First Set of 2014 Community Awards Winners

After a few weeks of collecting votes – the total of which exceeded 31K – it’s time to announce the winners of the 2014 Pastapadre Community Choice Awards. In this half of the reveal the categories being examined are Best Gameplay, Best Franchise, Best Career, Best Presentation, Best Online, and Best Post-Release Support. 

Best Gameplay: NBA 2K15 (51%)

It wasn’t a runaway victory but it was an emphatic one for NBA 2K15 which takes home Best Gameplay for the fourth time in five years. MLB 14: The Show finishes as the runner-up with a respectable 36% of the vote while Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 collected 13%.

Best Franchise Mode: MyGM/MyLeague – NBA 2K15 (47%)

The improvements to MyGM mode and addition of MyLeague mode allowed NBA 2K15 to break through for the first time as Best Franchise Mode. The lack of improvement (arguably having regressed due to Game Plan and Confidence) in Madden NFL 15’s Connected Franchise may have cost the series a fourth straight victory in the category. In 2013 it drew 55% of the vote but this year just 35%. FIFA 15’s Career mode pulled in the remaining 18%.

Best Career Mode: MyCareer – NBA 2K15 (68%)

There were only two justifiable options to be nominated for Best Career mode this year. Not surprisingly they’re the only two series to have won the award in the past. If it weren’t for all the servers issues with NBA 2K14 this would have been a third straight win in the category. The rich story mode, which featured a brand new storyline in 2K15, has proven to be what consumers desire most. The basic nature of Road to the Show, which hasn’t changed much over the years, is still satisfying for many but may need to be innovated on in the future.

Best Presentation: NBA 2K15 (47%)

No surprise here as NBA 2K15 makes it five consecutive years with the series taking securing the Best Presentation award. FIFA 15 put up a good fight (31%), and NHL 15 showed promise (22%), but it appears it’ll take a dramatic shift in perception to snap the streak.

Best Online Play: Madden NFL 15 (47%)

Despite recognizing just how spectacular the online play experience generally is with the FIFA series, especially considering the challenges it faces, Madden wins for Best Online for the fourth straight year. The fact that Madden NFL 15 has the only true Online League experience out of the suite of sports games likely plays a big part in the voting. FIFA 15 closed the gap a bit from last year (41%) while EA Sports UFC picked up the scraps (12%).

Best Post-Release Support: EA Sports UFC (38%)

EA Sports has spent the last six-plus months fixing EA Sports UFC into the game it should have been at release. It wasn’t a broken game, but designed in a way that didn’t appeal to really anyone. Six patches have gone out, four of which altered gameplay, and all of them included additional fighters for the roster. The Golf Club (35%) could have won here too – this may end up as the tightest category – with a ton of improvements and even new features being delivered in multiple patches. Madden NFL 15 also put up a fight with the remaining 27%.

So NBA 2K15 has gone four-for-four with two more opportunities at awards to go including the big one. Will it sweep it’s way through all six of its nominations? Find out on Tuesday when the winners for the remaining five categories will be revealed!