Nintendo made a big gamble when it decided to feature exactly one playable demo at E3 this year – but it’s a gamble that has paid off in the minds of critics.
The Game Critics Awards winners, which are determined by members of 40 different media outlets, were revealed today, and it appears that the Hero of (yea, we still don’t know his title yet) and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild took the top honor of Best of Show. The upcoming addition to the Zelda franchise pulled in three wins overall, with honors for Best Console Game and Best Action/Adventure game in addition to the top Best of Show honor. If you’re interested in my thoughts on the game (spoiler: I loved it), you can check out my hands-on preview from E3 here.
For a full list of the categories and winners, see 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)
