Last Year's GOTY Was an Easy Call, This Year's Is Going to Be a Lot Harder

Twinfinite writes: Last year’s GOTY process was the most boring one I’ve ever been a part of professionally. As soon as Breath of the Wild reviews started pouring in, including ours, I knew that it was a wrap.

[PhoenixUp]

No year will ever have a single easy GOTY winner

[TheSinsibleOne]

Except Witcher 3.

[robtion]

While I am a huge fan of the Witcher 3 it came out right around Bloodborne so no it was not an easy decision that year ;)

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

Bloodborne >Witcher if you care about mechanics/gameplay level design.

[uptownsoul]

Either way, PS4 has had a GOTY nominee every year since 2015

(Bloodborne - 2015, UC4 - 2016, Persona 5 & Horizon - 2017…and this year will have at least God of War)

[KillZallthebeast]

Witcher 3 fanboys need to stfu

[conanlifts]

Bloodborne, while great, has a less broader appeal than Witcher 3. Not everyone likes dark soul type games. This is evident in the sales comparison between the 2. Witcher 3 sits around 33 million total sales with almost 50% on PS4, compared to around 3 million for bloodborne. So the broader appeal should get the win.

[Lovable]

Most overrated game ever.

[robtion]

The author is right it was an easy decision. Horizon Zero Dawn was GOTY.

[Harryvok]

I know it is all subjective, but HZD was for me too. I got bored with Zelda after about 15 hours, but I couldn’t put HZD down because I loved the story so much and had to see what happened next. Of course it was also a beautiful game and had great combat.

[rainslacker]

It was mine just because it was the most impressive new ip this gen, and it was solid in every aspect. Botw was also good, but it wasn't as innovative or fresh as people.made it out to be, and the lack of depth in story and character development really was disappointing.

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

Yep. H:ZD for me as well.

[Sevir]

It certainly was mine...

[smashman98]

Breath of the wild can't hear you from under all of its game of the year awards

[Eltortugagames]

I could never get to the point were I enjoyed the combat. Maybe I was doing it wrong. I just felt weak and like I had to run around and away so much

[Shiken]

I got the plat in Horizon in 50 hours. Breath of the Wild gave me 165 hours and I enjoyed every minute. Both are great, but for me Zelda was by far better, and deserves every award it recieved.

[senorfartcushion]

Except Breath of the Wild, obviously, because that was the first easy call in aboit a decade.

[showtimefolks]

To each their own I personally just never look at just review scores as I have had some great times with 7/10 and boring times from games which were praised

We all like different games

[SuperSonic91]

a shameless SOTC clone

[AcidDvl]

2014

[Loadedklip]

Last year ... it did. Might not be your personal favorite but it won by a landslide from the majority.

[NecrumOddBoy]

Breath of the Wild wasn't my GOTY last year. It was pure blind nostalgia and I don't understand why it took all the awards.

[Opinionatedlovesme]

Exactly it was just kids Witcher 3 with climbing lol

[Eiyuuou]

Minus an engaging story.

[DrStronk]

@Opinionatedlovesme And with a combat system that actually works.

[TheFirstClassic]

And with puzzles and exploration that were actually fun.

[senorfartcushion]

And magic, and a tense lonely feeling of dread that hangs over the player, and zero waypoint system holding your hand, and charming almost-lifeless npc characters, and the ability to complete the game whenever you want, and the engaging puzzles that came in bite size easy-to-digest pieces.

[Loadedklip]

This site is truly anti Nintendo. Even a post about how good their puzzles were gets dislikes. That's pretty insane if you are remotely unbiased.

[stupidusername]

If you really wish to understand why it won, u could just look it up. There are tenfolds of professional and detailed videos explaining it. Though, you don’t have to agree with all the points, but you woul’d at least understand it.
Breath of the Wild was a GOTY in my opinion because U actually got to explore, something severely lacking in other open world games that reveal all the game’s content with map icons and instructions.

[remixx116]

It was just unique in a way that sold it so well.

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

you need to play more games...Souls games have nailed exploration way before Zelda did.

[rainslacker]

Most of those points seemed to be based on nostalgia though. The game really didn't offer up anything new on the open world genre, the combat wasn't anything new, the system for making stuff, coupled with weapons breakage was just broken and forced. There was practically no story.

It had good puzzles, and a nice world to explore, and what was there was executed very well...outside the.crafting. But if botw wasn't a Zelda game, it wouldn't have scored as high as.it did.

[DrierofLeaves]

@rainslacker, those points are categorically not based on nostalgia. Most of the praise of BotW comes from the new things they did, and most criticism for BotW is founded in how different it is from other Zelda games.
You can't have it both ways.
The "If it wasn't Zelda, it wouldn't have scored so well" argument is bullshit. It scored well because it's a great game, and people loved it. It's time to just accept that and move on.

[rainslacker]

If it's being scored based on if it's the same or different than other Zelda games, doesn't that mean that it's inherently being scored from a nostalgic perspective of it being a Zelda game?

It was different than other Zelda games, but my point is, the things it got credit for, wouldn't have gotten as much praise in other games. Thus, the praise was that it was an advancement on Zelda, but that praise often left out the fact that it wasn't really an advancement on any established gaming elements that existed within the game. Everything in the game can be found elsewhere, either done just as well, if not better. Without a good story to back up the game, there was nothing there to really praise other than the execution of the game being solid.

[Razzer]

"If you really wish to understand why it won, u could just look it up. There are tenfolds of professional and detailed videos explaining it. Though, you don’t have to agree with all the points, but you woul’d at least understand it.
Breath of the Wild was a GOTY in my opinion because U actually got to explore, something severely lacking in other open world games that reveal all the game’s content with map icons and instructions. "

Don't have to. Played it. I think we all know that there are a ton of critics and youtubers out there that just gush over Zelda. Great. To me, the only thing worth playing was the shrines. They were pretty awesome. The weapon system was crap. The combat was horrible primarily because of the crap weapons. This cooking system for health, buffs, etc. was just annoying. The characters were lifeless and dull. The climbing mechanic was overhyped. I've had no problems exploring in other open world games and they at least give me a reason to explore. Not this game. So yeah, I think I understand all to well why I don't like Zelda.

@pramath
"@rainslacker, those points are categorically not based on nostalgia. Most of the praise of BotW comes from the new things they did, and most criticism for BotW is founded in how different it is from other Zelda games.
You can't have it both ways."

rainslacker is right. And this highlights the problem. Botw gets praise for using common mechanics pulled from other games but since it is new to Zelda.....it is suddenly praise worthy? lol....Zelda gets a pass because it is Zelda and that is all about nostalgia.

[Aceman18]

Mine was Persona 5 from last year.

[Why o why]

Bruv. . . Last year was too much. Persona will stay etched in my memories forever

[senorfartcushion]

Since when did the sun revolve around you?

[Aceman18]

@senor

Take your ninty/zelda fanboy crap somewhere else buddy. I'm not caught up in the nostalgia like you and others lol.

Besides my GOTY looked like this

1 Persona 5
2 Horizon/Zelda

Here does this make you feel any better?

[Razzer]

"Since when did the sun revolve around you? "

or you? lol

[Hylian10]

seems like someone still butthurt over BotW winning GOTY.

[kevnb]

I really don’t think you played it.

[ShadowWolf712]

I played it.

It's disgustingly overrated, and the fact that people will actually have a more violent reaction toward criticism of that game than they will over someone personally attacking their own family is lowkey kind scary.

[NecrumOddBoy]

I played the game and clocked about 150hrs in it. I explored everything, I got all kinds of weapons and items and maxed out a majority of all my stuff to include hearts and stamina. I collected all the memories and beat Ganon twice. It's an ok game eith a few great features.

It does what who be soft games does except people call it Innovative when it doesn't give you a map. It's not Innovative to lack a feature. The fact that breath of the wild never received any of the criticism that any other open world game gets even though it does the tropes beat for me or worse. I just don't understand how somebody can say the game is truly about exploration when you explore and then come to find out there's nothing worth getting at the top of that mountain that you spent an hour trying to climb, but a cheap Rusty sword that breaks into hits. There's nearly a thousand seeds to find what you get nothing good for it. There's no Triforce, no deep story, no characters you run into with any interesting Tails, no side quest that is anything more than fetching fruit or something mediocre.

All the puzzles that you solve are all inclusive with that room. It's not like you have to come back with a special weapon or find something unique to solve a puzzle. There are a few unbar mental puzzles that are creative but they don't hold a candle to what the witness did.

There was a really cool fly around fight a dragon scene and I thought that would have been a really neat side quest. I completed it and got like a thousand rupees or something. Nothing in the game is worth getting.

The way the game truly is is it's one giant open world map that you walk around and do tiny puzzle challenges that are the equivalent of iPhone games. In a phone game you solve a simple puzzle and collect coins. You learn a little hammer or a bomb or something to help you collect more coins. And you keep doing this mundane repetitive tasks over and over again with the illusion that you're going to learn something rewarding That Never Comes. That is what the new Zelda game is. It is not a rich story with a lot of lore. It's a giant open world physics-based map with nothing to earn and no rewards to claim.

The game has for repetitive bosses that are all the same enemy but with a different element type. Gannon is a joke.

The more and more I think about it it's really sad that this is what people want the new standards to be. The Wind Waker was a compartmentalised open-world Zelda game with collecting things and puzzles to solve very similar to this. There was a rich story and there was lore great bosses to fight. It was an amazing game. Breath of the Wild is a water down version of almost every but they take the map icon off so you got to spend 50 more hours walking around blindly. Not innovative. People are just start for Zelda and they jumped all over this because let me tell you. Skyward Sword was a completely different game and also received perfect scores and a 10 out of 10 from IGN. So I'll tell you it's the name that sells the product definitely not the content.

[kevnb]

@NecrumOddBoy I dont even know what game you are talking about at this point... or why you would clock 150 hours into it if thats how you felt @ShadowWolf712 just because you didnt like it for whatever reason doesnt mean its overrated, the world doesnt revolve around you. Heck there are plenty of well loved games I dont like, its usually because they do things well that I dont really care about in games.

[RememberThe357]

Wtf is up with this "the world does revolve around you" bs? As a matter of perspective it actually does. But what's the point of sharing opinions and experiences if your reponse is to nullify the concept of opinions in general?

[kevnb]

@rememberThe357 When your opinion consists of everyone else is wrong, it’s appropriate.

[gammaray13]

i agree with you, it was way over rated

[InKnight7s]

I remember when that poor re iewer got attacked and his site got ddos attack for saying this.

BoTW isn't a bad game in any means but far from being 17 GOTY, because Persona 5 and Horizon were much better in everything.

[goldwyncq]

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it, but the majority of game reviewers who played BoTW would disagree with you.

[Muzikguy]

This writer and all those reviewers had an opinion saying BoTW was GOTY. Still it’s just an opinion from them as well

[kevnb]

Persona 5 isnt the same at all and is very niche. Horizon was excellent but there are many things botw did much better than it.

[riibhu]

For all the negative points in the reviews of most ubisoft games get for being empty open worlds I was surprised when every reviewer conveniently forgot to mention the empty open world of BOTW.
BOTW was definitely a good game but far from being a GOTY.
Divinity original sin 2(had the best sandbox RPG gameplay mechanics ever)was my GOTY and was seriously underrated when it came to any award show.

[senorfartcushion]

Or you like your ps4 more than your Switch.

[Muzikguy]

And? That doesn’t seem like anything worthy of getting hostile about. People are entitled to like different things.

[DrierofLeaves]

@Muzikguy, where was SenorFartCushion hostile about anything?
What about the people that get hostile about otheras liking Zelda, calling it "blind nostalgia" and all that?

[Muzikguy]

@pramath

He’s basing his argument off an idea that they like PS4 better than the Switch. He’s claiming he’s played the game and everything, but wouldn’t call it GOTY. People need to stop trying to discredit others just because they think differently. It’s not wrong and all these are just opinions anyway. I also feel that the Zelda thing had nostalgia on its side. That series tends to because it’s not milked like so many others.

[DrierofLeaves]

@Muzikguy,
I don't think the nostalgia argument applies to Zelda. Do you think it also applies to Metal Gear, GTA, Naughty Dog, and even God of War?

[rainslacker]

If Horizon were on Switch, and Zelda were on PS4, then I'd still feel the same way. Unfortunately, its impossible to have any conversation about the pros and cons of BOTW, because any criticism is seen as an attack, and it seems that no one who really likes it can accept that the game is flawed.

It's fine if people feel it was their GOTW. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I've seen quite a few people who very explicitely give their reasons with examples to show they've played it, yet they get no discussion about their arguments....they just get, "You're a fan boy".

Is this because someone who liked the game can't actually counter the argument with equally relevant explanation and examples? Is this because their preference for the Switch won't allow them to accept that the game is not as good as some of the other open world games out there?

I'm sorry, but when the CDi version of Zelda had a better story than a current gen, open world, fully AAA version of Zelda, there is a problem. Zelda hasn't had such a cursory story in the main series(excluding spinoffs) since the original game on the NES.

FFXIII got panned for having a poor story. Zelda's story wasn't as good as FFXIII. No matter one's console preference, there is no way anyone can say that Zelda's was better and be taken seriously. Or is BOTW one of those games where you have to use your imagination and make your own experiences like Sea of Thieves?

[Shineon]

I said this and got downvoted last year now yall see it

[DrierofLeaves]

You're still getting downvoted this year :)

[-Foxtrot]

Take Zelda away from that game and it wouldn’t have gotten GOTY

[DrierofLeaves]

"If it was called Belda, no one would care", fucking lol

[kevnb]

only on n4g...

[Dixiedevil]

I’ve got about 25 hours into it and have zero desire to keep playing. It’s the first Zelda game I didn’t like. The breaking weapons, lack of good weapons, boring slogs from place to place. I think is one of the most overrated games in a long time.

[Silly gameAr]

Yeah, it wasn't really as good as people made it out to be. To be honest, I couldn't finish the rest of the game because I lost interest. Might go back to it one day soon when I knock out my backlog a bit.

[rainslacker]

I played for quite a while and enjoyed my time with it. Got through the story, and did a bunch of the side stuff and collectible stuff. But after a while, I just found myself doing the same thing over and over, and while the shrines were good, I didn't feel like working for it anymore. World was fun to explore, but only for so long. It's probably because there wasn't a whole lot of reason to do any of that stuff after a while. You basically go from having to do a bunch of stuff to keep playing, to a point where it's all pointless and offers no actual progression of worth. Its like getting to level 99 on a Final Fantasy game. Most of the game is pointless at that point. But at least with FF, there is stuff that can still be challenging and fun to do. About all Zelda offered after a certain point is the shrines.

I've found myself slogging through games I grew bored with just to get the platinum on them, but would stop for a game I really wasn't enjoying anymore. If Switch had trophies, and it required a 100% of everything, I certainly wouldn't have bothered trying to get them all.

[Gr8saiyaman88]

Oops, accidentally hit an Upvote first and felt like a sony pony for a sec!

[Silly gameAr]

Sounds like your problem, not mine.

[DrierofLeaves]

"Nostalgia", lol.
Question, do you think God of War has any flaws?

[rainslacker]

Yes. Despite GOW currently being my favorite game of the gen so far, I'll lay out some flaws.

-The camera could sometimes give weird angles hindering combat...although that effect was overstated by some.
-Artreus was annoying as all hell with his talking during battle.
-There were only two real side areas that were good for the story. Although plenty of content that was side stuff and added supplemental stuff to the overall lore.
-Some combo moves were pointless, and a lot of them weren't really necessary except in some of the harder valkyrie bosses.
-There wasn't really a lot of bosses to fight, and while I never considered the trolls bosses in the traditional sense, there were too many of them, and they should have just been used as regular enemies. The main boss fights were pretty sparse, and while cool overall(except one which was anti-climatic), I found the final boss to be kind of weak by GOW standards.

There are a few more, but since I know you're trying to make a point beyond the quality of the games, I'll ask you this.

What's the point in asking if GOW had flaws? The actual topic at hand is if BOTW was as good as the reviewers said it was, and by that extension, was it GOTY material. BOTW was executed well. Not many people deny that it was a solid game on the technical side. What they're saying is that the game itself wouldn't have gotten the review scores it did if it wasn't for Zelda, because the flaws that BOTW had, would be used to deduct points from other games that had the same issues.

Why is it, when people have actual criticisms of this game, the main retort that comes up is, "nu uh...you're a Sony fan boy". Can you not express a counter argument that actually supports your belief that the game is good by the merits of the game itself? The game certainly had merits, and people are free to find quality in them. But one's argument isn't supported by just calling people fan boys. You aren't going to convince others if that's the best you can argue.

[Eltortugagames]

The game was insanely fun in my opinion. The exploration did feel different

[Shiken]

It took all the awards because despite your personal taste, it deserved GotY.

And drop the nostalgia BS, it did not even play like other Zelda's.

[Realms]

You are not alone but many zealous Nintendo fans always see any kind of criticism as a personal attack. BoTW was good but not as revolutionary as some claimed it was, many people enjoyed the game cool but I personally didn't think it was as great as other people claimed it was.

[Jayszen]

I doubt God of War can be beat. It's just too good. If Game+ mode is added, that will be it! Spider-Man might be a dark Horse. PS4 games bring something exceptional.in my opinion.

[King_Noctis]

God of War is certainly great. But we’ll have to see what RDR 2 will bring to the table first.

[AmUnRa]

O it will beat God of War. Why? It is a thirdparty game and available on several consoles, (PS4, XboxOne) and PC.
So if RDR 2 sells a lot more than God of War it is logical, cous it is a multiplatform game.

[kneon]

Best selling ! = Best game of the year

[andibandit]

If anything is a dark horse, it's gotta be RDR2

[ShadowWolf712]

A dark horse is something someone didn't see coming. Not the game that was pre-declared to be GOTY at the start of this year. lmao

[KwietStorm_BLM]

In no universe is Red Dead, or really anything coming from Rockstar, a dark horse. Not one person would be surprised if it's a great game.

[robtion]

GOW is awesome but I'm pretty sure RDR2 is going to be next level.

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

Based on what? No way it has as good gameplay. Remember TLOU versus GTA 5? TLOU won most wards,.

[kevnb]

Depends who you ask really, many (not the majority) seemed to be disappointed with it. Some people just wanted another god of war 3 with better graphics.

[Eltortugagames]

Fanboy haha

[solidossnakos]

If RDR 2 is out in 2018, even GoW can't win the goty against it. It's the most anticipated title this generation and no game will come close.

[King_Noctis]

No wonder why alot of games got moved to next year. Any game from Rockstar is a juggernaut in sale.

[Palitera]

Too bad for them, RDR2 will not come out for a loooong time.

[rivaldoo777]

We will have to see. TLOU beat GTAV. Well I still think TLOU is better than GOW, Let's see how RDR2 comes out cuz the first one was a masterpiece. If GOW can beat RDR2, They are in the same tier with ND.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

People probably thought the same when gta 5 which is easily bigger and more popular then rdr got handily beat by tlou.

[solidossnakos]

What made TLOU win the GOTY is that it was a new approach in story telling and gameplay that was never done before, many suggests it's the game of the generation. In the other hand GTA V was another GTA, boring campaign and the online part came a little bit late. It's not even the best GTA.
Now for the first RDR, which is my favorite game of the last generation, R* made a surprise hit, no one predicted it's huge critical acclaim especially after the development nightmare cycle. It was a sandbox open world game with a great story and gameplay. The soundtrack alone make you love it.

If R* continue with this in RDR2 and focus on the single player part we are in for a treat.

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

LOL total nonsense, LIKE TLOU versus GTA 5 right?

[Gardenia]

Overall RDR2 will be GOTY. When R* starts releasing gameplay videos and more information about the game, the hype will be insane

[rainslacker]

Hype and sales really shouldn't be the deciding factor for GOTY. It should always be about what one thinks the best game is, or one that has some sort of bug impact on gaming.

[ginsunuva]

1. Do you have proof it's the most anticipated game of the generation, and by what measure?

2. What does anticipation have to do with being a good game?

[OB1Biker]

Oh come on!
We haven't even seen any gameplay and its already GOTY?
After you wonder why some publishers don't bother much (generally speaking)

[kneon]

I'm not anticipating it at all. The first one was OK but was cliché and had plenty of bugs. If any other game had those bugs reviewers would have trashed it. But its rockstar so they get a free pass. I've been a developer for over 30 years so I don't give bugs a free pass.

[Perjoss]

Don't waste your time, if you have positive stuff to say about games that are not PlayStation exclusives you're better off doing it on a site with a more balanced fanbase. Don't take my word for it though, the up and down votes in pretty much any article paint a clear picture.

[solidossnakos]

I know you are right.
But I really don't care if some fanboy disliked my comments.
I own both consoles and always express my honest opinion.
I'm a gamer since the 90s with the SNES and PS1 as my first two consoles.
Frankly, to each person his opinion and no hard feelings from my part.

[Jay767]

come on guys everybody know state of decay 2 is going win game of the year :) lol. in all seriousness God of war will probably win GOTY this year.

[Speak_da_Truth]

God of war is currently my game of the year and the only two games that can come close to it are Spiderman and RDR2. So we'll see.

[alb1899]

I understand RDR2 but you haven't play Spiderman so how can it go close to GOW?
Then you can say the same of every new title you haven't tried

[Gemmol]

Sony fans only pick Sony games even if its not out yet

[AspiringProGenji]

But how donyoo understand RDR2, another unreleased game, but not Spiderman? 🤔

[Speak_da_Truth]

I have played all previous Ratchet & Clank and resistance games and I pretty much liked them so I have faith insomniac will deliver. That's why.

[rainslacker]

I think Spider-man will review well, and likely sell extremely well. But I don't think it will take GOTY. What's been shown so far is pretty good so far, but I think its not going to resonate in the GOTY discussions. Maybe a few sites will, but I don't think it'll get a lot of rewards for GOTY.

@Gemmol

Maybe it's because Sony games are really good?

RDR2, while highly anticipated, we haven't seen that much about it. About the only thing people are excited about right now is that it's a RDR game. They're setting expectations that it's going to be the best game this year. Others feel that GOW right now is a contender, because they've been able to play it and form an opinion that isn't based on expectations, but on what the game actually delivered.

[sander9702]

There isn't a game coming in the next 2 years that will beat Red Dead Redemption 2 IMO it's going to be the game of the generation.

[Kornholic]

You'll never know until you have actually played RDR2. It could be a stinker for all we know. Unlikely, yet possible.

I'd suggest you refrain from making statements like these. Or in the very least use the word "probably".

[sander9702]

NPC dialogue choices, story choices with consequence, same but improved shooting from Red Dead Redemption, dynamic dialogue, you can rob NPCs, big focus on detail and atmosphere and yes it's a sequel to one of the greatest games last gen made by Rockstar. It doesn't take a genius to figure that this is going to be the game of the generation.

[Kornholic]

@sander9702

You wont know for certain until you've played it.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

"NPC dialogue choices"
Ok.....
"story choices with consequence"
Which will be minor in the grand scheme of things seeing as we already know the ending of the game since this is a prequel after all.
"same but improved shooting from Red Dead Redemption"
Which will be on rails just like every other rockstar game.
"big focus on detail and atmosphere"
Will it also have a story and a setting and characters? WOOOW please tell me more vague "details" about the game/s

[2ndhandcorn]

Forza horizon 4 .

[alb1899]

The best racing game without doubts

[inxine]

is going to be hard tho? we all know, for better or worse, that RedDead Redemption is going to be the winner. just being realistic. last year had ALOT of good games. and Zelda was GOTY because of the Nostalgia factor. great game tho.

[Eiyuuou]

BOTW was a great game, but not GOTY-worthy imo due to its many crucial flaws and due to the competition.

Nier Automata took it for me.

[rivaldoo777]

Persona 5 was my GOTY last year easily. This year so far its between Monster HW and GOW with GOW a bit ahead.

[Gemmol]

So developers who made the game you like and other games come out and say breath of the wild is amazing but you a gamer see flaws ?? You do know nier automata people like Zelda

Game developers awards gave Zelda the award after many developers vote for it
If you right then every developer who made games last year and this year a
Flawed

[Eiyuuou]

@Gemmol

I don’t care what other people or devs say, think or like.
I like the game really much, but to ignore its crucial flaws, is something that I am unwilling to do.

If no one calls out the mistakes, they will just be made again in the next installment, alongside new mistakes.

[mkis007]

huh red dead 1 wasn't a runaway goty winner. Mass effect was that year. Even GTa5 got beat out by The Last of us.

[Relientk77]

I think it's the opposite. There were a ton of amazing games in 2017. I see less competition this year.

[Razzer]

Last year? I put 80 hours into BoTW. I'll take Persona 5 or Divinity Original Sin 2 over Zelda without hesitation. Zelda was the most overrated game I have ever played, imo. More difficult this year? Of course. We don't have one game anointed superior just because of the media gushing over Nintendo discovering open world and Link's sudden ability to climb everything like.....Spiderman. Hmm.

[Platformgamer]

last year GOTY was bullshit

[rivaldoo777]

The worst GOTY was 2016 which a multiplayer bull crap won against masterful U4.

[Platformgamer]

oh yeah, that bullshit too.
uncharted 4 was the best game of 2016, but numbers and shitty moba won...
2017 btw has a lot of better games than Botw, but hey, let's lick nintendo ass

[rivaldoo777]

Haha I really cant argue about last year although I liked Persona 5 a lot BOTW was a good game too. However moba winning multiple game awards was just toxic

[NecrumOddBoy]

Uncharted 4 was so good, but I got to give three shoutouts in 2016:

1. Castlevania Lecarde Chronicles 2 on PC because even though no one wants to give it any attention because it's a free fan-made game, it's the greatest Castlevania game to come out in over 10 years.
2. The Witness which is a phenomenal puzzler.
3. Inside for it's incredible and dark theme.

[nucky64]

it's going to be hard to beat GoW; but, RDR2 might do it.

[ZombieKiller]

For me its God of War but honestly my other contenders are Spidey and Red Dead ( MY GOTY) so its tough to tell at this point because they aren't out yet.... but god of war.... been through that game 5 times now no kidding. I really can't get enough.

[riibhu]

Just out of curiosity what are the games so far released that actually looks to be qualified as a GOTY?
I see only two which are god of war and monster hunter world. Maybe Celeste? But I don't know if an indie will be considered GOTY.

[rivaldoo777]

Next year is going to be easily TLOU2 unless Cyberpunk drops. I wish they can compete in the same year.

[Harryvok]

Yep, Horizon Zero Dawn was amazing 😉

[spicelicka]

God of War and RDR2 will definitely be top 2 contenders.

[Benoski]

It's not going to be.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is gonna sweep the awards this year based on the simple fact that it's a Rockstar game.

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

Like GTA 5??? This line of thinking is dumb. GOW will win a shit load of awards.

[mkis007]

Read Dead Redemption lost to MAss Effect 2 , GTA5 lost to The LAst of Us. Never an easy sweep.

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

Nonsense....it was only easy last year because the media as usual fawns over anything nintendo...Zelda was great but had many issues and is surely not the 97 on metacritic game it is currently listed as. The combat, stpory, lack of dungeons were all poor in zelda, and the weapon breaking system was terrible. Also waiting 15 mins to get somewere because it started to rain and I cannot climb added nothing to the game only frustration.

PS: The Princess voice acting and voice acting in general was awful.

[Istolla]

Wait, so I guess your opinions should weigh more than all those reviewers...

[JesusBuiltmyHotrod]

Well duh? Your personal opinion is all that should matter? Unless you like people telling you how to think. Isn't that obvious bro?

[Istolla]

Oh in that case, I guess reviews are completely meaningless and unnecessary then. So why bother posting your opinions then? Why do your care so much that most reviewers loved the game?

[Profchaos]

Probably will be rdr2

[Platformgamer]

god of war without a doubt

[FernDiggidy]

GOW, GOTY easily.

[Lilrizky]

Disagree.

I think 2017 has heaps of 90+ games worthy of GOTY

from zelda to mario to persona to horizon

this year so far it looks like just god of war, possibly Monster Hunter World and I am bettinh RDR2

[theshredded]

I'm sure Spider-Man will be mine. At this point, I'm sick of RDR 2 getting mentioned yet having very little info revealed. Heck Sony's other 3 had more revealed. I won't be surprised if God of War wins it, these journalists care more about story than gameplay just look at the Last of Us and The Walking Dead.

[Moe-Gunz]

Not going to lie, I was prepared to be amazed with Zelda and I felt like it was extremely overrated and over hyped. Horizon to me is a much better game. Zelda didn't impressed me so much that I'm still forcing myself to continue through with it.

Horizon
Persona 5
NieR
Ni-Oh
Yakuza 0

all was more impressive to me. I'm in the minority though.

[Gemmol]

I agree, when u have a game developer awards where game developers voted for Zelda, then you have all these developers come out and say why they like Zelda so much......

Then you come to this website and the same fans who like those developers saying Zelda had flaws, just shows fans no nothing especially Sony only fans

Your favorite developers gush how much hours they got lost playing Zelda but yall find the game bad...lol yall funny keep it up

[Moe-Gunz]

Your comment is in disagreement with me, but starts with I agree lol.

For one I don't see why you're emphasizing "sony only" fans. Secondly GOTY is subjective and it doesn't matter if game developers loved it. It's whatever you personally loved. Third, you can't tell me nostalgia doesn't play a factor for Nintendo. Forth, never said Zelda was bad, just don't feel it's as good as reviewers said it is :/

[Razzer]

Seems you are just butthurt that not everyone thought Zelda was the masterpiece others think it is. Game developers loved it and then I’m supposed to love it too? Nope. Neil Druckmann could walk up to me and say “BoTW was the greatest game I ever played” and I would answer as I did above....it is the most overrated game I have ever played. And then what? We thumb wrestle to see who is right? It’s just opinions man.

[cyphertech]

I love how Red Dead is a thing even though no one has played it yet.

[Moe-Gunz]

Game is already guaranteed a 10 in their minds

[franwex]

It's a good problem to have, haha

[ImportGamer3004]

Nier Automata should have won best rpg.
Horizon Zero Dawn deserved GOTY instead of LOZ Breath of the Wild a game from a long running Nintendo series.
Persona 5 is another fantastic game that deserves even more praise as well,

[DefaultComment]

it's a good thing you weren't part of the awards otherwise things would've been a disaster. Stay in your plastic ps4 and never come here ver.

[DefaultComment]

Well last year was Mario Odessye or Breath of the Wild. But I'm glad BOTW won, totally deserves it. This year...well so is God of War as the big contender, the other is the infamus Red Dead Redemption 2 which people are waiting for....since I don't care about read dead, I'm ok with God of war....I also forgot Smash Bros Ultimate is onthe horizon so yep we all set.
Oh and no fuc assasins creed and fuck COD....those are not even worth mentioning.

[overrated44]

I wouldn't say last year was an easy call at all, multiple people have very different GOTY last year (mine being Persona 5...or Nier Automata)

[Razzer]

Good point. There really never is ONE game of the year.

[kangolkyle]

I'd be really surprised if Monster Hunter World didn't win a decent number of awards this year. It's just been very competitive, and will only continue to be so as we move into Fall.

[Wintersun616]

Nothing hard about it, it's God of War.

[Mr Marvel]

Last year was very hard between Horizon: Zero Dawn & Zelda: BotW.

This year is easier so far with God of War the clear winner followed by Octopath Traveller and Monster Hunter World.
Spider-man looks to be the only game likely to challenge God of War, but I’m sure RDRII should be good too if they don’t kill it with too much online crap.

[Persian_Immortal]

God Of War probably has a great chance to win based on the past three Goty winners, which are primarily single player focused.

Breath Of The Wild 189 Goty Awards
Uncharted 4 A Thief's end 165 Goty Awards
Witcher 3 257 Goty Awards

all Goty winners with cumulative award counts right here --> https://gotypicks.blogspot....

[Istolla]

Breath of the Wild was definitely the best game I've played in a while I'm glad the overwhelming majority of reviewers and developers recognized it for the amazing game it was.

This year I think God of War is definitely a contender.

[sKiiTs8]

Easy call? BOTW? Lol, personally I was bored and if after 10 hours and haven't come back. I wanted to like it given the 10/10/10/10 review scores....

[Blu3_Berry]

Personally I thought last year was much harder for me to find my GOTY. 2017 was one of the best gaming years in history for me. 2018 is great so far, but there aren't nearly as many notable GOTY contenders. Only a few with God of War, Monster Hunter World, possibly Red Dead Redemption 2 and Spider-Man PS4.

Last year was way more competitive as we had Nier Automata, Hellblade, Zelda BOTW, Mario Odyssey, Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5, Resident Evil 7, Cuphead and a few others I may have missed.

[PiNkFaIrYbOi]

Rather amusing that they are adding RDR2 to the mix and it hasn't even released yet, and for all they know it could suck hardcore.

[sreevenkat]

How would it be easier last year?

[Eltortugagames]

Last year was pretty cut and dry though such a vast majority of outlets agreed I have never seen that happen before

[Kyizen]

So a screenshot of a game you can play that got 10s and one not even out yet that no one has played except a few press...

[UNCHARTED2FANATIC]

Not hard at all RDR2 easy

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Last year was tough af to choose a winner, so many good games deserve the award, except PUBG, that was a weird nominee.

[Benjaminkno]

Sony fans bitch about Zelda being the same, then they bitch about it being too boring.

I had my complaints too, but nothing came close.
This year is rather lacking honestly.

[KTF26]

For Nintendo Fanboys
yes it's lacking

another starvation period for you