The Recreation Awards aren’t identified for a lot in the best way of shock and shock, and so it proved with the 2024 nominees — a reasonably well-rounded listing during which a lot of the yr’s best-reviewed and best-loved video games acquired some love.
The Recreation Awards’ voting jury snubbed BioWare’s newest recreation in a collection of key classes the place it will have been anticipated to compete. It secured only one nomination, for Innovation in Accessibility, which is set by a specialist jury.
Granted, the reception to The Veilguard has been blended — and with its Metacritic ranking settling at 82, a nomination for Recreation of the Yr appeared past its attain (regardless that that’s one level greater than Black Fable: Wukong, which did make the minimize).
Extra tellingly, although, The Veilguard didn’t rating nominations for Greatest Narrative or Greatest Efficiency, two areas the place BioWare video games are inclined to excel, and that are much less review-dependent. It additionally missed out in Greatest Function-Taking part in Recreation. This was an exceptionally robust class this yr: Three of the 5 nominees (Metaphor: ReFantazio, Remaining Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree) additionally secured nominations for Recreation of the Yr, and the opposite two (Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth) are unconventionally glorious. Even so, failing to hitch this firm is definitely not the end result that BioWare or writer EA wished after a decade of growth.
Had been there some other snubs? Maybe a couple of minor ones. It was a shock to not see the much-loved EA Sports activities Faculty Soccer 25 rating a nomination within the Sports activities/Racing Recreation class, though this is likely to be all the way down to the broad worldwide make-up of the jury. The Sim/Technique Recreation class is lacking two video games with passionate fan bases and excessive assessment scores — Passable and Tactical Breach Wizards — both of which could have taken the slot of the Age of Mythology remake, for instance. However this was a powerful class this yr. Personally, I’d have liked to see The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge nominated for its fabulous music.
As ever, the intensely aggressive indie classes can’t please everybody. However with 15 video games nominated throughout Impartial Recreation, Debut Indie Recreation, and Video games for Influence, you must dig all the way down to some fairly deep cuts like Arco or 1000xResist earlier than you discover one thing to get upset about.
Different surprises? I don’t suppose anyone noticed 4 nominations coming for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, a recreation that has all however disappeared from the discourse since its launch in Might. 4 nominations — together with Recreation of the Yr — for DLC, within the type of Shadow of the Erdtree, is with out precedent. Black Fable: Wukong breaking via in Recreation of the Yr regardless of its comparatively weak essential status is certainly noteworthy, as are the 5 nominations for one-man-band card recreation Balatro.
In the long run, although, there’s not a lot on this set of nominees to ruffle any feathers — exterior of BioWare’s places of work, that’s.
