Gaming Influence: Predictions - Game Awards 2023 ~ Part 1

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to Gaming Influence, a reboot of the same name I created 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 2023 Game Awards which will be airing the show live worldwide on December 7, 2023. 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 sixteen predictions for sixteen categories for the Game Awards this year. In addition, these predictions will be separated into four parts so this is Part 1 of my Game Awards predictions which will include Most Anticipated Game in 2024, Best Multiplayer Game of the Year, Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year, and Best Family Game of the Year. Plus, 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, the Most Anticipated Game in 2024.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 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 VII Rebirth, it will be the sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake where the reimagination of the classic Final Fantasy VII continues. With everything we've seen of this game and what we've known as well as playing Final Fantasy VII Remake, with the addition of the overworld and new characters to play as, there's a reason why this game has been highly anticipated for next year.

Hades II is a roguelike game developed by Supergiant Games as they're one of the rising independent studios out there. With the huge success of Hades, I'm not surprised that this game is highly anticipated despite not having a release date or year yet because this game is pretty much like the first game except it controls a new character and looks to expand upon the universe of Hades. Once we see more of this game in the future, we'll see why this game is highly anticipated despite having yet to have a clear release date or year.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a role-playing game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. They're well known for the Like a Dragon series, including the Judgement series, which has been popular for the past couple of years. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the sequel to Yazuka: Like a Dragon which took the franchise in a new direction where more people are starting to get into the series and with the addition of customization of life simulation along with the traditional aspects of Like a Dragon series, there's a reason why this game is highly anticipated for next year.

Star Wars Outlaws is an action-adventure game developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft as they're looking to take Star Wars into a huge open-world game for players to explore. Despite knowing very little about the game as of now, the potential is there is given a chance as an open-world game in the Star Wars universe could be huge, and due to that aspect, it's a highly anticipated game heading into next year.

Tekken 8 is a fighting game developed by Bandai Namco as it will be the next generation of the popular fighting game series, Tekken. With the improved graphics, new characters, and new modes, this might be the best Tekken game possible yet and with the rise of fighting games in popularity once again as of late, there's a reason why this game is highly anticipated heading into next year.

In terms of which game I think will be the Most Anticipated Game in 2024, I think the winner will be Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Final Fantasy has had a huge resurgence as of late especially with Final Fantasy VII Remake and with this game, it looks to be Final Fantasy VII Remake, but expanded upon with an overworld to explore, new characters to play as, and this game being reimagined, the story might change that wasn't in the original which makes me very excited. Plus, the Game Awards judges tend to like Final Fantasy as Final Fantasy VII Remake did win a few awards at the Game Awards 2020 and the fans love Final Fantasy as well so I see Final Fantasy VII Rebirth winning the Most Anticipated Game of 2024.

In terms of which game I want to be the Most Anticipated Game in 2024, I also want it to be Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. For Hades II, as much as I'm really excited about this game, we only saw one trailer for it and that was at the Game Awards 2022 so I need to see more to see what this game is all about. As for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, I'm also really excited about this game as well, especially with the new features they added, but don't know if it's enough that it'll be Game of the Year next year for me. Granted, I'll probably love it, but not as highly anticipated compared to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. For Star Wars Outlaws, it's also more of that I need to see more of the game to be excited about it. For Tekken 8, I'm hyped for it and I expect it to be a great fighting game, but I wouldn't say it's mostly highly anticipated for me in my opinion. As I mentioned earlier, the Game Awards judges tend to like Final Fantasy as Final Fantasy VII Remake did win a few awards at the Game Awards 2020 and the fans love Final Fantasy as well. Plus, I just want to see another trailer for this game, but either way, I want Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to win Most Anticipated Game of 2024.

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

Baldur's Gate III is a role-playing game developed by Larian Studios as it's one of the most talked about games today. Even if I haven't played this game much, I will say that the multiplayer for this game is great as it's basically a game that you can play online with friends and people around the globe that generally runs well for the most part. As a result of that, I can see why this game would be the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year. 

Diablo IV is an online-only action role-playing developed by Blizzard as it's another game within the popular Western RPG series, Diablo. Even though personally for me, Diablo II is still the best Diablo game ever, Diablo IV is good and its online servers are good for the most part as well where you can play with friends and people around the globe similar to Baldur's Gate III. Unfortunately, this game is only online, and can't play it offline which is unfortunate, but it's still fun and I can see why this game would be the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year.

Party Animals is a multiplayer physics-based party brawler developed by Recreate Games and published by Source Technology as it's the party game that's been getting popular as of late. From what I've played of this game, it's just pure chaos and I love it for it as this game is just a lot of fun especially when you play it with friends and people online just for the wackiness of it. I can see why this game would be the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year as it's a game where anyone can play and have a great time with it.

Street Fighter 6 is a fighting game developed by Capcom as it's another game within the popular fighting game series, Street Fighter. Street Fighter generally always excels when it comes to multiplayer whether it's offline or online and with Street Fighter 6, they continue that path and it's great to see. Even though Street Fighter II is still my personal favorite Street Fighter game, Street Fighter 6 is definitely up there and has a better launch compared to Street Fighter V which was dreadful. I can see why this game would be the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year as Street Fighter excels at multiplayer and it's the same with Street Fighter 6.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a platformer developed by Nintendo as it's another game within the popular platforming series, Super Mario Bros. At this point, everyone knows about Mario and Super Mario Bros. is one of those franchises that anyone of any age can play this game has multiplayer whether it's locally or online, anyone playing can have a great time as there are even options for an easy mode for players that aren't good at video games which is really appreciated. With the options that they have in terms of multiplayer, it has every right to be the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I think will be the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Baldur's Gate III. The reason I believe that is because the Game Awards' judges tend to favor Western games. Since Baldur's Gate III is in that category as well as being talked about a lot, I see this game getting the award here.

In terms of which game I want is going to be Best Multiplayer Game of the Year, I want the winner to be Super Mario Bros. Wonder. In this category, it was a toss-up between Street Fighter 6 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but ended up with Super Mario Bros. Wonder as it's more accessible for everyone to play compared to Street Fighter 6. Granted, Street Fighter 6 does have modern controls for players to use to make it easy for people who don't play fighting games, but I feel like Super Mario Bros. Wonder appeals more to a wider audience, and therefore, I want Super Mario Bros. Wonder to win the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year.

Next, we'll talk about this category, Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year.

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a turn-based strategy game developed by WayForward and published by Nintendo as it was a remake of the classic turn-based strategy games on GBA, Advance Wars, and Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising. I love the original Advance Wars games back on GBA and this remake of them did it justice as it kept the classic gameplay of the originals, but modernized it in a way for new players to join in. This collection definitely involves a lot of strategy to win so this has every right to be the Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year.

Cities: Skylines II is a city-building game developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive as it's the sequel to the first Cities: Skylines game back in 2015. Even though I haven't really played much of this game, from what I've played, it definitely had a rough start as there were a lot of bugs and glitches that shouldn't have been there in the first place, but luckily, it improved over time. However, first impressions are everything and it failed when it first launched. The game is definitely a lot better now than when it first launched and I can see why it has a chance to be the Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year because of the improvements of the game over time.

Company of Heroes 3 is a real-time strategy game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sega as it's another game within the real-time strategy game series, Company of Heroes. Just like with Cities: Skylines II, I haven't played much of this game, but what I've played, it also had a rough start with it having a lot of bugs and glitches as it felt like it was incomplete which is not really acceptable. However, just like with Cities: Skylines II, they did improve it over time, but it's not the best game within the series unfortunately which makes me question why it's in this category in the first place as it's not really good in my opinion. However, they needed a spot to fill and this was it and again, this is just my opinion so if you like it, great.

Fire Emblem Engage is a tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo as it's another game within the popular tactical role-playing game series, Fire Emblem. Even though personally, this isn't my favorite Fire Emblem game as it's Fire Emblem Three Houses at this time, it's still a great strategy game that probably has the best gameplay of the Fire Emblem series in my opinion. If you're looking for a great tactical strategy game to play, Fire Emblem Engage is the game for you and it has every right to be the Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year.

Pikmin 4 is a real-time strategy game developed by Nintendo EPD as it's the fourth mainline game of the popular real-time strategy game series, Pikmin. To me, this is my favorite Pikmin game to date it combined everything I love from the previous ones and put it into one while also adding new mechanics to the game as well with the addition of the new Pikmin and Oatchi is awesome as well. If you're looking for a great real-time strategy game to play, Pikmin 4 is the game for you and it has every right to be the Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I think will be the Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Pikmin 4. The Pikmin series has been on the rise as of late and the sales for the series have grown as well which resulted in Pikmin 4 being the best-selling Pikmin game in the series. Out of all the games in this category, I can see the Game Awards' judges favoring Pikmin 4 because of this and with the support of Nintendo fans as well, I can see Pikmin 4 winning the Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I want is going to be Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year, I want the winner to also be Pikmin 4. As much as I enjoy Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp and Fire Emblem Engage, Pikmin 4 just click all the boxes for me when it comes to strategy games, and to me, it's the best game within the series thus far. Plus, as I mentioned before, I have a feeling the Game Awards' judges and Nintendo fans will be behind this as well. Therefore, I want Pikmin 4 to win the Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year.

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

Disney Illusion Island is a platformer developed by Dlala Studios and published by Disney Electronic Content as it's a platformer involving the popular Disney characters. It's Disney so of course, this will appeal to anyone especially with family if parents have children to play with as they get to play with their favorite Disney characters which includes Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. This has every right to be the Best Family Game of the Year due to its association with Disney in general. 

Party Animals is a multiplayer physics-based party brawler developed by Recreate Games and published by Source Technology. Despite the game being pure chaos, it does appeal to anyone who just wants to have a great time including families as I could see this game being played with siblings or cousins. Even though I don't think everyone in a family can play this game due to its physics which can frustrate people if they don't know the point of the game, I can see why this game can be the Best Family Game of the Year because it can bring people together including a family.

Pikmin 4 is a real-time strategy game developed by Nintendo EPD. Even though this game does have the aesthetic of a family game in terms of graphics, character designs, area designs, and colors, it really isn't a family game per se as it's a strategy game and I don't think kids will have a great time playing this game as they have to think a lot on what they need to do to win which can frustrate them. Despite the game looking like a family game, it isn't, but I can see why it's in this category even though I don't think it deserves to be here in my opinion.

Sonic Superstars is a platformer developed by Azrest and Sonic Team and published by Sega as it's another mainline game within the popular platformer series, Sonic. Similar to Mario, Sonic can appeal to a wide audience including family. Granted, I feel like Sonic appeals more to an older audience compared to a younger audience in my opinion, but I can see why it can be considered a family game due to the Sonic name and brand alone even though I don't believe it deserves to be in this category.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a platformer developed by Nintendo. As I mentioned in the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year category, this game appeals to everyone because it's Mario as he's iconic and Super Mario Bros. Wonder even has an easy mode for players that might not be good at games, which appeals to families. This game has every right to be the Best Family Game of the Year due to the Mario brand and name as well as the game being generally easy for the most part for newcomers to join in and have fun.

In terms of which game I think will be Best Family Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Just like I mentioned with the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year category, Mario tends to be popular worldwide among fans and the Game Awards' judges love Mario, I wouldn't be surprised if this game gets to be Best Family Game of the Year as it's pretty much accessible for anyone to play.

In terms of which game I want is going to be Best Family of the Year, I want the winner to also be Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Even though every game in this category deserves to win, I feel like Super Mario Bros. Wonder deserves it the most as I feel like it's the most accessible game out of all of the games listed in this category. Therefore, I want this game to win the Best Family of the Year because of its accessibility which can cater to families.

Those are my predictions for the Most Anticipated Game in 2024, the Best Multiplayer Game of the Year, the Best Sim/Strategy Game of the Year, and the Best Family 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 2023.

Thank you for reading.