What games will get spoiled on GB's GOTY podcasts this year?

Every year around this time I start figuring out what games I should probably beat before listening to the Giant Bomb GOTY podcast. I try to get a head start so I'll have finished everything I don't want spoiled by the time the podcasts start dropping. What games do you think will be spoiled? Do any of you guys do the same thing?

So far, I think DOOM and Uncharted 4 will be spoiled for sure. Those are two I'll need to start working through pretty soon.

I don't know but i do know i have never actually listened to one because of that, kinda wish they could do that without spoiling games but oh well.

Dishonored 2 is the only game I can think of, but I don't know how many of the staff will have even played that (I'm a few weeks behind on the Bombcast). I'm sure they'll spoil a bunch more, but I'm really not that worried about having Gears of War 4 or Watch Dogs 2 spoiled for me.

I'm not even sure what spoiling DOOM means. I haven't finished that game yet (I should) but while there is a story and it's...fine...it takes a serious back seat to the action. Uncharted 4 (which I finished) could be spoiled much more easily, and they probably will, so you might want to finish it.

(Turns out that Nathan Drake is actually just Drake, the rapper, holding a Nathan's hot dog the whole time. There. I spoiled it for you.)

I'd bet Deus Ex will come up, along with Watch_Dogs 2 and Dishonored 2. Gears of War 4, Titanfall 2, and CoD: Infinite Warfare for sure. Battlefield 1 will be discussed in depth but because it's vignettes I don't know if the game, as a whole, can be spoiled.

Hitman will receive a lengthy discussion that will reveal a lot of the cool things in the game.

The Witness will be spoiled for sure. I am staying well clear of that one!

I also wish they did a spoiler free podcast, and I fundamentally disagree with the position that you can't discuss this stuff meaningfully or well without spoiling it, but as they say in Belgium "Them's the breaks!"

haven't played it but I would assume The Witness? Inside, Watch Dogs 2, Mafia 3.

Biggest one for me will probably be inside.

@elvicerator: Anything that could possibly be up for discussion will be spoiled, that's just how it goes. The list is basically everything they've played in 2016.

Games that can be spoiled which they will talk about:

The Witness, Inside, Titanfall 2, Uncharted 4 (if they even remember the story), Firewatch, Dishonored 2, Gears 4, Deus Ex, Virginia, Zero Time Dilemma, CoD Infinite Warfare, Watch Dogs 2, Mafia 3, Battlefield 1

Games that can be spoiled , but they won't talk about because they didn't finish them:

Fire Emblem Fates, Pokemon, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, FF XV, Dark Souls 3, Kentucky Route Zero, Dragon Quest Builders, World of Final Fantasy

Games they will talk about which can't be spoiled

Doom, Overwatch, Hitman, Forza Horizon, Civ VI, Stardew Valley

@gerrid: I actually just picked up The Witness specifically to try and play it before GOTY podcasts. I'd have otherwise waited but I don't want this one spoiled. I'm hoping none of them will have played enough Dishonored for it to come up much.

Also lol the concept of spoiling a Pokemon game.

usually I'd say the same but this one is pretty story heavy!

@gerrid: I agree with you. Particularly about Inside, The Witness, Firewatch, Titanfall. I'm fairly sure those games are gonna have things that get talked about in detail.

Also they maybe could spoil a surprise or two from things like Superhot, Abzu, Obduction, Asemblance, and other smaller story driven or experiential games like that. I'm sure there's a couple other games of this sort that Vinny played that I can't remember off the top of my head.

All the games brad played. Definitely Inside.

God, what's even going to be up for Best Story this year? The possible-to-spoil lists people are giving are like, some OK video game stories, but nothing is really wowing me.

@gerrid: Oh right, ZTD came out this year. I kind of hope it gets discussed during best story, if only so Vinny (and/or Alex?) can run down all the stupid shit that happens in the tail end of that silly game. And then cutting it from the list because as much as I like the game and the series as a whole, the nonsense in ZTD is a stretch even by Zero Escape standards.

Hopefully everything, GOTY season is that one time of the year I look forward too where they speak about games without any reservations.

I think to make a case for certain games or categories you need to spoil. Trying to place a story driven game in the top ten with the explanation of "it's really good, trust me!" would suck. Titanfall 2 for example. Jeff, in an effort not to spoil, just described one of the moments as feeling like "the rawest motherfucker". Is that a good enough explanation for best moment or sequence? I would want context and details in order to be convinced.

My money would be on Titanfall 2 just because of the unexpected direction it takes.

Also, people talking about Witness like there was actually something to spoil. Unless they talk about specific puzzle solutions, then there isn't anything to it. The "story" is non-existent and the conclusion unfulfilling and underwhelming. Personally my biggest dissapointment this year was how that game played out. They crafted this interesting island that indicated, to me at least, that something more was going on. Then you get into the mountain and...nothing. Boo.

Inside, though they might have already gone in-depth with it on the Bcast.

edit: I see it's already been mentioned along with many other good picks.

Can Stardew Valley be spoiled? I've decided that Doom and Stardew Valley are the last games to try and experience before the podcasts but I know SV is quite a long game. Do I need to try and squeeze that into the next month rather than take my time which strikes me as the right approach to the game?

Inside, Uncharted 4, Mafia 3, Titanfall 2, The Witness and Firewatch.

Does Uncharted 4 have a story that would really suffer that much from spoilers? I have it since it came with my ps4, but was thinking I should play through the first 3 games first.

All of them?

@humanity: Fully agree. This is our one chance to eavesdrop on conversations that would otherwise happen behind closed doors, as is the case with so many other sites and crews. It is full transparency at its best.

I look forward to the inevitable tension between Jeff and Brad regarding Giant Bomb's GOTY, as has been the case since Skyrim.

@rahf That’s usually a highlight of the GOTY podcasts for me as well but I suspect this year they will both be Team DOOM.

I would definitely recommend playing through that game without having it spoiled. It won`t completely ruin the experience if you are spoiled on stuff, but it won`t be as good as it can be.

@nightriff Stardew Valley can`t really be spoiled. The story in that game is mostly in the character relationships, which are really good, but don`t really have anything to spoil. I would recommend taking your time with that game, it`s really great (maybe my GOTY).

I am worried about UC4. Haven't played it yet and it doesn't seem to be on any Black Friday sales.

I don't care about spoilers...I'm an adult. Uncharted is prolly the biggest game out that can get spoiled. Firewatch has a twist in it right? That and Inside are prolly the biggest indies that could get spoiled.

Not King's Quest...

:(

@archer88: yeah i know it has to be this way, but i cant do spoilers if i get spoiled its a guarantee i wont finish or even play a game. Only exception is non story stuff, i dont really care too much about gameplay spoilers.

@bisonhero: Firewatch almost seems like a very strong contender for best story at this point.

Maybe Brad will pull for Headmaster?

And I totally thought Brad was firmly on team Doom, but after Dan asked him on the latest UPF he wasn't sure. I think Hitman is starting to creep up and have a real chance at the GOTY.

I didn't do the challenge in the mountain (though I did watch the video it unlocks), but I did get the full "secret" ending. Again, underwhelming. I understand that you could spoil that sequence, but its not really significant. The bigger spoiler is how shitty the payoff is for all the puzzles you solved. I understand that Blow is trying to make a point about game design and and how games are supposed to affect us, inspire us to "seek knowledge"etc. but the island teased a mystery that wasn't actually there. So in the end you're left with game that is essentially a mental treadmill. In that sense, I don't really think you need to worry about having anything spoiled; it isn't much of a revelation.

Do you mean the time travel stuff? That was cool, but struck me more as a "best moment" candidate.

Inside wouldn't be up for best story I feel, rather best moment. It is sparse and turns quite macabre, demanding the player supplies their own tale before the end twist-- a lovely mindbender, that one.

@gerrid: I just came in here to say that Hitman very much can be spoiled. While the episodic release structure helped keep the gameplay fresh, it didn't do the story any favors. It was mostly swept under the rug, but the Hitman story has some interesting turns. Pretty good piece of political intrigue with a great lead-in to season 2.

@flasaltine: Right there with you.

@colonel_pockets: Uncharted 4 is 50% off in the EU PSN store. Don`t know about the rest of the world, but if you live in North America I also think I read on somewhere that they will add more deals to the PSN store during the weekend.

@rahf: I bet Brad will reason that the enviromental and interactive storytelling in Inside is what makes it the best story of 2016. Just how the controls in Brothers added to the story.

Yah I love to hear them break down games without having to talk around the plot. All year long we get to hear "oh you know THAT MOMENT" on the Bombcast and it can be infuriating if you've actually played through the part and are dying to hear their full reaction to said moment. Of course that censoring is necessary because hey, sometimes I'm on the other side of the fence and I haven't played the game yet and am thankful they don't spoil it for me. So GOTY is that one no-holds-barred time of the year where you know exactly what you're getting into. I haven't played INSIDE yet, and I want to but it's not on a decent sale so I'm probably going to have that spoiled for me unless I do some fancy fast forwarding, but it is what it is.

In the spirit of adding a few to the above lists: abzu, That dragon cancer, xcom 2, oxenfree

@diobacco: How could those be something that is spoiled? I stumbled across a few of those in the first five minutes of the game. Thats basic gameplay mechanics as far as I am concerned and people shouldn't have to use spoiler warnings for them. Its seriously as easy as, "wait, the road looks like.... maybe I should try the mechanic on this. Oh, the hole we start the game in... well lets try interacting with that."

@onemanarmyy: As someone whose tried twice to get through Limbo and bounced off each time, I've had zero interest in Inside. But if any part of it can hold a candle to the ending of Brothers, you have my attention. That final sequence of Brothers, the gameplay twist and it's purpose, is one of the most impactful directions I've ever experienced in a game.

@bisonhero: Probably Mafia 3 I guess? That game seems to hang all its merit on it's story right? Personally for me it's The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine expansion, which probably doesn't count but yea considering this years competition it's leagues ahead of full games that released.

And to the thread topic, they kind've need to discuss and spoil everything in GOTY podcasts right? There's no point meandering around major things that are the best part of their respective games. The podcasts are them arguing their point of view and when you aren't making clear arguments because of 'spoiler fear' you're probably going to lose that argument.

Just have to say since opinions are so important that I don't have a problem with them "spoiling" the games they care and argue for/against. It wouldn't make any sense if they didn't since the purpose of them recording these deliberations is transparency and, of course, entertainment. People who detest spoilers certainly have a fair warning AND the option to just watch the results without hearing the discussion.

I will probably redbox it and blast through it quickly.

@nnickers: Oh i haven't played Inside so i wouldn't know if there's anything in it that's as good as the Brothers sequence. I just can see Brad advocating for that game as best story, especially in a year with so few big games that focus mostly on story. (Inside,The Witness, Firewatch, Dishonored 2 , Uncharted 4 and.. Call of Duty Infinite Warfare? ) Enviromental storytelling and interacting with some nightmarish machines / creatures seem to be the modus operandi of the Limbo devs , so i would assume Inside is somewhat similar in that regard.

It's usually stuff up for Best Story, Best Moment and GotY obviously. I put off listening to certain episodes until I've played particular games if I'm very interested in the story. But more often they talk me into playing games rather than talk me out of things by spoiling them.

@monetarydread: You picked up on it quickly, but many people may not have done. I clocked onto it probably a couple of hours in, but it's a thing that the game never tells you and I could absolutely see someone playing through a large majority of that game without realising. I think the most obvious example I recall is when you reach the top of the mountain and look down - that feels very much like a "if you haven't figured this out yet" moment.

I'd pretty much agree with this (though I could see a case being made for Hitman and Stardew Valley being spoilable, as they both have interesting story arcs to them).

Also they will probably bring up Ratchet & Clank, Darkest Dungeon, Grow Up, Pokémon GO, Clash Royale, Street Fighter V, and Devil Daggers - all of which can't really be spoiled - but I could also see someone mentioning Spaceplan (which is neat and kinda can be spoiled, but it's also quick, free, and plays in a web browser). Oh yeah - I'd imagine they'll spoil the end of No Man's Sky too, if that's a thing that you're still worried about and yet haven't reached it.

If you only care about story spoilers and not mechanical ones, you can probably cross The Witness off that list, and maaaybe Titanfall 2 (though I think the ending perhaps warrants seeing fresh).

Most likely Titanfall 2, God Eater 2, Hitman, and DOOM

Hitman's story is mostly ho-hum, really. I think the kills are really what are spoilerable.

There's a lot of awesome moments in games this year that I think are really great if you experience it by yourself. Doom's story is pretty much just "kill all the demons" but it has little moments that are just amazing such as the Cyberdemon resurrecting when you enter Hell. I think the Best Story podcast will have a lot of spoilers, but this year I feel was all about Best Moment so watch out for that podcast if any of your games you neglected to play this year come up for that.