As 2017 draws near, the PlayStation blog gets ready to announce its top 2016 picks in the upcoming Game of The Year Awards. The categories are all user-driven, and players will get to vote for their favorite titles from the list of nominees.
This year, the strongest contenders include ‘Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End,’ ‘Final Fantasy XV,’ ‘Overwatch,’ ‘Dark Souls III,’ ‘Battlefield 1,’ and much more. In tradition with earlier GOTY Awards, the categories also feature developers and studios.
The polls open from today until 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on December 31st, giving fans enough time to cast a vote, share with friends, and even nominate other games that don’t appear on the list on the write-in section at the bottom of the page.
The Play Station blog also changed the ‘Best Expansion’ category to ‘Best Post-Release Content’ to include DLC’s, add-ons, events, mods, episodes, and other forms of extra playable content that do not qualify as ‘expansions.’
2016’s Game of The Year favorites and newcomers
2016’s favorites
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – Up for most categories including Best PS4 Game, Best Story, Best Soundtrack, and with four voice nominations in Best Performance.
- Overwatch – Praised for its graphics and gameplay, the game is up for Best Visuals, Best Multiplayer, Best Post-Release Content, and Most Innovative.
- Titanfall II – Also featured as a nominee in most categories including ‘Best Use of PS4 Pro.’
- Doom – The return of a classic that drew mostly positive reviews, currently up for Best PS4 Game, Best Soundtrack, and a very likely candidate for Best Post-Release Content.
- The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine – Nominated for only two categories but sure to win them, left fans asking for more in the comments section.
This year’s surprises
- Batman: The Telltale Series – Nominated for Best Story and Best Performance (Troy Barker as Bruce Wayne). The game has received very rewarding reviews.
- The Last Guardian – One of the favorites for Best Game, also featuring what could also be the most stunning visual work and storyline of any title in 2016. TLG has been in development since 2009, but its delayed release did not disappoint one bit.
- World of Final Fantasy – The most likely winner for the thin Best PS Vita Game category.
- Inside – Arguably the strongest contender for Best Independent Game and a surprise candidate for Best PS4 Game. Its developers (Playdead) are also up for Studio of The Year.
- Rez Infinite – Another comeback from the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 systems. Up as an independent and also the strongest contender for Best PlayStation VR Game.
Source: PlayStation