As we approach October, it would be time for all the high-profile releases to be released as much as possible. But the industry has changed: anything that tries to be published in the run-up to the holidays is regularly pushed. Let’s go back to spring or summer. And this year, what a spring and summer we’ve had, and a lot of people agree that it’s the most productive year for the game in 10 or 15 years.
Now the conversation turns to GOTY 2023 and who could get nominated and probably take home the crown. I think by now things have solidified and everyone is more or less in agreement that the “main” GOTY award is the Game Awards, the closest to the Oscars, despite all of their built-in advertising. Each YouTuber and Forbes will have their own individual picks, but the Game Awards nominations and winners are massive teams of journalists, creators and developers voting.
This was inspired by my friend Destin asking the question on Twitter, and now I’ll do my own picks here. Not what I think should get nominated or win, necessarily, but what I can see getting nominated or winning, based on how this year has gone. Last year there were six nominees, so we’ll go with that again.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – There’s no debate about this, the only debate is whether or not GOTY will win, and while I’m sure it will at launch, I’ve now replaced my mind. No, I don’t think that a real challenge of the game is to “reuse” the Hyrule map from Breath of the Wild, because everything it adds, adding its new construction mechanics, is incredible, and it is an all-time vintage despite of being unorthodox. following.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Now I’m incredibly confident that Baldur, and not Tears, will win GOTY. It’s surely amazing what Larian has created here, not only in terms of scale, but also in terms of creating some of the most memorable NPCs and debates in video game history. Instantly ancient characters intertwined in captivating stories. A return to the TTRPG fight that fans of the genre love. A mythical series that has taken on new life and would surely be GOTY’s favorite this year.
Starfield: I know Starfield has had its ups and downs in terms of public opinion since its release, but fundamentally it’s a hugely ambitious Bethesda game, and when was the last time we didn’t notice any of the nominees on a list?So, apart from Fallout 76? In another year he might have won, but this year he wouldn’t, and he probably wouldn’t release Fallout 3 or Skyrim this year, despite a possible nomination.
spider man 2
Spider-Man 2 – Can you assume that a game that hasn’t been released yet will be nominated?I think you can. There’s no shortage of Insomniac, and it looks like this will be another top-notch single-player superhero experience that they’ll enjoy. While I have a review copy, I haven’t started it yet, so this was based on inside information about how Spider-Man 1 and Miles Morales were developed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him here, even if once back he doesn’t win.
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 Remake: I know it was released in March, but I don’t think we can forget how important this review is, a 93 on Metacritic, another amazing update to the Capcom series. Although I would say that a “remaster” would be cheating to make a list like this, a complete remake? No, count. I think it will be here.
Sea of Stars
Sea of Stars: There is almost at least one non-AAA game that ranks first on lists like this, and no, I don’t think those types of games deserve to be excluded as contenders for victory. But not this year. We saw this happen when It Takes Two beat Resident Evil Village, Deathloop, and Ratchet and Clank, among others, to win GOTY in 2021. This year, I feel like Sea of Stars would possibly be this option, but I’d guess let’s see.
Armored Core 6
Armored Core VI – This is possibly a bit niche, but it’s incredibly well made and I think it can find a place here as well. My other possible choices for that sixth spot (again, Tears and Baldurs definitely wouldn’t win) would be Final Fantasy XVI, Jedi Survivor, or Street Fighter 6. I don’t think Diablo Four will be nominated due to the abandonment of the liveArray service. ball. The nominating organization will not include Hogwarts Legacy in this list. And I don’t think Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion counts as a full game on this list.
Those are my picks for what I think will be nominated. Feel free to share your personal GOTY with me on Twitter.
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