GOTY Predictions

I think they need to shrink the list of games they pull from to begin with, last year they had like a list of 30+ games and no one fought for the first 18 or so cuts because they knew it would never make the list but they wanted to "give the game props" (Alex, Patrick and Vinny being the most egregious offenders of this). I know GOTY stuff isn't serious but I want every cut to matter, it makes for much more interesting discussion.

I can see way more interesting (and heated) discussions for other categories, but for the Goty it's more a "political" discussion about compromises and conceits than else, so a game would need a patron in the gb crew to make the cut. The Witcher would have needed Vinny to play it to have a real shot to top 3-5, but that's not the case.

I can guess strong backing will come in the form of something like this:

Mario maker-> Jeff and Dan

MSGV-> whole gbwest

Just Cause-> probably Jeff and Dan, possibly Brad and Vinny?

Grow Home-> Brad

Her Story-> Alex and Austin

Bloodborne-> Brad, Austin, possibly Jason?

Splatoon-> Alex, possibly Dan?

Until Dawn-> Vinny

Cities: Skyline-> Jeff

Axiom Verge-> Jeff and Dan

Galak-Z-> Austin and Brad

Life is Strange-> Austin and Alex

It's a mistery to me how Fallout 4 will be received; also i have no clue for which games Drew and Jason (especially the latter) will go to bat for, if any. I don't really see Drew makin an argument for Halo outside his personal Top 10, similarly to how Jeff does for the CoD games. A shame that Pillars of Eternity will probably not even be mentioned in any discussion, but eh, GB it's no really the place for RPGs.

With Just Cause 3 and Fallout 4 still not out and accounted for I think it is way too early to nail MGSV at the top spot. There's also Black Ops 3 for better or worse.

JC3 is totally Jeff's kind of game, I don't think Dan and Brad will think lowly of it either if it meets expectations. Also consider Vinny's inability to play games for a long period of time chaotic open world Vinny would probably like this too. Again all assuming the game holds up.

Mario Maker might get a strong push from Jeff (IT CAN BE ALL THE GAMES! IT IS INFINITE!) Dan likes it also, but create your own fun really isn't GB's style, but DMX goomba bro.

Fallout/Skyrim was loved by Brad with Jeff following a little behind on the Fallout train, but can see how Jeff would go with JC3 just like how he wanted SR3 over Skyrim. I recall Dan liking Skyrim also. Personally I really want to see what Bethesda has in store for FO4, the stakes for open world games are finally hitting and it is time to see how Bethesda responses to the challengers.

Dan is of course hardcore MGS. Jeff seems like he has good moments with MGS, but there were definitely some kind of reservation he has regarding the series like how he kept mentioning he decided to buy into the Kojima's craziness, spectacles, and cutscenes, but MGSV is unusually gameplay heavy and a little lighter on the other aspects. I don't know if Brad will put it above Bloodborne and Dying Light, but I am guessing he would.

Witcher 3 is probably going get left behind here. Vinny was its champion since W2, but I don't know if he even has the time to dive into it. Even if Dan played and liked it it is no MGS for him. It is at best a second tier game for Brad and Jeff also behind MGS at best I am guessing.

Don't hear much from Jason and Drew, I think they both play MGS, and I recall Jason is somewhat into Bloodborne.

Fantasy booking: Jeff backs JC3, Brad roots for FO4, Dan with MGSV, with a Witching Vinny. Again all assuming JC and FO will actually be on par. If not then I guess MGS is really it with a chance of upset from Mario Maker. Rocket League and Splatoon might be popular among all, but not top tier. Tag along Bloodborne (Brad, Jeff, Dan, Jason), Dying Light (Brad alone?), Axiom Verge (Jeff, Jason? and Dan?), Grow Home (Brad alone?), maybe with some Mortal Kombat this list is getting packed. There's also Until Dawn and maybe Black Ops.

Witcher 3 should get mention in best graphics technical rather or not it takes it.

Bloodborne maybe even Splatoon should get mention in style

Batman in disappointing due to PC issue

Chumbucket, D Dog, and Jenks in original characters?

Seems a little early to get down to game of the year. if I had to guess though MGS V takes the top spot. Baring anything that is truly extraordinary like a Fallout 4. Mario Maker seems to have universal praise but that seems like a 3 at best. With exception of the top 3 I think that the rest of the list will be a blood bath. I can definitely picture Dan putting up illogical fights for some dumb stuff and Brad not having any of it and then needing Jeff to break it up while Drew watches helplessly in his MGS V addled mind, only 40 hours into a 100 hour play through. Whatever the case, that week of podcasts will be some of the best stuff they might do all year, given the caliber of game that we've seen this year.

I was absolutely frothing with anticipation for Witcher 3, got the collectors edition, played all the previous and I have to say it did not disappoint, it is a fantastic game and deserves accolades.
 MGSV wasn't even on my radar, I'd played every other game excluding peacewalker, but I felt I was done with the series, thought I might pick it up later down the line, but I succumbed to the hype and I picked it up last minute. Wow, that is one hell of video game. Instantly moved to the top of my list, beating out my most beloved Witcher.

All in all I think it was a jolly good year.

@cagliostro88: Nobody in the crew played Life Is Strange though, sadly.

My personal choice for GOTY so far is 'Life Is Strange', though I don't know anyone else who likes it. I'm new to the site, but long time fan of the Bombcast. I don't think I've ever heard it mentioned once on the bombcast lol. That being said, if the final episode is a letdown, I'll be changing my mind. Though, I think Halo 5, Rise of the Tomb Raider or Fallout 4 will be my eventual pick anyway.

@historyinrust: The main problem I had with Arkham Knight was all those bloody Batmobile/Drone tank missions. They bored the arse off me...so repetitive. I would've probably gave it a 9/10 if the drone tank missions weren't in the game, but it's a 7 or 7.5 imo.

For sure. And that definitely seems to be the consensus. It'll likely be the primary design choice that stifles Arkham Knight's Game of the Year hopes.

@historyinrust: Everything else about the game was great. It looks great, The combat was great & I liked the story. They could've used the batmobile in better ways, other than to shoot the same silly tanks over & over again.

I've also been a bit disappointed with the Season pass content, especially at that price.

It will be very interesting to see the direction of Giant Bomb's coverage once Fallout 4 and Just Cause hit, we've seen such a heavy focus on Metal Gear content you can't help but feel that it's a shoo-in. However I do think part of the dipping back into for UPF is as much to do with its episodic approach so it's easier to dip back into.

Coverage also doesn't imply a winner. I remember Bioshock Infinite got a fair bit of coverage (including a live stream) and it lost out to The Last of Us (although I think this games timing didn't help with coverage of it) so it's hard to judge whether Metal Gear will win but it's certainly going to be up there.

Unless Just Cause 3 is shockingly good, MGSV will take number 1.

Top 5 will certainly contain MGSV and Rocket League. Probably Just Cause 3, as well.

I think Fallout 4 looks like a boring game, but I feel like the only person in the world who thinks that. Bethesda RPGs have wide appeal among the GB staff, so if Fallout 4 is a competent one-of-those it'll make top 5.

Mario Maker is a likely contender for top 5 unless some member pushes really hard for another game I'm not taking into consideration.

Bloodborne, Splatoon, and The Witcher 3 will make top 10, but not top 5. Bloodborne was liked but not adored by a good amount of staff. Also, notably, Vinny and Jason weren't super hot on it. Splatoon was pretty universally enjoyed, but there wasn't a great deal to it. A lot of GB liked The Witcher 3, but the amount of patches needed to get that game into a better state will take it down a few notches. Had it launched in the state it's in now, I could see it making top 5.

I have a pretty good feeling Until Dawn will make the cut as well, simply because of how many members will have played it by the time GOTY rolls around.

The last spot I could see going to any number of games. Cradle, Armello, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Grow Home, Halo 5, Axiom Verge, Her Story, or The Magic Circle.

Batman won't make it. Galak-Z won't make it. Destiny 1.0 (if that even counts) won't make it.

Here's my guess:

1. MGSV

2. Rocket League

3. Fallout 4

4. Just Cause 3

5. Mario Maker

6. Splatoon

7. Bloodborne

8. Until Dawn

9. The Witcher 3

10. Cradle

I put Fallout 4 above Just Cause 3 because more staff will have played deeper into Fallout 4.

Monster Hunter 4 will be Jason's 2015 version of Guilty Gear.

Brad's GotY will be a game that released in 2013, and his top 5 will contain a game that released in 2014.

Yup. Total agreement. I ended up loving the game, and came away kind of just rationalizing the Batmobile stuff to the point where I can at least pretend I'm enjoying it. But it's impossible to look past the Season Pass content.

And, obviously, the widespread technical problems it suffered on PC continue to be a sticking point.

But, yeah. I totally agree. It's going to be high on my personal list, despite its issues.

As much as the GB West guys will be pushing MGSV, I'm not sure how the GBEast guys feel about it. I remember Alex and Austin saying how they had been "looking forward to not playing it" until they started seeing the reviews. Then I don't think they talked about it since.

If there was any doubt for me about MGS V not being GOTY, after spoiler cast there is none. God damn.

For Giant Bomb it will Metal Gear 5, guarantee. For me it will be Fallout 4 or Witcher 3.

Over all top 10 guess

1. MGS V
2. Mario Maker
3. Rocket League
4. Fallout 4
5. Just Cause 3
6. Bloodborne
7. Witcher 3
8. Splatoon
9. Lara Croft GO
10. Axiom Verge

@historyinrust: I never learn when it comes to season passes. I love Dead Rising 3, but the DLC was poor. The only DLC I've really enjoyed so far this Gen, was the first Sunset overdrive one. I didn't really like 2nd one. But at least both of those season passes were only about £15, rather than over £30.

I wouldn't rule Arkham Knight out of making my list, but It'll depend on how much I like Halo, Fallout & Tomb Raider etc... I've yet to play The Witcher, MGS & only recently started Dying Light, which I'm enjoying.

@soimadeanaccount: Really good speculation, well written!

You are basically the same as me when it comes to DLC I too hated the Dead Rising 3 DLC, Loved Sunset Overdrive and the first DLC but didn't even finish Rise of the Machines or whatever the second was called.

I now just wish it was Undertale.

Only in my heart.

@flameboy84: Yeah. The robot factory one. I finished it, but it was boring.

@giantlizardking: I think you're on to something there. I would probably guess exactly the same games, but maybe a different order on some.

Game of the year for the staff:

Jeff: Super Mario Maker

Dan: MGSV

Jason: MGSV

Brad: MGSV (maybe Dota, but Phantom Pain will be his # 1 2015 game)

Drew: Halo 5

Alex: Splatoon or Rocket League

Vinny: The Witcher 3 (If he plays enough)

Austin: I think i remember him talking about Just Cause 3 in a very positive manner? I can see him having a smaller game like Galak-Z or Rocket League very high also.

Rorie (even though he's not in the deliberations): Fallout 4

Some interesting speculation here, but I feel like people are putting Splatoon and Rocket League a bit too high up. Despite their misgivings with The Witcher, a number of them praised the game very highly and have mentioned that the various patches fixed a lot of their issues. I don't think it beats MGS, (Dan will 100% fight for it to be #1 and the rest all loved it) but The Witcher will most likely be Top 5 for sure.

I think Bloodborne makes this list, Mario Maker makes this list, and Rocket League makes this list. Where they fall is largely determined by how well Halo 5, Fallout 4, and Just Cause 3 do.

Games such as Splatoon, Cradle, Until Dawn, Galak-Z, Arkham Knight, and Ori could very well be on the list. I could also see Axiom Verge, Mortal Kombat X, Grow Home, Her Story, and Puzzle and Dragons on the list, but I could just as easily see them not be.

But, you know, it's down to the experiences they have. I mean no one really expected Destiny to make that list last year, but there you go.

If the year ended now, I think the gang would crown Mario Maker.

Im more curious what shit game Brad will filibradster the other members into letting onto the top 10 list.

I kid... no I don't.

Phantom Pain GOTY every year.

Yeah, no kidding. It seems crazy to me that they've all put so much time into MGSV and none of them are going to give Witcher 3 the time of day.

Witcher 3 made a pretty bad first impression with me. Haven't picked it up in a long while. Honestly was my biggest disappointment of the year.

@haruko: My bet is on Grow Home, so far.

Sure, I'll throw in my guesses:

1. MGSV
2. Mario Maker
3. Witcher 3
4. Fallout 4 - just tossing this in here as a guess, I wasn't on the site when FO3 was a thing so I don't know if there's any superfans on staff. I do remember the bloodbath that was Skyrim vs. Saints Row The Third.
5. Just Cause 3
6. Rocket League
7. Bloodborne
8. Splatoon
9. Galak-Z
10. Until Dawn

Dark horse contenders: Mario P&D, Her Story, Grow Home, Cradle, MKX, & Axiom Verge

MGSV is barely top 5 for me. It's fantastic, but feels repetative. Witcher 3 is my current GOTY, but I know it won't even make it into the final discussion with the GB guys. Witcher 3 has you doing a lot of the same stuff, but they made it feel significant and unique. MGS is a bunch of bland environments with the same objective for each mission and not much story holding it together. I'm having a ton of fun with MGSV, but I can only do 2 missions in one sitting before I want to put it down. Granted, I want to pick it back up an hour after I put the controller down... but there's nothing there to allow me to get absorbed in the world. I don't lose track of time in MGSV like I do with Witcher 3. It's been years since a game has made me feel like I do with Witcher 3. Nothing else comes close to it this year for me personally, but I don't feel like there is anyone on staff that'll be fighting for W3. That's fine, but it'll make the discussion less interesting for me when I hear them passionately arguing about games that are, in my opinion, half as good.

Unless one of the fall games blows everyone away, I'm assuming MGSV will be GB's GOTY. They all seem to love it. Dan said that it's one of the best games he's ever played and the best action game ever (which is crazy to me, but opinions), it seems like it'll dominate every category and take GOTY. I hope they aren't that predictable.

Mario Maker I went into really hot. After a couple weeks, I just realized I'm playing a bunch of mediocre Mario levels. Mario is great, and unlimited Mario levels sounds amazing until you realize most of them are being made by people that have little to no experience designing levels. I've played through nearly a hundred 1-1 remakes and they've all been terrible. The top rated levels are just "Don't move" or "Run right" levels that are neat, but do nothing to satisfy my love of Mario platforming. I've seen few well designed levels that aren't trying to be overly difficult or easy, but not enough to justify the time spent playing trash. I'm hardly disappointed in games, but I believe Mario Maker is the worst of the games I've looked forward to this year. It's a fantastic idea and the creation tools are incredibly intuitive, but it falls short on actual gameplay and doesn't have an advanced creation mode for the few talented creators to make use of. Even the best Mario Maker levels fall short of the majority of official levels.

Cities Skylines and Kerbal Space Program are both in my top 5, but I don't expect those to get more than a passing mention. Doesn't seem like the type of games that any of them are into. It'll be interesting to see if this doesn't end up being everyone listing games against MGSV for a few hours. I'm cool with them giving MGSV the title, just give me an interesting discussion.

I made a list for practice, probably forgetting something but won't change that much before the year ends I imagine.

A lot depends on Fallout Iv and Just Cause 3, if Brad falls for Fallout like he did for Skyrim could be a rough fight at GotY time.

There's also massive unknowns in how Austin and an increasingly assertive Dan will affect the balance.

here's my prediction for the site list

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
2. Mario Maker
3. Just Cause 3
4. Fallout IV
5. Rocket League
6. Bloodborne
7. Until Dawn
8. Witcher 3
9. Her Story
10. Destiny: The Taken King

Snubs-

• Contradiction: Spot the Liar
• Mortal Kombat X,
• Splatoon,
• Life is Strange,
• Cities: Skylines,
• Grow Home,
• Axiom Verge,
• Xenoblade Chronicles X,
• Ori and Blind Forest,
• Heroes of the Storm
• Starcraft : Legacy of the Void
• Galak Z

AAA games that won't get much consideration

• Tomb Raider : Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Star Wars: Battlefront
• Madden
• Mad Max
• AC: Unity
• Call of Duty: Black Ops III
• Tony Hawk
• Forza
• Legend of Zelda : Triforce Heroes
• Yoshi: Wooly's World

What I'm guessing might happen is that presence of Austin and Dan may prevent a Brad bullrush on Fallout IV if he falls for it. But it wouldn't surprise me if Destiny manages to sneak back onto the backend of this list again. MGS V seems to be the universally liked across the board, maybe not loved but not actively disliked by anyone. If Mario Maker had better level filtering or gets it before the end of the year, I think it might win.

It's really exciting this year! Tons of really great games.

Someone is going to fight hard for Mario Maker. I don't even know who, but I bet someone will. I have no problem with that. It's my favorite thing I've played this year.

MGS will probably take it, which is fine too. Haven't played it and probably won't for a while yet, but it's obviously a quality game.

Fallout 4 is a question mark. If it's a good game but ravaged by technical issues, I'd fully expect Brad to fight for it just like that piece of crap (at the time) Skyrim. I'd hope the other guys don't let it get away that easy if it comes down to it, because we all know Saints Row 3 was the real GOTY that year.

Rocket League will be in there.

Witcher seems like it's a shoe-in for a runner up, can't see it taking the top spot though.

Honestly, FO4 is the only game that could knock off MGSV at this point. It's gonna need a lot of Fallout charm to get it done, but it's possible. Witcher 3 will (rightfully) get knocked down a few places for being set in the blandest of all settings: Fantasy Medieval Europe. A game with the writing/structure of W3 in almost any other setting would make the game a real contender.

Austin is reviewing Undertale, and I really see that as a potential top-10 game that people are overlooking(And my personal GOTY so far). It's pretty short too, so there's a good chance that more of the GB crew will play it before the end of the year.

I can honestly see 5 or 6 games that have a legitimate shot at GOTY as long as Fallout 4 and Just Cause 3 make their release dates and live up to the hype.

This years goty discussion will be crazy. If Brad starts fighting for Taken King as a new game it seems like it has a chance considering everybody is singing it's praises.

And Austin + Dan (according to his twitter) really loved Undertale. There'll probably be at least 30 serious contenders for a spot in the top 10 once the year is over.

@edgaras1103: Destiny didn't come out this year.

@edgaras1103: But also, who cares. I was furious when Dark Souls got ousted in 2011 and Skyrim took home the win. In retrospect, when's the last time anyone talked about Skyrim? I feel like Dark Souls comes up at least once a week to this day...

Edit: Witcher 3 takes my personal GOTY.

There are lots of games that haven't come out yet. This thread is about two and half too early.

@poser:

That's where the prediction part comes in.

Mario Maker and MGSV are locks for sure, maybe even top two. I also see Witcher 3, Bloodborne, maaaaaaaybe Rocket League?

I think that depends on how much actual Tomb Raiding will happen and if the guys have enough time to play it before GOTY discussions. I feel like most of them enjoyed the first reboot but wanted it to be more than Uncharted again.

I will be shocked if MGS5 doesn't take #1, even though IMO Witcher 3 is by far better and more ambitious. Giantbomb West seems to purely care about gameplay and care little about the story, with many loving the game. Dan is also an MGS fanatic and thinks MGS5 has an amazing story and will probably champion it as the game of the century. At this point only Mario Maker or maybe Fallout 4 could beat out the MGS5. I don't even think if all of GB East championed any other game it could beat out MGS5 from GB West. Also if "The Taken King" is on the top 10 list...I will lose all respect for the GB cast.

You forgot to add "in my opinion".
Also, being 'more ambitious' does not result in a better game per se.

I think this recent Mario Maker duel elevates it to the top spot, combined with the ever so slightly salty taste left by MGSV's ending.

I hope Witcher and Bloodborne both get their due.

Most of all, I hope Rocket League makes top 5.

Taken King will be in it because the world is an awful place and all your heroes are liars.

@dussck: huh, even though you missed the "IMO" you still figured out it was an opinion. that's crazy

Up until the most recent patch, I was a lot more confident that MGSV was a lock. But for those that don't follow that game, the update that added the online multiplayer mode to console versions of MGSV also changed how the resources are handled so that being connected to the Konami servers at all time is much, MUUUCH more important. The problems with that are 1) those servers kick you off when they do maintenance or for no reason at all and 2) being online means you're vulnerable to other players invading your game and stealing your stuff.

But problem 2 isn't so bad because of the OTHER feature that new update added in: real money base insurance!You can pay Konami protection money to keep you safe from the feature that was at worst a nuisance but is now a nearly unavoidable gameplay element!

Games like The Witcher 3 have gotten new content, bug fixes, new control schemes, and other polishes that make them better games over time. MGSV, as amazing a game as it is, is worse now than it was a few weeks ago*.

*In Konami's defense, the game did launch with some problems/bugs that HAVE been fixed in other patches.

MGSV could still very well take that #1 spot, but the window for Fallout 4 and Just Cause 3 to sneak in has widened and could potentially widen further as time goes on.

Any Bloodborne momentum will have died off and so I don't think it will be a legit contender for GOTY #1, same with Witcher 3.

Mario Maker has had such a surge I can see it sweeping through as a sort of "everybody is OK with this".

I don't think MGSV will take it because of how everybody soured on the ending and the multiplayer parts. I can see some fight back from Jeff and Brad in particular.

Fallout 4 comes out just at the right time to wreck the whole party though - it will be a big game and will get a lot of play time leading up to discussions. There won't be as much time to cool off on it which will definitely make a difference.