Gaming Influence: Predictions - Game Awards 2022 ~ Part 3

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 will only be doing some 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 3 (Final Part) of my Game Awards predictions which will include Best Score and Music of the Year, Best Art Direction of the Year, Best Narrative Game, Best Game Direction of the Year, and Game of the Year. In addition, I'll first give my thoughts on the game themselves for the category they're under 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, Best Score and Music of the Year.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is an action-adventure survival horror stealth game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Focus Entertainment as the composer for this game is Olivier Deriviere. The score and music are great in this game as it gives the player a sense of urgency when something bad is going to happen with a combination of dramatic and epic tones at once in order to do whatever it takes to survive. Here are a few songs from the OST for you to listen to.

Elden Ring is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco as the composer for this game is Tsukasa Saitoh. The soundtrack when it comes to FromSoftware games always delivers as they always bring that impact when encountering bosses and with Elden Ring, this is no different as the moment you hear an epic melody playing when encountering a boss, you know that business is about to pick up and they nailed it here. Here are a few songs from the OST for you to listen to.

God of War Ragnarök is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as the composer for this game is Bear McCreary. The God of War soundtracks are generally great and with God of War Ragnarök, it's no different as they bring a dark yet epicness and dramatic tone to the game with its soundtrack. When exploring the world of God of War Ragnarök, you sense that something bad is going to happen as you get ready for battle when the music kicks in as well as you hear the sad and dramatic tone when something tragic is going to happen. Here are a few songs from the OST for you to listen to.

Metal: Hellsinger is a rhythmic first-person shooter developed by The Outsiders as the composer for this game is Two Feathers. If you want awesome metal music when playing a rhythmic first-person shooter, Metal: Hellsinger has just that and it's quite a banger. Even if you're not a fan of metal music, you can't deny the epicness that this soundtrack as well you shoot to the rhythm to your heart's content. Here are a few songs from the OST for you to listen to.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is an action role-playing game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo as the composer for this game is Yasunori Mitsuda. Xenoblade Chronicles series always have an amazing soundtrack and with Xenoblade Chronicles 3, it's no different. They bring in everything in terms of tone and melody with epicness, dramatic, and joy all at once. In addition, the fact that Yasunori Mitsuda made a custom flute for this soundtrack is absolute bonkers and I love him for it. Here are a few songs from the OST for you to listen to.

In terms of which game I think is going to be Best Score and Music of the Year, I think the winner will be Elden Ring. Just like in the previous predictions, Game Awards' judges, as well as Geoff Keighley, are high on this game so wouldn't be surprised if this game won this category and it has a right to do so as the soundtrack of the game is really good.

In terms of which game I want to be the Best Score and Music of the Year, I want it to be Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Even though I think all of the soundtracks here in this category are freaking fire, I think Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has the perfect balance of bringing many emotions with its entire soundtrack including dramatic, joyful, and epicness all into one due to its variety which I love. Granted, I don't think it's winning here because of the tough competition it has here, but I really want Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to win here as I think their soundtrack is spectacular. 

Next, we'll discuss the category of Best Art Direction of the Year.

Elden Ring is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco as they're well known for their dark yet realistic art style when it comes to their games. For Elden Ring, it differs from the Dark Souls series, Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice as it has a brighter tone in terms of its art direction compared to the others I mentioned. Despite that, the art style is absolutely stunning because of the different tones and feels that the world of Elden Ring is alive.

God of War Ragnarök is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as they're well known for having a realistic art style mixed with the mythology of certain cultures. God of War games generally have great art direction and with God of War Ragnarök, it’s no different. The world is absolutely stunning with the different environments the game provides and it’s gorgeous. 

Horizon Forbidden West is an action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as they're well known for having a realistic art style fused with futuristic technology. Horizon Zero Dawn has a great art direction and Horizon Forbidden West, it’s no different. Similar to what I said about God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West’s art direction is absolutely stunning as the environments in the game are beautiful, it makes the player feel that they’re a part of this world.

Scorn is a first-person biopunk survival horror adventure game developed by Ebb Software and published by Kelper Interactive as they're bringing in a dark creepy art style to sell the atmosphere of this game. If you want a game that looks disturbing, creepy, and dark, this game has it as its art style is very ominous which really fits well with the setting of the game.

Stray is an adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive where they're bringing a charming yet beautiful art style to grasp the adventure of a playable cat. As I mentioned n numerous times before, this is BlueTwelve Studio’s first game, and the fact that they made a game looking like this is absolutely incredible. Hands off to BlueTwelve Studio for making a game with this art style.

In terms of which game I think is going to be the Best Art Direction of the Year, I think the winner will be Elden Ring. I may sound like a broken record at this time, but yeah, Game Awards’ judges and Geoff Keighley are very supportive of this game and with the game actually having a great art direction, I won’t be surprised if this wins Best Art Direction of the Year.

In terms of which game I want is going to be Best Art Direction of the Year, I want the winner to be Stray. The fact that BlueTwelve Studio was able to make a game that looks this good is astounding and I feel like the studio deserves recognition for its work in my opinion so I personally want Stray to win this category.

Next, we'll discuss the category of Best Narrative of the Year.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is an action-adventure survival horror stealth game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Focus Entertainment as the story is about two siblings, Amicia and Hugo de Rune as they must look for a cure for Hugo's blood disease in Southern France while also fleeing from soldiers from the Inquisition and hordes of rats that are spreading the black plague. This game is full of emotions with the characters you play as you go through the story it’s very well written in terms of the plot and characters so it definitely has a right to be Best Narrative of the Year.

Elden Ring is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco as the story is about the Lands Between which was blessed by the Greater Will (a god that is obsessed with order over chaos) who sent down the Elden Ring (a magical object that changed Lands Between on its whims). Even though this game is amazing in its own right, I personally feel like the story is the weakest part of this game. Granted, it’s still a good story, but I feel like the game is more focused on the actual gameplay and open-world aspect itself rather than the story. However, that’s just me, but the game does have a good story in its own right, and can see why it’s a nominee for Best Narrative of the Year.

God of War Ragnarök is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as the story takes place three years after God of War on PS4 as the world is based on Norse mythology. I really enjoyed the story from God of War on PS4 and this game basically continues where it left off and it was a rollercoaster of emotions for sure. It has every right to be Best Narrative of the Year based on the story they told in this game.

Horizon Forbidden West is an action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as the story takes place half a year after Horizon Zero Dawn where the players follow the journey of a young huntress from the Nora tribe, Aloy. I really adored the story of Horizon Zero Dawn as this game basically left off from the first game. The story that it told really showed a lot of mystery and intrigue on what Aloy is doing in the world she lives in as this has every right to be the Best Narrative of the Year.

Immortality is an interactive film video game developed by Half Mermaid as the story is about where players interact with software that acts as a repository for the work of Marissa Marcel (a would-be movie star who has disappeared from the art world) as the player must solve the mystery of the disappearance of Marissa Marcel. The way they tied in a mystery story in an interactive film game like this is very cool which makes the player guess on what's going on and what's going to happen next which is nice to see. This has every right to be Best Narrative of the Year due to the way Half Mermaid developed an intriguing mystery story in an interactive film game like this.

In terms of which game I think is going to win Best Narrative of the Year, I think the winner will be God of War Ragnarök. Game Awards' judges tend to favor PlayStation games when it comes to narrative and with an amazing story that God of War Ragnarök provides, I can see it winning Best Narrative of the Year.

In terms of which game I want to win Best Narrative of the Year, I also want the winner to be God of War Ragnarök. Out of all the games in this category, I feel like God of War Ragnarök has the best story as it has it all with pure epicness, dramatic scenes, and some cheerful moments where it's all a grand adventure for the players to experience. 

Next, we'll discuss the category of Best Game Direction of the Year.

Elden Ring is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco as they're bringing the Souls series into an open-world environment. Generally, FromSoftware games are usually difficult and Elden Ring is still difficult, but it's a lot more accessible and a bit easier compared to other Souls games like the Dark Souls series, Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. With the game being more accessible with it being a bit easier as well as having an open-world to the game, this has every right to be Best Game Direction of the Year.

God of War Ragnarök is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as they're bringing an end to a certain chapter of this long story of Kratos into the next phase. I loved the game direction that God of War on PS4 did and God of War Ragnarök continued that which is great. However, it’s not anything new, but I can see why it could be Best Game Direction of the Year.

Horizon Forbidden West is an action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as they're continuing to expand the world of Horizon. Horizon Zero Dawn has a great game direction for the first game in the series and Horizon Forbidden West, continued that direction which I love. However, just like I mentioned with God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West doesn’t really do anything new in terms of the game direction, but I can also see why it could be Best Game Direction of the Year.

Immortality is an interactive film video game developed by Half Mermaid as they're bringing an interactive film into a video game. Despite the interactive film games existing before Immortality, it’s not very common that these types of games exist Immortality does it greatly. This has every right to be Best Game Direction of the Year just because the game is an interactive film game which is not common these days.

Stray is an adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive as they're creating an adventure for a cat to explore. As I mentioned multiple times before, this is BlueTwelve’s first game and the direction they went with this game is great. I mean, you play as a cat, who doesn’t love that?! Due to this, this has every right to be Best Game Direction of the Year.

In terms of which game I think is going to win Best Game Direction of the Year, I think the winner will be Elden Ring. Not only do the Game Awards' judges are in favor of this game, but the fans as well because as I said, this is the most accessible that any Soulslike game that FromSoftware has made which has grown its audience for new players to experience. To me, that screams Best Game Direction of the Year and I believe that Elden Ring deserves it.

In terms of which game I want to win Best Game Direction of the Year, I also want the winner to be Elden Ring. Just like I mentioned with what I think, I also want Elden Ring to win this category because of the open-world aspect as well as the game is the most accessible compared to games that FromSoftware did in the past that are Soulslike. If this is the new direction that FromSoftware will be taking with their Soulslike games, I'm in.

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

A Plague Tale: Requiem is an action-adventure survival horror stealth game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Focus Entertainment as it's the sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence. Even though I haven’t finished the game yet, from what I’ve played with it, it’s a great game that has a great story, intriguing characters, fun gameplay, beautiful graphics, and a great soundtrack that is worthy of Game of the Year.

Elden Ring is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco as it's another game that is Soulslike from the creators of the Soulslike genre along with the Dark Souls series, Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Previous Soulslike games developed by FromSoftware are generally difficult for newcomers to join in, but with Elden Ring, it’s more accessible and easier compared to games like the Dark Souls series, Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Not only that, it’s open-world which gives more options for players to do what they want which is excellent. With this game being more accessible as well as the game being open-world, it has every right to be Game of the Year.

God of War Ragnarök is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as it's the continuation of the God of War series. I loved God of War on PS4 and God of War Ragnarök continues that which I love. It has an excellent story, well-written characters, excellent gameplay, amazing graphics, and a great soundtrack which has every right to be Game of the Year.

Horizon Forbidden West is an action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as it's the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn. Horizon Zero Dawn was an excellent game and with Horizon Forbidden West, it continues that and I love it. It has an excellent story, great characters, great gameplay, amazing graphics, and a great soundtrack where it has every right to be Game of the Year.

Stray is an adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive as this is the first-ever game made by BlueTwelve Studio. Despite enjoying this game as it’s a really good game, it’s not really Game of the Year worthy to me in my opinion. Still, it’s a fun game and people should check it out, but just not Game of the Year in my eyes.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is an action role-playing game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo as it is the third mainline game of the Xenoblade Chronicles series. I absolutely love the Xenoblade Chronicles series. To me, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is probably the best game in the series by far. It has a great story despite its issues towards the end, amazing characters that I can relate to, excellent gameplay as it’s probably the best in the series as well, beautiful graphics as it’s one of the best-looking games on the Switch, and it has an amazing soundtrack as almost every song in it hits you. With all of this, this has every right to be Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I think is going to win Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Elden Ring. Not only the Game Awards' judges and Geoff Keighley are behind this game, but also the fans. Ever since this game came out, there have been discussions that this game is Game of the Year and it came out in January as well so the fact that people are still talking about this game almost a year later is amazing and it does have every right to be Game of the Year because of that.

In terms of which game I want to win Game of the Year, I also want the winner to be Elden Ring. Granted, I love God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but these games are basically continuations of previous games which isn't a bad thing. However, Elden Ring basically does a concept with its genre that has never been done before with it being open-world and more accessible and easier for players to get into, unlike other Soulslike games by FromSoftware which will only grow the series from here. Therefore, I feel like Elden Ring should and deserves to win Game of the Year because it's doing something different with the genre and it works perfectly. However, if God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, or Xenoblade Chronicles 3 wins, I won't complain. Though, definitely see Elden Ring winning Game of the Year here.

Those are my predictions for the Best Score and Music of the Year, Best Art Direction of the Year, Best Narrative of the Year, Best Game Direction of the Year, and 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.

Thank you for reading.