E3 is ancient news now, by the standards of the internet, but the LA extravaganza has one more bit of news to share. It comes in the form of the Game Critics Awards, which is brought together from the votes of 40 different media outlets.
The outcome reflects much of what we saw in social media and traditional media coverage of E3, tellingly that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild proved to be a notable success. It grabbed three gongs in the end, including the coveted 'Game of the Show' award. You can see the full list below.
Best of Show
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
(Nintendo/Nintendo for Wii U/NX)
Best Original Game
Horizon Zero Dawn
(Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4)
Best Console Game
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
(Nintendo/Nintendo for Wii U/NX)
Best VR Game
Batman: Arkham VR
(Rocksteady/Warner Bros. Interactive Ent for PlayStation 4)
Best PC Game
Civilization VI
(Firaxis/2K)
Best Hardware/Peripheral
PlayStation VR
(Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Action Game
Battlefield 1
(DICE/EA for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Action/Adventure Game
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
(Nintendo/Nintendo for Wii U/NX)
Best Role Playing Game
Final Fantasy XV
(Square-Enix for PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Racing Game
Forza Horizon 3
(Playground Games/Turn 10/Microsoft Studios for PC, Xbox One)
Best Fighting Game
Injustice 2
(NetherRealm/WBIE for PS4, Xbox One)
Best Sports Game
Steep
(Ubisoft Annecy/Ubisoft for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Family Game
Skylanders: Imaginators
(Toys for Bob/Activision for PC, PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One, Wii-U)
Best Online Multiplayer
Titanfall 2
(Respawn/EA for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Independent Game
Inside
(Playdead for PC, Xbox One)
Special Commendation for Graphics
God of War
(Sony Santa Monica/Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4)
An impressive effort for the Wii U / NX title, further solidifying its status as the most notable overall success story of the show this year.
Further Reading:
- Feature: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Nintendo's Boldest Step Into Contemporary Game Design
- Hands On: Wide-Open Walderlust in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Hands On: Taking a Breath in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Hands On: Embracing Freedom in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
With thanks to Benson for the heads up.
[source gamecriticsawards.com]
Comments (47)
How many year has passed since something like this happened? Nintendo has always released the best games, but I still happy that major population is now realizing that, and for all those idiots that hate Nintendo and said that it would go bankrupt, take this on your face!
so many rewards for 1 game
I am HYPED for that game!
Poor Call of Duty....
it never won a single reward.
oh and good job Nintendo!
Why did Horizon win best original game? It looks great and all but hardly original. It looks like every other action adventure RPG bolted together.
Well obviously.
@Tsurii
Aha. I suspect you're right.
A fairly solid list, glad to see Breath of the Wild getting the attention it deserves.
...three awards!..talk about a Triforce...lol
Well deserved, it was the best thing at E3.
Very cool!
Mind you, I do notice nine of the other "best" games will be on PS4.
'Batman: Arkham VR' is probably the most depressing game title I've ever read.
@james_squared Oh, but you see those don't matter because they're on a competing system and the industry are just sheep and yeah.
Well, it earned it.
Good things happen when Nintendo gets out of its confort zone!
p.s. happy to see FFXV on the list, Tabata is really working hard on that! And hoping to see it on NX in some kind of "definitive" edition
Was it ever in doubt?
Hopefully Nintendo do more things like this, they already said Zelda BOTW laid down the ground work and that it's assets can be used for future endeavor
@Snow-Dust I believe Miyamoto said at one point they were hoping to do something similar with the next Mario game. And the EAD Tokyo team (the 3D Mario team) has been working on something since 2014. I'm interested to see the result.
I cannot express how unbelievably hyped i am for this game!
@james_squared I also noticed most of those games are also on the Xboxone. i wonder why a Nintendo based website forgot to mention these things.
@Yoshis_VGM a Mario open world... That would be pretty amazing but actually, all Nintendo IP open world/space would be amazing, Starfox with Arwings (and online!), pikmin, donkey kong etc
@Trickbaby14 No doubt an unintentional oversight.
@Snow-Dust and Metroid of course!
@King_Johobo I honestly don't think it would work out too well unless you are traveling a sad, lonely, lifeless big space but then that just makes the game tedious to play to get to planets
@Charinzardon Exactly 10, haha. Hopefully Nintendo realizes that every console needs an ambitious Zelda title now.
@james_squared A minor detail you seem to have overlooked is that although there are several more other "best" games appearing only on PS4, none of these individual games has received multiple E3 awards, and Zelda Breath of the Wild obviously has, so that alone makes a HUGE difference and something noteworthy to mention in an article.
You don't even have to be a fanboy let alone like Nintendo to be able to acknowledge that.
@NintyFan oh! Did you see that Wii canceled 3D Kirby game? I lament everyday that it did not see the light of day.
I was on other forums few years ago and people sold their Wii u because they felt betrayed that Nintendo delayed Zelda BOTW. I bet they are kicking themselves right now
@NintyFan oh yes it's for the gcn, my bad but I meant this one

There was 3 total canceled
Good, this means that Nintendo is capturing the mainstream's attention.
@ThanosReXXX Fair enough. My comment was mostly that one game isn't going to sell a system. I suppose I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of "best" games for the WiiU and concern about what might be on the NX. Don't get me wrong, I like the WiiU a lot and I think the GamePad is truly fantastic (we've even been playing NintendoLand lately). While I don't know a lot about the NX, I think it might be a very difficult sell to me and it's unlikely to be a day one purchase for me (unlike the WiiU).
Hats off to the demo, prepared and hyped for high expectations from the final game
@james_squared Oh absolutely true, but it does show what Nintendo is actually capable of in terms of generation positive buzz, even with one single game. So provided the NX is going to be a good system, they could certainly continue that trend.
Obviously, they are a long ways from being back again, but it certainly is a step in the right direction.
Now here's hoping that they keep up or even pick up the pace come September for the expected reveal...
Good job,Nintendo! Can't wait for next year!
WHAT?!!!
Nintendo didn't win best family game?!!!!!!!
8-)
xD
@james_squared Wasn't it Wii Sports that sold people on the Wii? I thought it was mentioned at some point on NL that game attach rate for the Wii was poor because Wii Sports was already the hot game when it came out.
@masterLEON I'll agree that Wii Sports sold that system, but there's no way a Zelda game is going to sell the NX to the masses.
So, I'm not a Nintendo fan, but I recently found out that I'm a huge Zelda fan. I don't understand what all the 'they're finally catching the mainstream's attention' comments mean. Were things different before or what?
@Dislikesfats Well Zelda was getting more linear and smaller (world size) as each new iteration comes out and most of all, from optional motion control (Twilight Princess if you get GCN or Wii version) to forcing you to use motion controls (Skyward Sword).
As mainstreamgaming has it, classic controls with an open world sandbox and Zelda has finally become that. But if you ask me, wanting to be mainstream means you just want to be a sheep. There is nothing wrong wanting Zelda to take this direction if it's logical or you like that direction (Zelda was the big open world action adventure on NES), but wanting it just for the sake of being mainstream is sad
I completely HATE when i looked at the result. Every single 'Best' games are Demonic Disasterrific Inappropriate Sadistic Pointless adult games, except Nintendo stuffs. That's completely gross to see a title like that, almost every single Best games must be 18+ titles. I can't believe this. What's wrong with people nowadays ? Did they lose their humanity ? Why can't they STOP liking evil behaviour like that ? What is the point to indulgence themself in demonic behaviour as an entertainment ? Why must they like to enjoy adultery things with deadly sins inside ? Western stuffs like that is completely a gross things for me.
Skylander best family games ? BLEGH...!! I completely disagree.
I don't even like every single Activision games. They only measured by Western standard, not by Japanese standard.
FF XV is BEST RPG ??? I want to vomit.... Gross!!
They have delayed for 10 years, back from FF XIII Versus, now changed into FF XV . I am not even impressed by ULTRA HD graphic like that AT ALL. There is nothing good titles like that.
As i can see, too much people are too mainstream about video games. And i hate to being too mainstream. Sorry, just want to be honest when i saw this result.
@Snow-Dust
That's very pathethic to see people with too mainstream mindset like that. I mean, they are really sick. That's why i quit from Sony (except ps1 and ps2) and never get bothered by Microsoft, except PC for working. So sick with those companies as being an adultery provider. This world will be tainted with more sins and adultery things from those big companies.
@Anti-Matter it is pathetic but for me, I like when creators create a fantasy of their imaginary. It was supposed to be for them to express their imaginary world but it slowly just turned into "hey, I gotz boobiez, guns, blood and a hell lot of swearing. I'm so edgey aren't I?"
I don't care if that's the imagination of the creator (like metal gear solid, resident evil before what it turned into now, silent hill 1 and 2 etc) but it really seems like developers lost that aspect and just want to create the next "cool" game
@Snow-Dust
Unfortunately, i measured also by morality aspect. What's the point making something creative but vulgar, full of adultery things ? The imaginations has become too far. I still concerned about nowadays entertainment and there are some people express their ideas out of control. I really hate creativity that built by adultery things. I really hate adult things like that. Very inappropriate. I need appropriate games, is it too hard to do ? Because my definition of 'COOL' games are MUST be Appropriate and Safe for Watch. Don't forget there are some innocent kids that can be easily tainted by adultery things from video games. I don't even called adultery things ideas is an edgy ideas, that's completely gross for me. Taboo for people who still concerned about morality.
I expected as much! This is very good news, especially since its quite some years ago this happened last time. Finally some positive news for Nintendo!
Wasn't in any doubt.
@Snow-Dust Thanks for the clarification. I'm curious now, are you excited for the new BOTW?
@Dislikesfats I must say the game looks like it'll be the best one yet. The physics and environment interaction is what made me felt hyped (it's weird, I know), just seeing the boulder roll to crush some bokoblins or the land catching on fire made me super excited.
I really think this will be the best Zelda game or will be held at the very top with OOT and ALTTP. What do you think about this game? Too mainstream? Or will it be cool because it's going back to it's roots
@Snow-Dust That's very good to hear. As for me, the original E3 reveal back in 2014 is what caught my attention. I had never played a Zelda game before but the more I read about the games and the lore, the more it intrigued me. And, inevitably, I had to try some games.
Asked on a message board for suggestions and since I've never really played an RPG or a 'dungeon explorer' with puzzles, they suggested I try Minish Cap just to get an idea of the 'real' games. I never knew the game would have secrets and collectibles in every corner of the world, it's amazing. Then when I tried the other Zelda games, I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of content.
I'm mostly a 'casual' player, if you will. I don't really care what's mainstream or not, as long as the game interests me. I've only finished a handful of games and I have to say I love games that emphasise exploration. I love the GTA games and the whole non-linear system they use in them. And I found the crux of the gameplay between these two series to be similar.
I love how you can always just stop and go back to the town in the Zelda games and buy a few potions right in the middle of a dungeon.
Needless to say, I'm absolutely hyped for BoTW. Probably more so than any other game before. And I agree, it's the physics, the 'choose-your-own-aproach' and the general exploration of the game that interests me the most.
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