Discussion What will be the 6 GOTY nominations at The Game Awards 2023?

[MaitreWakou]

Baldur's Gate 3 is getting an unusual huge amount of hype online for a CRPG. Even from people who usually aren't into it. Plus, unlike Divinity and such, it's actually a big budget AAA game, and it shows.
I think the reception, including the media's reception, is going to be bigger than what people here think.
I myself looked over it when thinking about the potential list of nominees earlier this year, but now I think it'll get the nom.

Right now I'm thinking

Tears of the Kingdom
REmake 4
Spider-Man 2
Baldur's Gate 3
Starfield
Super Mario Bros Wonder

If you think that SF6 still has a chance for the nom, let's not forget that Mortal Kombat is releasing in September, and MK tends to be the more media/"casual" appreciated game nowadays, thanks to its massive solo content. SF6 might have the biggest solo content in a fighting game as of right now, but I would be shocked if MK didn't saw it coming too and made even more, given how they tend to just be massive in content. Also, the graphics look ridiculously good.


Obviously not released yet, but given how Fallout 4 of all games won GOTY when it released, don't overlook Starfield for the potential winner. The BGS hype is real among the media. Imo it's the biggest foe to TOTK if it delivers even half of what it promises.

 

[Marce-chan]

Wish Super Mario Bros. Wonder would get a nomination. It certainly will in some outlets (as will Pikmin 4) but TGA will probably snub them.

But idk... 3D World was nominated for GOTY alongside GTA V and TLOU, in 2019 Smash was nominated for GOTY, in 2020 ACNH was nominated, last year Xenoblade 3 was nominated too...

If only this year didn't have that many games that literally scream TGA(TotK, RE4, Starfield, Spider Man 2, FF XVI), I think Wonder would be a no brained.

 

[MaitreWakou]

Wish Super Mario Bros. Wonder would get a nomination. It certainly will in some outlets (as will Pikmin 4) but TGA will probably snub them.

But idk... 3D World was nominated for GOTY alongside GTA V and TLOU, in 2019 Smash was nominated for GOTY, in 2020 ACNH was nominated, last year Xenoblade 3 was nominated too...

If only this year didn't have that many games that literally scream TGA(TotK, RE4, Starfield, Spider Man 2, FF XVI), I think Wonder would be a no brained.

It looks fresh, exciting, and it's Mario, I think it's a lock personally.
Especially after almost 20 years of NSMB.

 

[Marce-chan]

It looks fresh, exciting, and it's Mario, I think it's a lock personally.
Especially after almost 20 years of NSMB.

Maybe I'm just being pessimistic to avoid being let down if it doesn't happen, but I really hope it's nominated. Specially since I think a 90 MC is possible and I think the game will be an instant hit on social media.

 

[Thunder84]

But idk... 3D World was nominated for GOTY alongside GTA V and TLOU, in 2019 Smash was nominated for GOTY, in 2020 ACNH was nominated, last year Xenoblade 3 was nominated too...

A 3D Mario, Smash, and Animal Crossing will always garner more critical attention than a 2D platformer, regardless of whether it’s Mario or not. The better comparisons would probably be Metroid Dread and Xenoblade 3, both of which released in substantially weaker years.

I guess you could argue that Mario Maker getting nominated back in 2015 is a point in Wonder’s favor, but that had the whole level design thing going for it. I dunno, I just struggle to see it beating out some of the other big name stuff we’ve seen so far, particularly Street Fighter and Final Fantasy.

 

[ThanatosIntern]

I think it's worth bringing up that the jurors who decide the GOTY lineup are the same ones who decide the "Most Anticipated Game" category, which historically has pointed to future GOTY nominees when they deliver. In 2022, that lineup was:
-Zelda
-RE4
-Starfield
-Hogwarts
-FF16
Hogwarts likely didn't get strong enough reviews, but the other four are probably locks unless Starfield really drops the ball. Zelda also won the category last year like Elden Ring in 2021 and 2020 which is a point towards winning GOTY, but that's a discussion for another thread.

 

[pancracio17]

Rip Hi-Fi Rush. I was confident it would make it at the start of the year, now its another one of those maybes.

Its still my second choice after Zelda so far.

I voted
Zelda
FFXVI
Spider-Man
Starfield
Mario Wonder
Jedi Survivor

Jedi Survivor could easily be swapped out for Hi-Fi, DIablo, Armored Core, RE4 or SF6 imo

 

[Xythereal]

Baldur's Gate 3 is getting an unusual huge amount of hype online for a CRPG. Even from people who usually aren't into it. Plus, unlike Divinity and such, it's actually a big budget AAA game, and it shows.
I think the reception, including the media's reception, is going to be bigger than what people here think.
I myself looked over it when thinking about the potential list of nominees earlier this year, but now I think it'll get the nom.

Right now I'm thinking

Tears of the Kingdom
REmake 4
Spider-Man 2
Baldur's Gate 3
Starfield
Super Mario Bros Wonder

If you think that SF6 still has a chance for the nom, let's not forget that Mortal Kombat is releasing in September, and MK tends to be the more media/"casual" appreciated game nowadays, thanks to its massive solo content. SF6 might have the biggest solo content in a fighting game as of right now, but I would be shocked if MK didn't saw it coming too and made even more, given how they tend to just be massive in content. Also, the graphics look ridiculously good.


Obviously not released yet, but given how Fallout 4 of all games won GOTY when it released, don't overlook Starfield for the potential winner. The BGS hype is real among the media. Imo it's the biggest foe to TOTK if it delivers even half of what it promises.

Hey, I am a BG3 believer! I just don't think people really know how encompassed of a game it is...

 

[AngryAlchemist]

Baldur's Gate 3 is getting an unusual huge amount of hype online for a CRPG. Even from people who usually aren't into it. Plus, unlike Divinity and such, it's actually a big budget AAA game, and it shows.

Yeah, I'm actually pretty confident that out of the "what ifs", this is the one that will be most likely to be nominated.

Street Fighter 6 got really well received, but it's a fighting game. Jedi Survivor received acclaim, but even with all its popularity critically it kind of came and went, it can't stack up to other popular third person action games of this year. Final Fantasy XVI was a well received big exclusive, but it seems more divisive among its playerbase than he other games. And while Spider-Man 2 will be beloved, I'm not sure something so insanely iterative will get a critical glow up. I'm not saying all these things matter, but they do make it harder to predict if these games will be nominated. Even something like REmake 4, the fact it's a REmake makes it harder to judge in such a stacked year (though I think that limits it winning Game of the Year, I think the fact that so many games have come and haven't received its acclaim is making it a lock for a nomination the longer time goes on).

Baldur's Gate 3, meanwhile, will probably be the perfect title to lock down. It will probably get amazing 90+ reviews (89 minimum I imagine), it will be a very complex RPG with lots of mechanics and systems, it will have a prestige-ness to it that borderlines on pretention, and it caters to an audience the game awards rarely gets to cater to (the audience will assuredly mostly be PC).

It is pretty much a lock unless this marketing leadup ends up being smoke and mirrors and it ends up being super glitchy.

 

[Xythereal]

Yeah, I'm actually pretty confident that out of the "what ifs", this is the one that will be most likely to be nominated.

Street Fighter 6 got really well received, but it's a fighting game. Jedi Survivor received acclaim, but even with all its popularity critically it kind of came and went, it can't stack up to other popular third person action games of this year. Final Fantasy XVI was a well received big exclusive, but it seems more divisive among its playerbase than he other games. And while Spider-Man 2 will be beloved, I'm not sure something so insanely iterative will get a critical glow up. I'm not saying all these things matter, but they do make it harder to predict if these games will be nominated. Even something like REmake 4, the fact it's a REmake makes it harder to judge in such a stacked year (though I think that limits it winning Game of the Year, I think the fact that so many games have come and haven't received its acclaim is making it a lock for a nomination the longer time goes on).

Baldur's Gate 3, meanwhile, will probably be the perfect title to lock down. It will probably get amazing 90+ reviews (89 minimum I imagine), it will be a very complex RPG with lots of mechanics and systems, it will have a prestige-ness to it that borderlines on pretention, and it caters to an audience the game awards rarely gets to cater to (the audience will assuredly mostly be PC).

It is pretty much a lock unless this marketing leadup ends up being smoke and mirrors and it ends up being super glitchy.

I have played the game since early access. Think of how the market flooded videos of Elden Ring when it came out and slightly before. That is what BG3 is like 100s upon 100s of videos. There are those that have access to the final copy and have shown non-spoiler videos on that so it is not really an unknown. When you have 174 hours of beautiful cinematics (admittedly you are only going to see a fraction based on choices) and more dialogue/texts than the entire Game of Thrones, all wrapped up in a AAA package. This isn't something to ignore IMHO. If you think this is a no-name CRPG... recheck

 

[bixente]

Silksong, a game that probably won't release this year, has more votes than Pikmin 4

 

[Xythereal]

I'd be surprised if Diablo 4 does better than Baldur's Gate 3 critically but I guess it's a better fit for the Game Awards. Top 4 games are about as obvious as it gets but I hope SF6 is liked enough by more casual audiences to get some representation outside of best fighting game.

I like Diablo, but it really just seems a reskin of the same game. The battle pass seems to have real issues with the players also.

 

[Gartooth]

I'm starting to feel less confident on FFXVI being a locked-in nominee as we get further from that game. The problem is that it's "only" a high 80s game on Metacritic when we are gonna get a ton of those this year. (Hi-Fi Rush, Diablo 4, Pikmin 4, etc.) So unless it's a 90+ rated game or releases when it's still fresh in people's minds in the fall then I'm not as sure of its chances being a shoe-in.

Right now I feel like at the very least we have 4 "locks" being:

1) Zelda
2) Starfield (unless it "Cyberpunks")
3) Spider-Man 2
4) Either RE4 or SF6 as "the Capcom game"

Spider-Man releasing in the fall is gonna help it immensely cause I'm not sure if it would've been a lock if it released earlier in the year due to how competitive this year is. The game is gonna be around an 85 to 88 review average.

The Capcom games as well I feel may suffer from being so early in the year, particularly RE4. So we may only see 1 of RE/SF nominated and not both.

 

[Xythereal]

Top selling game on Steam for this month is... "Baldur's Gate 3". Peak players in 24-hours = 21.5k. Compare that to RE4 which had a good launch but dropped to the same player count as early access "Baldur's Gate 3" in only a month. It currently has only 3.5k players over 24-hours now. "Baldur's gate 3" has not even been fully released and is only in early access with a quarter of the game available! I am currently playing RE4. It is GREAT, but it doesn't stand a chance.

 

[thoughthaver]

well baldur gate fans are already on that annoying evangelizing train so yeah I buy it being nominated

 

[ThanatosIntern]

I'm starting to feel less confident on FFXVI being a locked-in nominee as we get further from that game. The problem is that it's "only" a high 80s game on Metacritic when we are gonna get a ton of those this year. (Hi-Fi Rush, Diablo 4, Pikmin 4, etc.) So unless it's a 90+ rated game or releases when it's still fresh in people's minds in the fall then I'm not as sure of its chances being a shoe-in.

Right now I feel like at the very least we have 4 "locks" being:

1) Zelda
2) Starfield (unless it "Cyberpunks")
3) Spider-Man 2
4) Either RE4 or SF6 as "the Capcom game"

Spider-Man releasing in the fall is gonna help it immensely cause I'm not sure if it would've been a lock if it released earlier in the year due to how competitive this year is. The game is gonna be around an 85 to 88 review average.

The Capcom games as well I feel may suffer from being so early in the year, particularly RE4. So we may only see 1 of RE/SF nominated and not both.

When they were released in the year has never really been an issue though. As for those high 80s games, FF16 still has a better chance of getting a nomination simply because it has the broadest appeal plus the prestige attached to the Final Fantasy brand.

As for Baldur's Gate 3, I'm not so sure it's a shoe-in since Divinity 2 was snubbed in 2017 despite being acclaimed. Nothing against BG3, but I suspect a lot of people will be alienated by the very long main campaign (75+ hours?)

 

[Thunder84]

I'm starting to feel less confident on FFXVI being a locked-in nominee as we get further from that game. The problem is that it's "only" a high 80s game on Metacritic when we are gonna get a ton of those this year. (Hi-Fi Rush, Diablo 4, Pikmin 4, etc.) So unless it's a 90+ rated game or releases when it's still fresh in people's minds in the fall then I'm not as sure of its chances being a shoe-in.

Genre, budget, and “core” appeal tend to matter more once you’re in the 80s. 2019 saw a multitude of high 80s games left out in favor of Death Stranding, Outer Worlds, and Control. Same with 2020 and Ghost of Tsushima, or 2018 with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. 2022 with Plague Tale and Stray, etc.

Final Fantasy XVI falls right in line with games that the show has favored in the past, so I’d say it has a substantial leg up on a lot of other similarly scoring games.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

LMAO @ just noticing Redfall in the poll.

Armored Core VI previews have been extremely glowing so far. Alan Wake 2 as well. Those 2 are dark horses.

 

[JorgenRaft]

LMAO @ just noticing Redfall in the poll.

Armored Core VI previews have been extremely glowing so far. Alan Wake 2 as well. Those 2 are dark horses.

Yeah had I made the topic a couple weeks later, it likely would not be there.

 

[Ab]

Outer Wilds 2? That isn't a thing.

Joke, right?

 

[YoboD]

Yeah I’m starting to think FF16 isn’t a lock anymore, reception feels a bit more muted than I was expecting in such a competitive year for a slot.

Meanwhile early indicators seem to be that BG3 is gonna be big, so given that and its AAA status I’m not sure comparisons to other past CRPG’s are very meaningful here. At this point I’d be more shocked if it doesn’t get nominated.

 

[Phendrift]

FF16 is a weird one. The discussions around it are… so heated. More than any other game in recent memory that I can think of.

We’re obviously in the situation where it was NOT a goat level return to form that many people wanted to be. It’s merely a greatly-reviewed game, not masterpiece level.

But it’s interesting because it’s still gonna have to deal with what BotW/TotK deal with - being a longterm franchise that switches things up and leaves many fans behind. Except it didn’t execute its own vision as well as BotW and TOTK executed theirs.

So now we have a situation where there’s a subset of FF fans who vocally hated the direction of the game before release because it ditches series standards and continue to argue passionately about it, a good amount of people who were excited but ended up underwhelmed by the game because it failed to execute many things in terms of its own vision, and also people who did end up loving the game regardless of its flaws. The discussion around it is a clusterfuck not only because of the game’s own failings, but also because of people who wanted it to be something it’s not.

Very interested to see how it’ll pull through in terms of end of year recognition.

 

[AngryAlchemist]

FF16 is a weird one. The discussions around it are… so heated. More than any other game in recent memory that I can think of.

We’re obviously in the situation where it was NOT a goat level return to form that many people wanted to be. It’s merely a greatly-reviewed game, not masterpiece level.

But it’s interesting because it’s still gonna have to deal with what BotW/TotK deal with - being a longterm franchise that switches things up and leaves many fans behind. Except it didn’t execute its own vision as well as BotW and TOTK executed theirs.

So now we have a situation where there’s a subset of FF fans who vocally hated the direction of the game before release because it ditches series standards and continue to argue passionately about it, a good amount of people who were excited but ended up underwhelmed by the game because it failed to execute many things in terms of its own vision, and also people who did end up loving the game regardless of its flaws. The discussion around it is a clusterfuck not only because of the game’s own failings, but also because of people who wanted it to be something it’s not.

Very interested to see how it’ll pull through in terms of end of year recognition.

I think more than the discussion being mixed, it's that the discussion has quickly died down that matters. And look, I get the irony in saying that when we bring it up constantly but really, whether or not Final Fantasy XVI is amazing or completely underwhelming seems like almost the only reason the game is still being talked about a month later outside of fan circles. Breath of the Wild had the same "divisive" rhetoric to its online discussion to some extent, it was just easy to mute out because it was so overwhelmingly praised and there was so many other aspects of the game being discussed. In that sense, I don't think the problem is Final Fantasy XVI being divisive, it's that that's all it is. It didn't do anything super unique or interesting, it wasn't groundbreaking, but perhaps most of all it wasn't the shakeup the franchise needed to get back on track, which was a way more realistic expectation going into it the former two points to the point that Yoshida himself mentioned it several times before the game released.

And just to be clear, there's nothing wrong with that. My favorite game of 2021 was Monster Hunter Rise. Acclaimed game with great sales but not a game of the year winner. My favorite game this year is Resident Evil 4 Remake so far, and I doubt that will change, and yet it will not get the amount of discussion or sales that Tears of the Kingdom or Starfield will get. It's just the way it is.

 

[JorgenRaft]

I think the "debate" around FF16 is more on the fandom side than the journalist/reviewer side, who are the ones who ultimately choose the nominations for this show. Similar to, though not as extreme as, The Last of Us 2 being nominated (and winning) because it was loved by critics despite the discussion online in certain parts being a toxic wasteland.

Again, I don't think FF16 wins as the competition is too fierce but I would still be surprised if it isn't nominated given it's reception AND genre. Though I do think it pretty much runs away with Best Score/Music and Best Performance. Best Narrative is also possible.

 

[Galgavias]

Having just finished Hi-Fi Rush it does make me sad that it'll be nowhere near the GOTY discussions come November, because in my opinion it should absolutely be there. Cracking game, in the top 3 of the year for me so far. Should get some nods for art and audio at the very least.

 

[SammyJ9]

I think the "debate" around FF16 is more on the fandom side than the journalist/reviewer side, who are the ones who ultimately choose the nominations for this show. Similar to, though not as extreme as, The Last of Us 2 being nominated (and winning) because it was loved by critics despite the discussion online in certain parts being a toxic wasteland.

Again, I don't think FF16 wins as the competition is too fierce but I would still be surprised if it isn't nominated given it's reception AND genre. Though I do think it pretty much runs away with Best Score/Music and Best Performance. Best Narrative is also possible.

Best performance I can definitely see, but I don't know about best music. At least to me so far (I'm like 20-30 hours in), there's been some pretty good bombastic choir tracks but that's about it, and a lot of the more ambient/field/town music has done basically nothing for me. I greatly prefer Octopath 2 and even TOTK over it for music this year, maybe some others too.

 

[ThanatosIntern]

Best performance I can definitely see, but I don't know about best music. At least to me so far (I'm like 20-30 hours in), there's been some pretty good bombastic choir tracks but that's about it, and a lot of the more ambient/field/town music has done basically nothing for me. I greatly prefer Octopath 2 and even TOTK over it for music this year, maybe some others too.

Nah, I think Soken has this in the bag. But again, that's a discussion for another thread.

I do think TotK and Octopath 2 will both get nominations in that category though.

 

[SammyJ9]

Nah, I think Soken has this in the bag. But again, that's a discussion for another thread.

It's possible it gets better, and also possible that Soken's style just isn't my thing. I've never heard anything of his before (I haven't played FF14) and he seems to really shine on the big, over-the-top battle themes, but those kinds of themes are rarely my favorite game tracks (with some exceptions even this year, I admit). I usually go more for the exploration/mysterious/forest theme type stuff, and really melodic character leitmotifs more like Uematsu and sometimes Mitsuda do. And I'm not really getting any of that out of FF16 so far.

But like you said, this is a discussion for another thread! We could definitely (and I'm sure will) do a music thread at some point.

 

[AngryAlchemist]

Now that I think about it, what game that came out this year has had a consistently amazing soundtrack? Kind of drawing a blank on that. Tears of the Kingdom and Final Fantasy XVI have great music, but the former reuses a lot of Breath of the Wild themes and the later is pretty inconsistent in my opinion. I expect both to be nominated but I'm not sure I'd agree with either winning.

Is it Ghost Trick's time to shine? (No, it isn't).

 

[Thunder84]

I’d be very surprised if FFXVI doesn’t win
OST of the year. It’s got the critic hype behind it.

 

[Phendrift]

I guess I’ll be the one to say XVI’s OST is consistently amazing and would surely deserve the win.

I kind of need it to after XC3’s mindboggling loss to GOWR last year, actually.

 

[SammyJ9]

Now that I think about it, what game that came out this year has had a consistently amazing soundtrack? Kind of drawing a blank on that.

(by Alanaire)

 

[hologram]

I guess I’ll be the one to say XVI’s OST is consistently amazing and would surely deserve the win.

I kind of need it to after XC3’s mindboggling loss to GOWR last year, actually.

Mindboggling in what way?

 

[SammyJ9]

Mindboggling in what way?

Mindboggling in that XC3 should have won in a landslide

 

[ThanatosIntern]

Guys, I think we're getting off topic.

 

[Phendrift]

Mindboggling in what way?

Mindboggling in that XC3’s is so much better it’s not even funny, and that I have trouble thinking that anyone who played both games would rate GOW’s soundtrack and general use of music as better than XC3’s.

This is something I have no problem being hyperbolic about lol, it makes zero sense to me

 

[hologram]

Mindboggling in that XC3 should have won in a landslide

Okay, so mindboggling in that you personally preferred XC3?

People can feel free to have their opinions and preferences, but do we really need to use words like "mindboggling" in these contexts? GOWR was more successful both critically and commercially than XC3, and critics specifically pointed to its music as a high point. You might not like that it won the award, but it's not surprising, and certainly not mindboggling.

Mindboggling in that XC3’s is so much better it’s not even funny, and that I have trouble thinking that anyone who played both games would rate GOW’s soundtrack and general use of music as better than XC3’s.

This is something I have no problem being hyperbolic about lol, it makes zero sense to me

You can count me as someone who played both games and far preferred GOWR's music. I also preferred Elden Ring's music to XC3. I liked some of XC3's tracks, but found it overall too repetitive -- all of its best ones (the main flute theme, the bombastic boss themes) were used over and over again and robbed them of their impact for me.

 

[AngryAlchemist]

(by Alanaire)

Octopath Traveler 2? Haven't played it.

Guys, I think we're getting off topic.

Does it really matter? I kind of assume this will be a casual thread about people's opinion on TGA nominations. Don't see the problem with that.

Okay, so mindboggling in that you personally preferred XC3?

People can feel free to have their opinions and preferences, but do we really need to use words like "mindboggling" in these contexts? GOWR was more successful both critically and commercially than XC3, and critics specifically pointed to its music as a high point. You might not like that it won the award, but it's not surprising, and certainly not mindboggling.

You can count me as someone who played both games and far preferred GOWR's music. I also preferred Elden Ring's music to XC3. I liked some of XC3's tracks, but found it overall too repetitive -- all of its best ones (the main flute theme, the bombastic boss themes) were used over and over again and robbed them of their impact for me.

I personally refuse to believe that anyone other than Nintendo can make good music.

 

[SammyJ9]

Okay, so mindboggling in that you personally preferred XC3?

People can feel free to have their opinions and preferences, but do we really need to use words like "mindboggling" in these contexts? GOWR was more successful both critically and commercially than XC3, and critics specifically pointed to its music as a high point. You might not like that it won the award, but it's not surprising, and certainly not mindboggling.

You can count me as someone who played both games and far preferred GOWR's music. I also preferred Elden Ring's music to XC3. I liked some of XC3's tracks, but found it overall too repetitive -- all of its best ones (the main flute theme, the bombastic boss themes) were used over and over again and robbed them of their impact for me.

Elden Ring would be my number 2, I did quite like it as well. ‘Mindboggling’ is definitely exaggerating as you’re correct on all points, but I lean more toward Phendrift’s opinion than not. I found Ragnarok’s music to be pretty good, but nothing more. It didn’t stand out much to me.

But the Game Award’s Music category is one I don’t think I have literally ever agreed with, to be honest. I’d have to go back and check.

 

[Plum]

Here's my picks so far:

• Zelda - I mean. It should be obvious.
• Street Fighter 6 - I think that, like Animal Crossing and such in prior years, this will be the 'token non-traditional' choice in the nominations. It won't win, but it's received too much buzz and continued support that I can't see it not getting some major cred.
• Diablo 4 - It was a toss-up between this and Spider-Man 2, and frankly I can't tell you why I chose it.
• Final Fantasy XVI - It's a cinematic, epic action-RPG from a prestige franchise that's only blown up in popularity since its previous entry (due to FFXIV). This is a shoe-in IMO.
• Armored Core VI - No matter how the game turns out, FROM Software is officially the 'critical darling' of modern gaming, so I can't see their new title not getting a nomination at the very least.
• Starfield - Unless the game somehow crashes and burns, I don't think that this premise is going to be met with anything less than universal praise. I mean, Fallout 4 rated higher than every other game but Zelda on this list lol.

I don't think there's going to be many surprises this year. There isn't really a 'Stray' or 'Hades' to fit the 'indie darling' spot (at least not yet), and there are too many good games for lesser-but-still-really-good titles like A Plague Tale: Requiem to get through.

Also don't think Pikmin 4 will get a nom simply for the fact that it's Pikmin, and it's competing with Zelda for 'the Nintendo pick.' The only years where Nintendo gets two are 3D Mario/Zelda years.

 

[Phendrift]

Okay, so mindboggling in that you personally preferred XC3?

People can feel free to have their opinions and preferences, but do we really need to use words like "mindboggling" in these contexts? GOWR was more successful both critically and commercially than XC3, and critics specifically pointed to its music as a high point. You might not like that it won the award, but it's not surprising, and certainly not mindboggling.

You can count me as someone who played both games and far preferred GOWR's music. I also preferred Elden Ring's music to XC3. I liked some of XC3's tracks, but found it overall too repetitive -- all of its best ones (the main flute theme, the bombastic boss themes) were used over and over again and robbed them of their impact for me.

That’s fair enough. I’m not saying people can’t have that opinion or anything, but like I said, it’s just one I can’t comprehend

Elden Ring would be my number 2, I did quite like it as well. ‘Mindboggling’ is definitely exaggerating as you’re correct on all points, but I lean more toward Phendrift’s opinion than not. I found Ragnarok’s music to be pretty good, but nothing more. It didn’t stand out much to me.

But the Game Award’s Music category is one I don’t think I have literally ever agreed with, to be honest. I’d have to go back and check.

Yeah, I wouldn’t say Ragnarok’s OST is bad or anything, it’s just the very nature of the game that the music is more subdued compared to XC3 - and JRPGs in general, which have a huge focus on music. A huge, varied OST (and quality one at that) is almost a staple of the genre. They want you to walk away from the game with the music being a key part of the experience that you’ll remember. I don’t think GOW is made with that same mindset.

To the point where I would say competing them should almost be considered unfair. A bit of a rudimentary comparison, but compare the size of the GOWR ost that’s on Spotify and Apple Music right now that’s a little under 30 tracks to the 10 hour, 9-disc behemoth that is XC3’s soundtrack dropping in a few i hours.

it’s just in a totally different league in terms of how much the music takes the spotlight in XC3, and the role it serves in the game, compared to GOWR, not just that it’s better. That’s also part of what I mean by mindboggling.

RE: past winners, the only one I feel like I’ve agreed with recently is FF7R.

 

[Vanillalite]

Diablo is a weird test case.

Do you judge it based of how it launched? Or do you go off how they’ve botched it with post launch patches?

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

I think Mario Wonder has a chance at the final six depending on how well it does (this is contingent on it pulling some 3D Mario shenanigans in critical reception, to be clear, which it very well might not, if it's "just" NSMB caliber, I don't think it makes it into the final six)

 

[Vanillalite]

Also people gonna hate but the best selling game of the year so far is also really good and probably should be nominated even if a certain person is a douche and a half now.

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

Also people gonna hate but the best selling game of the year so far is also really good and probably should be nominated even if a certain person is a douche and a half now.

It's a Ubisoft caliber game. Which is good enough for the target market, certainly not good enough to run with the top dogs in a year as stacked as this.

It also is not the bestselling game of the year any more (or won't be in a couple days)

EDIT: Also these nominees at least at TGAs come from panelists comprised of the staff from the very sites that knocked that game down for its associations with said certain person, you can bet they won't then go and name it as one of the best games of the year when they (thankfully) weren't willing to be kind to it during review season

 

[Xythereal]

Diablo is a weird test case.

Do you judge it based of how it launched? Or do you go off how they’ve botched it with post launch patches?

Honestly, I just see Diablo 4 as a reskin of all the others. Yes, the graphics are good, but Diablo is Diablo is Diablo. Really, Great game, but not going to get a nomination.

 

[Xythereal]

Half a million people are playing Baldur's Gate 3 right now early this Friday morning. This is JUST on Steam. It was also launched on GOG (consoles come a month later). That is 3x the amount of RE4 at its peak. I do not see this number dropping substantially over the next few weeks. IMHO, the games that are being mentioned are great, but none of them actually change the industry (at least so far). Even Zelda TofK. What is new and innovative? Diablo IV is a reskin (okay, that might be a little harsh but it really is Diablo). Zelda TotK is perhaps even better than BotW but you could argue it is a GREAT DLC to BotW. Resident Evil 4 is pretty similar to other Resident Evil games, etc... That said, we do not know if Starfield or Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon will break the mode - they just might!

That is why I think Baldur's Gate 3 will be nominated. It literally raises the bar so high that it is an industry changer. All CRPGs will be compared to Baldur's Gate 3 for a LONG time.

 

[Mbolibombo]

Have a million people are playing Baldur's Gate 3 right now early this Friday morning. This is JUST on Steam. It was also launched on GOG (consoles come a month later). That is 3x the amount of RE4 at its peak. I do not see this number dropping substantially over the next few weeks. IMHO, the games that are being mentioned are great, but none of them actually change the industry (at least so far). Even Zelda TofK. What is new and innovative? Diablo IV is a reskin. Zelda TotK is perhaps even better than BotW but you could argue it is a GREAT DLC to BotW. Resident Evil 4 is pretty similar to other Resident Evil games, etc... That said, we do not know if Starfield or Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon will break the mode - they just might!

That is why I think Baldur's Gate 3 will be nominated. It literally raises the bar so high that it is an industry changer. All CRPGs will be compared to Baldur's Gate 3 for a LONG time.

Oh please

 

[Thunder84]

The third highest Steam count for players was Sons of the Forest. I don’t think that’s a particularly meaningful statistic when it comes to GOTY.

Not to say that BG3 won’t be nominated, but the critical reception will say a lot more than the player count.

 

[hologram]

The third highest Steam count for players was Sons of the Forest. I don’t think that’s a particularly meaningful statistic when it comes to GOTY.

Not to say that BG3 won’t be nominated, but the critical reception will say a lot more than the player count.

Player count is not a useful statistic, but critical reception will only go so far, too. BG3 is likely to get very good review scores. I still think it's probably a long shot for a nomination.