My personal choice for Game of the Year and I how feel about this year's Game Awards
It’s that time of year again. Award season has begun. The Golden Joystick Awards kick off things. The game I am rooting for the most, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth won 4 awards!
Rebirth won Best Soundtrack and Best Storytelling. Cody Chrisitan won Best Lead Performer while Briana White took home the award for Best Supporting Performer. It’s quite fitting that Cloud and Aerith’s voice performers both won awards for best performances. I can bet it made many Cloud, Aerith, and Clerith fans happy. It certainly did yours truly. But these two absolutely deserved to win for their stellar performances.
FF7 Rebirth didn’t win Ultimate Game of the Year. It was a runner-up to Black Myth Wukong. While I bummed a bit that Rebirth didn’t win Ultimate GOTY. I am happy for Game Science and Black Myth Wukong. Considering what they had to go through before the game’s release. Rebirth winning four awards is still impressive in my book.
Once again, Rebirth is nominated for seven awards at the Game Awards. It shares that amount with Astro Bot. It’s fitting that Rebirth is being nominated for seven awards. Rebirth is also a nominee for GOTY. Other than Astro Bot, Rebirth has strong competition with Metaphor Refantazio, Black Myth Wukong, Baltaro, and Elden Ring?! To be more precise, Elden Ring’s DLC is a GOTY contender!
As a disclaimer, I have to say that I greatly respect and admire Elden Ring and From Software. I don’t blame them, Elden Ring, or its DLC. I am even leaving Geoff Knightly off the hook since he is not part of the jurors. But I have one question to ask the critics. What the hell were you thinking?!
First, Elden Ring already won GOTY in 2022. Second, Shadow of the Erdtree is an expansion and not a full game, I repeat, “The DLC is not a full game!” Third, players must progress pretty far in the Elden Ring to access the DLC. The five other games for GOTY are ones you can play from the start.
So, what do I think about having a DLC as a GOTY candidate? I think it sets a bad precedent for the Games Awards. If SOTE wins GOTY, then it could have a large, negative impact on the industry. What precedent does that kind of result set if you can simply create an expansion of a highly successful game? And that expansion of the game easily becomes GOTY? Lastly, is it fair to have the DLC nominated when the full game won GOTY two years?!
I feel the nomination also spits in the face of FF7 Rebirth, Metaphor Refantazio, Black Myth Wukong, Astro Bot, and Baltaro. I know that most of these games have been in development for a least a few years or more. And these games have had major success. More importantly, these five games have had a significant impact on the industry.
No offense to SOTE and Elden Ring, I feel that extra spot or two could have gone to Stellar Blade or Silent Hill 2 Remake. Stellar Blade has also been the talk of the gaming industry even months before its release. It has been massively successful for Shift Up. The game has made them a major player in the gaming industry. However, the game and its protagonist, Eve, have a major impact on the industry.
Finally, do I think SOTE doesn’t deserve any awards at all? Absolutely not. But I would happily give SOTE the award for best expansion or DLC. The Golden Joystick Awards has this category. So why can’t the Game Awards do the same thing? They easily could have created a category.
Obviously, the critics nominated more with their hearts than their heads. And I am not trying to be disparaging or mean in any way. After all, I voting for Rebirth with my heart. In my heart, Rebirth is my personal GOTY for various reasons. However, I also voted for Rebirth with my mind and soul.
So, if Rebirth is your GOTY, then go and vote for it! If Metaphor is your GOTY, then cast your vote for it. If any of the three games are your GOTY, then I implore you to do the same thing. And I won’t hold it against anyone who votes for SOTE, it was your best gaming experience of the year. That’s perfectly fine.
After all, this is the Game Awards’ debacle and not you the gamer, the consumer. More specifically, this debacle is on the critics who voted Shadow of the Erdtree to be a GOTY candidate. But if you want your desired game to win Game of the Year publicly. Then I ask you to vote for it. And even if your desired GOTY candidate does not win the grand prize. Remember that your GOTY game is already a winner in your heart. And no one can ever take that away from you.
Comments