Summary

Ranking the games with the most Game Awards nominations is a tough task. At most, these games can be sorted according to their impact on their company, the industry, or fans of their genre. Even among the most divisive fans, it’s undeniable that games likeBaldur’s Gate 3,Red Dead Redemption 2, andElden Ringchanged gaming for the better.

Despite these qualifiers, ranking the most nominated Game Awards games boils down to player preference. The Game Awards includes most titles that a majority of gamers played and talked about throughout their year of nomination. Regardless of which title readers like the most, every game on the list is deserving of their nominations and wins.

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From the jump,Straypromised a post-apocalyptic, half-cyberpunk world ripe for exploration. BlueTwelve Studio delivered that and more by populating the sealed world with stories about humanity, despite the lack of humans. Robots, records, and the environment are made for musings on loneliness, environmental destruction, and social stratification.

Being an Annapurna Interactive-published game,Strayis astory-first game. Difficulty is almost non-existent and gameplay serves to immerse players in a world where design follows plot rather than logic at times.Straypushes what narrative games can do in terms of making a fully realized game rather than a story with extra steps.

Deathloopwas lauded for the hundreds of different ways gamers can play aroundthe perfect timeloop. Its critical path also makes it forgiving to players who may be lost ifDeathloopallowed any divergent solutions to its puzzles to pan out.

Another unique, yet divisive,Deathloopelement is its invasion system.Dark Soulsand similar games allow gamers to invade others’ single-player campaigns, butDeathloop’s implementation supports its timeloop goals. Successful invasions force players to outsmart invaders and explore new ways of playing each loop.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirthcontinues the new series’ compromise betweenremake and reimagining. Despite its alternative timeline, key events still progress as they did in the 1997 classic. The resulting game split opinions among fans, butRebirthundeniably retained the themes and plot beats that madeFF7well-loved while modernizing the title.

Classic fans are given new ways to appreciate Cloud, Aerith, Zack, Sephiroth, and the crew. New fans, on the other hand, continue to enjoy the quality of life changes expected from modern titles, while enjoying refreshed takes on anti-capitalism, loss, life, and self-determination.

A consistent perception aboutHorizonis how it’s released on the same day as other triple-A releases that overshadow it on mainstream channels. Despite that,Horizon Zero DawnandHorizon Forbidden Westwere received well. More than that,Horizonbecame synonymous with having a living world that was fun to explore.

Horizon Forbidden West’s traversal kit made exploration fun onland, air, and seaeven outside its compelling, top-notch story. Yet, the enlivened world wouldn’t be as fun to explore if it weren’t for Guerilla Games’ dedication to crafting a visual feast worthy of its $212 million price tag.

13Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Playable Indiana Jones, A Cinematic Video Game GOAT

It was a foregone conclusion thatUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endwould receive a ton of nominations before release. By the end of Nathan Drake’s journey, it was clear thatUnchartedwas a direct product of Naughty Dog’s commitment to hyper-realistic graphics, maximizing the PlayStation’s capabilities, andtheir cinematic aspirations.

Uncharted’s big moments, gameplay, and massive set pieces were unapologetic attempts to make gamers feel like they were playingIndiana Jonesor other action movies. This core mission made the game, and other Naughty Dog darlingThe Last of Us, perfect for Hollywood adaptations. These titles also ensured the developer’s continued dedication to cinematic, adaptable titles.

The term “ludonarrative dissonance” was coined in response to conflicting story and gameplay incentives and elements in video games.Uncharted 4used the term as a trophy name for killing 1,000 enemies 9 years later, in acknowledgment of criticism about lead Nathan Drake’s glib gameplay violence versus his story characterization.

Ludonarrative dissonance would once again be used in reviews of another Naughty Dog game,The Last of Us 2. ExceptTLOU 2seemingly overcame this gaming theory by making the story demand merciless bloodshed.Ellie and Abby’sgrief- and trauma-fueled rampages complementTLOU 2’s brutal death animations for the goons players mow down.

It’s partly their complex, emotional, and messy journeys that madeTLOU 2highly nominated.TLOU 2may feel bloated at times, but it shows what a triple-A game can do with complex characters, themes, and plots.

Hadesis a perfect storm of excellent art, music, gameplay, and player support. Excellent plot and characters had players run the underworld hundreds of times to get the full story behind Zagreus’ family and Greek gods and heroes. A blood-pumping soundtrack and fantastic art direction also made repeated runs a treat.

Its gameplay in particular especially stands out, as gamers of all skill levels are encouraged to put their roundsin the roguelite. Supergiant Games gave players God Mode from the start to toggle on if the action gets too tough. Gameplay equity allowed fans to explore every combination of weapon, keepsake, and boon available and learn the game inside-out.

Acting and cinematic-style storytelling go hand-in-hand withcertain gaming genresby now. But Remedy reminded gamers of their mastery of cinematic games withControl. Facial animations jank aside,Control’s careful direction and atmospheric scene setting fully immersed players in a world of paranormal intrigue and existential horror.

Controlalso featured phenomenal ray-tracing application and destructible environments. Reflective surfaces and contrasting textures appear deliciously realistic with the game’s lighting engine and upscales its look even on low settings. Combined with a highly interactive environment, exploring the Federal Bureau of Control to see all it has to offer feels as mandatory as unraveling the excellent main plot.

Akira Kurosawa’s oeuvre inspired countless movies, shows, games, and outright remakes.Ghost of Tsushimawears Kurosawa’s mark proudly, even working with the director’s estate to craft a cinematic mode named after him. Beyond the look,Tsushima’s cinematic set pieces, particularly its stand-offs, and themes of revenge and tradition find roots in Kurosawa’s work.

Tsushimais also, plainly, a fun game to play rather than just philosophize about. Nailing stances and stance-switching transform combat from button-mashing to timed, movie-like combat sequences. Luckily for fans of eitherTsushima’s writing or combat, they haveGhost of Yoteito look forward to.

Alan Wake 2built onControl’s achievements by creating a darkly beautiful world preoccupied with telling a story. Remedy and Sam Lake’s confidence in their narrative and the influences they proudly display, fromTwin Peaks, True Detective, Silent Hill, andResident Evilin its main plot and characters, toSe7enand the Coen brothers for its visuals, and so much more.

The game never strays from what it wants the players to feel. Hand-holding might be a stretch, butAlan Wake 2expertly guides players beat-to-beat to keep interest always pitched high. Even without familiarity with the massive library of mythological and pop cultural influences that form the game, players get the sense of a fully realized world that’s a blast to play through.