Critical reception doesn’t only mean scores. Over the past three years (and it could be longer too, I didn’t check), the GOTY nominee with the fewest reviews on OpenCritic is Xenoblade 3, with 126. Divinity II only topped out at 76.
Yeah, that's a really good point
Early access is still eligible, but full releases are very much preferred. Hades didn't get anything until its 1.0 release and I don't expect Sons of the Forest to make the rounds during awards season until full release.
My point is that it’s received virtually no critic or media attention (and almost certainly won’t once it gets a full release) despite the high player count, while something huge like RE4 didn’t make a big impact. PC player counts don’t mean much when it comes to TGA.
Xenoblade 3 Future Redeemed needs to be nominated. (It won't because it's DLC but let's XC finally win)
It just came out of EA, so it'll be eligible for the Game Awards this year.
Thankfully next year should be lighter, other than 3D Mario, Prime 4, and GTA 6 releasing. I can't think of many other titles rumored or announced to release next year.
FF7 Rebirth might make its way onto the list, if it's as good or better than the first one.
Oh shit, I forgot that was coming. Add another to the list!
You underestimate the Peach sweep.
I think the next year is usually underestimated until it's here. Last year people thought Tears of the Kingdom and Advance Wars were 2022 titles, that Bayonetta 3 was going to be a GOTY contender, and no one thought Baldur's Gate 3 or Street Fighter 6 would end up being as good as they were the next year. Anything can happen. As it stands it already looks like a decent year with Dragon's Dogma 2, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Metaphor, and 3D Mario and Prime 4 probably coming out.
Starfield isn't a slam dunk either if it comes with the usual Bethesda launch jank, though hopefully its extra time in the oven may mean that isn't an issue.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is another big one. Avowed and Hellblade too. Also can probably expect something from Sony.
yep. If it stays 95+ It could even win it.
I feel like Totk will be like Twilight Princess year again. Great critical reception, bigger map and more content without having the advantage of looking different that TP had..
That seems like an immense stretch. A CRPG winning GOTY would be absolutely wild, no matter how big Baldur's Gate 3 is. Zelda and Starfield are a lot more approachable and have/probably will take off in the mainstream more, even though BG3 is doing crazy numbers already.
I think you’re correct - TOTK is an outstanding game but does lack some of the “freshness” of its predecessor, which I do think will hurt it come GOTY time. BG3 is really blowing up, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes this years’ Elden Ring (Massive game from a formerly niche genre that finds mainstream success).
Allow me to rephrase. TOTK is obviously in the conversation for Game of the Year. It's a high-quality game with a very good shot of winning. What I'm saying is that, three months after release, I'm not seeing as many people rave about it, I'm not seeing the same amount of social media posts, I'm not seeing the same hype wave that BOTW rode for a very long time. And I think that's pretty natural, given the game is quite derivative of the original. As Jbone916 worded it, it's lacking some of the "freshness" that made BOTW feel new for years. And that could potentially hurt it when it's time to vote for GOTY.
Dark Souls 3 sold over 10M copies, and Sekiro crossed over 5M. Larian's last game, Divinity 2, only hit 1M sales, and while those numbers are fairly old it's hard to imagine it's had the legs to get anywhere past 2M.
I don't see how Elden Ring could be considered niche in any way, since it was a hugely anticipated release from a revered studio.
The Last of Us Part II won Best Game Direction, probably due to the double protagonist and how it executed the story as a whole. I don't think critics viewed it as derivative.
I think BG3 has a very solid chance of winning (and kinda want it to, because it’s such an achievement for Larian) but I never understand this sentiment (your post isn’t the first time I’ve seen it expressed), it’s getting weekly articles and videos from most outlets and YouTube channels even now, social media continues to be flooded with TOTK clips and memes, we’re just used to it all because it’s been happening for six years now. But TOTK chatter is still there and it’s still been constant. It’s just a) normalized now and b) also competing with a slew of major new releases and massive game industry news in the last three months too.
It doesn’t need to be better, and the outpouring of critic and fan praise seems to indicate a pretty resounding “yes” to your second question.
I’d say that mechanically, yes. It is.
yes
Yeah
