The Game Awards 2017 took place on 7th December 2017 in Los Angeles. The fourth incarnation of the video game award ceremony saw a bunch of game developers win well-deserved honors for the games they released in 2017. While most of the results announced at the event were largely expected, there were some unexpected winners on the night. Below is the full list of the winners of the Game Awards 2017:
Game of the Year – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The game of the year award went to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. The game was an instant success on the Nintendo Switch, and was also the main reason for the console’s huge sales numbers. The other nominees for the prestigious award were:
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Persona 5
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
- Super Mario Odyssey
Best Game Direction – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Apart from being the game of the year, The Legend of Zelda also won the award for the Best Game Direction. This was sort of certain, considering the beatiful environment as well as the way the game performs in those mechanics. While Breath of the Wild might have come out on top, it did face some fierce competition from other games, namely:
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Best Narrative – What Remains of Edith Finch
One of the finest magical-realism stories in all of video games, What Remains of Edith Finch won the award for the Best Narrative. While the gameplay might be limited to just a couple of hours, it leaves the user with a beautiful and heartbreaking mosaic that makes you question life and its mysteries. Apart from this, the other nominees for this award were:
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- NieR: Automata
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Best Art Direction – Cuphead
While there were a lot of good games that had some creative art within them, nothing matched the quality of Cuphead. It has a design that not only attracts, but also engages. The artwork complements the gameplay and each character has been drawn beautifully. Here is the list of the other nominees that were up for the award of best art direction:
- Destiny 2
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Persona 5
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Best Score / Music – NieR: Automata
NieR: Automata was the surprise success story on the PS4, which later made its way to PC systems as well. The game has one of the best soaring and chorus-filled soundtracks to ever grace a game, which just keeps you engrossed into the gameplay. Apart from Automata, the other nominees for this award were:
- Cuphead
- Destiny 2
- Persona 5
- Super Mario Odyssey
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Best Audio Design – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
If you don’t know what this award really means, it basically refers to designing of all the various sounds withing the game, which include player voices, sounds of the wind, and all the other audio elements that add to the gameplay. Now while I do agree that Resident Evil 7 was a strong competitor in this aspect, nothing compares to the overall audio design of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. The audio design of that game was the driving force of the game. But apart from that, here is the full list of nominees for the award:
- Destiny 2
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Super Mario Odyssey
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Best Performance – Melina Juergens, Hellblade
Melina Juergens, who was the voice behind Senua in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, won the award for the best performance at The Game Awards 2017. To be honest, this was pretty much expected, considering the stellar performance that she delivered which gave life to Senua’s character. The other nominees for the same award were:
- Ashly Burch, Horizon: Zero Dawn
- Brian Bloom, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
- Claudia Black, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- Laura Bailey, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Games for Impact – Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade might not have been advertised much, but it certainly left an impact on the gaming world as well as the fans. It won the rightly deserved award for Games for Impact at The Game Awards 2017. Other games which were nominated as well were:
- Bury Me, My Love
- Life is Strange: Before the Storm
- Night in the Woods
- Please Knock on My Door
- What Remains of Edith Finch
Best Ongoing Game – Overwatch
Not all games stand the test of time, but some games seem to have. Among fierce competition, Overwatch came out on top, bagging the award for the best ongoing game. With an engaging and super-competitive multiplayer, it certainly deserved its moment of fame. The other competitors for the same award were:
- Destiny 2
- Grand Theft Auto Online
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
- Rainbow Six: Siege
- Warframe
Best Independent Game – Cuphead
This year, we saw a lot of games come forward from independent developers. Out of the lot, Cuphead certainly did stand out. Cuphead is incredible for more than just its looks, and delivers the perfect mixture of humor with a punchy storyline. The other competitors were:
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Night in the Woods
- Pyre
- What Remains of Edith Finch
Best Mobile Game – Monument Valley 2
In the recent years, we’ve seen mobile gaming quickly catch on. While there are high graphic games for mobile users, the casual ones usually shine the most. In this aspect, we saw Monument Valley 2 bag the award for the best mobile game. Continuing from the success of its predecessor, Monument Valley 2 delivers quriky graphics combined with a witty gameplay. Here is the list of the other nominees:
- Fire Emblem Heroes
- Hidden Folks
- Old Man’s Journey
- Super Mario Run
Best Handheld Game – Metroid: Samus Returns
Launched for the Nintendo 3DS, Metroid: Samus Returns is this year’s best handheld game. It’s a safe, modern take on Super Metroid, which offers nearly everything one could ask for as a fan of old-school Metroids. That being said, it did face some heavy competition from the likes of:
- Ever Oasis
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
- Monster Hunter Stories
- Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World
Best VR/AR Game – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Now, while I personally was rooting for SUPERHOT to bag this one, undoubtedly, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard deserved this prize. One of the best horror games that I’ve ever played, Resident Evil 7 is everything that the series stands for, in a first-person experience. Apart from this, the other nominees for this award were:
- Farpoint
- Lone Echo
- Star Trek: Bridge Crew
- SUPERHOT VR
Best Action Game – Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Action is my favorite genre in gaming, and I can say in a heartbeat that Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus definitely deserved the title of the best action game. The game delivers thumping action and is easily one of the greatest shooter games ever made. But like Wolfenstein II, there were other great action games as well launched this year, namely:
- Cuphead
- Destiny 2
- Nioh
- Prey
Best Action/Adventure Game – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
While many people expected Origins to win this, the Legend of Zelda bagged another award when it became the best action/adventure game as well. And truth be told, you’ve got to admit that it deserved the fame, considering how adventurous the entire storyline is, and the environment packs in the perfect mixture of adventure with action. But apart from Zelda, the other games to compete for the reward were:
- Assassin’s Creed: Origins
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Best Role-Playing Game – Persona 5
Sony is known for producing great games, and Persona 5 is no different. The game bagged the reward for the best RPG game, and without a doubt, it deserved it. With more to do than ever and the series’ strongest story to date, it stands out as an extraordinary, memorable experience and easily one of the deepest JRPGs of the last decade. The other nominees for this award were:
- Divinity: Original Sin II
- Final Fantasy XV
- NieR: Automata
- South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Best Family Game – Super Mario Odyssey
Family games are a rarity to see, but luckily we had a few options. But out of all the games, Super Mario Odyssey was undoubtedly the best. The game brought the most beloved game character of all time, Mario, to an open-world sandbox environment. But apart from that, there were a few other nominees as well, namely:
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
- Sonic Mania
- Splatoon 2
Best Strategy Game – Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
While there were a plethora of strategy games released this year, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was undoubtedly the best of the lot. The game offered the perfect hybrid of the two game worlds. But apart from that, these were the nominees for the award:
- Halo Wars 2
- Total War: Warhammer II
- Tooth and Tail
- XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
Best Sports/Racing Game – Forza Motorsport 7
Sports is a genre preferred by many gamers around the globe. This year, while there were plenty of bestsellers of the genre, Forza Motorsport 7 was clearly the best sports game of the year. With over 500 cars to choose from, the game is Microsoft Studios’ best game ever. That being said, the other nominees for this award were:
- FIFA 18
- Gran Turismo Sport
- NBA 2K18
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2018
- Project Cars 2
Most Anticipated Game – The Last of Us Part II
A lot of games are set to be released in 2018, and we are definitely excited for a lot of them. While God of War and Spider-Man have gained a lot of traction, The Last of Us Part II is definitely the game that has got the maximum number of fans anticipated. Henceforth, it was a no-brainer that the game would bag the award for the most anticipated game. But that being said, the game did compete against some very good titles, namely:
- God of War
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Monster Hunter World
- Red Dead Redemption II
Best eSports Game – Overwatch
eSports is one of the world’s biggest industries right now, and has seen a lot of competitive titles come to the fore. While CS:GO and League of Legends do have a very big user base, currently Overwatch leads the race. Though the game is great, I’m pretty sure it has PUBG to thank for that it is still not in the race of eSports. But despite PUBG not being there, Overwatch did face some fierce competition from titles such as:
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- DOTA 2
- League of Legends
- Rocket League
Best Debut Indie Game – Cuphead
I personally love the indie game development scene, as it allows for low-budget games with a good story line to gain a lot of traction. This year, while we had some great indie games, Cuphead won the most hearts and ultimately was named the debut indie game of the year. It is one of those games that brings out the extreme emotions inside each one of us. But apart from that, we saw a lot of other indie games also debut this year, of which the nominees for this award were:
- Golf Story
- Hollow Knight
- Mr. Shifty
- Slime Rancher
Other Winners:
- Trending Gamer – Guy Beahm (“Dr. Disrespect”)
- Best Esports Player – Lee Sang-hyeok “Faker” (SK Telecom 1, League of Legends)
- Best Esports Team – Cloud 9
- Student Game Award – Level Squared Chinese Fan Game Award – jx3 HD
While we did see Legend of Zelda win the Game of The Year 2017 award, I was personally surprised to see PUBG and Horizon Zero Dawn not win any awards. But hey, that’s what I think. But what about you? Did your favorite game win the award(s) it deserved? Let us know in the comments down below.
