Gaming Influence: Predictions - Game Awards 2022 ~ Part 1

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to Gaming Influence, a reboot of the same name I created back in WrestleCorp. However, not only will I be giving my thoughts on certain video games and video game series, but also video game movies, video game anime, video game digital presentations, etc.

For this edition of Gaming Influence, I'll be giving my predictions for the 2022 Game Awards which will be airing the show live worldwide on December 8, 2022. I'm definitely excited for the game announcements and trailers for the show as anything can happen from all of the gaming companies so we'll see what they got.

However, the focus with these predictions is not on what games will appear on the show, but more on the awards themselves as I won't be doing all of them, but I'll be doing fifteen predictions for fifteen categories for the Game Awards this year. In addition, these predictions will be separated into three parts so this is Part 1 of my Game Awards predictions which will include Most Anticipated Game in 2023, Best Debut Indie Game of the Year, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Family Game of the Year, and Best Fighting Game of the Year. In addition, I'll first give my thoughts on the game themselves for the category they're under in before giving my predictions on which game I think and want to win the award.

Anyway, let's get started!

We'll start with this category, Most Anticipated Game in 2023.

Final Fantasy XVI is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix as they're known for making the best JRPGs in the world including the infamous Final Fantasy series. With Final Fantasy XVI, it looks like they're making the game more Western in terms of its setting and characters which I'm fine with, but still keeping the elements of what makes modern Final Fantasy what it is with the combat being action-based and the return of the summons. With it being Final Fantasy and with the game taking in an interesting direction, it's no wonder this game has been highly anticipated for next year.

Hogwarts Legacy is an action role-playing game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games as they're generally well known for the Just Cause games as they're bringing the world of Harry Potter into a big RPG. Despite the controversy of the author of the Harry Potter books which I don't blame people for, I can't deny that the game does look incredibly great with so many customizations for your player character and if you're a Harry Potter fan, this might be a dream come true for you as it does have a right to be the most anticipated game of next year.

Resident Evil 4 is a survival-horror third-person shooter game developed by Capcom as it'll be a reimagining of the original Resident Evil 4 game that was released back on the Nintendo GameCube in 2005. Not only is Resident Evil 4 is considered one of the best survival horror games of all time, but one of the best video games of all time. As the game is being reimagined similar to Final Fantasy VII Remake as the game so far will have updated graphics/visuals and a different atmosphere that feels more survival horror-like than action from the original game, makes this game stands on its own where even if this game does exceed expectations, the original game will exist for people to enjoy. Regardless, with this classic well beloved game being reimagined in modern consoles, it has a right to be the most anticipated game of next year.

Starfield is an action role-playing game developed by Bethesda as it'll be the next biggest game from Bethesda yet with its sci-fi atmosphere and a huge world to explore too. Originally, this game was supposed to be released on November 11, 2022, but got delayed to next year. However, despite that, the delay might help the game in the long run as from everything we have seen for the game, it looks really good and impressive as it's basically a first-person shooter with lots of customization for the player character as well as a huge world to explore, or I should say, universe to explore which is insane. I don't know if this game will be for me personally, but I do have to say that the wait might be worth it as the game looks extremely good and has every right to be the most anticipated game of next year.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo EPD as it will be the sequel to the 2017 Game of the Year for the Game Awards, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Even though we have seen the game in action, it feels like it's not enough because this game has been developed for so long. However, if it's anything like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but with a more involved story (that isn't stuck with sidequests) and dungeons, then this game has a chance to not only be one of the best Legend of Zelda games of all time but one of the best games of all time. With the stakes being high on this game, it's no wonder people are anticipating this game next year as it has a chance to be incredible, but we'll have to wait and see to find out.

In terms of which game I think is going to be Most Anticipated Game in 2023, I think the winner will be The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. As I mentioned before, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the 2017 Game of the Year for the Game Awards so I won't be surprised if the Game Awards judges would pick The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to be Most Anticipated Game of the Year because of that. Plus, Nintendo fans and Legend of Zelda fans like myself are extremely excited about this game which can't be underestimated so I can see this winning on both the judges' side as well as the voters' side. 

In terms of which game I want to be the Most Anticipated Game in 2023, I also want it to be The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. For Final Fantasy XVI, despite liking what I'm seeing so far, besides Final Fantasy VII Remake and the online Final Fantasy games which are kind of their own thing, there hasn't been a great mainline Final Fantasy game in my opinion since Final Fantasy XII or Final Fantasy X in my opinion which is more than a decade at this point. Granted, Final Fantasy XVI could turn things around, but it's not guaranteed yet which is why it won't be Anticipated Game of the Year for me in this case. For Hogwarts Legacy, even though the game does look great, I can't deny that everything involving the author of the Harry Potter books kind of hinders my excitement for this game a bit. Regardless of that, I'm excited about the game, but not as much as I should be. For Resident Evil 4, I know what to expect from it as it'll be a reimaging of the original Resident Evil 4 which is going to be amazing. Despite that, I know what to expect from this game which is why I'm not as excited as I should be since I have a feeling that it will be amazing. For Starfield, even though the game does look incredible, it's a first-person shooter which I'm not usually a huge fan of except with a few expectations. However, with the addition of the RPG elements and the universe exploration, it definitely has my interest, but not enough for me to make me anticipate this game as much as I should. Plus, as I mentioned, the judges and fans are probably going for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to win here and I just want to see another trailer for this game so I'm wanting The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to win this category here.

Next, we'll talk about this category, Best Debut Indie Game of the Year.

Neon White is a first-person shooter and puzzle-platforming game developed by Angel Matrix and published by Annapurna Interactive. This is the first-ever game made by Angel Matrix and I have to say from where I played with it, it's a lot of fun as it's very unique with the combination of the shooter along with the puzzle-platformer as well as the card-based system. This is a pretty good first impression for this developer and they can only grow from here if they can continue to develop games that have every right to be Best Debut Indie Game of the Year.

Norco is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Geography of Robots and published by Raw Fury. Even though the point-and-click genre for games may not be for everyone, from what I've played from it ever since this was announced for the nominees for this category, I checked it out and I have to say that the story of this game and the adventure has been quite enjoyable. Granted, don't know if this is Best Debut Indie Game of the Year material, but for Geography of Robots' first game, I'm very impressed.

Stray is an adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive. I just have to say this game is really good and I'm really impressed by what BlueTwelve Studios did here by making an adventure game revolving around a cat which is freaking awesome. Really enjoyed the game and if this is BlueTwelve Studios' first developed game they made, they have a bright future ahead of them and have every right to be Best Debut Indie Game of the Year.

Tunic is an action-adventure game developed by Tunic Team and published by Finji. This game reminds me a lot of the classic 2D Legend of Zelda games and by mixing it with Soulslike elements to it, you got a match made in heaven as this game is freaking great. For the first game developed by Tunic Team, I'm really impressed, and just like with Neon White and Stray, this game has every right to be the Best Debut Indie Game of the Year.

Vampire Survivors is a roguelike shoot 'em-up video game developed by Poncle. Just like with Norco, this was the first time I've heard of this game, but after trying it myself, I can understand why this game was in this category as it's really good with its gameplay, visuals, and story as well. For the first game developed by Poncle, I'm really impressed as they also have a bright future ahead of them and have a right to be the Best Debut Indie Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I think is going to be Best Debut Indie Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Stray. The fact that Stray is a nominee for Game of the Year tells me that even if it doesn't win Game of the Year, it will at least win the Indie Game categories which is why I believe that Stray will win Best Debut Indie Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I want is going to be Best Debut Indie Game of the Year, I also want the winner to be Stray. This game impressed me with its visuals, its gameplay, and the fact that you can play as a cat is incredible so hoping for Stray to win here as I believe they earned it.

Next, we'll talk about this category, Best Multiplayer Game of the Year.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a first-person shooter developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision as they're well known for the Call of Duty franchise and making one of the best shooters in the gaming industry. Despite not being a fan of the first-person shooters as well as not being a fan of Call of Duty much, I will say that the game is impressive for what it is and that multiplayer for Call of Duty games is generally fun as a whole. Though the recent lawsuits against Activision Blizzard for the past year, it definitely hurts their image a lot, with the possible acquisition of the company by Microsoft/Xbox, maybe things will change better for the company moving forward. Regardless, I can understand why this game is a part of the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year.

Multiversus is a free-to-play crossover fighting game developed by Player First Games and published by Warner Bros. Games this game is Warner Bros.' version of Super Smash Bros. as all the Warner Bros. characters come together to battle it out to see who is the best. Despite the game being inspired by Super Smash Bros., Multiversus is its own game with the tag team mechanic and so forth which is nice to see it branch out to make it different from Super Smash Bros. in its own way. Even if it doesn't reach the level of Super Smash Bros., it's still a fun game to play and especially fun to play with others which makes it viable for Best Multiplayer Game of the Year.

Overwatch 2 is a first-person shooter developed by Blizzard as it's the sequel to the very popular shooter, Overwatch. Despite enjoying Overwatch, Overwatch 2 is pretty much the same as Overwatch except with additional content which isn't a bad thing, but feel like it could be more than what it is which is a shame. In addition, it had a rocky launch as well which hurt it a bit. Plus, similar to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, with the game being associated with Activision-Blizzard, it kind of hurts the game a bit as well. Regardless of that, it's still a fun game and I understand why it's nominated as Best Multiplayer Game of the Year, but it could've been so much more than it is.

Splatoon 3 is a third-person shooter developed by Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo as Splatoon 3 has become one of the fastest-selling games in Japan to date. Splatoon has been an IP from Nintendo that has been soaring up for the past half-decade with its fun gameplay in the shooting genre I'm usually not a shooter person myself with a few expectations and this series is one of them. Splatoon 3 continues that fun gameplay and playing other players locally or online makes the game even more fun than it is as it definitely deserves to be a nominee for Best Multiplayer Game of the Year.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is a beat 'em-up game developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu as it brings back the old-school arcade beat 'em-up games. This game screams nostalgia for those who play beat 'em up games in the arcades back in the day as this game brings that, but with modern assets which are incredible. Whether you're a fan of TMNT or not, this game is a blast to play and a lot more fun when playing with other people locally as every right-to-be Best Multiplayer Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I think is going to be Best Multiplayer Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Overwatch 2. The reason I believe that is because the Game Awards' judges tend to favor games from Activision-Blizzard despite the controversy they have. Granted, with the possible acquisition from Microsoft/Xbox on Activision-Blizzard, the company can change for the better. Regardless, I think that Overwatch 2 will take it here.

In terms of which game I want is going to be Best Multiplayer Game of the Year, I want the winner to be Splatoon 3. Granted, it was a toss-up between Splatoon 3 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge as both games to me is fun for multiplayer, but I feel like Splatoon 3 can be played by people of all ages which is why I picked Splatoon 3 over Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. Granted, I don't see this game winning the category, but if I were to choose, it would be Splatoon 3 for Best Multiplayer Game of the Year.

Next, we'll talk about this category, Best Family Game of the Year.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a platformer developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo as this is the first-ever mainline 3D Kirby game. This game just gives me great joy as I’ve always wanted a mainline 3D Kirby platformer and we finally got it as it’s incredible. This is a game that anyone can play which has a right to be Best Family Game of the Year.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a Lego-themed action-adventure game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Games as it's been the Lego that people have been waiting for years to be released. Despite the long wait, the game definitely delivered as the Lego gameplay is a lot of fun and it stays true to the Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga story which is nice to see as the whole family can enjoy as it has the right to be a nominee for Best Family Game of the Year.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is an action-adventure turn-based strategy game developed by Ubisoft Milan and published by Ubisoft as it's the sequel to the very surprisingly good Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. This game is definitely the sequel to Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle as it’s basically the same gameplay, but with expanded mechanics from the first game which makes it a lot of fun. Granted, I don’t know if this would be considered a family game as the strategy may be hard for people that aren’t good at strategy games, but I can see why this game is considered a family game with Mario and Rabbids being in it so it made sense. 

Nintendo Switch Sports is a sports simulation game developed by Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo as it's basically Wii Sports but on Switch. Despite the game not having a great launch due to a lack of content, it's basically Wii Sports, but on Switch which is awesome. Luckily, the game will be added new content for the next year, and just like with Wii Sports back in the day, Switch Sports has a right to be the Best Family Game of the Year.

Splatoon 3 is a third-person shooter developed by Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo. As I mentioned about this game earlier, this is a game that pretty much anybody can play with at any age since the gameplay is quite simple and anyone can enjoy it. With its fun gameplay especially with others, this has every right to be the Best Family Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I think is going to be Best Family Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. The reason why I think that is because Mario tends to be popular worldwide among fans and the Game Awards' judges love Mario as well so I wouldn't be surprised if this game gets to be Best Family Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I want is going to be Best Family Game of the Year, I want the winner to be Kirby and the Forgotten Land. With the competition in this category, I don't think it'll get it personally, but I really hope it does because this game is truly remarkable as it just brings me a smile, and pretty much almost everyone loves Kirby and who doesn't? As I said, it probably won't win this category, but I hope it does because I feel like it deserves it.

Finally, we'll talk about this category, Best Fighting Game of the Year.

DNF Duel is a fighting game co-developed by Arc System Works, Eighting, and Neople and published by Nexon as the popular RPG series, Dungeon & Fighter, which has a spin-off fighting game with DNF Duel. For the game is a spin-off from an RPG series, it is quite fun as the gameplay is quite simple and easy to learn as even beginners can play the game with no issues. Plus, the online play is fun as well so I understand why this game can be considered as Best Fighting Game of the Year.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R is a fighting game developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco as the PS3 fighting game is now available on all modern consoles with remastered graphics and gameplay. I remember enjoying the original game on PS3 and now with the game being on modern consoles, it's awesome and the additional characters from the recent parts of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure just made this game even more enjoyable than it is. Definitely worthy of being Best Fighting Game of the Year this year despite being a remaster of a PS3 game.

The King of Fighters XV is a fighting game developed by SNK and published by Plaion as it's the fifteenth installment of the popular fighting game series, King of Fighters. King of Fighters generally has great gameplay when it comes to the fighting game genre and King of Fighters XV is no different. Granted, wish they can improve their training and single player-modes for players who are new to the series and not good at fighting games, but everything else including online play is great as it definitely deserves to be a nominee for Best Fighting Game of the Year.

Multiversus free-to-play crossover fighting game developed by Player First Games and published by Warner Bros. Games as the biggest characters from Warner Bros. history collide. As I mentioned before, this game is pretty much Warner Bros.' Super Smash Bros. game which isn't a bad thing as it also does its own thing separating from Super Smash Bros. with its tag team mechanic and so forth. Granted, due to this game being free-to-play, there are microtransactions in this game with alternate costumes and new voice lines for the characters. Other than that, it's still a fun game to play and has every right to be the Best Fighting Game of the Year.

Sifu is a beat 'em-up game developed by Sloclap who also developed Absolver as Sloclap brings a unique concept of a man that keeps getting stronger and aging after losing. The concept of this game is really well done and the game is a lot of fun to play as it's a really good beat 'em-up game. Unfortunately, it's not really a fighting game as it's a beat-em-up where the elements of a fighting game are there, but it's mainly beating up multiple enemies on the screen at once. If there was a category for Best Beat 'Em-Up Game, this would qualify, but For Best Fighting Game, it would not qualify due to the reason I mentioned above. 

In terms of which game I think is going to be Best Fighting Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Multiversus. The Game Awards' judges tend to hype up this game a lot as well as their social media channels which I don't blame them on as it's basically Warner Bros.' Super Smash Bros. which is great in its own way. Not only that, fans are into it as well which gives it a high chance of winning Best Fighting Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I want is going to be Best Fighting Game of the Year, I want the winner to be The King of Fighters XV. I always feel that the King of Fighters series have a good consistency when it comes to the gameplay of what makes fighting games fun and exciting so personally, I would like to see King of Fighters XV win Best Fighting Game of the Year, but with the series kind of being niche/obscure, don't see it winning honestly. 

Those are my predictions for the Most Anticipated Game in 2023, Best Debut Indie Game of the Year, Best Multiplayer Game of the Year, Best Family Game of the Year, and Best Fighting Game of the Year for Game Awards. 

Which games do you think or want to win the awards in each category? 

Let me know in the comments below and look forward to Part 2 of my predictions for Game Awards 2022.

Thank you for reading.