Like every other year since 1997, the DICE Awards will be held this year in the US. This is arguably the closest thing the video game industry has to the Academy Awards, and the people behind some of last year’s best games will be picking up awards when this year’s ceremony takes place in Las Vegas on February 22.
Of course, it’s the top prize that matters here, and five games will be competing for the Game of the Year award in Las Vegas next month. These include Horizon: Zero Dawn, a post-apocalyptic action and adventure game with a charismatic female protagonist.
Horizon: Zero Dawn is also the game that has been nominated for the most awards, as Guerrilla Games’ open-world masterpiece will be competing for ten awards this year.
Other Game of the Year nominees include PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the online multiplayer game which caused a sensation in 2017, and which will likely continue to be just as popular this year. Also Cuphead, the “run and gun” game from indie developer StudioMDHR has a chance of picking up the top award this year, and has been nominated in four other categories as well.
Nintendo also has two games competing for the top prize this year: Super Mario Odyssey, a game which was hailed by many as one of the best platformers in years, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a gargantuan open-world game full of magic and mystery which is arguably Nintendo’s best game to date, and this year’s second most nominated game (it’s competing for six awards at DICE 2018)
And if Breath of the Wild ends up winning the Game of the Year award next month it will be the second game in the series to do so at the DICE Awards, as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time also picked up the top prize back in 1998.
Last year’s Game of the Year award winner was Overwatch, a game some commentators (me included) felt wasn’t so deserving of DICE’s top award.
Aside from the Game of the Year nominees, these year’s most nominated games include Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the latest episode in Naughty Dog’s long-running Uncharted series, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, an action and adventure game taking place in the time of the Celts, which have both been nominated for five awards. There’s also indie puzzle game Gorogoa, which has been nominated for four awards this year.
So, this looks likely to be another exciting awards ceremony then, so stay tuned to this website for commentary and a run down of the winners when DICE 2018 takes place next month (the full list of nominees follows below).
DICE Awards 2018 nominees
Game of the Year
- Cuphead
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
- Super Mario Odyssey
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Action Game of the Year
- Call of Duty: WWII
- Cuphead
- Destiny 2
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Adventure Game of the Year
- Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Super Mario Odyssey
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Fighting Game of the Year
- ARMS
- Injustice 2
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
- Nidhogg 2
- Tekken 7
Racing Game of the Year
- DiRT 4
- Forza Motorsport 7
- Gran Turismo Sport
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Project CARS 2
Role-Playing Game of the Year
- Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Middle-earth: Shadow of War
- NieR:Automata
- Persona 5
- Torment: Tides of Numenera
Sports Game of the Year
- Everybody’s Golf
- FIFA 18
- Golf Clash
- Madden NFL 18
- MLB The Show 17
Mobile Game of the Year
- Cat Quest
- Fire Emblem Heroes
- Gorogoa
- Monument Valley 2
- Splitter Critters
Family Game of the Year
- DropMix
- GNOG
- Just Dance 2018
- SingStar Celebration
- Snipperclips
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Cuphead
- For Honor
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Cuphead
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Little Nightmares
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Assassin’s Creed Origins – Bayek
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – Senua
- Horizon Zero Dawn – Aloy
- Star Wars Battlefront II – Iden Versio
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – Chloe Fraiser
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Call of Duty: WWII
- Cuphead
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- RiME
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
- Destiny 2
- Injustice 2
- Star Wars Battlefront II
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Night in the Woods
- What Remains of Edith Finch
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Assassin’s Creed Origins
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Lone Echo/Echo Arena
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- Endless Space 2
- Halo Wars 2
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
- Total War: Warhammer II
- XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
Immersive Reality Technical Achievement
- Lone Echo/Echo Arena
- Robo Recall
- Star Trek Bridge Crew
- The Invisible Hours
- Wilson’s Heart
Immersive Reality Game of the Year
- Lone Echo/Echo Arena
- Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin
- Robo Recall
- Space Pirate Trainer
- Wilson’s Heart
D.I.C.E. Sprite Award
- Everything
- Gorogoa
- Night in the Woods
- Pyre
- Snipperclips
Handheld Game of the Year
- Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
- Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
- Metroid: Samus Returns
- Monster Hunter Stories
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
- Call of Duty: WWII
- Destiny 2
- Fortnite
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Gorogoa
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
- Super Mario Odyssey
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Gorogoa
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- What Remains of Edith Finch