By Andrew Dodson on December 26, 2014 at 2:55am
Throughout December, Player Theory has been working hard to create it's very first (and hopefully annual) video game award program. After careful discussion among the editors, where we picked out our favorite games in each category and then whittled the list down to three per group, we sent out the ballots to you, our readers. You responded and now the results are in!
Best of Genre: First Person Shooter
This category was a close one, but with only a single vote making the difference, "Destiny" by Bungie took the prize.
Best of Genre: RPG
There was no contest in this department. The 3DS game "Bravely Default" kept an edge throughout the voting process, securing its place as Player Theory's best RPG of the year.
Best of Genre: Horror
Our Horror category is still a big of a contest - because it ended in a tie. "Alien: Isolation" and the "Silent Hill Playable Trailer" both earned a solid 37 percent of the vote in this category and will share the prize for best horror game of 2014.
Best of Genre: Fighting
In contrast to our last category, which was a tie, the winner of the Fighting game category was ridiculously clear. With more than 80 percent of the vote, Player Theory's best Fighting game of the year is "Super Smash Brothers!"
Best of Genre: Action/Adventure
This was another close call, but "Bayonetta 2" pushed ahead of its competitors, establishing it's place as Player Theory's Action/Adventure game of the year!
Best of Genre: Indie
The winner for this category was super clear from the get-go, and while it got close toward the end, we can happily say that Shovel Knight is our winner!
Best of Genre: MMO
There was not a lot of controversy over this group - the new expansion for World of Warcraft "Warlords of Draenor" dominated this vote and won for best MMO of 2014!
Best of Genre: Strategy
Another vote that was no contest from the beginning - with almost 70 percent of the vote, "Civilization: Beyond Earth" is our winner for 2014!
Best of Genre: Tabletop
There was a tie for second place in this category, but all that really matters is the winner. The newly-released "Imperial Assault" by Fantasy Flight Games jumped to the front and is our winner!
With that, our Best of Genre categories are complete and we'll move on to our other award groups!
Best Soundtrack
Can you imagine playing a game without music? We certainly can't. This category was another one that we had a tie in, between the hugely popular "Super Smash Brothers" and the also hugely popular "Transistor."
Best DLC
DLC breathes new life into game that we love and have played to death. We had some big competition in this category, but when the votes were finally counted, Bioshock's "Burial At Sea" DLC took the prize for 2014!
Best Kickstarter
With this category, we wanted to give a nod to our favorite Kickstarter campaigns (what we're anticipating) and the awesome releases that come from them. For 2014, "CodeSpells" dominated our voters' selections and won the day!
Best Voice Actor
What would our favorite characters be without voices? Player Theory appreciates the work of all the voice actors in our video games, and we want to give credit where credit is due! For 2014, best female voice actor goes to Melissa Hutchison who played Clementine in TellTale's "The Walking Dead" game series. Our best male voice actor award will go to Adam Harrington, who brought Bigby Wolf to life in TellTale's "Wolf Among Us."
Best Character
The winner for the best character category bounced around a lot while our voting was open, but in the end, the werewolf detective Bigby Wolf took the lead and the prize for 2014.
Best Story
There are stories that stick with you, and TellTale Games has consistently reminded us that they know how to make a story stick. The winner of Player Theory's Best Story of 2014 goes to The Walking Dead, Season 2.
Most Anticipated for 2015
What games are you looking forward to in 2015? This was easily our most highly-contested category, with each selection just a vote away from dropping it's place. "Star Citizen" edged ahead by a single vote and takes the prize for most Anticipated Game of 2015.
Game of the Year
This is the spot reserved for our favorite games. The ones we got and kept going back to and playing over and over. The game that we had the most fun with and the ones that we kept thinking about even when they were done and beaten. For 2014, Player Theory's Game of the Year award goes to Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor."
As we wrap up here, Player Theory wants to take a second to really thank all of it's fans and readers. Your support of this humble game website is super important to us (without you, we literally would not be doing this). Player Theory celebrated its first birthday this past summer, and the difference between what we were when we started in 2013 and what we are now is really astounding, and we really have you to thank for that. We have big plans for 2015, and we don't plan on stopping for anything! Keep reading and telling us what you're interested in, and we'll keep writing and giving you the best news coverage that we can.
From the bottom of our hearts here at Player Theory, we thank you and want to wish you all the happiest of holidays and a fantastic New Year!
