The Video Game Awards are coming December 6. With Geoff Keighley’s big show coming, I will be giving my predictions to what I think will win. I will base my choices on my own experience and what I genuinely believe will win. Some will be wild guesses and others will be my own love for a title.
Before going in, I will skip some categories due to my lack of knowledge like anything to do with esports or not having certain consoles to play this year’s biggest exclusives.
Game of the Year
#1: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec/Ubisoft)
#2: Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
#3: God of War (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
#4: Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games/SIE)
#5: Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)
#6: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
Winner: God of War (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
I was blown away by the latest God of War. What wins for me is the game’s ability to balance satisfying combat and a gripping story that left me an emotional wreck. I came in as a newcomer, and now I need my fix for more adventures with Kratos and Atreus.
Buy now: God of War – PlayStation 4
Best Ongoing Game
#1: Destiny 2: Forsaken (Bungie/Activision)
#2: Fortnite (Epic Games)
#3: No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
#4: Overwatch (Blizzard)
#5: Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
Winner: Fortnite (Epic Games)
Despite my feelings or anyone else’s, Fortnite still controls the lives of millions. The juggernaut of a game came in at the right time to claim the throne after PUBG.
Best Game Direction
#1: A Way Out (Hazelight Studios/EA)
#2: Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream/SIE)
#3: God of War (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
#4: Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games/SIE)
#5: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
Winner: A Way Out (Hazelight Studios/EA)
While I may have had issues with A Way Out, the game’s unique split-screen mechanic will be one of the most brilliant choices in gaming history. The perfection of playing with a friend on the couch or online while maintaining the same feeling will is unlike anything the world has seen. The perfect emotional rollercoaster to play through with a friend or loved one.
Buy now: A Way Out – PlayStation 4
Best Narrative
#1: Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream/SIE)
#2: God of War (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
#3: Life is Stranger 2: Episode 1 (Dotnod Entertainment/Square Enix)
#4: Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games)
#5: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
Winner: Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games)
Despite some fierce competition for best narrative, Spider-Man wins due to its perfect pacing. A sweet, short story that pulls out every emotion you can imagine. I laughed at the hilarity of Spidey, I teared up throughout the final act, and I was full of joy when things got better for New York.
Buy now: Marvel’s Spider-Man – PlayStation 4
Best Art Direction
#1: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec/Ubisoft)
#2: God of War (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
#3: Octopath Traveler (Square Enix/Acquire/Nintendo)
#4: Return of the Obra Dinn (3909 LLC)
#5: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
2018 was full of games that I kept saying, “This is the best looking game ever.” Then Rockstar showed up everyone with the gorgeous look of Red Dead Redemption 2. The amount of detail with the mindblowing textures and a wide variety of locations that have a unique feel brought the world to life. When developers say they have made a living open world, nothing compares to what Rockstar has created.
Buy now: Red Dead Redemption 2 – PlayStation 4
Buy now: Red Dead Redemption 2 – Xbox One
Best Score/Music
#1: Celeste (Lena Raine)
#2: God of War (Bear McCreary)
#3: Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Joe Hisaishi)
#4: Octopath Traveler (Yasunori Nishiki)
#5: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Woody Jackson/Daniel Lanois)
#6: Marvel’s Spider-Man (John Paesano)
Winner: Marvel’s Spider-Man (John Paesano)
John Paesano captured the right music to go alongside Spidey. An epic score that feels heroic and that you are inside of a movie from the MCU. Paesano captures the fun, heroism, and emotion that comes into Peter Parker’s life.
Buy now: Marvel’s Spider-Man – PlayStation 4
Best Audio Design
#1: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Treyarch/Activision)
#2: Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games/Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Studios)
#3: God of War (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
#4: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
#5: Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games)
Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
Besides being the best looking, the sound design in Rockstar’s open world western delivers that extra level of detail for a fully immersive experience.
Buy now: Red Dead Redemption 2 – PlayStation 4
Buy now: Red Dead Redemption 2 – Xbox One
Best Performance
#1: Bryan Dechart as Connor (Detroit: Become Human)
#2: Christopher Judge as Kratos (God of War)
#3: Melissanthi Mahut as Kassandra (Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey)
#4: Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption 2)
#5: Yuri Lowenthal (Marvel’s Spider-Man)
Winner: Yuri Lowenthal (Marvel’s Spider-Man)
While Tom Holland remains to be not only the best Spider-Man/Peter Parker, he is Spider-Man/Peter Parker. Yuri Lowenthal gets mighty close. He captures the witty hero while maintaining his personal life as the kind, nerdy young guy doing his best for his Aunt May. If we need an older Spider-Man in a future movie, then the man for the job is right here.
Buy now: Marvel’s Spider-Man – PlayStation 4
Best Action Game
#1: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Treyarch/Activision)
#2: Dead Cells (Motion Twin)
#3: Destiny 2: Forsaken (Bungie/Activision)
#4: Far Cry 5 (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft)
#5: Mega Man 11 (Capcom)
Winner: Dead Cells (Motion Twin)
The most unique title out of the nominated games with its gameplay and visual style. Without the major controversy behind it, this indie title could have gone unnoticed by most of the world.
The difficulty action game is full of challenges to accompany its highly stylized visuals.
Buy now: Dead Cells – Nintendo Switch
Buy now: Dead Cells – PlayStation 4
Buy now: Dead Cells – Xbox One
Best Role Playing Game
#1: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Square Enix)
#2: Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)
#3: Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Level 5/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
#4: Octopath Traveler (Square Enix/Acquire/Nintendo)
#5: Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (Obsidian Entertainment/Versus Evil)
Winner: Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)
Monster Hunter took the world by storm with its fifth main entry. The most popular tend to win, especially with how much people still talk about hunting monsters after the release.
Buy now: Monster Hunter: World – PlayStation 4 Standard Edition
Buy now: Monster Hunter World – Xbox One
Best Action/Adventure Game
#1: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
#2: Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games)
#3: God of War (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
#4: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec/Ubisoft)
#5: Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Eidos Montreal/Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix)
Winner: God of War (Sony Santa Monica/SIE)
The category calls for the game with the best mix of traversal, combat, and puzzle solving. God of War has that and more. Every mechanic has a purpose. Rowing a boat across the water allows the characters to share stories or discuss events that recently happened. Some of the best combat I have ever experienced comes from an evolving system that delivers new moves and teaches new methods to handle the vast variety of enemies. The puzzles might be simple, but they maintain interest throughout the lengthy adventure.
Buy now: God of War – PlayStation 4
Best Fighting Game
#1: Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle (Arc System Works)
#2: Dragon Ball FighterZ (Arc System Works/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
#3: Soul Calibur VI (Bandai Namco Studios/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
#4: Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition (Capcom)
Winner: Soul Calibur VI (Bandai Namco Studios/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
The classic fighter series is back and making a killing with new characters and stages. Plus, the character customizations I have seen on Twitter are insane. When a game allows you to make Thanos, then it must be incredible.
Buy now: SOULCALIBUR VI: Standard Edition – PlayStation 4
Buy now: SOULCALIBUR VI: Standard Edition – Xbox One
Best Family Game
#1: Mario Tennis Aces (Camelot Software Planning/Nintendo)
#2: Nintendo Labo (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
#3: Overcooked 2 (Ghost Town Games/Team 17)
#4: Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Ubisoft Toronto/Ubisoft)
#5: Super Mario Party (NDCube/Nintendo)
Winner: Super Mario Party (NDCube/Nintendo)
Nintendo’s reputation for family-friendly games continues to this day. However, the Mario Party series shows a different side of the Japanese juggernaut. A fun way to tear friends and family apart as you utilize cutthroat strategies to earn the most stars. What is more family friendly?
Best Sports/Racing Game
#1: Fifa 19 (EA Vancouver/EA Sports)
#2: Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games/Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Studios)
#3: Mario Tennis Aces (Camelot Software Planning/Nintendo)
#4: NBA 2K19 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports)
#5: Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 (PES Productions/Konami)
Winner: Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games/Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Studios)
The Forza games always push boundaries for the genre. With stunning graphics and superb gameplay, it is hard to find a better racing game. Taking itself to the UK to deliver a new dynamic weather mechanic, Forza manages to push further into being one of the most spectacular games around.
Buy now: Forza Horizon 4 – Xbox One / Windows 10
Best Multiplayer Game
#1: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Treyarch/Activision)
#2: Destiny 2: Forsaken (Bungie/Activision)
#3: Fortnite (Epic Games)
#4: Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)
#5: Sea of Thieves (Rare/Microsoft Studios)
Winner: Fortnite (Epic Games)
If Fortnite appears on a category, then the masses will vote for the free-to-play shooter to victory. Full of players who can enjoy the game’s PVP or the zombie survival mode that was the initial intention for Fortnite before all of the fame and glory.
You can catch the Video Game Awards on December 6. Vote here to see your favorite games win.
Header image via Video Game Awards/GameSlice
Tristan Zelden 