What Game Do You Expect To Be Overlooked For GOTY Awards?

I know the year isn't done yet and there are still some important games that have yet to come out. But, with 2013 looming, so are GOTY discussions. So when you look back on the year, what game(s) do you expect to be overlooked for GOTY considerations? I don't necessarily mean the games that should win top honors but more games that should at least be considered for a top 10 nomination. I also don't necessarily mean Giantbomb's top 10 but any top 10 GOTY list in general.

The one that I even forgot when I was thinking about my own list was Dear Esther. I totally get why someone would not put this game on their list. People who get all worked up about semantics and labels might even argue that it isn't a 'game' because it could be argued that it is only slightly more interactive then turning the pages of a book. BUT, I think the game's story and the way the story is delivered makes Dear Esther one of the most unique games I've ever played let alone the most unique game I've played all year. BUT, it is really short, barely interactive, came out in February making it easy to forget, and I imagine is only really liked by certain people who are intrigued by the story. BUT, I think it is an important enough game that it should be, at the very least, considered for a top 10 GOTY list.

Anything I'm looking at, honestly.

@JasonR86: My favorite game of the year will be overlooked for GOTY awards. For I am a gamer on the Internet, and it is my constitutional right to be outraged at those who do not appreciate the games I like to the same extent that I appreciate them.

*cough* Seriously, though, I think FTL will probably get overlooked despite it being one of the games which provided me the most entertainment all year.

@TruthTellah said:

@JasonR86: My favorite game of the year will be overlooked for GOTY awards. For I am a gamer on the Internet, and it is my constitutional right to be outraged at those who do not appreciate the games I like to the same extent that I appreciate them.

Awesome?

Binary Domain!

I mean CK2 too but that's way more niche.

Dear Esther is still on my "to-play" list, and I plan to play it when it goes on sale either for Black Friday/Cyber Monday or for the Holiday sale. If it doesn't, I'll probably bite the bullet and play it anyways. That said, I don't think it even seemed like it was a heavy GOTY contender even when it came out, and having a good story in 2012 is like being a pretty decent shooter in 2007; you're gonna get overlooked if you're not offering a cherry on top.

I think Hotline Miami will be overlooked at every outlet in the universe despite hot critical acclaim because nobody else is gonna play it. Even with its five-star review here, Alex is the only one who I feel confident will have finished it by the end of the year. Chris Plante threw it under the bus for Need for Speed: Most Wanted over on Polygon's Besties, too. Calling games like Dust: An Elysian Tail and Mark of the Ninja GOTY quality does a disservice to a game as completely excellent as Hotline Miami.

I also do not expect my general GOTY feelings to be represented at any outlet, because I've had an extremely unique playing experience throughout most of this year.

@JasonR86 said:

@TruthTellah

Awesome?

Awesome.

And I think FEZ may also get overlooked, simply due to it feeling like something that has existed for so long that it won't feel like something to even put in a 2012 list. Though, as far as games go, it is still arguably my favorite released this year.

Trials Evo.

Besides BLOPS 2, AC3, and HALO4, did any AAA games even come out this year? Feel like they have no choice but to look at SOME indie games due to lack of...well, anything else.

I really think the PC version of AC3 will win GOTY. Unless Far Cry 3 is some revelation.

Xenoblade is going to be extremely overlooked

@pandorasbox said:

Besides BLOPS 2, AC3, and HALO4, did any AAA games even come out this year? Feel like they have no choice but to look at SOME indie games due to lack of...well, anything else.

Diablo 3! Plenty of big games came out this year.

The reviews portion of the website is probably a pretty good place to see the games the staff will be talking about. Looking at it I don't really see many that they were all "Fuck yeah!" about, so this year is gonna be pretty weird probably

Aside from XCOM and Walking Dead, I think I've liked FTL more than anything else I played this year (solidarity, @TruthTellah ). I imagine it will get brought up, but I would be shocked if it got a spot in the top 10.

@pandorasbox said:

Besides BLOPS 2, AC3, and HALO4, did any AAA games even come out this year? Feel like they have no choice but to look at SOME indie games due to lack of...well, anything else.

I'd say Mass Effect 3, Dishonored, XCOM, Forza Horizon, Borderlands 2, and Diablo III have a decent shot this year, too, and they were pretty "AAA" titles. Though, sure, I do think they'll dip into some of the awesome indie games this year.

Guild Wars 2.

Binary Domain!

Binary Domain, Spec Ops the Line, Diablo 3 and probably ME3.

Binary Domain and Spec Ops the Line are really good games but few people played them so they will get overlooked.

Diablo 3 I haven't played but I can see it not getting the credit it deserves and is kinda out of peoples minds at this point.

ME3, I hated this game but lots of people still liked it and probably doesn't deserve to be shit on as much as it is....but I really hated it.

@hbkdx12 said:

@Animasta said:

Binary Domain!

I love you man. I'm completely ok with the idea that Binary Domain isn't gonna be on the top of anyone's list but it needs to atleast be mentioned or talked about in some fashion

Vinny has played it at least so I hope it gets on his list

@Little_Socrates:

It's hard to explain. It's not just that it has a good story. It is the way the story is delivered and how it is so open to multiple interpretations. It could be that that is just something for me because stories that are ambiguous and open to interpretation is right up my alley. But that it was done so well in a story is really impressive to me.

I don't think enough of the guys have played Dust....but this wasn't quite the knock out year that anyone expected it would be. That's why I love the personal top ten from Giantbomb duders. You'll see Hotline: Miami or FTL on those lists possibly.

I certainly hope that Diablo 3 and Torchlight 2 aren't forgotten (though I doubt they will be) because those were both fantastic games.

@Kerned said:

Aside from XCOM and Walking Dead, I think I've liked FTL more than anything else I played this year (solidarity, @TruthTellah ). I imagine it will get brought up, but I would be shocked if it got a spot in the top 10.

Solid.

FTL is definitely a gem that hopefully might at least get a nod in an indie GOTY category.

@pandorasbox said:

Besides BLOPS 2, AC3, and HALO4, did any AAA games even come out this year? Feel like they have no choice but to look at SOME indie games due to lack of...well, anything else.

Er... >_>

There were quite a few more 'AAA' games than that. <_<

Here's a rough list! (To my knowledge, these can all be considered AAAs :P )

• Sleeping Dogs
• XCOM
• Final Fantasy 13-2
• Darksiders 2
• Borderlands 2
• Heroes of Might and Magic 6
• Dishonored
• Mass Effect 3
• Diablo 3
• Forza Horizon
• Star Wars: The Old Republic
• Street Fighter X Tekken
• Twisted Metal
• Kid Icarus: Uprising
• The Last Story
• Ninja Gaiden 3
• Resident Evil 6
• Max Payne 3
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• New Super Mario Bros 2 (And U :P )
• Guild Wars 2

Odds are most of the ones from earlier in the year- except conveniently Mass Effect 3 potentially- will probably be overlooked in some manner.

@TruthTellah said:

@Kerned said:

Aside from XCOM and Walking Dead, I think I've liked FTL more than anything else I played this year (solidarity, @TruthTellah ). I imagine it will get brought up, but I would be shocked if it got a spot in the top 10.

Solid.

FTL is definitely a gem that hopefully might at least get a nod in an indie GOTY category.

Eh, I won't mind FTL getting some GOTY nods. I can see why some people absolutely adore it- but I'm one of the few people you'll see online who didn't like it NEARLY as much as most. :(

I won't deny that FTL's good- its just that the combat was too repetitive for me. :(

In short, for me, FTL's enjoyable in short 1-playthrough on occasion bursts. But any more than that and it gets repetitive for me somehow, believe it or not. :(

XCOM err I mean everything that isn't XCOM

@Godzilla_Sushi: Fortunately, I could see Brad possibly putting Dust: An Elysian Tail somewhere on his top list. He seemed to quite enjoy the game, and he even gave it a rare 5/5 review.

@hbkdx12 said:

@Animasta: Did he like it? I miss the podcasts more often than not

yes

Anyone else think Dragon's Dogma deserved more recognition? I thought it was a hell of a lot more interesting than most gave it credit for, especially compared to a total rehash like Diablo III.

@WarlockEngineerMoreDakka: I totally get why you would feel that way about FTL. It's definitely a game that isn't for everyone, but I felt like they made it just for me.

@TruthTellah I forgot all about Dust! That game was great; and you're right, Brad may make a push for it.

@PollySMPS Mark of the Ninja will be in the top 10, guaranteed.

dragons dogma and kid icarus uprising

Mass Effect 3 is the go-to.

Sleeping Dogs has to be on the Top 10 right? Everyone on the staff has only said good things about it; from what I remember at least.

Hope it isn't overlooked, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is.

Halo 4, very underrated game, a little indie company

Probably FTL and Sound Shapes.

I think Dragon's Dogma should win for "Best new franchise" That game was insanely good. Way way better than I ever thought it was going to be. Capcom has the foundation to make that game the next big thing if they just iron the game out a bit more. I think it gets my vote for best new franchise.

There were a lot fewer games to come out this year than in any recent year, so I think games that otherwise might have been pushed under the rug might get a chance in the spotlight because there just weren't that many great games this year. Quite a few good ones (I think Spec Ops and Binary Domain both had very interesting stories for example) but very few really great ones. I haven't played really any of the big games that came out this Fall so I don't really have much in the way of personal opinion, but my impression from the thoughts of other people is that AC3 really didn't live up to the hype and Black Ops 2 was good for a Call of Duty game but not really exceptional, and Halo 4 was a great Halo game but didn't really bring anything new to the table. Those are probably the big three as far as sales go. I think XCOM and Dishonored both exceeded expectations so I assume those will get talked about whereas in other years they might have been forgotten. And I think a lot of smaller indie games like Journey (My personal GOTY), The Walking Dead, Dust, FTL, Mark of the Ninja, and Hotline Miami might get a better shot at some big awards as well. I think the most interesting game will be Mass Effect 3. Critics all gave it incredible scores when it came out and a lot specifically called parts of it GOTY quality, but there has been such a backlash for it due to the ending that I wonder if people who really did like it will stick to their guns or if they will want to avoid the Internet's wrath.

@JasonR86 said:

@Little_Socrates:

It's hard to explain. It's not just that it has a good story. It is the way the story is delivered and how it is so open to multiple interpretations. It could be that that is just something for me because stories that are ambiguous and open to interpretation is right up my alley. But that it was done so well in a story is really impressive to me.

Oh, I absolutely didn't mean to take on Dear Esther's validity for GOTY, I'm just saying that the "storytelling" games this year have either been like The Walking Dead (where choices matter across an entire season of episodes,) Journey (which tells said story with nonverbal co-op and top-notch presentation,) Spec Ops: The Line (for flipping an entire genre on its head,) and so on and so on.

@Nightriff: I'm totally fine with Diablo 3 being overlooked. It's not because of the DRM-related issues, I just can't get any enjoyment out of that style of game.

@adam1808: I haven't played it but a lot of people loved and enjoyed that game. Just about everyone I work with was playing it while we were slow. Not anymore because few games have staying power for longer than a few months.

@pandorasbox said:

Besides BLOPS 2, AC3, and HALO4, did any AAA games even come out this year? Feel like they have no choice but to look at SOME indie games due to lack of...well, anything else.

It depends, do games that came out before two weeks ago still count?

Wikipedia has a giant list.

Probably by everyone but Jeff, but I'll say Syndicate. I loved the multiplayer. Easily the most fun I had with a game this year

Spec Ops.

@sawtooth said:

Xenoblade is going to be extremely overlooked

That was the first game that popped in my head. A JRPG on a console that's all but dead now... it's inevitable.

To be fair Xenoblade originally came out over 2 years ago

Probably Dark Souls again for the 2012's Best Game of 2011 award. Max Payne 3 too probably.

In general, I imagine that anything I like (sans XCOM) will probably be ignored or given small mention. Jeff's position on Borderlands 2 was such that I don't imagine him pushing for it very much, and personally I think that game is a significant, albeit not dramatic, improvement over its predecessor.

Rhythm Heaven Fever seems like it'll get forgotten in the jumble of all the games despite Jeff and Patrick liking it so much.

Sleepy dogs will probably be overlooked by everyone except Vinny.

I always forget that Xenoblade technically came out this year. I was impatient and imported it so it's a last years game to me. Expecting the GB crew to actually play a game like that all the way through is a fool's errand though.

I think they've already come to the conclusion that ME3 is not a contender, I believe Jeff actually said as much a couple months back.

Either way, it will be an interesting discussion. Indie/budget games are going to have a much brighter spotlight on them than usual this year I guarantee.

@TruthTellah said:

@JasonR86: My favorite game of the year will be overlooked for GOTY awards. For I am a gamer on the Internet, and it is my constitutional right to be outraged at those who do not appreciate the games I like to the same extent that I appreciate them.

your some kind of word smith