Predict the Giant Bomb GotY list: 2016 Edition

This was a rather fun experiment to run last year, so let's try it again. See how well you know or don't know the GB crew by trying to predict the 2016 top 10 list. Last year, it was clearly apparent the community overrated Bloodborne (the most picked game that didn't make it) and The Witcher 3 (often picked as a top 3 finisher and barely snuck on the list at 10).

I've included a little cheat sheet everyone can use. I will likely forget things and update the list as people submit entries.

The favorites: DOOM, Overwatch, Hitman

The probables: Titanfall 2, The Witness, Inside

The "have a good shot": Gears of War 4, Uncharted 4, Thumper, Dark Souls 3

The "these came late in the year, so who knows": Dishonored 2, Last Guardian, Final Fantasy XV, Dead Rising 4, Owlboy

The rest of the field worth noting: Stardew Valley, Rez Infinite, Nitro Plus Blasters Heroine Infinite Duel, Forza Horizons 3, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Severed, Ratchet and Clank, Rhythm Heaven Megamix, The Division, Plants vs. Zombies 2, Superhot, Firewatch, Darkest Dungeon, Civilization VI, Oxenfree, Abzu, Enter the Gungeon, Battlefield One, Unravel, Pokemon Sun/Moon, Dragon Quest Builders, Unravel, That Dragon, Cancer, Overcooked

You can enter a list via this Google Doc. Feel free to also post a list here. Ex post facto, I will publish some completely useless stats to see how well the community did.

As for my personal predictions, I'm leaning toward (and know I will be wrong on at least 3):

1. DOOM
2. Overwatch
3. Hitman
4. Titanfall 2
5. Inside
6. The Witness
7. Uncharted 4
8. Gears of War 4
9. Forza Horizons 3
10. Thumper

Let's see here, how wrong is this going to be:

1. Hitman
2. DOOM
3. Titanfall 2
4. The Witness
5. Inside
6. Overcooked
7. Thumper
8. Watch_Dogs 2
9. Stardew Valley
10. Dishonored 2

EDITE: D'oh! Totally forgot about Overwatch! Go ahead and discount my list. I clearly don't know what I'm talking about.

Here is what I am feeling right now:

1. DOOM
2. Hitman
3. Titanfall 2
4. Overwatch
5. The Witness
6. Inside
7. Uncharted 4
8. Overcooked
9. Gears of War 4
10. Thumper

So the what I am thinking is for The Witness to get as high as I have it, Alex will make a deal to get Thumper at the 10 spot. There will also be a decision between Overcooked and Stardew Valley that Dan will have to make, and in the upset, he will pick Overcooked. Those are my predictions and I am sticking to it!

i cant decide which direction they will lean for the number one spot, but right now its a tie between doom and hitman.

1. hitman or doom
2. hitman or doom
3. Overwatch
4. Titanfall 2
5. uncharted 4
6. Gears 4
7. inside
8. Watchdogs 2
9. firewatch
10. the witness

Uhhhh... http://www.giantbomb.com/forums/general-discussion-30/what-will-be-giant-bombs-goty-2016-1801624/#312

Kinda a bummer that FFXV wont be in the discussion due to release timing,same with Last Guardian . This maybe the first year I can remember where they don't argue over number 1. but I'd say the list is this :

1. DOOM

2. Overwatch

3. Hitman

4. The Witness

5. Titanfall 2

6. Stardew Valley

7. Battlefield 1

8. Inside

9. Watch_Dogs 2

10. Mafia III

could see number 10 potentially being Pokemon Sun/Moon , Dan seemed pretty impressed with it. I know there hasn't been much discussion about it but it's getting great fanfare. If FFXV was out 2 weeks before GOTY, I think it'd be 10 .

Very wrong. No Overwatch but you think Dishonored 2 will make the cut? No way.

My guess:

1. DOOM
2. Hitman
3. Overwatch
4. Titanfall 2
5. Inside
6. Uncharted 4
7. The Witness
8. Stardew Valley
9. Overcooked
10. Mafia 3

I think Watch Dogs 2 could maybe sneak at at 10 instead of Mafia, but my guess is the storytelling in Mafia would push it on the list over Watch Dogs. Overcooked seems like the co-op game that everyone really enjoys. Stardew might not make it since I think only Dan really put serious time into it. The Witness will be on here, and my guess is it'll be towards the end of the list. Uncharted and Inside will likely be towards the middle of the list only because I think the top 4 is basically a lock-- the order is the only question. I would personally like to see Titanfall 2 over Overwatch, but I don't know how that argument will shake out. Seems like Dan, Alex, Jason and Vinny are all still playing Overwatch (to some degree) while Jeff is the only one really into Titanfall.

I'm thinking DOOM will likely take it, but Hitman is a late entry dark horse for sure-- especially since Vinny and Jeff both recently started playing and enjoying it.

Should be a damn good year for discussions though!

EDIT: Forgot that Superhot came out this year too, so that would probably make it in place of either Mafia 3 or Stardew Valley

@gaff: That is an older thread only discussing the top pick. This is more a full list prediction thread.

1-2: Hitdoom/Doomman (aka Doomguy)

3+: Who gives a fuck.

The top ones are pretty obvious, but it's pretty hard to guess what happens later on in the list. My guess:

1. Doom
2. Hitman
3. Overwatch
4. Stardew Valley
5. Inside
6. Titanfall 2
7. The Witness
8. Firewatch
9. Watch_Dogs 2
10. Darkest Dungeon

1. Doom

2. Hitman

3. Overwatch

4. Titanfall 2

5. Inside

6. The Witness

7. Uncharted 4

8. Stardew Valley

9. Superhot

10. Firewatch

This is the list. Book it. Guarantee. Shazam. Kapow.

The only thing I'm torn on is whether Gears of War 4 would overtake either Firewatch or Superhot. I know everyone on the staff really liked Gears of War 4, but I found that GB oftentimes likes to go with more obscure/indie stuff over the high-profile games in their GOTY discussions.

EDIT: I completely forgot about Rhythm Heaven Megamix. I can totally imagine that sneaking in at the 10 spot.

Always a bit embarrassing when you go in with that kind of superior attitude and then fall flat on your nose, huh?

For what it's worth, the reason I don't think Hitman and DOOM go back to back is Brad is the primary supporter of both games, with Dan being pretty high on both OW and DOOM and Vinny, Alex, and Jason are all high on OW. I think Dan has indicated he's higher on OW than Hitman, or was as of a few months ago. Hence I think Brad has to pick his favorite to take on OW for the top spot. And I suspect Jeff is higher on Titanfall 2 than DOOM or Hitman anyway.

I don't see Stardew Valley making it because only Dan was a fan of i, and it's not his top game last he indicated. Overcooked as a sleeper pick (probably knocking off Dark Souls 3) is something I can definitely see.

1. Doom

2. Hitman

3. Titanfall 2

4. Overwatch

5. Inside

6. The Witness

7. Uncharted 4

8. Superhot

9. Stardew Valley

10. Thumper/Salt and Sanctuary/Owlboy/Picross 3D Round 2

Both Doom and Hitman have the 'best surprise' category to fight over which I think helps them in the GOTY. Expectations for both were pretty low - with Doom's crap multiplayer beta and no early release and Hitman with its episodic model that initially seemed pretty rough as a concept. Then both games turned out to be fantastic. The power of Jeff gets Doom and Titanfall up there and pushes Overwatch down.

1. DOOM

2. Hitman

3. Titanfall 2

4. Overwatch

5. The Witness

6. Inside

7. Superhot

8. Gear of War 4

9. Overcooked

10. Stardew Valley/Mafia 3 - I don't see Dan getting any support on Stardew Valley which is tragic. But I also don't see Alex getting much Mafia 3 support (which is also a shame), so this will actually end up being Forza Horizon 3. Final Fantasy XV is too late but could be a dark horse.

1. DOOM
2. Hitman
3. Titanfall 2
4. Overwatch
5. The Witness
6. Inside
7. Overcooked
8. Uncharted 4
9. Stardew Valley
10. Watch_Dogs 2

I think the top 5 is pretty much a lock at this point. Going to be really interesting to see how they order it.

Best guess at the staff list :

1. DOOM

2. Overwatch/Hitman (This is honestly the toughest pick for me.)

3. Hitman/Overwatch

4. The Witness

5. Titanfall 2

6. Uncharted 4

7. Inside

8. Gears of War 4

9. Firewatch

10. Stardew Valley

01. DOOM

02. Hitman

03. Overwatch

04. Titanfall 2

05. The Witness

06. Inside

07. Stardew Valley

08. Uncharted 4

09. Firewatch

10. Superhot

I think if DOOM wasn't an entry in one of the staff's most beloved franchises, it probably wouldn't be #1. And even though they didn't care for the multiplayer, it seems like the surprise nostalgia made a lasting mark. It'll definitely be #2 at least.

Around #4, near the top, has generally been the "Jeff's favorite AAA game" slot. Titanfall 2 fits that pretty well.

It seems like around #7 is where a game usually lands where it's very high on one person's list, and no one else's, but they fight for it. It doesn't feel like there's that game from anyone else besides Dan this year. (Maybe Alex with Thumper or Darkest Dungeons, but he seems less enthusiastic than years prior).

Jeff hates Uncharted for whatever insane reason, so it should be higher but he'll argue it down.

The wildcard to me is Jason, and if he argues for an out of left field game in his, presumably, limited talking time.

I think Hitman will win over Overwatch because of Brad. He always takes a hardline stance on a particular game and rank. My guess is that he won't let Hitman be less than #2.

And Vinny just seems to like everything except Flower, so he'll be cool with anything if it means leaving early.

I think Forza Horizon 3 was more appreciated than Gears 4 by those who paid attention to both games. I don't get the impression that Stardew Valley was appreciated by many outside of Dan, so it might get the number 10 slot. I think neither Battlefield 1 nor CoD: Infinite Warfare gets a look-in. I think Watch Dogs 2 and Mafia 3 were liked by Austin which might be why people are noting them, but the current bombcrew weren't so captivated by either.

I guess if I had to make a list it'd look like (stealing from others' lists for now) this:

1. DOOM
2. Hitman
3. Overwatch
4. The Witness
5. Titanfall 2
6. Uncharted 4
7. Inside
8. Thumper
9. Forza Horizon 3
10. Stardew Valley

Undoubtedly I'm not on top of some smaller games enough to decide whether they belong on this list or not. I'd like to see Oxenfree make it.

In other news, I made an impassioned plea for Killer Instinct for Old Game of the Year in the corresponding thread, so I hope that gets a look-in!

1. Doom

2. Hitman

3. Overwatch

4. Titanfall 2

5. The Witness

6. Uncharted 4

7. Inside

8. Super Hot

9. Gears of War 4

10. Stardew Valley

Gears is the one I can see most easily not being on the list. I would put Tf 2 above Overwatch, but I think there are too many Duders that like it strongly enough to not let Jeff make the right choice.

I think The Witness will end up lower on the list simply by virtue of when it came out. Games which come out right at the start of the year will always be at a disadvantage.

My guess:

1. DOOM

2. Hitman

3. Overwatch

4. Titanfall 2

5. Inside

6. The Witness

7. Uncharted 4

8. Overcooked

9. Watch Dogs 2

10. Stardew Valley

The bottom part of the list could fall in any order because each game has one person in the crew who will really push for it with everyone else having more limited interest.

I reckon I'm like 85% right with the top four, and then like 50% with everything else:

1. Hitman
2. Doom
3. Overwatch
4. Titanfall 2
5. Inside
6. Uncharted 4
7. The Witness
8. Overcooked
9. Mafia III
10. Watch_Dogs 2

I feel like Firewatch won't have stuck and nobody will really want to go for Stardew other than Dan, who isn't as hot on it anymore. Horizon 3, Gears 4 and maybe Dishonored 2 are the only ones that I didn't list that have a shot at making the real list, but I'll probably be totally wrong on that.

My one guess/prediction that I feel differs from most is Hitman. It seems like most people are putting that 2 and I'd be shocked to see it top 3. I could even see it at 5.

1 Doom

2 TitanFall 2

3 OverWatch

4 Hitman

5 The Witness

6 Uncharted 4

7 Inside

8 Overcooked

9 Gears of War 4

10 StarDew Valley

For what it's worth, I came to say the same thing because the existng thread already had people posting lists. I can see this one becoming largely the same thing but hey, it's just that time of year so expect another one of these in a few hours. Anyway:

1. Doom

2. Hitman

3. Titanfall 2

4. The Witness

5. Uncharted 4

6. REZ Infinite

7. Inside

8. Firewatch

9. Stardew Valley

10. Picross 3D 2

1. DOOM or Hitman: both games are loved by the whole staff but I don't think anyone will go super hard to force it on the number one spot for either of them, so it will be a though one.

2. DOOM or Hitman

3. Titanfall 2: Jeff factor.

4. The Witness: liked by at least the editorial side.

5. Overwatch: some are still playing it and noone seemed to dislike it. Titanfall 2 is more fresh and Jeff REALLY likes Titanfall 2.

6. Inside: don't think everyone has played it? Could maybe be switched with #8.

7. Uncharted 4: Dan and Brad liked it. Jeff didn't, so 7 is the highest it will go.

8. I really don't know. I can't think of a game enough of them liked to be put over 9 and 10. Maybe Picross?

9. Superhot: Jeff throw in pick plus others liked it I think?

10. Stardew Valley: Dan throw in pick?

Dark horses? Thumper, REZ, Rec Room, Overcooked, Watch_Dogs 2 and maybe Gears 4? These could end up at 8-10. I've no idea what Alex really liked this year. Most of his reviews and opinions were like the 'Yea this has some nice stuff in it' kind of 3-4 star ratings.

I don't think Drew, Vinny or Jason will push for any game since they're the production side. They'll weigh in on games brought up by the others, but will not go all the way for their own favourites if they are different from the editorial side. So no Godeater 2 or anything.

I honestly think Overwatch is going to end up higher than Doom, since it's been so long since Doom came out, noone's been playing the multiplayer and the OW contingency is still very much actively playing the game. Dan proclaimed it to be his favorite game a while back, and I don't know how much Hitman he has actually played, outside of fucking with Brad on streams. Alex has been playing it consistently and I don't recall any other games that he has stated completely bowled him over, so that's at least two strong voices on OW. outside of that you have Jason, who seems to have taken up OW as some strange mix of what Rocket League and the Kirkhammer from Bloodborne was for him last year, and Vinnie who is also actively playing OW and still sings its praises whenever it comes up in discussion.

Doom is a terrific fucking game and it will surely end up in the top 3, but I just think with the way Overwatch has sustained itself all year it's going to push ahead of it.

1. Doom
2. Hitman
3. Overwatch
4. Titanfall 2
5. The Witness
6. Gears of War 4
7. Inside
8. Thumper
9. Superhot
10. Stardew Valley

Have any of them actually talked much about loving The Witness? It's my personal number one, but I feel like there hasn't been much vocal love for it on the site.

I wouldn't actually bet on this list, but I'm rooting for it to end up looking something like:

1. Overwatch
2. DOOM
3. Hitman
4. Titanfall 2
5. The Witness
6. Stardew Valley
7. Inside
8. Thumper
9. Uncharted 4
10. Overcooked

Because I want the debate podcast to end with Brad and Jeff in tears as I am a monster. And I want Thumper on there because I like when Alex is happy.

If I were making a guess for because my life depended on it I would probably push Overwatch down to number 3 or maybe even 4. But I am certain those will end up being the top 4 in some order. The rest is more of a crapshoot.

Brad, Jeff, and Dan all were in love with the game and wouldn't stop gushing about it on the bombcast for much of January/February. The beast crew were much cooler on it.

I'm the OP from that other thread and I'm inconsolably furious about this whole thing.

Key controversial opinions: I don't think Inside or Firewatch will be on the final list, and I think Titanfall 2 will place higher than Overwatch.

Here's my stab:

1. DOOM

2. Hitman

3. Titanfall 2

4. Overwatch

5. The Witness

6. Uncharted 4

7. Superhot

8. Overcooked

9. Thumper

10. Watchdogs 2

Edit: I forgot about Watchdogs 2. I reckon that sneaks on. At 10. At the expense of Stardew Valley.