DICE Awards 2018 Recap!

If the casual gamer is passionate, then the hardcore members are practically bursting with fervour. They defend their most favourite titles with vehement vigour, and will pull out sensible arguments to protect the honour of their top choices.

So yes, they can get quite defensive when it comes to award ceremonies – not that it’s a bad thing, of course.

Following last year’s The Game Awards, there have been both cries of joy and outrage at the list of winners. Did Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild really deserve Game of the Year? How about the other awards missed by Sony’s masterpiece Horizon Zero Dawn? Indie games were pleasant surprises, with the likes of Cuphead, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and What Remains of Edith Finch leading the charge.

With DICE 2018, perhaps there’d be another chance for the remaining contenders to clinch victory. Each award is peer evaluated by a panel of gaming veterans, who have played every title to nominate the finalists, so at least quality is assured – albeit inevitably subjective.

Here’s the complete list of winners.

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Game of the Year: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

Adventure Game of the Year: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

Outstanding Achievement in Character: Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory) – Senua

Outstanding Achievement in Story: Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games)

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

Best RPG Game of the Year: NieR: Automata (Platinum Games)

Action Game of the Year: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Bluehole / PUBG Corp.)

Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Bluehole / PUBG Corp.)

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo)

Outstanding Technical Achievement: Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games)

Fighting Game of the Year: Injustice 2 (NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive)

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction: Cuphead (Studio MDHR)

Outstanding Achievement in Animation: Cuphead (Studio MDHR)

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition: Cuphead (Studio MDHR)

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design: Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo)

Family Game of the Year: Snipperclips (SFB Games)

Racing Game of the Year: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo)

Sports Game of the Year: FIFA 18 (Electronic Arts)

Handheld Game of the Year: Metroid: Samus Returns (Nintendo / Mercury Steam)

Mobile Game of the Year: Fire Emblem Heroes (Nintendo / Intelligent Systems)

Strategy / Simulation Game of the Year: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft)

DICE Sprite Award: Snipperclips (SFB Games)

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement: Lone Echo / Echo Arena (Oculus Studios / Ready at Dawn)

Immersive Reality Technical Game of the Year: Lone Echo / Echo Arena (Oculus Studios / Ready at Dawn)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Genyo Takeda (Nintendo)

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There you have it, the comprehensive list of award-winning goodness. There are a lot of familiar names, some a welcome sight, and most of which are expected. In the spirit of gaming, however, every personal favourite title is an absolute winner, and we’re sure the list is going to expand as more get released over 2018.

Of course, that means more awards honouring the gaming industry are to come as well!