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StarTopic 2021 GOTY Award Tracking and Discussion |ST|

mazi

picross pundit
with the goty awards season coming up, this thread can be used to track and post the top of the year lists that different publications and magazines post. in previous years, the gotypicks blog was a good source that tracked most of the awards but lately they've been semi-inactive and have been kinda replaced by a new blog.

please post the upcoming goty lists here in this thread, they'll be threadmarked and i'll change the title to reflect the latest lists from major publications.

the total so far, according to the blog:
  • It Takes Two- 86
    • Media Outlets: 66 | Readers' Choice: 20
  • Resident Evil Village- 60
    • Media Outlets: 29 | Readers' Choice: 31
  • Forza Horizon 5- 54
    • Media Outlets: 34 | Readers' Choice: 20
  • Deathloop - 39
    • Media Outlets: 33 | Readers' Choice: 6
  • Metroid Dread - 36
    • Media Outlets: 29 | Readers' Choice: 7
  • Halo Infinite - 26
    • Media Outlets: 20 | Readers' Choice: 6
  • Returnal - 22
    • Media Outlets: 19 | Readers' Choice: 3
  • Psychonauts 2 - 19
    • Media Outlets: 18 | Readers' Choice: 1
  • Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart - 19
    • Media Outlets: 18 | Readers' Choice: 1
  • Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy - 14
    • Media Outlets: 12 | Readers' Choice: 2
  • Inscryption - 10
    • Media Outlets: 9 | Readers' Choice: 1
  • Tales of Arise - 4
  • Chicory: A Colorful Tale - 3
  • Halo Infinite (multiplayer) - 3
  • Kena: Bridge of Spirits - 3
  • Shin Megami Tensei V - 3
  • Unpacking - 3
  • Age of Empires IV - 2
  • Disco Elysium: The Final Cut - 2
  • Lost Judgment - 2
  • Monster Hunter Rise - 2
  • Nier Replicant ver. 122474487139... - 2
  • Back 4 Blood - 1
  • Before Your Eyes - 1
  • Black Book - 1
  • Blue Reflection: Second Light - 1
  • Death's Door - 1
  • Emily Is Away <3 - 1
  • Far Cry 6 - 1
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - 1
  • Hitman 3 - 1
  • Jurassic World Evolution 2 - 1
  • Life Is Strange: True Colors - 1
  • Loop Hero - 1
  • NEO: The World Ends with You - 1
  • Old World - 1
  • Out of Line - 1
  • Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - 1
  • Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl - 1
  • Scarlet Nexus - 1
  • The Artful Escape - 1
  • The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles - 1
  • The Forgotten City - 1
  • Wildermyth - 1
  • Valheim - 1
 
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It'll never not be strange to me to start picking the GOTY in November - I'm quite happy we're going to do ours later :p
 

21. Super Robot Wars 30
20. Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
19. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
18. Nier Replicant
17. Atelier Ryza 2
16. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
15. Deathloop
14. Little Nightmares II
13. Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade
12. Psychonauts 2
11. Death’s Door
10. Scarlet Nexus
9. Forza Horizon 5
8. Resident Evil Village
7. Lost Judgment
6. It Takes Two
5. Monster Hunter Rise
4. Metroid Dread
3. Tales of Arise
2. Monster Hunter Stories 2
1. Shin Megami Tensei V
 

21. Super Robot Wars 30
20. Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
19. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
18. Nier Replicant
17. Atelier Ryza 2
16. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
15. Deathloop
14. Little Nightmares II
13. Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade
12. Psychonauts 2
11. Death’s Door
10. Scarlet Nexus
9. Forza Horizon 5
8. Resident Evil Village
7. Lost Judgment
6. It Takes Two
5. Monster Hunter Rise
4. Metroid Dread
3. Tales of Arise
2. Monster Hunter Stories 2
1. Shin Megami Tensei V
Someone likes JRPGs
 
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Wow. I'm a huge Resident Evil fan, but to be perfectly blunt, I don't think Village deserves a dang thing, in the way of GOTY awards. It is neither a top tier, nor low tier RE, but rather, the definition of "alright".

Hope to see some more wins for Metroid Dread and It Takes Two. Village taking TGA's GOTY would be a huge upset.
 
Well y'all after yesterday do you think Metroid Dread still has a shot of winning TGAs?

If you're talking about the TGA vote page showing Ratchet as the winner, you should keep in mind that iirc the online votes are just a little part of the decision, the actual decision is made by the professional jury.

Now this doesn't mean that Ratchet won't win or that Dread still might, unless there's a leak of the jury's votes we simply don't know.
 
If you're talking about the TGA vote page showing Ratchet as the winner, you should keep in mind that iirc the online votes are just a little part of the decision, the actual decision is made by the professional jury.

Now this doesn't mean that Ratchet won't win or that Dread still might, unless there's a leak of the jury's votes we simply don't know.
Oh I'm actually talking about Resident Evil winning the Golden Joystick award. I hadn't seen the Ratchet and Clank win until minutes ago, and thought it was a typo until a saw your post so it actually got the most fan votes? Wow, I thought Metroid could win that because Fire Emblem won player's choice without even having any nomination but I think I was too naive.

I'm still rooting for Dread but not feeling it anymore. I just think of a 2D Nintendo game winning and meltdowns from the Fabled Western AAA Typical Gamer™️ over it(even tho I think those same gamers would call RaC a child game as it's literally in the same genre as Mario). And we gotta know the awards are just given by those gamers lol.
 
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That 'winner' banner over Ratchet could mean anything. Could be someone on the website backend was doing so changes and accidentally clicked the wrong button to make it live. Whether that means anything regarding the game of the year award itself we'll just have to wait and see. Ratchet would be an interesting choice though if it did win. Perhaps it just got a lot of consistent votes in year where there aren't any clear favourites
 
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Wow. I'm a huge Resident Evil fan, but to be perfectly blunt, I don't think Village deserves a dang thing, in the way of GOTY awards. It is neither a top tier, nor low tier RE, but rather, the definition of "alright".

Hope to see some more wins for Metroid Dread and It Takes Two. Village taking TGA's GOTY would be a huge upset.
If you're a huge Resident Evil fan, wouldn't a middling entry in the series still be better than "alright" though .... ?

I just got into the series in the last year or so and even the entries that I consider middling (like RE0 or REmake 2) are pretty great and definitely some of the best games on their respective platforms.

Similarly, Dread is "middling" to me because the bar for Metroid is so great, but it's not like I'm thinking "Oh, Metroid Dread doesn't deserve a damn thing, because it's not as good as Super, Prime, or Zero Mission!".

I don't know, not saying your perspective is invalid, just genuinely asking for clarification because I find this comment interesting, since I feel it is pretty weird to be a huge fan of a series and think an entry is in the middle of the series in terms of quality, yet to also think it doesn't deserve any recognition, and to even kind of scorn the recognition it gets.
 
If you're a huge Resident Evil fan, wouldn't a middling entry in the series still be better than "alright" though .... ?

I just got into the series in the last year or so and even the entries that I consider middling (like RE0 or REmake 2) are pretty great and definitely some of the best games on their respective platforms.

Similarly, Dread is "middling" to me because the bar for Metroid is so great, but it's not like I'm thinking "Oh, Metroid Dread doesn't deserve a damn thing, because it's not as good as Super, Prime, or Zero Mission!".

I don't know, not saying your perspective is invalid, just genuinely asking for clarification because I find this comment interesting, since I feel it is pretty weird to be a huge fan of a series and think an entry is in the middle of the series in terms of quality, yet to also think it doesn't deserve any recognition, and to even kind of scorn the recognition it gets.
This is very franchise dependent, no?

The Metroid series has quite a few games which are considered among the best games of all time, with Super and Prime in particular regularly appearing in such lists. So if "middling" for Dread is below those two games and one other game, then it doesn't immediately follow that Dread is less than great.

Resident Evil, on the other hand, has many games, some of which are considered good, some of which are considered great or even all-timers, and some of which are considered just okay or even kinda bad. So "middling" for Resident Evil IMO suggests a game which is fine, but not amazing, even to a huge series fan.

I didn't play Village, but my general impression of its reception was "yeah, it's pretty good!" which isn't bad by any means but makes it surprising that it's winning so many GOTY awards.
 
This is very franchise dependent, no?

The Metroid series has quite a few games which are considered among the best games of all time, with Super and Prime in particular regularly appearing in such lists. So if "middling" for Dread is below those two games and one other game, then it doesn't immediately follow that Dread is less than great.

Resident Evil, on the other hand, has many games, some of which are considered good, some of which are considered great or even all-timers, and some of which are considered just okay or even kinda bad. So "middling" for Resident Evil IMO suggests a game which is fine, but not amazing, even to a huge series fan.

I didn't play Village, but my general impression of its reception was "yeah, it's pretty good!" which isn't bad by any means but makes it surprising that it's winning so many GOTY awards.
I agree that it is franchise dependent, but I actually don't think Metroid or Resident Evil are that different in this regard (unless someone doesn't like fixed cameras and tank controls, thankfully I do, otherwise half of what makes the series so great is just lost to you, but then again I guess we could say the same about Metroid fans who only like the Prime games).

Metroid has a few entries that are considered pretty good, but not great, by the fanbase - stuff like Samus Returns, Metroid Prime 3, even Fusion or Zero Mission depending on who you ask.

At the same time, the first two entries of Metroid aren't even considered redeemable for most fans, a far cry from Resident Evil, where 1 is considered a pretty good game, even great by many, and 2 is considered one of the best games in the series. Metroid also has Other M, which whether we like it or not, is a mainline game.

Going on Metacritic would reveal RE actually has more entries considered GOAT material than Metroid: RE4, RE:CV, RE3, REmake, REmake 2, and RE1. Meanwhile the score for Metroid would be: Metroid Prime 1, 2, 3, and Fusion. And if we're being honest, Super, which isn't scored on Metacritic. Not sure why Zero Mission was robbed to be honest. And yes - both series deserve to have their remakes considered as separate games.

To be fair, none of this really matters since the person I was replying to didn't say they considered Metroid Dread a middling entry. But as someone who considers themselves a bigger Metroid fan than a Resident Evil fan, I'd say Dread and VIIIage both being middling entries would still make them both valid GOTY contenders. Just assuming that premise sticks, since I haven't personally played VIIIage yet.

Metroid has had less releases which might make the series seem less inconsistent than RE, but in reality about half the mainline entries range from bad to mediocre to ok, which I don't actually think is that different from RE's track record.

Personally, the trend I've noticed from VIIIage is that the reviews for it amounted to "this is pretty good", but in the long run it has actually been received more favorably, both from reviewers and fans. This might arguably be because this has been seen as a "weaker year" for games (I'd honestly say that this year was great for more fan-oriented releases, rather than GOTY sweeps), but I think it also has a lot to do with the fact that the game seems to be very replayable (if not because of content necessarily, than just because it is a lot of fun). The RE4 inspiration seems to have played in its favor, there, and I've even heard a few times Dimitrescu is better as a stalker than REmake 2's Mr. X. No idea if that is true or not, but considering how gasp overrated Mr. X is in REmake 2, I'd believe it.

I think that's also why you've seen the same outlets that gave it a lower score on Metacritic nominate it for GOTY despite, for example, stuff like Monster Hunter Rise or Horizon 5 reviewing better (not going to get into the very valid genre bias suspicions here). Ultimately it might not be seen as a knock out of the park like REmake 2, but it's basically a compilation of all the lessons learned from RE4, REmake 2, and RE7, some of the most acclaimed games in the "modern" RE history.

Either way, I don't find Dread to be a weird or bad entry for a GOTY nom, even if I think there is multiple entries that are much better, just as I probably wouldn't find it strange for VIIIage. The difference between RE and Metroid in terms of consistency is just that RE made some pretty good to bad entries while mainline Metroid went on hiatus not receiving games, and Metroid started out weak whereas RE arguably made some of the best games ever from the outset. Nothing I'd honestly say Metroid has too much to be proud of there.
 
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If you're a huge Resident Evil fan, wouldn't a middling entry in the series still be better than "alright" though .... ?

I just got into the series in the last year or so and even the entries that I consider middling (like RE0 or REmake 2) are pretty great and definitely some of the best games on their respective platforms.

Similarly, Dread is "middling" to me because the bar for Metroid is so great, but it's not like I'm thinking "Oh, Metroid Dread doesn't deserve a damn thing, because it's not as good as Super, Prime, or Zero Mission!".

I don't know, not saying your perspective is invalid, just genuinely asking for clarification because I find this comment interesting, since I feel it is pretty weird to be a huge fan of a series and think an entry is in the middle of the series in terms of quality, yet to also think it doesn't deserve any recognition, and to even kind of scorn the recognition it gets.
Stopped reading when you said RE2 remake was "middling". Really bro?!

Nah, I didn't actually stop reading, but pls don't ever mention that amazing game and RE0 in the same grouping again, lol.

I'll give you the clarification you've requested: basically, RE2 2019 set the bar so high, in my opinion, that I've spent the past two years just wondering when they're going to reach that level again.

RE3 remake? Hugely disappointing entry. Unlike RE2, it wasn't just bits and bobs that were cut, but massive, crucial aspects of the game that made the original so great.

Village? Yeah, the game was good, but it also felt extremely noncommittal. It wants to evoke RE4, yet also RE1 and 2 (Castle Dimitrescu), modern first-person haunted house horror (House Beneviento), epic action setpieces (Moreau's Reservoir), and then whatever you'd call Heisenberg's Factory. It took the grab bag, or sampler platter approach, as opposed to a focused one. If the player wants an actual survival horror game, they can play RE1 or 2, if they want a well-made action RE, there's RE4, etc. Sometimes, trying to please everyone at once just results in a worse game. Precision focus beats "a little bit of everything".

Though you may feel the same way about Metroid Dread that I do about Resident Evil Village, I simply have to disagree that Dread isn't as good as the best that Metroid, as a whole, has to offer. For one, it has the best, most fluid gameplay in the entire 2D saga. Samus had never previously felt that smooth to play as, in the 2D entries, or otherwise. For that alone, I have to award personal high marks to Dread, even though not every aspect of the game is hitting at 100 (the OST, unfortunately, is complete ass, for example). I think Metroid Dread ended up doing more for its series than Resident Evil Village did, even if it's just the fact that the feel of the gameplay was substantially improved upon. If I come across as scornful toward the recognition Village is getting, it's only because we're talking about a GOTY award, here. I don't think Village was the best of the best in 2021.
 
Stopped reading when you said RE2 remake was "middling". Really bro?!

Nah, I didn't actually stop reading, but pls don't ever mention that amazing game and RE0 in the same grouping again, lol.

I'll give you the clarification you've requested: basically, RE2 2019 set the bar so high, in my opinion, that I've spent the past two years just wondering when they're going to reach that level again.

RE3 remake? Hugely disappointing entry. Unlike RE2, it wasn't just bits and bobs that were cut, but massive, crucial aspects of the game that made the original so great.

Village? Yeah, the game was good, but it also felt extremely noncommittal. It wants to evoke RE4, yet also RE1 and 2 (Castle Dimitrescu), modern first-person haunted house horror (House Beneviento), epic action setpieces (Moreau's Reservoir), and then whatever you'd call Heisenberg's Factory. It took the grab bag, or sampler platter approach, as opposed to a focused one. If the player wants an actual survival horror game, they can play RE1 or 2, if they want a well-made action RE, there's RE4, etc. Sometimes, trying to please everyone at once just results in a worse game. Precision focus beats "a little bit of everything".

Though you may feel the same way about Metroid Dread that I do about Resident Evil Village, I simply have to disagree that Dread isn't as good as the best that Metroid, as a whole, has to offer. For one, it has the best, most fluid gameplay in the entire 2D saga. Samus had never previously felt that smooth to play as, in the 2D entries, or otherwise. For that alone, I have to award personal high marks to Dread, even though not every aspect of the game is hitting at 100 (the OST, unfortunately, is complete ass, for example). I think Metroid Dread ended up doing more for its series than Resident Evil Village did, even if it's just the fact that the feel of the gameplay was substantially improved upon. If I come across as scornful toward the recognition Village is getting, it's only because we're talking about a GOTY award, here. I don't think Village was the best of the best in 2021.
I played REmake 2 as my second Resident Evil after getting into REmake last year, and I ultimately found it pretty disappointing. It's true that the best survival horror gameplay the series has seen since switching from fixed camera is in REmake 2. And, playing RE4 for the first time recently, it really made me appreciate how from a gameplay perspective, REmake 2 is basically the kind of modernized follow up RE3 really should have got back in 2005 (it basically learns a lot from RE4, like damage distribution across different body parts or knife slashing, while still conveying survival horror in a much better way thanks to the spongey zombies and Mr. X himself). But ultimately I can't get over how weak the second half is. It's true that every Resident Evil game gets a bit too linear in its second half (even with backtracking, RE1/RE2 are still ultimately pretty linear after about the halfway mark). But not only does RE2 highlight its linearity, it actively stretches the original's weakest moments to such an extent that the game actually just becomes a slog. The sewer section was good, but it didn't need to be that long. The lab is actively boring, with very few moments to make it interesting. The games visual design is often actually less interesting than the original, despite having amazing graphics. And Mr. X even ends up becoming one of the worst conceptualized aspects of the game, once he just becomes a linear tool for the developers to try to annoy you, rather than actually frighten you or make you make tough decisions. None of this is helped by the fact that the game, for some ungodly reason, just controls really slowly, which makes the first few hours drag. Why they didn't just implement a system where Leon and Claire walk/run faster in non-dangerous locations, is beyond me. None of this is even mentioning how bad the story in REmake 2 is, or how bad the OST is, too. Even having played REmake 2 before it, RE2 actually has a great story, one that they kind of ruin in the REmake. The original RE2 is a much better game in my opinion, even if REmake 2 rarely eclipses it at its highest moments.

I also would argue RE4 actually does try to tap into multiple aspects of Resident Evil, and often kind of fails (Ashley's segment being way too short aside from the only hard puzzle in the entire game, the Regenerators being ruined as a concept by the game giving you an attachment that kills them almost immediately as they're introduced, the .... Predator thing? surprising the player once with a QTE, only to spend the entire hallway as a QTE check until it finally becomes somewhat threatening and shows itself). It's a game that switches from gimmick to gimmick and sometimes those gimmicks are meant to de-emphasize action, often in a really clever way conceptually, so it is disappointing those segments rarely work. But then again, I'd generally agree it's a pretty focused game, albeit one that becomes loonier as it goes on.

From my perspective thinking that Dread is one of the best Metroid games just because it controls better, when the GBA games actually implemented most of these quality of life "improvements" anyways, is a bit bizarre. Dread definitely smooths out some things a little bit, but the general improvements I've seen people talk about have basically been in place since Fusion, almost 20 years ago. At the very least, I don't think the few improvements made from Samus Returns or the earlier games are enough to dramatically shift the game into "bests of all time" territory. I might even argue the game is a bit unfocused in terms of direction, anyways, given that MercurySteam tried really hard to act like the game would follow in Super's footsteps, only to basically make a very linear game that just happens to have some sequence breaking (with sequence breaking probably being their attempt at a more open experience). Metroid was always about exploration and never really about any action that took a great amount of precise character control, so I just find that being the game changer odd either way.

Regardless, thanks for explaining your reasoning, it was pretty interesting and honestly I'd probably even agree myself once I get to VIIIage.
 
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I still have about an hour left in RE Village but I'm shocked to see it leading the way so far. It's a very good game but pretty mediocre by RE standards and far from a GotY contender imo. RE7 was a superior game - vastly so if you played it in VR.

SMT V was disappointing too. Rooting hard for Metroid Dread first and then Forza Horizon 5. Wish I had a PS5 to play Deathloop.
 
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The Paste list is interesting as usual though surprisingly top heavy with bigger titles this year. I still don't get the clamour about Ratchet and Clank though (outside of the visuals at least) but hey ho.
 
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A very interesting list and glad to see Olija get some recognition. Also glad to see Monster Hunter Rise up high - I've wavered on what my game of the year is, but it may well be Rise.

A few things on here that I want to get at some point. Adding Genesis Noir to my list, and Death's Door is at the top of my eShop wishlist. Sable and Psychonauts 2 I'll be able to try now I've got Series S and Game Pass.
 
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Wow. I'm a huge Resident Evil fan, but to be perfectly blunt, I don't think Village deserves a dang thing, in the way of GOTY awards. It is neither a top tier, nor low tier RE, but rather, the definition of "alright".

Hope to see some more wins for Metroid Dread and It Takes Two. Village taking TGA's GOTY would be a huge upset.
I agree but wouldn't it be cool to be one of the few series to have more than 1 GotY winner?
 

While 2-D Metroid-like games have won critical and commercial success over the years, “Dread” reminds us why Samus Aran, the first lady of gaming, is still queen of the genre. She speeds through the game with powerful, unique moves that have often been replicated, but rarely ever delivered with the same impact. By the end of the game, she’s characterized as the most dangerous being in the known galaxy. The great success of “Metroid Dread” is that the player feels this by the end, too.

I love this quote and I agree to 100%.
 
Not to sound like a port begger but damn how I wish Psychonauts 2, It Takes Two and Chicory come to Switch 😔.

Do y'all think Psychonauts 2 is likely to come?
 
Anyone has the Switch trailers at the game award? The Indie Showcase trailer,the "available now" trailer and the "coming 2022" trailer?
 
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What did Tim Schafer do to everyone? Psychonauts 2 being shut out nearly universally is a tragedy!
 
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This year is going to be very close. Village won on Watch Mojo so it still on the lead with 6.

If the Reddit one is counted then it has 7.
 
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10. Psychonauts 2
9. Inscryption
8. It Takes Two
7. Forza Horizon 5
6. Life is Strange: True Colors
5. Metroid Dread
4. Returnal
3. Resident Evil Village
2. Deathloop
1. Halo Infinite
 
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10. It Takes Two
9. Sable
8. Deathloop
7. Halo Infinite
6. Returnal
5. Hitman III
4. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
3. Forza Horizon 5
2. Inscryption
1. Metroid Dread
 


10. It Takes Two
9. Sable
8. Deathloop
7. Halo Infinite
6. Returnal
5. Hitman III
4. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
3. Forza Horizon 5
2. Inscryption
1. Metroid Dread
nice!
 
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