The Game Critics Awards announces its winners for the best games of E3 2016, which included high profile titles like Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2, and The Legend of Zelda.
The judges’ votes are in and the E3 2016 Awards have finally been announced. While it might not have been the flashiest of E3s in terms of high profile reveals and mind-blowing surprises, there were still plenty of exciting games on the show floor, and many of them were recognized for their achievement.
Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, we should mention that the E3 2016 awards are decided on by a group of games journalists comprising publications from around the globe. These are the folks more commonly referred to as “judges” and therefore their consensus awards typically take the highest precedence.
So, which games did they like at the show? It should come as no surprise that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild came away with a few awards, including ‘Best Game of E3 2016’ honors.
Nintendo’s latest game looks to be a stark departure for the long-running and immensely popular franchise, while still retaining a similar look and feel. At the end of the day it’s hard to top Zelda in any respect, and the award proves that.
Also worth mentioning among the winners is Horizon: Zero Dawn, which came away with the Best Original Game award. Interestingly enough, Horizon won that exact same award last year, which could either be saying something about the state of original IP in game development or the type of game Guerrilla Games is working on. It’s hard to deny Horizon: Zero Dawn doesn’t look unique, and this year’s demo gave gamers a better idea as to how the gameplay will actually work.
Other highlights on the winner list include Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2, two EA products looking to push their respective franchises to new heights. As well, NetherRealm and WB’s Injustice 2 took home the crown for ‘Best Fighting Game’.
For a full list of the E3 2016 awards winners see below:
Best of Show
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
(Nintendo/Nintendo for Wii-U/NX)
Best Original Game
Horizon Zero Dawn
(Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4)
Best Console Game
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
(Nintendo/Nintendo for Wii-U/NX)
Best VR Game
Batman: Arkham VR
(Rocksteady/Warner Bros. Interactive Ent for PlayStation 4)
Best PC Game
Civilization VI
(Firaxis/2K)
Best Hardware/Peripheral
PlayStation VR
(Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Action Game
Battlefield 1
(DICE/EA for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Action/Adventure Game
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
(Nintendo/Nintendo for Wii-U/NX)
Best Role Playing Game
Final Fantasy XV
(Square-Enix for PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Racing Game
Forza Horizon 3
(Playground Games/Turn 10/Microsoft Studios for PC, Xbox One)
Best Fighting Game
Injustice 2
(NetherRealm/WBIE for PS4, Xbox One)
Best Sports Game
Steep
(Ubisoft Annecy/Ubisoft for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Family Game
Skylanders: Imaginators
(Toys for Bob/Activision for PC, PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One, Wii-U)
Best Online Multiplayer
Titanfall 2
(Respawn/EA for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Independent Game
Inside
(Playdead for PC, Xbox One)
Special Commendation for Graphics
God of War
(Sony Santa Monica/Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4)
Overall, E3 2016 was a mixed bag in terms of known quantities, a few surprises, and impressive demos. As these awards show it was hard to beat the games that innovated within their own franchise, but that tends to be the case in general.
What’s most surprising, though, is that, with all of the talk about upgrading consoles like Microsoft Scorpio and PlayStation Neo, a Wii U game stood out among the rest. Granted, the game is also coming to Nintendo NX, but the demo on-hand at E3 2016 certainly didn’t have the visual fidelity of a God of War or Gears of War 4. It just goes to show how valuable solid and innovative gameplay can be.
Source: Game Critics Awards