Dishonored Wins Best Game at BAFTAs

[Timothy Chang]

Dishonored Wins Best Game at BAFTAs

Journey also cleans house with five awards, and The Walking Dead scores in the Story category.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) recently finished acknowledging the past year's finer games in the BAFTA Game Awards: Dishonored was awarded with Best Game, while Journey swept the pool with wins in five categories.

Journey, developed by thatgamecompany for the PS3, was recognized in the fields of Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Online - Multiplayer, Original Music and Game Design. Giant Sparrow's The Unfinished Swan won two categories, and Telltale Games's The Walking Dead also came away with two awards, including best Story.

In the end, it was Dishonored that was recognized as the Best Game of 2012; the steampunk stealth-action title managed to win over other titles such as Mass Effect 3, The Walking Dead, FIFA 13 and Far Cry 3.

The Academy also bestowed Gabe Newell with a BAFTA Fellowship [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122342-Gabe-Newell-to-Receive-BAFTA-Fellowship], considered to be its "highest accolade" for contributions to the games industry. Newell joins other Fellows such as Peter Molyneux, Shigeru Miyamoto and Will Wright.

For a more detailed look at the other winners and contenders, you can check out the full list below:

Action

Far Cry 3 - winner
Hitman: Absolution
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Halo 4
Mass Effect 3
Borderlands 2


Artistic Achievement

Journey - winner
Halo 4
Borderlands 2
Far Cry 3
The Room
Dear Esther


Audio Achievement

Journey - winner
Far Cry 3
Beat Sneak Bandit
Halo 4
Assassin's Creed III
Dear Esther


BAFTA Ones To Watch Award in association with Dare to Be Digital

Starcrossed - winner
Project Thanatos
Pixel Story


Best Game

Dishonored - winner
Journey
Mass Effect 3
The Walking Dead
FIFA 13
Far Cry 3


British Game

The Room - winner
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Forza Horizon
Dear Esther
Super Hexagon
LEGO: The Lord of the Rings


Debut Game

The Unfinished Swan - winner
Deadlight
Forza Horizon
Dear Esther
Proteus
The Room


Family

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes - winner
Minecraft: XBOX 360 Edition
Just Dance 4
Skylanders Giants
Clay Jam
LEGO The Lord of the Rings


Fellowship

Gabe Newell


Game Design

Journey - winner
Dishonored
Far Cry 3
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Borderlands 2
The Walking Dead


Game Innovation

The Unfinished Swan - winner
Fez
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Wonderbook: Books of Spells
Journey
Kinect Sesame Street TV


Mobile & Handheld

The Walking Dead - winner
LittleBigPlanet (Vita)
New Star Soccer
Incoboto
Super Monsters Ate My Condo
The Room


Online - Browser

SongPop - winner
The Settlers Online
Merlin: The Game
Runescape
Amateur Surgeon Hospital
Dick and Dom's HOOPLA!


Online - Multiplayer

Journey - winner
Assassin's Creed III
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Need For Speed Most Wanted
Halo 4
Borderlands 2


Original Music

Journey - winner
Diablo III
Assassin's Creed III
Thomas Was Alone
The Unfinished Swan
The Walking Dead


Performer

Danny Wallace (The Narrator) - winner
Nolan North (Nathan Drake)
Melissa Hutchinson (Clementine)
Dave Fennoy (Lee Everett)
Adrian Hough (Haytham)
Nigel Carrington (The Narrator)


Sports/Fitness

New Star Soccer - winner
Forza Horizon
F1 2012
Nike+ Kinect Training
Trials Evolution
FIFA 13


Story

The Walking Dead - winner
Journey
Far Cry 3
Thomas was Alone
Mass Effect 3
Dishonored


Strategy

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - winner
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die
Diablo III
Great Big War Game
Total War Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai
Football Manager 2013




Source: BAFTA [http://awards.bafta.org/award/2013/games]

Permalink

 

[luvd1]

I watched it live last night, it was a fun and for the first time I can't really argue against the winners. And it was entertaining seeing gabe almost weeing himself with nerves when he got on stage.

 

[Teoes]

Game Innovation
Call of Duty: Black Ops II

BAHAHAHAHAHA! Stop, you're killing me. I won't argue with the winners and I could be wrong with the following, but it's my opinion so there: it all rather smacks of a game awards ceremony by people who don't really know what they're talking about. Just kinda picking the biggest, most high-profile games for a lot of categories.

Still, wider recognition and increased attention should be good.

 

[Latinidiot]

Good choices, all around. They seem like they know what they're doing.

 

[Zhukov]

I'm happy to see Journey win the multiplayer award.

Totally deserved. I'd like to see more games use that seamless approach.

 

[Jamous]

I'm actually impressed that there aren't any that I really feel like I want to argue with. Hell; Journey won the award for Best Online Multiplayer, beating the dreaded BlOps2 out of it. I'm pretty fucking happy with these.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Game Innovation
Call of Duty: Black Ops II

BAHAHAHAHAHA! Stop, you're killing me. I won't argue with the winners and I could be wrong with the following, but it's my opinion so there: it all rather smacks of a game awards ceremony by people who don't really know what they're talking about. Just kinda picking the biggest, most high-profile games for a lot of categories.

Still, wider recognition and increased attention should be good.

You just need to look at some of the other nominations as proof that the awards probably aren't based on pure merit. Best browser game nomination, Dick and Dom. Best story nomination, Mass Effect 3 (I guess the ending isn't counted).

I'm suprised there isn't a 'Most persistent use of microtransactions' category, populated entirely by EA titles.

 

[Eduku]

Strategy

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - winner
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die
Diablo III
Great Big War Game
Total War Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai
Football Manager 2013




Er, what happened here? Did they run out of games for this category and decide to just throw in those two because reasons?

 

[Ralen-Sharr]

Strategy

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - winner
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die
Diablo III
Great Big War Game
Total War Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai
Football Manager 2013




Er, what happened here? Did they run out of games for this category and decide to just throw in those two because reasons?

This combined with the whole COD being in a category for innovative makes me wonder. I'm happy that Dishonored won best game, but now I have to wonder at the legitimacy of it because of crap like this.

Isn't football manager a stats game rather than a strategy game?

 

[Mikoi]

Strategy

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - winner
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die
Diablo III
Great Big War Game
Total War Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai
Football Manager 2013




Er, what happened here? Did they run out of games for this category and decide to just throw in those two because reasons?

I was thinking the same thing, both of these aren't exactly full blown Strategy Titles.

OT: I can't say I disagree with any of the winners, a few of the nominations however don't seem to fit.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

Whatever "The Room" is, it got a lot of nomination love. I'm gonna have to go check it out if it stands toe-to-toe with these guys.

Update: Sharing a name with one of the worst movies ever made doesn't help it much. It's an iOS game, so I can't play it. Looks interesting/different. Oh, Gabe absolutely deserves that award for what he did for PC gaming alone. Congratulations.

 

[yamy]

I think the real surprise here is New Star Soccer winning against Forza Horizon, Trials Evolution and FIFA 13.

 

[fix-the-spade]

but it's my opinion so there: it all rather smacks of a game awards ceremony by people who don't really know what they're talking about.

I think some of those nominations can be classified as if we put this thing on the list that lobbyist from the publisher will leave us alone, we all know it's not the winner but seriously, that guy just won't shut up.

 

[synobal]

I didn't like dishonored, I thought it had a really bad and poorly told plot. Plus the gameplay was very easy.

 

[lancar]

XCOM won the strategy award again?

I am pleased.


...myees.

 

[Teoes]

Sneep

As I understand it, they did change the CoD formula ever-so-slightly in Blops2, did they not? Wikiperdia mentions Strike Force Missions that change the campaign a bit? That's not a lot of innovation, but when we weren't expecting any, that has to count for something, I suppose.

I wish I had enjoyed Dishonored as much as everyone else seemed to. It was just so damn boring. Just a dull, lifeless world with nothing and no one interesting in it.

Indeed, mixing up the annual formula the tiniest amount - here's your award nomination! "Round of applause for Captain Ambitious over here"..

As for Dishonored, eh. I had fun with the moment-to-moment gameplay and the world-building was very impressive in its appearance and had potential; however the plot was obvious, writing iffy and voice acting terrible - the NPCs were all so robotic. The game was too short and easy as well.

 

[schtingah]

I always find it surprising that anything can win best of the year without actually doing any good in other categories. You'd think the best designed game with the best multi player, best audio, best music that wins the artistic achievement would be the best game instead of a game that was barely nominated in other categories.

 

[maninahat]

Strategy

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - winner
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die
Diablo III
Great Big War Game
Total War Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai
Football Manager 2013




Er, what happened here? Did they run out of games for this category and decide to just throw in those two because reasons?

I was thinking the same thing, both of these aren't exactly full blown Strategy Titles.

OT: I can't say I disagree with any of the winners, a few of the nominations however don't seem to fit.

I suspect it was some hand wringing in the back ground. They probably threw a few perfunctory nominations in there to name drop some of the more popular titles and not seem too highbrow/elitist. I don't think they had any intention of letting those not-so-strategic strategy games actually win. Same with COD:BLOPS2 for innovation.

As for OT: I'm pleased with the winners, and there is nothing at all contentious about them. The BAFTAs certainly aren't the VGAs, that's for sure.