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The Game Awards 2021 Nominees

Black_Stride

do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Holy crap that's an absolutely horrible list of nominees.
TGA is a popularity contest, just a really stupid popularity contest.
They dont even require the jury to have played the games.
So basically if you give a game a decent marketing push strong chance the game gets nominated.

BAFTA the Jury have to play everything in contention and everything nominated.
 

ToTTenTranz

Banned
My votes:

GOTY: Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart
Game Direction: Ratchet Rift Apart
Best Narrative: Guardians of the Galaxy
Art Direction: Kena
Score and Music: Guardians of the Galaxy
Audio Design: Returnal
Best Performance: Lady Dimitresku
Games for Impact: Don't know / Don't care
Ongoing Game: Don't know / Don't care
Best Indie: Don't know / Don't care
Mobile Game: Don't know / Don't care
Community Support: No Man's Sky
Innovation in Accessibility: Forza Horizon 5
VR/AR: Hitman 3
Best Action: Deathloop
Action/Adventure: Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart
Best RPG: Tales of Arise (what is this, the year of JRPGs?!)
Best Fighting: Don't know / Don't care
Best Family: It Takes Two
Best Sim / Strategy: Age of Empires 4 (wtf sim and strategy is the same class?!)
Best Sports / Racing: Forza Horizon 5
Mutliplayer: It Takes Two
Content Creator: Don't know / Don't care
Debut Indie: Kena
Most Anticipated: God of War Ragnarok
Esports stuff: Don't know / Don't care
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
I don't normally give a shit about "GOTY" (yes even when my favorite games doesn't "win", lol) because it's hopelessly subjective and has no real purpose or value. But in this case there's obviously more to the story, and thus it's interesting. Even though the Forza Horizon 5 snub doesn't affect me nor its fans, nor the game itself, it might be an indication of a system that doesn't really care about the games but the politics and the money. Don't know much about the people behind this award, let's hope the backstory gets unwound at some stage.
 
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Gone

Banned
I mean I love Forza Horizon 5, but I played 4 and 5 back to back and except the graphics there is not much difference between the two. Its a great game a exquisitly crafted, but people have to understand that GOTY are games that push the medium forward, not just graphical upgrades to existing games.
How did Ratchet and Clank do this?
 
Deathloop is my GOTY and Hitman 3 is a runner up for me.

I think people will realized how good Deathloop is once it comes to game pass and more people can play it.

R&C Rift Apart was great also but I couldn't help but feel cheated when I paid like $70 for a 5-6 hour game.
 
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Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I chose RE Village as my GOTY. I personally loved it. People were cosplaying Lady Dimitrescu for months leading up to the game, it scored well, and a month or so later it’s forgotten about and people are complaining about it being on the list for GOTY. People are just following trends if that’s the case. Nothing would exactly fit that GOTY spot. Metroid isn’t even talked about after a month or two because it was streamed to completion within a week or two of its release. I think it’s one big joke. A game is hot for its launch and then the next one replaces it. I can’t remember Ratchet and Clank or even Deathloop being mentioned except Death Loop’s decent acting. Ratchet and Clank was fun, but it’s like no one talked about it beyond a couple weeks after it came out. Let alone be considered GOTY.
 

Great Hair

Banned
How did Ratchet and Clank do this?
R&C has not seen a "proper" new release since 2013. FH is 10 years old and has seen 5 entries. Some issues aside, FH2012 and FH2021 are the same, just a different map for $60, vfx, but same gameplay.

A game needs to compel at many levels, like (my GOTY) Returnal (atmospheric, audio, visuals, gameplay, story). Housemarque´s first true masterpiece.
 

Wulfer

Member
FH5 is very clearly getting snubbed imo. It has a very strong case for GOTY yet theres bullshit like Deathloop nominated lol

They'll never let a racing game win GOTY
I my opinion, it's no different than Marvel Movies getting snubbed all those years.
 
how the fuck did cyberpunk even get nominated?? lol wut
Best Score and Music
  • Cyberpunk 2077
The one area of the game that's not broken and is pretty good actually. Too bad the rest of the game is not up to the same standard.


Best Role Playing
  • Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
Yeah this is all kinds of 😂😂😂😂
 
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FH5 is very clearly getting snubbed imo. It has a very strong case for GOTY yet theres bullshit like Deathloop nominated lol

They'll never let a racing game win GOTY
Perhaps the feeling is that FH5 is just more of the same as they had in FH4 with a better coat of paint.

Horizon series is the only racing game I'd say that could get close to a Game Of The Year nomination but never does. It appeals to such a wide audience and the community is just growing with each iteration.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.

Best Roleplaying Game​

  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Monster Hunter Rise
  • Scarlet Nexus
  • Shin Megami Tensei V
  • Tales of Arise

Nothing against their selections exactly, (I agree with Scarlet Nexus, SMTV, and Tales of Arise being there), but it's weird to see a list like that when these games all came out this year:

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Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I agree with Scarlet Nexus
I enjoyed that game a lot but its not RPG so I dont know why is even on that list, the game is much more of action game. Bravely Default 2 much more deserved to be on that list than Nexus if we are talking about actual RPGs.
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I enjoyed that game a lot but its not RPG so I dont know why is even on that list, the game is much more of action game. Bravely Default 2 much more deserved to be on that list than Nexus if we are talking about actual RPGs.
An action RPG is still an RPG. I'm finding that battles in Tales of Arise are very similar feeling to Scarlet Nexus (though better) and I think most people consider Tales games to be RPGs.

Shin Megami Tensei V is the only game nominated that's turn based, which makes me sad.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
An action RPG is still an RPG. I'm finding that battles in Tales of Arise are very similar feeling to Scarlet Nexus (though better) and I think most people consider Tales games to be RPGs.

Shin Megami Tensei V is the only game nominated that's turn based, which makes me sad.
Tales of Arise is RPG you can control your party members while also give them order use their skill similar to FF7R, but in Scarlet Nexus you can use their powers but you have no control of their actions and If Astral Chain is considered Action-adventure, hack and slash then so is Scarlet Nexus.
 

Rykan

Member
This whole thing is shady AF. We're supposed to believe that "Every Major publication" has voted yet these sames publications rate FH5 as one of the highest rated games of the year? Come on. FH5 has an average metacritic score that is higher than any of those games.
 

kyliethicc

Member
This whole thing is shady AF. We're supposed to believe that "Every Major publication" has voted yet these sames publications rate FH5 as one of the highest rated games of the year? Come on. FH5 has an average metacritic score that is higher than any of those games.
Gaming media people don't view sports genre games, including racing games, as GOTY caliber titles anymore. Not since like PS2 era.
 
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Certinty

Member
Will be disgusted if Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't win best narrative. The best writing I've come across in gaming in years.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes






When do media outlets starting submitting their GOTY picks, does anyone know?

Gotta love how Keighley is both an MS fanboy and a Sony rat at the same time. No returnal! Fanboy! No Forza! Fanboy!

It's hilarious because this is the one award show where we get the least bias ever. You dont have BS fansites giving GOTY awards to their first party games. Everyone from IGN to Gamespot and Polygon get one vote. And even then it's usually just one guy. IIRC, he posted a list of all voters once and it was pretty much one editor per publication.

What's even more crazy is that Death Stranding and uncharted 4 lost to Sekiro and Overwatch respectively even though they ended up with MORE awards overall. Especially Death Stranding which ended up winning almost twice as many critics awards as Sekiro that year. I think the reason why Sony games win so much is because they are simply better than other games. Besides, winning two GOTY awards in the last 5 years isnt really that much. Yes, they get nominated a lot but why the hell wouldnt you nominate Bloodborne, Uncharted, Horizon and Death Stranding? It's not like they gave them the awards. it's just a nomination.
 

Fake

Member
Gotta love how Keighley is both an MS fanboy and a Sony rat at the same time. No returnal! Fanboy! No Forza! Fanboy!

Hate to admit, but IMO when a good game don't deserve the love he need, something is really wrong with the industry.

As much I joke with Xbox, Forza was a superb game, so no way he can't match in that place when games like Overwatch and PUBG can. When Overwatch won that GOTY this pretty much tell to the game world what type of game 'people' suppose to want.

As you can see, now we have our results. Lootboxes, GAAS, cash crab, DRM and mobile all over the place... while polish games get into dust.
 
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kyliethicc

Member
Gotta love how Keighley is both an MS fanboy and a Sony rat at the same time. No returnal! Fanboy! No Forza! Fanboy!

It's hilarious because this is the one award show where we get the least bias ever. You dont have BS fansites giving GOTY awards to their first party games. Everyone from IGN to Gamespot and Polygon get one vote. And even then it's usually just one guy. IIRC, he posted a list of all voters once and it was pretty much one editor per publication.

What's even more crazy is that Death Stranding and uncharted 4 lost to Sekiro and Overwatch respectively even though they ended up with MORE awards overall. Especially Death Stranding which ended up winning almost twice as many critics awards as Sekiro that year. I think the reason why Sony games win so much is because they are simply better than other games. Besides, winning two GOTY awards in the last 5 years isnt really that much. Yes, they get nominated a lot but why the hell wouldnt you nominate Bloodborne, Uncharted, Horizon and Death Stranding? It's not like they gave them the awards. it's just a nomination.
Easy Allies said that each media outlet has 1 vote. Technically they said Brandon Jones votes for all of Easy Allies, but they all discuss each category as a group first, and then submit their consensus picks as a group to Keighley.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
As you can see, now we have our results. Lootboxes, GAAS, cash crab, DRM all over the place... while polish games get into dust.
How can that be true when Ratchet, Psychonauts 2, Metroid Dread, RE8 and It Takes Two are nominated?

Not a single game with lootboxes, Gaas elements, bugs, or open world cash grabs in this list.

Forza and Returnal didnt get nominated because they simply arent good enough. Both games are lacking in different ways.
 

ToTTenTranz

Banned
Forza and Returnal didnt get nominated because they simply arent good enough. Both games are lacking in different ways.

Neither game has a sufficiently wide appeal, and a GOTY needs to have a very wide appeal IMO. One is too hard for most people to appreciate, the other is a racing simulator that most people don't appreciate.

I wrote above that I wouldn't put Horizon 5 in the GOTY list, but I wouldn't put Returnal either.


If the latest Magic the Gathering card videogame had perfect scores on every professional and consumer ratings out there, it wouldn't be considered as GOTY and no one would bat an eye.
 
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pasterpl

Member
So I am guessing next year starfield will not make a cut (obviously, with some odd excuses). Based on halo infinite previews it will be another ms game released this year with high metacritic score but not considered for awards. smells fishy.
 

Arachnid

Member
Two wrongs don't make a right. ;)

Go Metroid Dread!
Tbh I wouldn't mind Dread either. It's probably the only other one I'd be OK with winning. Kind of like how I was also somewhat rooting for Sekiro when it won over RE2. I just need horror to take a win and have the genre blow up man
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Who cares about the awards lmao, I'm here just for dem trailers.

As some others said this is clearly a popularity contest, kinda like the Oscars for games.

No quality measurement at all, just marketing.
 
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