The Game Awards: What's Coming Up!
(Because I didn't want this article to be a million miles long, if you want the full list of nominees check out the official listing from The Game Awards!)
The crisp winter air always brings holiday festivities (and the mad scramble for gift shopping), warm coats, and awards season.
Whether you love them or love to hate them, The Game Awards are one of the top awards you can get for games. Casuals and veterans alike are excited to see what games win this year, especially given the numerous delays that continue to ripple from 2020.
They have awards ranging from the most coveted "Game of the Year" award to technical and e-sports industry related. Out of the categories, I'm going to cover some of the surprises I caught, give my two cents, and see what y'all think!
If you'd like to have your voice heard in these awards, public voting for the Game Award nominees is open!
I'd have to say that a few of the nominees this year are a bit of a shock!
Who swept:
These games were top-star performers that have been nominated for many of the categories.
- Deathloop
- It Takes Two
- Psychonauts 2
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
The surprises (and my two cents):
- For the "Game of the Year" category, many were surprised (happily so) to see that It Takes Two made the cut. It Takes Two was a gamble in that it necessitated two players. Couch co-ops have had a steady decline over the years in favor of larger MOBA/MMO style and single-player titles, however, I think this game showed just how to make an innovative co-op. Most 2-player titles have the unfortunate tendency to make the second player more of a support role as they shoe-horn co-op into what should be a single-player story. With It Takes Two, however, it was a pretty perfectly balanced title that really required mutual communication, trust, and coordination. Don't worry, you don't actually have to be side-by-side on the couch in order to play, as it has an online feature. However, as someone who played it in couch co-op style with controllers, it awoke a lot of childhood nostalgia and I think the gameplay benefitted from playing it that way. I doubt it'll win but the fact that it snagged a nomination is pretty impressive and surprising!
- The fact that Cyberpunk was nominated for the Best Role-Playing award was a bit of a WTF considering the fact it launched completely bugged to death. Despite the initial review bombing and rocky start, CD Projekt Red did devote a lot of time to make amends. The game had extensive patches, hotfixes, and updates that fixed up the issues, and hey, the game has Keanu Reeves in it which is something of a win. That said, it was still a shock to me just given that history left a bitter taste in the mouths of many players.
- I thought Boyfriend Dungeon was just a small-fry indie, but it got nominated for the Games for Impact award category. Who would've thought a dating simulator would've been nominated? I won't spoil the story, but the main mission was very thoughtfully written. Those like myself who are able to identify with and relate to what happens in it will definitely find that the narrative team at Kitfox made sure to be inclusive, real, and cathartic in how they handled certain issues. Kudos to them! As an LGBTQ+ friendly dating sim, I am so thrilled it got some high-level recognition.
What do you think? What 2021 games do you think deserve to win? What 2021 games are overhyped?
