Gaming Influence: Predictions - Game Awards 2023 ~ Part 2

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 will only be doing some 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 2 of my Game Awards predictions which will include Best Fighting Game of the Year, Best RPG of the Year, Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year, and Best Action 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 Best Fighting Game of the Year.

God of Rock is a rhythm-based fighting game developed by Modus Studios Brazil and published by Mobus Games as the game combines rhythm and fighting. Even though I appreciate the concept of combining rhythm and fighting genres into one, the execution of this game could have worked better as there are points where it does it well, but other times, it could have done better. I really questioned why this game is in the category, probably because it needs to fill a spot, but from what I've played, the potential is there, but the delivery of it was poor.

Mortal Kombat 1 is a fighting game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games as it's another game within the popular fighting game series, Mortal Kombat. Despite the game moving in a new direction due to this game being a reboot for the series, it's still a lot of fun and still has the elements that make this game a Mortal Kombat game and I appreciate that a lot. Even though it's not my favorite Mortal Kombat game, I can see why this game can be the Best Fighting Game of the Year as it still has what makes Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat, and it's a lot of fun to play as well.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a crossover fighting game developed by Fair Play Labs and published by GameMill Entertainment as the sequel to the Nickelodeon crossover platform fighter. This game is a huge improvement from the first game where the first game was good, but it could've been a lot better whereas Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 improved everything from the first game including a really good online netcode which I appreciate. Due to this, this game has every right to be the Best Fighting Game of the Year.

Pocket Bravery is a fighting game developed by Statera Studios as its gameplay style goes back to the classic fighting games in the 90s. Despite not playing much of this game, from what I've played, this definitely goes back to the classic fighting games in the 90s like Street Fighter II, Fatal Fury, Tekken 3, etc., but also has that modern twist to it that is accessible to other players that might not get into the classic fighting games. Even though it might not be for everyone, I can see why this game can be the Best Fighting Game of the Year as it's trying to bring back the classic fighting game style into the modern era.

Street Fighter 6 is a fighting game developed by Capcom as it's the next mainline game of the popular fighting game series, Street Fighter. Compared to Street Fighter V, Street Fighter 6 has such a better launch with a fun single-player experience and fun multiplayer to play with locals or people online as this is the Street Fighter experience that we should get with the series moving forward. Therefore, I think Street Fighter 6 has every right to be the Best Fighting Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I think will be the Best Fighting Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Mortal Kombat 1. As I mentioned in Part 1 of my predictions for the 2023 Game Awards, the Game Awards' judges tend to favor Western games most of the time, and with how much promotion Mortal Kombat 1 got, I have a feeling that the Game Awards' judges will be voting on that to win as Mortal Kombat have a big fanbase as well so won't be surprised if Mortal Kombat wins the Best Fighting Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I want to be the Best Fighting Game of the Year, I want it to be Street Fighter 6. As much as I do enjoy Mortal Kombat 1 and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, I believe that Street Fighter 6 has the total package of what a fighting game should have and that is having an enjoyable experience with the single-player content and having fun multiplayer with online and offline. I can see it being very close between Mortal Kombat 1 and Street Fighter 6 in terms of which game will win the Best Fighting Game of the Year, but for me, I want Street Fighter 6 to win as I think it has the overall package of what a fighting game should have.

Next, we'll talk about this category, Best RPG 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 though I haven't played much of this game, I do see the appeal to it and it has a lot of customization for players to try out, the story is quite intriguing, and the gameplay is a lot of fun whether you play it alone or with friends. Despite not being into Western RPGs, I see why this deserves to be the Best RPG of the Year due to the customization, intriguing story, and fun gameplay.

Final Fantasy XVI is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix as it's the sixteenth mainline game of the popular role-playing game series, Final Fantasy. Even though some people might not be fans of the changes that mainline Final Fantasy games have done as of late especially switching the gameplay into more action combat rather than turn-based combat, I believe that this could be the right direction for the series if they continue to improve upon on what they've done here so far. I enjoyed the story despite its slowdowns at certain points, the gameplay was a lot of fun that despite having action combat, still had RPG elements to it, the characters were well-written, the graphics were beautiful, and the music was spectacular and because of that, it has every right to be the Best RPG of the Year.

Lies of P is a soulslike action role-playing game developed by Neowiz Games as it combines the soulslike gameplay within a different take of the Pinocchio story. Even though I question why this game is considered an RPG as I consider soulslike games action-adventure personally, however, it does have RPG elements which I can see why the Game Awards would consider this game an RPG. Really enjoyed this game for what it is as the soulslike gameplay is a lot of fun and doable compared to the Souls series, and the way they implement the Pinocchio story in a darker tone is quite awesome and because of that, I can see why this game can be the Best RPG of the Year.

Sea of Stars is a role-playing game developed by Sabotage Studio that brings back the classic RPGs in the 90s into a modern light. I had an interest in this game for a long time as this game reminds me of the classic RPGs in the 90s, especially with Chrono Trigger. After playing the game, it reminds me how much I love those classic RPGs, and Sea of Stars recaptures that, but also has a modern control scheme that current players can enjoy and this game has every right to be the Best RPG of the Year.

Starfield is an action role-playing game developed by Bethesda as it's the next biggest game within their company. From what I've played with this game, it's impressive what this game has accomplished as its customization and world exploration are quite incredible. Granted, I feel like this game could've been a lot better at launch, but it definitely improved over time and I can see why this game could be the Best RPG of the Year.

In terms of which game I think will be the Best RPG 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 and despite not playing much of it, I can see why it would win and I wouldn't be upset if it did win Best RPG of the Year.

In terms of which game I want to be Best RPG of the Year, I want the winner to be Final Fantasy XVI. Even though I had a hard time deciding which game I wanted to win Best RPG of the Year as I enjoyed Lies of P and Sea of Stars, in the end, I ended up picking Final Fantasy XVI as I felt like this was the game that would take the mainline Final Fantasy franchise in a new good direction that I feel like that could benefit the series in the long run in my opinion. Despite my thinking that Baldur's Gate III will win this category and I won't be surprised if it did, I want Final Fantasy XVI to win because of what it did and what it could mean for the franchise moving forward.

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

Alan Wake II is a survival horror game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Epic Games as it's the long-awaited sequel to the first Alan Wake released in 2010. It has been thirteen years since the first Alan Wake game where they changed how the atmosphere of the series is going through as it's leaning more of the survival horror genre while still keeping the action-adventure aspect to it. By combining survival horror and action adventure into one, I can see why this game would be the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year. 

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is an action-adventure game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, it's the sequel to the first Marvel's Spider-Man as it continues the journey of one of the most well-known Marvel superheroes ever, Spider-Man. I love the first Marvel's Spider-Man game and this game just took it to a whole other level by having Miles Morales' Spider-Man joining Peter Parker's Spider-Man which is awesome. The story is great, the gameplay is as fun as ever between the two Spider-Mans that play differently, and the world that you get to explore in New York is exciting as well. Due to this, this game has every right to be the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year. 

Resident Evil 4 is a survival horror game developed by Capcom as it's the reimagining of the original game that was made back on the GameCube in 2005. I love the original Resident Evil 4 and this reimagining of Resident Evil 4, it delivers where it respects the original, but also does its own thing which I appreciate and love. Due to those aspects of the game, I mentioned, it has every right to be the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year as it does its own thing while respecting the original source material.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an action-adventure game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts as it's another action-adventure game within the Star Wars Jedi universe. From what I've played with this game, even though it's not perfect, I would say that it's a step in the right direction with the Star Wars Jedi series as long as they continue to improve the aspects of the game. The overworld was fun to explore and the gameplay is fun. Despite the game needing to improve in some aspects, I can see why this game would be the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo as it's the sequel to the 2017 Game of the Year winner, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not only one of my favorite Legend of Zelda games, but it's also one of my favorite games of all time so when the sequel was announced, I was ecstatic and when it finally released, not only did it delivered, but it also exceeded my expectations as they went above and beyond by the crafting mechanic that really changes the game in my opinion compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The fact that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom managed to improve from what The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did and more, it definitely has the right to be the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I think will be the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Alan Wake II. As I mentioned earlier, the Game Awards' judges tend to favor Western games, and Alan Wake II just recently came out, I can see a recency bias towards this game since it'll be fresh on people's minds and a lot of people are talking about the game as well which can give this game a huge advantage. Due to that, I can see this game winning the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I want to be Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year, I want the winner to be The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. All of these games in this category except maybe Star Wars Jedi: Survivor in my opinion, deserve to be the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year, but with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, that game to me has changed everything on how crafting should work in games and has been implemented extremely well where I feel like other games can learn from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with its crafting mechanics while having this meaty action adventure along with it. Due to how The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom changed how crafting should be done in games while having an open world action-adventure, I feel like this game deserves to be the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year.

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

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is a mecha-based vehicular combat game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco as it's the return of the popular mecha-based vehicular combat game series, Armored Core. It's been so long since the last Armored Core game, and the fact that the series made a return and it's still the fun action game with mechs that we love is incredible to see. Due to the return of a fun mecha-based vehicular combat game, this game has every right to be the Best Action Game of the Year.

Dead Island 2 is an action role-playing game developed by Dambuster Studios and published by Deep Silver as it's the long-awaited sequel of the first Dead Island which was released back in 2011. It has been twelve years since the last Dead Island game and even though I haven't played much of it, it's fine for what it is where it's still fun, but I prefer the first game. Dead Island 2 is still fun with its action regardless so I can see why it can be the Best Action Game of the Year.

Ghostrunner II is an action platformer developed by One More Level and published by 505 Games as it's the sequel of the first Ghostrunner released in 2020. From what I remembered from the first game, it was a lot of fun as it combined the fast-paced action with platforming into one, and Ghostrunner II continued that trend as it improved from the first game in terms of its gameplay which I really appreciate a lot. With its fun action combined with fun platforming, it has every right to be the Best Action Game of the Year.

Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythm-based action game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda as it combines rhythm and action into one. When this game was first announced, I was really impressed by how the game looked and the gameplay seemed unique to me by combining both rhythm-based and action into one. After playing the game myself, it delivered on the gameplay aspect as rhythm went so well with the action and because of that, it has every right to be the Best Action Game of the Year.

Remnant II is a third-person shooter action role-playing game developed by Gunfire Games and published by Gearbox Publishing as it's the sequel to the first Remnant game that was released in 2019. Even though I haven't played much of this game, I see that they have improved from what they did in the first game by making this game more soulslike which makes the game a lot more interesting than the first in my opinion. Due to the fact that this game is more soulslike by combining shooting and RPG elements into one, I can see why this game would be the Best Action Game of the Year.

In terms of which game I think will be Best Action Game of the Year, I think the winner will be Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. The Game Awards' judges tend to love games from FromSoftware just looking at past history with the Game Awards, I won't be surprised if the trend continues here as fans of FromSoftware fans will probably back up this game as well so I could see this game winning the Best Action Game of the Year by having support from the judges as well as the fans.

In terms of which game I want is going to be Best Action Game of the Year, I want the winner to also be Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. This category was a toss-up for me between Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon and Hi-Fi Rush. In the end, I ended up picking Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon kind of brought back the mecha-based genre back in my opinion with more people into the genre and because the action in this game is so much fun, this game deserves to be Best Action Game of the Year in my opinion. 

Those are my predictions for the Best Fighting Game of the Year, the Best RPG of the Year, the Best Action/Adventure Game of the Year, and the Best Action 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 3 of my predictions for Game Awards 2023.

Thank you for reading.