Board 8 > What six games will be nominated for GotY at the Game Awards?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Nominations will be revealed fairly soon, with the field being a little less AAA-dominated than it often is. Technically games up through November 15 are eligible, but November doesn't really have a lot of contenders coming out, so the field should be settled by now. Here's some of the top-reviewed games:

Best-reviewed AAA games:

Donkey Kong Bananza
Split Fiction
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Death Stranding 2
Monster Hunter Wilds
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter (this isn't indie, but it's not quite AAA...?)

Best-reviewed indies:
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (same as Trails, haha)
Hades 2
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Blue Prince
Keep Driving
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo

Not sure if there's much for dark horses. Biggest one might be Indiana Jones, since it's eligible as a December game from last year? Any thoughts or predix for this or other categories?

Donkey Kong
Split Fiction
Death Stranding 2
Clair Obscur
Hades 2
Silksong

Something like that I imagine

Split Fiction
Death Stranding 2
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Hades 2
Hollow Knight: Silksong

Not sure on the 6th, but those 5 feel like pretty safe picks I think

Clair Obscura
Silksong
Kingdom Come 2
Donkey Kong
Death Stranding 2
Hades 2

i guess i don't really know but as someone who is generally years behind on games and is just going by vibes i've felt...?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hades 2
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Death Stranding 2
Split Fiction

swordz9 posted...

Split Fiction
Death Stranding 2
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Hades 2
Hollow Knight: Silksong

Not sure on the 6th, but those 5 feel like pretty safe picks I think

I was thinking the same thing, those 5 "feel" good. For the 6th I don't know about Donkey Kong Bananza. Ghost of Yotei not good enough to slot in there?

I wanna believe in DK, but I wouldnt at all be surprised if it doesnt make the cut.

Nintendo almost always has a representative in the top 6, and it's far better reviewed than Yotei. I'd say Yotei and Split Fiction are the two needing to battle it out for the last slot.

Hbthebattle posted...

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hades 2
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Death Stranding 2
Split Fiction

seems right

willing to bet on DK as the Nintendo rep, only two times it hasnt been repped (2016 and 2018, extremely weak years for Nintendo. Smash was later so 2019)

indies feel a tad heavy but feel there is more cultural relevance from Silksong + Hades II there than Yotei/MH Wilds/Doom Dark Ages/Indy etc

There are on my view a pretty solid four:

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong

Then you have four games fighting for the remaining two spots:

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Split Fiction
Blue Prince
Hades II

Looking at those, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 feels like the weakest as it came out so early and lost momentum over time. Split Fiction also doesnt feel like it quite hit the level of lasting hype within the industry that Blue Prince and Hades II did so although its very close with the former I will for now predict:

Blue Prince
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hades II

Oh Blue Prince is a fair choice too, wonder if the added exposure from PS++ and Game Pass gets it to sneak in

I don't see a world where 4/6 nominees are indies. I think Blue Prince is just crowded out. It being an early year release doesn't help (same reason Indiana Jones is probably getting crowded out)

kcd2 probably also not getting shit because the director is a chud lol

Split Fiction is also early although the people love Josef and it might be worth a slot just to bring him in again lol

I think Split Fiction gets the slot over Yotei specifically because it's the follow-up to a previous winner. Tsushima didn't win, so its sequel getting snubbed would be less weird, I think.

I think in a world where Silksong didn't come out this year, Blue Prince gets the nomination but otherwise I think it gets shut out in favor of Silksong and Hades 2

Arc Raiders is in contention

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hades II
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Split Fiction

Pretty confident about these six.

Mythiot posted...

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hades II
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Split Fiction

Pretty confident about these six.

Sub in Ghost of Yotei for Hades II and that would be my guess

Blue Prince is absolutely going to get relegated into Indie Game purgatory.

There's a distinct possibility we get:
Debut Indie: Blue Prince
Indie of the Year: Hades II
GOTY: Silksong

Blue Prince deserves to be in there but I do think it likely gets crowded out, sadly.

My wife is pretty confident that Bananza actually won't make the GotY noms, but not sure I agree there.

Clair Obscur
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hades II
Ghost of Ytei
Death Stranding 2

My power rankings at the moment:

1) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
(Has been the front-runner since the moment it was released. Though it's been pushed a bit as more games have been released, it's never really fallen from this spot and GOTY seems like it's E33's to lose at this point. Wouldn't be shocked if it lost but I'd almost take it against the field at this point.)

2) Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
(Seems like this game has been a solid part of the GOTY conversation ever since it came out and has generally been trending up slowly but steadily, to the point where I'd honestly put it above any of the indie darlings. Also factor in that Hideo Kojima is a Game Awards darling and it seems like DS2 has home field advantage in some ways. The reception for DS2 has also been better than for the original Death Stranding, and I wouldn't be shocked to see this take it all.)

3) Hades II
(Hades II has just been really well received by everyone, players and review outlets alike. I'd have put this at #2 right when it came out but now that the initial lovefest has subsided I think it's slid down a spot to #3. Still could definitely take the GOTY award and I think it's a shoo-in for a nomination.)

4) Kingdom Come II: Deliverance
(I dunno why this game's being left off so many prediction lists. Yeah, it came out early in the year, but honestly the reception for this game's only improved over time. It seems to pop up in pretty much every mention of GOTY nominees so I have no clue why it's being ignored as much as it is. It also seems like it'll occupy Black Myth: Wukong's "Gamer's Choice" slot for this year if anything. Will it win? I doubt it, but chances of it being nominated are really strong and I'm honestly seeing more love for this game right now than for...)

5) Hollow Knight: Silksong
(Silksong has REALLY slipped. I mean, it's still a probable GOTY nominee, but I feel like the controversy over its difficulty has seeped into the mainstream conversation over this game enough that right now I highly doubt it has a huge shot at winning GOTY. Will it be nominated? Most likely, but it too has slipped from a high of #2 right after its release, all the way down here to #5. Still an excellent game that deserves to be nominated, but I'm seeing more controversy surrounding this game right now than I expected to see at this point and that's why I have it down here.)

6) Split Fiction
(Split Fiction, I feel, is still more likely than not to get a GOTY nomination, though its chances right now are looking to be really close to 50/50. It's still beloved in general, I haven't heard too many bad things about it, the only real knock against it is that it came out early enough that people have forgotten about it... but when you bring it up, people still love it. Also consider that it's the spiritual successor to the 2021 winner (though 2025 is a MUCH stronger year), and I think it just edges out a few of the other contenders. Right now, it's on the bubble.)

7) Ghost Of Yotei
(Ghost of Yotei obviously wouldn't shock me if it got nominated. Reviews, while not spectacular, were still great, and amongst people who've actually played the game and aren't just hating on it because they don't like Atsu's actress, it's considered to be really fun and a worthy successor to Tsushima. The only reason it's down here is because it didn't blow many people away, but being the year's AAA Sony first party game might still be enough. It'd be a shoo-in in most years, but this is a crowded field and it might just get bumped.)

8) Donkey Kong Bananza
(From "Move over, Expedition 33, there's a new Game of the Year frontrunner!" to the bad side of the bubble in just three months... it's a shame how far Bananza's stock has fallen. I had this game all the way down at #10 as recently as earlier today. It's impossible to deny that the controversy over Nintendo's business practices regarding the Switch 2, plus the negative reaction to this game's DLC have hurt it considerably. Voters may well hold that against DK Bananza. They shouldn't, because it's an awesome game, but you know how voters in these kinds of things are. It's tough to shake the Switch 2 stink right now. Still, the Game Awards have been platformer friendly. Astro Bot took the grand prize last year. So.... Bananza may get in, but I still have doubts. Not quite as many as I did just recently though.)

9) Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
(I mean, technically it's not even a 2025 release, but considering how the Game Awards does their "year", this holdover from 2024 is eligible. Metroid Prime 4 will be in the running next year, though it'll have a mountain to climb to have any chance against GTA VI. Anyway... I mean, what can you say? It's a great Indiana Jones game, and unlike Bananza, its DLC was actually positively received. Still, it came out a LONG time ago, and voters may be reluctant to reward a game that admittedly didn't have the best review scores... but still, it had damn good ones. I think this game's in the same boat as Ghost of Yotei, though I'd give Yotei the edge.)

10) The Blue Prince
(Just... bad luck for this game to come out in the best year for indies in history. What once was as high as #2 or #3 has plummeted almost out of contention... but don't underestimate voters who might've had a blast with this game. It's definitely stranger than any of the other contenders, but it might surprise and get a nomination.)

Hbthebattle posted...

kcd2 probably also not getting shit because the director is a chud lol

They always throw the chuds a bone (see: Black Myth: Wukong), and KCD2 is a better game than Wukong, so I imagine it'll get a nom to keep them off Geoff Keighley's back for another year.

LiquidOshawott posted...

willing to bet on DK as the Nintendo rep, only two times it hasnt been repped (2016 and 2018, extremely weak years for Nintendo. Smash was later so 2019)

and last year? Astro, Balatro, Wukong, Erdtree, Rebirth, Metaphor

saying that, two straight years of no Nintendo probably would be even more irregular so liking DK's chances more now...

if only Mario Kart World didn't like, immediately fall out of public consciousness, lol

Oh I completely forgot last year lol

but I dunno I think Bonanza is probably held in the same regard, if not close as most of the other EAD titles right?

DK
E33
Silksong
Hades 2
Death Stranding 2
Yotei

swordz9 posted...

Split Fiction
Death Stranding 2
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Hades 2
Hollow Knight: Silksong

Not sure on the 6th, but those 5 feel like pretty safe picks I think

This, though it feels weird to predict 3 indies at the Keighley awards. The TGAs love Fares and Kojima.

As for the last slot, take your pick between Bananza, Kingdom Come, or maaaybe Ghosts of Yotei. I really don't know which way that would land. Maybe the first two both get in at the expense of Hades or Silksong.

How about some other category predix? Who gets in for Best Performance?

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

Arc Raiders is in contention

Btw their last game, The Finals, premiered during and with a simultaneous launch, so the team is aware of Embark.

I'm taking a longshot bet on this one, but it's that fucking good and also it's the #1 game on Twitch.

Surprised at all the Yotei picks but could underestimate it, just didnt seem to pick up a lot of support but I could be less in touch with general audience lately

Donkey Kong Bananza
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Hades 2
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Split Fiction
Death Stranding 2

First 4 feel like locks.

andylt posted...

Who gets in for Best Performance?

Ben Starr, Jennifer English, Erika Ishii, Andy Serkis might get a nod for bonus big celeb points.

Murphiroth posted...

Ben Starr, Jennifer English, Erika Ishii, Andy Serkis might get a nod for bonus big celeb points.

I feel like they might go for Famous Man Charlie Cox for E33, and I haven't played it but I'm almost certain Death Stranding gets multiple names in.

Troy Baker genuinely might get it this year (Indy, DS2)

I just updated my prediction.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/5f1d4382.jpg

I could see Split Fiction over GoY, but otherwise, I think this is it.

andylt posted...

I feel like they might go for Famous Man Charlie Cox for E33, and I haven't played it but I'm almost certain Death Stranding gets multiple names in.

Yeah might be Cox instead, you're right. And I'm sure DS2 gets at least one or two names in as well.

Hades 2 could get a performance nod. Not sure who for though. Melinoe has the most screentime, but Prometheus and Hecate both impress me more, performance-wise.

Silent Hill f might get a nod there too, though it suffers from being Japanese.

My predicted nominees for Best Performance would be:

Aaron Paul as Robert Robertson III (Dispatch)
Ben Starr as Verso (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
Erika Ishii as Atsu (Ghost of Ytei)
Jennifer English as Maelle (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)
Troy Baker as Higgs (Death Stranding 2: On the Beach)

Could also see Adriyan Rae (South of Midnight), Andy Serkis (E33), Laura Bailey (Dispatch), Luca Marinelli (DS2), Tom McKay (KCD2), and the other big Troy Baker performance (Indy) being nominated. Very stacked year for performances.

Higgs getting in instead of any other DS2 or Troy Baker character would be a shame.

Hecate's VA getting a nom would be cool, I really like her

Bane_Of_Despair posted...

Donkey Kong
Split Fiction
Death Stranding 2
Clair Obscur
Hades 2
Silksong

Something like that I imagine

Yeah this is what I think the six are pretty solidly. I could see Ghost of Yotei over SF or DS2 I guess. Maybe KCD2 but it just feels like it's outside. It's funny to have so many indie darlings here, especially both Silksong and Hades II, but I just don't see them getting left out; they've generated more conversation than most of the AAA games. I think SF and DS2 both make it because they just both come from really strong pedigrees for TGA.

I've been wanting to play Silent Hill f, but it seems like that's a minority opinion, so I guess it won't be here.

My guess:
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Donkey Kong Bananza
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hades 2
Ghost of Yotei
Death Stranding 2

Hades II, Clair Obscur, and Silksong were all monster hits though critically and financially. Not like the indies of old.

possibly the three best selling out of this list

Clair Obscur doesn't even "look like an indie game" so it barely matters for the purposes of the indie conversation

Hades II and Silksong are both exactly what people think of when they think indie game, but I think they're both just too good to miss

Paratroopa1 posted...

Clair Obscur doesn't even "look like an indie game" so it barely matters for the uroses of the indie conversation

Hades II and Silksong are both exactly what eole think of when they think indie game, but I think they're both just too good to miss

and sequels to two of the most popular indie games ever

I actually think with Blue Prince, it isnt the fact that it is indie that hurts it, but the fact that it is a puzzle game.

Caves of Qud sweep

Using this topic as my annual soapbox to say they should really split performance into lead and supporting categories like every other games awards show has already. It just lets more performances be recognised, especially supporting performances. As it stands now, the nominations always end up being the fove leads from the games with major performance elements and one token supporting performance.

Also, the best performance in Clair Obscur was Andy Serkis imo.

RySenkari posted...

They always throw the chuds a bone (see: Black Myth: Wukong), and KCD2 is a better game than Wukong, so I imagine it'll get a nom to keep them off Geoff Keighley's back for another year.

Wukong wasn't nominated as a bone for Western internet rightwingers, so I think that's irrelevant. They didn't give Hogwarts Legacy a slot despite decentish reviews. No other year has had what I see as a "bone thrown to the chuds" from what I see.

like, KCD2 isn't repping the flag for legitimizing a whole country's game industry. And honestly, even if there was no political stuff in the way, it'd probably still not be in contention for the convo around it being small, early release in the year, and E33 being a "historic European rpg" crowding it out even if they're not actually very similar.

Also, Silksong has probably had less controversy around its difficulty than Hades 2 did its ending. I think the latter's position is less safe.

Donkey Kong
Clair Obscur
Split Fiction
Hades 2
Silksong

not sure on the sixth but I feel pretty confident with those 5.