Horizon Zero Dawn Shut Out at Game Awards

Phil @ Handsome Phantom thinks that HZD got snubbed and says, "One of the big categories that it seems the awards may have picked wrong this year is Best Narrative."

[GamesMaster1982]

Horizon was one of if not the best game this year .

[Cyborgg]

It will probably win game of the year on other game websites like ign and gamespot. If not it will definitely win the best PS4 game of the year.

[Eonjay]

The winner is selected by 51 individual sites. Gamers are not allowed to vote. We are to be told what we should consider GOTY by select internet sites. This isn't democratic. There is no representation.

[Team_Litt]

Eonjay that sounds more like a popularity contest than anything. CoD would win everything in that case.

[Eonjay]

@ Team_Litt

I don't think gamers would vote for COD every year and I am one of those who still buys COD
Here is the list of judges:
http://thegameawards.com/ju...

[-Foxtrot]

I can't believe they don't have a "Best Studio" category but have a Best ESports, Youtuber, Esports Team, Student Game, Chinese Game award.

I thought GG might have had a chance in that for the work they put into it and making something completely different from Killzone

[Jinger]

@Fox Trot

Absolutely agree

[FITgamer]

@Eonjay Except this year this did include the online votes. They took the average of gamer's votes and industry votes.

[Lexreborn2]

@Eonjay

I recognized that too, that each game category was picked by the sites. And then only 8 million people voted on the selection that was pre-approved by the websites/companies.

Hardly a representation of the entirety of gaming with well over 100 million people playing. I got disagrees for pointing it out, but you can’t disagree with the facts on how it was handled.

This is more like the electoral college voting process then a open democratic process. And it’s perfectly fine to agree or disagree with the method.

[bluefox755]

It was chosen by game journalists, there was no chance that that they weren't going to pick a Nintendo game. Game journalists tend to skew a bit differently than the overall population of gamers. If you remember last year, Uncharted 4 overwhelmingly won the most "readers/viewers choice" GOTY awards, but with "critic's choice" it was almost neck and neck with Overwatch.

[darthv72]

Horizon rep stand up to the podium... "It was an honor just being nominated. Thank you" (exists podium)

[michellelynn0976]

Since Zelda got a 10 and Horizon didn't on those sites. Zelda will win goty.

[DialgaMarine]

@Eonjay To be fair, that system is probably to best way to determine it. Let’s be honest, the vast majority of regular gamers who vote in this show definitely did not play every game that makes each list, and even if they did, they would still likely vote based on personal bias. There might be a lack of representation, but it also prevents said bias from having too much control, ie it would typically be the game that sold the most, rather than the one that was genuinely the best, that wins each award. As much as I think Horizon deserved it, we have to call a spade a spade here and accept that it didn’t. Just for the game to be nominated, over so many others, and pitted up against some of the biggest names in the industry is still incredible and speaks a lot to the game’s quality.

[BadElf]

@Eonjay....I went to vote for the Game Awards. The 51 sites just choose the 5 games for each category.....

[Babadook7]

Sony has a long history of being snubbed at this event. Nintendo does ok. MS gets far more wins here than the rest of the industry though. Even the last of us, one of the greatest games of all time, and winner of the most game of the year awards ever, did not win at VGA’s.

[Elwenil]

@FITgamer

It's not an average, the general public only gets 10% of the voting power and only for certain categories. GOTY is not one of them.

http://thegameawards.com/fa...

"Who selects the winners?

The winners in most categories are determined by the international jury (90%) and a public fan vote (10%) across TheGameAwards.com and Google Search Voting. In the categories of Best Esports Game, Best Esports Player, Best Esports Team, Most Anticipated Game, and Trending Gamer, the public fan vote across Twitter DM, Facebook Messenger, TheGameAwards.com and Google Search Voting solely determines the winner. Fan voting closes on Wednesday, December 6 at Midnight PT."

[masterjapes]

Yes

[indysurfn]

TENCHU!!!

[NewMonday]

It was just tough competition this year, What Remains of Edith Finch is a deserved winner in the narrative category, it achieved a new standard for storytelling in gaming.

For art direction Cuphead also achieved a new standard for gaming.

for game direction Zelda achieved a new standard for game design in a sandbox game.

but like Foxtrot said, there should be a best studio or best production award to recognize excellence in multiple categories. also a best technical performance to award the people who make these games actually possible, the programmers. HZD achieved a new stranded for top-end graphics in an open world game and the game run great.

[Skull521]

It was mediocre just like all of GG games.

[Obscure_Observer]

@Eonjay

Wait for Joystick

[Old McGroin]

@ Eonjay
PlayStation has a big majority in fan base so if it was down to gamer votes then PlayStation games would win every award every year.

[indysurfn]

Even though I'd like for Horizon to have won (At least it should have been BEST NEW IP for heavens sake). I think any other year Horizon would have won GAME OF THE YEAR easily.

I feel no shame about it losing to Zelda breath of the wild AVERAGE rating over 97% and proclaimed the best game ever by many. Or to Mario also a AVERAGE rating over 97%. I bet Horiday TWO will win game of the year when it comes out.

[Gazondaily]

Perhaps but which award do you think it should have won?

[Nyxus]

Could have been any of the ones it was nominated for?

[thekhurg]

Best soundtrack.
Best new IP.
Game of the year.

Those 3 easily.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

@Nyxus
Cup head wasnt going to lose for aestethic. Persona 5 is better at being an RPG. Ashley burch simply isn't cream of the crop, she lost to a devloper that never did voice acting before . The story is alrigt for video games, Lthough very tried. And of course, Critics already made clear what their GOTYs are, just look at metascores. Every category it was nominated for there was a game that did it better.

[Jinger]

@thekhurg

Best Soundtrack - no way
Best New IP - debatable. It didn't really do anything new, but it did what it did very good.
Game of the Year - I would have given it to Mario Odyssey over Zelda.

[DialgaMarine]

I’m curious why they don’t have a Best Graphics category anymore. There’s no debating that Horizon would take that title hands down.

[DarXyde]

thekhurg ,

Best soundtrack? I'd give that to Persona 5 easily. New IP, I would agree. And while Horizon isn't my GOTY, I would have no gripe with it winning. It was a stellar game.

[I_am_Batman]

It's not like it definitively should've won any but I think it had a good shot at some. For example I've voted for it in:
-Best narrative
-Best direction
-Best art direction

[OffRoadKing]

Best robot dinosaur game containing a female lead character with red hair..

[sampsonon]

Best action adventure https://www.youtube.com/wat... .
Best Sound https://www.youtube.com/wat...

just two, even thought i think it could have won in any of the categories it was in.

[sampsonon]

best action adventure https://www.youtube.com/use...

which is one of many t could or should have one.

think about it, it wasn't even nominated for sound https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[TekoIie]

@Sampson

"think about it, it wasn't even nominated for sound"

None of the nominees outside of Hellblade did anything spectacular with sound (I'd maybe exclude RE7 from that because sound is an important aspect of Horror). If Horizon: ZD won best audio it would be a bit of a joke since Hellblade had some brilliant sound design.

[Felsager]

Septic, do us a favor, piss off dumbass.

Simple.

[BenRC01]

Best graphics, best new ip, best open world etc etc. Started playing this again recently, it's just stunning to look at. The one X can keep polishing turds but this is art!

[-Foxtrot]

Sad to see that a great game like this got subbed so badly...I expected at least one award

It's a brand new IP aswell which now sends off the message "If you are thinking about taking a risk and doing something new...don't. You won't get anything for it".

[Jinger]

I think the sales and popularity and overall praise speak more than this award over all... I mean has any game or publisher boosted its sales because of these awards?

[Theknightofnights]

There were new IP's that were praised that the VGA's. Hellblade and Cuphead both won 2 or 3 awards each.

[Ashlen]

"It's a brand new IP aswell which now sends off the message "If you are thinking about taking a risk and doing something new...don't. You won't get anything for it".

That's a bit over dramatic don't you think? I mean, I would have liked to see it take some awards but it's hardly like The Game Awards in the be all end all of gaming, heck I don't even think it matters at all. Horizon was still highly praised by reviewers and fans it was a commercial success and it will win it's fair share of awards from other publications.

[Team_Litt]

I know, there is no excuse for bad subtitles!

[Team_Litt]

Come on though, lots of new IP's won stuff. You are making it sound like it was the only new IP of the year

[I_am_Batman]

I think you are overestimating the influence of the awards. Horizon is a highly successful and critically acclaimed new IP. Sure it would've been great to see it win an award but it's already great that they've been nominated for multiple awards in a year with so many great competitors. Guerrilla Games can be proud of themselves.

[combatcash]

@Foxtrot it sold extremely well, and most people loved the game. I’ve only played a few minutes of this game so can’t really comment on it deserving to be a game of the year winner. However even being nominated for the award is a good accomplishment considering all the competition out there.

[JackBNimble]

So if you don't win why bother doing it?
Wow... That's great advice, maybe athletes should have that mentality.

[RommyReigns]

'It's a brand new IP aswell which now sends off the message "If you are thinking about taking a risk and doing something new...don't. You won't get anything for it".'

Relevant after the 2016 TGAs, and again in 2017. It's like the winner at the TGAs is the game that is likely not to get the majority of GotY awards but given the award like a type of sympathy vote. Happened last year with Overwatch (which got resoundingly hounded by Uncharted 4) and will happen again this year to Zelda BotW by the competition.

[Twinblade]

Do developers even care about game awards?

[freshslicepizza]

Didn't Overwatch win last year and isn't that a new IP? What is it with some Sony fans, never satisfied.

[TallonIV]

...or the game just didn't win because people preferred the other games on the list.

Imagine that!

[Stevonidas]

Ummm, HELLBLADE anyone?

Horizon was a jack of all trades and a master of none. Deal with it.

[senorfartcushion]

Cuphead won 2. That's a new ip. I think you care more about the ps part of Horizon.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I never played Hell Blade but people are saying it won too many awards, I'm still waiting for a decent price job before I buy it.

[ShinRon]

Hzd took few risks and did nothing new

[TankCrossing]

@JackBNimble some of the best athletes I've ever had the privilege of competing against do have that attitude. One of my idols once said to me "if you're not here to win, there is no point being here at all".

Obviously making games isn't a competition and that doesn't apply at all, but I just found your choice of analogy interesting.

[Aceman18]

It's my co-goty with Mario Odyssey so I could care less if they didn't want to pick it for any category. It is a awesome game.

[trooper_]

Agreed. Horizon got robbed pretty hard.

[Relientk77]

Without a doubt, and the best new IP this generation

[hulk_bash1987]

I can see HZD winning a lot of best PS4 Game awards. Also Best Graphics, Best Art Direction and Best New IP. But Id bet money that BOTW wins GOTY from a lot of other gaming sites. It's pretty much universally loved by most gaming outlets.

[RommyReigns]

Horizon and Super Mario Odyssey got robbed. At least PUBG didn't win, that could have caused widespread riots.

[itsmebryan]

Well, they didn't feel the same. They thought the others were better.

[ShockUltraslash]

Horizon was garbage.
Boring open world, mediocre combat system, story was 3rd rate high school fanfiction.
Main character looks hideous.

[Ceaser9857361]

HDZ at least deserved the Best Action Adventure awards, but hey! lets choose something else based on Nostalgia...

[TheSaint]

Zelda was the safe choice.

[SharnOfTheDEAD]

Leonardo DeCaprio was snubbed for year after year at the Oscars, doesn't mean any of the films he was in were bad. Just is what it is pretentious snobbery from the self proclaimed elite. What remains of Edith Finch has no business being at best narrative. Yakuza 0 told a better story than that.

[Seraphim]

Yes it was. there was a lot of great games this year though. Neir. Nioh, HZD, Persona 5 and Mario. Of course Zelda was solid. Personally both Neir and HZD were a game above others in my book. From top to bottom HZD was engaging and just a blast. It's truly sad that the game didn't get a single award. Though the VGAs are an utter joke and have been for some time imo. However it is still a big deal and awards for the industry.

[joab777]

Tough year. For me it was Nioh personally. But top games are Horizon, Zelda, P5, Nier and Assasins Creed Origins. Of those, Horizon has the least issue imho. And while I am a die hard Zelda fan and it was a reinvention of the IP, it was FAR from the genre redefining game ppl make it out to be. It built off of what so many others have been doing for years. It’s just that it released with a new way to play.

[maybelovehate]

It is a great game, but I wouldn't put it close to Zelda. Zelda is a game of the century.

[joe1223]

HA , you guys get a game that doesn't suck and you guys act like its the best game ever...its pretty look at and it plays mediocre

[TheGamingArt]

That’s a cruel thing to say about Breath of the Wild... although I do agree.

[Loadedklip]

And that is why it was nominated on so many categories. So much butthurt from so many fans here. It got critical acclaim just by being there. You guys are taking it not winning as a negative. This was an amazing year for gaming. There many games others consider as good or better than Zelda or Horizon that didnt get nominated for GotY. Relax. Horizon did get nominated. That is awesome.

[bow2yoda]

No matter whether or not you like it. breath of the wild beat it out of its genre. in every which way! Sorry PS fanboys. nintendo won that round

[Nyxus]

Yeah I think it deserved at least one award. But it is what it is.

[Gatsu]

I think so too.

[Christopher]

I think VO should have gone to Ashley, but I figured HZD would lose out exactly how it did. The Zelda win bothers me the most, but it's really just the opinion of journalists who already said Zelda was the best this year had to offer. The 10% vote from the community wasn't going to change that.

[G20WLY]

Agree with you. It was a predictable outcome, sadly.

[CaptainObvious878]

I agree. The zelda win, despite all it's obvious flaws that were ignored because reasons irks me a lot more than Horizon missing out.

[ThatDudeMunkee]

Even as a journalist or "influencer" as we get referred to these days, I honestly think it got snugged hard. I love Breath of the Wild, I really do, but it didn't exactly do anything new. Horizon Zero Dawn? That was a labor of love. It was something astonishingly well done. I think a part of what influenced that award is the fact that Breath of the Wild was one of the last projects Iwata was apart of in some way.

[Magnetar]

I bet it came in second for a lot of awards.

[UCForce]

For me, Horizon Zero Dawn is my GOTY. But it’s also a new Champion.

[Hardiman]

It's my game of the year for sure!

[nitus10]

I have not played it "yet" since I have so many games that I have almost a two-year backlog. Coupled with that I still want to play Neir, and NiOH (loved the demos).

The problem is the fact that there are so many really good games and new games are appearing on a weekly basis. Sure they may not be AAA but I still see plenty of games I eventually want to play. Of course, the upside of this is the fact that it is easy to take note of the game(s) that you are interested in and a few months later it may be reduced in price (Christmass and mid-year are the best times but a weekly check is worthwhile). It should also go without saying that it is still worth looking in your bricks and mortar stores for specials as well.

[NXFather]

Tell me what movie that creature is from. I am not playing anymore =).

[Hardiman]

I did the last time you asked but it's Gunther from The Funhouse movie from the early 80's.

[gangsta_red]

It was definitely strange to see this game take nothing home but at the same time from the folks that I have talked to who have played this game, they have all said that it's definitely gorgeous to look at but doesn't hold their attention long enough to finish or towards the end they just raced through the game just to beat it.

[Gazondaily]

If there was a best graphics award then yeah it was a strong contender for that. Other than that, best narrative maybe but the concept was great; I didn't get really attached to the narrative but that's just me.

[Nyxus]

Many feel it deserved to win Game of the Year.

[Gazondaily]

Against Zelda and Mario? No chance

[Nyxus]

@ Septic: it was nominated for GOTY, so it's fair to say there was at least a chance.

[Gazondaily]

There was some miniscule hope but it was massively outclassed by the two titles I mentioned.

[Nyxus]

@ Septic: if it was 'massively outclassed', why was it nominated in the first place? It's not like there was a lack of games to pick from this year.

[Gazondaily]

"@ Septic: if it was 'massively outclassed', why was it nominated in the first place? It's not like there was a lack of games to pick from this year."

Because you can have multiple nominations. Just because Zelda and Mario completely outclass it doesn't mean it can't get recognised via it's nomination.

Don't think anyone really expected Horizon to win GOTY.

[KickSpinFilter]

Uncharted 4 MP is awesome still play it to this day, although less since COD WW2 came out.

[Realms]

@ Septic

"Massively outclassed" You do know that there are people that think Zelda is massively overrated right? Specially gamers that actually played other games this year and not some website that only played Zelda and automatically anointed the best game evarrr.

[Christopher]

IMHO, Zelda didn't come close to outclassing HZD. I have no clue with Mario, though. I think nostalgia won this year over actual quality overall. YMMV.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

I'm sorry you say Zelda and Mario completely outclass horizon that's your opinion but one that's kind of ridiculous. Horizon easily had better combat,story,characters,graphi cs,polish and enemies compared to both botw and odyssey. Now if you don't care about any of that even though they are things that encompass games then I can see how those two games completely "outclass" horizon but I and plenty of other people care about story,characters,combat etc and horizon was easily better in those categories than botw and odyssey

[rainslacker]

Massively outclassed?

LOL, OK.

Both games were really good. I feel H:ZD had a better story, better side quest structure, and generally more exciting battle game play, and there was plenty to do.. Zelda was more fun to explore and there was plenty to do. Graphics in both were different, but both were great and fit into the game. Game play mechanics were solid and well executed, and varied enough in both to just be a subjective matter of what was better.

Both games deserve GOTY. You can't really go wrong playing either. I plan on playing Frozen wilds soon to get more of H:ZD(got the plat, and may work on the NG+ stuff at the same time). I plan on playing BOTW again when I get my Switch(played it on WiiU before).

Haven't played Mario Odyssey yet to compare, but given the reception, I'm sure it deserved the win also.

Truthfully, this was a great year for games, so why all the belittling of a great game because you feel that BOTW was better? Your opinion is obviously not the common consensus, and there are plenty of people who liked Horizon who can give BOTW credit where it's due. It's a shame that these two games were pitted against each other as if it could only be one good one among them.

@Gangsta

"the folks that I have talked to who have played this game, they have all said that it's definitely gorgeous to look at but doesn't hold their attention long enough"

You should expand your social circle then.

[goldwyncq]

It's probably the lack of relatable characters. As good as the worldbuilding was, none of the characters really stood out for me. Aloy was boring as heck.The game would have been way better if Rost was the main protagonist. Shame he had to die before the game even began.

[Christopher]

***It's probably the lack of relatable characters.***

And Zelda is just chalked full of those...

And, honestly, completely disagree. The characters in HZD were well rounded and developed and not the stereotypical types ones come to see in most WRPGs.

[badz149]

@goldwyncq

"It's probably the lack of relatable characters."

and you are praising BoTW?? Link is paper-thin if we're talking character-wise. there's no depth, close to no story...NOTHING! even the freakin Knack has more character than Link TBH! Aloy is a more developed character by a landslide compared to Link!

[moegooner88]

Then why did it grab multiple awards during Joystick awards. The one, where “ folks “ actually vote ? Reaching much ?

[gangsta_red]

"Then why did it grab multiple awards during..."

Don't know, not really sure if you are expecting a solid answer from me since I also have no idea why it didn't take GOTY over Zelda.

[AspiringProGenji]

I like or when people who haven’t played certain game (im assuming he hasn’t played it either) bring their imaginary friends to their arguments. Like if what a couple of people say about a game really means anything... That is Confirmation bias at best

[Ashlen]

Yea, at least with Golden Joysticks there is disclosure of how the games are selected. And that is people vote and the game with the most votes wins.

With The Game Awards everything is done behind the scenes there is tons of money trading hands and no one really knows how anything is picked. And honestly I don't really trust the Doritos Pope to not sell out for a few extra bucks.

Note: It doesn't bother me than Zelda won, this is just a criticism of The Game Awards.

[gangsta_red]

@AspiringProGenji
"I like or when people who haven’t played certain game.."

I actually haven't played the game which is why I asked the people that did what they thought.

"...bring their imaginary friends to their arguments."

Damn, did I forget to take my pills again? I was wondering why my friends had horse heads, bat wings and 6ft top hats on....and arguments, I was leaving an opinion on the topic.

"That is Confirmation bias at best"

Yeah, I am sure if i said my imaginary friends gave birth through their eyes when playin HZD you would invite me over to the treehouse with fresh baked confirmation cookies.

[senorfartcushion]

Because the ps4 has sold more units thus making the number of civilian voters who would vote for Horizon automatically larger than people who have bought other consoles and PCs.

The Ps4 has a bigger community so it will get more community votes.

[Liqu1d]

He hasn't even played the game (no surprise there) but he can't help but chat nonsense.

[moegooner88]

Senorfartcushion. I didn’t think I would come across a comment more ridiculous than the above one, but you actually did it. Bravo. Using that logic no exclusive would ever beat a multiplat game. Now, go join your red pal in the reaching corner.

[Cobra951]

I thought SenorFartCushion was exactly right. If the unvetted crowds get a significant percent of the vote, then the awards become a popularity contest. If one gaming system dominates the market, results get skewed toward it. Actual merit wouldn't count for much. And that's fine, as long as we know it's a popularity contest, like People's Choice Awards. That's not what we have here, though.

[OpenGL]

If you think that allowing everyone to vote is the best choice, PUBG would win since it sold more than 20 million copies.

[Jinger]

I played around 6 hours of it and got bored. It didn't feel like anything new gameplay wise. It really gets bogged down by the standard open world stuff, freeing bandit controlled areas, sooo... mannyyyy.... tracking missions that lasted too long, map littered with random collectibles. The dungeons repeated and were really simple.

Nothing grabbed me unfortunately :/

[2pacalypsenow]

Are you talking about BOTW or HZD?

[Redemption-64]

He is more than likely talking about HZD, which means, he just played or finished playing the tutorial of the game and don't know about 90% of what the game has to offer. Hell when i played games like the Witcher 3, Skyrim, Boarderlands, dark souls 1 it took me between 7-10 hours to get hooked. I have actually seen a lot of xbox fanboys claim to have put HZD down just after 4 hours, exposing themselves for only played the tutorial area, in an other wise 40-50 plus hour long game.

[Jinger]

@2pac

Could be said for both I guess. I also don't agree Zelda getting GOTY, but this comment was specifically for HZD.

[Jinger]

@Danoman

I can't find an exact playtime on my PSN account on PC, but I definitely got passed the tutorial. I did get my first override core and I think I'm level 18 or 19?

By that time I felt like I was doing the same stuff over again, and those tracking missions were seriously a bore. I mean they were often, and way too long.

[bolimekurac]

danoman a lot of us simply got bored with hzd, its repetetive, but it is a great game

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Oh you mean the like 6 bandit camps like are done in like five mins lol,you complain about tracking when you're a hunter and looking for machines,people etc lol that's a new one especially compared to a game like witcher 3 which had tons more tracking that really did wear out it's welcome, map was littered with like only four different collectibles and they def weren't random they all told stories and finally there were only four or five dungeons out of a 50 to 60 hour game and each one yes had a machine at the end to defeat but were different getting to them and what they ultimately unlocked. It really seems like you didn't even play the game with your ridiculous comment

[RommyReigns]

'I can't find an exact playtime on my PSN account on PC, but I definitely got passed the tutorial. I did get my first override core and I think I'm level 18 or 19? '

Your trophy record on the game is a good indicator of how far you have progressed in the game. Judging from your description being level '18 or 19' takes approx 17 hours, but it does not match with your initial comment of 'I played around 6 hours of it...' and your description of [presumably completed] game-play elements in game. Either you have a faint memory of the game because you 'got bored' and lost track of in game time, or you are trolling harder than that prepubescent GameBro, SmoothNinja and Rookie combined.

[rainslacker]

I guess the major plot lines that could be explored deeper through the bigger side quests wouldn't change your mind on that. Unless you go out of your way, you wouldn't be freeing a bandit camp at 6 hours in. You'd barely be past the 2nd town after leaving the starting area.

I suppose the big side quests that give you new abilities to control the robots also wasn't worth exploring. The hunter challenges that give you new things to play with.

The "dungeons" weren't really dungeons. Most of the "dungeons" were actually integrated into the main map.

If you didn't get past 6 hours into the game, then you don't know enough to actually be able to say the things you do.

In any case, this is about which game deserved GOTY more. BOTW was bogged down in the same way, and honestly, the side stuff was less integrated into the story of Zelda. There were some good challenges in there though.

@Rommy

He's making crap up. Just parroting things some other people said.

Jinger has nothing good to say about anything PS.

[badz149]

@Jinger

you don't have any credibility here as you're the most vocal supporter of EA's scam in SWBF2. go pay your way to win in BF2

[ChristopherJack]

@danoman64 I hated Witcher 2 at first, but I pushed through & once I passed the jail part, learned to love it. Witcher 3 was similar, it wasn't until after I killed the griffin that I started to really love the game.

[senorfartcushion]

Same here. Everytime I clicked on a new mission, i watched a cutscene and was greeted by that same light-yellow line that I would have no choice but to follow.

If I veered off the path, I couldn't go far because the entire first area was surrounded by mountains.

[Kribwalker]

i finished it. it took me a long time to do it as i couldn’t get into it but i’m one of the 35% that finished it.
i felt the story wasn’t very good, i didn’t like the slow combat, i’m more of a AC Creed/Shadow of war combat fan. Quick and agile. To me it felt like a open world Ubisoft game, but not as good

[RommyReigns]

@Kribwalker

'35%' completion out of millions who have bought and played/activated the game on a PS4, is a lot of players considering it takes around 35-40 hours to complete the main story.

[LoveSpuds]

Have to disagree squire, the story in this game has you desperate to reach the end because it is so well constructed and told....you need to find new friends to discuss games with, your current crop are clueless 😂

[Chevalier]

His friends are all clueless trolls who own Xbox. They wouldn't know a good game if it smacked them in the face.

[Aceman18]

I enjoyed its story more than zelda and I gave that game a 10 for experience. Horizon was the best story I played this year out of the games I have played. For me it's even the greatest zelda game made.

Horizon/Mario are my co-goty this year.

All 3 games were 10s in my book.

[rainslacker]

I found Zelda's story to be mostly cursory and not fully developed. It was a complete story, just not that deep. The characters were modeled more around the notion that we knew who these characters are, and understand their motivations. I notice big zelda fans who have played almost all of them in the past 20 years seem to think it's a really good and deep story, while others who only play Zelda here or there seem to think it's not all that robust. I'm in the latter category. Wasn't terrible, but seemed more like a pretense than a major part of the game.

Otherwise, I believe all the games deserve it. If you get to play any or all of them, then you will have a good time(at least I assume with Mario Odyssey given it's reception....I'll play it soon).

I'm not upset that Horizon was snubbed. The VGA's are meaningless, and the results are always just fan boy fodder, while the awards themselves are just a way for the promoters to make some money, and it's a way for Kheiley to stroke his ego.

[badz149]

@Aceman18

come on...there's no story in BoTW or Mario. if you still consider "save the princess" as a "story", what are you? 10??

[Aceman18]

@bad

I think it's fairly obvious why Mario is my co-goty. It sure as hell wasnt its story 😩

Also I want to clarify my zelda comment, I meant to say that BoTW isnt even the greatest zelda game I've played even though I gave it a 10 lol.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Yeah I'm sure you talked to so many people who said that lol. It's weird how according to psn trophies more people have played and beat horizon compared to other games like witcher 3,nioh and tons of other games and we all know people rarely finish games

[gangsta_red]

Never said I talked to "so many" people, and the people I talked with don't equal all of PSN.

"It's weird how according to psn trophies..."

Yeah, that is so strange that PSN trophies represents every single person in the world.

[rainslacker]

psn trophies represent the people that actually played the game. So, I assume that those you talked to would be included in those numbers.

Horizon currently has 35% of it's player base who have completed the game. Almost 8% played it to platinum...which itself is pretty high. 45% played it long enough to reach level 50....which takes about 40 hours of serious grind completing many side quests or 60 hours of casual grind. Anywhere between 40-60% of people completed various long running major side quests which span different portions of the game and some of those actual quests could take hours to finish.

Those are pretty high percentages, which are actually verifiable, and more representative of how the player base felt about the game compared to your anecdotal friends.

[gangsta_red]

@rainslacker

Awesome numbers...how unfortunate that it has nothing to do with what I stated or is actually the point of my comment.

The friends I talked with said they liked it but didn't finish it...that doesn't automatically mean people here should start checking the status sheets, analytics and metrics to confirm the percentage ratio on who these people were.

[Aenea]

Funny thing that, I had quite the opposite. I was bummed out I finished Horizon while with Zelda I got bored after awhile.

Most people I talked to have the same feeling as well...

[gangsta_red]

That is funny, that we would all have different friends, with different tastes, that like different things.

Who would think such a thing??

[Aenea]

"Who would think such a thing??"

Hence why it was silly of you to even bring up the "friends you talked to" which later on became "a friend" isn't it??

[gangsta_red]

How is it silly, the friends that I have spoken to say it was an interesting game but not a game that held their attention for long, and this could be a reason Zelda took the award and Horizon took none.

Maybe the committee for these awards felt the same way.

So yes, different people have different views but for the sake and topic of this article I'm leaving my thoughts as to why, not debating all of our "friends" who enjoyed Horizon.

I know this is difficult for you Aenea and I appluad your strength for resisting to not mention "Xbox fans".

"...which later on became "a friend" isn't it.

Uh oh...making things up again?

[AspiringProGenji]

It should have won Action Adventure category. Taking down a Thunderjaw and/or a Stormbird was more action intensive and difficult than those boring 4 bosses in BoTW.

[-Foxtrot]

Actually Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus won best Action Adventure...but I still would have given it to Horizon Zero Dawn. The Wolfenstein sequel didn't really give me the impact as the first game...felt like there was something missing.

[AspiringProGenji]

Ah okay thanks. This is the 2nd caregory I get wrong. Wth is wrong with me >.>

[mocaak]

Wolfenstein won best Action game, Zelda won Action Adventure.

[rainslacker]

I can agree with that. While there were some nice action in BOTW, it wasn't as intense or as frequent as you saw in Horizon. Never in BOTW was there any apprehension when entering a battle....at least for me. But Horizon, whenever you saw something new, or saw packs of big dinos, or just certain things like a Thunderjaw, you knew it was going to be a tough fight. On top of that, there were more ways to approach any given situation in Horizon, and things could go sideways quickly, whereas in BOTW, things would go how you planned more often than not.

[lolosgolos]

Everything in HZD is all about the first time you take down a thunder jaw? no wonder it didn't win anything

[PolishWingedHussar]

A lot of stiff competition this year, but I was pretty bummed that HZD walked away with nothing.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Not surprising, its just barely not good enough to dance with the rest. A sentiment shared by many it seems if Critic and fan vote is anything to go by. My opinion as well.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

lol critics who gave it a 89 metascore which would have been a 90 if not for one troll 5 out of 10 review and you must of missed the golden joystick awards that are voted by fans where horizon cleaned up

[Big_Game_Hunters]

that would still be 8 less than Zelda whom would be 98 if it wasn't for troll reviews.

[theshredded]

Metacritic doesn't really matter that much. Hellblade won 3 awards and it has like an 81 or something. Also a game with a 69 rating got nominated. Actually most games sacrifice something whether it's story or gameplay or gfx. Horizon simply got beat in every category. It'm not saying it's not a good game but it's not a ground-breaking one either. Don't be surprised when Persona 5 wins more best ps4 game awards than Horizon.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Is that a UK based award? Fan vote out of 3000 people doesn't really prove much.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Oh no .8 less than botw whatever will guerilla do lol

[G3ng4r]

Not win awards.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Not win awards.

[Jinger]

I definitely wouldn't put it above the winners. I mean it deserves the Nom for sure, but it just got out classed in a VERY VERY competitive year for great games. Nothing to be ashamed of, Guerrilla Games did great.

[Speak_da_Truth]

Outclass in what way? Story, gameplay and graphics?? Pls explain my guy.

[Silly gameAr]

It i weird to see this game get snubbed so hard. Doesn't make it any less of a great game, but I guess nostalgia won big this time around.

[StormLegend]

Got snubbed out of best Art design, best soundtrack, Best Score and Best Narrative. Game at least deserves one award.

[Summons75]

Maybe Narrative or Game Direction but there was no way anything would have the leg up on Cuphead, that art style was just too unique this year compared to anything else. It wasn't even in the best score category but it would have been the same with that, Nier's soundtrack was too amazing for anything else to have a chance.

[badz149]

seriously...robo dinos! how the hell didn't robo dinos win??

[Big_Game_Hunters]

HELL NO. The game awards isn't a handout festival, there are no participation trophies. The best wins, if you aren't the best you don't win, simple as that.

[spambot0815]

who cares... horizon is successful new ip and will get a sequel for sure and that's all that matters.

[Aceman18]

100% correct and I can't wait for it to drop.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Exactly, you don't see PUBG fans crying about how it didn't win awards. They just enjoy their game.

[ninsigma]

Which was BS really. Definitely deserved GOTY over Zelda but it's tight considering Mario. Other categories were pretty tough I think but I still expected it to win something.

[Summons75]

It should have won a different award (Narrative maybe?) but it had nothing on Zelda. Fantastic game no doubt, seriously one of the best games this year.

[ninsigma]

It had everything on zelda. It was actually interesting with great gameplay. Seriously the combat in Zelda was just awful. Exploration was made annoying by stupid design decisions and and made pointless by having your rewards break so easily. It started off so well at the beginning but it became boring and tedious.

[Instantnoodles88]

lol 😂

[2cents]

One of my favourite games of this gen. Shame they missed out on snagging an award.

[Theknightofnights]

There are many gamers that love this game. While it's sad that the developers weren't publicly praised for their work, I'm sure they've still heard the praise of the game both through sales, critics, and gamers.

[Rude-ro]

Only one game can win.
There is nothing wrong with either game.
Sony needs a break from goty awards anyways. Can’t win em all.
I do like that breath of the wild is for all ages and I think that alone gives it the edge.
Either way, was an awesome year of gaming. Especially if you have both a ps4 and Nintendo.

[badz149]

"Sony needs a break from goty awards anyways. Can’t win em all."

WHAT?? you're saying like Sony took a break this year from releasing a great game! Sony have been ruthless this year with 1st party games and seriously made MS looks like Atari! what's sad is not that HZD didn't win GoTY, but won nothing at all! that's just highway robbery for such a great new IP

[Rude-ro]

No, I am saying they win a lot of them and they get nominated for a lot of their exclusives. It is still evident that what they make are very hard contenders.
Graphics aside, you judge a game by its gameplay.
Both games are very similar as far as over all mechanics leaving breath of the wild being more appeasing to a wider range of ages. Being more friendly to any age could be the deciding factor with two great games.

[Chevalier]

Next years list of PS4 games look amazing too. Just when you thought 2017 was stacked. 2018 looks even better. The variety alone just destroys. Nintendos offerings also look amazing too honestly excited almost as much as the PS4 list. Too bad Xbox is looking like hot garbage imho. Other than Ori I can't really say much for Xbox.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Didnt they lose GOTY last year with their second most decorated franchise, Uncharted?

[Rude-ro]

At the show, I think so...
Overall, the number of awards for uncharted 4 more than solidified its place in gaming history.

[badz149]

UC4 grabbed more GoTY award in the end compared to Overwatch

[Big_Game_Hunters]

@badz
We aren't talking about random no name sites. Its about the show.

[VersusDMC]

Horizon just came out in the wrong year. Too competitive this year. Art design is the only thing I feel horizon should have won at the awards. Nier and persona 5 had more powerful narratives to me. Never played the game that won.

[Jinger]

Art design over cuphead or Persona 5? Sure, the graphics are gorgeous, but the art design easily goes to cuphead.

[VersusDMC]

Feel like the art design in horizon felt more fresh to me. Robotic dinosaurs mixed with a Viking astetic. Persona 5 was just like persona 3/4 and Cuphead was just using a 50's cartoon aesthetic. Both awesome but I just liked horizons better personally.

[theshredded]

It's a shame it didn't win a single thing in any of the many categories it was nominated for but tbh the game felt a bit safe (the open world formula is like many other games) and the others were simply better or more innovative especially Zelda. Just like Uncharted 4 last year, the game's concept isn't very remarkable or fresh enough to warrant a win. Smooth gameplay, fantastic visuals and great a.i which GG is known for alone can't warrant you a win. Moreover, best new Ip should be a thing.

[Jinger]

Even then it would still have to deal with Nioh, Cuphead, Hellblade, PUBG etc.

but it definitely has more of a chance against those than Zelda or Mario Odyssey.

[Naji4Me]

for me HZD had much better balance between Action and Adventure than Zelda
Action Adventure Award supposed to be for HZD

[il-JumperMT]

I played Zelda only until you are given the Camera yet I finished Horizon.

Persona 5 Still GOTY

[Gunshyninja]

Bahahahahahaahhahahahahahahaaa hahaha!!!!! Don't get me wrong I really liked horizon. But wasn't nearly as good as BOTW. Great to see all the PS4 fanboys crying... Mmmmmm them tears are so sweet!

[BIGBOSS08]

It's even more better seeing the Nintendo fanboys crying because the switch sold a measly 770k on November npd being outsold by ps4 2 to 1 but sure.. If the switch had the stock it would have sold 10 billion right? Hell, even the xbox one gave the switch a beating but why wouldn't it? It actually has new 3rd party games and not ports of 6 year old games that have al ready released on like 6 different platforms.

[Gunshyninja]

Bahahahahahaahhahahahahahahaaa hahaha!!!!!!! Mmmmmm Dem tears big boss! Dem delicious tears!! The nourish my soul!

[BIGBOSS08]

Bahahahahaha. . What the hell is wrong with you? Who even talks like that? Go out and get some fresh air kid.. damn! Sounds like you've been stuck in one same room for the last 6 months. I can literally sense your isolation through your comment.

[Theknightofnights]

How would you know that information when it hasn't been publicly posted yet?

[Theknightofnights]

You know what, nevermind. I found out where you see that information. You looked towards a rumor of proposed NPD amounts, but the values for that information has been confirmed to be incorrect. Meaning that PS4 likely still won NPD, but the 770k number is not an accurate number for Switch sales in November (niether is 1.5M or 1.4M for PS4 and Xbox One respectively).

It's ridiculous that eleven people agreed with an unsubstantiated rumor here.

https://www.resetera.com/th...

[Lightsbane]

You're a sad individual.

[Instantnoodles88]

Lol so much salt 😂 😂

[Gunshyninja]

Love it. 😂

[Segata]

This comment section has more salt than the Salt Flats in Utah.

[BIGBOSS08]

I think it should have one atleast one award but it's all meaningless anyway. The game reviewed well and sold really well and gave birth to a new franchise that could go on for years to come. This game pushed guerrilla games to new heights.

[Darkwatchman]

With contenders like Nier Automata, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Hellblade, Horizon had no shot at best narrative

[G20WLY]

It was good... But they were awesome in that regard 👍

[LoveSpuds]

I don't think that's fair at all, it has as much of a shot as any of the other titles, it was simply a case that it was was a tough group containing equally deserving titles, but only one can win.

[Darkwatchman]

Horizon Zero Dawn’s narrative and writing is nowhere near the level of the 3 games I mentioned. I completed every nominee for best narrative except wolfenstein 2 so I won’t comment on that game, but all the others were much more accomplished narratives than Horizon which is the bottom of the pile as far as all the nominees are concerned

[Dark_Knightmare2]

I'm sorry John Gonzalez of fallout new vegas game knocked it out of the park with horizon and it's narrative was easily better than Edith finch,hellblade which would have been average if not for the subject matter and use of sound and neir automata story was bonkers to be bonkers not to mention it doesn't even get halfway good until like the third playthrough

[LoveSpuds]

I personally think it was a strong bracket and would complain if any of these games had won (I have played them all).

I think Darkman is wide of the mark if he thinks Horizon had no shot, the story in that game was incredible and really well delivered and there is no question the game deserved to be in the conversation.

[DialgaMarine]

Just to be nominated as much as it was is incredibly good for the title. People seem to forget that Horizon was a first for a relatively small studio that, less than a decade ago, was making shooters that were considered by the masses to be subpar. For the game to pitted up against industry titans like Zelda and Mario, on its first installment no less, Guerila should be very proud. It’s not like there weren’t several other great games this year that could’ve easily been put into the GotY category, but Horizon made the cut. Congrats to Guerila Games. The future is looking very bright for them regardless of last night.

On that note, Horizon is my GotY. It felt it had been several years since a game made me feel the way that Horizon did; the beautiful graphics, the amazing story telling, etc. There are parts of the game will forever among my fondest gaming memories. I can’t wait to see what Guerila has in store for the IP’s future.

[mandingo]

Nah

[Instantnoodles88]

While Horizon is a great game, I can see why it didn’t win any awards. There are just so many better games out there.

Nice try Guerilla, hopefully Horizon 2 will be a much better game.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Yeah I'm sure their heartbroken over the 89 metascore and five plus million copies sold. Horizon is easily in the top five games of the year with botw,Mario,neir automata and persona 5

[trooper_]

Wait...what's that called?

Oh...that's YOUR opinion.

Funny how you try to slander a game you've never even touched.

[Instantnoodles88]

Exactly, it’s only my opinion. There’s no need to whine about it.

Besides, I thought Horizon was a great game. Relax, sport.

[trooper_]

Funny...you posted that comment as fact.

You're not fooling anyone with your stealth trollling.

[DialgaMarine]

“So many better games out there”

Subjective opinion, and you’re clearly trying to trash a game you clearly didn’t play. Moving on.

[Instantnoodles88]

Exactly, it’s my own subjective opinion.

If you feel differently than I do that’s cool too.

Relax, bud.

[clouds5]

SW Battlefront 2 should win an award for most obnoxious lootboxes of the year.

[badz149]

still an award. that's an award too many! are you trying to encourage devs to start competing for that award?? who can come out with the most obnoxious practice of the year?? GOD NO!

[zodiac909]

It was nominated for multiple awards....I can't see how that's considered a "shut out"

[DialgaMarine]

That’s what I’m saying. Horizon won just by making into that category. There were many games it had to overcome to get there.

[LoveSpuds]

It has been a great year and competition was stiff. I personally would have picked Horizon as my game of the year however, clearly Zelda is also a fabulous game and while Horizon might not have won any awards, I don't think it reflects on the game in any way.

[Joe913]

Yeah some BS don't get me wrong The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild looks great but does not look better than HZD. I disagree with GOTY also but I personally have not played Zelda so I can't call it but going off reactions to the games I heard more buzz after HZD came out than TLOZBOTW.

[mafiahajeri]

Herman hulst was sitting next to that cute old lady dev from Atari. Feel bad they didnt win anything.

I still remember how Herman use to have an open Q&A thread on the original playstation forums for killzone 2. He would answer all questions for a good time. Nobody did that back then.

Amazing devs that I will always support.

[Asuka]

Everyone here crying for Horizon, but at least it was nominated... Nier Automata wasn't even nominated for gotta. Nier is easily my goty

[TheOptimist]

This cannot continue.

Same here, Nier is my GOTY and definitely the second or third best game this gen for me.

[AKS]

Same. Nier: Automata was easily my favorite of the year. The only game I don't have is Mario (have BotW on WiiU). Lots of great games, but N:A was something that's stayed with me all year.

[michellelynn0976]

Zelda is my goty, but Horizon is such a great game. It should have won something for sure.

[Slevon]

Thats what happens when you are competing against a superior games in each category. Horizon is a great game there is no doubt but is it really deserved if you were to give it best narrative or any other so it didnt get completely shut out?

[NotanotherReboot]

Never been happier in my life. So glad people are starting to wake up to the fact this game sucks

[ninsigma]

It got nominated for like 6 awards and you think that means people think it sucks?? 🤔

[NotanotherReboot]

Only award it deserved to be nominated for is for visuals

[ThatGuyDart]

If this games sucks but was still nominated, by your logic wouldn't that mean all other games that weren't nominated suck too?

[NotanotherReboot]

Nope

[Razzer]

“Never been happier in my life”

That is just sad

[pody]

Got damn hipsters

[trooper_]

Oh, did you play it?

No, I guess not.

It's just the same ignorant rhetorical ramblings from you anyway.

[NotanotherReboot]

i beat it

[Hardiman]

It is the only game where I wanted to find and read/watch every piece of the story. Also the combat was amazing! It's also the most graphically impressive game out.

[zaherdab]

It was a great game in many aspect but i am not sure if it was the best one in any ... graphics are probably the one i'd give to it.

[TechnoGoat]

If history has taught us anything, is that the greatest things often go unappreciated... lol

[windblowsagain]

Horizon is a good game. But it isn't Game of the year.

but something is missing for me.I could not feel anything for the character at all.

Not many games do it that well.

[bluebenjamin]

Exactly how the H e double hocky sticks did zelda beat Horizon

[FallenAngel1984]

Horizon: Zero Awards

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Dude that was old like five mins after someone first posted that. If you're going to troll at least try to be original

[balance2theforce]

Well it is still fresher (and actually funnier) than the corny "power of teh cloudz" shit that so many here thought was such a knee slapper around these parts. What about such unforgettable gems like " Lol Xbox done", amirite? And who can the timeless classics "MS HAZ NO EXCLOOSIV'S"!!!

Talk about old and unoriginal. Some of that corny, rundown shit has been repeated ad naseum for over a year or much more in some cases. Yet many here can't resist trolling and dusting off those "oldies but goodies" It's crazy how it's okay to have "fun" at other users expense. And they are part of a cult, overreacting, overly defensive or can't take a joke etc if they reacted in such a fashion. It's utterly amazing how much certain peeps can dish out, yet how little they can take and sensitive they can get or be. That's a drop in the ocean conpared ro what some of us have witnessed or had to endure.

This site is for ALL gamers, not some. And it's about high time we get back to that. Maybe if we respect(ed) other's choices and not always trying to have a go at their expense like you want, we could bypass more of the sruff from ANY angle .Some are just fed up with taking it on the chin bruh? So like so many others are similarly told, don't get so triggered man. Y'all got jokes,opinipns and such, don't be bitter when others have and express theirs.

[FallenAngel1984]

Dude calm dafuq down it’s just a joke about a game that I play frequently

[rainslacker]

I'm not worried about it. I'm sure it'll still get plenty of individual GOTY awards from many sites. BOTW will get more also.

Life goes on, and the lack of a GOTY award at an award show which is as meaningless as any individual sites GOTY award, won't change the accomplishments of GG, nor will it change the enjoyment I had with the game.

[Skankinruby]

I called it weeks ago, the idiots running these shows just need to be crowd pleasers. No way in hell is Zelda better than this game

[Realms]

The usual trolls hating Horizon is still a great game it's in my top 5 this year along with Persona 5, and Nioh which was totally forgotten such a shame. Nioh was awesome go play it it's on PC now if you didn't know.

[Razzer]

This isn’t the only GOTY awards so...

[kevnb]

I don’t really care, award shows are meaningless.

[TheOttomatic91]

Yeah I guess so but to be fair this was a crazy year any other year and this game would have certainly been Game of the Year.

[CP_Company]

My observation from many gaming sites : GOTY it was clear contenders among people : HZD, Persona 5, Nier Automata, then went Mario and later Zelda, 4 games which where even better then Zelda.

Best game direction? Is this a joke? The same and with action adventure.
Ongoing game,owewatch? What? Game was released last year, how it coul be 1st? Clear winners warframe and gta5 online.
The same with action game. If it would be new order, then no problem, but collusus is not the best action game.

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

It seems that this happens to all of Sony's 1st party games....Bloodborne not winning goty still irks me to this day.

[MadLad]

Much contraversee. Much WOW!!!
RELEASE THE EASILY OFFENDED SNOWFLAKES!!!

[bigmalky]

Nier Automata deserved that best soundtrack award, despite what anyone else on here says.

[AKS]

Most of them haven't played through Nier: Automata. It may have the best soundtrack since Chrono Cross way back at the end of the golden era of VG music. I could tell it was going to have a truly special soundtrack as soon as I heard a few of the themes.

[bigmalky]

It was pretty much confirmed when they announced Keiichi Okabe was returning for Automata.

I still listen to the first Nier's soundtrack regularly too, and I'm not one to listen to game tracks that often.

No idea what they are missing. I also loved Chrono Cross' soundtrack. One of those scores that goes perfectly with the story.

[balance2theforce]

And I say CupHead should get it and don't care what you or anyone else here that disagrees with that says.

[Twinblade]

I'm not watching game awards anymore. PSX is where it's at.

[BadElf]

I played it. It didn't catch me. Cool ideas though. So, I don't disagree with their choice.

But...If people played it, and enjoyed it themselves....who cares what an "Awards" shows says?

[Delicious]

I don't even watch this award show anymore its always cheesy and I very rarely agree with any of the winners.

Horizon Zero Dawn was by far my personal GOTY. A new IP with top notch characters, story, graphics, gameplay, music, exploration, world/lore, design, intense versatile combat. Can't ask for much more than that. In an industry full of sequels, remakes, annual mediocre releases, season passes, and microtransactions this game was original, fresh and satisfying. Even the expansion pack was longer/better than most full games.

I was happy to see Hellblade and Cuphead gets some love though!

[Speak_da_Truth]

Nah it got outclassed by Mario and Zelda and shouldn't even be mentioned next to those games lol.

[KLICK_KLAK_KIDD]

Im sorry but ACO should of made the list...far better than HZD & yes i beat HZD...

[Liqu1d]

Absolutely not.

[Mr Marvel]

This was my personal GOTY.
1. Horizon ZD
2. Zelda
3. Mario

[OffRoadKing]

If I gave any weight to these BS hack award garbage shows I'd worry about it, we all know what the game of the year was, hint it wasn't Zelda.

[Teflon02]

the fact that zelda's name showed up in anything music related showed me that it was a BS show and absolutely doesn't matter. Zelda is not even close to being considered a great soundtrack, especially when 80% of the game is hearing your footsteps, kink noises etc. 15% the same songs that play the whole game, like 2... Then the rest is basically when you get to specific spots. That shouldn't have even been thought of when it came to that. Lots of games should be in that category over it. I'd put a name twice before I put that on the list for that. Perfectly fine it won game of the year but don't make it a contender where it's clearly not. Come on, even Sonic forces had a amazing soundtrack as much as people hate on it lol

[rainslacker]

I barely remember any music from Zelda, but I do recall that there seemed to be a lot of silence in favor of ambiance, which meant not a lot of music.

Nier, on the other hand had an incredible soundtrack that would actually move you while playing, and the music that was keyed to events was incredible.

Horizon I recall having a good sound track, but nothing that struck me as memorable while playing it.

[Teflon02]

Man I still remember when you go to the robot village for the first time and you hear that song with the kids singing on it. It gave off such a great feel, you understood what you were doing at all times in Nier based off Music alone. I think it's one of the best soundtracks of all time

[rainslacker]

Yeah, it had a certain childlike whimsy to it that matched the nativity of the robots themselves. Kind of made you feel bad when you went and killed docile robots, especially when they would ask why you were attacking them, or wanting to be friends.

[pody]

That sounds like the typical Zelda-bias it always get.

[DafunkyRebel]

Edith Finch shouldn’t even have been nominated for being some mediocre indie game, the VGAs are a joke

[WelkinCole]

Getting nominated and be in there amongst the best is a huge achievement. Come on guys.

[2ndhandcorn]

Awards and sales is why i game lmao.

[sampsonon]

Next Year Sony should not contribute to the Game Awards. you know that call that they make to beg for content so the show doesn't suck. Sony shouldn't even allow them to use their games to be showcased or even voted on.

bull, and we all know it. this s a disgrace. utterly ridiculous

[Simmo3D]

I still need to finish Horizon and Zelda. Too many great games this year!

[Tallpine]

Instances like this is why I don't put any stock in award shows. The first year I watched and was excited, madden won game of the year.

[PCgamer98]

It's ok if the game didn't get any awards, what's important is that the game didn't flop and sold well enough to continue the series. It's really amazing that guerilla, a company who specialize on fps did and I can't wait for the sequel.

[Tedakin]

I don't like award shows where they rely on fan voting.

[ghostrider32]

I'm pretty sure Sony's studios are not losing any sleep.

[Altovoltage]

To me it was the best game this year so far.

[TallonIV]

Nah, there were just better games. Get over it.

[firelens]

Its still going to get something somewhere else, the GA is the only pace.

[lellkay]

The fact it was nominated for so many awards is an achievement in itself. Shame it didn't win any as it really is a quality game.

[Quatron]

Horizon: Zero Awards. get mad fanboys! Japan's back in the house!

[ShockUltraslash]

Aloy looks like a goblin with skin cancer.
Something so ugly cant win anything,

[Tankbusta40]

She looks like the love child of Dog the Bounty Hunter and Blake Griffin!!

[balance2theforce]

Lmao okay, that was a good one! Especially the Blake Griffin part. I'm done 🤣🤣😂

[Tankbusta40]

I don't get the extreme love for this game. Was it good? Sure... But it didn't add anything new to the open world genre... It must be because it has a female lead since people get nuts over stuff like that these days. I thought it was a 7.5

[NovusTerminus]

Horizon and Nier were the best two games I've played this year.

[Felsager]

Horizon Zero proved to be the game of the year. They don't need recognition more than they could ever have. All of us know how good this game is. Guerrilla Games knows how good they are designing a great game and we are all more than satisfied with their performance in Horizon Zero Dawn.

No greater reward exists when the whole community of gamers agrees that Horizon Zero Down is one of the best, if not the best game in this generation.

[Knightofelemia]

Sony dropped the game down to $25 for Boxing Day I said hell yeah I am enjoying this game for sure.

[GNCFLYER]

So were hundreds of other games. Any particular reason for this listing?

[welly300]

Nintendo release yet another cute game industry goes nuts we love you Nintendo....pecks my head. How about games that move you make you feel somthin for the universe your in. But thats just my opinion.

[Perjoss]

You guys should be happy it even got nominated for overall goty, Nier and Nioh didn't even get on the list, but somehow pubg, a game that isn't even officially out yet made it onto the list.

[zachyBROosevelt]

You are correct my friend. At least nioh was doing something different unlike horizon which followed the same formula that everyone has been since ac part 1

[Liqu1d]

Nioh was heavily inspired by other games as well.

[Teflon02]

the irony...

[Teflon02]

That was honestly soooo stupid, PUBG was the dumbest addition, how is a early access title allowed to be on the list.. Nier should have been on that list too. Nioh is great but I don't think it should have been on the list.

[DFresh]

I don't care what the critics say Horizon Zero Dawn is my GOTY for 2017.

[HeisenbergX]

I agree about the story it was such awesome sci-fi it definitely should have won Best Narrative. Everything else was good but not amazing.

[zachyBROosevelt]

It didn't win cause it didn't do anything new.

[frostypants]

Absurd. Second best game of the year at very worst. Arguably the best though Zelda is a tough one to surmount. But Horizon is easily the best game graphically by a landslide.

[senorfartcushion]

It was a Zelda game nominated in the same year as an actual Zelda game.

Knew there would be a backlash on N4G, most of the users are just os fanboys. What's the point in having the same trivial reaction to these things? Sony and Guerilla don't care for your adoration; they just want your money like every corporation.

[just-joe]

The game sold well and will most likely get a sequel. I'm pretty some with name it their GOTY, let's not act like this is the be all end all of end of the year gaming awards.

[Clumpy]

Or perhaps the game just wasn’t good enough.

[sampsonon]

perhaps you should play it.

[Clumpy]

Again? Beating it once is more then enough for me.

[sampsonon]

i mean not on easy.

[PistolsAtDawn]

It was a good game and I enjoyed it, but it didn't deserve any top spots. It's fine to enjoy a game without it being GOTY. Zelda did deserve it.

[GrmpyolGamer]

Doesn't surprise me. Game is hot garbage in my opinion

[sampsonon]

take it easy, Zelda wasn't that bad

[PS3_Noob]

It is amazing game. One of the best games this gen

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

The competition was pretty stiff this year so I can't complain about GOTY, all those games except PUBG deserved awards. It's just hard picking who gets what award.

[alexh]

Horizon zero dawn was a solid game this year for it to not have won anyawards is abit of a shame! Ahh well you dont need awards tied to the game to enjoy it :)

[StormSailor]

My GOTY and the Best 2017 new IP

[Gaming4Life1981]

Horizon zero dawn should have won best new IP but Im enjoying AC Orgins more as well as others. These awards are only opinions so your top games will always be your own.

[jstark]

fucking good

[jstark]

one of the most boring cookie cutter game ever made

[sampsonon]

you shouldn't be so hard on Zelda.

[jstark]

both are extremely shit

[Psychotica]

Not sure about the cookie cutter comment but it sure was boring..

[sampsonon]

right https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[sampsonon]

right https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Psychotica]

Indeed..

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[ProGengu]

The circlejerk for anything Nintendo-related after the Switch announcement has been stifling. BotW is a good game but it's nowhere near as good as Horizon.

Storytelling: Horizon hands down. It's practically non-existent in BotW. Princess in distress, go save her. Oh boy, haven't had that narrative before.

Voice acting: Horizon. There's barely any voice acting in BotW save for a few sentences, mumbles and grunts when you meet someone.

Graphics: Horizon, easily. It's not even comparable.

Gameplay: Horizon. Vastly more technical with tons of abilities to use in the game. Skill trees, weapons, etc. BotW boasts breakable swords/shields and branches after 5 swings and some time-altering, magnesis repetition when solving puzzles.

The problem is one game is a new ip (which it should get extra brownie points for taking the risk) and the other is a 30 year old series that allows decades of nostalgic-filled memories and fanboyism to be the deciding factor.

[Elda]

Upvote unlimited times.

[Segata]

Hey at least HZD got nominations. Yakuza 0 was snubbed entirely.

[CoryHG]

Can they just be called the gamestop awards already

[BassMan125]

The competition this year is too big from Nintendo. HZD is an amazing game, but BOTW and Mario Odyssey is just too tough to beat. It's an instant classic. Still, being in the nominations alone is awesome though.

[cuddleberries]

The biggest injustice to gaming of all time, absolutely disgusting.

[tigertron]

I'm definitely going to have to say Horizon is the best game this year.

[sampsonon]

Game Developers Choice Awards will reward horizon based on the it's merits, not nostalgia.
It will win game of the year from the people that understand what it takes to make such a masterpiece.

[poppatron]

Surely most of us put no weight whatsoever behind the annual game awards. And for other consumers who wouldn’t be deemed “hardcore” (euk! Sorry everyone) they hear little to nothing about it anyway. The poor descisions made by the judges every single year do very little to lift a general perception of the whole thing being mildly bullshitty anyways. Geoff kieghly, celebrities and bands are all major components of a ballbag award ceremony

[TheEroica]

Horizon was a dwarf among giants this year. It didn't get snubbed.... Other devs made better games. Zelda alone was better in almost every aspect.

[thisismyaccount]

Objectively the game is a lot better than Zelda the Breast of Wild Nostalgia. But with like ass holes, we all got our own opinion. Hence why no one should care what outlets have to say no more, Zelda with all its flaws in design would have never gotten a perfect 10/10.

What i found funny is that some folks out there have following "narrative" going on ..
"man after playfin Zelda i could not get into Horizon ... at all! The lack of climbing in HZD is killing me..."/shrug

[pinkcrocodile75]

No Zelda was the best game of the year. HZD Was good but not as good as some people are saying.

There was good competition this year and HZD while beautifully made was a little on the hard side.

[Psychotica]

I could even get half way through HZD, it was soo boring.

[EatCrow]

Game awards are for losers anyways. Just be proud in what you've created and move on. Horizon sold well so there's clearly an appreciation for it.

[MADGameR]

The only reason why Horizon Zero Dawn didn't win GOTY was because the Nintendo fanboys double voted with different phone/accounts for Zelda. Buncha losers. Horizon Zero Dawn is the best game of the year hands down.

[Ilovetheps5]

I hope you know that it wasn't gamers that actually decided the GotY. They allowed you to vote, but it was actually a panel of industry people that decided it. The votes cast by fans didn't matter one bit.

[MADGameR]

I still haven't even beaten the game because I am in aw with the visuals still taking photos. It is absolutely AMAZING!!

[Felsager]

Horizon Zero and the expansion Frozen Wilds was a great surprise for many of us. The game really delivers a new fresh experience with a great story.

Horizon Zero 2 must reach the PS5. I can't wait for a larger epic world of these mechanical drones.

[Prince-Ali]

but that's ok... the games incredible regardless.. and people seem to really love Zelda so of course.. and Mario is mario these are all fantastic projects so its absolutely fine.

[zb1ftw777]

Maybe it didn't win anything because it wasn't the best at anything in particular.

I must confess I've never played it, but the problem with exclusives are that in some cases they are a bit too niche.

Many people have never even heard of this game. It certainly isn't on the tip of people's tongues like Zelda or Mario has been.

This might have done better had they released it on the XB1X too.

[Platformgamer]

Pretty sad, GOTY-wise
Popularity wins over quality i guess.
SM Odissey and persona 5 are better than TLOZ too

[DELTABOY04]

it got nominated for a lot of awards..just stiff competition..great year for guerilla

[gamer7804]

just being nominated is really quite the honor, tons of games came out this year. Its a groups combined subjective opinion there is no "may have picked wrong this year is best Narrative".

[OpenGL]

Eh, I liked Horizon a lot but really don't care that it lost. Getting nominated as much as it did was good enough and personally I think Zelda was a bit better.

[3-4-5]

It wasn't game of the year...IMO that goes to Botw, but I was surprised it didn't win maybe New IP of the year or something like that.

I haven't played it yet though.

[Hakoom]

zelda wil be forgotten in a year or 2..
horizon uncharted god of war the last of us wont be forgotten forever

[Ulises2033]

"zelda will be forgotten in a year or 2.." LOL that is the stupidest thing I ever read on this site, these fanboys are getting dumber...

[SquareBurgers]

Does everything well, does nothing innovative or new.

[Shineon]

So I just bought Horizon complete edition time to see what all the fuss is about

[SameOldx2]

Awards are just someone else's opinions. Funny how people get worked up over them.

[PingasoFromHell]

Horizon is an amazing game but I can't wait for sea of thieves, should win game of the year next year

[smartape]

Disappointed! Horizon Zero Dawn was snubbed from the recent 2017 Game awards. Legend of Zelda was already known as a big competitor and won the Game of the year. Yet when it comes to best action adventure and best narrative, heck HZD was way better, especially the narrative. Best narrative was won by What Remains of Edith Finch, (a VERY BORING GAME).