PSXE-StaffAnother year has come to a close, which means it's time to hand out some hardware. 🙂
It wasn't the year to end all years but we always get quality, if not masterful productions, year in and year out. In some ways, one could argue these awards weren't as competitive due to all the delays ( The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt , The Order: 1886 , Battlefield: Hardline , Evolve , Batman: Arkham Knight , etc.), but actually, it was extremely competitive simply because of those delays.
Will you be surprised by the selections? Maybe so…but either way, it's always fun!
Achievement Awards
Best Graphics
Nominees
Winner: Driveclub
For most of the year, we really didn’t see the mind-blowing graphics we were promised in the new generation. That all changed when Evolution Studios delivered the spectacular-looking Driveclub , which is one of the most impressive visual achievements we’ve seen in some time. Featuring beautiful environments and unbelievable vehicle detail, the game’s visuals immediately jumped off the screen. It’s just a prelude of more graphical greatness in the PlayStation 4’s future…
Best Music
Nominees
Winner: Child of Light
This was a tough choice because there were so many different types of soundtracks this year. There are some designed only as backdrops to the action while in other cases, the music attempted to take center-stage without dominating the experience. Child of Light gave us that gorgeous balance, along with a wonderfully orchestrated set of tracks that enhanced the subtle majesty of the game in question. When we say “Best Music,” we talk about a game where it’d be hard to imagine it without the score. That’s Child of Light .
Best Sound Effects
Nominees
Winner: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
There was just something about the effects in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor . It’s not so much that you needed a great headset or surround sound setup to appreciate them; it was more about the diversity and style. The combat stands out as a big highlight, with its bevy of gut-wrenching assaults and terrifying cries, but the ambient effects are exceedingly effective as well. This category usually ends up going to a shooter but this year, it’s impossible to ignore Shadow of Mordor ’s achievement in sound.
Best Acting
Nominees
Winner: Assassin's Creed Unity
There were lots of great performances this year and while we’ll always love Troy Baker (Talion, Shadow of Mordor ) and Kevin Spacey (Jonathan Irons, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ), Assassin’s Creed Unity stands head-and-shoulders above the competition. Thing is, with the AC games, it’s never about one standout performance; just about all the characters are professionally voiced. Dan Jeannotte (Arno) and Catherine Bérubé (Elise de la Serre) lead a supremely capable cast and honestly, Arno’s performance is the best since Ezio’s.
Best Writing/Story
Nominees
Winner: Valiant Hearts: The Great War
We regret not having time to offer a review for Valiant Hearts: The Great War but take our word for it: It has this year’s absolute best narrative. Boasting top-notch writing and a great atmospheric backdrop (World War I), this story-driven adventure proves that interactive entertainment can give gamers a wonderfully written, captivating plot with interesting characters. Now, we just need more developers to understand this.
Best Artistry/Art Direction
Nominees
Winner: Child of Light
Assassin’s Creed often takes this category, simply due to the insane amount of attention paid to every possible detail, and Paris during the French Revolution is absolutely incredible. Sadly, the technical mishaps are too significant and as such, we give the nod to Child of Light . Such fabulous handcrafted visuals should be honored, anyway, as the creativity and boundless imagination is sky-high. Haunting and mystical, the art direction here is truly astounding.
Best Character
Nominees
Winner: Elise de la Serre, Assassin's Creed Unity
2014 saw several new characters worthy of recognition but in our minds, Elise de la Salle of Assassin’s Creed Unity stands out. Without her, the story becomes mostly pedestrian, despite the increased appeal of the new protagonist (Arno). Not only does Elise represent a romantic interest for the hero, she also has a nicely layered personality that includes sass, nobility and a bit of tenderness. She really adds dimension to a plot that absolutely requires a female touch at times.
Best Trailer
Nominees
Winner: Watch Dogs, Cinematic Trailer
Normally, we like trailers that put more of a focus on the gameplay itself but for a game like Watch Dogs , this cinematic trailer gave players a great overview of what to expect from the experience. It’s not just about fancy cinematography; it’s also about a protagonist that’s a lone wolf and a vigilante, operating in a world where someone is always watching someone else. This trailer is both effective and creepy, just like the game turned out to be.
Most Original/Innovative
Nominees
Winner: Murdered: Soul Suspect
It lacked in execution but the idea was sound, and that’s what matters for this category. The concept involves a detective attempting to solve his own murder (hello, Shadow of Destiny ) and he actually moves between the real world and this bizarre purgatory-like world in order to progress. Murdered: Soul Suspect has a great foundation and a truly original basis; it just needed more time to cook.
Most Overlooked
Nominees
Winner: South Park: The Stick of Truth
Not many talked about it, even after it released, but South Park: The Stick of Truth was a game that featured top-tier performances and a surprisingly solid and in-depth gameplay mechanic. Many will say it’s one of the best games of the year and as such, it just doesn’t get anywhere near enough attention. The runner-up is Transistor but actually, that game has quite the loyal following right now.
Most Underrated
Nominees
Winner: LittleBigPlanet 3
Maybe critics just got tired of Sackboy’s antics but that doesn’t excuse some of the super low scores for LittleBigPlanet 3 . Granted, Media Molecule wasn’t around for this one, and we knew that’d be questionable right off the bat. The end result wasn’t Game of the Year-worthy, like several previous installments, but it still retained all its creative glory. For those with active imaginations and an interest in game development, LBP3 really delivers the goods in spades.
Most Anticipated Game
Nominees
Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Several of these were actually on last year’s nominee list for Most Anticipated Game but due to a slew of delays, they’re back again. It didn’t win last year but this time around, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt just has to take the crown. It’s simply because we’re excited to see just how far CD Projekt Red pushes the boundaries, and just what they can accomplish. They have a ridiculous vision for this project and we’re all on the edges of our seats…can they really deliver what they promise?
Platform and Genre Awards Ahead!!!
Platform and Genre Awards
Best Vita Game
Nominees
Winner: Velocity 2X
This was sort of a no-brainer for us, just because Velocity 2X was such an awesome game. With a great visual style, a fast-paced and addictive style of gameplay, and a really sweet heroine (Kai Tana), FuturLab gave us a winner. The game’s great pacing stands out as well, as players will never get bored at any point throughout the adventure. Give the old-school Metroid structure a snazzy, blistering upgrade, and you’ve got Velocity 2X !
Best PS3 Game
Nominees
Winner: Dark Souls II
Another no-brainer, really. We shouldn’t even be counting Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster , Ultra Street Fighter IV , or Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX , as they’re just re-releases of previously released games. And while we love South Park , the obvious answer here is Dark Souls II . Challenging, well-designed, and nicely presented, it’s another dream come true for the hardcore faithful. Can’t wait to see the third installment on PS4!
Best PS4 Game
Nominees
Winner: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Typically, we try and select the best game that was best experienced on PlayStation 4. For instance, if the game was markedly better on PS4 (in terms of resolution or frame rate) or if the game had exclusive content on Sony’s platform (like Destiny ), it would be in the running. But in the end, Dragon Age: Inquisition is simply the best title out there and it runs just as well on PS4 as it does on any other platform. As such, no other game is going to top it in this category.
Best Multiplayer Game
Nominees
Winner: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
CoD is always in the running but this year, we have no qualms about giving Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare the overall Best Multiplayer award. We were a little leery about those exosuit abilities (we feared a whole lot of jumping insanity, ala Halo ) but developer Sledgehammer Games really produced a fresh-feeling, extremely rewarding multiplayer experience. It gave established followers everything they wanted (and some things they missed in Ghosts ), as well as new additions that just made the entire presentation stronger.
As a side note, we removed the Best Music/Rhythm category this year, as Kickbeat: Special Edition and Singstar: Ultimate Party really weren't enough to warrant having such an award. However, in its place we've added:
Best Re-Release
Nominees
Winner: Grand Theft Auto V
This was close between GTAV and Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition . Thing is, the latter title isn't technically a "re-release;" it's an updated version of last year's game for a new platform. On top of which, we just couldn't ignore the sheer amount of great upgrades in Grand Theft Auto V . From the wonderfully updated visuals to a ton of freshly included content, this is undoubtedly the definitive version of an absolute masterpiece.
Best Racing Game
Nominees
Winner: Driveclub
Not a whole lot of racers this year and neither Mario Kart 8 nor Forza Horizon 2 were available on a PlayStation platform. Therefore, the answer is clear: Driveclub definitely had a rocky start and there still isn’t enough content (especially for the solo player), but it’s beautiful and accessible. It combines arcade-y fun with some intricate sim-like detail, so just about anyone can appreciate the ride. Plus, it’ll keep getting better and better as time goes on.
Best Sports Game
Nominees
Winner: MLB 14: The Show
The Show is back! After a few years where Sony’s award-winning baseball franchise kinda just phoned it in, 2014’s entry proved that once again, The Show is the sports series to beat. This year’s NBA 2K effort wasn’t quite as great as last year’s, and same goes for FIFA . There are really only two franchises that significantly improved in 2014 and while the other is definitely Pro Evolution Soccer , we just have to go with MLB 14: The Show .
Best Role-Playing Game
Nominees
Winner: Dragon Age: Inquisition
There isn’t much of a question here. We were hoping it’d be quite the battle between Dragon Age: Inquisition and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt but as the latter got delayed, it fell to BioWare’s new Dragon Age effort to make good with its promise of role-playing nirvana. That’s exactly what we got, too. While the story and characters could’ve been more involving, the gameplay is what die-hard RPG fans wanted and the world is just splendid. It’ll drain many, many hours out of your day and really, nobody’s complaining.
Best Fighting Game
Nominees
Winner: Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
If you haven’t played it yet, you gotta give Guilty Gear Xrd –SIGN- a try. Obscenely fast and complex with that patented sense of style the fans always adore, the latest entry in the series is just about what everyone wanted. Guilty Gear has always stood apart due to its unique presentation and intricate mechanic, and this installment is no exception. It’s just that much better than BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma , as many fighting aficionados will tell you.
Best Shooter
Nominees
Winner: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Oh, don’t get all huffy. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare gave us a stellar campaign and awesome multiplayer. We only got the great campaign from Wolfenstein , Destiny did not deliver on the single-player goods (and remains somewhat bland to this day), and Far Cry 4 feels a lot like Far Cry 3 . The latter game might offer the most fulfilling campaign but the multiplayer doesn’t really blow anyone away. Let’s face it; Advanced Warfare has just about everything any FPS fanatic could want.
Best Action/Adventure Game
Nominees
Winner: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
By all rights, it should’ve gone to Unity . Again, though, the technical mishaps are just too glaring to ignore, as are the so-called “optional” elements that put an unwanted emphasis on multiplayer and other forms of connectivity. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was refreshing, quite solid from a technical standpoint, and just an absolute blast to play. We loved inFamous: Second Son , too, but the series needs an update, and Watch Dogs wasn’t quite as refreshing and addictive as Shadow of Mordor , in our estimation.
Best New IP
Nominees
Winner: Watch Dogs
This was tough but we went with Watch Dogs for two reasons: 1. We felt the game was a little underrated and we always appreciate ambition, and 2. The potential of this new series is just downright unlimited. Destiny will always be Destiny and Middle-earth didn’t really feel like a new IP due to its roots in established Tolkien lore. Watch Dogs could end up being one of the industry’s most important and defining IPs moving forward, and that’s what counts.
Best Non-PlayStation Game
Nominees
Winner: Bayonetta 2
We have to admit, there were several excellent games that never came to PlayStation platforms in 2014. How badly did we want Bravely Default on the Vita, for instance? Well, the best of the “others” is undoubtedly Bayonetta 2 , the sequel that stole the hearts of critics and action fans everywhere. If you want to play a pure action extravaganza with one of the richest combat mechanics ever seen, laced with that patented, sexy, “we don’t take ourselves too seriously” mantra from developer Platinum Games, play Bayonetta 2 .
Special: The PSXE Favorites
We may complain about 2014 being a missed opportunity but really, we still had lots of great games to play. With some top-notch shooters and action/adventure games, we had a blast with everything from inFamous: Second Son to the narrative-driven Valiant Hearts: The Great War . Sure, we loved a lot of the remasters and definitive editions but so what? Aren’t we allowed to love awesome games that only got awesomer? And some titles, we just can’t stop playing… Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition is a great example of that.
PSXE Community Choice for Game of the Year 2014
Nominees
Winner: Dragon Age: Inquisition
It was close but the PSXE community chose Dragon Age: Inquisition as their overall Game of the Year. Far Cry 4 actually came in a close second, with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor right behind. There’s no doubt that Inquisition was a phenomenal accomplishment, but now comes the big question: Do we agree? Would we say that BioWare’s epic RPG is indeed 2014’s best interactive entertainment production…?
Game of the Year Award Ahead!!!
Game of the Year
Nominees
Winner: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Let us explain why this was a lot closer than initially anticipated, and why we didn’t go with another title: Thing is, gamers everywhere often complain that developers don’t listen, that they continue to give fans products they don’t really want. Therefore, we should acknowledge developers who do precisely the opposite. Dragon Age II wasn’t really a hardcore role-player’s dream. In a lot of ways, it didn’t even make any sense. Where was the expansive, fantastical world in which to lose ourselves? Where was the customary depth we’d come to expect?
We got it all and then some with Inquisition . It’s the result of a team that heard and acted on feedback from fans; it’s the positive product of what they call “active listening.” It’s the role-playing game fans have wanted from BioWare from years and they delivered. The story and characters could’ve been better but if you get immersed in this wondrous world of danger and mystery, you’ll be the first to congratulate the designers. Beyond the size and scope, it’s more about the traditional blended with “next-gen” concepts; it’s about a role-playing game that’s every inch a role-playing game and such a phenomenon isn’t all that common anymore.
Much like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare winning Best Shooter, the driving force behind this category was a developer that gave fans of the genre exactly what they wanted. Everyone has their own opinions, of course, and if you put a premium on story and character development, you might not be especially impressed with Inquisition . But you’d be in the minority and there’s a very good reason for that. Quite frankly, it’s the proper successor to Dragon Age: Origins and that puts a smile on our faces.
Well, that's it for this year. Here's hoping 2015 is even better!
Someone sticking up for Nickelodean game stuff around here. That's a first. =p
Korra looks like a Lara Croft rip off anyway.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/3/2015 1:48:37 PM
BioWare is *not* known for bad acting?! I believe what you talk about are the animations during the cut-scenes, while the acting refers to the voice actors.
BioWare has quite the contrary always used *excellent* voice actors, playing their roles well.
Did any of us doubt it would be Dragon Age?
Very well done set of awards :). Surprised The Crew didn't make a nomination for best racer, but it should never have won in any event, so that's a very, very minor detail. Big props on Velocity 2X's nod on the Vita, is a bloody good game :).
I will not say anything about Unity but I will say I completely disagree with everything said about it. It's like saying you think garbage is art because it consists of many different colors most of the time.
Valiant Hearts was indeed a good game. Better than I expected. And the ending…man.
How can anyone have voted for Witcher 3 over MGSV?!
Murdered Soul Suspect is another bad game. Given more time they could have had magic, but it was rushed and boring and had issues left and right. My biggest issue is when I see what the developers were trying to do, but it fell way short because of time/budgets. It became a repetitive mess along with stealth segments that were…yeah.
Everything else was sound and interesting though. Good to see diversity with GOTY awards. Child of light must have a good soundtrack too so I'm going to go check that out.
"It's like saying you think garbage is art because it consists of many different colors most of the time."
Outrageously insulting.
"How can anyone have voted for Witcher 3 over MGSV?!"
I cannot speak for most members here but from what I have seen is that We have a diverse community here but the majority seems to prefer RPGs over any other genre. Sure, some may consider The Witcher 3 a hybrid of Action Adventure and RPG but in most people's eyes (here anyways) it's considered an RPG.
I do understand your statement considering my favorite franchise is MGS.
I agree with most of the winners to be honest.
I love that Shadow of Mordor took best sound, it is so cool when you are playing the the PS4 controller makes sound when you finish off a group of enemies with a combat finisher. So awesome.
My personal game of the year so far is Shadow of Mordor, it was just so much fun to play and I really want to see where they go with the nemisis system in their next game.
I would have given Destiny the multiplayer award because to be honest when playing with a team of friends that game is a blast.
I am about 10 hours into Dragon Age and have been OCD in the Hinterlands. So far I like it, but after playing Shadow of Mordor the combat in Dragon age just feels weak and clunky. Still I am enjoying it a lot and I am glad Bioware took steps in the right direction. I still don't know what the flying heck they were thinking with DA2.
I'm hoping that the Witcher 3 is like the perfect combination of Shadow of Mordor and DA:I, if CDprojekt can nail it like they have in the past I think we're going to have an awesome game on our hands.
wait. how does the combat in DA and Mordor even really compare?
DA lets you pause the combat and tactically place your characters and access their abilities. While it could be described as clunky from an action game standpoint, I really don't think DA is best played like an action game. Taking your time with careful decisions presents a lot more combat system detail.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/3/2015 6:44:09 PM
but if there's one thing that I keep having a problem with DA is in the vagueness of some of it's mission parameters. I'm supposedly supposed to be finding evidence of Grey Warden presence in the Storm Coast, yet I go to each of the 4 highlighted mission areas where bandits are, I kill them all, yet, the mission won't check off any of the locations I cleared. I wasted an hour last night trying to do the mission. I must be missing something. But stuff like this isn't the first time for me. (wait. i did do an astronomic constellation trace in there too. that was sorta fun)
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/3/2015 6:48:22 PM
Did you finish Shadow of Mordor already Xenris?
yea, I know what's wrong. I have to use my "sense" ability by pushing L3 to find the Warden clues. Forgot about that.
@ Temjin,
You can't really compare them as they are different genres, all I was saying is that they did try to make it more action based in Dragon Age and it ends up being this weird hybrid that isn't bad its just not as tight as it could be, if it was either pure action or pure CRPG like Origins was, on the PC that is. I am getting used to playing it how I think it is intended though. Again not saying its bad but something feels a little off about it. As a 2h warrior the hit detection can be atrocious sometimes.
It just felt really weird going from one to the other, if/when you get around to playing Shadow you will know what I mean.
I found the warden in the Hinterlands by accident :
@Bigrailer
Yes I beat Shadow of Mordor, and I have completed the survival challenge, 9/10 hunter challenges collected all the gylphs and artifacts.
I plan on clearing all the weapon challenges too but after I spend some time with Dragon Age.
Crap… I had like a 16 hour head start on you… I'm still not done.
Well bigrailer, I start work tomorrow and its competition season for gymnastics SOOOOO I wont have much time so I kind of plugged away at Shadows for a really long time. I was also really really hooked.
Even though I beat it I will return to it to clean up the map eventually. It really is one of my favourite games this year.
I seriously overlooked Shadow of Mordor for its Lord of The Rings style. The game seriously doesn't look very interesting to me but I would like to play sometime this year with an open mind because the fighting system looks very fun.
You overlooked it for the wrong reason. It has ties to Middle Earth for sure but by no means is this a movie spin-off. It's a brilliant game that uses a solid foundation in the Tolkien world.
You can ignore the lore entirely and just play it for what it is, and awesome action stealth game with a sweet nemesis system.
The combat is like Batman Arkym city only tweaked for the better, its stealth is similar to Ground Zeroes although the AI is a little more forgiving, and it has archery which can be used from either stealth or in the middle of combat.
It all blends beautifully together and kind of forces you to use all of the tools you have at your disposal to get the job done.
If you want the game to be more challenging and in my opinion more balanced don't upgrade your HPs at all. Otherwise it is a little too easy from what I hear.
I am so pleased that Inquisition won so many awards. I have played that game for over 300, and plan on sinking even more into it. Such a great game!
Truthfully after almost a year delay and all the buggy glitches n trouble w online drive club had at launch I wouldn't care if it was in 4k uhd should a developer that pushes a game out like that get any satisfaction to it apparently some think so me not so much n not to mention it was suppose to have a ftp version that completely disappeared that ppl could upgrade to the full version just feels like some companies feel they can say whatever then go back on it w no consequence n apparently they can
well what can i say i agree with most of the results and some are bit yeah/nah and abit hoo/hum and eyyya but you really don't get everything your own way so what can i say it was alright and who am i to argue really i can't decide for everyone. so yeah like i said i agree with this thing for the most part my minor things aren't really a big deal its just the game or series really and you can guess the rest but well it was an alright year and i just hope this year will be great all round
oh and one other thing the drive club thing it really didn't have any competetion if you looked at it just saying
so guys here is to a reasonable 2014 and a awsome 2015
cheers guys!!!(get the reference)
happy gaming
Last edited by Rachet_JC_FTW on 1/6/2015 6:17:40 AM