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Here Are The Game Awards 2018 Winners For Nintendo Switch

We hope you were able to join us during our live-stream of The Game Awards last night. If you had to miss it, for reasons such as your beauty sleep, fear not – we’ve got a lovely round-up of all the winners for you below, along with the nominated games for each category so you can tell us they were ‘robbed’.

As always, we’ve got a lot of PC/PS4/Xbox One games in here, but from a Nintendo Switch perspective, there are still many titles of note. Indie darling Celeste missed out on getting the coveted Game of the Year award which it was nominated for – however, it did still walk away with the Games For Impact award and also the Best Indie Game award. Not a bad haul, in all honesty.

Fortnite, which of course is very popular on the Switch due to its portability, won the Best Ongoing Game award. It also walked away with the Best Multiplayer game award, too.

Motion Twin’s roguelike Metroidvania Dead Cells snagged the Best Action Game award, but lost out to Celeste for best indie game.

The Best Debut Indie Game category had some blinding games in it and we had our fingers crossed for the lovely Yoku’s Island Express, but it was pipped to the post by The Messenger, which is formidable competition indeed.

Still, Yoku’s Island Express publisher Team17 need not feel too glum as the charming Overcooked 2 won the Best Family Game award, against strong competition from first-party Nintendo titles.

There are lots of Nintendo Switch games in the nominations below. Take a look and let us know your thoughts on The Game Awards 2018 with a comment.

Game of the Year

  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft)
  • Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
  • Winner: God of War (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / SIE)
  • Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best ongoing game

  • Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
  • Winner: Fortnite (Epic Games)
  • No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
  • Overwatch (Blizzard)
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)

Best game direction

  • A Way Out (Hazelight Studios / EA)
  • Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream / SIE)
  • Winner: God of War (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / SIE)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best narrative

  • Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream / SIE)
  • God of War (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
  • Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 (Dontnod Entertainment / Square Enix)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / SIE)
  • Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best art direction

  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft)
  • God of War (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
  • Octopath Traveler (Square Enix / Acquire / Nintendo)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
  • Winner: Return of Obra Din (3909 LLC)

Best score/music

  • Celeste (Lena Raine)
  • God of War (Bear McCreary)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man (John Paesano)
  • Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom (Joe Hisaishi)
  • Octopath Traveler (Yasunori Nishiki)
  • Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Woody Jackson)

Best audio design

  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Treyarch Studios / Activision)
  • Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games / Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios)
  • God of War (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / SIE)
  • Winner: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)

Best performance

  • Bryan Dechart as Connor, Detroit: Become Human
  • Christopher Judge as Kratos, God of War
  • Melissanthi Mahut as Kassandra, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
  • Winner: Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan, Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Yuri Lowenthal as Peter Parker, Marvel’s Spider-Man

Games For Impact

  • 11-11 Memories Retold (Digixart / Aardman Animations / Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • Winner: Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
  • Florence (Mountains / Annapurna Interactive)
  • Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 (Dontnod Entertainment / Square Enix)
  • The Missing: JJ Macfield and the Island of Memories (White Owls / Arc System Works)

Best independent game

  • Winner: Celeste (Matt Makes Games)
  • Dead Cells (Motion Twin)
  • Into the Breach (Subset Games)
  • Return of the Obra Dinn (3909 LLC)
  • The Messenger (Sabotage Studio)

Best mobile game

  • Donut County (Ben Esposito / Annapurna Interactive)
  • Winner: Florence (Mountains / Annapurna Interactive)
  • Fortnite (Epic Games)
  • PUBG Mobile (Lightspeed & Quantum / Tencent Games)
  • Reigns: Game of Thrones (Nerial / Developer Digital)

Best VR/AR game

  • Winner: Astro Bot Rescue Mission (SIE Japan Studio / SIE)
  • Beat Saber (Beat Games)
  • Firewall Zero Hour (First Contact Entertainment / SIE)
  • Moss (Polyarc Games)
  • Tetris Effect (Resonair / Enhance, Inc)

Best action game

  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Treyarch / Activision)
  • Winner: Dead Cells (Motion Twin)
  • Destiny 2: Forsaken (Bungie / Activision)
  • Far Cry 5 (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)
  • Mega Man 11 (Capcom)

Best action/adventure game

  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft)
  • Winner: God of War (Sony Santa Monica / SIE)
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / SIE)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games)
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Eidos Montreal / Crystal Dynamics / Square Enix)

Best role-playing game

  • Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Square Enix / Square Enix)
  • Winner: Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)
  • Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom (Level 5 / Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • Octopath Traveler (Square Enix / Acquire / Nintendo)
  • Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (Obsidian Entertainment / Versus Evil)

Best fighting game

  • BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (Arc System Works)
  • Winner: Dragon Ball FighterZ (Arc System Works / Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • Soulcalibur 6 (Bandai Namco Studios / Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • Street Fighter 5 Arcade (Dimps / Capcom)

Best family game

  • Mario Tennis Aces (Camelot Software Planning / Nintendo)
  • Nintendo Labo (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
  • Winner: Overcooked 2 (Ghost Town Games / Team17)
  • Starlink: Battle for Atlas (Ubisoft Toronto / Ubisoft)
  • Super Mario Party (NDCube / Nintendo)

Best strategy game

  • Battletech (Harebrained Schemes / Paradox Interactive)
  • Frostpunk (11 bit studios)
  • Winner: Into the Breach (Subset Games)
  • The Banner Saga 3 (Stoic Studio / Versus Evil)
  • Valkyria Chronicles 4 (Sega CS3 / Sega)

Best sports/racing game

  • FIFA 19 (EA Vancouver / EA Sports)
  • Winner: Forza Horizon 4 (Playground Games / Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios)
  • Mario Tennis Aces (Camelot Software Planning / Nintendo)
  • NBA 2K19 (Visual Concepts / 2K Sports)
  • Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 (PES Productions / Konami)

Best multiplayer game

  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Treyarch / Activision)
  • Destiny 2: Forsaken (Bungie / Activision)
  • Winner: Fortnite (Epic Games)
  • Monster Hunter: World (Capcom)
  • Sea of Thieves (Rare / Microsoft Studios)

Best debut indie game

  • Donut County (Ben Esposito / Annapurna Interactive)
  • Florence (Mountains / Annapurna Interactive)
  • Moss (Polyarc Games)
  • Winner: The Messenger (Sabotage Studio)
  • Yoku’s Island Express (Team17 / Villa Gorilla)
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Review: This War of Mine Complete Edition – A Downbeat Survival Sim That Still Deserves Your Attention

One of Switch’s greatest strengths (besides its central ‘homeheld’ gimmick) must be the sheer breadth of available software. Whatever our mood, the menu screen’s glorious spectrum of icons always has something that’ll hit the spot, running the gamut from rainbow escapism to grey, gritty realism – and This War of Mine Complete Edition most definitely falls into the latter category.

A civil war survival sim set in a fictional country called Graznavia, it sees desperate civilians holing up as best they can in a city under siege. You’ll face nightly raids, plummeting temperatures, hunger, sickness, disease and depression. Suffice it to say, then, it’s the polar opposite of Nintendo’s first-party output, but 11 Bit Studios nails the feeling of desolation and despair it’s going for. Survival isn’t an easy endeavour.

Starter characters, shelter and scavenging locations are randomised every playthrough, although the premise remains the same – make it to the end of the war (usually 30-40 days). Scavenging provides materials to build necessities such as beds, heaters and stoves, but your home base is vulnerable to attack, so repairs and weapon-crafting are essential to prevent raiders stealing your supplies. From the very beginning, it demands careful strategy, and it does a great job of keeping you on the verge of losing control.

Characters have specific strengths – perhaps they’re agile looters with large backpacks or a dab hand with a saucepan and a pinch of salt – and you should utilise those skills while you can. Sniper fire keeps you housebound by day, but the cover of night enables exploration of nearby locations with a single party member. Night-time scavenging is a dangerous business, though, and for every innocent trader you come across, there’s a bunch of ne’er-do-wells ready to attack.

Tough decisions come thick and fast, exacerbated by inclement weather and dwindling supplies. Robbing vital provisions from defenceless people won’t sit well with everyone in your camp and morale isn’t simply an emoji here. Depression breaks spirits, leaving you unable to directly control the sufferer – a serious impediment to your chances of survival. So, you must juggle both mental and physical health.

Kids can be another plate to spin. Introduced in the incorporated Little Ones DLC, they can’t venture out at night but can be taught to help around the house – handy if your adults need rest and recuperation. Our main playthrough featured a father and daughter and the protective parental role immediately deterred us from immoral acts. Sometimes conflict is unavoidable if you stumble upon hostiles, and This War of Mine can quickly become a stealth combat game. It’s not the most fluid example, but works well enough.

A low-key, subtle soundtrack compliments the distant mortar and gunfire, integrating well without feeling repetitive, and the scratchy, sketched aesthetic translates beautifully to Switch. The game isn’t without a little jank, though; character interactions often go awry – we’d often end up hugging the space in front of a character we were trying to comfort, for example. Dialogue boxes are nicely legible but often overlap, and character movement is a touch skittish. Controls map well to the Joy-Con, although all the pulsing circles and icons cry out for a touch interface which is strangely absent; knowing a mobile port exists, we hunted through menus, but to no avail.

‘My Own Scenario’ enables you to tailor everything about Classic mode, even the intensity and length of the winter and war, which is useful if you’re attached to (or want to avoid) certain characters, although uncertainty is arguably a core component – every run is supposed to be an unpredictable nail-biter. In addition to ‘Classic’ mode, three standalone ‘Stories’ that drop you into bespoke scenarios are also included. In the first – The Father’s Promise – a lone parent must care for his sick daughter. It gives you a taste of things you might not have encountered in the main game (although it just so happened that we did). The remaining two stories are ‘coming soon’ in a free update.

In video games, the old ‘war is hell’ chestnut usually bookends bombastic campaigns that spend their time yelling that – booyah! – actually, war is totally bad-ass; however, this game has that adage at its core and highlights the human ramifications of conflict. As a player, accepting that you’re likely to fail is a key lesson, and ‘surviving’ is a very different thing to ‘winning’. It requires compromise and the game is at its best when your thoughts of futility and uncertainty align with your characters’.

As such, This War of Mine is necessarily somewhat of a downer. It absolutely caters for the gung-ho survivalist wanting to craft and use weapons, but at its heart, it’s a game about broken people. It forces you to make brutal, demoralising decisions to get by – stealing, killing, turning ‘useless’ people away. It makes you appreciate the escapism you have at your fingertips while giving you pause for the terrible reality it depicts.

Conclusion

This War of Mine remains an affecting survival experience on Switch and this edition is a comprehensive package. A couple of minor technical issues do little to diminish its power and, although the lack of touch controls is odd, sleep mode is a winner for squeezing in a few days as-and-when you can. Switch arguably helps make this downbeat game as accessible as possible, though there’s little point in double-dipping if you’ve tried it elsewhere. It deserves to be played in whatever form you can find it, though, and is therefore a very welcome addition to Switch’s diverse catalogue.

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You Can Now Battle With A Fancy McLaren 570S In Rocket League On Switch

As if its wonderfully addictive gameplay wasn’t enough, Rocket League keeps on getting new content to keep players hooked. Today publisher Psyonix, in partnership with the world-famous McLaren Automotive, launched the McLaren 570S Car Pack in the game. It will cost $1.99 or thereabouts in your local territory.

The pack introduces the ultimate modern sports car, the McLaren 570S Coupé in Battle-Car form, as well as two McLaren-themed player banners. Petrol-heads rejoice!

Check out the trailer above to see this nifty new battle-car and let us know if you’ll be picking up this DLC with a comment below.

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Monster Hunter-Style Online RPG Dauntless Is Coming To Switch With Cross-Platform Play

Phoenix Labs confirmed last night at The Game Awards 2018 that it is bringing its free-to-play online action RPG Dauntless to Switch next year.

Inspired by the likes of Monster Hunter, Dark Souls and World of Warcraft, Dauntless sees players assuming the role of ‘Slayers’ who are tasked with hunting and killing monsters known as ‘Behemoths’.

Loot gained during each quest can be used to craft new gear or upgrade your existing load-out, and hunts – which can be played either solo or with up to four people – can take a considerable amount of time to complete. And yes, you’re right, it does sound an awful lot like Monster Hunter.

Despite its free-to-play approach, Dauntless is not a pay-to-win release; purchases made in-game are either cosmetic or only have a short-term effect. The visual style, as you can see from the trailer above, feels a lot like Fortnite’s cartoon-like look, which should do the game no harm in the eyes of the millions of people who already play and enjoy Epic’s world-beating online title.

Phoenix Labs – which has former Riot Games, BioWare, Blizzard Entertainment and Capcom staffers in its ranks – originally intended the game to be exclusive to computers but has confirmed that it will also be coming to the PS4, Xbox One, Switch and smart devices. While Sony and Microsoft fans will get their hands on the game in April, Switch players will have to wait a little longer, with no solid date in 2019 being offered as yet. As part of Phoenix Labs’ ‘One Dauntless’ initiative, cross-platform play will be enabled.

Let us know if this is a title you’ll be keeping an eye on by posting a comment below.

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Rumour: Joker In Smash Bros. Ultimate Triggers Speculation That Persona 5 Is Coming To Switch

The news that Persona 5’s Joker is headed to Smash Bros. Ultimate as a DLC character has naturally sparked predictable chatter that Persona 5 itself is Switch-bound, but we’ve actually heard a rumour that appears to have some substance to it.

The source is MysticDistance, a translator and secondary writer for Persona Central and several other fan sites. MysticDistance has stated that Persona 5 will hit Switch next year, and the announcement will take place the day Joker becomes available in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Rather than being a straight port, the Switch version will have a new title and will come with a raft of adjustments and additions, as well as new story elements. While we’re not sure how reliable MysticDistance’s source is, it is claimed that a Switch port has been under consideration since last year, and that the final title will be based on one of the domains recently registered by Atlus.

This would suggest something related to P5U.jp or P5R.jp, two domains snapped up by the company that have yet to be assigned to anything. Nintendo Soup is reporting that Persona 5 Reloaded is the official title.

Persona 5 would certainly be a game worth getting excited about; our friends over at Push Square gave it 10/10, saying:

Persona 5 sets the benchmark for modern Japanese RPGs: it oozes style, charisma, and polish quite unlike anything we’ve played. With this fifth entry, the series’ trademark formula of dungeon delving and socialising has been perfected. Addictive, engaging gameplay, incredibly endearing characters, and a consistently rewarding narrative loop combine to create a spectacularly cohesive whole – whether or not you’re already a fan of Persona. A masterpiece from top to bottom.

What do you make of this particular rumour? With Joker coming to Smash it would make sense, but then again, we’ve got Simon and Richter Belmont in Smash and Konami hasn’t announced a Castlevania title for Switch. Let us know your thoughts by posting a comment.

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Reggie And Geoff Thank Fans For Watching This Year’s Game Awards

Difficult to not feel a little disappointed that Metroid 4 didn’t make an appearance… but, seeing all of the 3rd party game announcements that are coming over to Switch, I can see why Nintendo felt there was enough big news already without them needing to take their focus off Smash Bros Ultimate. So, in fairness, it all makes perfect sense and as many predicted a DLC character announcement helps to boost the Fighter Pass at launch (the highest amount of Fighter Passes will be purchased in the first few weeks of the game coming out).

There will surely be a January Direct, and that will at least give us some news and dates on Fire Emblem and Yoshi… hopefully it will give us a few other nice surprises for the first half of 2019 too.

Animal Crossing, Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Pokemon are clearly all second half of 2019, so I’m not sure we’ll hear on those until the end of Spring… Metroid 4 is a tricky one. If the Trilogy is getting an HD release, then perhaps we will indeed hear something about Metroid 4 soon… but it feels like E3 will be the earliest now.

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Joker From Persona 5 Joins The Battle As The First DLC Character In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In celebration of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releasing on the Switch, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé hopped up on stage with Geoff Keighley at this year’s Game Awards to reveal a new character that will be included in the game’s first DLC pack.

Representing the Japanese company Atlus will be Joker from Persona 5. Here’s the official Twitter confirmation:

The game’s first Challenger Pack will also include a new stage and various music tracks. In total, there are five packs planned for Ultimate that can be purchased in a single transaction known as the Fighters Pass bundle. At this point in time, there’s no information about when exactly these DLC packs will be released.

Are you excited this Persona character will be joining the roster in Smash Ultimate? Tell us below.

[via twitter.com, youtube.com]

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Get Over Here! It Looks Like Mortal Kombat 11 Is Switch Bound

Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon walked out on stage at this year’s Game Awards to announce a winner of a select category and instead presented us with the surprise reveal of Mortal Kombat 11 – the next entry in the long-running bloody and brutal fighting series by NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. The game is arriving worldwide on 23rd April.

While no platforms were specifically mentioned by Boon, at the end of the announcement trailer the Switch logo was present (we’ve grabbed a screenshot for you below). The game’s official Twitter account makes mention of the Nintendo Switch release as well. This is a rather big surprise considering a Mortal Kombat game hasn’t appeared on a Nintendo platform since the 2007 DS release.

As you can see above, if you pre-order the game you’ll get the character Shao Kahn. Below are some official screenshots:

Did you expect Mortal Kombat to be released on Switch? Are you excited for the 11th entry? Tell us below.

[via youtu.be, twitter.com]

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Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Speeds Onto The Switch In June Next Year

Following the success of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, publisher Activision has revealed Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled will be released on multiple platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, on 21st June 2019.

Below is the Twitter confirmation:

The title is a remake of the original 1999 PlayStation game that was developed by Naughty Dog. It will be handled by Beenox and will include all of the original game modes, characters, tracks, power-ups and weapons. There’ll also be additional karts and tracks from beyond the original release, and players will also be able to race online with friends and take on the competition in online leaderboards.

Take a look at the official trailer above and tell us in the comments if you’re excited to head out onto the track with Crash.

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Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order Arrives Exclusively On Nintendo Switch In 2019

Nintendo Switch owners can look forward to Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order when it arrives exclusively on the platform in 2019. The game is being developed by Koei Tecmo Games/Team Ninja and will be published by Nintendo. The previous installment in this series was released nearly 10 years ago.

The full PR following the Game Awards reveal is below:

MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black Order brings together Super Heroes and Super Villains from across the Marvel Universe to battle for the limitless power of the Infinity Gauntlet, one Stone at a time. This unprecedented team of characters must use their unique superpowers to defeat the mad cosmic tyrant Thanos and his ruthless warmasters, The Black Order. The game will feature an original story and a playable cast of dozens of Marvel Super Heroes, including the Avengers, the X-Men, and—for the first time in series history—the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The new game features the same kind of action-RPG gameplay that made the franchise such a hit over a decade ago. In MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black Order, up to four players can drop in for co-op battles in a variety of ways: They can play online*, link up offline via local wireless or pass a Joy-Con controller to a friend to join the team. With another pair of Joy-Con (sold separately), four players can team up on one system. In addition to the series’ traditional perspective, the new entry will let players select a dynamic, zoomed-in heroic view, allowing for a more immersive play style for single-player or multiplayer when using multiple systems.

Are you a fan of Marvel? Will you be picking this up on release when it arrives on the Switch in 2019? Tell us below.