Category: IGN

A few days ahead of visiting EA Motive for our Dead Space-focused IGN First, I played the original game for the first time since 2008. I only intended to play the first hour or so, but seven hours later I found myself still battling through the rusted corpse of the USG Ishimura. I always knew Dead Space was a modern classic, but I was surprised just how well it stood up all these years later. And so I headed to meet the developers with a slightly cynical mindset: what was the point of remaking something that remains so brilliant?

After playing the same seven hours of the remake, I think I may have been convinced. In many ways Dead Space is a purist’s remake; I’d estimate that around 85% of what I experienced was identical to the original game, just with vastly superior visuals. But it’s the other 15% that has me quietly wondering… could this remake genuinely be better than its progenitor?

Many of these changes are gameplay improvements, several of which are drawn directly from Dead Space 2. The zero gravity sequences now allow you to move freely in all directions, rather than hop from surface to surface. This obviously allows for a better sense of freedom, but segments redesigned around this ability are notably more interesting than their original counterpart. The centrifuge generator puzzle in chapter three is now a genuine spectacle, while the ADS cannon repair job has been completely changed to be a dangerous space walk that amps up the tension.

The 2011 sequel’s influence can be found in your weapons, too, which can now be fitted with a variety of special upgrades that alter their function. The Plasma Cutter, for instance, can be modded with an extended magazine and the ability to set foes alight for damage-over-time. The Ripper, meanwhile, can fire blades that ricochet around the room, allowing for trick shots.

Such modifications are found hidden around the ship, and so they act as encouragement to explore every room and store cupboard. But thanks to a new Security Clearance system, you’re initially locked out of many side locations you discover. As the story progresses you’re granted increasing levels of clearance, and so you can then backtrack through the now-seamless spaceship to open doors that were once forbidden. This interconnected design and backtracking turns the Ishimura into something closer to the Talos-1 station from Prey; a huge structure that feels like a genuine place rather than a series of video game levels. It’s an admirable direction, but I’ve yet to see exactly how well it’s used across the full campaign. My hope is that Motive has smartly weaved backtracking into the main missions and the newly-added side quests to allow for organic revisits of prior areas, rather than making backtracking a segregated chore.

Regardless of if you’re backtracking or making forward progress, Dead Space is full of horrifying necromorphs that threaten to rip you limb from limb. Much has already been made of the new ‘peeling system’ that rips the skin, fat, and muscle layers away from enemies with each new wound, but there’s more to this grotesque idea than just visceral visuals. Much like how protagonist Isaac Clarke has a health bar built directly into his suit, the necromorphs’ own bodies are now a visual representation of their health. This is never more obvious than when using the Force Gun, a weapon that has been completely overhauled for the remake. What was once simply a push-back weapon now rips the flesh off of enemies with a thunderous blast. The stripped down necromorphs can then be finished off with a more conventional weapon; their exposed bones ready to be snapped with just a round or two.

Talking of weapons, each one of Isaac’s lethally repurposed tools has been redesigned to encourage a new level of strategy. Dismemberment is still the main aim of every skirmish, but the flamethrower’s new alternate fire creates a wall of searing flame that can cordon off areas and manage crowds, while the Pulse Rifle’s new proximity mine works as both a trap and a makeshift grenade launcher. These are small changes, but I found the new secondary abilities to be much more useful than those in the original game, and they soon became a regular part of my combat routine.

My favourite change I’ve seen so far, though, are the Circuit Breakers. These occasional puzzles require you to reroute power to different machines, typically to open up locked doors. Each breaker box has a limited number of fuses and so powering up a door is done at the expense of powering down something else. In an early example this involved turning off an elevator I no longer needed, but in chapter three I was confronted with a much more intriguing sacrifice: to power up a refuel station I had to divert energy away from either the engineering deck’s lights or life support systems. It was a choice: should I stumble onwards in pitch-darkness and risk being ambushed by unseen threats, or navigate well-lit corridors while my air supply rapidly ran dry? It’s a smart way to combine challenge with player choice, and I hope this example is the first of many fiendish scenarios rather than a one-off occurrence.

Graphics aside, the most notable change right from minute one is the alterations to the script and storytelling. Once-silent protagonist Isaac can now speak, and while I do think this is largely unnecessary, he thankfully hasn’t been turned into an overly-chatty Sony character. Rather than quipping at everything, Isaac’s ability to respond anchors him into the horrifying situation in a realistic manner. Gunner Wright, the voice actor who brought Isaac to life in the sequels, reprises the role, and so once again there’s the sense that elements of Dead Space 2 are being retrofitted into the original.

Isaac’s new scripting is pretty good, but the best changes have been made to Kendra Daniels. Once an incredibly thorny character, she’s been transformed into a much more empathetic, friendly colleague for Isaac. For anyone who knows the final direction of Dead Space’s story, I think Daniels’ revised personality will work much better with her character arc (provided, of course, the story’s main plot beats remain intact.)

Talking of the story’s pathway, the church of Unitology – a religious sect and major player in the Dead Space universe – is introduced much earlier in this remake and in a far more organic manner. These characters know the church’s reputation and casually discuss it, even before they are aware that it will change their lives forever. It’s an approach I really appreciate, and I think the eventual plot reveals will be much more meaningful because of it.

Motive has made many smart changes to Dead Space, but it never shakes things up to the point of being unrecognisable. The result, at least across the first several chapters, is something that feels similar in philosophy to a director’s cut (albeit a director’s cut that’s completely re-filmed on brand new sets). This experience appears largely the same as the 2008 original, but honed and polished to a beautiful, gory finish. As such, this remake will likely work best for brand new players or the most dedicated Dead Space fans. As someone who loves the original game, I found what I played an absolute thrill. But for less invested fans the value is of a more questionable quantity, since even with the changes this is an incredibly similar experience. As such I don’t think Dead Space will be as essential and transformative as the Resident Evil 2 remake was. As the best possible way to play this landmark survival horror, though? I have near enough no doubt that Dead Space will succeed in that mission.

Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.

Trophies may not be for everyone, but for me and many others Trophy hunting is fun method of achieving that sweet, sweet 100% completion on a game. A much-deserved prize for doing everything there is to do. Lots of games have easy requirements for Platinum Trophies, and often certain quests or challenges associated with them will reward you with cool stuff for going the extra mile. But while collecting Trophies is mostly a lot of fun, sometimes one comes along that makes us question our choices in life. To those we say, “F This Trophy”.

This week’s ‘F this Trophy’ is the DMW Master Trophy from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. The DMW is a strange slot machine-style mechanic that constantly ticks over during battles, its three reels displaying the faces of characters you have met across the story. When those reels align and display three of the same character, it triggers a Limit Break; a powerful ability associated with that character.

The DMW Master Trophy requires you to achieve 100% completion for each of the 18 Limit Breaks in the game. Now you might be saying ‘Hey, Jada, that doesn’t sound so bad – Limit Breaks are awesome! Channeling Sephiroth’s Octaslash, Aerith’s Healing Wave, and all the other character’s special abilities in battle can help turn the tide, so you want to use them whenever possible.’

Yes, this is true. But in the case of this Trophy, I’m not chasing the actual limit breaks. I already have all 18 of them. Instead, I need to unlock each and every flashback memory associated with each Limit Break. These are cutscenes that trigger in the middle of the battle and call back to prior moments in the story. They’re kind of annoying as they slow down the action in a battle, which is a sin on its own, but that’s not what we are talking about today. The issue with this Trophy is that progress, rather than being awarded based on skill, time, or effort, is awarded based on random LUCK.

Each of the 18 Limit Breaks have six unique memories, but there’s no way of triggering specific ones. These memories are pulled from the story you have already witnessed, so you first must put in the work and complete the whole game to ensure that the DMW system can call on every single memory. But after that, it’s entirely out of your hands: the DMW rolls Limit Breaks at random, and then it will choose one of the memories at random. So to hit 100% completion on the DMW, you… just have to keep playing until it happens.

You can improve your odds to some degree. The Limit Break system is based on Luck; not just the real-world concept, but the in-game stat, too. Specialized materia and equipment you can equip to boost your Luck does help, but you are still ultimately at the mercy of unpredictable RNG.

Now I know there are a lot of people who may have better luck than me when it comes to this Trophy, but it took me 12 hours (12 hours!) to get it. I hit a point where I only needed two more flashback memories to get the Trophy, and so I left my game running in a level one mission, letting enemies shoot me in the face, in the hope that the right Limit Breaks and the right memories would roll up on the DMW. I left for a birthday party, went out for dinner, came home, played a couple of missions of Mario Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, and then picked Crisis Core back up. I still hadn’t gotten the two final flashbacks I needed. Like, what the hell?

You may ask what made this Trophy worth getting. Well, aside from being one more Trophy closer to the Platinum, DMW Master also unlocks the Genji Armor, which happens to be one of the best pieces of gear ever dispensed by a glorified slot machine.

Before any of you in the comments come for me saying that you got this Trophy faster or easier, I’m happy that you didn’t have as many issues as I did. I love Final Fantasy games and have been asking for a Crisis Core remake since the PS4 released. It is still one of my favorite PSP games of all times. And I’m sure some in the comments will say I just didnt know what I was doing. But this is my second time going through the game, I had maxed out Luck, was optimized with two mastered materias for Cissnei to increase the chances of my slots lining up, and had mastered materias to improve the odds of getting the character Limit Breaks I needed to show up. Just keep in mind the real kicker is that even if the DMW triggers a Limit Break, there is no guarantee you get a flashback, and then if you do get a flashback, there’s no guarantee it’s the one you need.

So F This Trophy, Crisis Core, and F random number generators.

Skybound Entertainment is returning to the world of the popular mobile game Summoners War. Skybound is teaming with publisher Com2uS to release a second spinoff comic called Summoners War: Awakening.

Summoners War: Awakening is a direct sequel to the original Summoners War: Legacy comic. Awakening reunites writer Justin Jordan (whom you may also recognize from the Luther Strode franchise) and artist Luca Claretti, with Igor Monti (Radiant Black) coloring the series this time.

All of that time away has taken its toll on the Croft Manor, and now the iconic Tomb Raider locale needs a scrub down. To restore Lara Croft’s lavish dwellings, PowerWash Simulator will crossover with Tomb Raider later this month in a free DLC for all players.

On January 31, the bizarre crossover from Square Enix Collective and FuturLab brings a free Tomb Raider Special Pack to PowerWash Simulator owners on consoles and PC. The trailer shows off a few familiar places around Lara’s home, including an outdoors obstacle course reminiscent of her earliest PlayStation adventures.

Grapple with grime at Lara Croft’s stately Manor home in the PowerWash Simulator Tomb Raider Special Pack DLC.

Launches Jan 31, same day the game hits PS5 and PS4: https://t.co/MR8XEjrVFA pic.twitter.com/xOSzowE78a

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) January 18, 2023

It looks like the inside has plenty to tidy, too. The PowerWash Simulator footage teases a few clean-up jobs around the Croft Manor, where layers of grime and dirt cover everything from the walls to ancient artifacts.

It’s not her most thrilling gig, but it at least looks satisfying. In a press release for the special Tomb Raider DLC, FuturLab lead designer Dan Chequer added, “We can’t wait for players to get up close and personal with Croft Manor and explore its many secrets!”

As for what those secrets are, we’ll have to wait and see, but it’s the most recent adventure Lara Croft has been on in a while. The studio behind Tomb Raider and several others were recently acquired by Embracer Group, while Amazon Studios signed a deal to help publish Lara’s next big game.

PowerWash Simulator is available now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. Alongside the Tomb Raider Special Pack, it will launch on January 31 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.

Andrea Shearon is a freelance contributor for IGN covering games and entertainment. She’s worn several hats over her seven-year career in the games industry, with bylines over at Fanbyte, USA Today’s FTW, TheGamer, VG247, and RPG Site. Find her on Twitter (@Maajora) or the Materia Possessions podcast chatting about FFXIV, RPGs, and any series involving giant robots.

After today’s announcement that Microsoft will lay off 10,000 people, details on how internal restructuring will hit its gaming divisions continue to emerge, with Halo Infinite’s 343 Industries among the studios impacted.

According to Bloomberg, Joseph Staten, a Halo veteran who began his career with Bungie in 1998, will transition from his Halo Infinite creative director role and rejoin Xbox’s publishing division. Staten joined the team at 343 Industries in 2020 as the campaign project lead on Halo Infinite and later saw a title change to Head of Creative.

Bloomberg’s report includes an email from 343 Industries head Pierre Hintze, who explained the studio “made the difficult decision to restructure” and that support for Halo Infinite’s live service features will continue. Details on Staten’s new role and the exact degree of impact at 343 Industries remain unclear for now.

Staten’s credits include a long history with the Halo series, starting with his role as the cinematic director on Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3. His work on the Halo universe includes authoring some of its novelizations, and the studio lead also served as lead writer on Bungie’s sci-fi shooter, Destiny. He departed his role on the MMO and later rejoined Microsoft in 2014.

The Halo studio is among many impacted by Microsoft’s layoffs, including Gears of War studio, The Coalition, and the more recently acquired Bethesda. Microsoft’s blog notes that cuts impact 5% of its workforce. That’s in addition to the 1,000 employees let go in October 2022.

As cuts and restructuring extend into its game studios, Microsoft is still moving forward with acquisitions. A year ago today, the company announced it would buy Activision Blizzard for a record-breaking $68.7 billion. That deal later came under fire by regulatory bodies, like the US Federal Trade Commission, with investigations ongoing.

Andrea Shearon is a freelance contributor for IGN covering games and entertainment. She’s worn several hats over her seven-year career in the games industry, with bylines over at Fanbyte, USA Today’s FTW, TheGamer, VG247, and RPG Site. Find her on Twitter (@Maajora) or the Materia Possessions podcast chatting about FFXIV, RPGs, and any series involving giant robots.

While there are clearly many millions of players who have secured their own current-gen console, lots are still looking. Whether you are trying to figure out which outlets have them available, which console and accessories you should actually buy, and what the pros and cons for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are, we’ve got you covered. Read on to find all that and more.

Where to Buy a PS5

Walmart has PlayStations available right now, while Amazon is still requiring you to apply for an invitation. However, the turnaround for those invitations is getting faster and faster.

Where to Buy Xbox Series X

Should I Buy a PS5 or an Xbox?

That’s a complicated question that has a lot of answers. First, what types of games do you like? If you like single-player games with more serious tones, PlayStation arguably has the lead (at least right now), although some feel that there is a degree of “same-ness” to them, which is something to keep an eye on.

Xbox currently has what some consider to be less compelling single-player exclusives, but Xbox is arguably better for those who love multiplayer games, with better chat integration, cross-platform functionality with PC, and several exclusive games that feature multiplayer prominently. PlayStation 5 has some of the most celebrated and popular exclusive franchises, like Last of Us and God of War, while Xbox has heavy hitters like Halo, Forza and Flight Simulator, to name a few.

You should also keep in mind how important multiplayer games are to you on a friend level. Do your friends all have PS4/PS5, and you will play games with them regularly? You should probably get a PS5 and stick together. Same goes for Xbox. If your Destiny clan or Call of Duty friend group is all on Xbox, you should probably stick together. If that isn’t important to you, look at the games that have come out, and the ones that are announced, and see which platform has more you are interested in.

Finally, a big factor is controller comfort. Personally, I’ve been a PlayStation guy for a long time, but I find the DualSense very uncomfortable, so I find myself playing much more often on PC or Xbox using the (for me) vastly superior Xbox Series X/S controller. There are workarounds for this if you want to stick with a particular platform (like a Brooks converter), but those can introduce input latency, so keep that in mind as you weigh your options. But again, it mostly comes down to personal preference. The DualSense has some pretty cool haptic feedback, which has to be experienced to be truly appreciated, but it comes at the expense of battery life.

Services are another huge contributing factor to which platform is superior. Personally, I’m squarely in the Xbox Game Pass camp. With every first-party Xbox game included, the ability to get a higher tier to play those games on PC too (with most save games moving back and forth with you), and an incredible swath of awesome AAA and indie games, it’s a value proposition that simply can’t be beaten. Xbox backward compatibility also reaches all the way back to the original console in some cases.

However, the success of Game Pass caused Sony to take notice, and it introduced new tiers to its PlayStation Plus service that introduce the first steps toward a “Game Pass-like” service on PlayStation. The PS5 features backward compatibility with basically every PS4 game, and signing up for PS Plus at the Premium tier gets you access to streaming PS3 games. It’s not as robust, or as simple, as Xbox Game Pass, but the newly revamped service is still in its early stages.

Exclusive games VS services. PlayStation’s popularity VS Xbox’s budget-friendly nature. There is a lot to consider, and you honestly can’t make a bad decision, regardless of which you choose.

What’s the Best 4K TV for Gaming?

There are tons of great gaming TVs, and right now the best is the LG C2 OLED Evo, but whether you want to spend a chunk of change and grab the best TV you can, or just get something you can use for less cash, we have tons of great recommendations.

Generally, you want to go for a TV that has a low input latency, a screen big enough for your play space, compatibility for high refresh rates and resolutions, and HDMI 2.1. If the screen has all of those, and the number and type of ports you need, you’re golden.

What PS5 Accessories Should I Get?

There are tons of great PS5 accessories that will help you make the most of your new console. From extra controllers to gaming headsets, high capacity internal NVMe drives, and more, we’ve got you covered.

What Xbox Accessories Should I Get?

There are tons of great Xbox Series X/S accessories, but here are some of the best. Whether you need a great chat headset for when you hop online with friends, new expansion cards to hold all your favorite games, racing or fighting game controllers, or controller charging stands, we’ve got everything you need to make your awesome Xbox experience even better.

Is the PS5 Shortage Over?

Essentially, yes. While PlayStation 5 has been tricky to acquire, there have been several avenues for those who have been keeping their head on a swivel.

Sony has also confirmed that it has sold over 30 million PS5 consoles, and Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan said, “Everyone who wants a PS5 should have a much easier time finding one at retailers globally, starting from this point forward.”

Brian Barnett writes reviews, guides, features, & more for IGN & GameSpot. You can get your fix of his antics on Twitter (@Ribnax) and Twitch (Ribnax) or check out his fantastic video game talk show, The Platformers, on Twitch & Apple Podcasts.

Ubisoft is facing turbulent times financially and in-house, and CEO Yves Guillemot was forced to reckon with recent comments he made shifting the blame to the staff.

After cancelling three unannounced games and delaying the release date of Skull and Bones for a sixth time, Guillemot told employees “the ball is in your court” to help get the $3 billion company back on track.

The changes at Ubisoft were scrapped up to “major challenges” in the industry, the underperformance of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Just Dance 2023, and an upcoming “restructuring” for the publisher. On Wednesday, a new report from Kotaku revealed that Ubisoft had a company-wide Q&A to address the news of the restructuring. There, the CEO apologized for his previous comments.

“I heard your feedback and I’m sorry this was perceived that way,” Guillemot said, according to sources present. “When saying ‘the ball is in your court’ to deliver our lineup on time and at the expected level of quality, I wanted to convey the idea that more than ever I need your talent and energy to make it happen. This is a collective journey that starts of course with myself and with the leadership team to create the conditions for all of us to succeed together.”

Guillemot also remained vague about the potential for layoffs. “It’s not about doing more with less, but finding ways to do things differently across the company,” Guillemot said.

According to Kotaku’s report, some developers within the company still feel that management is out of touch with the lower-level staff. The Q&A, which lasted an hour, also did not address the recent call for strike at the company’s Paris studio. Solidaires Informatique, Ubisoft Paris’ tech union, asked the employees to go on strike in response to Guillemot’s previous comments. The strike will reportedly last a half-day on January 27.

Ubisoft’s particularly poor 2022 included no marquee blockbuster releases. Several projects were delayed, trapped in development hell or simply failed to find a substantial audience.

Carson Burton is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter at @carsonsburton.

The New York Game Awards 2023 have arrived and, alongside honoring CEO of Microsoft Gaming and head of Xbox Phil Spencer with the Andrew Yoon Legend Award, the show saw Elden Ring walk away victorious with the Game of the Year and the Best World awards.

The New York Video Game Critics Circle hosted the 12th annual New York Game Awards tonight, January 17, and it honored the best games, actors, esports athletes, and journalists of 2022.

Elden Ring was the only game to win multiple categories, meaning a ton of games were given the spotlight they deserve, including Vampire Survivors, God of War Ragnarok, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Immortality, and more.

As we previously mentioned, Phil Spencer won the Andrew Yoon Legend Award at the show, and it is “presented by the New York Videogame Critics Circle to recognize people and organizations that have exhibited a significant, sustained body of work that shows exceptional artistic achievement and innovation.”

“Phil and I have been a part of this industry together for many years and I’ve always admired his ability to find new, creative ways to serve gamers,” said Reggie Fils-Aimé, former industry and COO and board member, NYVGCC. “Phil isn’t just an executive in games, he is a gamer himself and because of that he knows exactly what fans want when it comes to the Xbox brand. I am thrilled to have him join the prestigious ranks of Andrew Yoon Legend Award winners and look forward to celebrating his illustrious career at the New York Game Awards this January.”

Vanity Fair’s Justin Heckert won the Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism in part for his work on “Jason Brassard Spent HIs Lifetime Collecting the Rarest Video Game. Until the Heist.” This is the same award IGN’s Rebekah Valentine won in 2022 for “her work investigating workplace misconduct at video game studios, and for elevating marginalized voices in her coverage of a game about the war in Iraq.”

The full list of winners from the New York Game Awards 2023 is as follows;

Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Cult of the Lamb
• Elden Ring – WINNER
• God of War Ragnarök
• Immortality
• Pentiment
• Vampire Survivors
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game

• Immortality
• Neon White
• Return to Monkey Island
• Trombone Champ
• Vampire Survivors – WINNER
• Wordle
• Wylde Flowers

Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game

• As Dusk Falls
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarök – WINNER
• Immortality
• Norco
• Return to Monkey Island
• Roadwarden

Statue of Liberty Award for Best World

• Elden Ring – WINNER
• God of War Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Pentiment
• Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarök
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Metal: Hellsinger – WINNER
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
• Trombone Champ

Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game

• Alex Jarrett as Zoe Walker in As Dusk Falls
• Ashly Burch as Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West
• Christopher Judge as Kratos in God of War Ragnarök
• Grace Zabriskie as Eliza Vorez in The Quarry
• Justice Smith as Ryan Erzahler in The Quarry
• Manon Gage as Marissa Marcel in Immortality – WINNER

Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game

• BONELAB
• Lost Recipes
• Moss: Book II – WINNER
• RUINSMAGUS
• The Last Clockwinder

Central Park Children’s Zoo Award for Best Kids Game

• Harmony’s Odyssey
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land – WINNER
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Moss: Book II
• Pokémon Legends: Arceus
• Splatoon 3
• Tunic

A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game

• Desta: The Memories Between
• Marvel Snap – WINNER
• Poinpy
• Railbound
• Wylde Flowers

Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake

• Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – Reunion
• Life is Strange Remastered Collection
• Live A Live
• The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe – WINNER

Joltin’ Joe Award for Best Esports Player of the Year

• Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique (FATE Esports/Red Bull Esports) – Tekken 7
• Bryan “pANcada” Luna (Sentinels, formerly with LOUD) – Valorant
• Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu (DWG KIA) – League of Legends
• Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto (VGBootCamp/Red Bull Esports) – Super Smash Bros. Melee – WINNER
• Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (Natus Vincere) – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• Yoo “smurf” Myeong-hwan (Boston Uprising) – Overwatch

Chumley’s Speakeasy Award for Best Hidden Gem

• A Memoir Blue
• Norco
• Patrick’s Parabox
• Perfect Tides
• SIGNALIS – WINNER
• Strange Horticulture
• The Case of the Golden Idol
• Wayward Strand

NYC GWB Award for Best DLC

• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Tombs of the Fallen Pt. 2
• Bugsnax: The Isle of BIGsnax
• Destiny 2: The Witch Queen – WINNER
• Microsoft Flight Simulator: Top Gun Maverick DLC
• Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak

Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism

• Justin Heckert, Vanity Fair

Elizabeth Jennings Graham Award for Best Educator

• Ryan O’Callaghan

Andrew Yoon Legend Award Recipient

• Phil Spencer

The New York Video Game Critics Circle is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit multicultural organization of “40 of the finest videogame critics, writers, reporters, and bloggers in the nation.” Members of the NYVGCC also give back by “providing scholarships, mentoring, and community outreach to NYC schools students.”

For more on the best of 2022, be sure to check out IGN’s picks for the best game of last year and every 10 IGN gave last year in the world of gaming and entertainment.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.