Every year we get a GDC, where hopes for big announcements usually fade away to technical talk and game developer stuff most of us don't really "get." But we do get winners and losers. That much most of us understand. The nominees for the 2013 Game Developers Choice Awards, a peer-chosen system akin to the movies' Academy awards to be awarded on March 27, were released mid-February, and we're going to tell you who's going to win, who deserves to win and who got snubbed out of a measly little nomination.
Game of the Year
"Dishonored" (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
"The Walking Dead" (Telltale Games)
"Mass Effect 3" (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
"XCOM: Enemy Unknown" (Firaxis Games/2K Games) - Should Win
Journey" (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment) - Will Win
SNUB - "Borderlands 2" (Gearbox/2K Games)
While Journey is a true innovator in gameplay crafting and player experience, "XCOM: Enemy Unknown" perfected and built upon a formula many though was already perfect to begin with. Of course, overusing the word perfect devalues my credibility, so we'll just sway "XCOM: Enemy Unknown" came as close as it possibly could to providing an ideal strategy experience, both in meta-game and turn-based combat.
Innovation Award
"Mark of the Ninja" (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)
"Journey" (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)
"FTL: Faster Than Light" (Subset Games)
"The Unfinished Swan" (Giant Sparrow/Sony Computer Entertainment) - Will Win
"ZombiU" (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft)
SNUB - "Nintendoland" (Nintendo) - Should Win
While the Wii U wasn't ignored for this category, it's proper display of gameplay innovations was. "ZombiU" was a more traditional game with innovative gimmicks, while "Nintendoland" was a proof of concept for those willing to buy into the whole GamePad idea. And it was a hell of a lot of fun, but maybe that doesn't rate with the artsy folks. "The Unfinished Swan" is deserving of its award though, finding a brand new way engage the player in visual consumption and understanding.
Best Audio
"Journey" (Thatgamecomapny/Sony Computer Entertainment) - Will Win and Should Win
Hotline Miami (Dennaton Games/Devolver Digital)
Sound Shapes (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
"Assassin's Creed III" (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
"Halo 4" (343 Industries/Microsoft)
SNUB - "Max Payne 3" (Rockstar/2K Games)
Nominated for a Grammy, Austin Wintory's haunting, beautiful and perfectly supplementary soundtrack is without peer, this year or any.
Best Debut
Humble Hearts ("Dust: An Elysian Tail") - Should Win
Polytron Corporation ("FEZ")
Giant Sparrow ("The Unfinished Swan") - Will Win
Subset Games ("FTL: Faster Than Light")
Fireproof Games ("The Room")
SNUB - Thechineseroom ("Dear Esther")
While Giant Sparrow's efforts are not underappreciated here, the fact that Humble Hearts is actually one dude animating, coding and even doing all that dirty business stuff to get an amazing game onto market is mindblowing. As a studio, Humble Hearts is by far the most impressive on the list.
Best Downloadable Game
"The Walking Dead" (Telltale Games)
"Spelunky" (Derek Yu/Andy Hull) - Should Win
"Trials: Evolution" (RedLynx/Microsoft Studios)
"Mark of the Ninja" (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios)
"Journey" (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment) - Will Win
SNUB - "Crashmo" (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
A bit like the animated category at the Academy Awards, if the game on this list shows up on the Game of Year list, then it's bound to win. Both "The Walking Dead" and "Journey" fall under that category, which means for the simple sake of contrarianism we're going with "Spelunky" for the deserving spot. It helps that "Spelunky" is possibly the best rogue-like ever created, and back when it originally released on PC it was part of the spark that put the genre into popularity.
Best Game Design
"Dishonored" (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks) - Will Win
"Mark of the Ninja" (Klei Entertainment/Microsoft Studios) - Should Win
"Spelunky" (Derek Yu/Andy Hull)
"Journey" (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment)
"XCOM: Enemy Unknown" (Firaxis Games/2K Games)
SNUB - "Spelunky" (Derek Yu/Andy Hull)
"Dishonored" was a great title, but stealth and fantastical abilities have already been done. Combining them is no easy feat, of course, but "Mark of the Ninja's" uncanny ability to translate its stealth mechanics through visual and auditory cues to the player redefined how developers may approach stealth games in the future. "Dishonored" did not do that.
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
"Gravity Rush" (SCE Japan Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment)
"Hero Academy" (Robot Entertainment)
"Sound Shapes" (Queasy Games/Sony Computer Entertainment)
"The Room" (Fireproof Games)
"Kid Icarus: Uprising" (Sora/Nintendo) - Should Win and Will Win
SNUB - "Resident Evil: Revelations" (Capcom)
"Kid Icarus: Uprising" is incredibly ambitious and even better realized in both content and tone, providing a sense of Nintendo optimism most games these days have forgotten. You've got to appreciate a classic romp when you see one.
Best Narrative
"Spec Ops: The Line" (Yager Entertainment/2K Games)
"Mass Effect 3" (BioWare/Electronic Arts)
"Dishonored" (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
"The Walking Dead" (Telltale Games) - Will Win and Should Win
"Virtue's Last Reward" (Chunsoft/Aksys Games)
SNUB - "Max Payne 3" (Rockstar/2K Games)
When you're nominated for Game of the Year based almost entirely on your narrative, you're bound to win the narrative category, and "The Walking Dead" deserves it. You're going to remember Lee and Clementine for much longer than any other character in any other game on this list.
Best Technology
"Far Cry 3" (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft) - Should Win
"Planetside 2" (Sony Online Entertainment)
"Halo 4" (343 Industries/Microsoft Studios) - Will Win
"Call of Duty: Black Ops II" (Treyarth/Activision)
"Assassin's Creed III" (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
SNUB - "Need for Speed: Most Wanted" (Criterion/EA)
Also known as the AAA kill people category, "Far Cry 3" finally achieved what the "Far Cry" franchise had always promised - beauty of landscape mixed with brutality of combat. The open world is seemingly endless from the start of the game, and with depth to explore. "Halo 4's" achievement is impressive, but only compared to the other "Halo" games. Otherwise it's just a pretty face on old gameplay.
Best Visual Arts
"Borderlands 2" (Gearbox Software/2K Games)
"Journey" (Thatgamecompany/Sony Computer Entertainment) - Will Win and Should Win
"Far Cry 3" (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
"Dishonored" (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softwords)
"Halo 4" (343 Studios/Microsoft Studios)
SNUB - "The Unfinished Swan" (Giant Sparrow/Sony Computer Entertainment)
"Journey" is the closest thing to a visual masterpiece any game has ever come. Enough said. Go play it.
