Will be the first to admit that I didn’t watch the show live. Though the Boss Rush crew originally had plans on streaming a live reaction, it’s not every day that you get the opportunity to watch Home Alone with a live orchestra providing the score. I got home just in time to watch the last two award presentations and have more-or-less caught up on the reveals.
You will find better and more comprehensive notes about The Game Awards from pretty much anywhere else on the internet. But if you want personalized notes about the specific things I care about, stick with me!
Mortal Kombat 11 is Coming in April 2019
Netherrealm Studios is known for following a very specific schedule with regards to when they announce their games and when they release them. So when they missed their mark and didn’t announce a successor to the stellar Mortal Kombat X at E3 this year, fans were curious as to what was going on.
Turns out, there was no need to fear. Mortal Kombat 11 was revealed at The Game Awards and it’s coming out exactly when we would have expected it to. Tough to glean exact details of what makes this game different due to it being a CG-only trailer, but there seemed to be a heavy emphasis on weapons. Also, a serious hint at time travel at the end? In any case, modern Mortal Kombat has been fantastic and I expect this latest iteration to follow the trend.
Also worth noting that Mortal Kombat 11 is confirmed for the Nintendo Switch. It’s been a long time since Nintendo had a Mortal Kombat game, so this is a really nice get for them! Would prefer to get the full effect of the gore and violence on a PS4 or Xbox One, but I might end up playing it more on the Switch due to the convenience of the platform. I can make that decision in April!
Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled Arrives June 21st
Lots of sentimentality around this one. Crash Team Racing is my wife and sister-in-law’s all-time favourite game. My wife also introduced me to that game on our first date. It’s awesome to see this kart racer return as a remaster. Maybe if this does well, we could see a brand new entry next time around.
But before we get ahead of ourselves talking about the distance future, we need to talk about the real question at hand. Is Crash going to keep his racy victory dance?
God of War Wins Game of the Year!
Congratulations to Sony Santa Monica for taking home the night’s most prestigious honour! As a lapsed fan of the franchise, God of War is one of gaming’s all-time best reboots. It took some incredible risks in the way that it played and the story that it told, but it paid off in spades. Well deserved win for them, and we’ll see if this one is able to snag In Third Person’s Game of the Year award in the near future!
We Get a Glimpse of Anthem‘s Story
BioWare’s last few games have been shaky at best, but for all of the fantastic work they had done up till then, I still want to give them the benefit of the doubt. Anthem continues to look stunning, and this new trailer gave us a bit more of an idea of what’s going on in that world. Can’t wait to play this one!
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is Revealed as a Nintendo Switch Exclusive
On a night where Nintendo did sneakily well with its announcements, landing Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order as an exclusive made the most noise. I don’t have a lot of experience with the franchise, though I did enjoy the little I played of Ultimate Alliance 2 on the Wii. Team Ninja is hit-and-miss, but I’m hoping they step it up for Marvel. Also, in light of past squabbles between Marvel and Fox, I’m overjoyed to see Wolverine appear in a proper Marvel video game again. Can we please bring back Marvel vs. Capcom, but with the X-Men again?
SonicFox Wins Best eSports Player
I remember stumbling on a live stream years ago of a pre-teen SonicFox winning his first major fighting game tournament against grown-ups. Since then, he’s been a master at almost every fighting game he’s picked up. In particular, he’s had incredible runs this year in DragonBall FighterZ and Injustice 2. Watching him square off against Go1 in the EVO finals of Dragon Ball FighterZ was the eSports clash for the ages. Congratulations SonicFox!
Celeste Wins Two and Was Nominated For Game of the Year
Indie games were a sizable portion of my gaming in 2018, and Celeste stood out among the pack in a big way. It’s blending of air-tight gameplay, a wonderfully-written and integrated story, and a greater message about mental health makes it something truly special. Congrats to Celeste for winning Indie Game of the Year and Games for Impact! Though it did not win the big one, I’m overjoyed that this indie game was rightfully nominated for it. Maybe its placement will get even more people to give it a shot!
What did you think of this year’s show? Who got robbed? Who rightfully won? How excited did the reveals make you? Let me know!
Buy God of War Now From Amazon.com
In Third Person 