These types of awards are always fun. Surprised Uncharted 3 didn't win best graphics (though I played BF3 on PS3). Would have picked either Rayman or Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet for art direction. I agree with a lot of these picks though.
PixlBit's 2011 Supplemental Awards
Just when you thought awards season was over...
Winner – The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Let’s be perfectly honest, Nintendo wrote a check in 2006 that the Wii remote couldn’t cash. The promise of swinging that oh-so-like-a-sword-grip controller around as if it were the Master Sword was a tasty proposition. It seems almost tragic then that the thrill of true motion control would take five years and an upgrade in hardware via the Wii Motion Plus to finally be fulfilled. Now that we have it, playing Zelda any other way is now simply inconceivable.
It’s not just that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword feels better with the fidelity of the Wii Motion Plus. That’s a big part of it, but the important thing to note about Skyward Sword is the fact that this is a game that couldn’t be made without the Wii remote. This game has been designed from the ground up with motion control in mind, and the result is an experience that you simply can’t get anywhere else. Even regular battles call for a modicum of strategy and bigger baddies will annihilate you if you go in swinging your sword around willy-nilly. Skyward Sword utilizes the remote and nunchuk fully, and yet never feels overwhelming. This craft extends to many of Link’s new toys and even in the solutions to the trickier puzzles you encounter along the way.
This is how motion control can enhance, rather than hinder, the experience of controlling a video game character. Nintendo has finally cashed that check. Now let’s see what they do with the results.
Honorable Mentions
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