The 2016 Game Awards is a week away, and many of the year’s most popular titles are competing for the top prizes in over ten categories.
Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4 is leading the pack among this year’s awards, with an impressive eight nominations in six different categories, including Best Narrative, Best Performance (Nolan North as Nathan Drake, Emily Rose as Elena Fisher, and Troy Baker as Sam Drake,), and of course, the coveted “Game of the Year” title.
Elena (Emily Rose) in Uncharted 4
Uncharted 4 was the final chapter in Nathan Drake’s epic adventure saga. When it came out in early May the reviews were filled with high praise nearly across the board for the game’s strong narrative and incredible graphics, and the majority of die-hard fans believed it to be a fitting end to Nate’s story. The previous three Uncharted games also went on to win “Game of the Year” titles, as well as Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic game, The Last of Us in 2013.
While all of that makes it seem like Uncharted 4 is a shoe-in for the Game of the Year award, 2016 was a busy year for game releases, and many of them are giving Naughty Dog’s final Uncharted a run for its money.
Blizzard’s massively popular team shooter, Overwatch, is another contender for the “Game of the Year” title. It was also released in May and has become one of the most popular shooters of the year, praised for its colorful maps, memorable catch-phrases, and its diverse cast of heroes. More than ten million people participated in the beta, and in the first week of its release alone, Overwatch boasted over 7 million players globally.
Overwatch introduces their newest hero, Sombra.
Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall 2 is also in the “Game of the Year” category, along with Bethesda and id Software’s Doom remake. One of the big indie games of the year, Playdead’s Inside, also has a shot at grabbing the coveted title.
In addition to the “Game of the Year” award and the many other categories, PlayStation VR games are also being recognized this year. PSVR was just released in early October, and titles like Batman: Arkham VR and Eve Valkyrie are contenders for “Best VR Game”.
The Game Awards 2016 will be on December 1st at 8:30PM EST. Interested viewers can stream the show on their consoles, online, as well as on PlayStation VR to see which game takes home the top awards. Check out the entire list of nominees here.
Tori is a writer and gamer originally from Vault 111, but now she resides in Chicago. She has an MFA in creative writing-fiction, runs primarily on coffee, and is an expert on AMC’s The Walking Dead. Follow her on Twitter @torithatnerd.
