Another nail in the coffin of E3 2016 has been hammered down now that the Game Critics Awards has finalized its “Best of E3” honors, with Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild leading the pack of winners.
These “Best of E3” baubles are a notable indicator of how the media at large (or at least, the 40 media outlets around the world who vote on the awards) feels about the slate of games showcased during the event, which may provide game makers some perspective on where the game industry is headed in the year to come.
Of course, since these awards are all based on incomplete versions of the games that are demoed to E3 attendees, they in no way reflect the way these games will be appreciated (or not) after release.
The fact that Nintendo’s upcoming Zelda game netted three Critics Awards reinforces reports from both analysts and Twitter that it was one of the most-talked about games of the show — even as Nintendo itself saw a continuing decline in media coverage during E3 2016, when it declined to showcase very much beyond Breath of the Wild.
For the sake of convenience, we’ve gone ahead and reproduced the full list of this year’s award winners below:
Best of ShowThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild(Nintendo/Nintendo for Wii-U/NX)
Best Original GameHorizon Zero Dawn(Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4)Best Console GameThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild(Nintendo/Nintendo for Wii-U/NX)Best VR GameBatman: Arkham VR(Rocksteady/Warner Bros. Interactive Ent for PlayStation 4)Best PC GameCivilization VI(Firaxis/2K)
Best Hardware/PeripheralPlayStation VR(Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Best Action GameBattlefield 1(DICE/EA for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Action/Adventure GameThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild(Nintendo/Nintendo for Wii-U/NX)
Best Role Playing GameFinal Fantasy XV(Square-Enix for PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Racing GameForza Horizon 3(Playground Games/Turn 10/Microsoft Studios for PC, Xbox One)
Best Fighting GameInjustice 2(NetherRealm/WBIE for PS4, Xbox One)
Best Sports GameSteep(Ubisoft Annecy/Ubisoft for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Family GameSkylanders: Imaginators(Toys for Bob/Activision for PC, PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One, Wii-U)
Best Online MultiplayerTitanfall 2(Respawn/EA for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Best Independent GameInside(Playdead for PC, Xbox One)
Special Commendation for GraphicsGod of War(Sony Santa Monica/Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4)