Which updates have Selene 1 and 2? It's hard to find specific games here but I really wan't to know the full story because Selene 3 sounded like a good game
 
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Corpus Christi for the 2028 Olympics!

2015 looks very good from a video game standpoint. Sure, Fallout 4 and Undertale are OTL exclusives, but instead we get some really cool stuff like a new Smash game, Hallie Heartsong, Selene 3, a new main entry for Thrillseekers... The list goes on!

Here's hoping 2016 in the world of Player Two Start/Massively Multiplayer/Battle Royale is considerably more pleasant overall than it was in our world!

2015 was a pretty good year for sure. There weren't any truly transcendent games in the sense of a Half-Life 3 or a Squad Four Betrayal, but there were a lot of really good games, and I think people came away feeling like it was a pretty good year.
 
2015 was a pretty good year for sure. There weren't any truly transcendent games in the sense of a Half-Life 3 or a Squad Four Betrayal, but there were a lot of really good games, and I think people came away feeling like it was a pretty good year.

It might be a good idea for the timeline to include more games for critics to tear to shreds. Not every game is going to be good, let alone great.
 
It might be a good idea for the timeline to include more games for critics to tear to shreds. Not every game is going to be good, let alone great.
Thing is he’s only focusing on the biggest games ITTL and devs seem to be better run than IOTL. We’re not seeing giant falls from grace like BioWare or Rare (though Everwild at least looks fun). Which makes sense because TTL has big companies like Nintendo and Sega avoid the massive blunders. To use a Pokémon comparison we have the Chaos Timeline while Nintendo and Sony working together is the Order Timeline.

I’m curious to see if we’ll be getting games where critics and fans are very split like The Last of Us 2 or Mass Effect 3. Critics adore these games but there’s a huge fan backlash to them, may have missed if there’s any games like this but critics and gamers seem to agree more often here.
 
Winter 2016 (Part 1) - Explore Anywhere
Expedition

Expedition is an MMO action-RPG exclusive released for the Google Nexus, with an Android companion app and a later PC port coming as well. It's a slightly simplified take on the World Of Warcraft/Final Fantasy Online type of MMORPGs, and takes place in a mystical world known as Parathera, in which young ones are expected to begin adventuring and exploring the world (sort of like Pokemon in a way). The game combines Zelda-esque action RPG combat with a massive world full of creatures, loot, and quests, and players are able to explore this world after a few starting missions in their home realm. There are 26 distinct races of character that one can choose from, ranging from typical humans to rabbit-like creatures known as Bunikin to dog creatures called Bowwow to elves, tree creatures, and even robot/human hybrids, among many many others. Each race has its own distinct stat growth and skills, and players are encouraged to create a character best attuned to their skills. The character creator has something called the Creation Lab that allows people to try out different builds before finalizing their character, though the 26 races are all balanced so that one isn't strictly better than any others. Players then choose which realm to start in, 12 in all, each with its own distinct wildlife and features. Certain races are able to start in certain realms, with two realms actually being open to all 26 races (but having a more "jack of all trades" balance of items and opportunities for starting players, rather than the other ten realms which are restricted but allow for more min-maxing). Expedition features plenty of opportunities for customization and loot, with loot able to be dropped by enemies, purchased, or found (though the best stuff is almost always looted from enemies or given as prestige quest rewards). Expedition's combat system is fully action oriented like Secret of Mana or The Legend Of Zelda, with a fairly simple combat system that includes both basic attacks and different types of skills that can be mapped to certain buttons. Most enemies can be taken down by a single player, but like any good MMORPG, there are some enemies that can only be taken down by a coordinated party. Expedition is made with lower skilled players in mind, and it's possible for even low level party members to contribute to battles, with higher level players actually earning rewards for teaming up with low ranked players and helping them out. Players are encouraged to explore, and penalties for dying are almost nonexistent, in contrast with other RPGs that slap players with penalties such as the loss of XP or loot. Loot itself can be upgraded at various merchants or by using it in battle, and there are even some quests that reward the player with loot upgrades. Like most MMORPGs, Expedition has a main story quest, but it also has lots and lots of side quests, with the main story being more of a long introduction to the game. Expedition's world is vast and enormous, not quite as big as World Of Warcraft or Final Fantasy Online, but easily big enough to get lost in and have plenty of adventures along the way. The game features fairly simplistic but gorgeous graphics that hearken back to lots of classic fantasy worlds, but which appear low tech compared to other MMORPGs of its time, and even a lot of other Nexus games, with Google choosing to sacrifice some graphical detail for the sake of having a larger world. The game has a large cast of voice actors, mostly unknowns but a few well known actors in the voiceover community, who play various NPCs or who narrate the game.

The main quest sends players out into the world of Parathera, where they're tasked with visiting six different realms and performing a quest chain for the Questlord in that realm. These quests mostly involve finding a monster and defeating it, though there are also some retrieval quests in there, and some quests also have players exploring and solving puzzles in a dungeon. The quests are designed to acclimate the player to the world of Parathera while also providing plenty of good gear to use in later quests, but as the game goes on, the player learns of an ancient evil force that's been draining the realms of their energy. They eventually are tasked with gathering up the Legendary Hero equipment, which is unique to the player's race, and completing four more quest chains associated with the Temples of Courage, which will give them the power they need to confront this evil force. The Temples are located outside of the 12 starting realms, forcing the player to explore even more of the world, and each one contains a powerful demigod monster which must be defeated. Completing these tasks unlocks the Dark Realm, one of three "secret realms" containing high end creatures and loot. Battling through the Dark Realm leads the player into battle with the Dark Master, an evil being that seeks to taint the journey of the legendary hero in order to gain the powerful artifacts that the hero normally gathers. Slaying the Dark Master closes the main quest line and enables several post-game quests, as well as providing the player with a unique piece of loot to help them through the postgame quests, of which there are many.

In addition to the console Expedition, there's also the Android Expedition, a collection of mini-games, trial battles, and puzzle dungeons compatible with any Android device. This game is of course simpler than the main console title, requiring use of a touchscreen, but it rewards the player with equipment and currency that can be carried over to the main console game, while also unlocking a number of console quests that then unlock quests in the mobile game. The mobile game is intended to both enhance the console title and serve as a way to enjoy Expedition when away from one's Nexus console (of course, one can always remote play the Nexus version of the game on their phone, though that's not an option for everyone). The Expedition app is free, while the Nexus game itself costs $60 (but then can be played subscription free after that). Both the app and the Nexus game have various DLC purchases, ranging from costume DLC to entire questlines for purchase, though the main game itself is huge enough that it can be played and enjoyed for hundreds of hours without purchasing a lick of DLC. Google does plan expansions for Expedition, which are likely to be in the $30 range when they're released.

Expedition is a massive MMORPG endeavor, and certainly even bigger than Dream Garden was. It's released on January 22, 2016, along with the Android app, and both prove to be massive successes at the time of their release, with reviews for the console game averaging in the mid 8s. Expedition is considered extremely fun and extremely accessible, with a vastly less toxic environment than a lot of other MMOs of the time, thanks to the extensive community moderation. While some critics don't like the simplicity of the combat and some of the more noob-friendly features, other critics say it's an excellent MMORPG and the most accessible MMORPG ever. It would become one of the fastest selling Nexus titles at the time of its release, and quickly surpasses Phantasy Star Online 3 to become the second largest console MMORPG in terms of current users, behind only Final Fantasy Online. It also drives Nexus unit sales at a time when Google desperately needs them, proving to be one of 2016's most important Nexus games and one of the most important console exclusives of its generation.

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Social Network

Social Network is an adventure title for the Google Nexus. It combines Watch Dogs-esque cyber hacking and action with the character development and choices of a sandbox/visual novel title, creating a fairly unique gaming experience for its time. Its protagonist is a young hacker named Robbie who discovers a secret government spy database and downloads the program to his mobile device before it's taken offline. Now, Robbie has a superpower: the ability to find out information about people on the street just by hacking into their mobile device, and is able to use that information for various means, though Robbie himself resolves to use his powers for good and it's up to the player to determine how best to carry that out. Unlike a lot of open sandbox titles in which the player can commit crimes at will and cause mayhem and violence, Robbie usually isn't armed, and has to use his wits and whatever he has on hand to help out the people he learns about (this is strictly a Teen rated game). Robbie can learn about people who need help, but can also learn about potential crimes in progress, and the player will need to decide if those crimes need to be stopped immediately, or if they're even crimes in the first place. Social Network is an entirely first person game, and the game has detailed facial animations for characters, along with extensive dialogue trees, making it easy to form bonds with those people in an attempt to make the player sympathize with them. Along the way, Robbie will be able to recruit various allies to his cause, but also attracts the attention of the government agency that developed the program, who wants to take the young hacker out before the world finds out about the spy program. Social Network features a fairly small city to roam around it (compare it to the size of the city in the average Yakuza game, and apart from the realistic facial animations, the graphics are about average for a Nexus title. The game's voice cast features mostly unknowns, with a few decently known voices (and Robbie himself is voiced by Jay Baruchel, probably the most famous actor to provide a voice in the game), and features a soundtrack of mostly licensed modern music, along with a score composed by Philip Sheppard. The game's plot starts out with a few small missions and scenes that allow the player to get acquainted with the college-aged Robbie and his friends, including punky nerd girl Mary (voiced by Ally Maki) and aspiring journalist Nathan (voiced by Robert Bailey Jr.). This establishes Robbie as being a generally good hearted person, albeit a bit reckless, and not exactly careful about who he hacks or when (think Matthew Broderick's character in WarGames to an extent). This leads him to hack into the government's spy database to steal a hacking program called Omni, which allows the government to spy on people and get their personal information. Robbie downloads Omni onto his mobile device, not realizing its significance at first until he's able to start gathering a vast array of information on people, and from there, uses that information for various purposes. Social Network's main quest line is actually fairly short, and basically involves Robbie attemping to use his program to help an old friend of his start up a charity, only to attract attention from the government agency that created Omni, forcing him to go on the run and help his friends avoid capture. However, the real meat of Social Network is in the game's extensive side quests: literally hundreds of quests, ranging from things that can be done in a single dialogue tree, to massive quests spanning numerous objectives and involving many unique characters and situations. Some of these side quests are required, in order to build Robbie's reputation and skills up high enough to pass certain checks in the main quest, but you're only required to do about 10-20 of them to complete the game itself. The main quest sees Robbie and his friends eventually striking back at the government organization that created Omni, learning that it was created by a rogue department within the government with the goal of blackmail, and eventually finding and stopping the scientist who created Omni from using his ill-gotten information to cause chaos and bring the country to its knees. The main game ends with Robbie getting a full pardon for his actions after stopping the scientist and wiping out all copies of the program, while the government itself is forced to reform its information gathering practices to avoid a scandal caused by Omni's existence leaking to the public (it also ends with Robbie and Mary dating, and Nathan becoming a successful reporter after being allowed to report on a small segment of the Omni story that doesn't incriminate the government in a major way).

Social Network is released exclusively for the Nexus on February 9, 2016. It's a really unique and content rich game that gets mostly excellent reviews, though there are some flaws that critics point out. A lot of the side quests, for example, are fairly repetitive in terms of what the player actually has to do, with a surprisingly low number of actually good quests buried in all the short and repetitive chaff. The game does make up for that somewhat with some fun dialogue and well crafted minor characters, but it does become a point of contention for reviews. The main quest is also seen as being fairly short and predictable, and while the game 's storyline seems to raise issues of government surveillance and the hazards of too much public information in the modern age, the game itself doesn't really address those issues except superficially. Social Network could have been a game that made a major statement about the power of personal information, but instead, it too often delves into storylines that don't address the greater ethical and moral issues that the game raises. Despite these criticisms, the game scores fairly well, with reviews averaging in the low to mid 8s, while becoming a decent hit for the Nexus in terms of overall sales, and along with Expedition, becoming one of the most fun and unique Nexus exclusives of the year, despite its flaws.
 
It might be a good idea for the timeline to include more games for critics to tear to shreds. Not every game is going to be good, let alone great.
Thing is he’s only focusing on the biggest games ITTL and devs seem to be better run than IOTL. We’re not seeing giant falls from grace like BioWare or Rare (though Everwild at least looks fun). Which makes sense because TTL has big companies like Nintendo and Sega avoid the massive blunders. To use a Pokémon comparison we have the Chaos Timeline while Nintendo and Sony working together is the Order Timeline.

I’m curious to see if we’ll be getting games where critics and fans are very split like The Last of Us 2 or Mass Effect 3. Critics adore these games but there’s a huge fan backlash to them, may have missed if there’s any games like this but critics and gamers seem to agree more often here.
The issue is time...time become more and more limited for the TL and there a convengence thing, much minor games unlike before got sidelined(we got a lot much crap but unlike 90's and 00's when even pure grade crap need to manufacture a physical media to distribution, with online now much is auto-purged) and yeah seems some studios ar far better OTL but others, seriously ITTL we got at the times almost much more(not double, but like 50% more) videogames developers and studio, much closed down previous mentioned bomb or where shallowed because they were outmuscled in resources, of courrse from ITTL some big name disaster would be surprised, but they wondered why less studios opened and closed door unlike TTL
 
Fair enough. We can assume that there's a bunch of buggy shovelware we're not reading about. Because we can safely say that there'll be studios that think that they can make money with little to no effort.
 
I’m willing to bet shovelware is very concentrated on Android and Steam ITTL. Steam I don’t see anything indicating they’d be better about shovelware than OTL. With mobile being even more viable for gaming than OTL, it feels like the best place to put shovelware and I see Steve Jobs being much stricter on what gets on iOS since Apple’s so much more involved with gaming than OTL. Google on the other hand probably doesn’t care what goes on Android. I see how they handle YouTube
 
The 2015-16 NFL Season
The AFC saw the rise of a couple of powerful new teams, while old contenders returned to prominence. The big story was the AFC North, which saw all four of its teams finish above .500, dominating the rest of the conference and sending three teams to the playoffs. This included the Cleveland Browns, which had formed a strong offensive unit revolving around quarterback Russell Wilson, who now had numerous excellent targets to throw to, including Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez continued to struggle with off the field issues, but had become the poster child for mental health awareness in the league, and had been able to keep himself disciplined and out of trouble, making his third straight All-Pro team and helping the Browns to an 11-5 record in a brutal division. The Kansas City Chiefs continued their winning ways, looking for a potential rematch with the Ravens.

In the NFC, it felt like the 90s all over again, with the San Francisco 49ers dominating with a 14-2 record, and the 12-4 Cowboys close behind. The Cowboys had been revived under rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota, who had earned the nickname “Super” Mariota after leading his Cowboys to the NFC East title. In the South, the Saints struggled to make the playoffs in what would be Peyton Manning's last year. With the legend still suffering from injuries, Johnny Manziel finally stepped up and started nine games for the Saints, and had done well enough to help his team to the division title. The Detroit Lions were the surprise team in the NFC, with a potent offense and defense that helped them beat out the rival Bears and Packers in another tough division.

NFL Playoffs 2015-16

Wildcard Round:


(6) Pittsburgh Steelers over (3) Tennessee Titans, 17 to 10

In a rematch of last year's AFC Championship, the Steelers would have their revenge against the defending Super Bowl champions, thanks to stellar defensive play and a “just good enough” performance from Aaron Rodgers to help Pittsburgh to a win. Pittsburgh would also benefit from a pick-six in the second quarter to put their team up 14 to 0, and they wouldn't look back, even after a mini comeback by the Titans in the third quarter. The Titans just couldn't muster enough to win, and the Steelers would move on to the divisional round.

(4) New York Jets over (5) Cleveland Browns, 27 to 24 (OT)

In the best game of wildcard weekend, the Jets would mount a furious comeback to overcome an early 17-3 lead by the Browns, who started things off early after a long touchdown throw from Wilson to Hernandez. The Jets would eventually take a 24-17 lead late in the fourth, but another Hernandez touchdown would send things to overtime, and after the Browns were forced to punt, the Jets managed to march downfield for a game clinching field goal in sudden death.

(6) Arizona Cardinals over (3) Detroit Lions, 10 to 0

The Cardinals were back, thanks to a stiff defense led by Jadeveon Clowney. The Cardinals had the league's second best defense overall, and it was good enough to blank the Lions, who couldn't get anything going and by the end of the game were facing a chorus of boos from their own fans. The Cardinals offense was able to put ten points on the board, and that was more than enough to win.

(5) Philadelphia Eagles over (4) New Orleans Saints, 31 to 21

In another wildcard weekend revenge contest, the Eagles were able to take down the Saints, after some rough play by Johnny Manziel in the second half enabled the Eagles to pull away in the fourth. Peyton Manning had to watch from the sidelines, his championships cold comfort knowing that his team had come up short in his final game.

Divisional Round:

(1) Baltimore Ravens over (6) Pittsburgh Steelers, 31 to 7

The excellent Ravens receiving corps, led by a 209-yard performance from Odell Beckham Jr., led the way for them here as they crushed the Steelers. Their defense also played a part, picking off Aaron Rodgers twice and forcing several frustrating punts, as the Ravens would advance to the conference championship game.

(4) New York Jets over (2) Kansas City Chiefs, 12 to 9

In a game that saw only field goal scores, the Jets pulled off an upset victory, thanks to the excellent leg of veteran kicker Adam Vinatieri. The Jets' defense stopped the Chiefs twice in the red zone, leading to field goals instead of touchdowns, and a crucial blocked field goal in the third quarter became the difference in this one, helping the upstart Jets to advance to the conference championship.

(1) San Francisco 49ers over (6) Arizona Cardinals, 17 to 3

The Cardinals' defense did their best to stop Andrew Luck, and he ended up taking four sacks, but the Arizona offense couldn't make any major plays, and were stifled by the 49ers' excellent D, proving that they were the league's most complete team and poised to repeat their conference championship.

(2) Dallas Cowboys over (5) Philadelphia Eagles, 38 to 33

This bitter rivalry saw a bitterly close game that was mostly back and forth throughout the first three quarters before the Cowboys finally pulled away to take a 38 to 26 lead after trailing 26-23 at one point. The Eagles made it back down the field for a quick score, but after kicking to the Cowboys with just over six minutes left, they never got the ball back again, thanks to some crucial first down runs, several by Marcus Mariota, that would send the Cowboys back to the conference finals.

Conference Championships-

(4) New York Jets over (1) Baltimore Ravens, 16 to 13 (OT)

While this game wasn't quite as exciting as the close score would indicate, and was mostly a field position battle, in the end, the Jets made the plays that they needed to close out this one and get the win. The Ravens would take an early 7-0 lead, but failed to score a touchdown the rest of the game, having to settle for a couple of field goals while punting several times. Meanwhile, the Jets seemed to be winning the field position battle for most of it, but costly turnovers kept them behind until a go-ahead score in the third to put them in the lead. The Ravens had a chance to win the game late, but quarterback Andy Dalton underthrew a wide open OB3, and a Jets interception sent the game to overtime. They would score and then stop the Ravens on the subsequent possession to clinch a victory and head to their first Super Bowl in 47 years.

(1) San Francisco 49ers over (2) Dallas Cowboys, 38 to 21

This game was hyped to the moon, and in the opening intro package, FOX even played “The Never Feast” (the song from Hook that CBS used for the 1992 and 1993 NFC Championship games) as a retro throwback to the teams' 1990s rivalry. However, it didn't quite live up to that hype, as the rookie Mariota couldn't keep up with Andrew Luck, who was able to throw all day and didn't have a single pick. Meanwhile, Dallas ended up punting more than they would have liked, and a costly Mariota fumble in the third put the Niners in a dominating position. For the second straight year, the 49ers had won the NFC Championship, and would now attempt to win their fifth Super Bowl.

Super Bowl 50-

San Francisco 49ers over New York Jets, 36 to 7

The Jets came into this Super Bowl as heavy underdogs, and quarterback Derek Carr attempted to invoke Joe Namath by guaranteeing at a press conference that the Jets would win. The 50th Super Bowl was a celebration of football, but the game itself was anything but, as the Niners dominated the Jets all the way. Their stiff defense was no match for Andrew Luck, who had four passing touchdowns and a running touchdown, and was easily the game's MVP. The halftime show, featuring Nathan Benz who paid tribute to past great Super Bowl acts before performing his own set, proved to be a better show than the game itself. As for Derek Carr and his guarantee, he was picked off three times, and even briefly had to leave the game with a hand injury. It was a miserable day for Carr and for Jets fans, but a great day for the 49ers, who won their first Super Bowl since 1990, breaking the curse of Andre Rison.

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2016 NFL Draft-

The 2016 NFL Draft was quarterback rich, with four “can't miss” prospects at the top of the board: phenom Elliot Hobbs, who led the Purdue Boilermakers to a surprise national championship win, Jared Goff, a California QB said to be the most complete prospect in the draft, North Carolina star Jacoby Brissett, who led his Tar Heels squad to three ACC Championships in a row and a national title game in 2014, and Bobby Rich, who captained a talented Alabama squad to three SEC titles and almost led them to victory against Purdue in the aforementioned national championship. There was also plenty of talent available on the offensive line, the defensive end position, and the running back spot. The Atlanta Falcons, who'd traded the Marcus Mariota pick last year, had the #1 spot this year, and went for Hobbs, while the Washington Redskins, sitting at #2, grabbed Goff. The Buffalo Bills, who once again had the third pick, took Ronnie Stanley to protect Blake Bortles, while Brissett dropped to the Minnesota Vikings at #4. Jacksonville had pick #5, but were happy with Carson Wentz, and traded down to the St. Louis Rams, who needed a new QB and took Rich. The New England Patriots traded up to #6 and took Joey Bosa, while Ezekiel Elliott fell all the way to #10 and a very happy Carolina Panthers team, hoping to edge their way back into contention.
 
Speaking of Clowney. What happen ITTL to a few other great Gamecocks? Marcus Lattimore, Alshon Jeffery, Connor Shaw, DJ Swearinger, and Ace Sanders.
 
Oh god please not the Raiders. SoCal already gets crazy enough with Dodger and Laker fans, adding them to LA is just overkill
 
Grammy/Oscar 2016
2016 Grammy Nominees (winner in bold)-

Best New Artist-

The Fragment
Kevin Winston
Kristin Reyes
Mean Marty and the Showcase
Syera Jack

(Note: Five acts completely original TTL, with each bringing something unique to the table: The Fragment is a British rap group combining DJ skills with lyrical brilliance, Kevin Winston is an outstanding young country artist, Kristin Reyes has a beautiful voice and cheerful tunes, Mean Marty and the Showcase are a throwback big band act with dubstep thrown in, and Syera Jack is an outstanding female rapper. The Fragment and Syera Jack were the frontrunners in the category, and though Syera Jack proved to be the most popular of this group, The Fragment actually won somewhat easily.)

Song Of The Year-

The Drop” by Kendrick Lamar
“Lie” by Nirvana
“Lost Along The Way” by Eric Clapton
“Objection” by Nathan Benz
“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran

(Note: OTL's winner “Thinking Out Loud” is still a beautiful love ballad from Ed Sheeran, but Kendrick Lamar was just a bit better ITTL, beating out Sheeran in a close race, and also beating the late Eric Clapton, this category's sentimental favorite.)

Record Of The Year-

Around” by Chloe Wang ft. Bruno Mars
“Heartbreakin' You” by Taylor Swift
“Lost Along The Way” by Eric Clapton
“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
“You're Just Too Much” by Genesis Rodriguez

(Note: The infectiously catchy “Around” was the song of the spring, dominating the charts and scoring a huge hit for Chloe Wang's new album. As such, it took home this award fairly easily, fending off Ed Sheeran and some other strong songs.)

Album Of The Year-

Bespoke by The Fragment
Consumer by Nirvana
On The Wind by Eric Clapton
Show, Don't Tell by Chloe Wang
To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar

(Note: Taylor Swift's album was snubbed ITTL, as it wasn't quite as acclaimed or popular as OTL's 1989, clearing the way for this impressive lineup of outstanding albums. It was a close race between all five of these albums, with Nirvana and Chloe Wang's efforts seen as very strong contenders as well, but in the end, Kendrick Lamar took home the award he should have won IOTL, and did it against much stronger competition.)

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2016 Oscar Nominees (winner in bold)-

Best Picture-

Bridge Of Spies
Dead End Job
Inside Out
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Manhattan Project
The Martian
Pepperell
Purity Pledge
The Revenant
Xavier Robert Noland


(Note: TTL's Best Picture race was extremely competitive, with Pixar's Inside Out, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, and Xavier Robert Noland seen as the top four contenders. With Spirited Away having opened the door to animated Best Picture winners, Inside Out looked like a real possibility, though The Revenant was considered the front runner for most of the race. Dead End Job, a dark comedy about a man who has been working the same lousy job for 40 years, was seen as the indie darling of the race, while films like Pepperell, about a young widow who tries to find new purpose in her small town, and Purity Pledge, a dramedy about high school girls dealing with sexual peer pressure, were seen as curious niche films not likely to take home the big prize. However, Mad Max: Fury Road swept most of the technical awards and proved just popular enough to win Best Picture ITTL, in an upset win.)

Best Director-

Alejandro G. Iñárritu for The Revenant
David O. Russell for Xavier Robert Noland
Elizabeth Banks for Purity Pledge
George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Naveen Vendamere for Ideology

(Note: Xavier Robert Noland is a somewhat strange film about a recluse and the woman trying to get close to him, and was largely praised for its acting and directing, with the plot and script getting a more mixed reaction from critics. As such, David O. Russell was able to beat out several other strong contenders for the award, including the OTL winner.)

Best Actor-

Baljinnyamyn Amarsaikhan for Khan
Edward Norton for The Manhattan Project
Leonardo DiCaprio for The Martian
Matt Damon for The Revenant
Phil Hendrie for Dead End Job

(Note: Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon once again wind up in swapped roles ITTL, with DiCaprio leading in The Martian, and Damon leading in The Revenant. Both did well, certainly well enough to get nominated, but their TTL performances weren't as highly lauded as they were in their proper OTL roles, clearing the way for Edward Norton as J. Robert Oppenheimer to take this award home.)

Best Actress-

Cate Blanchett for Carol
Christina Ricci for Xavier Robert Noland
Katherine Langford for Purity Pledge
Natalie Portman for Pepperell
Yvette Charbouix for Vision Of The Snow

(Note: This was a fairly competitive category, mostly between Blanchett, Ricci, and Portman. Young Katherine Langford was certainly good in Purity Pledge, and original TTL French actress Yvette Charbouix won acclaim for her performance as a woman struggling with delusions in TTL's 2015 Palme d'Or winner, but Christina Ricci was able to triumph thanks to her performance that blended on-the-nose desperation with just a little bit of madness.)

Best Supporting Actor-

John C. Reilly for Xavier Robert Noland
Josh Brolin for The Revenant
Mark Rylance for Bridge Of Spies
Sylvester Stallone for Creed
Tobey Maguire for The Manhattan Project

(Note: Another TTL casting change saw Josh Brolin landing the role in The Revenant that IOTL went to Tom Hardy, but it ultimately didn't matter, because John C. Reilly's performance as the titular eccentric in Xavier Robert Noland was more than good enough to crush his strong competition in this category.)

Best Supporting Actress-

Charlize Theron for Mad Max: Fury Road
Jessica Chastain for The Martian
Mae Whitman for Dead End Job
Rebecca Marie Gomez for Purity Pledge
Rooney Mara for Carol

(Note: Yep, that's Becky G winning an Oscar. ITTL, she never went into singing (not even in the shower), and instead went straight into acting, starting out in guest roles on Nickelodeon shows before doing a couple of more serious shows and then landing the role of a lifetime in Purity Pledge, as one of the friends of the main character. Charlize Theron was actually expected to win in this category, which she wasn't even nominated for IOTL, but Gomez's performance was just too good for even Furiosa to beat, and her win provided one of the most memorable moments in the history of the Oscars, when she shouted an unbleeped “holy shit!” after being announced the winner, followed by quickly clapping her hands over her mouth. She composed herself enough to give an emotional acceptance speech, and at just 18 years of age, her acting career just got a massive boost.)
 
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