While every two-bit publication that even looks at E3 has its own set of awards for the largest annual industry-focused video game expo, there’s only one official one – and that comes from the folks who make up the panel of judges for the Game Critics Awards; people from places like Giantbomb, Polygon, Kotaku, Ars Technica, IGN and other sites more esteemed than our own. Every year, they select the games that they feel are the best ones to be shown at E3.
Now, it must be said that they get to play games that other attendees only get to look at, so they have a larger pool of games to draw from. Of course (as explained by Jeff Gertsman from Giant Bomb), the term “playable” is a bit of a misnomer, as the pre-requisite for that merely means that judges can hold a controller and move the character or camera on screen. Kotaku’s Jason Schreier has also said that that sometimes means “playing” a game for about thirty seconds – so these things should all be taken with a pinch of salt, I think.
Still, here are the nominees for this year’s Game Critics Awards from E3.
Best of Show
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/SCE)
- Oculus Touch (Oculus VR)
- Star Wars Battlefront (DICE/EA)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SCE)
Best Original Game
- Abzu (Giant Squid/505 Games)
- Cuphead (Studio MDHR)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/SCE)
- The Last Guardian (GenDesign/SCE Japan/SCE)
- Unravel (Coldwood Interactive/EA)
Best Console Game
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda)
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/SCE)
- Star Wars Battlefront (DICE/EA)
- Super Mario Maker (Nintendo)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SCE)
Best Handheld Game
- Fallout Shelter (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda)
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (AlphaDream/Nintendo)
- Persona 4 Dancing All Night (Atlus)
- The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes (Nintendo)
Best PC Game
- DOOM (id Software/Bethesda)
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda)
- Just Cause 3 (Avalanche Studios/Square-Enix)
- Star Wars Battlefront (DICE/EA)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Best Hardware
- Microsoft HoloLens (Microsoft)
- Oculus Rift (Oculus VR)
- Oculus Touch (Oculus VR)
- Project Morpheus (Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Xbox Elite Wireless Controller (Microsoft)
Best Action Game
- DOOM (id Software/Bethesda)
- Halo 5: Guardians (343/Microsoft Studios)
- Just Cause 3 (Avalanche Studios/Square-Enix)
- Star Wars Battlefront (DICE/EA)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games/SCE)
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Kojima Productions/Konami)
- Rise of the Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics/Microsoft Studios)
- The Last Guardian (GenDesign/SCE Japan/SCE)
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog/SCE)
Best RPG
- Dark Souls 3 (From Software/Bandai-Namco Games)
- Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda)
- Fire Emblem Fates (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (AlphaDream/Nintendo)
- Sword Coast Legends (n-Space/Digital Extremes/Wizards of the Coast)
Best Racing Game
- Forza Motorsport 6 (Turn 10/Microsoft Studios)
- Need for Speed (Ghost Games/EA)
- Trackmania Turbo (Nadeo/Ubisoft)
Best Sports Game
- FIFA 16 (EA Canada/EA)
- NHL 16 (EA Canada/EA)
- Madden NFL 16 (EA Tiburon/EA)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 (Konami)
- Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (EA Tiburon/EA)
Best Family/Social Game
- Disney Infinity 3.0 (Avalanche Software/Disney Interactive)
- Guitar Hero Live (FreeStyleGames/Activision)
- LEGO Dimensions (TT Games/WBIE)
- Rock Band 4 (Harmonix)
- Super Mario Maker (Nintendo)
Best Online Multiplayer
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (TreyArch/Activision)
- Halo 5: Guardians (343/Microsoft Studios)
- Star Wars Battlefront (DICE/EA)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
- Tom Clancy’s The Division (Massive/Ubisoft)
Best Independent Game
- Abzu (Giant Squid/505)
- Below (Capy Games)
- Cuphead (Studio MDHR)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games/SCE)
- Wattam (Funomena)
It’s a nice list of games, I suppose. We’ll be finding out who actually wins in a week’s time. The most nominated game is Star Wars: Battlefront, while publishers EA and Sony lead the pack with eleven nominations each.
It is worth noting though, that last year’s winner was Evolve. Take that as you will.
Last Updated: July 1, 2015
Dutch Matrix
July 1, 2015 at 08:09
DOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! I wonder if this time around I will be scared into my monitor again?
Dark_Kitarist
July 1, 2015 at 09:44
FALLOUT! FALLOUT! FALLOUT! Maybe DOOOOOOMMM! But FALLOUT!! 😀
Dutch Matrix
July 1, 2015 at 09:54
Fallout = Snorefest!
Dark_Kitarist
July 1, 2015 at 09:57
Well you have your opinion… But I agree that Fallout has nothing on Doom when it comes to pace 😀
Deceased
July 1, 2015 at 10:39
Yeah…
Dark_Kitarist
July 1, 2015 at 10:47
AHAHHAHA 😀
Hammersteyn
July 1, 2015 at 08:11
More like The Biggest Hype Awards
Dark_Kitarist
July 1, 2015 at 09:45
Your point being? Hype is good 😀 Hype is fun!
Hammersteyn
July 1, 2015 at 09:54
And hype never leads to anything bad right?
Nikola
July 1, 2015 at 10:18
Never ever, ever!!
Hammersteyn
July 1, 2015 at 10:56
XD
Dark_Kitarist
July 1, 2015 at 10:33
Oh damn it does… I mean Destiny is a good game, but not a 500m$ good game… Titanfall is good game but not the best thing that has ever touched the earth… Duke Nukem Forever anyone? I mean shit happens when hype is unjustified. But when hype is justified and when the game doesn’t lie about what it’s representing then I think that good things may happen…
Did Fallout 4 lie about it’s graphics? NO! It showed it’s graphics in all it’s flawed glory! It showed us actual gameplay with it’s shitty ammo counter and everything… Watch Dogs anyone?
So yeah hype has good and bad sides…
Hammersteyn
July 1, 2015 at 10:56
Agreed
RustedFaith
July 2, 2015 at 01:17
The only good hype i can remember is Witcher 3 before that it has been a really bitter and disappointing road the last few years.
Deceased
July 1, 2015 at 10:45
Choo Choo
RustedFaith
July 2, 2015 at 01:16
Spot on there 🙂
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 1, 2015 at 08:11
I’ll take those with a grain of salt, wait until a week or two after release, THEN see – because critics have demonstrated a bit more credulity than actual criticism lately.
E3 2014 – Evolve
E3 2013 – Titanfall
kuuu(UMAR)rrrr
July 1, 2015 at 08:12
Waiting for dat accolades trailer.
Sageville
July 1, 2015 at 10:02
Good point, those best of show awards are gonna start being “Lemon awards” at this rate.
kuuu(UMAR)rrrr
July 1, 2015 at 08:12
Man, Giant Bomb was pure kak this E3, seriously. Bunch of grumpy old men. I actually preferred IGN. Yes… I G N ….
hairyknees
July 1, 2015 at 10:10
Don’t lie… you actually preferred Lazygamer AMIRITE? 😛
kuuu(UMAR)rrrr
July 1, 2015 at 15:09
I most definitely prefer Lazygamer, it’s just, Twitch worked horribly at home 🙁 and I was watching on my PS4.
Lord Chaos
July 1, 2015 at 08:17
You see, this is how awards are given… Not based on playable or not and not even mentioning the requirements of what gets an award. 😛
Love seeing the amount of Fallout.
Hammersteyn
July 1, 2015 at 08:19
DOOOOOOM Bethesda won IMO
Ir0nseraph
July 1, 2015 at 08:24
What not Cuphead ? 😛
Hammersteyn
July 1, 2015 at 08:26
XD shhhhhhhh Pieter will hear you!
Ir0nseraph
July 1, 2015 at 08:34
XD
Doom looks great, but ghost wildlands will be my pick.
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 1, 2015 at 08:31
Probably waiting for the 2 girls DLC.
Lord Chaos
July 1, 2015 at 08:32
Damn my visual imagination. O_o
Ir0nseraph
July 1, 2015 at 08:35
LoL
That video should never have been made.
Hammersteyn
July 1, 2015 at 09:21
All Trevors think alike it seems
Lord Chaos
July 1, 2015 at 08:31
After the jump scare wreck the previous one was, I’ll wait for reviews.
Jonah Cash
July 1, 2015 at 09:11
Guerilla Games won in my opinion… They have a lady who hunts ROBOT DINOSAURS!!! Insta-win award from Jonah Cash
Skyblue
July 1, 2015 at 10:00
DOOM was my fav as well, can’t wait
Dark_Kitarist
July 1, 2015 at 09:49
I loved Battlefront too, but for me Doom and Fallout are two of only a handful games that you actually saw actual gameplay… Actual actual gameplay 😀 You damn near saw the whole world on Fallout and a good few minutes of kind-off un-choreographed killing in Doom and then there was the multi-player and everything 😀
For me Bethesda won. For me Fallout won with Battlefront being a close second and Doom a close third…
Admiral Chief's Adventure
July 1, 2015 at 08:42
Heh, reminds me of OVG’s old avatar
oVg "I hate Portals" - Geralt
July 1, 2015 at 09:14
Oldfart for the WIN 😉
Jonah Cash
July 1, 2015 at 09:09
Good to see that Horizon Zero Dawn is there not like another site I frequent who doesn’t seem to rate it at all… *cough cough
Geoffrey Tim
July 1, 2015 at 09:32
IT WASNT PLAYABLE. (for us) 😛
Jonah Cash
July 1, 2015 at 09:43
DON’T YELL AT ME!!!! See what you did now the exclamation marks are back… ARE YOU HAPPY NOW???
Still it won E3, robot dinosaurs are my dream game. And I want to know the story so bad. I have a ton of questions that I need answers for.
Her Highness the Hipster
July 1, 2015 at 10:10
i swear, if i got to play it myself, i probably would have given an award. but we can’t give awards based on trailers (and gameplay that is the same as shown in the press conference)! #integrity
Jonah Cash
July 1, 2015 at 11:39
Integrity smegrity:
oVg "I hate Portals" - Geralt
July 1, 2015 at 09:12
Nintendo be like
http://makeagif.com/i/ZPY9IT
hairyknees
July 1, 2015 at 10:09
Evolve… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Hammersteyn
July 1, 2015 at 10:56
XD
hairyknees
July 1, 2015 at 10:10
I hope Horizon Zero Dawn is awesome 🙁
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
July 1, 2015 at 10:20
No Mass Effect I call shenanigans!
Geoffrey Tim
July 1, 2015 at 10:20
Wasn’t playable for anyone.
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
July 1, 2015 at 10:22
I don’t know. I dreamt about the gameplay all night. 😛
Dark_Kitarist
July 1, 2015 at 10:34
Still made my heart race a bit 😀 Another trilogy I hope…
Dark_Kitarist
July 1, 2015 at 10:50
Seriously LazyGamer… Why don’t you make your own pool???
No seriously make you own pool about who was the most interesting at E3, hell you could even make categories 😀
C’mon people encourage them 😀
HairyEwok
July 1, 2015 at 11:06
Lets just be fair here guys. Nostalgia won overall.
Victoria Ellis
July 1, 2015 at 13:24
Awesome 😛
coip
July 1, 2015 at 15:11
The best game at E3 with a playable demo = HoloLens Minecraft (I mean, seriously, people: holographic gaming of the greatest game of all time).
The game at E3 with the most enticing teaser trailer = ReCore.