Predict Giant Bomb's Game of the Year 2017

I'm almost certain it will be PUBG.

I think they will remember Nioh.

I suspect Mario Odyssey for GOTY.

Zelda or pubg. Kinda a toss up, but I'd say they pick zelda.

They don't seem like they'd pick Zelda or Mario honestly, so I'm gonna go with either Nier or PUBG. I chose Nier in the poll, Alex and Ben's tweets really make me think it's Nier, but it also might be PUBG.

Can't say I agree, but just given the amount of coverage on the site - PUBG

My prediction for the top 3;

1. PUBG
2. Super Mario Odyssey
3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I am skeptical of PUBG taking it, though most people think it will. Especially after that Quick Look today, I think most of the staff have cooled on it and Abby seems to just outright dislike it now.

I can see Neir taking it, though I must confess, I am one of the monsters who thinks Neir is a really bad game. So, I went for Cuphead. It seems like that was the one game on the list that everyone universally liked. Zelda could also take it, but I think Jeff will be against it and I don't know if the all important Brad vote is there for it.

Follow the money.

Most years, I'm really not sure.

This year, PUBG. If it's not eligible; Zelda.

Pubg since it got an official release

I've been thinking PUBG for a while, but now I'm on Odyssey. Those are the only two possibilities. Anything else would not only be shocking, but incredibly frustrating. Odyssey is the easy consensus.

Resident Evil 7 with an upset

Going with Odyssey. Seems about as strong as anything and haven't sensed much pushback against it.

Gravity Rush 2.

I'm not good at this.

In a shocking twist, they pick HQ as game of the year.

I think that this is the most difficult prediction of any year yet. I'm going to go for the underdog of Nier Automata. Honestly, I don't think any of them are so enamoured with PUBG in its current state to fight hard for it, whereas Nier resonates so intensely for some that I feel it could be this year's Skyrim. BotW and Odyssey were strong favourites in my mind until I realised that those who would fight for it seem to act much more emotionally towards PUBG and Nier, so I feel they'll both fall in favour of them. All the other games on this list have issues that even the staff that loved them always preface their conversations with those game's weaknesses.

I'm so excited to hear this year's deliberations: with the breadth of games and staff member perspectives, it seems like a prime year to focus on the positives on many games rather than the weaknesses of a few. ❤️

Not PUBG because it was of uncertain eligibility at the time of all the recording and I take Jeff at his word of not bending the rules for one game this year.

So probably Mario because it's the nice safe choice everyone can agree is good after all of the personal favorites are savaged.

I don’t think Nier will win as only Ben and Alex love it that much. Some staffers don’t even like it.

PUBG might win but Abby doesn’t seem to be too fond of it. I dunno if her alone is enough to bring it down but the game has enough obvious problems that the rest of the staff won’t be comfortable having it #1.

Zelda doesn’t seem to have as much traction with the GB staff as it has everywhere else. It’ll be up there for sure but maybe not number one.

Mario seems like an easy consensus, which is quite boring frankly, but I voted for that.

PUBG and Mario seem like the only two they're all likely to agree on.

Of those, Mario will win cuz it's got that shiny Nintendo first-party polish and isn't a work in progress.

Super Mario Odyssey. I think Zelda BOTW is the better game but half the staff havent finished it. Battlegrounds didnt hit 1.0 when they started recording so that should be out.

(Personally I think that game is way too broken to be GOTY, even now, but it's their list)

Lets analyze some stuff before going to bed!

Assassin's Creed: Origins

Well, a lot of the Staffmembers enjoy it and find it fun, acknowledging some things that make the game seem stand out. However, not everyone does seem to enjoy it and people really don't seem to enjoy the first hour of the game. I think it will be on the list, but not on the higher spots.

I suggest it might be above Yakuza 0 because a lot of people seem to play and enjoy it.

Cuphead

An interesting choice, I think it might be in the top 3. Why I believe that anyone who played it enjoyed it it felt like that people didn't rave much about it apart from the artstyle and in parts the music.

Also its great that GB was able to interview the developers.

Destiny 2

This game, while in the middle of the talks, will mostly be seen as a love-hate relationship between Brad and Jeff but mostly be slightly "hated" (using the term hyperbolically) by the staff. Some fun talks about previous raids will come up so thats gonna be fun to listen to.

Horizon Zero Dawn

A game anyone seems to love but it gets ignored fairly fast. Personally, I think it is because the game really stands out in all ways, but because it excels both as a story if ripped out from the game and as a game if ripped from the story, nobody really cares. Those who enjoyed it REALLY enjoyed it, but those who didn't love it liked it. The lack of raving about the game also seems this game a little bit like The Witcher 3, given that not many seemed to enjoy it. Though personally I think this game is better, especially the setting alone.

Secretly I think this might be Vinnys #1 for some reason. Perhaps Jeff might place it in his top 3, considering he gave the game 5 stars.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This game is considered the GOTY by everyone. I think this might be Giant Bombs #1 considering it absolutely stole the show. Giant Bomb covered it quite a lot. Jeff talked a lot about it on mixlr, Brad played it for like 3 hours or so. Several GB related podcasts covered the game. Also this game has been extremly positivily reviewed by Dan.

I believe because the way the staff enjoyed the game and considering it had a lot of coverage, this might be the number 1.

Nier: Automata

I am really conflicted about this game. Personally, the whole game was alright, nothing too great until you've played a ton already which has been criticized by the staff. Ben and Alex seem to love it, while Dan seem to hate it. Jeff on the GB curator page said this, let me copy-paste:

"Sure, the gameplay isn't likely to win any awards and some players may need some third-party fixes to get it running right, but the world and story of NieR Automata is absolutely fantastic. -Jeff"

So I think Nier: Automata will possibly be within the Top 5, but won't reach the top spot by a long spot.

Night in the Woods

Without letting my own feelings about the game be involved, I think it won't be in the Top 10 because the staff are friends with the developers.

Well and if you wanna know, this game is my GOTY.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

I actually voted on that one, because the world is a crazy place and lol the gods must be crazy sometimes :P!

Personally, the staff seem to enjoy the game. However, they do acknowledge a lot of bad things. Brad, in the last stream implied that he thinks the game was a broken mess, well the staff acknowledged that a lot of times. Regardless, they had a lot of fun with it. I think it might be within the 5 top spots.

Super Mario Odyssey

Everyone who played this loved it a whole lot. Its considered the greatest Mario of all time and the very best 3d Mario game since Mario 64.

Dan gave it 5 stars but regardless of these facts, people didn't seem to rave about the game as much before as with BOTW, which could mean that in this case the game might also be on a lower spot than Zelda. Personally, this will be the most interesting game.

What Remains of Edith Finch

No, for reasons I've already previously stated. The game got no coverage at all but they might have talked about it but I just missed that.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

This game will be in the top 10, but only within the lower 5 spots. People overall liked, or even loved it but it "came and went" so to speak.

Yakuza 0

Personally, it would be awesome if this game came on top. Its a amazing video game, but I don't know if anyone will even played it.

I mean Yakuza probably has the best writing this year. The game itself is just so flawlessly executed for what it is. But on the other hand it perhaps will be threated similarly to Horizon, as its a game so good theres nothing to talk about, therefore nobody will rave about it other than "its brilliant!" and since not enough people played it theres nothing to discuss. It automatically gets pushed on lower places.

There is a super high chance it will be on the Top 10 list however, I feel that the Top 7 might be good spots for it. Its part of some of Giant Bombs largest features after all.

Some Other Game

We're obviously talking about the one and only Doki Doki Literature Club. Because as I already wrote, the gods are crazy sometimes!

Well, seriously now I wish for Nioh to be on the Top 1 spot, the game has anything going for it. Story good and weird, graphics alright, sound alright, the gameplay alone makes stuff like Dark Souls look absolutely terrible in comparision. Good mix of games such as Monster Hunter and some Onimusha, too. Only bad thing could be the big grind after you've finished the game and that the game is very long.

I predict the following Top 5's

1. Zelda: BOTW
2. Super Mario Odyssey
3. PUBG
4. Cuphead
5. Nier: Automata

Well, thats it for me. We will see if I was at least partially right, or not hehe.

Did Jeff change his tune on BotW? He wasn't that big on it in the month or so after it released.

This is my prediction as well. Only thing I could see switching on here is Odyssey and PUBG, because Abby doesn't particularly care for PUBG, and they're all positive on Mario. A lot of people on staff fell off Breath of the Wild, and Jeff (at least initially) seemed to have problems with parts of that game, so I don't see it rising higher than 3.

Unless somehow Alex and Ben make a hell of an argument for Nier, or Dan makes his case for Zelda,

It’s definitely PUBG, (unless enough people counter against it like Abby will, then it’s Mario Odyssey)

@boozak: Jeff said on one of the Bombcasts a few weeks ago that because PUBG was slated for a 1.0 release in 2017, it was in contention. They REALLY want that game on the list it seems.

I love me some PUBG but I primarily hope that GB picks it as their Game of the Year just so I can witness all the anime avatars absolutely losing their shit over it.

PUBG... unfortunately.

I was on the PUBG train, but then I thought about past GOTY deliberations now that I'm not so sure PUBG will win. There's a trend in the past 3 years where there's one game that the majority of community members will predict as GB's GOTY and then the GB crew goes on to choose a different game for their "Best Game" winner.

• 2014:
  • The Community Favorite: Bayonetta 2
  • The Actual Winner: Shadow of Mordor
• 2015:
  • The Community Favorite: Metal Gear Solid 5
  • The Actual Winner: Super Mario Maker
• 2016:
  • The Community Favorite: DOOM
  • The Actual Winner: Hitman

Certainly with the "Most Website content rule" that SMM and Hitman have used to help those games win the Best Game award, PUBG has a strong case to win. However, PUBG is now the favorite among the community and judging from how things have fared in the past, this could be karma against the game. This is wishful thinking, but I am hoping for Mario to pull through to win and part of me thinks it might win. It seems like that or Nier (Alex, Ben and Jason will fight for it) have the best chances of topping PUBG. Plus Abby isn't as into the game as others and Jason has said he's been waiting for the XBOX One version, but now he knows that version is super rough and not worth touching for now. I'm still leaning towards PUBG being named the top game, but I'm keeping in mind that we've had some upsets over the years so maybe the top game will be something else? I did vote for Odyssey just for wishful thinking, but deep down I think PUBG has a better shot.

With recent staff quotes on how little of a difference a version 1.0 is nowadays I'm betting they included PUBG in their goty and that it'll get the top spot. Mario will probably be number 2 as Dan was the only one who really loved it.

Zelda might get three since it has Brad and Dan behind it but the others seemed to range from it's good (Alex) to it's ok (Vinny, Jeff), to meh (Jason). Abby, Jan, and Ben could be the deciding factors here.

Those hedging their bets/hopes on Neir winning it...What?! With the exception of Alex, Ben, and kinda Jeff who only really liked the world, the others were meh at best on it.

It has a small possiblity of getting in the top 5 but only if other titles get beat up enough to let it squeak by. Remember there's still Cuphead, which could be a surprise number 2 or 3 spot, Resident Evil 7, backed by a possible Brad/Dan/Jason alliance, Horizon, which might not make the top 5 either but I'd bet gets higher than Neir. All the crew at least liked it.

Wolfenstein 2 could also beat Neir. Both games have meh gameplay surrounding very engaging story beats and Wolf 2 would edge out Nier with how relevant it is.

eh it is either Zelda or Mario. Mario tbh seemed like the only game everyone at least really liked or loved. Even Zelda some people were a bit semi-into.

Anyone saying Nier...too many people have openly been hostile towards that game for it to win IMO. Also I rly still need to play too many games from this year and have no money :\

Bastion was number 3 on Giant Bomb's 2011 Game of the Year list. In my estimation, the crew is much closer to Greg Kasavin than they are with Scott Benson, so it shouldn't be a problem. I realize the landscape around game publications and disclosures has changed dramatically since then, but I still don't anticipate it being much of an issue.

With that being said, I still think there's a 50/50 chance of Night in the Woods making a list even if they do consider it. Shame, as it's my GOTY.

I think NieR: Automata has a chance at taking it. Brad and Jeff both finished it, which means five people on staff played it to completion: Brad, Jeff, Alex, Ben, and Vinny. Not that that is the most important factor, but it feels like the only other games that had been played that much were PUBG, Super Mario Odyssey, and Destiny 2. My gut says Destiny 2 and Super Mario Odyssey aren't going to take it, while PUBG seems destined for somewhere on the Top 3. It's just a matter at how high it goes. With that in mind, it is easy to see that game getting some last minute support.

Brad and Jeff also seemed weirdly quiet about finishing the game. Like Jeff mentioned <spoilers for NieR> how he deleted his save and felt like that was the right thing to do during a Bombcast, but didn't say too much else. Brad had that one NieR: Automata is like if Metal Gear was good tweet. So it sounds like he liked it, but I don't think he said where it ranks for him.

I know it seems like a dark horse, but I'm envisioning a scenario where Ben and Alex push hard for NieR: Automata, and Jeff and Brad are there to support them (with Vinny saying "Yeah, it's alright" at some point). Some other games have a few reservations (Wolfenstein II's level design; Destiny 2 being Destiny) and for stuff like Zelda, it seems like Dan is the only one who finished it, so it seems unlikely that is going super high on the list. It's just a matter of if NieR: Automata has enough support to beat PUBG, which feels like a flip of a coin at this stage.

Don't personally agree with it, but PUBG will most likely take it.

I still think it's a tossup between PUBG, zelda, mario and cuphead. It depends on how the arguments went. PUBG seems the most likely because of the amount of coverage and enthusiasm. Mario seems like the most agreeable, that people won't have big issues with. Zelda has some big proponents and some people that didn't stick with it. Cuphead seems like something everyone can get behind, but how much are they into it? No indie game has won GB's GOTY yet, but I imagine that if anything's gonna change that it's PUBG's 3d shooter action or Cuphead's handdrawn 2D animation.

If it's Dream Daddy I'll laugh.

@clagnaught: I see Nier: Automata in the lower half of the top 10. Dan actively dislikes it, Abby didn't seem over the moon from what she played, and I haven't really heard Jeff say much about it. I just don't see it having anywhere near enough pull to go toe to toe with PUBG.

I really hope they do the right thing and don't put Destiny 2 in the top 10. It's like there's this feeling well it's a tent pole AAA release and they all played it a lot, but they didn't really love it, so let's just put it on there at #10. That doesn't play this year of all years. There's just too many good games. Put games on there that actually did impress you and not fps pablum that still hasn't reached its full potential, and that everyone fell off of it like a shear cliff into a botttomless chasm after they finished the raid.

I don't want it to, but PUBG will take it. I love PUBG, but its a fucking hot mess compared to Zelda and Mario (or most other games in contention) which are finished video games. Hey their list though, their choice

It's Mario.

Or maybe Zelda. But it's Mario.

Zelda wins because PUBG didn't really grip the crew the way it did others.

Let's not fool ourselves. It's going to be PUBG.

Two marks against PUBG: 1) Still a bit of uncertainty about whether Jeff will declare it eligible; 2) Some of the crew never played it or never seemed that into it.

Also, I remember last year everyone was so certain DOOM was going to win, and then it didn't after Jeff offered Hitman. In fact, looking at the past several years, the GOTY has always been the game Jeff supported out of the final 3 or 4; I think the last time it wasn't was 2011. And he doesn't seem as hot on PUBG as some of the others (though then again, he almost never seems super excited about specific games).

There's still a strong chance PUBG won, but I think Zelda is a slight favorite. And I think Nier is a dark horse candidate.

Another interesting question: Will Gang Beasts make the top 10?

I think game of the year will be Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, but it might be Mario Odyssey or Breath of the Wild.

@elmorales94: Yep, that would be cool. I don't know much about previous GOTYs but they might be fun to listen to also at some point.

Still, just for the sake of overall accuracy they just should go with picks they enjoyed without taking into account that they're friends with a game developer but its not like that it should matter much if the game itself is good or not.

I'm happy if NITW appears in the top 10 list, thats all I'm asking for!

@mike: I freaking love that you're so modest and honest about it. You sound like you've already seen some shit and I love it, you're kinda like a mod veteran. I'm glad I've not seen that many bad threads on this site even during last year (considering all those silly politics), otherwise I'd probably react similarly.

I'm quite hyped for this top 10 list just for the popcorn comments alone already, haha.

@fezrock: Jeff was less into team PUBG and more into solo. He mentioned that in one of the Murder Island vids.

Aside from Abby (who ended up not liking it after giving it a try) and Jason (who I can't remember ever giving an opinion on it) the majority of the crew spent months playing it. There were many podcasts where Jeff, Vinny, Dan, Alex, Brad, Ben, and even Rorie talked about playing it off the site.

Unless Vinny, Brad, and Jeff have been secretly silent about how into Nier they are, it isn't going to break the top 5. It's going to make the top 10 because of Alex and Ben but no farther. It's narrative won't make up for average gameplay amongst the others.

Here's my tentative guess:

1) Super Mario: Odyseey (I think it beats out PUBG due to being so damn perfect in their (Dan's) eyes - I don't have a Switch so I don't have an opinion myself)

2) Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (Let down slightly by its technical performance, poor Xbox launch, but mainly because they've all burnt out on it a little)

3) Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (An obvious choice at three and I can't see Nintendo getting a 1, 2 finish)

4) Horizon: Zero Dawn (Jeff's annual push for a game he liked a lot - not that the others didn't like it too)

5) Cuphead (It's oozing with style, but this is the one that I think I might have put too high)

6) Wolfenstein II: New Collossus (The age old 'story=great, gameplay=less so' argument drops it down - although I loved both aspects of the game)

7) Nier: Automata (Alex and Ben can only push it so high)

8) Yakuza 0 (Not sure about this one, but I couldn't think of anything to take it's place)

9) Destiny 2 (It'll be on there, but not high, so...9)

10) Gang Beasts (I want this to be included so badly, I'm putting it at 10)

Although I may change my mind up the start of the actual GOTY discussion on Day 5.

I'm gonna say Nier, but deep down I think it's probably PUBG. I think Nier is going to rank far higher than people expect, - as it deserves, in my opinion. The mostly positive talk from a good chunk of the staff really seemed to swell up around the GOTY talks.

But yeah, PUBG probably.

My hope is that Mario or something other than PUBG takes the top spot (as I think that would mean the debate for the number one spot was more cutthroat and thus more fun) but if you put a gun to my head I would at this point guess the list looks something like:

1. PUBG
2. Mario/Zelda
3. Zelda/Mario
4. Cuphead
5. Nier
6. Nioh
7. Wolfenstein 2
8. Destiny 2
9. Night in the Woods
10. Assassin's Creed Origins or Horizon Zero Dawn

I think Assassin's Creed has the edge over Horizon at this point as Jeff is the only one who seemed to love Horizon and he seems to have cooled on it since he played it, while AC is fresh and a few of them seem to be digging it. Night in the Woods is the emotional indie darling of this year, a la Journey or Brothers. Destiny 2 gets a lot of snark and backhanded compliments but settles in the top 10 fairly easily. Wolfenstein's big moments propel it onto the list even as they all say the gameplay is not great. Nioh gets Jeff and Jason all hot and bothered. Nier gets Alex and Ben sobbing. Cuphead is Cuphead. Zelda and Mario are Zelda and Mario, Dan loves both but loves Zelda more, while I think everyone else prefers Mario but maybe they give Zelda the edge for being so different or maybe they stick with the one they like more. And PUBG was a phenomenon that took the site by storm for months, it's hard to top that.

I'd like to see something smaller like Pyre or Nidhogg 2 or maybe even Dream Daddy squeak on to the list, or perhaps something completely surprising that I wouldn't even be able to guess. But this year just had so many big games that happened to also be good that I think that's unlikely unless someone really wants to push for their particular favorite, and I don't know who that would be and what game they would push for.

HAHA. This all day. I was afraid to say it like that but now that a mod said it; I'll just QFT.

Nioh strikes me as at best Jasons "I just wanna say my piece" game.

@hippie_genocide: Even if some people actively disliked a game, that shouldn't knock it down too much. Like Jeff never liked playing The Last of Us, but that won in the past. Likewise, if Dan didn't like NieR, that's fine, but it also shouldn't automatically make it a middle of the lane game either. Destiny 2, despite everything against, seems like it's going to be somewhere on that list. I don't understand people who put in 300+ hours into those games, but people do like playing it and Destiny 2 (with the exception of the raid, which looks bad) is more kind to the player. That said, this year feels really unpredictable, due to the amount of games that came out.

My prediction for top 10 in order:

1. Zelda
2. PUGB
3. Mario
4. NieR
5. Cuphead
6. Horizon
7. Wolf 2
8. Night in the Woods
9. Edith Finch
10. Assassin's Creed