And The Game Awards Nominees Of 2016 Are…

The Game Awards

The official list of nominated games for The Game Awards 2016 has been released as well as which categories fans of The Game Awards can vote in

As December 1st gets closer we also get a bit closer to The Game Awards showing off. This also means that now that we are even closer that we have a full list of the titles, developers, voice actors, and everything else up for an award during this event. That's right, we now have a list of the nominated for The Game Awards and not just the ones being selected by the super-secret panel of judges but also a few that we the gamers can have a say in. How we don't all have the same say across all of them yet is still a question for me but none the less we can select the awards that don't matter for a single thing.

For the most part the categories of The Game Awards have stayed the same. Of course given the new rush of VR games and experiences out there we also have that new category added in here. Seeing as the Sports and Racing game section has been combined here I believe it leaves us with the same number to sit through. That is if they can actually get to them all during the actual show and not leave some with social media announcements and leave it at that. It always bugs me when that happens in this show. Two years running and now we get to see if it goes a third. Let's all hope that it doesn't.

Feel free to have a look at all of the nominees for The Game Awards this year and see if you can guess which will win in the long run. Although at a quick glance I sure we can all figure that out as it is again the same list of developers, voice actors, and games for almost all of the categories. I know we had a lot more out this year so it seems odd to see the same ones over and over. It's also interesting to see that some titles that have released or will release soon have been left off or added in. I am curious on how that selection truly goes down as it seems weird not to see Final Fantasy XV, Watch Dogs 2, and Infinite Warfare nowhere on the list while Dishonored, Battlefield 1, and Titanfall 2 are. The Game Awards should really be held closer to the end of the year than a whole thirty days out. Just my thought though.

Game Of The Year

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

  • DOOM (id Software/Bethesda)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn/Electronic Arts)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Game Direction

Recognizing a game studio for outstanding creative vision, game direction and design.

  • Blizzard (for Overwatch)
  • DICE (for Battlefield 1)
  • id Software (for DOOM)
  • Naughty Dog (for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
  • Respawn (for Titanfall 2)

Best Narrative

For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Mafia III (Hangar 13/2K)
  • Oxenfree (Night School Studio)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Best Art Direction

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

  • Abzu (Giant Squid/505)
  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SIE)

Best Music/Sound Design

For outstanding audio, inclusive of score, original song, licensed soundtrack and sound design.

  • Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
  • DOOM (id/Bethesda)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
  • Thumper (Drool)

Best Performance

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

  • Alex Hernandez as Lincoln Clay, Mafia III
  • Cissy Jones as Delilah, Firewatch
  • Emily Rose as Elena, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
  • Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
  • Rich Summer as Henry, Firewatch
  • Troy Baker as Sam Drake, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Games For Impact

Honoring exemplary games that take on real-world issues and advocate for social change.

  • 1979 Revolution (iNK Stories)
  • Block’hood (Plethora Project/Devolver Digital)
  • Orwell (Osmotic Studios/Surprise Attack)
  • Sea Hero Quest (Glitchers)
  • That Dragon, Cancer (Numinous Games)

Best Independent Game

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

  • Firewatch (Campo Santo)
  • Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
  • Inside (Playdead)
  • Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe/Chucklefish Games)
  • The Witness (Thelka, Inc.)

Best Mobile/Handheld

For the best game playable on mobile phones and dedicated gaming handhelds.

  • Clash Royale (Supercell)
  • Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
  • Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom)
  • Pokemon Go (Niantic)
  • Severed (DrinkBox Studios)

Best VR Game

For the best game experience playable in virtual reality.

  • Batman: Arkham VR (Rocksteady Studios/WBIE)
  • EVE: Valkyrie (CCP Games)
  • Job Simulator (Owlchemy Labs)
  • Rez Infinite (Enhance Games)
  • Thumper (Drool)

Best Action Game

For the best game experience focused around first or third person combat.

  • Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
  • DOOM (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Gears Of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)

Best Action/Adventure Game

For the best game experience that combines combat with traversal and puzzle solving.

  • Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
  • Hitman (IO Interactive/Square-Enix)
  • Hyper Light Drifter (Heart Machine)
  • Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best RPG

The best game designed for rich player character customization and progression, both offline and online, including massively multiplayer.

  • Dark Souls 3 (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal/Square-Enix)
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- Blood and Wine (CD Projekt RED)
  • World of Warcraft: Legion (Blizzard)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)

Best Fighting Game

For a game designed primarily around head-to-head combat.

  • Killer Instinct Season 3 (Iron Galaxy Studios/Microsoft Studios)
  • King of Fighters XIV (SNK/Atlus USA)
  • Pokken Tournament (Bandai Namco Studios/The Pokemon Co.)
  • Street Fighter V (Capcom)

Best Strategy Game

Best game focused on real time or turn-based strategy.

  • Civilization VI (Firaxis Games/2K)
  • Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
  • The Banner Saga 2 (Stoic Studio/Versus Evil)
  • Total War: Warhammer (Creative Assembly/Sega)
  • XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games/2K)

Best Family Game

Best game for family play, including toys-to-life, rhythm/music/dance, and other genres.

  • Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix)
  • Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TT Fusion/WBIE)
  • Pokemon Go (Niantic)
  • Ratchet & Clank (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Skylanders: Imaginators (Toy for Bob/Activision)

Best Sports/Racing

For traditional and non-traditional sports and racing games.

  • FIFA 17 (EA Canada/EA Sports)
  • Forza Horizon 3 (Playground Games/Microsoft Studios)
  • MLB The Show 16 (SCE San Diego Studio/SIE)
  • NBA 2K17 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES Productions/Konami)

Best Multiplayer

For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences.

  • Battlefield 1 (DICE/EA)
  • Gears Of War 4 (The Coalition/Microsoft Studios)
  • Overcooked (Ghost Town Games/Team 17)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Titanfall 2 (Respawn/EA)
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)

Now that you've seen the list of nominees for The Game Awards that you will have no say over what so ever, let's have a look at the ones that you can influence. Again it is mostly categories that don't truly matter at all but it is nice to feel included here. Even if all but two of the six here are to see who you like to watch play video games instead of doing it yourself. A concept that will be forever lost on me; even when it comes to real worlds sports. But I digress here. The following categories for The Game Awards can be voted upon by going to the site and clicking on the vote button. Surprising right? But do note that votes are submitted via posting on social media again so think about that before you go hog wild there.

Best eSports Player

The eSports player judged to be the most outstanding performer in 2016, irrespective of game.

  • Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok (SK Telecom T1, League Of Legends)
  • Coldzera – Marcelo David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
  • ByuN – Hyun Woo (Starcraft 2)
  • Infiltrator – Lee Seeon-woo (Team Razer, Street Fighter V)
  • Hungrybox – Juan Debiedma (Team Liquid, Super Smash Bros.)

Best eSports Team

The eSports team or organization judged to be the most outstanding for performance in 2016, irrespective of game.

  • SK Telecom T1 (League of Legends)
  • Wings Gaming (DOTA2)
  • SK Gaming
  • ROX Tigers (League Of Legends)
  • Cloud 9

Best eSports Game

The eSports game that has shown creative and technical excellence in 2016 with the best gameplay, community support and content updates.

  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
  • DOTA2 (Valve)
  • League Of Legends (Riot)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Street Fighter V (Capcom)

Trending Gamer

For a notable influencer, online streamer or media personality in 2016.

  • AngryJoeShow
  • Boogie2988
  • Danny O’Dwyer
  • JackSepticEye
  • Lirik

Best Fan Creation

For fan-created content, such as MODs, fan films, and other player content.

  • Project A2MR
  • Pokemon Uranium
  • Brutal Doom 64
  • Enderal: The Shards Of Order

Most Anticipated Game

An upcoming game that has shown significant ambition and promise in moving the gaming medium forward.

  • God Of War (Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
  • Mass Effect: Andromeda (Bioware/EA)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
  • The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Nintendo)

What are your thoughts on The Game Awards' nominees and categories for this year? Are you surprised that some games never made the list while others did? Do you truly care about the categories we can vote on that don't link to you actually playing a video game? Let us know all of your thoughts and discuss in the comments below. As more on The Game Awards comes out and when the actual event goes live, we will have it here. Keep checking back in to see all of those updates and the actual show.