The Game Awards has recently released its full list of nominees and categories for 2022. People can vote for a game in each category leading up to The Game Awards, and the winners will be announced at the award show on December 8. Among the many categories, standout games of 2022 like God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring are present throughout. Other games like Horizon Forbidden West, Stray, and A Plague Tale: Requiem also have a prominent presence throughout the categories. As such, so much repetition among categories has left some people feeling like their favorite games have been snubbed in favor of other titles.
There have been some fantastic games throughout 2022. It was a great year for highly anticipated AAA games, and this year saw numerous outstanding indie titles as well. As such, to narrow down most categories for The Game Awards to only five games is a difficult task. That being said, there are some notable games that came out in 2022 that are nowhere to be seen throughout the entire award show. There are also cases to be made that in some of the categories, there are games that do not belong there in the first place due to different classifications of genre or other reasons.
Sonic Frontiers Is Strangely Absent
One game that does not have any presence throughout the different awards is the newest game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Sonic Frontiers. Though the game is getting many different reactions from gamers, as expected of a new Sonic title, there are many people who say that Sonic Frontiers is the best 3D Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2. Despite its varied praise, there it is not in any of the categories for the Game Awards. There is a strong argument to be made that Sonic Frontiers has one of the best soundtracks this year, so its absence from the category is strange. Sonic Frontiers could also fit well into other categories like Best Action Game.
The reason for Sonic Frontier's absence from the awards could be due to how recently the game came out. The game came out less than a week before nominees for The Game Awards were publicly released, let alone considered. There might not have been enough time for the game to fully sit with people and think about its impact on the industry. However, a game that came out the day after Sonic Frontiers is God of War Ragnarok. God of War Ragnarok is currently nominated for game of the year and several other categories, so the argument that Sonic Frontiers came out too late is not very good. While God of War Ragnarok was likely always going to be nominated, it is unfortunate that Sonic Frontiers is nowhere to be seen.
Many Indie Games Are Left Out
2022 was a fantastic year for indie games. The Game Awards feature many indie games across its categories, and Stray has even been nominated for game of the year. Seeing their games represented on such a prominent stage must be uplifting for the developers of those games, but there are still many notable indie games from this year that are left out of fitting categories or altogether. For example, Vampire Survivors was nominated for Best Debut Indie, but its influence on the industry goes far beyond its debut. It could be argued that Vampire Survivors is a fitting candidate for the Best Indie Game and even game of the year.
Another game that has been snubbed from the awards is Rogue Legacy 2. The first game that came out almost 10 years ago has had a massive impact on indie games and the rogue-like genre. Rogue Legacy 2 has been highly anticipated for years and exceeded expectations when it was finally released out of early access. While Rogue Legacy 2 has earned its praise, it is difficult to compare it to the other indie games present at the awards. Having two categories for indie games with little variation between them allows for an entire industry of games to compete while big-budget titles are more favored for other categories. Rogue Legacy 2 would likely win if there were a category for best rogue-like games, which is seemingly needed.
A surprise indie hit from this year that left many people stunned was Signalis. This game is inspired by the best of the classic survival horror genre from its gameplay to its retro visuals. Signalis has earned high praise, yet it is absent from The Game Awards like many other indie games. With many indie games being good candidates for many of the other categories, mostly being limited to the Best Indie Game is restraining. In Signalis' case, there is not even a category for best horror game despite the number of horror games that release every year. If there were a category for best horror game at The Game Awards, Signalis would likely be a top contender to win the award.
Sifu Snubs Other Deserving Fighting Games
Sifu is a fantastic game that involves the player fighting through waves of enemies getting older with each attempt. However, while the game is a huge success for independent developers and is a great action game, it does not exactly belong in the category of Best Fighting Game. When compared to the other games in that category, it is the only game that is a purely single-player experience. As such, Sifu being among the nominations could be taking the spotlight from other deserving games. Games like the kaiju fighter GigaBash and the rerelease of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax are more fitting candidates for Best Fighting Game and deserve to be recognized.
There are still many people and games that have been left out of different categories. Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin for Best Action Game, Danielle Bisutti as Freya in God of War Ragnarok for Best Performance, and Potionomics being one of the many left-out indie games are just some candidates that could have been added to different categories. The Game Awards is a celebration of the video game industry, but always seems to leave out notable games in favor of certain titles being nominated for numerous awards. Many games were snubbed in the 2022 Game Awards, and hopefully, they will get the recognition they deserve from players.
The Game Awards premiere on December 8