Game of the Year Nominees revealed for The Game Awards
The Game Awards, hosted by Geoff "Starfield" Keighley, will be shown from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, December 12th. The Nominees for Game of the Year have been released. We reviewed or talked about most of them. Here is what we thought.
Astro Bot
"Team ASOBI came out swinging for the fences, expanding on the existing games in the series in every direction. Astro Bot is a delight in every sense of the word. A magnificent tour through Sony PlayStation’s history, the franchise – and the Astro Bot character – has enough charm and chops to now launch forward as PlayStation's premier mascot-driven series. Stellar platforming, a mountain of secrets, and a never-ending sense of discovery and adventure, Astro Bot is a new classic.So. Much. Fun." - Eric Hauter, Editor In Chief, from his review. 10 out of 10.
Black Myth Wukong
"Black Myth: Wukong is a gorgeous game and if you’ve got the system to play it at max settings, you’ll be treated to a fun cinematic experience. DLSS3 really helps with performance in this very demanding game and for those wanting to push their machine to the max, this game will do just that." - "Main Man" John Yan, from his Tech Analysis on PC and GE Force RTX 4090
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
"Elden Ring is everything I’ve ever wanted in a game, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the game has in store. Every inch of the Lands Between, from the insanely beautiful art direction and brutally challenging enemies to the richly deep narrative, showcases From Software’s best project yet. I can without a doubt say that this will be my game of the year when it comes out." - Former Staff Writer
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
"With the core team assembled, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth feels like embarking on a fantastic adventure with a gang of your best friends. More open, action-packed, and surprisingly funny, Rebirth gives players days of content and the freedom to pursue it, while still telling a wonderful and cohesive story. Every aspect of Remake has been examined, refined, and improved. This is the franchise's Empire Strikes Back, in all the best ways." - EIC Eric Hauter, review, 9.5.
One of the games we neglected to cover was the last year announced Metaphor ReFantazio. Metaphor ReFantazio is an RPG from the makers of Persona 3, 4, and 5. It has amazing reviews, currently sitting at a 94% critic score, via Metacritic. It looks phenomenal, but I would have to find time to play it, as well as the last 3 Personas, and that's after FFVII Rebirth. Gawk at it's visuals here.
Balatro is described as a rogue like, deck builder, where you play illegal games of poker. The joy comes from finding Jokers to help you win all the points. I'm sure rogue like means lose, and lose again, until you figure it out and start winning. They've also crossed over with The Witcher III, Vampire Survivors, Dave the Diver, and Among Us. I have also not touched this one, but maybe it's worth a shot. It has a 90 on Metacritic, if that means anything to you.
The internet is already up in arms about these selections, saying that DLC should not win Game of the Year, but they must not know how voting works. We get to vote on these games, ourselves, so if we don't want something to win, we shouldn't vote on it. I know with the internet, we're used to making a big stink, and getting what we want like a bunch of e-Karens, but maybe you should just vote. Good luck.
