We continue Day 2 of our Game of the Year Awards with the awards for Worst Game, Indie Game, and Horror Game. Find out who won below!
Worst Game – Afro Samurai 2
Will: I can’t vouch for having the pleasure of playing Afro Samurai 2 but the fact that Diego and I discussed having a score lower than 1 after the review was published speaks volumes.
Diego: I can vouch for having the displeasure of playing Afro Samurai 2 and I’m seriously considering making our lowest score “Afro Samurai 2 out of 5”.
Michael: The fact that our esteemed editor, Spencer, has only described Afro Samurai 2 with the phrase “Their website is literally an apology page,” says everything you need to know. By the way it actually is, go see for yourself.
Austin: I would warn you not to buy it, but Afro Samurai 2 is a game so broken and riddled with bugs that the publisher pulled the game from stores and is issuing mandatory refunds for those who purchased it. Refunds aren’t a normal thing on PSN and XBL and Afro Samurai 2 is forcing Sony and Microsoft to discuss the possibilities with the publisher.
Indie Game – Axiom Verge
Michael: Oddly enough, I’ve only played Axiom Verge from behind the glass of a demo PS4 in a target, and it was only for a short time. I didn’t finish the game, or get far enough into it to get a grasp on any story. However, what I can say is that even in a single short burst Axiom Verge showed true potential. Not only did it immediately feel like a Metroid title, the initial emotions of angst, fear and discovery that derive from awaking on an unusual alien planet rushed upon me. Within seconds I wanted to know who I was, where I was, and how the hell I got there. And for about 5 minutes I felt badass while searching for those answers.
Austin: Axiom Verge is a love letter to Metroid. The art, sound and gameplay, at first seem to be ripped from an unfinished Metroid game, but after digging deeper into it, Axiom Verge subverts some of the mechanics and expectations of the genre. The weapons and upgrades are vast, the secrets are aplenty. What makes this game even more impressive is the fact that it was created by a sole developer, Tom Happ. If you are at all interested in Metroidvania style games with a sci-fi setting, you need to play Axiom Verge.
Horror Game – Until Dawn
Michael: I haven’t played it, but it is a hell of a time to watch on youtube. If you look hard enough, you can even “play” the game through youtube, at least the “choose your own adventure” side of things. This is a entertaining niche genre that I’m glad is returning.
Austin: Until Dawn takes tropes from classical horror games and combines them in a beautiful adventure game. Unlike adventure games from Telltale or Quantc Dreams, the team over at Supermassive Games designed the choices and consequences of Until Dawn to be meaningful and impactful; every character can die or every character can be saved, and the story reacts and changes accordingly.
