The much anticipated annual Game Awards are back!
The event takes place on December 9th and will be streamed live from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles hosted by Geoff Keighley.
As we wait for the award ceremony to commence, the nominees for each category have been officially announced on the Game Awards social platforms and website.
23 separate categories were announced including Game of the Year. There has been a lot of buzz over the Game of the year category nominations, many video game lovers have their favourites for the winner, however, we won’t know until next Thursday who the lucky winner is.
Now, who are these nominees for Game of the Year? And why do they deserve to win?
Death Loop
Death Loop is a first-person shooter game released on the 14th of September 2021 and developed by Arkane Studios.
It has an extremely interesting concept, it starts with our main character, Colt, being stuck on an Island called Black Reef, but it’s not just the island he’s stuck on.
He is in a time loop where everyone on the island wants to kill him, and the only way out is to solve the “murder puzzle”, 8 targets spread across the island that need to be killed before the day is over.
There is one person stopping our main character: Joanna, and she is a hard character to fight. As the game continues, the player delves deeper into the secrets of Black reef and the time loop and we learn more about the relationship between Colt and Joanna.
The game offers the player an excellent mixture of stealth, action and adventure. You have the option to just enjoy the adrenaline rush of the game and shoot everything or you could take time to explore the secrets of the Blackreef.
A review from the guardian described the game as “an unapologetically breathless, adrenaline-drenched time-loop shooter from Arkane Studios”.
Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread is the second game in the ‘Metroid’ series after Metroid: Samus Returns which was released in 2017.
The sequel was released on the 8th of October 2021 and 854,000 copies were sold in the first month.
A mix of 2D and 3D animation are used to show the story of Metroid and the whole game has a very futuristic and intriguing aesthetic.
The game follows the main character, Samus, as she fights a parasite that was previously believed to be extinct. Samus is a bounty hunter who has been injected with Metroid DNA in order to make her a perfect fit for fighting off parasites.
New skills are introduced such as being able to climb walls using metal grippers and a cloak that allows the player to become invisible.
Throughout the game, the player is shown many different environments for them to explore and there are plenty of new characters, new skills and hidden secrets to discover.
Psychonauts 2
The Psychonauts sequel is a beautifully animated game that was released on the 25th of August 2021.
In this game, we follow the main character ‘Raz’ as he trains to become a psychonaut and revive the infamous villain ‘Maligula’.
The game is extremely well written and really engages anyone who picks up a controller. There was a lot of hesitation around the release of this game, due to the first game holding some very nostalgic and happy memories for most gamers. However, the reaction to the second game release is mostly positive.
The game has sold 1.7 million copies and has already received an E3 best original games award and a BAFTA games award.
The game was originally meant to come out in 2018 but was delayed several times until it was finally released in 2021. Despite that, the delays were obviously worth it as we now have an amazing, extremely detailed game as a result.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was released on the 11th of June 2021 and follows our main characters Ratchet and Clank as they cross over into new dimensions whilst trying to stop the evil villain, Dr Nefarious, from finally getting his win.
The player meets new characters, Rivet and Kit, who are two different versions of Ratchet and Clank in a different dimension!
The game has a very unique concept and the animation is of cinematic quality. It received a massively positive reaction from fans and only a month after being released, the game sold 1.1 million units worldwide.
Furthermore, the game has also followed suit in Sonys mission for accessibility for all. There are 79 different accessibility options within the game, making it a game that can be enjoyed by all.
Resident Evil Village
The resident evil story continues in this game as the main character, Ethan Winters, is dragged through a series of horrific and twisted events.
Ethan Winters finds himself in a snowstorm ridden village on a mission to find his kidnapped daughter, but will the player be able to get them out alive?
The game was released on the 7th of May 2021 and since then has sold a whopping five million copies.
The main character of the game is very normal and clueless which only further accentuates the strange and terrifying characters and levels within the game.
A review from the website ‘PC Gamer’ described the game as feeling like “half a dozen different horror games jammed together. But the strength and variety of its ideas, the quality of the art direction, and its darkly evocative atmosphere more than make up for it”.
Cast your vote!
So there you have it, the nominees for 2021 Game of the Year.
If you particularly loved one of these games and think it should win, go cast your vote now, or if you are looking for the next game to add to your collection, why not check out our list of the top 10 hero games of all time.
Do you agree with the nominees? Is there a game you think should be on this list that isn’t?
By Claire Little
Instagram: @claire_little__