2014 may be the year for Evolve.
The Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 winners came out today, as voted on by 29 publications, including yours truly at GamesBeat. The clear victor is Evolve, the 4-versus-1 multiplayer game where four human hunters track and kill a single player-controlled monster. It’s from the makers of Left 4 Dead and is a new twist on cooperative, asymmetrical multiplayer. It looks gorgeous on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. And all of this is why I voted for it.
Altogether, Evolve won four awards including Best of Show. The indie No Man’s Sky sci-fi procedural title won three awards, including Best Original Game and Special Commendation for Innovation. Not bad for a game made by four developers at Hello Games.
Evolve and No Man’s Sky are a study in contrasts. The trick with Evolve will be to create enough variable gameplay so that players won’t get tired of it. With No Man’s Sky, the graphics are procedural. They’re unlimited in that sense. But the challenge is to make the gameplay fun, after the initial sense of wonder wears off.
Overall, Sony had the best showing with 12 wins for the PlayStation 4 platform. Here are the results. I’ve indicated my own votes too.
Best of Show:
Evolve
(Turtle Rock/2K Games for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC)
I voted for Evolve.
Best Original Game:
No Man’s Sky
(Hello Games for PlayStation 4)
I voted for Evolve. Both titles are original, but I believe Evolve will be much more fun.
Best Console Game:
Evolve
(Turtle Rock/2K Games for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
I voted for Evolve.
Best Handheld/Mobile Game
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
(Sora/Bandai Namco/Nintendo for 3DS)
I voted for Super Smash Bros. for 3DS.
Best PC Game
Rainbow Six: Siege
(Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC)
I voted for Civilization: Beyond Earth. I saw this as a PC gamer’s favorite strategy game coming back for another round. And Rainbow Six: Siege was pretty creepy because two teams were fighting over this female hostage.
Best Hardware/Peripheral
Oculus Rift
(Oculus VR)
I voted for Oculus VR.
Best Action Game
Evolve
(Turtle Rock/2K Games for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)
I voted for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
Best Action/Adventure Game
Batman: Arkham Knight
(Rocksteady/WBIE for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
I voted for The Order: 1886. I felt that this game was taking me on a grand new adventure.
Best Role Playing Game
Dragon Age: Inquisition
(BioWare/EA for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox One, PC)
I voted for Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Best Fighting Game
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
(Nintendo)
I voted for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Best Racing Game
The Crew
(Ivory Tower/Reflections/Ubisoft for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)
I voted for Driveclub. I felt like it had a more focused and more artistic combination of cars and landscapes.
Best Sports Game
NHL 15
(EA Canada/EA Sports for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360)
I didn’t vote in this category.
Best Strategy Game
Civilization: Beyond Earth
(Firaxis/2K Games for PC, Linux, OSX)
I voted for Civilization: Beyond Earth.
Best Social/Casual/Family Game
Mario Maker
(Nintendo EAD/Nintendo for Wii U)
I voted for Yoshi’s Wooly World. I felt that the yarn-inspired graphics were cool.
Best Online Multiplayer
Evolve
(Turtle Rock/2K Games for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)
I voted for Evolve.
Best Independent Game
No Man’s Sky
(Hello Games for PlayStation 4)
I voted for No Man’s Sky.
Special Commendation for Innovation
No Man’s Sky
(Hello Games for PlayStation 4).
I didn’t vote.
