Geoff Keighley of the long dead G4 gaming network had spearheaded a new moment in video game history with his first The Game Awards show last December, which exclusively aired on streaming networks from Twitch.TV to Xbox Live. Critics and developers in the gaming industry have taken the whole thing away from SpikeTV’s uber-testosterone, Mountain Dew kind of programing and are actually trying to make it a new, viable genre of awards show. Tonight, The Game Awards 2015 will air online to determine the best in gaming’s wide reach of genre and innovation.
The link below goes to the list of nominees for the show.
http://thegameawards.com/nominees/
Click ahead for The Young Folks staff’s favored picks of the nominees.
The Game Awards will be streaming at 6 PM PST on YouTube.com, Twitch.tv, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Wii U, Steam and other published gaming websites.
Additionally, all the games featured on tonight’s show will have discounts listed on each digital store platform, so keep an eye out for those.
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Super Mario Maker
Developer: Nintendo
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Rated: E
Platform: Wii U
Nominations: Game of the Year, Best Family Game, Developer of the Year
We remember the plumber, his brother, and the quest to save the princess, but people largely forget that the quality of the Super Mario games throughout the years have come down to a very, very important feature: the levels are great. When you put Super Mario Maker into people’s hands to create their own levels, not only is it easy to grasp, but it’s also eye-opening to see just how much work goes into creating smart and intuitively designed levels to ensure the players have a good time playing for the first, or 200th, time. Shigeru Miyamoto shares his 30 year toolbox with the world to see what they come up with, and the result is an ever-expanding and improving network of levels that are anywhere from absurdly impossible, to creatively simple, and now with the event course additions, Nintendo, and any professional game enthusiast, can challenge fans across the globe with new designs. Super Mario Maker is a game that makes even the most casual player appreciate quality game design as they boggle their brain to come up with cool ideas to share with their friends at home and online, and if recent patches to the game show how much better the experience can get with age, this game will keep people’s attention for quite some time, and maybe even spawn interest in game designing for a whole new generation. – Evan Griffin
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Fallout 4
Developer: Bethesda
Rated: M
Platform: PS4, XOne, PC
Nominations: Game of the Year, Best Role-Playing Game, Best Score/Soundtrack, Developer of the Year
“It was a stellar moment finally emerging from the darkness and isolation that I’d been holed up in for so long. The beams of sunlight hit my face, and I raised my hand to shield myself from the sudden bright. I looked out to a vast open world, calling out to me, and I wondered what was out there, waiting for me.
Then my girlfriend asked me, “Have you really been playing ‘Fallout 4’ this whole time?”
That’s when it dawned on me: Bethesda Game Studios has done it again. This total absorption, the ability to keep my attention and neglect the real world for days on end – it’s the kind of thing I haven’t experienced since Bethesda’s last outings, “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” and “Fallout 3.” And with “Fallout 4” they have crafted yet another massive world filled with danger, unsavory characters, wonder, and intrigue that threatens to endlessly consume hours of my time. But to be honest, I couldn’t be happier to feed this ravenous beast. This game is a true gem, offering a plethora of fun and proving itself as yet another classic staple in the series that reminds us that ‘War Never Changes’…” – Alex Suffolk
Read the rest of Alex Suffolk’s review of Fallout 4
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Developer: Kojima Productions
Rated: M
Platform: PS4, XOne, PC, X360, PS3
Nominations: Game of the Year, Best Score/Soundtrack, Best Action/Adventure, Best Art Direction, Developer of the Year (Kojima Productions)
I’m among those die-hards who had this game make into an angry person for a while. I bought a PlayStation 4 to finally play this game. The problem is, whatever the drama behind the scenes actually were between prestigious developer Hideo Kojima and publishers at Konami, the final result that is Metal Gear Solid V is a game that is meant to appeal to literally everyone. There is no linearity, no over explanations, no traditional commentary on nuclear weapons… just a legend set loose on the world seeking revenge. Never would I have imagined that I could talk about a Metal Gear Solid game with my brother, my father, my co-workers, all people who haven’t the slightest clue of the “Les Enfants Terrible” or the true significance of Big Boss, Revolver Ocelot and Kaz Miller in the series’ grander lore. Where previous Metal Gear stories had been as exaggerated as some of the most ridiculous Japanese Anime ever created, The Phantom Pain shows Hideo Kojima’s love for explosive American action films. Sadly, that means the story has about as much depth as one of those films, but spread thin over 50 missions and nearly 100 hours of possible gameplay. But my gripes on this game’s story presentation, and lazy twist endings, is a dialogue for another time.
Luckily for most, there’s no need understand the story to have enjoyment out of The Phantom Pain when strictly playing it as an open world game of Tactical Espionage Operation. Carrying its style of control and User Interface from MGS: Peace Walker, Phantom Pain drops Snake into the open world to complete operations in the long and short form, and allows players to complete said missions any way in which they choose.
Where an explosive entrance and manslaughter is an option here, the series continues to reward players for achieving their goals with no trace, or shot fired. Adding to the traditional espionage mechanics, players are put in control of a Mother Base by recruiting staff via balloons, build weapons in R&D and sending troops on missions to affect adversaries in-game. The management looks overwhelming as a whole, but is dispersed through the game’s first act. But, when mastered on the player’s iDroid, it begins to feel less and less like grinding for upgrades, and more making every action and objective in the open map an addictive goal to better your base and grow Diamond Dogs into something worthy of Big Boss’ legacy. – Evan Griffin
Undertale
Developer: TobyFox
Platform: PC, Mac
Nominations: Best Role-Playing Game, Best Independent Game, Best Art Direction, Games for Impact
If you haven’t played this game yet, I envy you. The only thing left I wish from my experience with Undertale would be the ability to play it for the first time again, with the naivety of what was in store for me when I first entered the ruins of a forgotten world of polite monsters. More than any game I’ve played before, Undertale fantastically connects players to the characters on the screen through unique design, memorable moments, and some of the highest quality music in a game all year.
Among the first you meet, Sans and Papyrus the skeleton brothers, are probably my favorites due to their obsession with puns, puzzles and spaghetti, but spending time with any of these characters, even the scariest ones, give them their opportunity to make you adore them as much as the last.
Plus, the combat system is unlike anything I’ve played in an RPG before. This is a game that forces you to look at the way you play a video game from a different perspective. While this game looks like it would be mechanically simple, there is so much happening in the background where dialogue variations in your narrative are the most fluid I’ve ever seen in a game to date. In fact, it makes decision based gameplay in Mass Effect look stapled together. Undertale keeps tabs on whether you’re a pacifist or a murderer, and your time in the underground will end accordingly, and despite the fact that the game’s proper ending doesn’t come until you’ve played a second time, during which you’ll be sparing every monster’s soul, any crime you committed is remembered in the “alternate timeline” to crudely put it. Your inclination to simply kill in a video game is challenged by Undertale by creating permanent consequences to your save file.
This is a game that sticks with you more as time goes on, and by the time you’ve realized just how much you loved it, the time you’ve spent with it will have been far in the past. – Evan Griffin
Link to Evan’s full review of Undertale
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Rated: M
Platform: PS4, XOne, PC
Nominations: Game of the Year, Best Role-Playing Game, Best Score Soundtrack, Best Performance (Doug Cockle), Developer of the Year
While The Elder Scrolls is still alive in people’s minds, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a brand new hit in the fantasy genre. It’s dark, sexy, violent, and brings in an atmosphere that’s more vivid than recent games.
Based on the book series, The Witcher Saga, The Witcher 3 brings back popular characters such as Geralt, Yennifer, and Triss and picks up where they left off from the previous installment. You can either carry over choices from Witcher 2 or start off completely anew in this world. Will you stay with quirky Triss, or go back to seductive Yennifer? There are a lot of choices to make throughout the game–each one affecting the ending in a different way. Even if this is your first time experiencing The Witcher, it’s a bundle of fun and doesn’t require much knowledge of the universe.
Like with any open world fantasy, the world is your playground. The forests are extremely lush and are accompanied by countless amounts of places and things to explore, from monster nests to buried treasure. Question marks will gradually start to fill up the map with undiscovered goodies, making the game look endless. And it’s not like the story is cut short to make time for these treasure hunts; it’s just as long and jam packed with fascinating monsters and lore (just look up what the Botchlings are [I just did, they’re super creepy]) to find. The side quests are fun and plentiful, ranging from typical rescue missions to Witcher Contracts. Just those alone can take up a big portion of the day.
Geralt is a mysterious individual whose personality is shaped by the player’s choices. He can become a kind individual, or selfish and cruel. His dialogue provides the player with enough choices to determine which route they want him to go. And if they want to add in a lusty side to him, they can partake in a brothel or two. There are so many roads to cross with him and each one makes for a satisfying adventure.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt provides the player with hours upon hours of entertainment (I haven’t met a person who has beaten it fully). The amount of detail that went into the world makes it a great nomination for Game of the Year. -Yasmin Kleinbart
Tales From the Borderlands
Developer: Telltale Games
Rated: M
Platform: PS4, XOne, PC, Mac, iOS, PS3, X360, Android
Nominations: Best Narrative
By the time I finished Tales From the Borderlands, it felt like I had just finished a 5 episode season of a really REALLY good science fiction series on par with Firefly, and it had a fantastic sense of humor from beginning to end. It’s arguable that Telltale’s library of interactive stories doesn’t evolve much in it’s mechanics; but as storytellers, I find that Tales From the Borderlands is an example of how good the company can be at writing, pacing, and satisfying plot and character moments in a package that allows you to play as two very different characters throughout. It’s especially astounding that I enjoyed it with minimal to no exposure to the existing Gearbox franchise, let alone made me want to go off and play the Handsome Collection afterwards. Maybe I have a soft spot for the likes of Laura Bailey, Patrick Warburton and Chris Hardwick, but they are just a few of a massive, fantastic cast of voice performers throughout the season, and they’re accompanied by a radical contemporary soundtrack in some highly memorable credit sequences. – Evan Griffin
Link to Evan’s full review of Tales From the Borderlands
Rocket League
Developer: Psyonix
Rated: E10+
Platform: PS4, PC, Mac, Linux
Nominations: Best Sports/Racing Game, Best Multiplayer
I only need one sentence to sell you on Rocket League: Do you want to play soccer with rocket powered race cars?
BOOM. Of course you do!
Ok, Evan is telling me I need to say more than that. [Hey! I didn’t say that.]
Look, this category is called “Best Sports/Racing Game.” What other game checks both boxes?! Rocket League is one of those games that shouldn’t work, but somehow managed to be amazing. This is multiplayer gaming at its best. The brilliance of Rocket League is that, if you’re a complete beginner, you can jump in with a few friends and have tons of fun just flailing about. If you decide you want to step your game up and develop your race car soccer skills, the gameplay is deep and rewarding.
The icing on the cake for me is how much of the feeling of playing soccer the game manages to capture. If you’ve ever played soccer competitively, you can transfer much of that knowledge to this game.
Finally, this is one of the only games I will watch on Twitch or other game streaming services. Matches between skilled players are a wonder to behold. – Jose Cordova
Destiny: The Taken King
Developer: Bungie
Rated: T
Platform: PS4, Xone, PS3, X360
Nominations: Best Shooter, Best Multiplayer
It’s extremely difficult to keep a solid player base invested in a game for an extended period of time. There are so many games being released now, that it’s impossible to keep up and it seems like the only games that can really keep a strong player base are those in the e-sports arena. MOBAs and competitive shooters like Call of Duty or Counter-Strike don’t have a problem sustaining a player base, but it’s rare for any game to keep players invested for longer than a couple months. Even MMOs don’t really capture huge audiences anymore. Just ask any MMO not named World of Warcraft. [Runescape] Destiny launched to mixed reactions in late 2014 with the general consensus being that it was a solid shooter with an uninteresting world and a non-existent story.
That all changed with The Taken King expansion. Suddenly the great shooting mechanics were supported by a narrative that was fun, and clearly communicated. I came into TTK as a brand new player. I had dabbled in the beta for Destiny, but I had decided it wasn’t for me. With the release of TTK, a few friends convinced me to jump in and join them in the fun. Even as a brand new player, the difference in the quality of the storytelling between “vanilla” Destiny and TTK content was clear. Characters that players had spent countless hours interacting with came to life and had personalities. The overarching story left its mark in familiar locations and introduced new ones that felt fleshed out. Having this extra layer on top of a shooter that rewards communication and cooperation pushed the game into a constant rotation for me. Now, my Destiny time is like a weekly pick-up game of basketball that I look forward to. – Jose Cordova
Cities: Skylines
Developer: Colossal Order
Rated: E
Platform: XOne, PC, Mac, Linux
Nominations: N/A! [Ryan is the black sheep…]
Cities Skylines is one of those games that comes out after (or before) a disappointing entry of a beloved series that fans can point out as what that game should have been (see: any of the top-down dungeon hack ‘n’ slash games that did the idea of Diablo III better than the genuine article). Cities Skylines is the wonderful, addictive, customizable city builder that we should have gotten out of 2013’s disastrous SimCity 5. Even past all the always-on DRM problems with SimCity, the game itself was disappointing with its small maps and few building options. The rival Cities XXL games were a good start, but had problems of their own.
Cities Skylines, on the other hand, (no relation to the Cities XXL franchise) is the finest city builder since SimCity 4. If you know how the SimCity games (well, the good ones at least) go, you pretty much know how Cities Skylines works: you build and zone a city and watch it grow in a bustling metropolis with several intricate public works to manage.
The game has massive maps that you can do so much more with than any other game before it. You can choose to skip the “huge city” thing altogether and build something like counties with little towns and small cities connected by the game’s wonderful public transportation system. It’s the only city builder I know of that let’s you do nitty gritty things like plan out bus lines. The game’s mod support is fantastic and can allow for things like meticulous traffic planning that most SimCity franchise fans have been clamoring for since the third game.
The only knock against the game is that it might not run on lower end computers; My laptop can just run it on low settings and I’m still having a ball with it. It might not be as “exciting” as some other games, but it’s easily my favorite game of the year – Ryan Gibbs
We didn’t have the time to get to so many of the other great games that have come out this year from Axiom Verge and Soma, to Downwell and Her Story.
Did we cover your favorites? Do some of our picks piss you off? [As we gamers often feel]
What are your picks for Game of the Year tonight? (or last year if you’re checking this article out in 2016)
Comment below, or chat with us all on Twitter @TYFOfficial!
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