The 2022 Game Awards have come and gone and for a yearly event I have never really cared about, I did find them interesting for a number of reasons, but mainly for the Player's Voice award.
The Player's Voice award is exactly what it sounds like: fans get to vote for the game they wish to get recognition. It got quite heated between Sonic fans and Genshin Impact fans for the award but in the end, the gotcha game that was released in 2020 emerged victorious. To say that some Sonic fans weren't pleased would be an understatement. I would have liked it if Sonic Frontiers did get the Player's Voice award, but at the end of the day, I'm not really bothered by Genshin winning.
One of my favorite games of 2022 (spoilers for a future blog post, BTW) is Kirby and the Forgotten Land and it won Best Family Game from the Game Awards. As great as that is, that isn't what I or for that matter, most people will remember Kirby's 30th anniversary game for. Kirby's first big 3D adventure will be remembered for it's large levels, sweet Copy Ability upgrades, the new lore it added to an already lore rich series and that unforgettable finale that hits like a freaking truck.
Sonic Frontiers may not have won the Player's Voice award but look at all the acclaim the game has received from fans and critics. Yes, you'll find some critics that didn't give Sonic Frontiers high marks but on the whole, the reception has been mostly positive. When you think of Sonic Frontiers, what comes to mind? The insanely epic fight with Giganto and the other titans? Or how about the time you were minding your own business on Kronos island and Squid gets all up in your face because the whole concept of personal space is lost on it? The struggle of trying to S rank Cyber Space 1-2, the character interactions with Sage, Tails, Amy Knuckles, fishing with Big and that absolute banger of a soundtrack; Sonic Frontiers is such a blast of a game and it has given me memories that will last a lifetime.
Call me crazy for not being upset that Sonic Frontiers lost to Genshin Impact, even under questionable circumstances. But all the enjoyment I've gotten from the game and the super warm reception from fans put me in too good of a mood to be mad about an award snub. Between Sonic Frontiers, the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie and Netflix Sonic Prime, 2022 was a banner year for the world's most famous hedgehog. With Sonic Frontiers set to get a ton of free DLC in 2023, Sonic fans will stay eating well.
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