Game Awards: triumph of “It Takes Two” and “Deathloop”, new “Star Wars” game … find the winners and the main announcements – Le Monde

If it’s a duo that It Takes Two, puts in scene on the screen, it is indeed a trio of statuettes that the game of the Hazelight studios collected, Thursday, December 9 during the Game Awards 2021, eighth edition of this American ceremony which rewards the most outstanding video games of the year.

Josef Fares, Founders of Hazelight, was presented with the coveted Best Game of the Year award by last year’s phlegmatic winner Neil Druckman, as well as the best family game and best multiplayer game prizes. The Lebanese-Swedish, however, was less provocative thanin 2017 when he launched a resounding “Fuck the Oscars! “ in this evening that one dreams of in the Oscar ceremony for video games. This year, he especially took the trouble to thank his family, a theme precisely at the heart of the adventure of It Takes Two.

This evening hosted by the Canadian Geoff Keighley, a former journalist who became Mr. Loyal in the video game industry, also honored a French studio since Arkane Lyon won in two key categories with Deathloop: the prize for best achievement went to the director of the game, the Frenchman Dinga Bakaba, accompanied by the American Dana Nightingale, while the artistic direction of Sébastien Mitton and Michel Trémouiller was distinguished for the abundant universe of this shooter set in the dystopian 1960s.

Read also Video game: we tested… “Deathloop”, the shooting game between “James Bond” and “Un jour sans fin”

Sci-Fi and Fantasy, major genres

Science fiction seems to have particularly marked this video game year. Three games taking place in space have won important titles: Returnal, of the Finns of Housemarque, wins the prize for best adventure game, while Metroid Dread, last opus of the cult Nintendo series signed by the Spaniards of MercurySteam, stood out in the sister category of “action / adventure” games. The punchy dialogues of the hilarious space opera Guardians of the Galaxy, from the Eidos Montreal Canadiens, won him the award for best narrative game.

But not all space games have been successful because the exclusivity of the Playstation 5 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, named in all major categories, came home empty-handed. Another disappointment for Resident Evil: Village, which did not win a top notch award. Its publisher, Capcom, nevertheless saw Maggie Robertson honored for her performance in her terrifying role as Lady Dimitrescu, while the cult game Resident Evil 4 (2005) was named best virtual reality game thanks to its VR adaptation.

Many games have also carried the colors of fantasy. To start with Kena: Bridge of Spirits, from the young American shoot Ember Lab, which won the titles of best first game and best independent game. We can also cite the epic Tales of Arise, voted best role-playing game, and Final Fantasy XIV (2013), awarded as the best “community service” (terms that designate massively multiplayer online games). Finally, one of the kings of the evening was FromSoftware, the studio behind the series Dark souls. His next game, Elden ring, scheduled for February 25, 2022, still arouses enormous expectations: it was crowned “most anticipated game” – a prize it had already obtained last year.

Read also We played “Elden Ring”, the first blockbuster of the year 2022

The main video game announcements:

But prizes aren’t everything at The Game Awards. Unlike other cinema or music award ceremonies, this event is also an opportunity to increase the number of announcements of upcoming games. The result is an evening of nearly four hours punctuated by dozens of trailers and promotional clips, of which here are the main points:

• Games Star wars and Dune

Two French productions electrified the American ceremony. Star Wars Eclipse, by Quantic Dream, which was the subject of many rumors, has been made official. Its trailer shows the mastery of directing by the Parisian studio behind Detroit: Become Human. Dune, another striking SF fresco, will be transposed into the game by Bordeaux from Shiro Games: Dune: Spice Wars is presented as a real-time strategy game of the “4X” type (that is to say based on four axes: exploration, expansion, exploitation and extermination) which will stage intergalactic rivalries drawn from the universe created by Frank Herbert.

• The Return of Yesterday’s Stars: Sonic and Wonder Woman

Sonic may have celebrated his thirtieth birthday (an eternity in the video game), he still has energy to spare. Sega showed the first trailer for Sonic frontiers, in which the twirling hedgehog will first explore an open world. Alan wake also came back from the dead: this game mixing action and horror, darling of the Xbox 360 unearthed last November for a remaster, will also have a sequel, scheduled for 2023. As for Wonder woman, a character who celebrated her 80th birthday in 2021, she will be for the first time the headliner of a video game.

• The new ones: Raiders Arc and Thirsty suitors

Among the many franchises and suites whose images paraded during the ceremony, (rare) young studios still created a surprise. The shooting game Raiders Arc, Embark studios, intrigue by its hybridization of the novel War of the Worlds and of Battlefield. Thirsty suitors, d’Outerloop, unearthed by publisher Annapurna, attracts attention with its colorful images and Bollywood sounds. We are also seduced by his concept which is based on a universal motive: the rebellion against his parents.

• Those we expected: Elden ring and Hellblade 2

Two months before its release, Elden ring its offered a cutscene oriented on its history, co-signed by the author of Game Of Thrones, George RR Martin. Xbox Exclusive Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga also revealed a phase of play showing a nightmarish clash against a rotting giant.

Movies and series, too:

• Matrix : a new extract and an online game

The ceremony also turned to a franchise that does not come from video games but which has a special place in the hearts of players: Matrix. An unpublished extract of the fourth opus directed by Lana Wachowski (release scheduled for December 22), was broadcast during the ceremony, while was launched at the same time a virtual adventure playable for free online, The Matrix Awakens.

• Sonic Returns and a TV Series Halo

Two other video game stars will also appear on our screens this year. Jim Carrey showed off the tips of his (beautiful) mustaches in an unseen trailer for Sonic 2, which will be released in theaters in 2022. The ceremony was also the occasion to reveal the first trailer for the television adaptation of the Xbox franchise Halo, whose latest game was released this week.

Read also We tested… “Halo Infinite”, a game you have to grapple with

Pierre Found