Non-RPG General News - The Game Awards 2023: Nomination

Here the full list of categories and nominations. Remember this list is created and voted on by journalists. So certain games didn't even make the list, and were snubbed.:unsure:

Game of the Year

Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

  • Alan Wake 2
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2
  • Resident Evil 4 Remake
  • Super Mario Bros. Wonder
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Game Direction

Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

  • Alan Wake 2
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2
  • Super Mario Bros. Wonder
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Narrative

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

  • Alan Wake 2
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
  • Final Fantasy 16
  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Best Art Direction

For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation.

  • Alan Wake 2
  • Hi-Fi Rush
  • Lies of P
  • Super Mario Bros. Wonder
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Score/Music

For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.

  • Alan Wake 2
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Final Fantasy 16
  • Hi-Fi Rush
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Audio Design

Recognizing the best in-game audio and sound design.

  • Alan Wake 2
  • Dead Space Remake
  • Hi-Fi Rush
  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2
  • Resident Evil 4 Remake

Best Performance

Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture.

  • Ben Starr - Final Fantasy 16
  • Cameron Monaghan - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
  • Idris Elba - Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
  • Melanie Liburd - Alan Wake 2
  • Neil Newbon - Baldur's Gate 3
  • Yuri Lowenthal - Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Games for Impact

For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message.

  • A Space for the Unbound
  • Chants of Sennaar
  • Goodbye Volcano High
  • Tchia
  • Terra Nil
  • Venba

Best Ongoing Game

Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time.

  • Apex Legends
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Final Fantasy 14
  • Fortnite
  • Genshin Impact

Best Indie Game

For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system.

  • Cocoon
  • Dave the Diver
  • Dredge
  • Sea of Stars
  • Viewfinder

Best Debut Indie Game

For the best debut game created by a new independent studio.

  • Cocoon
  • Dredge
  • Pizza Tower
  • Venba
  • Viewfinder

Best Mobile Game

For the best game playable on a mobile device.

  • Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis
  • Honkai: Star Rail
  • Hello Kitty Island Adventure
  • Monster Hunter Now
  • Terra Nil

Best Community Support

Recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches.

  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
  • Destiny 2
  • Final Fantasy 16
  • No Man's Sky

Best VR/AR Game

For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform.

  • Gran Turismo 7
  • Humanity
  • Horizon: Call of the Mountain
  • Resident Evil Village
  • Synapse

Innovation in Accessibility

Recognizing software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience.

  • Diablo 4
  • Forza Motorsport
  • Hi-Fi Rush
  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2
  • Mortal Kombat 1
  • Street Fighter 6

Best Action Game

For the best game in the action genre focused primarily on combat.

  • Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
  • Dead Island 2
  • Ghostrunner 2
  • Hi-Fi Rush
  • Remnant 2

Best Action/Adventure Game

For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

  • Alan Wake 2
  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2
  • Resident Evil 4
  • Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
  • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best RPG

For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.

  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Final Fantasy 16
  • Lies of P
  • Sea of Stars
  • Starfield

Best Fighting Game

For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

  • God of Rock
  • Mortal Kombat 1
  • Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
  • Pocket Bravery
  • Street Fighter 6

Best Family Game

For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform.

  • Disney Illusion Island
  • Party Animals
  • Pikmin 4
  • Sonic Superstars
  • Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Best Sports/Racing Game

For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game.

  • EA Sports FC 24
  • F1 23
  • Forza Motorsport
  • Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
  • The Crew Motofest

Best SIM/Strategy Game

Best game focused on real time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform.

  • Advanced Wars 1+" Re-Boot Camp
  • Cities: Skylines 2
  • Company of Heroes 3
  • Fire Emblem Engage
  • Pikmin 4

Best Multiplayer Game

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform.

  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Diablo 4
  • Party Animals
  • Street Fighter 6
  • Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Content Creator of the Year

For a streamer or content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2021.

  • IronMouse
  • PeopleMakeGames
  • Quackity
  • Spreen
  • SypherPK

Best Esports Athlete

The esports athlete judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021, irrespective of game.

  • Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok
  • Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
  • Max “Demon1” Mazanov
  • Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez
  • Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk
  • Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen

Best Esports Coach

The Esports coach judged to be the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

  • Christine “potter” Chi
  • Danny “zonic” Sorensen
  • Jordan “Gunba” Graham
  • Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam
  • Yoon “Homme” Sung-young

Best Esports Event

Recognizing an event (across single or multiple days) that delivered a best-of-class experience for participants and the broadcast audience.

  • 2023 League of Legends World Championship
  • Blast.tv Paris Major 2023
  • EVO 2023
  • The International Dota 2 Championships 2023
  • VALORANT Champions 2023

Best Esports Game

For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform.

  • Counter-Strike 2
  • Dota 2
  • Leage of Legends
  • PUBG Mobile
  • Valorant

Best Esports Team

Recognizing a specific esports team (not the full organization) judged the most outstanding for performance and conduct in 2021.

  • Evil Geniuses
  • Fnatic
  • Gaimin
  • JD Gaming
  • Team Vitality

Most Anticipated Game

Recognizing an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward.

  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
  • Hades 2
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Star Wars Outlaws
  • Tekken 8

Best Adaptation

Celebrating game-inspired projects across entertainment including TV, movies, comics, and more.

  • Castlevania: Nocturne
  • Gran Turismo
  • The Last of Us
  • The Super Mario Bros. Movie
  • Twisted Metal
Of course BG 3 has the most Nominations once again.
 
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I'm surprised Starfield only got one nomination. Guess Bethesda are no longer gamers' darling. Even Cyberpunk got nominated in four categories despite being three years old and all the drama surrounding its release. Alan Wake 2 got eight nominations, as many as BG3, and I know nothing about it other than it's a horror game (I think?). Must be out of touch. Despite this, I'll let my hubris run wild and attempt to predict the winner of each category, based on my oh-so-keen understanding of the zeitgeist:
  • Game of the Year: BG3
  • Best Game Direction: Alan Wake 2
  • Best Narrative: BG3
  • Best Art Direction: Lies of P
  • Best Score/Music: BG3
  • Best Audio Design: Alan Wake 2
  • Best Performance: Idris Elba (Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty)
  • Games for Impact: Chants of Sennaar
  • Best Ongoing Game: Final Fantasy XIV
  • Best Indie Game: Dave the Diver
  • Best Debut Indie Game: Dredge
  • Best Mobile Game: Monster Hunter Now
  • Best Community Support: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
  • Best VR/AR Game: Resident Evil Village
  • Innovation in Accessibility: Hi-Fi Rush
  • Best Action Game: Armored Core 6
  • Best Action/Adventure Game: Alan Wake 2
  • Best RPG: BG3
  • Best Fighting Game: Street Fighter 6
  • Best Family Game: Party Animals
  • Best Sports/Racing Game: Forza Motorsports (completely random: all these titles sound the same to me)
  • Best SIM/Strategy Game: Fire Emblem Engage
  • Best Multiplayer Game: BG3
  • Content Creator of the Year: PeopleMakeGames (only one I recognize)
  • skipping all the esports stuff because who cares
  • Most Anticipated Game: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
  • Best Adaptation: The Last of Us
The only nominated game I've actually played is BG3, so you can trust my insights here.
 
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I wonder which ones are the more prestigious game award series (outside of the Watch GotY, I mean ;)).

Well done for all those nominations, BG3. I'm surprised they chose Neil Newbon as nominee for the voice acting performance. I didn't completely dislike Astarion's voice but it was overdone and slightly annoying after a while.
 
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How does Alan Wake 2 get as many nominations as BG3 while Starfield only gets 1?

Marvel's Spider Man 2, Super Mario Bros, and Alan Wake 2 as GOTY nominees?
 
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Poor Bethesda they were given a token award in one category they have no chance of winning as everyone, (if you don't live under a rock), knows by now it's BG3 again.:biggrin:
 
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How does Alan Wake 2 get as many nominations as BG3 while Starfield only gets 1?

Marvel's Spider Man 2, Super Mario Bros, and Alan Wake 2 as GOTY nominees?
Reception to Alan Wake 2 has been very positive in general. Apparently graphics are the current state of the art in the industry and it is quite creative in its own Remedy ways.

I played the first and while I really liked the general atmosphere of the game, gameplay felt really linear and repetitive after a while. I finished just for the sake of finishing it.

Starfield on the other hand seems to have been received much more critically, especially if we consider that expectations were really high considering it was Bethesda and how long in the making it had been. I haven't played it myself, but it looks super boring to me. I must say that I don't enjoy open world games though (at least not the open world side of it, unless we are talking open wold just in the sense that the world is open from the start like in Gothic, which I like).

Spider Man and Super Mario Bros are big games with high production values and a big audience so it is normal that they are there. Which other games do you think should be nominated by the way? (legitimately curious).
 
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Spider Man and Super Mario Bros are big games with high production values and a big audience so it is normal that they are there. Which other games do you think should be nominated by the way? (legitimately curious).
Well Starfield for certain. I don't think it would win, but it should have been nominated.

To me, Super Mario Bros and Spiderman seem like titles they just threw in there to fill out the nominations. I've also seen enough of Alan Wake 2 to know it's not that good.
 
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To me, Super Mario Bros and Spiderman seem like titles they just threw in there to fill out the nominations. I've also seen enough of Alan Wake 2 to know it's not that good.
I suspect Alan Wake 2 has some strong emotional hooks that you really need to play in order for it to get its hooks into you.
Everyone that keeps raving about it mentions a couple of particular moments that are apparently very strong emotionally.
I'm getting similar vibes to hearing about the baron quest in Witcher 3, and the like. If it does have those types of strong moments I could also easily see it winning my heart.
But I'm still waiting for the DLC. I want my whole heart to get torn to shreds, in one fell swoop. Hope to also manage to keep spoiler free until then.
 
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I suspect Alan Wake 2 has some strong emotional hooks that you really need to play in order for it to get its hooks into you.
Everyone that keeps raving about it mentions a couple of particular moments that are apparently very strong emotionally.
I'm getting similar vibes to hearing about the baron quest in Witcher 3, and the like. If it does have those types of strong moments I could also easily see it winning my heart.
But I'm still waiting for the DLC. I want my whole heart to get torn to shreds, in one fell swoop. Hope to also manage to keep spoiler free until then.
That might be true, but I think it's a safe bet the folks talking about that value story over gameplay. I'm gameplay>story which is why I couldn't get into the first game either.
 
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That might be true, but I think it's a safe bet the folks talking about that value story over gameplay. I'm gameplay>story which is why I couldn't get into the first game either.
Yeah, that explains it. I'm always story >> gameplay. At worst for me, gameplay just doesn't need to annoy me or be overly difficult, if it's not good.
 
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To me, Super Mario Bros and Spiderman seem like titles they just threw in there to fill out the nominations. I've also seen enough of Alan Wake 2 to know it's not that good.
None of them surprise me, to be honest. Mario is the most popular gaming franchise ever and Nintendo fans are diehard. Spiderman also has huge built-in franchise appeal and, together with Alan Wake 2, fits into that trend of GotY awards being given to games that really wish they were movies. Personally, while story is important to me, I don't go to video games for linear narrative experiences, since other forms of media are better at them anyway.
 
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