Nominations for this year's Game Awards were announced today.  Since there are 28 awards being presented that night, I'm not going to go through all of them.  So I'll just get to the top of the heap, and show you the Game of the Year nominees.

Game of the Year

Alan Wake 2
Baldur's Gate 3
Marvel's Spider Man 2
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

So two things.

1.  Who wins the big one?

2.  Will Rockstar unveil Grand Theft Auto VI during the ceremony?

GTA def getting revealed. Game of the year will be Baldur's Gate 3, but should be Alan Wake 2.

Yes to GTA being introduced in bits & pieces.

And yeah Baldur's Gate 3 will win, I have not played it but seems like the odds on favorite. I really liked Super Mario Bros Wonder and Resident Evil 4 Remake(Which I think is my GOTY) and also am digging Spider Man 2. I fell off a bit with Tears of the Kingdom and didn't get to play Alan Wake 2 due to it being digital only but altogether, this has been a great year and very good nominations.

Is the Resident Evil Remake different from the original in any way, like the FF7 remake?

Nov 14, 2023 5:34:38 GMT Emperor said:

Is the Resident Evil Remake different from the original in any way, like the FF7 remake?

- Parry system/mechanic that has Leon/Ada using a knife to fend off attacks instead of taking hits.
- Story & dialogue has changed quite a bit, the story takes different turns than in the original.
- Enemies have different patterns(Regenerator, there is a new enemy that appears from the body of a dead villager etc.)
- Some bosses like Krauser & Salazar have completely different boss battles and movesets. 
- Some content was cut in Leon's campaign and exclusively put into Ada's(Laser room, "It/U3" boss which is again completely and I mean completely different)
- Sidequests and multiple shooting galleries scattered throughout the game.

It's really different than OG Resident Evil 4. It's why I find the "YOU CAN HAVE A REMAKE IN THE NOMINATION FIELD!" take hilarious, they are vastly different games. 

That's what I was getting at with my question but it seems it's more than different enough to quality as a standalone game.

Nov 14, 2023 5:51:06 GMT Emperor said:

That's what I was getting at with my question but it seems it's more than different enough to quality as a standalone game.

I agree with you that it is like FF7 remake where the core story and characters are still there(Minus few new additions from FF7's side like side characters) and it still goes along the same story even if it's told in different aspects

SPOILER: Click to show

Luis dies a different way this one for instance

. Even Ashley is redeemable in the Remake as she tries her best to help you with calls of enemies attacking behind which saved me 1-2 on hardcore mode. She looks much better in the remake and doesn't act as a child in this one. Luis also gets more of a backstory and even if he has his "Cheesy Dante from DMC" moments, has a better backstory.

I don't think RE4 Remake is as good as the original but that's because I loved the cheesy dialogue of Leon with Saddler or Salazar over the intercom and I thought Saddler was forgotten so much in Leon's story until the very end where as he really started to mess with you from the castle onward. And Wesker is practically a non factor in Leon's campaign, he does get more presence in Ada's. Still a great effort and this was still such a fun time. 

I've always been curious to see how they vote for these awards. Whenever we'd do a GOTY list, the vast majority of my Top 10s were made up of games I hadn't actually played but read the reviews and saw enough footage to know it would feature. It was entirely dishonest and not exactly accurate, but the amount of time investment to appreciate each title was truly staggering.

The only exception was 2017 where I made a point to play at least one new title each month and make it a priority. Even doing it that way, I never played Hellblade, What Remains of Edith Finch, Cuphead and some of the other highly acclaimed games. Speaking from my own experience, a game like Nioh actually improved after I beat the campaign and unlocked the New Game+ where you could acquire custom gear and farming came into focus. It also brings into question when is a game ready for judgement? With so many DLC packs and patches, a game that you played on release could be remarkably different to the one that will live on.

Back to Nioh, but one of the reasons why it made such an impression on me is because of how it introduced me to the Soulsbourne genre. To properly judge the game, you'd have to play through five of those games, Diablo I & II, Phantasy Star Online, Monster Hunter, Ninja Gaiden etc. to really see if it deserves higher honors.

It was interesting to hear Alannah Pearce comment on the process. From her experience, the Game Awards really is just a popularity contest where they pull up the list of nominees, go with their gut feel and call it a day. If you actually want a thorough Game awards show, she recommended the BAFTAs where they have to play through each game, they're all put into a room where they put forward a case for each game and category before they vote on it. Looking through the list, the BAFTAs do appear more thought out.

Here's their GOTYs

2022: Vampire Survivor
2021: Returnal
2020: Hades
2019: Outer Wilds
2018: God of War
2017: What Remains of Edith Finch
2016: Uncharted 4
2015: Fallout 4

It seems like as they went on, they were more thoughtful about their picks.

I don't think it's that deep and I think it's just a way to bring the industry together and recognise quality games outside of Metacritic. Still, at times it feels like the event falls on deaf ears as the hamster wheel spins on and it's off to the next release.

It's very universal and something I actually think about when I watch Pro Wrestling. AEW can have a show with three classic all-time great matches (or so you're told) but the minute they have a lame-duck Dynamite it's like fans immediately forget.

Here's the thing with the Game Awards and why I get that games like Hogwarts Legacy aren't there......there's so much behind the scenes issues like sponsorships & gaming companies and the like fighting for commercial time that Keighley has to be as PC as humanly possible.

It doesn't matter who wins honestly, I loved seeing Elden Ring win last year because I agreed that it was the best game(for me) last year and I like seeing Miyazaki with that humble grin speaking in front of the US audience....because my favorite games on the year aren't always the most popular game.

I just want great game trailers of new titles or current ones, a digestible show and if I get great musical performances and or/ speeches from it, all the better. I actually hate when the show tries to get acts like Weezer or outside the gaming sphere acts to perform because it doesn't feel like it belongs on the show.

You know, if music, movies, theater, and television can get their award shows on TV networks, then I'd love to see The Game Awards do the same. People still spend more on games than on going to movies. And I think The Game Awards should be on par with the Big Five (Emmys/Grammys/Oscars/Tonys/Golden Globes).

The Game Awards deserves to be on a major network.

They tried it with SpikeTV but I think at that time, gaming was seen as niche hobby more than anything. Gaming is still frowned upon by the major networks much like Comic Book Movies are seen as anti-cinema by the long time Hollywood directors.

I think most people are able to digest the gaming awards on sites like Twitch and Youtube as that's the primary way to get gaming content nowadays(Twitter too).

I think Keighley is doing the show as good as he can and it's never going to be a perfect voting system but as long as the show is entertaining enough, I am cool with it.

I hardly call gaming niche. Blockbuster games are given about as big of treatment as blockbuster films.

Nov 25, 2023 2:45:38 GMT CM Punk'd said:

I hardly call gaming niche. Blockbuster games are given about as big of treatment as blockbuster films.

It's really more so an older guard thing, a lot of of the older generations still have a perception about gaming as a whole and while our age group and younger people know what is up, the older folks don't and for these gaming awards to be on a big network, you need to get their buy in to make it worth the network's while. 

Who knows. When the Game Awards holds its milestone 10th annual ceremony next year, maybe they could have a shot.

FF7 really is a diff game. They make it clear there is a different story going on too in it. Origins I am so curious what they do with the new story that is unraveling with the Whispers of Fate, and preserving vs changing destiny. Super cool to go this level of meta with the remake.

Res Evil 4 did not go as far to redo the story, but they changed a enough to improve on almost all aspects of the original.

For Hogwarts I have not seen a single person until now mention it in their top games of the year. And not one believe it could win GOTY. This is a really stacked year and it is simple not good enough. Frankly, Res Evil 4 remake should not in the top slot over Sea of Stars. I would also think Dave the Diver could fit there too.

Nov 14, 2023 2:00:11 GMT Blindy said:

Yes to GTA being introduced in bits & pieces.

And yeah Baldur's Gate 3 will win, I have not played it but seems like the odds on favorite. I really liked Super Mario Bros Wonder and Resident Evil 4 Remake(Which I think is my GOTY) and also am digging Spider Man 2. I fell off a bit with Tears of the Kingdom and didn't get to play Alan Wake 2 due to it being digital only but altogether, this has been a great year and very good nominations.

Almost certain to be BG3.  It is just next level shit.  It had insane levels of hype with the early access stuff, and just exceeded them in the final release which is insane.  Game was so successful it likely revived the movie's sequel from cancelation and started another boom period for D&D on paper.

I am really hoping they do Curse of Strahd next.  Story is more limited, so it will not have to be a massive undertaking, but is a beloved favorite story with D&D fans.

Cannot believe we got Heilung. That was amazing.

The amount of complaining I’ve seen online about Baldur’s Gate 3 winning is ridiculous. I haven’t even played but by all accounts it’s a phenomenal and revolutionary experience.

“No one is saying hop on BG3” is legitimately a quote I read 🤦🏻‍♀️.

Spider-Man 2 while not a bad thing is obviously just more the same and RE4 is a remake. Can easily see why BG3 won.



See comments for example

So, I'm on board with the Sega announcement, new Golden Ax? Yes please.

Dec 9, 2023 0:20:02 GMT System said:

The amount of complaining I’ve seen online about Baldur’s Gate 3 winning is ridiculous. I haven’t even played but by all accounts it’s a phenomenal and revolutionary experience.

“No one is saying hop on BG3” is legitimately a quote I read 🤦🏻‍♀️.

Spider-Man 2 while not a bad thing is obviously just more the same and RE4 is a remake. Can easily see why BG3 won.



See comments for example

I'm cool with BG3 winning, no issues with that. I never played it and IDK if it's for me but no hate.

RE4 changes quite a bit with the story, has a big parry system that is borderline required to succeed that wasn't in the original, and does alter the levels/bosses so it isn't following the original to a tee. I don't agree with the idea that it doesn't deserve to be in the conversation, it's a remake, not a remaster. Super Mario RPG outside of endgame content doesn't really change much so that's something that won't be in my top 10 due to that but RE4Remake does enough to change RE2005's content that it feels like a different game. 

And yeah the thing with Spider Man 2 is much like with Insomniac's other game, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, it's a very safe entry but there's nothing wrong with it. I came in expecting Spider Man 1 with a new story and a few new features(Like the gliding mechanic and 2 Spider Man that you can play/rotate with) so I came away happy with what I got. The story is far from perfect and it gets cringe at times(Peter Parker in the 2nd half of the game becomes somewhat unbearable) but it's probably going to be top 3 for my list. I think too many people hold it against games that aren't changing the wheel per say with their sequels. If I am jumping into a game in the series, I want it to not completely deidentify itself just to be unique. I felt Arkham Knight suffered a bit with the Batmobile so despite the combat & story being very Rocksteady Batman Arkham series esque, the Batmobile really felt at times frustrating & defeated the traversal. 

Dec 9, 2023 22:31:49 GMT Lony said:

So, I'm on board with the Sega announcement, new Golden Ax? Yes please.

Shinobi is getting a new game of this Neo Zeed , any hype with this one? 

Or is it one of those "Can't trust new hands at this iconic franchise" sort of deal? Based off the art, it LOOKS like the people behind the amazing Streets of Rage 4(Lizardcube) are doing the Shinobi game which if so, makes it must play as SOR4 was great. 

So is Bowser's Gate 3 like DLC or something?

Highlight of the Game Awards. I marked so fucking hard.

Dec 10, 2023 17:57:09 GMT c said:

Highlight of the Game Awards. I marked so fucking hard.

This and Poets of the Fall performing stateside was pretty sweet man. 

Heilung and Nick Cave are the last two bands I REALLY want to see live.  Really wish I could have caught the Lifa shows.