If you believe the myriad Game of the year awards, the best retail AAA games released last year were Dragon Age: Inquisition and Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. While I’d personally give that honour to other games (like Bayonetta 2!), it seems yet another panel has bestowed an accolade on the better of the two. Yes, Shadow of Mordor has bagged the title of Game of the year at GDC.
If I had to hazard a guess, it’s all down to that much-vaunted Nemesis system, which helped imbue a bit of life to what would otherwise be a sea of similar uruks. Expect the system to be copied in all manner of games now. Mobile darling Monument Valley nabbed 3 awards as well.
Here’s the list.
GDC Awards 2015
- Game of the Year: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Innovation Award: Monument Valley
- Best Debut: Stoic Studio (The Banner Saga)
- Best Design: Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Best Handheld/Mobile Game: Monument Valley
- Best Visual Art: Monument Valley
- Best Narrative: Kentucky Route Zero: Episode 3
- Best Audio: Alien: Isolation
- Best Technology: Destiny
- Audience Award: Elite Dangerous
As far as the indie side of GDC – The Independent Games Festival – goes, here are the winners this year.
- Excellence in Visual Art: Metamorphabet (Patrick Smith)
- Excellence in Narrative: 80 Days (inkle Studios)
- Excellence in Design: Outer Wilds (Team Outer Wilds)
- Excellence in Audio: Ephemerid: A Musical Adventure (SuperChop Games)
- Nuovo Award: Tetrageddon Games (Nathalie Lawhead)
- Seumas McNally Grand Prize: Outer Wilds (Team Outer Wilds)
Outer Wilds is something I’ve not played, but it sounds…intriguing – and it’s easy to see why it’s nabbed the indie grand prize this year.
“Outer Wilds is a space exploration game that invites you to embark on a cosmic expedition into a turbulent world driven by forces beyond your control. Let curiosity be your guide as you fly into the heart of a gas giant, meet fellow travelers on quantum moons, and roast marshmallows beneath alien skies.
The game is a seamless first-person experience that gives you just 20 minutes to freely explore a miniature solar system as it dynamically evolves over time. After those 20 minutes are up, the Sun goes supernova and the entire Universe ends. Fortunately, the Solar System is stuck in a time loop, and only by exploring over the course of multiple playthroughs will you come to understand the forces and secrets that drive the Universe.”
Last Updated: March 5, 2015
Umar
March 5, 2015 at 08:55
Wow…okay. Outer Wild’s premise sounds amazing
Admiral Chief
March 5, 2015 at 09:02
Who won the DLC this week?
I_am_Duffman!
March 5, 2015 at 09:17
I know right. Promises where made and then poof. Silence…
Brady miaau
March 5, 2015 at 09:19
Did I miss something? My day job is interfering with my LG time.
Captain JJ the damned
March 5, 2015 at 09:25
It’s really unfair, isn’t it?
Brady miaau
March 5, 2015 at 11:55
It is. Dammit.
I_am_Duffman!
March 5, 2015 at 09:27
Yeah. In her review of The Bright Lord DLC, Zoe said they had a DLC code to give away. And now the wait is on…
Captain JJ the damned
March 5, 2015 at 09:06
Some interesting awards there. Excellent stuff.
RinceThis
March 5, 2015 at 09:38
Nice one!
Brenz
March 5, 2015 at 13:48
Sup all.
Just finished Inquisition so I think its time to start Shadow of Mordor perhaps, see what all the fuss is about…
Abigail Williams
March 11, 2015 at 12:41
Shadow Of Mordor is difficult. Awesome, but difficult.