VGX Hopes and Predictions

Just like music and movies, I believe video games are a form of art and like other art forms, are deserving of awards and praise as well.  While I am a gamer, I make this statement because I feel video games fulfill the requirements to be an art form based on both the definition and philosophy of art (more on this subject another time.)  I am not the only one who has credence in this as the Video Game Awards show has become a yearly tradition honoring the best in the industry.

While not as classy, or overly pretentious, as other award shows, it is always good to see artists recognized for their hard work.  Before the show airs on December 7 at 6PM EST (3PM CST), I will give both my favorite nominees and picks for which game could win for all categories.

Best Soundtrack

My favorite and predicted winner is both one and the same: The Last of Us.  Featuring a soundtrack of original tracks that drew upon country/blues styles to set the mood and tone, I believe Naughty Dog’s grand opus will win this category.  While I do love BioShock Infinite, the soundtrack did not stick with me, outside of the ragtime covers, and while Ni No Kuni‘s is also good, the sound is far too derived from classic RPGs to stand out amongst the pack.  As for Grand Theft Auto 5, the plethora of licensed tracks, which will be playing quite a bit due to the focus on driving, tend to overshadow the original score.

Best Song in a Game

My favorite song choice would have to be Eminem’s “Survival” because it is was the best part of Ghost‘s single player, but the winner will probably, and deservingly so, be “Will the Circle be Unbroken.”   Performed by Troy Baker and Courtney Draper for BioShock, the track is performed very well and is absolutely beautiful, not to mention it’s the only track not performed by a recording artist.

Best Voice Actors (Male and Female)

For the male actors, my favorite and predicted pick is Troy Baker.  Not only is he nominated twice, but all of his performances this year have been nothing short of amazing, even his Mark Hamill Joker impression in Arkham Origins.  Yes, Willem Dafoe performed well despite Beyond: Two Souls not being so good, but he is already established as a good actor; this one belongs to Baker. He earned it.

As for female voice actors, I want Courtnee Draper (Elizabeth from BioShock) to win because her performance helped to bring to life one of the most compelling characters ever to grace a video game.  On the other hand, my gut believes Ashley Johnson will take the prize for her role as Ellie in The Last of Us.  Ellen Page will receive the same judgment as Willem Dafoe.

Best Casual Game

My favorite would have to be Plants vs. Zombies 2, the only one in the category I’ve played, while the winner will easily be between this game and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.  I feel  Animal Crossing will take the win due to its popularity, but I also feel it will be a close competition.  The Disney Infinity and Skylanders games won’t have much pull on the poll due to their younger  target audience.

Best PC Game

Unfortunately, the only game on the list I have played is Battlefield 4; my favorite pick merely by default I suppose.  I have yet to play The Stanley Parable or Papers, Please even though their gameplay and concepts seem more compelling than that the bug-ridden, technical disaster that is Battlefield 4 on the PC.  I would like one of the indie titles to win, but sadly I think Battlefield 4 will take the prize.  Here’s hoping I’m wrong.

Best Handheld Game

Looks to be another nail-biter, especially for Nintendo fans.  My favorite would have to be Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.  As for the predicted winner, it will probably be Animal Crossing; its chances increase significantly if it wins best casual game.  Tearaway is the odd man out of the group because it is a PS Vita game and the least recognizable in a group of well-established franchises.

Best Nintendo Game

This one is difficult for me as I have yet to play a game on the Wii U; my sincerest apologies Nintendo fans.  Basing everything on instinct again, I feel like Rayman Legends will take the gold by a hair with Super Mario 3D in close second.  Not sure why, both games have received consistently high scores amongst critics, but I feel Rayman will win.  If I’m wrong Nintendo fans, you have my permission to say, “I told you so,” for a lack of faith in Mario.

Best PlayStation Game

One answer: The Last of Us.  I am almost positive this game already has its trophy in hand as I write this article.  This is also the only game on the list that is an exclusive which makes me feel like it should win by default.  Regardless, I is a great game deserving of an award.

Best Xbox Game

I want BioShock Infinite to win this award for its superb narrative, presentation, art direction, and skyline shoot-outs, but I am almost 100% positive this will go to Grand Theft Auto 5.  Once again, I must apologize to the fans for I am not a fan of the GTA series and GTA 5 did not even come close to in its attempt to convert me into its fanbase.  Due to the amount of praise it has received from critics and fans alike, this will probably take the win.

Best DLC

My pick for favorite and winner is quite obvious; Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.  Whereas the other nominees are actually a part of their games, Blood Dragon is an extension of Far Cry 3 that just happens to be its own game.  Based on my experiences with DLC, most content doesn’t take too long to complete, but Blood Dragon is fairly lengthy especially if players aim for 100% completion.  It is also worth noting that it contains gameplay mechanics from one of the best sandbox shooters of all time.  Point goes to Blood Dragon.

Best Driving Game

Great, another category in which I have yet to play any of the games listed.  Since my experiences with the Forza series has been more positive than Need For Speed, I pick Forza 5.  How positive am I? About 25%; on to the next category.

Best Fighting Game

Despite having a poorly written story and is somewhat lacking in creativity (Mortal Kombat with super heroes), Injustice: Gods Among Us is still a fun fighting game that manages to be both complex yet inviting for gamers unfamiliar with the fighting genre.  My pick, and favorite, stands out since Tekken Revolution‘s free-to-play model drags it down, Divekick is both somewhat obscure and rated poorly by critics, and Killer Instinct got in just a little too late.  Hopefully next year, there will be more fighters to play than this year.

Best RPG

My favorite of the group is easily Fire Emblem: Awakening, but the crown will go to Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.  Personally, I found the fighting mechanics to be cumbersome and overly complex by trying to be Pokémon, Final Fantasy, and Star Ocean at the same time.  The art direction is superb and the story is very charming plus I know this game already won the hearts of many despite never breaking through my cynicism.  Ni No Kuni will probably win and I have no problem with a Studio Ghibli cleaning house at another award show.

Best Independent Game

I am sad to say that I have not been able to keep up with the indies as much as I would like.  This means I have yet to try any of these game out yet.  It is a shame though because each game seems quite compelling and unique.  Based on what I’ve seen, I feel The Stanley Parable will win for its unique premise and humor.  Papers, Please will probably take second, followed by Kentucky Route Zero despite only being two episodes, with Gone Home in last place.

Best Sports Game

This one is tough to judge as I don’t really care for sports games.  Once again, I have to go with my gut so NBA 2K14.  Regardless, an EA game has the highest probability to win since three of the nominees are from them.

Best Action Adventure

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is my favorite action adventure game of the year because sailing around pillaging unfortunate merchants and naval ships never gets old.  Will it win? Probably not as I feel more votes will go to Tomb Raider (2013) instead of the other three.  The Last of Us is great, but is more action than adventure.  GTA 5 may have a strong fanbase, but I don’t feel like the game has as much pull this year as a did with previous games.

Best Shooter

Metro: Last Light is both my favorite and pick to win for the shooter category.  Battlefield 4 is fun, but only when it works, which is very rare lately, and Call of Duty: Ghosts is a Frankenstein’s monster made from pieces of other CoD games; the committee would have to be either crazy or bribed to pick one of these.  From an FPS standpoint,  Metro Last Light contains better shootouts than BioShock.  Last Light is a great game and is one-of-a-kind amongst generic FPS games; it deserves to win and should since the FPS juggernauts have been crippled by technical problems and lazy design.

Studio of the Year

This category is very hard to judge as each studio has only released one game this year and three of the studios’ games are up for game of the year.  The Fullbright Company feels like a throwaway nominee, which is wrong since they are the only indie developer.  Even though I have yet to play Gone Home, I hope they win because they are both an indie developer and the underdogs.  Sadly, I believe Rockstar North will take the prize.

Game of the Year

This is the moment of truth; the award that everyone waits for.  What is the most important award of the night, is also the most difficult to pick.  My favorite of the group is BioShock Infinite while the chosen winner will be The Last of Us.  I am about 65% sure that The Last of Us will take game of the year, but with the inclusion of GTA 5 and BioShock Infinite, it could be anyone’s game.

Not Until the Fat Lady Sings

For now these are just predictions and favorites which will only be validated or nullified until the winner is announced at the VGX (Video Game Awards).  For those who disagree, feel free to share your picks in the comment section, but wait to dish out the “I told you so,” or “Way to see the future Miss Cleo” comments until I have been proven to have poor clairvoyant skills.  Here’s to another year of great games and awesome gaming experiences!