Tastes is definitely going to be what determines things overall, but I kinda agree. 2017 was a great combination of quality & quantity and I feel like 2018 was more of a quality over quantity year for amazing titles
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Is 2018 a weaker year than 2017 when it comes to real GOTY contenders?
- Thread starter golguin
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Same thought. And 2017 had Horizon, Cuphead, Civ 6 and Xenoblade too. Some of my favourite games of the last decade.
User Banned (1 Day): Personal attacks against another member; previous warning
Metacritic is more valid than one individual's opinion though.
Don't listen to Nib though, he will always fight for the year where a Sony exclusive is considered GOTY. His hate for Nintendo is real, I remember from the IGN Boards days. Not sure why he has the same username, since he was a major Sony fanboy back then, and still is.
Horizon,BotW,Mario,Nier,Prey,Persona and im sure im forgetting some too
Amazing games,2017 was a clearly superior year
Amazing games,2017 was a clearly superior year
2018 is one of the weaker years for me, only DQXI and Monster Boy are real contenders for me (and a few indies that I'm waiting on physical editions or deep discounts for). Last year had freaking Zelda, Mario, Nier Automata, P5, Yakuza 0, YsVIII, Xenoblade 2 and more. All great games that I would be happy see get goty awards.
Ehh I'm not too sure about BotW though I agree on Odyssey.
RDR2 started being picked apart and became divisive by release day. GoW scored a good bit lower than BotW and will probably be outsold by it
What? Only 3 of those games legitimately had a shot and the game that dominated was BotW as opposed to 2018 that had more Must Plays on Metacritic than 2017 and right now has one of the tightest races for GotY that we've seen in years. That doesn't show that 2017 was stronger. In fact, it shows that it was weaker.
On top of finding that completely unlikely order, that's quite the foresight there. I see little point in guessing a decade worth of recognition.
If I were to entertain the thought at all, I would probably attend to Nintendo bias first. Zelda > Mario Odyssey (hosted by nothing but Switch launch year recognition) > God of War = Red Dead Redemption 2.
I don't even see what multiple lesser or greater than signs would mean in this context, so no point in that.
Last year had more GOTG contenders than this year easily. Odyssey, BotW and Persona were all 93+ on Meta. Throw in NieR and Horizon because I feel many people put them up there too.
The reason it's so tight between RDR2 and GoW is because there isn't anything as acclaimed or groundbreaking as BotW to sweep, not because it was the only GOTG last year.
Same with Witcher sweeping 2015. Other GOTG contenders included MGSV and BB but people clearly though W3 was heads and shoulders above the rest.
The reason it's so tight between RDR2 and GoW is because there isn't anything as acclaimed or groundbreaking as BotW to sweep, not because it was the only GOTG last year.
Same with Witcher sweeping 2015. Other GOTG contenders included MGSV and BB but people clearly though W3 was heads and shoulders above the rest.
Yea no....
With regards to OT red dead and gow are stronger contenders but there are a lot more games like Celeste, octopath, deadcells, acodyssey, mhw, astrobot, that can match up to horizon, persona, nier, etc.. personally speaking 2017 edges out 2018 just because of persona but 2018 is objectively the better year in terms of the quantity of high quality game releases.
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Yeah this. I'd also argue that HZD for example being nowhere near GOTY last year shows how strong 2017 was, because HZD was a great game but several games were better. This year it'd probably be 3rd/4th on my list because of the weaker lineup.
It's also a bit strange to me how several users ITT are throwing HZD under the bus along with all of 2017 when I remember they were declaring it to be GOTG this time last year.
2018 didn't do a ton for me, so I understand the sentiment. I did fully expect this though, so I wasn't caught off guard by it. It was clearly going to be a year where the biggest titles were going to be cinematic action games, and if they actually were a movie, they'd be movies I wouldn't bother to go see. Most of the 2018 games I ended up liking were smaller projects, and I had a good time with those though.
I got a ton out of 2017 though, and I can't expect every year to cater to my tastes. Clearly some people loved the 2018 offering, and it's only fair that those people got their turn as well.
I got a ton out of 2017 though, and I can't expect every year to cater to my tastes. Clearly some people loved the 2018 offering, and it's only fair that those people got their turn as well.
Side note that I think it's very possible for 2019 to be better than both this and last year.
Capcom in particular is gonna have a great year by March, Sony has like four potential games to release, MS should be coming back into the fold. Nintendo needs to show up and do their thing though, I don't wanna set anything in stone with them.
Capcom in particular is gonna have a great year by March, Sony has like four potential games to release, MS should be coming back into the fold. Nintendo needs to show up and do their thing though, I don't wanna set anything in stone with them.
No, the reason it's so tight is because 2018 has two titles while 2017 just had one. It's not like other games are getting GOTY besides GOW and RDR2
But last year BOTW swept which means it was the only contender? You are really gonna argue GoW and RDR2 aren't groundbreaking and if they released last year BOTW still would have swept?
Delusions. Horizon was the closest contender to Zelda last year. GOW and RDR2 are far more acclaimed than Horizon. If they released last year, it would absolutely not been a sweep. Zelda may not have even won though I think it probably would of still.
It was a good year for gaming enthusiasts. In comparison to 2017 these goty contenders won't be anything I will think about a few month/ years from now though (except the world design of Red Dead maybe). In my opinion the contenders lacked that certain something while having exceptional production values.
Obviously it wouldn't have swept as much if you throw both of those in because you're simply adding more amazing games to the mix, but yes I still think it would've been the clear frontrunner even with both of those. Again, it already outscored GoW and media outlets are giving more awards to GoW which means RDR2 didn't stick with them as well.
You have to remember the media is giving these awards. The same media that gave BotW a 97 Meta and then 9 months later showered it with awards in an absolutely packed year.
You mean 2018, one of gaming's best years ever?
Sorry, but no. BOTW and SMO were disappointments and after the initial hype a lot of people are coming round to the same conclusion.
Sorry, but no. BOTW and SMO were disappointments and after the initial hype a lot of people are coming round to the same conclusion.
MC scores is such a weak argument, an 89 rated game last year beat a 97 so it isn't just about how high a game is scored, any of the 3 would have had an equal chance if they'd released the same year, there really isn't an argument if favor of any of them being the clear winner.
Not really, I feel like BotW did mostly everything better than RDR2 except maybe the visuals (and obviously the story). It feels like a huge step back going to an open world game with heavily scripted quests and hardly any freedom of exploration.
GoW is better than Mario Odyssey though - which, to me, was disappointing - even though I haven't really finished either of these for various reasons.
I don't know any other GOTY contenders for 2018 or 2017 - I heard Astro Bot is really good but I don't have VR to try it - and Spider-Man didn't really catch my attention the way the other games I mentioned did.
GoW is better than Mario Odyssey though - which, to me, was disappointing - even though I haven't really finished either of these for various reasons.
I don't know any other GOTY contenders for 2018 or 2017 - I heard Astro Bot is really good but I don't have VR to try it - and Spider-Man didn't really catch my attention the way the other games I mentioned did.
Well I mean there aren't really any other ways to back up an argument for discussions like this. MC is really one of the best there is. Plus I also used BotW's longevity too.
But yes, it is a hypothetical and we'll never really know. Maybe they would've outscored BotW if they released in the same year. I just really doubt it, personally.
Even pushing quality and reception aside, BotW was also the perfect game to introduce Nintendo's shiny new hardware with. It would dominate mindshare from that point of view as well, 2017 was the Switch's year.
It is absolutely true that, among gaming enthusiasts, Odyssey is not looked as favourable to as with its launch. However, BotW will forever be remembered as one of the all-time gaming greats - a status I do not see GoW having or holding on to. It is not a revolutionary game and will eventually be outclassed because it does nothing 'unique' in that sense. Don't get me wrong, it does everything insanely good. But it will be reached again.
Forget about RDR2.
Forget about RDR2.
GoW and RDR are disappointmens right after playing them to me.
Yah this was kind of an "off" year, but it still had plenty of good games.
Topping Nier + Persona 5 + BOTW + Odyssey + Xenoblade 2 + Nioh is almost impossible though.
Looks like 2019 will return to form a bit though hopefully. And we got great indie titles this year like Celeste (my GOTY).
Topping Nier + Persona 5 + BOTW + Odyssey + Xenoblade 2 + Nioh is almost impossible though.
Looks like 2019 will return to form a bit though hopefully. And we got great indie titles this year like Celeste (my GOTY).
Funny it devolved into Nintendo vs Sony as per usual.
2017 was an amazing year for far more reasons than Nintendo.
Prey, RE7, Evil Within 2, Persona 5, Ys 8, NieR: Automata, Cuphead, Horizon, Sonic Mania, Hollow Knight, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Nioh and Yakuza 0 were all damn amazing. It just so happens Nintendo was also on top of their game in front of an already excellent year.
Arguing that it comes down to a couple of GOTY contenders is just disingenuous. You're arguing all quality titles in an entire year, not the top 3.
2017 was an amazing year for far more reasons than Nintendo.
Prey, RE7, Evil Within 2, Persona 5, Ys 8, NieR: Automata, Cuphead, Horizon, Sonic Mania, Hollow Knight, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Nioh and Yakuza 0 were all damn amazing. It just so happens Nintendo was also on top of their game in front of an already excellent year.
Arguing that it comes down to a couple of GOTY contenders is just disingenuous. You're arguing all quality titles in an entire year, not the top 3.
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The variety in everybody's 1st place was crazy. That shows that last year was more diverse and had more to offer.
I don't like Mario Odyssey or H:ZD but I recognized that so many loved them enough to have them as their #1.
Disagree massively. RDR2, Spiderman and GOW in the same year...all 3 trump what i played last year.
I play few games every year, so the concept of GotY contenders is kinda foreign to me in the first place. Plus BotW blew me away, and I don't care about Western games that err more on the realistic or Hollywood sensibility, so God of War and Red Dead Redemption were never on my radar in the first place. With few exceptions, I like my games 'gamey', if that makes sense. And I like Japanese game design better in general.
I almost wish RDR2 and BotW went head to head against each other this year or the last, so we could have seen who would have been the bigger critical darling. Those two games are so diametrically opposed in every way that it would have been very interesting to see where people stood at the end of the.
Regardless of my tastes, I strongly believe the future will look much more fondly on BotW than on RDR2. I understand RDR2 is already more controversial than BotW was last year. RDR2's realism will age (visually, that is), and its game design is already antiquated. BotW will make a much bigger impact on game design. So yeah, if I had to pick a year, I'd have to say 2017 has it based on BotW alone. But I can't think of any other contender that year... Though I'd love to give Persona 5 a shot.
I almost wish RDR2 and BotW went head to head against each other this year or the last, so we could have seen who would have been the bigger critical darling. Those two games are so diametrically opposed in every way that it would have been very interesting to see where people stood at the end of the.
Regardless of my tastes, I strongly believe the future will look much more fondly on BotW than on RDR2. I understand RDR2 is already more controversial than BotW was last year. RDR2's realism will age (visually, that is), and its game design is already antiquated. BotW will make a much bigger impact on game design. So yeah, if I had to pick a year, I'd have to say 2017 has it based on BotW alone. But I can't think of any other contender that year... Though I'd love to give Persona 5 a shot.
On the RDR2 vs BotW debate - I strongly believe these games are nowhere close to each other gameplay-wise. Zelda completely flipped the script and revolutionized the open world genre + changed the course of one of the most iconic game series of all time. RDR2 perfected a stale and antiquated formula that wouldn't be out of place if it was last gen.
One will be remembered as one of the greatest games ever, the other will be remembered as just another installment in a big AAA series (much like GTA IV isn't looked back on very fondly nowadays)
One will be remembered as one of the greatest games ever, the other will be remembered as just another installment in a big AAA series (much like GTA IV isn't looked back on very fondly nowadays)
Cheers to all of this, right down to Celeste being the rightful GOTY 2018
Your mistake is going off of what ERA picked. I'm going off of what the consensus GotY was for 2017 and it was BotW by a country mile. All the other games that everyone keeps posting for 2017 didn't even come close. Now compare that to 2018 where the diversity is much more apparent.
Agreed. Those games had a way greater impact on me than last year's fare.
I play few games every year, so the concept of GotY contenders is kinda foreign to me in the first place. Plus BotW blew me away, and I don't care about Western games that err more on the realistic or Hollywood sensibility, so God of War and Red Dead Redemption were never on my radar in the first place. With few exceptions, I like my games 'gamey', if that makes sense. And I like Japanese game design better in general.
I almost wish RDR2 and BotW went head to head against each other this year or the last, so we could have seen who would have been the bigger critical darling. Those two games are so diametrically opposed in every way that it would have been very interesting to see where people stood at the end of the.
Regardless of my tastes, I strongly believe the future will look much more fondly on BotW than on RDR2. I understand RDR2 is already more controversial than BotW was last year. RDR2's realism will age (visually, that is), and its game design is already antiquated. BotW will make a much bigger impact on game design. So yeah, if I had to pick a year, I'd have to say 2017 has it based on BotW alone. But I can't think of any other contender that year... Though I'd love to give Persona 5 a shot.
I almost wish RDR2 and BotW went head to head against each other this year or the last, so we could have seen who would have been the bigger critical darling. Those two games are so diametrically opposed in every way that it would have been very interesting to see where people stood at the end of the.
Regardless of my tastes, I strongly believe the future will look much more fondly on BotW than on RDR2. I understand RDR2 is already more controversial than BotW was last year. RDR2's realism will age (visually, that is), and its game design is already antiquated. BotW will make a much bigger impact on game design. So yeah, if I had to pick a year, I'd have to say 2017 has it based on BotW alone. But I can't think of any other contender that year... Though I'd love to give Persona 5 a shot.
Same could easily be said about GoW and RDR2. See Matthewmatosis' vid on GoW which came out not long after its launch.