Walking Dead Game Cleans Up at Video Game Awards

The Walking Dead: The Game is a downloadable series for PC/Mac, XBox, PS3, iPhone and iPad. The game follows Lee Everett, a criminal who escapes police when Walkers intervene. Lee joins a group of others who struggle to avoid impending doom. Reviews have frequently praised the game’s focus on narrative and character over grand spectacle and thrilling game play. On top of that, choices players make in the game can dramatically affect the rest of the plot.

At the Spike TV VGAs, The Walking Dead: The Game walked away with an impressive four awards (well, five if you count Telltale Studio’s award for Studio of the Year), smashing its more high-budget and commercially successful competitors such as Assassin’s Creed III or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.  The game claimed the big prize of Game of the Year, as well as Best Adapted Game and Best Downloadable Game.  The Walking Dead also won Best Performance by a Human Female for Melissa Hutchison’s portrayal of Clementine.

Borderlands 2 also proved a worthy opponent to the big titles after claiming three awards, including two in the character categories and one for Best Multi-Player Game.  Overall, this year appeared to be a good awards show for the underdog and, with Samuel L. Jackson presenting, it proved to be an exciting show all round.

This Year’s List of Winners:

Game of the Year: The Walking Dead: The Game

Studio of the Year: Telltale Games

Best XBox Game: Halo 4

Best PS3 Game: Journey

Best Wii/Wii U Game: New Super Mario Brothers U

Best PC Game: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Best Shooter: Borderlands 2

Best Action Adventure Game: Dishonored

Best RPG: Mass Effect 3

Best Multi-Player Game: Borderlands 2.

Best Individual Sports Game: SSX

Best Team Sports Game: NBA 2K13

Best Driving Game: Need for Speed Most Wanted

Best Song in a Game: “Cities” by Beck, appearing in Sound Shapes

Best Original Score: Austin Wintory for Journey

Best Graphics: Halo 4

Best Independent Game: Journey

Best Fighting Game: Persona 4 Arena

Best Handheld/Mobile Game: Sound Shapes

Best Performance by a Human Female: Melissa Hutchison for Clementine in The Walking Dead: The Game

Best Performance by a Human Male: Daemon Clarke for Handsome Jack in Borderlands 2

Best Adapted Video Game: The Walking Dead: The Game

Best DLC: Dawnguard for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best Downloadable Game: The Walking Dead: The Game

Best Social Game: You Don’t Know Jack

Character of the Year: Clap Trap in Borderlands 2

Game of the Decade: Half-Life 2