[DoctorEldritch]

Hello Legion Gamers!

Only a week left until the annual BAFTA 2025 awards:

More about the nominees here. Good to see Neva there, you may remember @CandelaSynth interview with its creators, or Helldivers2, one of the most famous Nordic games. Personally, I was happy to see Tactical Breach Wizards, a very nice indie game that I enjoyed very much.

That being said, one thing that I noticed is that most nominees here are the same as those nominated during winter awards, with very few newcomers to see. So we may just be getting more of the same. @GoLLuM13, I remember you keeping an eye on awards back then, what do you think?

[CandelaSynth]

@DoctorEldritch

Yayyyy, Neva!! So if they get the prize, it´ll be the second Spanish video game studio to get one 🎉
I also interviewed the first Spanish studio to get one ; )

[GoLLuM13]

@DoctorEldritch I'll wait for the results, especially for "Best Game" I want Wukong to win, but I'm ready to bet on that it won't be the case and it will be let's say hmmmmm "Helldivers II" (Sony is behind) 😜

[DoctorEldritch]

@GoLLuM13 That is actually an odd selection where when it comes to Best Game nominees, they are all sort of fitting, but also each of them has something about it. Balatro is too indie, Thank Goodness You're Here is too short, Wukong is too myth-based and Helldivers is MMO. They had a better chance of winning in specific categories, but Best Game, well...maybe it's for the intrigue. That being said, Helldivers 2 is by Arrowhead, so Nordic homegrown, so 😉

[GoLLuM13]

@DoctorEldritch Helldivers 2 is geographically locked in so many countries (yes, your recognize Sony signature here right ?)

[DoctorEldritch]

@GoLLuM13 Ah well, c'est la vie, as they say.

Here is something else interesting, though. BAFTA shared their list of the most influential games of all time. Many on the list are not unexpected, like Half-Life, GTA, FF or Sims. @ZaidH you may be glad to know Metal Gear Solid made the list too. Interestingly, The Witcher 3 did not, but Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 did, and that is a very recent game, not sure how they "calculated" its influence, it did not have that long to show it yet 😅

But what I found interesting is that Shenmue is at the top of the list. It may be true that they tried new things that seem normal now first back then, but I was surprised to learn just how fundamental that game actually was. @Telomina maybe it will tempt you into playing it sooner 😉

Either way, a peculiar list. Not sure I agree with everything there, I'd say Witcher 3 should be there and maybe one of the earlier Ubisoft games. I am not a huge fan of those, but their open-world approach was influential enough, I'd say. Still, an interesting summary, I think.

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch I never expected Shenmue to top the list 😅 You've been playing the Shenmue games recently right? Do you think it deserves the number one spot? Also, KCD2 and Baldur's Gate 3 in the list is an "interesting" inclusion 😆 Would've much rather preferred to see Resident Evil there instead. 100% agree that early Ubi titles, especially Assassin's Creed, needed a shoutout as well. I'd have immediately disregarded this list if I didn't see Metal Gear Solid in there 😂

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH From a historical viewpoint, it may. It is not revolutionary by modern standards, but I was surprised how much of what they tried they were one of the first to try. I would say BG3 can be there considering the extreme variability of that game, but KCD2 is a bit...I dunno, seems more of a trophy thing. For both these games, they did not have the time to show how influential they are because they are so new.

Resident Evil is a good choice, but maybe too niche, too horror-centered? Maybe. It could still be there, but nicheness could be the reason why it is not. But at least MGS made it. System Shock is the one I thought should, too. They defined many aspects of the RPG shooter genre.

[GoLLuM13]

@DoctorEldritch and when people will pirate their games, because of this... c'est "also" la vie 👀

[DoctorEldritch]

@GoLLuM13 Can you do that with MMOs? I thought as they need a connection to play, they are less prone to shenanigans like that?