If the aim of the trendy awards present is to make “moments,” then The Game Awards 2022 definitely rose to the event — after which some. The Geoff Keighley-produced ceremony was among the many present’s finest total efforts but, packing in a superb slate of reveals, some real surprises, and sufficient “WTF” moments to make headlines even at mainstream publications that don’t usually take note of the world of gaming.
While it could have been a very thrilling present for followers and informal viewers, it was an uneven ceremony when it got here to the precise awards. Rushed winner bulletins and speeches took a again seat to flashy trailers over the course of the evening. That definitely isn’t new for the nine-year-old present, which has constructed its repute on offering E3-calibur bulletins, however awards felt like a noticeably low precedence throughout the broadcast.
THE GAME AWARDS 2022: Official 4K Livestream: Thursday, December 8 (7:30p ET/4:30p PT/12:30a GMT)
That dynamic made for a typically disappointing present that didn’t at all times really feel prefer it functioned as an business celebration. Instead, it was an evening engineered for social engagement — one thing that wound up being its Achilles heel by the evening’s weird finale.
The recap
If you tuned into The Game Awards 2022 simply to see some new trailers, you possible walked away pleased. Keighley was at his finest as a curator this yr, pulling collectively a powerful slew of trailers that someway dodged leaks. A shocking Death Stranding 2 reveal and dwell look by creator Hideo Kojima created one of many present’s most hair-raising moments up to now. I used to be within the Microsoft Theater for the ceremony, and the vitality within the room was palpable; it felt historic.
That was removed from the present’s solely massive “world premiere,” although. A implausible Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon debut had attendees screaming, Hades 2 shocked the group, and Final Fantasy XVI made for a a lot stronger closing reveal than Fast & Furious Crossroads or an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo primarily based on The Matrix collection. Even Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which had its launch date unceremoniously leaked earlier than the present, obtained an enormous response. No announcement had its thunder stolen, permitting the present to really feel like a “can’t miss” spectacle.
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Though the present would ultimately sag in its center (an ungainly Crash Bandicoot section made for its lowest level), followers appeared glad total. When Geoff Keighley put out a Twitter ballot after the ceremony asking viewers to grade the published, gamers overwhelmingly responded with A’s. If this was meant to be an evening for followers, The Game Awards delivered.
If it was meant to be an evening for builders, nonetheless, the ceremony left a lot to be desired. The evening started promisingly sufficient with a big emphasis on the Best Performance award, introduced by a fairly confused Al Pacino. God of War Ragnarok‘s Christopher Judge received and proceeded to ship an emotional (although awkwardly lengthy) speech that made the trophy really feel like an essential honor.
That feeling didn’t final. An hour into the present, only some statues had been introduced in between trailers. The winners that did wind up taking the stage to simply accept didn’t get a lot time to take action. From the place I used to be seated, I may see the central teleprompter, which started flashing “wrap it up” messages nearly instantaneously. A low level of the evening got here when Nintendo’s Doug Bowser got here on stage to simply accept Best Action Game on behalf of Bayonetta 3. After giving a brief introduction, he opened a ready assertion from developer PlatinumGames because the present flipped on music to nudge him offstage. It got here off as a disrespectful second for one of many present’s largest classes.
The Game Awards typically appeared disinterested in handing out awards. Several classes had been lumped into rapid-fire segments the place 5 winners had been referred to as out within the span of a minute. The winners of these classes didn’t come on stage to simply accept their awards, nor was a second of footage from any recreation proven. If you’d by no means heard of Moss: Book 2 heading into the present, you definitely didn’t go away figuring out something about it. The ultimate twist of that knife got here in the direction of the tip, the place Keighley rushed by means of half a dozen of the present’s largest classes, like Best RPG and Best Independent Game, instantly and simply as shortly tossed to a trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II‘s new content material.
The stress lies within the Game Awards’ mission to be a present “for the fans,” one thing that feels a bit at odds with the thought of an awards ceremony. Sure, it’s not at all times thrilling to observe builders go up on stage to thank their groups and households, however that’s not the purpose. Ceremonies like this are supposed to offer the individuals who make artwork we love a second to have fun their wins. It’s an honor to get to see passionate, honest moments like that — even once they run too lengthy.
Ironically, the present’s lowest moments had been debatably the results of the present’s emphasis on followers. The first revolved round this yr’s controversial Players Choice class, which sparked a warfare between Sonic Frontiers and Genshin Impact followers. Both bases accused each other of making an attempt to govern the present’s public ballot, creating an unsightly on-line discourse. Keighley acknowledged that throughout the present, noting that the crew needed to take away bots from the ultimate outcomes earlier than saying that Genshin Impact was victorious. The outcome elicited a wave of boos from the group, decreasing the complete class to highschool pettiness. Then there was the present’s weird finale.
The ceremony ended with Elden Ring developer FromSoftware program taking the stage to simply accept Game of the Year. At the tail finish, one of many folks on stage took the microphone to thank his “reformed Orthodox Rabbi Bill Clinton.” Viewers had been understandably puzzled. It turned out that the perpetrator wasn’t a FromSoftware program developer however a 15-year-old boy attending the present who merely walked up on stage alongside FromSoftware program, evading any safety. The entire scenario left viewers to debate if it was a humorous prank or an antimesenteric canine whistle. Either manner, it was an unnerving safety danger that got here with the present’s return to a public format.
It was an nearly poetic ending: The present ended with a fan overshadowing the individuals who we had been purported to be celebrating.
Though The Game Awards 2022 delivered a better-paced present filled with thrilling bulletins, it’s definitely price rethinking who the ceremony is definitely for heading into its tenth yr. Until it does, “Bill Clinton kid” might be as symbolic a second for the Game Awards as Josef Fares’ show-defining Oscars rant.
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