It may no longer have the Spike branding or the cable channel budget, but The Game Awards actually turned out all right in the end. Sure, the show was decidedly lacking in the flashy premiere department, but it was no slouch either. Getting the first non-Nintendo sponsored look at The Legend of Zelda on Wii U was enough to prove that The Game Awards has some staying power.
But there is still a glaring issue with The Game Awards – one that still remains since the early Spike days. Where the show might have some fun elements, trailers, and celebrity appearances, the awards still seem to take a back seat.
Nevertheless, this year's event had some hardware to give out, as designed by the folks at WETA Workshop. And while the winners may have been overshadowed by the pageantry of it all, The Game Awards still honored some truly deserving releases.
The big winner for the night, without question, was Dragon Age: Inquisition, which took home the coveted Game of the Year distinction. BioWare truly hit it out of the park with Dragon Age this year, and few would argue that the game is Game of the Year material.
Other winners from the show included Destiny, which won two awards, one for Best Online Experience and another for Music Composition. It may have been a little awkward considering Destiny Composer Martin O'Donnell was unceremoniously fired from Bungie prior to Destiny's launch, but it's hard not to give credit to his tremendous work.
Here is the full list of winners:
Game of the Year:
- Bayonetta 2
- Dark Souls II
- *Dragon Age: Inquisition*
- Hearthstone
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Best Independent Game:
- Broken Age - Act 1
- Monument Valley
- *Shovel Knight*
- Transistor
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Best Narrative:
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
- The Walking Dead -- Season 2
- The Wolf Among Us
- *Valiant Hearts: The Great War*
- Wolfenstein: The New Order
Best Performance:
- Adam Harrington as Bigby Wolf (The Wolf Among Us)
- Kevin Spacey as Jonathan Irons (Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare)
- Melissa Hutchinson as Clementine (The Walking Dead -- Season 2)
- *Trey Parker as various voices (South Park: The Stick of Truth)*
- Troy Baker as Talion (Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor)
Best Remaster:
- *Grand Theft Auto V*
- Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
- The Last of Us Remastered
- The Master Chief Collection
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Best Action/Adventure:
- Alien: Isolation
- Assassin's Creed Unity
- Bayonetta 2
- *Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor*
- Sunset Overdrive
Best Fighting Game:
- Killer Instinct: Season 2
- Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
- Super Smash Bros. 3DS
- *Super Smash Bros. Wii U*
- Ultra Street Fighter IV
Best Sports/Racing Game:
- FIFA 15
- Forza Horizon 2
- *Mario Kart 8*
- NBA 2K15
- Trials Fusion
Best Shooter:
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- *Far Cry 4*
- Titanfall
- Wolfenstein: The New Order
Best Role-Playing Game:
- Bravely Default
- Dark Souls II
- Divinity
- *Dragon Age: Inquisition*
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
Best Family Game:
- Disney Infinity 2.0
- Fantasia: Music Evolved
- *Mario Kart 8*
- Skylanders: Trap Team
- Tomodachi Life
Best Online Experience:
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Dark Souls II
- *Destiny*
- Hearthstone
- Titanfall
Best Mobile/Handheld Game:
- Bravely Default
- *Hearthstone*
- Monument Valley
- Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
- Threes!
Developer of the Year:
- Blizzard
- Monolith
- *Nintendo*
- Telltale
- Ubisoft Montreal
Best Score/Soundtrack:
- Alien: Isolation
- Child of Light
- *Destiny*
- Sunset Overdrive
- Transistor
Games for Change:
- Mountain
- Never Alone
- The Last of Us: Left Behind
- This War of Mine
- *Valiant Hearts: The Great War*
Most Anticipated Game:
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Bloodborne
- Evolve
- *The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt*
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Industry Icon:
- Roberta and Ken Williams
eSports Player of the Year:
- Martin 'Rekkles' Larsson (League of Legends)
- Xu "Fy" Linsen (DOTA2)
- James "Firebat" Kostesich (Hearthstone)
- Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund (Counter-Strike: GO)
- *Matt "NaDeSHoT" Haag (Call of Duty)*
eSports Team of the Year:
- Samsung White (League of Legends)
- Evil Geniuses (DOTA2)
- Edward Gaming (League of Legends)
- Newbee (DOTA2)
- *Ninjas in Pajamas (Counter-Strike: GO)*
Trending Gamer:
- Evan "Vanoss" Fong
- Jeff Gerstmann
- PewDiePie
- StampyLongHead
- *TotalBiscuit*
Best Fan Creation:
- BEST Zelda Rap EVER!! By Egoraptor
- Luigi Death Stare by CZBwoi and Rizupicorr
- Mine the Diamond (Minecraft Song) by Tobuscus
- Minecraft -- TITAN City by Colonial Puppet
- *Twitch Plays Pokemon by Anonymous*
There actually weren't too many surprises from the show, outside of maybe Valiant Hearts: The Great War winning for Best Story. But, past game awards have shown that the judges aren't afraid to recognize a worthy games regardless of its budget; they did give Game of the Year 2012 to The Walking Dead after all.
Ultimately, though, the awards show had its typical highs and lows, and plenty of clunky live broadcasting moments ("Reggie Phyllis"). Yes, the profile of the show may have decreased some, but this is still the perfect time of year for developers to show off some of their 2015 products. It also appears that the awards have started embracing the indie scene even more, which could help give some lesser-known games wider reach.
What do you think of The Game Awards winners? How about the show as a whole? Should it continue?
-
Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina