The Game Awards crowned the game of the year last night amid huge controversies

Last night was the Game Awards, a gala that aspires to be the Oscars of video games. And among all the announcements made, of which we have highlighted the most important of the night, they also gave out a few awards. Giving them different weight and importance, it still isn’t the Oscars, but it has become the big gala of video games. And it is also an awards show where it is easy to attend to discover what is being cooked up in the industry at all levels. Before diving into the big winners and losers of each category, it is important […]

Last night was the Game Awards, a gala that aims to be the Oscars of video games. Among all the announcements made, of which we have highlighted the most important of the night, several awards were also given. Giving them different weight and importance, it still isn’t the Oscars, but it has become the major gala of video games. And it is also an awards ceremony where it is easy to attend to discover what is being cooked in the industry at all levels.

Before diving into the big winners and losers of each category, it’s important to provide a brief summary. Knowing how many nominations each of the involved parties had is essential.

The big favorite of the night was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. With 13 nominations, the French game had a hard time not leaving as the big winner of the gala, especially when no one had received so many nominations in the history of the Games Awards. Following closely were Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and Ghost of Yotei, with 7 nominations, and Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong, with 6 respectively. Among the surprises were Split Fiction, which only had 4 nominations, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Silent Hill f, which only managed 3.

How did it turn out for everyone? With few surprises, to be honest. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the biggest winner with 9 statuettes out of the 13 that could be won, leaving no room for anyone else. In that sense, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and Ghost of Yotei are the big losers of the night, as they went home empty-handed despite all their nominations. A big disappointment for Sony.

Creators, players, and online

Among the most unique categories are those of esports and creators. Here, Counter-Strike 2 stood out particularly. Winning both the award for best esports and having a Counter-Strike 2 team, Team Vitality, win the award for best esports team, Valve has been the big winner in this category. Although there were no surprises, Jung “Chovy” Ji-hoon took home the title of best esports athlete for League of Legends after an excellent Worlds.

For his part, MoistCr1TiKaL has won the award for best content creator of the year. With tough competition from Kai Cenat, it is quite likely that being a much more likable figure in public outside of the streaming fandom itself has had an impact.

Among the awards separated from the rest of the categories, Wuthering Waves won the Players’ Voices largely due to the rewards offered by Kuro Games for players to vote for their game. In the most anticipated game category, GTAVI won, much to absolutely no one’s surprise, and for best adaptation, the second season of The Last of Us took home the big prize. Similarly, Doom: The Dark Ages achieved its only award by winning innovation in accessibility for its numerous difficulty options.

A game that has eclipsed all others

Entering the major categories, it is evident that there is a clear winner above all others. That does not take away from the fact that there have been some quite interesting awards. Mario Kart World won best sports game, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles won best strategy game, and Donkey Kong Bananza won best family game.

In the field of action-focused games, Hades 2 won best action game and Hollow Knight: Silksong won best action-adventure game. The highly questionable Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves won best fighting game, not without controversy.

As no surprise to anyone, ARC Raiders won the award for best multiplayer game. And its main competitor, Battlefield 6, won best sound design, rightly taking the award from Expedition 33. In the impact games category, the interesting South of Midnight won, and No Man’s Sky won for best support. Additionally, The Midnight Walk won best VR game and Umamusume: Pretty Derby won best mobile game, resulting in a well-distributed set of secondary awards.

But at the end of the day, there was only one big winner. A game that took it all. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won the awards for best role-playing game, best indie game, best indie debut, best soundtrack and music, best art direction, best narrative, best direction, and game of the year. Accumulating all the technical awards, except one, and all the big awards, becoming the grand prize of the year according to the Game Awards. Even if there has been some controversy over whether it should be considered an indie game or not.

With this, the Game Awards concluded, much less distributed than usual, although with great announcements and a clear winner. Something that gives us a clear perspective on the situation of the mainstream video game industry.

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These are some of the new features in the February Xbox update

The latest February update for Xbox Series X/S consoles has begun to roll out, bringing significant features and improvements to the user experience. One of the most notable new features is access to Xbox Cloud Gaming (in beta) for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, allowing players to invite others to their gaming sessions through browsers on compatible TVs. Xbox is going to the cloud, like Heidi Users can now generate invitation links from the game menu or guide and share them with friends, facilitating collaboration […]

The latest February update for Xbox Series X/S consoles has begun to roll out, bringing significant features and improvements to the user experience. One of the most notable new features is access to Xbox Cloud Gaming (in beta) for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, allowing players to invite others to their gaming sessions through browsers on compatible TVs.

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Xbox goes to the cloud, like Heidi

Users can now generate invitation links from the game menu or the guide and share them with friends, facilitating online collaboration. This feature could transform the way players connect, making it more accessible and straightforward.

In addition, the update introduces new games to the Xbox Game Pass catalog. Titles like Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered have been recently added, with the promise that more games will join in the near future. Upcoming titles include games like Cult of the Lamb, Neva, Hotline Miami, and Atomic Heart, further expanding the options available for subscribers.

This update also includes an improvement in the quality of the gaming experience, thanks to a new network quality indicator for cloud gaming. This feature, which was introduced in the January update, allows players to assess the stability of their connection while enjoying their favorite titles. Additionally, a firmware update for the Xbox Wireless controller has been released, ensuring that players’ hardware operates at its maximum capacity.

In summary, the February Xbox update not only brings new features and titles to the service, but also improves connectivity and overall performance, inviting players to explore and enjoy the Xbox ecosystem more.

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How realistic is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2? Well, the nobles don't bother picking up cheap items

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 ofrece una experiencia de juego más inmersiva gracias a un sistema innovador que permite a los NPC seleccionar los objetos que recogen en función de su estatus social y el valor de esos artículos. Esta interesante mecánica fue revelada por Patrik Papšo, un programador de Warhorse Studios, quien explicó que los nobles tienden a ignorar los objetos baratos mientras que los mendigos no dudan en recogerlos. Por ejemplo, es probable que un noble pase de largo un simple pan, pero puede sentirse atraído por un collar valioso. Un claro ejemplo de esta dinámica fue documentado por un jugador que […]

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers a more immersive gaming experience thanks to an innovative system that allows NPCs to select the objects they pick up based on their social status and the value of those items. This interesting mechanic was revealed by Patrik Papšo, a programmer at Warhorse Studios, who explained that nobles tend to ignore cheap items while beggars do not hesitate to pick them up. For example, a noble is likely to pass by a simple loaf of bread but may be attracted to a valuable necklace.

A clear example of this dynamic was documented by a player who created a timelapse after dropping items worth a total of 300,000 gold coins in a city. During the video, NPCs gather around the pile and selectively choose what to pick up, highlighting the complexity that this system adds to gameplay.

A game based on integration in the world

Additionally, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offers a variety of buffs and perks that are unlocked by properly playing the character’s role. This involves dressing appropriately and dedicating time to specific skills, which fosters an even greater immersion in the game world. According to Papšo, this approach is not unique, but it represents a notable implementation compared to other titles in the franchise, such as Oblivion and Skyrim, where NPCs also exhibit behaviors related to the search for food.

This approach by Warhorse Studios suggests that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 aims not only to enrich gameplay, but also to offer a level of realism in the interaction between characters, which could represent a new era of more elaborate RPGs. With the game’s release scheduled, fans are eager to see how these dynamics will influence their gaming experiences.

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance II has not even been on the market for a week and it already has a bunch of mods

In the first week since its release, players of Kingdom Come 2: Deliverance have already begun to explore the world of mods, seeking to customize and enrich their experience. Despite Warhorse Studios’ title being presented as a more complex and authentic RPG compared to others like Skyrim, modders have found ways to tweak various aspects of the game, offering both solutions to ease gameplay and additional challenges. Making the game more accessible: the most popular mods of Kingdom Come 2 are characterized by its more detailed combat system, interactions […]

In the first week since its release, players of Kingdom Come 2: Deliverance have already begun to explore the world of mods, seeking to customize and enrich their experience. Despite Warhorse Studios’ title being presented as a more complex and authentic RPG compared to others like Skyrim, modders have found ways to adjust various aspects of the game, offering both solutions to ease gameplay and additional challenges.

Making the Game More Accessible: The Most Popular Game Mods

Kingdom Come 2 is characterized by its more detailed combat system, interactions with the environment, and the repercussions of player actions, which makes it less accessible. However, among the available mods, some allow you to save progress without relying on specific resources. For example, the Unlimited Saving 2 mod allows for quick saving with just the press of a key.

Other mods focus on adjusting the carry weight, allowing players to pick up more items without needing to empty their pockets frequently. Additionally, the mod Instant Herb Picking 2 removes the tedious herb-picking animation, a detail that can make the experience more enjoyable for alchemists in the game.

For those seeking greater realism, there are also mods that remove location markers on the map and the compass, challenging players to rely on their skill and knowledge of the environment, just like in the authentic medieval era. The instructions for installing these mods are clear: it is essential to create a folder called Mods in the game directory, specifically in SteamsteamappscommonKingdomComeDeliverance2.

As the community continues to develop and share new modifications, Kingdom Come 2: Deliverance promises to be an even richer and more varied experience, adapting to the tastes of each player.

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What happens in February 2025? All the games that are released that month (there are so many!)

Thinking about 2025 might seem premature. 2024 hasn’t ended yet. Not all the big games of this year have been released. At least one is still missing. But there’s something we need to start talking about now. There’s an elephant in the room. And that is, when February arrives, we’re going to have a problem for our wallets and our leisure time. Perhaps also for our non-leisure time. Because February is so packed with major releases that it’s impossible for some video games not to end up at a disadvantage. What do we mean by this? That it doesn’t matter which week […]

Thinking about 2025 may seem premature; 2024 hasn’t ended yet, and not all the big games of this year have been released. The elephant in the room is that when February arrives, we’re going to have problems with both our wallets and our leisure time. February will be so packed with major releases that it’s impossible for some video games not to be negatively affected.

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What do we mean by this? That it doesn’t matter which week of February we look at: in all of them, there are at least two major releases. In some cases, there are three or four overlapping. And why is this bad? Because at a certain point, you have decisions to make—what to play, and what to buy… and what not to buy.

Let’s go week by week. Let’s study what happens this February to understand why it is so dramatic.

First week of February

The big release this week is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. This realease recently moved up a week to avoid competing with other heavyweights, so its situation has improved. But to what extent? Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is released on February 4th, making it the first game of February, but it faces competition from the last games of January, which we are going to include in this same week.

Why? Because they are Sniper Elite: Resistance and Spider-Man 2. The first might be more of a niche game, but the PC release of Spider-Man 2 is a major launch. This may weigh down part of the audience for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. To the point of affecting its sales? We don’t think so, but for the beginning of the month, we already have three major games. And things are just getting started.

Second week of February

This is where the terror begins. Two heavyweights shake hands in the form of Civilization VII and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. These are so heavy that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II decided to move its release forward by a week. With Civilization VII scheduled for release on the 11th and Assassin’s Creed Shadows on the 14th, it will be a very busy week. Because—you guessed it—they are not the only games coming out that week.

JRPG fans will have the highly anticipated The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II. Nostalgic fans of platformers will enjoy Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered. And fans of Ace Attorney-style games should not lose track of Urban Myth Dissolution Center. Closing a strong week.

Third week of February

If you are a fan of action games with a strong narrative weight, you’re in luck. Because the two big releases of the week, with three days apart, are exactly that. Avowed is released on the 18th, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii comes out on the 21st. And in between, perhaps out of respect for this battle at the top, no one has intervened, either knowing it’s better not to get in the way or out of fear of what’s at the end of the month.

Fourth week of February

Monster Hunter Wilds. February 28. No one has dared to release anything around the new Capcom title. Its last two iterations have been a hit both in the East and the West. In Japan, it has been a colossal success for two decades, and no Japanese studio would even think of competing against it. Except, apparently, Konami, which on the 27th releases its notable collection of portable Yu-Gi-Oh! games named Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection. But Konami is Konami. And Capcom is Capcom. And if anything is clear, it’s that Monster Hunter Wilds is going to sell like hotcakes.

And that’s all?

This is not all. We have not listed all the games that are released exclusively on Steam here. The games that may be launched by surprise. These are the games we do not expect, but that can make a big splash. We have stuck to what we know for sure and have come up with a list that could cause nightmares for a good marketing department (or very happy dreams, depending on which side you are on).

That’s why, get ready for February. Because if you think the January slope is tough, get ready to discover the March slope of this year.

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