nolan voices). Nolan then makes the joke that years from now people will search IMDb for Uncharted and see Holland first and he will be incredibly bitter. Among Us won best multiplayer and the small studio accepting the award was adorable.
Another Evil Dead Game. A ghosts and goblins game is coming to the switch. Capcom arcade classics is a free upcoming title filled with classic titles. Best Indie went to Hades, much deserved. Best Audio went to The Last of Us which fine. Best RPG unsurprisingly went to FF7 remake. Best sim went to Microsoft Flight Simulator, another unsurprise. Player’s Voice GOTY choice was Ghosts of Tsushima. Best fighting game went to Mortal Kombat. Next we were treated to a new trailer for Returnal which continues to build my hype for this game. Next was It Takes Two which is about a couple rekindling their love in a co-op fun adventure game. While my husband and I are far from that need yet, he wants to play this with me and I’ll be happy to as it looks adorable.
Reggie Fils-Aime makes his annual appearance and he is delightful as always. He announces the innovation and accessibility award goes to TLOU2 which absolutely deserves this win. Another trailer for another Elder Scrolls Online add on. I e have a new Oddworld Soulstorm Brew trailer which makes me extremely hyped as I love this series. More Woopers. Best Mobile game also went to Among Us. We have another Monster Hunter Rise trailer. Then Pearl Jam performed their song that featured in The Last of Us. Evil West is a trailer for a western style game with demons. Then we had a Scarlet Nexus trailer followed by the trailer for the new map for Among Us. Their trailer was incredibly indie budget and didn’t quite fit with the others which made it stand out even more charmingly. Content Creator of the year went to Valkyrae.
Not only is Halo and Red vs Blue in Fortnite, but also The Walking Dead. Another Wooper Watch. Then we have a stand alone League of Legends game called Ruined King. Best Game Direction went to TLOU2. GTA online is getting an update. And in a surprise that made this girl tear up (I’m sentimental for the series okay) was a surprise teaser for the next Mass Effect game! Featuring a series of broadcasts as we pass the wreckage of a Mass Relay, we find Liara on an iced planet. She finds a piece of Shepherd’s helmet and smiles to her crew mates in the distance. It’s next to nothing to go on, but I won’t let that stop me from getting hype.
After the tease earlier, not even an epic music medley ending in Animal Crossing, which should have won, could hide that TLOU2 won GOTY. Which I do not feel was deserved, but hey, Mass Effect trailer had me in such a good mood that I really didn’t care. Another fun GOTY awards has come and gone. What did you think?
