The Game Awards: From God Of War Ragnarok to Stray, our picks to win on gaming’s Oscars night
The biggest night in gaming – the closest thing the industry has to its own Oscars ceremony – is almost upon us.
Live from Los Angeles in just a few days, The Game Awards will honour the best the medium had to offer this year, honouring everything from the biggest blockbusters to the smallest independent debuts.
Gaming reporter Martin Kimber and technology reporter Tom Acres are here with their tips for some of the most competitive categories – and you can keep scrolling for the full list of nominees.
Best game
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Stray
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Martin’s pick: Horizon Forbidden West
It’s very difficult to pull off a successful sequel, but Guerrilla Games has done just that. You’ll struggle to find a prettier game with a bigger, more expansive map. It offers excellent replayability and thus value for money, it is addictive, and did I mention it’s pretty? Plus, robot dinosaurs! What’s not to like?!
Tom’s pick: Stray
Quite the debut from French indie studio BlueTwelve Studio. This surprisingly moving dystopian adventure painted a bleak yet hopeful picture of the fragility of life, and how it endures. Not content with nuanced commentary on capitalism and its impact on the planet, you also play as a very cute cat. And there’s a meow button!
‘Robot dinosaurs’ made their return in Guerilla’s sequel. Pic: Sony
Stray features inarguably the cutest main character of the year
Best narrative
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Immortality
Martin’s pick: Horizon Forbidden West
In the first Horizon, it felt like the developers came up with the concept of robot dinosaurs and built the whole game around that idea. However, this sequel boasts a much more fleshed out story, captivating even the players who just want to take on a mechanised velociraptor with a bow and arrow.
Tom’s pick: God Of War Ragnarok
God Of War’s reinvention four years ago was a triumph, plucking the vengeful protagonist Kratos out of his Greek comfort zone and into Norse mythology – with a son, no less. The stranger in a strange land setup was inherently less novel this time, but his metamorphosis from one of gaming’s most two-dimensional meatheads into a touching and relatable depiction of fatherhood goes from strength to strength, with quite the emotional pay-off.
Horizon Forbidden West was one of the best looking games of the year. Pic: Sony
Kratos meets all manner of great characters on his latest journey, including Ratatoskr the squirrel
Best art direction
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Scorn
Stray
Martin’s pick: God Of War Ragnarok
I played this recently with some friends, who genuinely couldn’t tell the difference between the cinematics and the gameplay. If you basically want a playable, violent Pixar film, this is the game for you.
Tom’s pick: Elden Ring
FromSoftware’s games have always boasted tremendous art direction, and each have brought its dark, fantasy tendencies to bigger audiences. Elden Ring was a collaboration with Game Of Thrones creator George RR Martin, showcased by the sheer scope and detail of its world. There’s an almost impossible-to-imagine level of variety, with every corner you turn invariably offering something new. Best art or not, it’s definitely got the most.
God Of War Ragnarok boasts some typically enormous creatures
The scope and variety of Elden Ring’s world is unmatched. Pic: Bandai Namco
Best family game
Kirby And The Forgotten Land
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope
Nintendo Switch Sports
Splatoon 3
Martin’s pick: Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
If I could give this game all of the above awards, I would. It’s been so long since they released one of these, I was worried they’d mess with the perfect recipe – but they didn’t. Collectible characters, stud multipliers and hilarious cinematics all make a return. A must-play for every family member (and Star Wars nerd).
Tom’s pick: Nintendo Switch Sports
I didn’t realise how much I missed the thrill of family competition in Wii Sports until its spiritual successor arrived on Nintendo’s Switch console. As was the case with the original, your mileage with each sport will vary and tennis and bowling remain by far the best, but each is boosted by far more precise motion controls and online multiplayer.
LEGO Star Wars lets you play through all nine main films. Pic: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
Bowling was one of the highlights of Nintendo’s return to sports games. Pic: Nintendo
Best multiplayer game
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
MultiVersus
Overwatch 2
Splatoon 3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Martin’s pick: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Boy, this game is hard. It’s so bloomin’ hard. I haven’t died this much in a game since… well, ever. But the new multiplayer maps are well-designed, the gun play is satisfying and balanced, and it’s fast. Infinity Ward has had a long time to perfect the FPS formula, and they’ve done just that.
Tom’s pick: Splatoon 3
Infinity Ward may have perfected the FPS formula, but Nintendo has a monopoly on futuristic paintball. Splatoon 3 was very much more of the same, with an emphasis on the more. While the fast-paced matches and tight controls were familiar to anyone who played prior instalments, a bolstered selection of maps, modes, and weapons made it a worthy entry in a series which remains unlike anything else almost six years after it debuted.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II was the biggest launch in franchise history
Splatoon 3 offered more of the same – but it was all good. Pic: Nintendo
Best game direction
Elden Ring
God of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Immortality
Stray
Best score and music
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Metal: Hellsinger
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Best audio design
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Elden Ring
God Of War Ragnarok
Gran Turismo 7
Horizon Forbidden West
Best performance
Ashly Burch, Horizon Forbidden West
Charlotte McBurney, A Plague Tale: Requiem
Christopher Judge, God Of War Ragnarok
Manon Gage, Immortality
Sunny Suljic, God Of War Ragnarok
Games for impact
A Memoir Blue
As Dusk Falls
Citizen Sleeper
Endling – Extinction is Forever
Hindsight
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
Best ongoing game
Apex Legends
Destiny 2
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
Genshin Impact
Best indie game
Cult Of The Lamb
Neon White
Sifu
Stray
Tunic
Best debut indie
Neon White
Norco
Stray
Tunic
Vampire Survivors
Best community support
Apex Legends
Destiny 2
Final Fantasy XIV
Fortnite
No Man’s Sky
Best mobile game
Apex Legends
Diablo Immortal
Genshin Impact
Marvel Snap
Tower Of Fantasy
Best VR/AR game
After The Fall
Among Us
Bonelab
Moss: Book II
Red Matter 2
Best action game
Bayonetta 3
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Neon White
Sifu
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Best action/adventure game
A Plague Tale: Requiem
God Of War Ragnarok
Horizon Forbidden West
Stray
Tunic
Best role-playing game
Elden Ring
Live A Live
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Triangle Strategy
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Best fighting game
DNF Duel Arc
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
The King Of Fighters XV
MultiVersus
Sifu
Best sim/strategy game
Dune: Spice Wars
Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope
Total War: Warhammer III
Two Point Campus
Victoria 3
Best sports/racing game
F1 22
FIFA 23
NBA 2K23
Gran Turismo 7
OlliOlli World
The Game Awards takes place on 9 December at 12.30am UK time.
Dominic West has revealed that pictures of him kissing actress Lily James being published in the press “informed” how he portrayed Prince Charles in The Crown.
In October 2020, co-stars James and West were photographed embracing while they were in Rome.
West, 54, who is married, now says the ensuing tabloid imbroglio helped him play the role of Charles, while he was Prince of Wales, in The Crown.
The actor told The Times: “I’d had a very acute understanding of what it’s like to feel the horror of your name or your photo in the newspapers.
“There is that dreadful, freezing moment when something is revealed about you. I think anyone can understand how that feels.
“But I’d been through it, and it must have informed how I approached it. That gut feeling of horror isn’t something you get inured to.”
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The Crown – ‘a drama for entertainment’
During his stint as Charles, he played some of the most controversial moments of his life, including his divorce from Princess Diana, her death and his relationship with now Queen, Camilla Parker Bowles.
Following the pictures being published, West and his wife Catherine Fitzgerald released a statement about their marriage, describing themselves as “very much still together”.
Read more:
I found The Crown’s final series harrowing
Tony Blair and Kate’s sheer dress: The controversial moments
Fitzgerald was also said at the time to have banned West from speaking with the actress, who first shot to fame for her role in Downton Abbey.
Lily James Pic: AP
James, 35, and West were together in the Italian capital amid the filming of an adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love.
West played the now King in two seasons of The Crown opposite Elizabeth Debicki’s Princess Diana and Olivia Williams Camilla Parker Bowles.
He has been nominated for a Best Leading Actor TV BAFTA for his portrayal, with the ceremony set to go ahead on 28 April.
Warwick Davis’ children have reassured fans after they raised concerns about a post on his social media days after the news of the death of his wife.
The 54-year-old Harry Potter star announced last week that his wife of 35 years, Samantha Davis, had died.
Warwick and Samantha Davis pictured at the 2015 National Television Awards. Pic: PA
The actor caused concern among fans after a late-night social media post on Sunday in which he told his 662,000 Twitter followers: “I’m done here, Sgning off [sic],” followed by a broken heart emoji
The couple’s two children – Annabelle and Harrison – updated their father’s post an hour later.
They wrote: “Thank you everyone for looking out for our Dad, he is taking some time away from social media. He apologises if his last message caused anyone concern. We appreciate all of your love and support, Annabelle and Harrison x”.
Samantha Davis, who was also an actress, co-founded the dwarfism charity Little People UK and featured in the final Harry Potter film, alongside he husband.
Davis announced news of her death last week, revealing she had died on 24 March in a statement to the BBC.
“Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs,” he said.
“She was a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life she had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes.”
He added that she was his “most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career”.
(L-R) Harrison Davis, Warwick Davis, Samantha Davis and Annabelle Davis at the screening of Disney+ series Willow in 2022. Pic: PA
The couple met on the set of George Lucas’s film Willow and married three years later in 1991.
Their two children together, Annabelle and Harrison, also paid tribute to their mother, saying: “Her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives.
“Mum is our best friend and we’re honoured to have received a love like hers.”
Read more on Sky News:
Kevin Bacon visits scene of Footloose four decades later
Letters of Everest climber published 100 years after fatal climb
Samantha’s agency, Little People, also shared a statement, calling her passion for supporting members of the community “unmatched,” and pledging to “continue her legacy for a long time to come”.
They added: “Not only was Sammy a passionate advocate for the community, she was a friend to many, with a listening ear at any time and an endless positive spirit, we know this is going to be a huge loss to everyone and we want you to know we will be here to support.”
Davis’ last post on Instagram, shared last October, was a picture of the couple smiling ahead of a night out, with the jokey message: “A long overdue date night with my beautiful wife. She felt a bit overdressed for McDonald’s!”
The actor starred as the titular hero Willow Ufgood in the 1988 original film Willow and reprised the role for the 2022 sequel.
He played three different roles across all eight of the Harry Potter films – a Gringotts bank employee, Professor Filius Flitwick, the charms teacher, and Griphook, a Gringotts goblin.
Davis also played several characters in the Star Wars film series.
Samantha played a goblin in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and had an uncredited role in Willow, through which she first met Warwick.
Actor Kevin Bacon has returned to the US high school where his movie Footloose was filmed more than 40 years ago.
The 65-year-old visited Payson High School in the state of Utah to greet students following a years-long campaign which started on social media under the hashtag #BaconToPayson.
According to news reports last month, the school had gone Footloose-crazy – holding a Footloose movie night, staging a Footloose musical, renaming the annual Mr Payson pageant after the actor, and even holding a competition for essays persuading Bacon to visit.
The mission turned into a community-wide campaign to partner with the actor’s charity, with students helping to put together 5,000 care packages for SixDegrees.
Students welcome Kevin Bacon. Pic: NBC
Kevin Bacon helps fill care packages for his charity. Pic: Jesse Sorenson/AP
And on Saturday, the actor came to help about 700 students and 300 community members fill the care packages.
“You talked me into it,” he said to the students.
“It’s great to see that kind of commitment to anything.
“I also think that it’s amazing to see the power that this movie has had to bring people together.”
In March, when he accepted the invitation to visit, he said: “I have been so impressed with everything that has been going on there with this crazy idea to get me back, so thank you, thank you, and I’m gonna come. I gotta come.”
Pic: NBC
In Footloose, Bacon played a teenager from Chicago who moved to a small town and fought its ban on dancing.
The town of Payson, about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City, was the film’s setting.
Some of its 21,000 residents remember being extras and can point out parts of the town used in the film.
At the end of the day, Payson High School students held their prom.
It is likely to be the last prom at the school before its outdated buildings are torn down next year.
The theme of the prom? Footloose, of course.
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