The D.I.C.E awards are a little different from the usual game awards you see every year. Awarded by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, they’re the closest we’ve got in the industry to the Oscars or the Emmies, making them just somewhat more official – because they’re peer voted. The academy’s made up of publishers, developers and members of the Independent Game Developers Association; the people who make and release games, judging the games that have been released. And according to them, Dragon Age: Inquisition was last year’s best game. It wasn’t, however, the biggest winner.
In fact, it was only nominated in two categories. That accolade instead goes to Monolith’s Shadow of Mordor, which won 8 of the 9 categories it was nominated in – with Dragon Age usurping it for the crown. Other big winners were Destiny (where’s the award for most potential?) and Hearthstone, with 4 and 2 awards respectively.
Here’s the full list of nominations, with the winners in each category in bold.
Outstanding Achievement in Animation
- Assassin’s Creed Unity
- inFAMOUS Second Son
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Sunset Overdrive
- Titanfall
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Assassin’s Creed Unity
- Monument Valley
- Sunset Overdrive
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Outstanding Achievement in Character
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Jonathan Irons)
- Far Cry 4 (Pagan Min)
- inFAMOUS First Light (Abigail “Fetch” Walker)
- inFAMOUS Second Son (Delsin Rowe)
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Talion)
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
- Destiny
- Far Cry 4
- Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- Transistor
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
- Assassin’s Creed Unity
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- Far Cry 4 U
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Outstanding Achievement in Story
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
- This War of Mine
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Wolf Among Us
Outstanding Technical Achievement
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Far Cry 4
- inFAMOUS Second Son
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Sunset Overdrive
Action Game of the Year
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- Far Cry 4
- Titanfall
- Wolfenstein: The New Order
Adventure Game of the Year
- inFAMOUS Second Son
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- The Wolf Among Us
Family Game of the Year
- Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition)
- LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
- LittleBigPlanet 3
- Project Spark
- Skylanders Trap Team
Fighting Game of the Year
- Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
- Nidhogg
- Super Smash Bros. Wii U
- Ultra Street Fighter IV
Racing Game of the Year
- Forza Horizon 2
- Mario Kart 8
- The Crew
Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
- The Banner Saga
- Bravely Default
- Divinity: Original Sin
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor
Sports Game of the Year
- FIFA 15
- Madden NFL 15
- MLB 14: The Show
- NBA 2K15
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
- Boom Beach
- Dungeon of the Endless
- Endless Legend
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth
D.I.C.E. Spite Award
- The Banner Saga
- Hohokum
- Monument Valley
- Threes!
- Transistor
Handheld Game of the Year
- Bravely Default
- Child of Light
- Shovel Knight
- Super Smash Bros. 3DS
- Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call
Mobile Game of the Year
- 80 Days
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Kingdom Rush Origins
- Monument Valley
- Threes!
Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
- Destiny
- Elite: Dangerous
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
- Destiny
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Monument Valley
- Project Spark
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
- Dungeon of the Endless
- Far Cry 4
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Titanfall
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
- Lumino City
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Game of the Year
- Destiny
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Far Cry 4
- Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
What do you think? Deserved winners? I’m just happy that Mario Kart 8’s won best driving game, to be honest – because it’s certainly the most fun – and I think it’s the emphasis on fun that’s missing from games at the moment.
Last Updated: February 6, 2015
Blood Emperor Trevor
February 6, 2015 at 09:37
Judging by the header image, the biggest winner at the DICE awards was Llew.
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
February 6, 2015 at 09:40
FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Tosh MA
February 6, 2015 at 09:43
F x 11
U x 24
11+ 24 = 35.
35 / 5 = 7.
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
February 6, 2015 at 09:43
:'(
Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7
February 6, 2015 at 09:43
:'(
Blood Emperor Trevor
February 6, 2015 at 09:44
You’ll have to go a bit more in-depth on the maths that make 11 = 24 = 35.
Tosh MA
February 6, 2015 at 09:44
I already edited. refresh.
Blood Emperor Trevor
February 6, 2015 at 09:45
NO!
Tosh MA
February 6, 2015 at 09:43
F x 11
U x 24
11+ 24 = 35.
35 / 5 = 7.
Blood Emperor Trevor
February 6, 2015 at 09:43
tee hee
Admiral Chief
February 6, 2015 at 09:47
ANOTHER UPVOTE!!!
http://i.imgur.com/qt1ffTr.gif
CAE9872
February 6, 2015 at 09:48
I see he is still being dragged through mud on that one. Will it ever get stale.
hmmmmm NO…LOL
Tosh MA
February 6, 2015 at 09:38
The only one I’m a touch upset about is that Hearthstone beat out Endless Legend in the Strategy/Sim game of the year. Really?
elNielio
February 6, 2015 at 09:40
I don’t know man… I’ve played Inquisition quite a bit but I totally think it’s over rated. It’s got it’s moments but it’s just too tedious and boring for me. Too much micro management and running around which leads to the game getting stale really fast. It’s just not addictive at all and feels more like a chore to play :/
Matthew Holliday
February 6, 2015 at 09:44
said no one ever.
Dutch Matrix
February 6, 2015 at 09:45
No. He/She just said it.
Tosh MA
February 6, 2015 at 09:45
Snap! XD
Dutch Matrix
February 6, 2015 at 09:48
Congrats on that fine win sir! Your prize, the amazing DX5000 underwater hair dryer is on its way to you!
Tosh MA
February 6, 2015 at 09:45
Well actually, he just did, so moot? O_o
Hammersteyn
February 6, 2015 at 10:00
lol in before me!
Admiral Chief
February 6, 2015 at 10:00
Is that what she said?
Ceyber, The Metal Rabbit
February 6, 2015 at 09:45
I actually agree with him/her. Can’t fathom how most reviews are so damn high. Trying to
cater for too many or too large a target market over-saturates the product and I think that’s where they failed in a big way.
Admiral Chief
February 6, 2015 at 09:47
ITS BATMAN!
elNielio
February 6, 2015 at 09:48
batMAN being the key word. I am a dude for those who are wondering :p
Admiral Chief
February 6, 2015 at 09:49
And there you have it folks
Ceyber, The Metal Rabbit
February 6, 2015 at 09:50
What? Where!?
Matthew Holliday
February 6, 2015 at 09:53
game was by no means perfect.
the biggest of them being that the inquisitor is a boring character, the dialogue was wooden and the hinterlands is too big, so early leveling is way too slow.
but it was, imo atleast, the best game of the year.
the scale of the game was nothing but impressive.
but the most important thing is that bioware learn from their mistakes in the DA games, then correct them for Mass Effect. what I saw in DA:I bodes well for the next Mass Effect game and tbh, that is the most important thing about this game.
elNielio
February 6, 2015 at 10:00
Totally man, I just think I was expecting more. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s one of the best RPGs I’ve played in a very long time. The scale is HUGE and at times a little bit overwhelming cause it just feels like you’re hardly ever making progress. Another thing though is that I keep having Witcher 3 in the back of my mind and I keep thinking how it’s gonna drop a big ol Cleveland Steamer on DA:I. As Ryanza would say: THE WITCHER 3 IS COMING! Don’t support DRM 😀
Ceyber, The Metal Rabbit
February 6, 2015 at 10:02
I disagree, the direction they’ve decided on is anything but that of a single-player RPG. There’s plenty of MMORPG’s and I didn’t want my favorite RPG series to follow that trend, but they did.
If ME is anything like DA:I (which they’ve already denied) I’d be really disappointed. I do not want an OCD-hellhole of a game, I want a worthwhile experience that fulfills a sense of achievement for the effort of playing the game. That’s my issue.
Don’t get me wrong, a lot of the game is great, just not 90% great like all the reviews I’ve seen.
Matthew Holliday
February 6, 2015 at 10:57
i agree, its no 90%
nothing was perfect, but nothing really failed either. things just could have been… better.
also, not expecting the new ME game to be anything like DA:I, but bioware tends to try things in games, then learn from them and apply them to the next game.
there always seems to be a sense of progression between the two bioware games. they often make mistakes, but they dont often make the same mistakes twice.
i get what you mean by the sense of achievement thing. the storyline was lost in the massive scale of the world and the combat scaling left you ridiculously OP by the time you’re 2/3rds of the way through.
Hammersteyn
February 6, 2015 at 09:59
Im pretty sure @elnielio:disqus just said it
Dutch Matrix
February 6, 2015 at 09:41
This is rich: How can a 2008 fighting game still be in contention for a prize of the year thingy in 2015????
Dutch Matrix
February 6, 2015 at 09:41
This is rich: How can a 2008 fighting game still be in contention for a prize of the year thingy in 2015????
CAE9872
February 6, 2015 at 09:46
Those all look rather sensible. Unity apparently was a great looking and sounding game; technically it was atrocious and that is reflected in above.
Questions:
1. What is the Spite Award all about
2. And WHEN THE F**K DOES GUILTY GEAR XRD GET RELEASED IN EUROPEAN TERRITORIES. I WANT THAT GAME DAMMIT (been out in USA since mid-Dec).
So Hard (Umar)
February 6, 2015 at 09:52
Preach it….Tempted to get it off the US store
CAE9872
February 6, 2015 at 09:53
Yeah am seriously thinking of doing same.
So Hard (Umar)
February 6, 2015 at 09:49
After I gave DA:I more time I quite like it, but I personally don’t feel its anywhere as great as most make it out to be. Combat, while fun is really thin, quests are borderline Ass Creed level (Fcuk you shards), animation is stiff and awkward as hell, the world feels a bit uninspired but pretty nevertheless, the story has its good moments but feels incredibly cliched but the character interactions save it (even though dialogue is cheesy at times). Its a meaty game, if you like your meat padded.
elNielio
February 6, 2015 at 09:50
Exactly!
Blood Emperor Trevor
February 6, 2015 at 09:55
Also not enough pink hair & teenage emo sighing. Not a JRPG, -11/10. *run*
So Hard (Umar)
February 6, 2015 at 09:57
http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Sera Sera is the most JRPG character in a non JRPG EVER
So Hard (Umar)
February 6, 2015 at 09:50
Also…So happy Bravely Default is there 🙂
Hammersteyn
February 6, 2015 at 09:58
It’s nice to see Destiny scoop some awards. It really is a fun game
*Goes back to the same strike for the 83d time
Ysterbury
February 6, 2015 at 11:21
So Dragon Age wins Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year and Shadow of Mordor wins Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Achievement in Character, Outstanding Achievement in Story, Outstanding Technical Achievement, Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design and Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction. And then game of the year is awarded to Dragon Age, hmmm, sounds about right.