Video Game Canon

“Best Game” Bestowed Upon Hades at the 2020-2021 BAFTA Games Awards

The critical community bestowed yet another boon on Hades at the 2020-2021 BAFTA Games Awards. The voters from the esteemed British Academy have awarded Supergiant’s roguelike adventure with “Best Game” (and a truckload of additional trophies).

After receiving eight nominations, the developers from Supergiant would ultimately climb the virtual stage five times throughout the night. In addition to the “Best Game” award, Hades was also selected as the winner in the “Artistic Achievement,” “Game Design,” and “Narrative” categories. Voice actor Logan Cunningham completed the hot streak by winning the “Performer in a Supporting Role” award for pulling sextuple duty as Hades, Achilles, Poseidon, Asterius, Charon, and The Storyteller.

Looking back, it’s astonishing that Hades wasn’t a heavy favorite heading into this year’s BAFTA Games Awards. And that’s because Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II received 13 total nominations before the ceremony, more than any other game in the nearly 20-year history of the BAFTAs. In the end, the game would emerge victorious in just two categories: “Animation” and “Performer in a Leading Role” (for Laura Bailey’s portrayal of Abby).

Other big winners at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards included Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons (“Game Beyond Entertainment” and “Multiplayer”) and Sumo Digital’s Sackboy: A Big Adventure (“Best British Game” and “Family”). Phobia’s Carrion (“Debut Game”), Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima (“Audio Achievement”), Insomniac’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (“Music”), Cardboard Computer’s Kentucky Route Zero (“Original Property”), and Rare’s Sea of Thieves (“Evolving Game”) all won a single award.

A complete list of the winners and nominees at the 2020-2021 BAFTA Games Awards, as well as an embedded replay of the ceremony, can be found after the break.

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Hades is “Video Game of the Year” at the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards

The God of the Underworld has added South By Southwest to his expansive domain as Supergiant’s Hades was named “Video Game of the Year” during last night’s ceremony for the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards. The roguelike also collected a second trophy for “Excellence in Game Design.”

Festival organizers decided to drastically slim down the category slate, presenting just a dozen awards this year (down from 17 in 2019-2020), though 43 different games received at least one nomination. Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima and Moon Studios’s Ori and the Will of the Wisps led the way with four nominations apiece and both managed to score one win (“Excellence in Animation, Art, and Visual Achievement” for Sucker Punch and “Excellence in Score” for Moon Studios).

But it was another indie that managed to outshine the rest of the lineup at this year’s ceremony, as Ghost Ship Games’s Deep Rock Galactic was the only other two-time winner for “Indie Game of the Year” and “Excellence in Multiplayer.” Other winners at the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards included Half-Life: Alyx (“VR Game of the Year”), Dreams (“Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award”), The Last of Us Part II (“Excellence in Narrative”), Microsoft Flight Simulator (“Excellence in Technical Achievement”), and Doom Eternal (“Excellence in Audio Design”).

The SXSW Gaming Awards also selects a “Tabletop Game of the Year” every year as well, and this year the award went to The Search for Planet X.

A complete list of winners and nominees from the 2020-2021 SXSW Gaming Awards can be found after the break.

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World Video Game Hall of Fame’s 2021 Finalists Include Animal Crossing, Portal, StarCraft, and More

The Strong Museum’s World Video Game Hall of Fame has announced they will enshrine this year’s inductees on May 6th. We’ll know which games comprise the Class of 2021 in just 47 days, but it’s safe to say that one of the clear frontrunners was identified exactly 365 days ago.

It was on March 20th of 2020 that Nintendo released Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and in the year that followed, it transformed the way a lot of people think about video games. So it wasn’t much of a surprise that the franchise’s GameCube debut, Animal Crossing, was chosen as a finalist in 2021.

It’ll be joined by six other first-time finalists vying for a spot in the Hall of Fame this year. That lists includes 1977’s Mattel Football, which introduced the world to handheld gaming, as well as 2009’s FarmVille, a game that minted an entirely new generation of “gamers” on Facebook. There’s also Blizzard’s StarCraft, which further popularized the RTS genre in 1998 and helped birth the esports scene. Finally, three games from 1982 (Microsoft Flight Simulator, Namco’s Pole Position, and Midway’s Tron) impressed the Hall of Fame’s internal committee, which chose to highlight the variety found in some of the industry’s earliest efforts.

These games will be competing against a handful of returning finalists that are getting another crack at the Hall of Fame in 2021, including Activision’s Call of Duty, EA Sports’s FIFA International Soccer, Harmonix’s Guitar Hero, Valve’s Portal, and Broderbund’s Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?

The members of the Hall of Fame’s International Selection Advisory Committee are the final decisionmakers on which of these titles will become part of this year’s induction class, but the public can once again have a voice in the proceedings by visiting WorldVideoGameHallOfFame.org between now and March 25. The three games that receive the most votes in an online poll will be submitted as the “Player’s Choice” ballot when the Committee meets later this Spring.

You can learn more about this year’s finalists after the break, and be sure to tune in to the virtual ceremony celebrating this year’s inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame on May 6 at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time).

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David L. Craddock’s “Monsters in the Dark: The Making of X-COM: UFO Defense” Will March Into Bookstores in June 2021

David L. Craddock previously delved deeply into the depths of Diablo’s development with 2013’s Stay Awhile and Listen Book I and 2019’s Stay Awhile and Listen Book II. This Summer, he’ll do the same for X-COM: UFO Defense in the upcoming Monsters in the Dark: The Making of X-COM: UFO Defense.

Designer Julian Gollop pitched X-COM’s signature blend of tactical gameplay and resource management to MicroProse in the early 1990s, but Monsters in the Dark will travel even further back and revisit some of his earliest projects:

Monsters in the Dark: The Making of X-COM: UFO Defense is a narrative-style book that chronicles the early career of Julian Gollop, legendary designer of the original X-COM. You’ll walk alongside Julian during his boyhood, from spicing up the mechanics of chess and creating pen-and-paper games, to cutting his teeth on programming Sinclair’s ZX Spectrum. From there, you will learn how Julian partnered with his father and brother to develop X-COM with MicroProse UK, an off-shoot team eager to prove themselves to U.S.-based parent company and Sid Meier’s Civilization juggernaut developer MicroProse.

Craddock is currently seeking funding for the book’s first print run through Kickstarter. To entice prospective backers, he has partnered with a handful of publications to offer five different excerpts from Monsters in the Dark:

Vice Games – How a Publishing Nightmare Set the Stage for the Original ‘X-COM’

Ars Technica – Developing the distinctive look of the original X-COM: UFO Defense

Polygon – X-COM got its name, in part, because ‘XCON’ sounded like ‘ex-convict’

Kotaku – X-COM: UFO Defense Would Have Been Canned If Its Creators Hadn’t Secretly Revolted

Shacknews – Pro Strats: X-COM (1994) strategy guide author David Ellis on QA and writing guides

Monsters in the Dark: The Making of X-COM: UFO Defense will be published in June, but backers could receive the ebook edition as early as April.

“Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story” Debuts on Crackle Today

Jeremy Snead, the director of 2014’s Video Games: The Movie and 2016’s Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed, has returned with another behind-the-scenes look at one of the industry’s biggest players. Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story was released today on Crackle.

Featuring narration from Sean Astin, Playing With Power also includes commentary from Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime, Microsoft’s’s Phil Spencer, Sega’s Tom Kalinske, and Atari’s Nolan Bushnell, as well as Wil Wheaton, Alison Haislip, Cliff Bleszinski, and more:

How did Nintendo go from niche playing card company to global juggernaut of gaming? This Crackle Original series brings together the creators of Video Games: The Movie and Executive Producer Sean Astin to pull back the curtain on the famously secretive company. The electrifying story is presented by an ensemble of Nintendo personnel, celebrity icons and industry veterans, including Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Alison Haislip (Robot Chicken), Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime, and Xbox’s Phil Spencer.

All five episodes of Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story are now available to stream, and a trailer has been embedded above.

Bite-Sized Game History: The Origin of Gyruss, the Rarity of Shrek 2: Valentine’s Day Edition, and the Birth of All Your Base Are Belong to Us

What did you get from your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day? I’m guessing it was some candy or flowers or jewelry. But it should have been a limited edition copy of Shrek 2 for the originally Xbox.

Don’t worry, I’ll explain.

We’ll also talk about the surprising creation of Gyruss and a very special anniversary because love is in the air of this edition of Bite-Sized Game History.

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Tim Lapetino and Arjan Terpstra Will Publish “Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon” in Summer 2021

Tim Lapetino spent all of 2020 plumbing the depths of Pac-Man for daily updates for his Twitter account, 365ofPac. But this project wasn’t just a fun distraction, it was also research for his next book… Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon.

Set to be published by Cook and Becker this Summer, Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon will look back at “historical imagery” and “concept designs” from the game’s genesis, as well as check in with an international cast of characters that helped make Pac-Man a star.

Co-written by Arjan Terpstra, and created with the full assistance of Bandai Namco, the book promises to explore the complete 40-year history behind one of video gaming’s first franchises:

Full of historical imagery, concept designs, marketing photos and more, the book examines the game’s design philosophy and origins through the artists, designers, developers, and other creative teams who brought Pac-Man to life.

This new non-fiction book will journey from creator Toru Iwatani’s “pizza slice” inspiration to the game’s incredible success in arcades and beyond. The book also dives into Pac-Man’s unprecedented impact on pop culture, with more than 40 new interviews from key players around the world.

With untold stories, new details, and archival imagery, Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon showcases the franchise’s complex history from Tokyo to Chicago to Boston, unpacking the stories of video game industry stalwarts Namco and Midway Manufacturing.

In addition to the “Standard Hardcover Edition”, Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon will also be available in a “Collector’s Edition” that comes packaged in a Pac-Man-shaped slipcase. Inside, readers will be treated to an exclusive arcade token and a brand-new 7″ vinyl pressing of “Pac-Man Fever” by Buckner & Garcia.

27th Release from Boss Fight Books, “Silent Hill 2,” Emerges from the Fog

Konami’s Silent Hill launched for the PlayStation in 1999 as a moodier alternative to Capcom’s Resident Evil. Created by a team of outcasts within the company known as Team Silent, the game’s potent mix of otherworldly visuals and atmospheric audio rewrote all the rules of the burgeoning “survival horror” genre.

And just two years later, the team did it again on the PS2 with a sequel.

Comedian Mike Drucker (who has credits on Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, Bill Nye Saves the World, and Adam Ruins Everything) might seem like an odd choice to explore the foggy corners of the titular town for Boss Fight Books, but that’s exactly who the publishing label turned to for their 27th book, Silent Hill 2:

A troubled man travels to a mysterious town from his past after receiving a letter from his wife… who’s been dead for years. And while our “hero” explores dark corridors and battles countless disturbing enemies, his journey offers more psychological horror than survival horror. Welcome to Silent Hill, where the monster is you.

Silent Hill 2 doubles down on what made the first game so compelling: The feeling of being lost in a foggy, upside-down town as unsettling as it is familiar. Nearly two decades after first experiencing Silent Hill 2, writer and comedian Mike Drucker returns to its dark depths to explore how this bold video game delivers an experience that is tense, nightmarish, and anything but fun.

With an in-depth and highly personal study of its tragic cast of characters, and a critical examination of developer Konami’s world design and uneven marketing strategy, Drucker examines how Silent Hill 2 forces its players to grapple with the fact that very real-world terrors of trauma, abuse, shame, and guilt are far more threatening than any pyramid-headed monster could ever be.

Silent Hill 2 is now available to purchase directly from Boss Fight Books, as well as through other online retailers.

Reyan Ali’s “NBA Jam” to Become a Feature-Length Documentary

Variety is reporting that Reyan Ali’s NBA Jam, a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one of the greatest sports games of all time, will soon be adapted into a feature-length documentary.

BestCrosses Studios will produce the film alongside veteran documentarian Sean Menard, who previously directed 2016’s Fight Mom and 2017’s The Carter Effect.

As part of the announcement, Menard shared a few words about what NBA Jam meant to him as a basketball fan back in the early 90s:

“When ‘NBA Jam’ hit the arcade, I was barely tall enough to reach the joystick and view the screen at the same time,” says Menard. “But while literally standing on my toes, I was completely immersed in a game that allowed me the creative freedom to perform out-of-this world feats of athleticism. This was during a tipping point for the NBA as the league was bursting with excitement and culture that was appealing to a younger fan base.

“Our film is more than just an original story about the most successful sports game of all time. There are various sub-plots that detail how gaming was transitioning from arcades to home entertainment and how it would eventually lead to the demise of Midway,” adds Menard.

Reyan Ali’s NBA Jam was originally published by Boss Fight Books in 2019 and features interviews with many of the game’s developers (including Mark Turmell and Sal DiVita), announcer Tim Kitzrow, and NBA greats such as Shaquille O’Neal. In a perfect world, all of these larger-than-life personalities should get a call to appear in the documentary.

It’s unknown when (or where) we’ll be able to see the film, but I know my anticipation for its debut is certainly heating up.

Searching for the Perfect Trivia Video Game: Jeopardy!, 1 Vs 100, and HQ Trivia

Video game players have been searching for the perfect trivia game since the very beginning… and I mean that literally. Nutting’s Computer Quiz coin-op, which was first released in the 1960s, served as the precursor to both Computer Space and Pong.

After more than 50 years, developers are still trying to figure out what players want from a trivia game. It’s a good question, as the answer has eluded pretty much everyone.

But there are times when everything clicks into place, and though the genre is built on a bevy of game show adaptations, developers have also produced some fun and interesting experiments over the years. Let’s look at a few.

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