VGC | John – Page 34 – Video Game Canon

12 Finalists Announced for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018

Curators at the International Center for the History of Electronic Games and the Strong Museum have announced the finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018.

Curators at the International Center for the History of Electronic Games and the Strong Museum have announced the finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018. Eight games will get their first chance to be inducted into gaming’s inner circle this year, including Asteroids, Call of Duty, Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, King’s Quest, Metroid, Ms. Pac-Man, and Spacewar!

Two other games, Final Fantasy VII and Tomb Raider, were previously in the finalist pool for the Class of 2017. They’ll get another chance this year alongside John Madden Football and Minecraft, which were previously on the ballot in 2016.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame will announce the inductees for the Class of 2018 on Thursday, May 3, at 10:30 AM. But this year, fans will get a vote in the first-ever Player’s Choice ballot. According to the rules, “the three games that receive the most public votes will form one “Player’s Choice” ballot, which will join the 27 other ballots submitted by members of the International Selection Advisory Committee, a supporting group composed of journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.” Fans can make their voice heard through the Player’s Choice ballot once a day until April 4th. So vote early and vote often!

If for some reason you’re unfamiliar with this year’s finalists, the World Video Game Hall of Fame put together a helpful cheat sheet…

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Lara Croft’s Evolution: From Tomb Raider (1996) to Tomb Raider (2013) to Tomb Raider (2018)

No video game character has ever been introduced to the public as fully-formed as Lara Croft was back in November 1996. Their Tomb Raider was an instant icon and an overnight sensation, and to hear the developers tell it, they did it almost by accident.

No video game character has ever been introduced to the public as fully-formed as Lara Croft was back in November 1996. Building on the then-unique gameplay hook of a fully-explorable 3D world, publisher Eidos Interactive and developer Core Design fleshed out Lara’s personality with expensive cutscenes and stoked the gaming public with a relentless advertising blitz. Their Tomb Raider was an instant icon and an overnight sensation, and to hear them tell it, they did it almost by accident.

Toby Gard was the Lead Artist at Core Design, and his early sketches of Lara Croft actually depicted a male treasure hunter that shared more than a few similarities with Indiana Jones. Fearing the litigious wrath of George Lucas, Gard flipped the gender of Tomb Raider‘s hero-in-progress. And at some point in the pre-production process, Gard’s finger slipped when adjusting a “Breast Size” slider, and the slim Laura Cruz turned into the busty Lara Croft.

I’ve long suspected that this part of the legend is fiction, but the rest is history…

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No Surprise… The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Won “Game of the Year” at 2017-2018 GDC Awards

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild continued its sweep of this year’s “Game of the Year” awards, as it won the top honor at last night’s Game Developers Choice Awards. Developers for the adventure game also strode on stage to collect awards for “Best Audio” and “Best Design” during the ceremony.

The unique visual styling of Jason Roberts’s Gorogoa was honored with the “Innovation Award,” as well as with the “Best Mobile/Handheld Game” prize for the puzzle game’s portability. Studio MDHR also carried home multiple trophies during last night’s GDC Awards ceremony for Cuphead, including “Best Debut” and “Best Visual Art.”

“Every year sees countless amazing games worthy of recognition, but this year in particular has seen some of the strongest titles to arrive this generation. The GDCAs give us an opportunity to reflect on and honor the games that provided us with endless joy,” said Katie Stern, the General Manager of the Game Developers Conference. “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild helped us rediscover a childlike sense of adventure and discovery. Titles like Gorogoa and What Remains of Edith Finch offered us distinct creative visions that can only be experienced in games, and games like Cuphead and Horizon: Zero Dawn crafted worlds we could lose ourselves in. Congratulations to all of tonight’s nominees and winners and thank you for your creativity and dedication.”

A replay of the 2017-2018 GDC Awards ceremony can be viewed at the Twitch channel for the Game Developers Conference. And a complete list of all the winners (and nominees) can be found after the break.

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is “Video Game of the Year” at 2017-2018 SXSW Gaming Awards

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild took home another trophy last night when the “open-air” adventure was named “Video Game of the Year” at the 2017-2018 SXSW Gaming Awards. The Nintendo Switch launch title also scooped up awards for “Excellence in Design” and “Excellence in Gameplay”

PUBG Corporation’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds also picked up three awards last night (“Esports Game of the Year,” “Trending Game of the Year,” and “Excellence in Multiplayer”), and a handful of other games (Cuphead, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Nier: Automata) were two-time winners.

You can find the complete list of winners and nominees from the 2017-2018 SXSW Gaming Awards after the break.

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World Video Game Hall of Fame Will Publish “A History of Video Games In 64 Objects” in May 2018

The curators at the World Video Game Hall of Fame will offer a peak behind-the-scenes at some of the historical artifacts found in their collection with A History of Video Games In 64 Objects, an upcoming book from Dey Street Books:

Inspired by the groundbreaking A History of the World in 100 Objects, this book draws on the unique collections of The Strong museum in Rochester, New York, to chronicle the evolution of video games, from Pong to first-person shooters, told through the stories of dozens of objects essential to the field’s creation and development.

Drawing on the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s unmatched collection of video game artifacts, this fascinating history offers an expansive look at the development of one of the most popular and influential activities of the modern world: video gaming.

The hefty 352-page hardcover will include essays and photographs written by the curators that provide insight into how each object contributed to gaming’s history, as well as its impact on “the greater culture.”

A History of Video Games In 64 Objects will be available on May 29, and you can get a sneak peek at some of earliest selections (including Tennis For Two, the Nintendo Love Tester, and Ralph Baer’s Brown Box) at Dey Street‘s official website.

And don’t forget, the inductees from the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018 will be announced on May 3.

From the Trenches: Developers Look Back at NBA Jam, Smash Bros. Brawl, and Age of Empires

NBA Jam, Age of Empires, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl had a massive impact on the video game industry, and the men and women who made them surely have some interesting stories to tell.

25 years ago… NBA Jam made its rim-rattling console debut.
21 years ago… Age of Empires conquered the PC world.
10 years ago… Super Smash Bros. Brawl fought its way into our hearts.

All three of these games had a massive impact on the video game industry, and the men and women who made them surely have some interesting stories to tell.

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What Happened? The Stories Behind Duke Nukem Forever, Street Fighter: The Movie, Madden NFL 06, and THQ

In his introduction to Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier wrote that a game developer once told him it’s a miracle when a team manages to complete a game. But not every team is so lucky, and the development cycle for even the most well-funded games can often turn into a comedy of errors.

In his introduction to Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made, Jason Schreier wrote that a game developer once told him it’s a miracle when a team manages to complete a game. Over the next 300 pages, developers from Blizzard, Bungie, and Naughty Dog reinforce this point again and again. Using brutal honesty, they all discuss how close they came to disaster.

But not every team is so lucky (including the members of LucasArts that Schreier interviewed for his last chapter), and the development cycle for even the most well-funded games can often turn into a comedy of errors.

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Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wins “Game of the Year” at 2017-2018 DICE Awards

Nintendo was definitely the big winner at last night’s DICE Awards presentation. The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awarded 11 victories to the consolemaker, including “Game of the Year” for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Link’s newest adventure also received accolades for “Adventure Game of the Year,” “Game Design,” “Game Direction.”

Studio MDHR’s Cuphead received several awards for its outstanding sound and visuals at the 2017-2018 DICE Awards, including “Original Music Composition,” “Animation,” and “Art Direction.”

Developers for several other games strode to the stage to collect multiple awards during last night’s ceremony. That list includes Guerrilla’s Horizon: Zero Dawn (“Story” and “Technical Achievement”), PUBG Corporation’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (“Action Game of the Year” and “Online Gameplay”), Nintendo’s Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together (“Family Game of the Year” and the “D.I.C.E. Sprite Award”), and Oculus’s Lone Echo/Echo Arena (“Immersive Reality Technical Achievement” and “Immersive Reality Game of the Year”).

Congratulations to everyone who won big at the 2017-2018 DICE Awards. A complete list of all the winners and nominees can be found after the break.

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Dark Horse Will Publish “Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia” in October 2018

Do you know everything there is to know about Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom? Would you like to?

If you answered “Yes” to the latter question (or even if you said “Yes” to the former), then today is your lucky day. Dark Horse has announced that they’ll be publishing a Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia this October.

Weighing in at 256 pages, this reference work will cover the first 30 years of “Super” Mario’s career, beginning with 1985’s Super Mario Bros.:

The Super Mario Encyclopedia is jam-packed with content from 17 Super Mario games and spans more than 30 years of the franchise’s history—from the original Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario 3D World. Track the evolution of the Goomba, witness the introduction of Yoshi, and relive your favorite levels.

This tome also contains an interview with producer Takashi Tezuka, tips to help you find every Coin, Star, Sun, and Mushroom… even explanations of glitches! With information on enemies, items, obstacles, and worlds from over 30 years of Mario, Super Mario Encyclopedia is the definitive resource for everything Super Mario!

Dark Horse’s Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia will be released on October 23.

Shadow of the Colossus: From Modern Classic to Classic Remake

Sony and Bluepoint Games repackaged Shadow of the Colossus and Ico in a “High Definition” bundle for the PS3 in 2011. In addition to promoting the latter with the proper boxart for the first time in North America, the re-release gave PS3 owners a new opportunity to return to the worlds of Fumito Ueda. But with the PS4’s launch looming, Sony had even bigger plans for Shadow of the Colossus, and they wanted to take the famously frustrating game in a brand new direction.

Sony and Bluepoint Games repackaged Shadow of the Colossus and Ico in an HD Collection bundle for the PS3 in 2011. In addition to promoting the latter with the proper boxart for the first time in North America, the re-release gave PS3 owners a new opportunity to return to the worlds of Fumito Ueda. But with the PS4’s launch looming, Sony had even bigger plans for Shadow of the Colossus, and they wanted to take the famously frustrating game in a brand new direction.

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