The Game Awards is nearly upon us, and the nominations after a thrilling year of gaming were finally revealed on Monday, November 17. Next month, there will be a reveal for who won what, as well as exciting new trailers and announcements. It’s one of the best nights in gaming, and what makes it even more special is that we can all play a role by voting for our favorite games. This year, here’s what I’m voting for. (Disclaimer: I have not played every single game. That would be nearly impossible, and I have a ton of respect for those who have been able to pull this off.)
My Votes for Major The Game Awards Categories
For Best Performance, I’m going with Charlie Cox. I love Cox as an actor, and from what I’ve seen of the game, he did really well with his foray into video games. Someone from Expedition 33 is going to win at The Game Awards, so why not Cox? He’s as good a bet as anyone. I would not be mad at the legend Troy Baker winning for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
In the Most Anticipated Game category, everyone except Grand Theft Auto 6 shouldn’t bother showing up. It is perhaps the most anticipated game of all time. However, it’s not one I’m falling over myself to play, so my vote goes to Marvel’s Wolverine. I am also really excited about 007 First Light, which would be my alternative choice.
The Best Art Direction The Game Awards category is fascinating. I could be persuaded for Silksong, Death Stranding 2, or Ghost of Yotei. I think this is probably going to Expedition 33, but my vote is for Silksong. The art style is so great even if it’s not big and bold. Yotei looks stunning, too, so I almost voted for that.
I am also going to vote for Silksong for Best Score & Music. I think this category is wide open, but Hollow Knight: Silksong has some of the best music I’ve heard in a game in a long time. Tracks like Widow, Phantom, Bilewater, Choral Chambers, Cogwork Core, and so many others are all incredible pieces of music. Death Stranding 2 would be my runner-up.
Best Narrative, in my eyes, would be Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. It’s so singular and unique, and Hideo Kojima is usually an awards darling. He’s brilliant, and this game is a really nice evolution of the first game, and it again boasts a deep and engaging narrative, which The Game Awards should reward.
Piggybacking on that, Death Stranding 2 is also getting a vote for Best Direction. Few games are as impacted by the person who created it as this, so it stands out in this category. It’s very much a Kojima-directed project, and that should be enough to get the win.
Best Adaptation is a pretty weak category here. A Minecraft Movie is a genuinely terrible movie and not a great adaptation of the game. It’s fun, but it’s bad. The Last of Us Season 2 was mediocre and a big step down from the masterpiece that was Season 1, but with no Arcane or Fallout this time around, I have to go with The Last of Us. There are still some outstanding moments in that season.
The Best Multiplayer game has to be Split Fiction. It’s a little bit of a surprise to see it miss out on a Game of the Year nomination in favor of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, but that essentially just means it’s a shoo-in here. I haven’t played it yet (my wife and I are on It Takes Two right now), but Hazelight should have this in the bag.
In the Best Ongoing Game, it has to be Fortnite. It’s been almost a decade since the game came out, and it’s still pretty great. The developers are devoted, and they make sure the game has what players want. Most of their decisions for the game’s evolution have been good this year, too.
The Best Indie Game is going to be Expedition 33, but my vote, perhaps foolishly, is going to Hollow Knight: Silksong. With all due respect to E33, Silksong is a massive achievement that was years in the making and had a massive anticipation level. It exceeded all expectations, so it deserves the win in my book.
Game of the Year is the big one. I’m under no illusion that anything but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is going to win. I’m just not remotely a turn-based gamer, and I never have been. So with that in mind, my vote goes to Donkey Kong: Bananza, a triumph in platforming that could theoretically follow in Astro Bot‘s footsteps. I would also love Hollow Knight: Silksong or Death Stranding 2: On the Beach to win, but I’m no fool.
For Best Family Game, Donkey Kong: Bananza actually has a chance to win, so of course, I’m voting for my Game of the Year pick here. If not that, then Mario Kart World, but I don’t see anything beating Bananza in that category.
On that note, my vote in the Best Sports/Racing Game category does go to Mario Kart World. It’s not the best Mario Kart title ever, but it is a pretty good racing game, and the sports titles are not very good other than Rematch this year.
Conclusion
There are other categories, but these are the biggest ones, and they’re the ones I knew the most about. I will vote, but my opinion on Best Esports Athlete and Best Sound Design aren’t as relevant since I didn’t play the games there or don’t follow Esports like that. Nevertheless, it is a really great year for video games, as evidenced by all the categories and games above.
