The D.I.C.E. Awards are essentially the video game industry's answer to the Academy Awards. Formerly known as the Interactive Achievement Awards, the D.I.C.E. awards were introduced in 1998 and awarded its first Game of the Year to GoldenEye 007. It was a very deserving winner.
The D.I.C.E. Awards are quite respectable within the industry, being awarded by the reputable Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Game of the Year awards will forever be divisive and controversial, owing to the subjective nature of video games. As such, the prestigious award's recipients have seen a wide array of Metacritic scores throughout the decade.
2019: Untitled Goose Game (81)
Of all D.I.C.E. award winners, Untitled Goose Game has to be one of the most controversial. The highest score the game has on Metacritic is 81, accomplished by its Nintendo Switch version. 81 is certainly not the type of score that typically wins Game of the Year awards.
Granted, 2019 was a rough year for gaming, with Untitled Goose Game beating out the disappointing Death Stranding, Control, Disco Elysium, and Outer Wilds. Going by Metacritic, Disco Elysium should have been the Game of the Year, judging by its 91 score.
2015: Fallout 4 (88)
Released in November of 2015, Fallout 4 was met with a mixed response from longtime Fallout fans. This is evident in the discrepancy between Metacritic's user and critic scores. The Metascore sits at a solid 88, whereas the user score is a far more muted 6.2.
Its Game of the Year win at the 19th D.I.C.E. Awards was also quite controversial, having beaten out more "deserving" games like Bloodborne, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and especially The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
2014: Dragon Age: Inquisition (89)
Dragon Age: Inquisition is perhaps the most obscure game on this list. The Dragon Age series never really took off in the same way that other RPGs like The Elder Scrolls or Mass Effect did, and Inquisition proved a rather disappointing entry in the dormant franchise.
Despite a solid Metascore of 89 for the PS4 version, the user score once again sits at a middling 7.4, indicating general disappointment from the larger gaming public. By winning Game of the Year, it beat out the likes of Destiny, Far Cry 4, and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.
2016: Overwatch (91)
Serving as Blizzard's fourth major franchise, Overwatch was released to acclaim and popularity in the spring of 2016. Both its PC and Xbox One received a Metascore of 91, and Blizzard reported seven million players in its first week of release.
It also took home Game of the Year at the 2017 D.I.C.E. Awards, beating out Battlefield 1, INSIDE, Pokémon Go, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. It was also the recipient of Action Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay, and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design.
2012: Journey (92)
Journey is a short game, but it left a lasting impression. Originally released exclusively for the PlayStation 3, Journey was a co-creation from Thatgamecompany and Santa Monica Studio. It received endless praise for its art style and emotional story, resulting in a 92 Metascore and 8.8 user score.
It beat out other popular games like Borderlands 2, Far Cry 3, and The Walking Dead. It won a total of eight awards at the 2013 D.I.C.E. awards, including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay, and of course Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction.
2018: God Of War (94)
Santa Monica Studio struck gaming gold yet again with 2018's God of War. Serving as both a continuation and a soft reboot of the popular series, God of War was singled out for its stellar gameplay, visuals, and mature father-son story. It was widely praised as one of 2018's greatest games, and it (perhaps) rightfully won Game of the Year at the 2019 D.I.C.E. Awards.
2018 was a great year for games, and God of War beat out the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2, Return of the Obra Dinn, and Marvel's Spider-Man.
2013: The Last Of Us (95)
God of War was often compared to Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, owing in large part to its father-child adventure story. The Last of Us is universally beloved, unifying both critics and general players (a rarity). Its Metascore sits at 95, and its user score at 9.2.
The Last of Us was the big winner at the 2014 D.I.C.E. Awards, taking home ten awards. This included Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction, and of course Game of the Year, beating out Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, BioShock Infinite, Grand Theft Auto V, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.
2010: Mass Effect 2 (96)
The Mass Effect series may forever be known as the greatest narrative accomplishment in gaming. Well, at least the first two games. And as popular and beloved as the first entry was, the series peaked with the incredible Mass Effect 2. This game opened the 2010s in spectacular fashion, earning a 96 on Metacritic taking home three awards at the D.I.C.E. Awards.
These were Outstanding Achievement in Story (obviously), Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year, and Game of the Year, beating Angry Birds, Call of Duty: Black Ops, God of War III, and Red Dead Redemption.
2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (96)
Perhaps the most famous video game of the 2010s (at least the first half), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was widely praised by critics and general players alike, with most of the praise going towards the game's incredible scope.
Skyrim was pretty much a shoo-in to win Game of the Year, and it beat out Batman: Arkham City, Portal 2, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. It was also the recipient of four other awards, including Outstanding Achievement in Story and Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction.
2017: The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (97)
Talk about shoo-ins. Breath of the Wild was not only regarded as the greatest game of 2017, it was instantly hailed as one of the greatest video games ever made. The Zelda series is widely known and praised for its consistent quality, and Breath of the Wild may just be its greatest entry. And that's saying something.
Breath of the Wild beat out Cuphead, Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and Super Mario Odyssey to take home Game of the Year, and it also walked away with three other wins (Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design, Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction).