GameCenter - March 2018 - 31

2017 WGC GAME AWARDS

BEST FAMILY GAME
Splatoon 2

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It made sense for Nintendo to bring its cartoony paint-blasting
shooter, Splatoon, to the Nintendo Switch. After all, if the first game
was a hit on the woefully underappreciated Wii U, the sequel on
the latest blockbuster system should be that much better, right?
Splatoon 2 lived up to our expectations and then some. Not only did
Nintendo deliver a sequel that built upon the original, rather than
just slapping on a shiny new coat of ... um ... paint, but it gave us
great new ways to play. The Switch's portability had us painting the
town crimson (our preferred ink color) in the solo campaign, local
and online multiplayer and even a new 4-player co-op mode called
Salmon Run. All with full amiibo support, of course. Family-friendly
shooters are few and far between, so it's fantastic to have Splatoon 2
to fill that void.

PUBLISHER NINTENDO
DE VELOPER NINTENDO EPD
PL ATFORMS S WITCH
RELE A SE DATE 07.21.2017

BEST CAMPAIGN
NieR: Automata

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Many of this year's games took us on fantastical journeys through
worlds familiar, foreign or beyond anything we could ever imagine. NieR:
Automata, however, gave us all that and more in one gripping story.
The tale of a team of androids trying to save humanity from a fleet of
invading robots was epic from the moment it started. Nothing, however,
prepares you for where our heroine, 2B, and her friends end up as they
struggle to defeat their foes and uncover the deeper truth behind the
long-ranging war. One minute you're battling two alien assassins that
look like handsome supermodels, the next you're looking upon a stage
as worker robots enact their own retelling of Romeo and Juliet. No other
2017 game took us on such an emotional or engrossing adventure as
this creation of eccentric Japanese designer Yoko Taro and developer
PlatinumGames, so it's only fitting that it wins this award.

PUBLISHER SQUARE ENIX
DE VELOPER PL ATINUMGAMES
PL ATFORMS P S 4, PC
RELE A SE DATE 03.07.17 (PC 03.17.2017)

BEST MULTIPLAYER
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
(Early Access)

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Generally, we would not give an award to a game that wasn't
formally released yet. As of this writing, the official PC release of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is still a few days away, and the game just
launched a preview version on Xbox One. However, PUBG (as the game
is generally referred to) caught on like wildfire when originally released
on Steam Early Access. Its innovative Battle Royale gameplay has made
waves through the industry, as other games like Fortnite scramble to
introduce similar modes of their own. During the early access period,
the developer consistently added new weapons and features, while
millions of players signed on. The game wins this year's Best Multiplayer award for its innovation and the unbelievable audience it gathered
prior to its full release. And since the game is really just getting started,
it will be eligible for the rest of our awards in 2018, so stay tuned.
31

PUBLISHER PUBG CORPOR ATION, MICROSOF T S TUDIOS
DE VELOPER PUBG CORPOR ATION
PL ATFORMS XBOX ONE, PC
RELE A SE DATE 12.20.2017 (XBOX ONE TBA 2018)

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GameCenter - March 2018