I confess myself surprised. The prizewinners at last night's DICE Awards have been announced, and Fallout 4 is in the top spot. Don't get me wrong, Fallout 4 is solid game—I'm all over it in terms of raw world design—but in a year filled with innovators perhaps I was expecting something less traditional to take Game of the Year.
Bethesda did well all round, Fallout 4 also picking up Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction and Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year. The latter is another peculiar outcome considering that the category included The Witcher 3 and Pillars of Eternity. Even if you prefer Fallout 4's Commonwealth to classic fantasy, it has decidedly less scope for role-play, but then MGS5: The Phantom Pain took Adventure Game of the Year, so the genre divisions would appear to be a formality.
Here's the full list of winners on PC:
- Game of the Year: Fallout 4
- Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction: Fallout 4
- Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year: Fallout 4
- Outstanding Achievement in Game Design: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Outstanding Achievement in Story: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Outstanding Technical Achievement: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Action Game of the Year: Star Wars Battlefront
- Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design: Star Wars Battlefront
- Adventure Game of the Year: Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
- Fighting Game of the Year: Mortal Kombat X
- DICE Sprite Award: Rocket League
- Sports Game of the Year: Rocket League
- Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year: Heroes of the Storm
- Outstanding Achievement in Animation: Ori and the Blind Forest
- Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction: Ori and the Blind Forest
- Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition: Ori and the Blind Forest
- Outstanding Achievement in Character: Rise of the Tomb Raider
