The nominees for GAME OF THE YEAR at TheGameAwards are:
Alan Wake 2
Baldur’s Gate 3
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Resident Evil 4
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
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I can’t imagine an scenario where BG3 doesn’t win the GOTY.
Would be a crime if it doesn’t imo, although I heard a lot of praise for Zelda, I’m just not into those games
I have played Zelda, but not BG3, and I agree that BG3 should win.
S’ok, I’ve played both and I too agree BG3 should win, haha.
The zoomers LOVE Spider-Man tho, I think that could also be a contender
Not a zoomer, but I loved Spider-Man, didn’t play BG3, but I still think BG3 should win. My Spider-Man 2 experience was too buggy for me to consider it for GOTY, the story was great, and if they had delayed the game until next year, I probably would have considered it a contender then.
BG3 was an event though, I’m not really into RPGs but it felt like that game was everywhere like Animal Crossing: New Horizons was in 2020.
Fair! I had the same experience as you (down to having a faulty disc 💀). My friend circle loves Spider-Man 2, though admittedly they are more casual gamers than the people on Lemmy probably. That is definitely biasing my outlook.
Additionally, Spider-Man 2 had the same problem as TotK for me, which is similar gameplay mechanics without fixing the flaws or significant additions/changes from the first game (though ultrahand in TotK is pretty cool…)
GotY for me personally is probably between BG3 or Alan Wake 2 from the list.
Here’s the full list of nominees:
Game of the Year
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Best Game Direction
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2(Insomniac Games/SIE)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Best Adaptation
- Castlevania: Nocturne (Powerhouse Animation/Netflix)
- Gran Turismo (PlayStation Productions/Sony Pictures)
- The Last of Us (PlayStation Productions/HBO)
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Illumination/Nintendo/Universal Pictures)
- Twisted Metal (PlayStation Productions/Peacock)
Best Narrative
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (CD Projekt Red)
- Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
Best Art Direction
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
- Lies of P (Round8 Studio/Neowiz Games)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Best Score and Music
- Alan Wake 2, Composer Petri Alanko (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
- Baldur’s Gate 3, Composer Borislav Slavov (Larian Studios)
- Final Fantasy XVI, Composer Masayoshi Soken (Square Enix)
- Hi-Fi Rush, Audio Director Shuichi Kobori (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Composed by Nintendo Sound Team (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Best Audio Design
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
- Dead Space (Motive Studio/EA)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
Best Performance
- Ben Starr, Final Fantasy XVI
- Cameron Monaghan, STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor
- Idris Elba, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Melanie Liburd, Alan Wake 2
- Neil Newbon, Baldur’s Gate 3
- Yuri Lowenthal, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Innovation in Accessibility
- Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Forza Motorsport (Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
- Mortal Kombat 1 (NetherRealm Studios/WB Games)
- Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)
Games for Impact
- A Space for the Unbound (Mojiken Studio/Toge Productions/Chorus)
- Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc/Focus Entertainment)
- Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP)
- Tchia (Awaceb/Kepler Interactive)
- Terra Nil (Free Lives/Devolver Digital/Netflix)
- Venba (Visai Games)
Best Ongoing Game
- Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment/EA)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Genshin Impact (HoYoverse)
Best Community Support
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
- Destiny 2 (Bungie)
- Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Best Independent Game
- Cocoon (Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive)
- Dave the Diver (MINTROCKET)
- Dredge (Black Salt Games/Team 17)
- Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
- Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing)
Best Debut Indie Game
- Cocoon (Geometric Interactive/Annapurna Interactive)
- Dredge (Black Salt Games/Team 17)
- Pizza Tower (Tour de Pizza)
- Venba (Visai Games)
- Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios/Thunderful Publishing)
Best Mobile Game
- Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis (Applibot/Square Enix)
- Honkai: Star Rail (HoYoverse)
- Hello Kitty Island Adventure (Sunblink Entertainment)
- Monster Hunter Now (Niantic/Capcom)
- Terra Nil (Free Lives/Devolver/Netflix)
Best VR/AR Game
- Gran Turismo 7 (Polyphony Digital/SIE)
- Humanity (tha LTD/Enhance Games)
- Horizon Call of the Mountain (Guerrilla Games/Firesprite/SIE)
- Resident Evil Village VR Mode (Capcom) Synapse (nDreams)
Best Action Game
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)
- Dead Island 2 (Dambuster Studios/Deep Silver)
- Ghostrunner 2 (One More Level/505 Games)
- Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)
- Remnant 2 (Gunfire Games/Gearbox Publishing)
Best Action/Adventure Game
- Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games Publishing)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games/SIE)
- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Respawn Entertainment/EA)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Best RPG
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix)
- Lies of P (Round8 Studio/Neowiz Games)
- Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
- Starfield (Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks)
Best Fighting Game
- God of Rock (Modus Studios Brazil/Modus Games)
- Mortal Kombat 1 (NetherRealm Studios/WB Games)
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (Ludosity/Fair Play Labs/GameMill Entertainment)
- Pocket Bravery (Statera Studio/PQube)
- Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)
Best Family Game
- Disney Illusion Island (Dlala Studios/Disney)
- Party Animals (Recreate Games)
- Pikmin 4 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
- Sonic Superstars (Arzest/Sonic Team/Sega)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Best Sim/Strategy Game
- Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (WayForward/Nintendo)
- Cities: Skylines II (Colossal Order/Paradox Interactive)
- Company of Heroes 3 (Relic Entertainment/Sega)
- Fire Emblem Engage (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo)
- Pikmin 4 (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Best Sports/Racing
- EA Sports FC 24 (EA Vancouver/EA Romania/EA Sports)
- F1 23 (Codemasters/EA Sports)
- Forza Motorsport (Turn 10 Studios/Xbox Game Studios)
- Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged (Milestone)
- The Crew Motorfest (Ubisoft Ivory Tower/Ubisoft)
Best Multiplayer Presented by Discord
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
- Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment)
- Party Animals (Recreate Games)
- Street Fighter 6 (Capcom)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Most Anticipated Game
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix)
- Hades II (Supergiant Games)
- Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)
- Star Wars Outlaws (Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft)
- Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco/Arika)
Content Creator of the Year
- IronMouse
- PeopleMakeGames
- Quackity
- Spreen
- SypherPK
Best Esports Game
- Counter-Strike 2 (Valve)
- Dota 2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot Games)
- PUBG Mobile (LightSpeed Studios/Tencent Games)
- Valorant (Riot Games)
Best Esports Athlete
- Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok (League of Legends)
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (CS:GO)
- Max “Demon1” Mazanov (Valorant)
- Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez (Call of Duty)
- Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk (League of Legends)
- Phillip ”ImperialHal” Dosen (Apex Legends)
Best Esports Team
- Evil Geniuses (Valorant)
- Fnatic (Valorant)
- Gaimin Gladiators (Dota 2)
- JD Gaming (League of Legends)
- Team Vitality (Counter-Strike)
Best Esports Coach
- Christine “potter” Chi (Evil Geniuses – Valorant)
- Danny “zonic” Sorensen (Team Falcons – Counter-Strike)
- Jordan “Gunba” Graham (Florida Mayhem – Overwatch)
- Remy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Team Vitality – Counter-Strike)
- Yoon “Homme” Sung-young (JD Gaming – League of Legends)
Best Esports Event
- 2023 League of Legends World Championship
- Blast.tv Paris Major 2023
- EVO 2023
- The International Dota 2 Championships 2023
- Valorant Champions 2023
I think it’s quite telling that Starfield only showed up once, despite being one of the most hyped games of the year. Skyrim and Fallout 3 were both strong GOTY, IIRC, so to me it feels like Bethesda have lost their way.
So many strong games here! I’m a little biased since I’ve not played many of these, but I’m hoping BG3 cleans house.
Kind of crazy that Pizza Tower wasn’t nominated for Best Indie.
Maryland authorities are looking for a man, aged 53, goes by the name of “Todd” who went missing this afternoon.
I never thought I would see a year where Zenimax managed to crank out both an Arkane and a Bethesda release but still got no real traction.
Wait, what Arkane game was released this year?
Redfall
Oh god I completely forgot about that pile of live service garbage.
Hurts to see Destiny being considered for best community support after Bungie laid off almost their entire community support team.
I think this is the first year ever that I have bought, played, and genuinely enjoyed every single GotY nominee. Usually there is at least one or two games I don’t have any interest in.
Edited to add: Also, people may have gripes about RE4 Remake being on the list, but as someone who wasn’t even toilet trained when the original came out, I was so thrilled at playing the remake and getting to experience why people have called it a masterpiece for almost 20 years. I tried to play the Gamecube original but the combat felt so dated that I couldn’t get into it. This was a remake done right, imo.
Interesting take. While I think RE4 is deserving the GotY nom, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I have only played original a couple of years ago and it was a magical experience. I feel that remake lost most of the charm, the story lost good amount of the cheese, the music in the remake is truly a travesty compared to the original. I do like the combat a lot in the remake and parry system is really fun, but I don’t feel the improvement in this regard as significant.
The one thing I love the remake for is Separate Ways, this is such a good campaign, the original was definitely subpar.
Despite my gripes, RE 4 is still pretty high on my GotY list. Not the best survival horror of the year though. Dead Space was absolutely incredible and I hope it wins Audio Design. Alas I have a feeling Hi-Fi Rush is the favorite in this one.
Oh yes, Seperate Ways is great! And I agree with you about the soundtrack, I actually played the Remake with the original soundtrack enabled lol.
But I think I had different expectations of Re4 than most people did. When I played the original I went in to it hearing about how revolutionary the combat system was, and that was what I was focused on the most when I played it. I didn’t care about the atmosphere, or story, or how hot Leon Kennedy is (mostly).
And…it just didn’t click for me. I grew up with modern games and have a hard time going back to older titles because game mechanics have come so far. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad game, it means that I didn’t “get it”.
Then I played the Remake, and the combat is so smooth compared to a lot of shooters on the market that I finally understand what Re4 was to the market at the time, and why the original is so beloved. It made me want to go back and play the Gamecube version with a reframed perspective, and THAT is why Re4 Remake is a successful remake for me compared to like…Final Fantasy 7.
Sorry for the essay, and I hope that makes a bit of sense. I know my perspective is nowhere near the prevalent one, but I can’t help what I like haha.
Thanks a lot for elaborating! I get your point, in fact recently I tried playing BioShock and the combat was unbearable. I don’t think it was bad, but I simply had to stop after 30 minutes. I think for most old games, if you didn’t play it at the time, you are gonna have a hard time to get into it.
I disagree about FF7 however. I think making a ‘safe’ remake like RE4 or Dead Space is fine to bring the game to the modern audience. But to use a remake as a smokescreen to reimagine the original and in some strange convoluted way make it a sequel as well is so much more up my alley. In the end if you love the original it’s still there.
But to use a remake as a smokescreen to reimagine the original and in some strange convoluted way make it a sequel as well is so much more up my alley. In the end if you love the original it’s still there.
This is a very good point, and I know a very divisive topic in the FF7 community! Thinking on it a bit, I actually do agree with you regarding the concept of the remake, and turning a turn-based RPG into an ARPG is also a pretty interesting!
But like…the gameplay/controls for FF7 feel…not great, and a lot of dialogue/cut scene movement feel so cheesy, lol. I know the original had cheesy moments, but they weren’t fully cinematic cutscenes, so they had a less of a jarring impact on me.
I had also played DMC5 directly before it, and the combat in that game is so fluid, and the cheese worked for me! So from my perspective at the time, SqEnix had turned a great tbRPG into a kind of mid-ARPG with amazing graphics and soundtrack (seriously, everyone looks AMAZING, and the rerecorded tracks from the original game BANG). But that’s it.
Your comment made consider that maybe I should go back and give 7R another try, especially with Rebirth coming out soon. Thanks for the discussion!
Armoured Core VI is not nominated for GOTY, sad.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty needs to win Best Narrative.
Please let F1 23 get Best Sports game.
Games for Impact…what?
Hogwarts Legacy got zero nominations is unsurprising. Due if it was nominated for something. Twitter people would have flipped their shit.
Another subpar TGA. GG Doritos Pope.
If People Makes Games doesn’t win that award it’s a f–fuck it its a joke they won’t win. They actually have the audacity to hold the industry to account.
