Is it time to start talking GOTY?

This is just for me. I usually start planning out my GOTY list after I've played a few games. Obviously not set in stone, but I start to think about where I'd put games I've played into a list of 10 games and keep updating it as I play more games, usually up to about December 20 if not later. After that, the list is almost certainly complete for me.

@smtdante89: me too, I don't get why people have a problem with others making lists of so far this year. Even saying my goty so far is whatever and that it probably won't be topped is fine, if you have a strong response to something you can probably tell if that experience is going to be hard to beat. People putting games where they "think" they would be if they had played them is a bit silly though.

Launch console games are terrible for the most part (obvious exception of Super Mario 64) so those are out of the mix. Assassin's Creed will continue to have the best multiplayer on consoles period but I'm sure the singleplayer will be just alright again.

Brad will pick Brothers, Jeff, The Stanley Parable, Vinny, BF4, and Drew will pick F1. Then a free-for-all king of the hill to the death will ensue(that Drew will win with sheer endurance).

So it'll be F1 for the GB GoTY.

Not really, they'll kiss GTA's ass and make that safe pick. (I really do hope they don't)

It's a little early.

Although, let's be serious folks: RAYMAN LEGENDS. There, we can pack it all up. I just did all the work for us.

What? No, absolutely not. It's not even November. That's a little under two and a half months of stuff still coming out. New consoles with games, games still coming for the current consoles, plus there's always stuff on the PC. Big releases as well as smaller indie stuff still has plenty of time to come out.

Just because you think there's nothing else worthwhile coming out doesn't mean that there isn't stuff coming out. You could be surprised, hell I had my top 10 list last year at the start of December and then I finished "The Walking Dead" and "Far Cry 3" and that whole list changed itself. Get to December and those conversations can start. Anything before that is premature and foolish.

@johncallahan: just relax, people are just talking about their favourite games so far are and what the big games for the giant bomb guys have been. I don't think there are many who are saying, the year's done by any means. Of course things can come out that might make or even top lists, but its just a bit of harmless fun to speculate and celebrate the games so far.

I already preemptively declared my Game of the Year in February. It has yet to be topped. The problem is finding 9 other games that I played this year to fill up the rest of the list.

As for what Giant Bomb will pick, still putting my money on GTA V unless brad throws a fillibuster and Skyrim wins again despite not coming out in 2013. Regardless, I'm sure their site-wide top 10 will feature plenty of games I could care less about and in turn Fire Emblem will only receive passing mention from Patrick. Fair is fair, right?

@arbitrarywater: I really hope Patrick comes through for me this year with Fire Emblem, he let me down last year by leaving behind Dishonored and championing Zombie U. Based on bombcast discussions I can't see GTA beating out Bioshock, I know some people have issues with the combat, but I'm pretty sure the giantbomb guys liked it, thought it was more than serviceable and they all loved the story, even devoting several hours of livestream to the ending and discussion. GTA seems to have had more of a "yeah its still good but its more GTA" response.

@awesomeusername: You should really check out Puppeteer, I justt finished it recently and loved it. It is incredibly delightful and whimsical and funny.

not yet

I still maintain that Dishonored wasn't given a fair shot by the rest of the GB crew (and if I were in a worse mood I'd probably say something snarky about how they're not into games that don't hold their hands every step of the way). I wouldn't count Patrick to advocate Fire Emblem very strongly, especially since he seems to be the only one who actually has played The Last of Us, and I wouldn't be surprised if he pushed for Gone Home too (because video games are art).

Either way, those podcasts are less about people validating my tastes and more about listening to grown men at each other's throats over interactive entertainment. The verdict doesn't matter so much as the process.

@bunkerbuster05: can you name a lunch game that was great? Mean food fight was good, but not great.

I still need to play several games this year before I can even think about forming a top ten. Brothers, Saints row 4, Rayman Legends, GTA5, Beyond, Splinter Cell, Batman, AC4, Amnesia AMFP and The Stanley Parable are games I've yet to touch. Not to mention I haven't even completed Fire Emblem Awakening and Ni No Kuni. The only games I know will stay somewhere on my list are The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite and Gone home.

Wow, after listing them all out I realize just how many games I still need to play.

Personally, it's worth talking about amongst ourselves because I don't THINK there will be a surprise contender in the latter months of the year. I think it's pretty safe that it'll come down to GTA, Bioshock and Last of Us. And even to myself I loved all three but feel like they all have their problems while being wowed by certain elements like few things before.

Brothers will probably win though.

@arbitrarywater: I'm usually pretty positive on their lists, but I was a little disappointed by last year's. Other than me not really getting into XCOM (I prefer fire emblems approach far more) and Walking Dead (some of those plot points, geez they were ordinary), I'm in the minority there. I feel like Syndicate, Zombie U and even Sleeping Dogs were weak additions. Dishonored and Borderlands 2 (way better than the 1st and the humour wasn't that bad, Jeff poisoned the well for everyone else on that one) got the short shrift a little unfairly. Other games like FTL and Hotline Miami (a five star game from Alex) would have been both stronger and more interesting choices than a reasonable looking shooter and an average looking zombie game. I'm slightly speaking from ignorance but FTL and Hotline Miami were novel and I feel were more representative of 2012 being really strong for indie/downloadables.

Yes . The games that come to mind are .. TLOU , GTAV , DmC , The Wolf Among Us(if this counts) , The Swapper , and Rayman : Legends .

Whatever, guys, the best game of the year was clearly Animal Crossing: New Leaf. (okay I posed that as a goof but it's very possible)

I'm still definitely rounding things down. I'm gonna start compiling in a couple weeks; we're approaching the "start cleaning up the back catalog" part of the year rather than the "dig through all the releases to find the coolest shit" part of the year. It's perhaps less a time to try a Super House of Dead Ninjas (sincerely, one of the best games of the year, hands down) and more a time to really dig into a GTAV, a DOTA 2, a Fire Emblem Awakening or round out a Gone Home, an Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, a Stanley Parable. That's not to say a Hotline Miami or Dikembe Mutombo won't appear as a late-game contender, but let that come to you rather than doing the work to find it.

As for still-to-come releases, I have a strong feeling the new Zelda and Mario games are gonna be fantastic. There's room for some fascinating design to happen in BatmanArkham, Assassin's Creed, Dead Rising, other marquee franchises. Beyond that, it'll be the surprises. Keep an eye out for Twine releases and other hot indies. And keep playing Pokémon.

Don't forget to buy candy from Nook's store, either.

@beard_of_zeus: I really want to play Puppeteer but money is tight so I'll have to wait a while. Nice to see all the love for it though. Makes me more excited to play it.

Your avatar doesn't come to mind? You disgust me.

Double edged sword there. Without ZombiU, Patrick doesn't go on his sojourn into other gaming genres.

Too early because the year isn't over. Pretty simple. Gonna be so many mad forum posts when they don't pick The Last of Us anyway

I think its too early to talk about game of the year but so far I've enjoyed Tomb raider, Metro Last Light and GTA V.

Bioshock Infinite is my GOTY, not the best game mechanically, but by far the best experience.

Haven't played GTA yet because PC. If the GB guys don't agree with my choice I won't be butt-hurt though, as I am not a tool.

Trying to think of a game that rocked me as hard as Bioshock Infinite did, and the only one I can think of is Red Dead Redemption. Having played the major releases (and some not so major) this year, I have to call it early for Bioshock. That game delivered on what mattered most, warts and all.

No, I think you have to get into december. November usually have too many games to decide already about the best of the year.

No

A month ago, there was no Stanley's Parable, Beyond and Wolf Among Us. Two months ago, there was no GTA 5, Puppeteer and Amnesia. There are still more than two months left in the year, and I am willing to give it the chance to surprise me again... and that is not even considering the AAA games that are still going to be released for this holidays season.

nintendo has no more games except for Link Between Two Worlds. It's officially time.

I vote Guacamelee.

Saint's Row 4 came out already so I have no idea why we are having this discussion about GOTY.

Both Vinny and Drew played TLoU. They discussed it on the podcast, I believe. Both liked the story, but neither loved the gameplay sections, especially the combat. I don't think either of them consider the game to be GOTY material.

I personally agree with that stance.

Dude, the new Mario game for Wii U looks amazing!

No game has brought me more joy this year than spelunking on the Vita.

That game was still good, but a disappointment to me. Didn't hold up to the level of the Third in almost any way. Not that it was bad but certainly not GOTY material for me, though it'll be on the list.

We can start talking about GOTY next month, October is a little early for that.

Dark Souls.