It's that time of the year again. Another year, another terrible videogame related awards show with B-rated celebrities pushed over actual games/developers. This time around it's called the VGXs, possibly because it's their 10th anniversary (yes, ten years of misery since 2003) but more likely because it's
XTREEEEME!!!! It's also now three hours long, so there's more misery to be distributed than ever before, even though they're saying that the game demonstrations will be longer than in the past. But regardless, we all know why we're paying attention to this junk: The reveals.
Reveals
- Game of Thrones (Telltale Games)
- No Man's Sky (Hello Games)
- Tales from the Borderlands (Telltale Games)
Reveals
- No Man's Sky - Game Announcement
- Broken Age - New Trailer
- Destiny - New Trailer
- The Division - New Tech Trailer
- Dying Light - New Trailer
- Quantum Break - New Trailer
- South Park: The Stick of Truth - New Trailer
- Thief - New Trailer
- Titanfall - Two new robots revealed
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition - PS4/XBO ports
- The Witcher 3 - New Trailer
If you care about the awards, here they are:
Game Of The Year
- BioShock Infinite - 2K Games / Irrational Games
- Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games / Rockstar North
- Super Mario 3D World - Nintendo
- The Last of Us - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
- Tomb Raider - Square Enix / Crystal Dynamics
Studio of the Year
- Irrational Games
- Naughty Dog
- Rockstar North
- The Fullbright Company
Best Shooter
- Battlefield 4 - Electronic Arts / DICE
- BioShock Infinite - 2K Games / Irrational Games
- Call of Duty: Ghosts - Activision / Infinity Ward
- Metro: Last Light - Deep Silver / 4A Games
Best Action Adventure Game
- Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag - Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal
- Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games / Rockstar North
- The Last of Us - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
- Tomb Raider - Square Enix / Crystal Dynamics
Best Sports Game
- FIFA 14 - Electronic Arts / EA Canada
- MLB 13: The Show - Sony Computer Entertainment / SCE Studios San Diego
- NBA 2K14 - 2K Sports / Visual Concepts
- NHL 14 - Electronic Arts / EA Canada
Best Independent Game
- Gone Home - The Fullbright Company
- Kentucky Route Zero - Cardboard Computer
- Papers, Please - Lucas Pope
- The Stanley Parable - Galactic Cafe
Best RPG
- Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn - Square Enix
- Fire Emblem: Awakening - Nintendo
- Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - Namco Bandai / Level-5 / Studio Ghibli
- Pokemon X/Y - Nintendo / Game Freak
Best Fighting Game
- Divekick - Iron Galaxy Studios / One True Game Studios
- Injustice: Gods Among Us - Warner Bros Interactive / NetherRealm Studios
- Killer Instinct - Microsoft Studios / Double Helix Games / Rare
- Tekken Revolution - Namco Bandai Games
Best Driving Game
- F1 2013 - Codemasters
- Grid 2 - Codemasters
- Forza Motorsport 5 - Microsoft Studios / Turn 10 Studios
- Need For Speed Rivals - Electronic Arts / Ghost Games / Criterion Games
Best DLC
- Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep - 2K Games / Gearbox Software
- Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall - Bethesda Softworks / Arkane Studios
- Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon - Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal
- Mass Effect 3: Citadel - EA / BioWare
Best Xbox Game
- BioShock Infinite - 2K Games / Irrational Games
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - 505 Games / Starbreeze
- Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games / Rockstar North
- Tomb Raider - Square Enix / Crystal Dynamics
Best PlayStation Game
- Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games / Rockstar North
- Rayman Legends - Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montpellier
- The Last of Us - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
- Tomb Raider - Square Enix / Crystal Dynamics
Best Nintendo Game
- Pikmin 3 - Nintendo
- Rayman Legends - Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montpellier
- Super Mario 3D World - Nintendo
- The Wonderful 101 - Nintendo / PlatinumGames
Best PC Game
- Battlefield 4 - Electronic Arts / DICE
- Gone Home - The Fullbright Company
- Papers, Please - Lucas Pope
- The Stanley Parable - Galactic Cafe
Best Handheld Game
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Nintendo
- Pokemon X/Y - Nintendo
- Tearaway - Sony Computer Entertainment / Media Molecule
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - Nintendo
Best Casual Game
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Nintendo
- Disney Infinity - Disney Interactive Studios / Avalanche Software
- Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time - PopCap Games
- Skylanders Swap Force - Activision / Vicarious Visions / n-Space / Beenox
Best Voice Actor
- Troy Baker as Joel - The Last of Us
- Troy Baker as Booker DeWitt - BioShock Infinite
- Steven Ogg as Trevor Philips - Grand Theft Auto V
- Willem Dafoe as Nathan Dawkins - Beyond: Two Souls
Best Voice Actress
- Ashley Johnson as Ellie - The Last of Us
- Courtnee Draper as Elizabeth - BioShock Infinite
- Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft - Tomb Raider
- Ellen Page as Jodie Holmes - Beyond: Two Souls
Best Soundtrack
- BioShock Infinite - 2K Games / Irrational Games
- Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games / Rockstar North
- Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - Namco Bandai / Level-5
- The Last of Us - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Best Song in a Game
- "A.D.H.D." performed by Kendrick Lamar - Grand Theft Auto V
- "Sleepwalking" performed by The Chain Gang of 1974 - Grand Theft Auto V
- "Survival" performed by Eminem - Call of Duty: Ghosts
- "Will the Circle be Unbroken" performed by Courtnee Draper & Troy Baker - BioShock Infinite
Most Anticipated Game (Fan Voted)
- Destiny - Activision / Bungie
- Titanfall - Electronic Arts / Respawn Entertainment
- South Park: The Stick of Truth - Ubisoft / Obsidian Entertainment
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Warner Bros Interactive / CD Projekt
- Watch Dogs - Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal
The judges this year are:
Andy McNamara (Editor in Chief, Game Informer Magazine)
Ben Silverman (Yahoo Games)
Brian Crecente (News Editor, Polygon.com)
Chris Grant (Editor, Polygon.com)
Chris Kohler (Games Editor, Wired.com)
Dale North (Editor in Chief, Destructoid)
Darren Franich (Staff Writer, Entertainment Weekly)
Francesca Reyes (Editor in Chief, Official Xbox Magazine)
Geoff Keighley (Host / Executive Producer, SPIKETV)
Jeff Gerstmann (Editor in Chief, Giant Bomb)
Jeremy Parish (Editorial Director, usgamer.net)
Jerry Holkins (Co-Creator, Penny Arcade)
Justin Calvert (Executive Editor, Gamespot)
Logan Decker (Editor in Chief, PC Gamer)
Lou Kesten (AP)
Ludwig Kietzmann (Editor in Chief, Joystiq)
Mike Krahulik (Co-Creator, Penny Arcade)
Mike Snider (Entertainment Reporter, USA Today)
Russ Frushtick (Senior Editor, Polygon.com)
Sophia Tong (Editor in Chief, GamesRadar)
Stephen Totilo (Deputy Editor, Kotaku.com)
Tal Blevins (VP Games Content, IGN Entertainment)
Tina Amini (Coordinating Editor, Kotaku.com)
Posts
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
Well it's not like there's much to choose from, the 360 has been like a barren desert this year, with Microsoft rushing what first parties they have over to the XBO.
If anyone's wondering what the source of the Nintendo rumour is, it's Reggie. On the GTTV episode a week or two back, this is what he said to Keighley about the VGXs:
"We may be making an appearance. We may be doing something special. We'll see."
A lot of the other rumoured ones are speculation based on past announcements and talk/hints by the developers. The source of the Tomb Raider one, for instance, was this line from a PR spokesman about a leaked Amazon Italy listing of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for the PS4/XBO:
If only to see whoever hosts this try to explain why this ancient looking bureaucracy simulator is the best PC game of the year.
Gone Home, Stanley Parable or Papers, Please winning it would be incredible. Hopefully the brokenness of BF4 MP hurts its chances.
Divekick winning best fighter would be awesome as well. I'm sure it'll have Jeff Gerstmann's vote.
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
jstevenson just said on GAF that they won't be showing anything too soon, so I'm guessing they'll next show it at E3.
Edit: jstevenson is Insomniac's community manager, if anyone was wondering who he was.
If there is a place to try and get some of the core gamer crowd on board, it's to announce something during this fiasco.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
They could use a major surprise announcement at something like this.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
That's my guess as well. A lot of people are saying Zelda but I doubt they'd make that kind of announcement on Spike of all places. Though they better make a bigger fucking deal out of a Zelda announcement than just a Nintendo Direct video (which is at this point, a marketing strategy that is an obvious failure).
Zelda is definitely possible though; it does monumentally better in the west and especially well in The United States of America. It also fits the caveat of not being officially revealed yet.
lol, watch Nintendo bought the rights to Crash. That would create a rather large meltdown.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
PSN - Brainiac_8
Steam - http://steamcommunity.com/id/BRAINIAC8/
Add me!
Fallout 3 was released in 2008, would be surprised if we make it another six months without hearing anything about Fallout 4.
Of course. Nintendo Direct's are Nintendo's equivalent to the Playstation Blog and shouldn't be treated like they're anything more than that. They're great community outreach and sources of information for the hardcore fans, but you're out of your mind if you think casual fans or the mainstream audience are going to going to go out of their way to specifically look for that information.
Like, you can smell how it's all one big advertising stunt.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Hell with the Wii U now have opt inable software pushes they could put the latest one on your Wii U menu and tell you about it when it becomes available.
A third possibility is that the Nintendo announcement is Fire Emblem x SMT's official title and trailer.
At least it's not as flagrant as it once was, where they only ever nominated / awarded movie tie-in shovelware.
The only categories they really fucked up on were RPG and Handheld. Missed some great nominations there.
I think the presentation will be absolute butts, however. The PS4 and XBO Spike specials were teeth-grindingly awkward and bad.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
In fairness, it's not like there's a particularly high bar for presentations in the video game industry. The big presentations at E3 are almost always terrible.
Agreed. It's the presentation that will make you ashamed to play games, the awards themselves are fine. They're not even remotely close to the GDC Awards or BAFTAs, but for a dumb MTV style awards show, the nominations and winners have been acceptable for a few years now. Just look at last year, where The Walking Dead and Journey were the front runners for GOTY and TWD won. I can't imagine Telltale had millions to throw at the judges to get themselves not only on the list, but winning it.
Yeah, but its the VGA's.
They manage to be an entirly different kind of terrible.
Finally!
Might be a little heavy.
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA
Studio: Rockstar (Same reason as above)
FPS: Battlefield 4 (I hope. What little bit I've played is way, way better than CoD: Ghosts)
Action/Adventure: Tomb Raider (I liked it better than Last of Us or GTAV.)
Sports: Couldn't care less. NBA 2K14
Indie: The Stanley Parable is the only one I recognize from the group.
RPG: Fire Emblem: Awakening or Pokemon.
Fighting: Injustice: Gods Among Us
Driving: Forza. Another I don't care as I'm wanting Burnout to come back...
DLC: Don't know as I haven't played any of those games... My guess is Borderlands or Dishonored
Xbox: GTAV. I wished that this award would only go to Exclusives. Shows how dumb this Award Show is.
Playstation: Last of Us. With the same reasoning as above.
Nintendo: Super Mario World 3D
PC: Battlefield 4
Handheld: Pokemon
Casual: Skylanders
Voice Actor: Steven Ogg as Trevor Philips (God let him win!)
Voice Actress: Courtnee Draper as Elizabeth
Soundtrack: GTAV or Bioshock. I got both.
Song in a Game: "Survival" performed by Eminem (But I want "Sleepwalking" performed by The Chain Gang of 1974 to win but Eminem is more mainstream, which is what this show is about, shining light on mainstream games and people)
Anticipated Game: South Park or Destiny (I'm curious how Bungie is going to do when they aren't doing Halo.)
As much as I like Penny Arcade, Mike and Jerry have terrible taste at times (Agents of Shield strip as evidence) and I don't care for them as judges.
Then again, I don't care for Spike's Awards show either as its always rewarded Ok games over Awesome games based on how Mainstream the game is. Pretty much look at Game Informer's list of Best Games This Month/Year and if their name shows up on the Awards list, most likely it's going to win.
While I tend to agree, that isn't great evidence. Agents of Shield is a pretty cringeworthy show.
My guesses are:
The Last of Us - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Studio of the Year
Naughty Dog
Best Shooter
Battlefield 4 - Electronic Arts / DICE
Best Action Adventure Game
Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games / Rockstar North
Best Sports Game
NBA 2K14 - 2K Sports / Visual Concepts
Best Independent Game
Gone Home - The Fullbright Company
Best RPG
Pokemon X/Y - Nintendo / Game Freak
Best Fighting Game
Injustice: Gods Among Us - Warner Bros Interactive / NetherRealm Studios
Best Driving Game
Need For Speed Rivals - Electronic Arts / Ghost Games / Criterion Games
Best DLC
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon - Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal
Best Xbox Game
Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games / Rockstar North
Best PlayStation Game
The Last of Us - Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog
Best Nintendo Game
Super Mario 3D World - Nintendo
Best PC Game
Gone Home - The Fullbright Company
Best Handheld Game
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - Nintendo
Best Casual Game
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Nintendo
Best Voice Actor
Troy Baker as Joel - The Last of Us
Best Voice Actress
Ashley Johnson as Ellie - The Last of Us
Best Soundtrack
Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games / Rockstar North
Best Song in a Game
"Survival" performed by Eminem - Call of Duty: Ghosts
Most Anticipated Game
Watch Dogs - Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal
I've really no clue at all about the best song in a game, as I can't recall a single one of them.
"We have years of struggle ahead, mostly within ourselves." - Made in USA