If Sonic Mania counts as a "remaster" then Blaster master Zero should too. That game's pretty good.

I think it's unfortunate that the best games released this year are way too long to get their dues from the crew. There is going to be a severe lack of props given to BotW, Persona 5, Hollow Knight and Nioh. Most likely way too much PUBG talk, as well. I know it's an unpopular stance, but I just don't think that game is any good. It's got way too many problems that I think will be overlooked.

@beachthunder: I wasn't sure about Sonic Mania, to be honest, but Blaster Master Zero is solid grab. Totally forgot about it.

@doctordonkey: I think BotW will get some good talk, Dan will definitely make a push for it. Persona will maybe get some love, especially in Style at least. Nioh and Hollow Knight are the biggest bummers for me, because while everyone at West was playing and really enjoyed it, it seemed to just get dropped. Plus it seems like no one outside of Alex really dug into Hollow Knight. And as far PUBG goes it'll be interesting to see if that game officially comes out by the end of the year. If it's doesn't, that'll make the end of the year categories a bit more different I think.

Good lists. Here's some stuff I don't see on your end, or that I just want to stress.

BEST MOMENT

• Persona 5 - THE Heist (catching up with the frame story) is the better moment imo.
• Mario + Rabbids - World 3 Boss should also be up for Best Moment/Sequence. And I'll be damned if it's not top three.
• Nier - Route B when you see yourself as 2B getting your setting in check. It was especially impactful for me because I had a great deal of hesitation at the last request. I lingered for literally a minute before I accepted, changed it back, then changed it again.
• Horizon - taking down your first Thunderjaw. This is the most satisfying thing I've done in a game all year.
• Night in the Woods - Building a robot with Greg. I was hooting and hollering.

BEST NEW CHARACTER

• Mae, Night in the Woods - By far the best character in the game. Greg is more fun, Bae is more tragic, but Mae has the most detail and nuance to her character. There are multiple ways to interpret her character and how she relates to the plot at large, and that's honestly more than I've ever seen most video games do.

BEST SURPRISE BUT ALSO BEST STORY

• Madden 18 (Story Mode) - Like, damn dude. It's not an amazing out of this world original story, but it is extremely well executed. Honestly better than most AAA game stories.

@elmorales94:

Those are some great additions, was slacking with Horizon moment. I'd also argue that taking control of a Thunderjaw was a pretty rad moment too, might not top yours though. As for, Mario + Rabbids, I'd been hearing some stuff about it, but I'll definitely have to check it out.

With Persona and Nier I can see those both of those all well. I love that Persona one because it's the most Ocean's movie b.s. and it's the best. However, I do love that anime ass ending for Persona, plus shooting god in the fucking face with Satanael was incredible for me. That Nier moment is really good too because it puts that stuff into a really interesting context, for me at least. *Side note* those soundtracks add so much to both of those games.

Also, I appreciate the Night in the Woods push, I've been putting that game off and I just need to sit down and finish it.

How about "Best?" Millennials

• Night In The Woods - Mae and Friends
• Persona 5 - The Phantom Thieves
• Mass Effect: Andromeda - Rider and company
• NieR: Automata - Yorha androids
• Splatoon 2 - Squid teens
• Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle - The Rabbids

Tokyo 42 is my personal pick for best looking and best style. That game never got the quicklook it deserved, and I feel like it really flew under the radar. Seriously, it's gorgeous.

It's not out yet, but Cuphead will definitely be a big contender for best looking and best style.

Jack Baker from RE7 for best new character.

For best moment, RE7 spoilers: Jack Baker ripping you out of your car, stealing it and spinning donuts in a tiny garage to try and kill you. The entire boss fight should qualify to be honest.

@mezmero: Hahaha, that's so great honestly, pretty dopey but I love it. That's a really good "fun" category.

@brackstone: Damn, I totally forgot that even came out, I remember being so hype for that before it came out. Definitely going to have to add it.

But good pull with the RE7 stuff though, didn't mean to overlook it. That whole moment was so great for me because I was like "wait, is this what it really wants me to do?", which then led to "okay, it's over...finally, he's dead...OH JESUS CHRIST NO!"

• Best Looking - Horizon: Zero Dawn
• Best Style - Mario: Odyssey
• Best Story - Horizon: Zero Dawn
• Best Surprise - Star Fox 2
• Best Music - Nier: Automata
• Best Multiplayer - Destiny 2
• Best New Character - OG Majima
• Best Moment or Sequence - Majima Introduction
• Best Debut - Horizon: Zero Dawn
• 2017's Old Game of the Year - Destiny 2
• Most Disappointing Game - Mass Effect: Andromeda
• Best Game - Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I think there’s a very good chance PUBG wins their game of the year. Much like Hitman ended up being, it’s been the game they keep going back to.

In fact, I think Dan already mentioned (can't remember if it was on a video or the beastcast) that PUBG was going to be his number 1, despite Zelda being a game he loved more. I imagine this year's best game discussion won't be that heated/contentious (at least for the number 1 spot). I anticipate everyone will go for PUBG

The only problem that could arise is if PUBG doesn't "come out" by the end of the year and they decide to hold off on early access until next year, like Jeff mentioned in their panel or on the bombcast. I'd be very surprised if they didn't let it on either way, but I think it'd make for a weird and more heated battle for the top spot. That'd be like Zelda vs. Nier vs. Destiny as of right now probably. Also depending how the rest of this years releases shake out, something else could rise to the top, you never know.

@kingbonesaw: Yeah, that's very true, especially with stuff like Cuphead, Wolfenstein and Mario still coming out (still glossing over other releases). But god, how could I forget about Snake Pass, that's in my top for this year for sure. Definitely should have put it in for Debut and Character, totally agree with you. Plus great pull's for Old Game and Re-release/Remaster, didn't mean to brush over the Dragon Quest stuff and Golf is so great there.

2017 is the new 1998.

Good lists for some of these award categories. I also like that you put the Early Access titles in Italics recognizing they're still in early access for now. Though you gotta add Cuphead to Best Looking Game and Best STYYYYYYLE once it comes out in 2 days. Cuphead might get into best debut if it plays well.

Other games that I'm thinking will likely be added to these lists will be Super Mario Odyssey (Best Game, Music, Style, etc), Wolfenstein (Best Game, Best Story) and Call of Duty WWII (Best Surprise or Most Disappointing depending on how they view it).

Also on PUBG, I think we all need to remember Jeff's statement on that PAX panel that they shouldn't change the rule this year just to show favoritism for PUBG alone and change it in 2018. Even Ben on the last UPF seemed to be in favor of Jeff's argument saying, "Its arguable if its even one of 2017's best games if it doesn't come out this year." Of course if PUBG gets an official 1.0 release or if Jeff's stance is altered during the GOTY panels, PUBG is definitely the best game favorite.

@theht: lmao, Destiny 2 in old game is really good! But that Yakuza 0 moment is also really good, I knew there needed to be one on there, just couldn't think of one.

@mocbucket62:

Hahaha, thanks, glad someone got that. But very true on Cuphead, big contender for those categories.

Also I completely agree on those popping on the list as well, it'll be interesting if any other things pop on the list. I'm assuming others like Middle-earth: Shadow of War will pop on, just not sure in what categories. I'd also be a bit surprised if games like Evil Within 2, South Park: The Fractured but Whole, Assassin's Creed Origins, Need for Speed Payback and maybe Star Wars Battlefont II didn't appear on there in some shape or form. Probably within the categories of Best Looking, Surprise and Disappointment if I had to bet.

Wolfenstein 2

Hottest Mess

• Mass Effect: Andromeda
• Friday 13th
• PewDeePie
• The completely unnecessary Dean Takahashi Cuphead outrage
• The Nintendo Switch's Chat Functions
• Fortnites Launch?

@drrobotnikx: dang, that's a really good one, I wasn't sure what to put for it in general so I just omitted it all in general. I could also see something about SNES class pre-order stuff on there as well.

Preemptively gonna guess another one on micro transactions about stuff like Middle-earth and NBA 2K18. Also some maybes being the Atlus limiting what people can stream around Persona 5 and something involving LawBreakers? Not too sure on that one though.

This thread still going? I have a few suggestions:

BEST MOMENT/SEQUENCE:

• Night in the Woods - "Proximity" Scene. In a game full of poignant moments, this is probably THE most poignant-est(?) one. It shows why Bea is so bitter and confrontational around Mae so much, why she's completely in the right in thinking so, and how much of her life is a mess.
• Pyre - Your first Liberation Rite. It's the point in the game where you find out you can free one of your teammates... permanently and how much the story will branch from there.
• Persona 5 - The Igor Reveal.
• Breath of the Wild - Deflecting a Guardian beam with a pot lid. Enough said.

BEST NEW CHARACTER

• Pyre - Ti'Zo or Volfred Sandalwood. The former because of his time with the Nightwings and the latter because of how determined he is to get the crew to succeed.

OLD GAME OF THE YEAR

• Titanfall 2 - I was able to play it this year and was surprised at how good the campaign was.
• Vanquish and Bayonetta - The PC re-releases have put them in a much more stable condition compared to their original release. Vanquish, in particular, removed the FPS lock and the gameplay actually feels a lot smoother and responsive compared to the console versions. Probably better for the Remaster/Rerelease category.

Not sure how you feel about this, but the sewer showdown and the moment when Kiryu punches Kuze on the face as seen in Part 21 of Beast in the East are two of the best moments in game.

Those are the best moments for me, which elevates Kuze into one of the best new characters.

I'd take Uncharted: The Lost Legacy out of best story and substitute Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Microtransactions wise, you could include Forza 7 VIP becoming a limited boost, and Destiny 2 shaders being consumables. Not so much microtransactions, but more a general "state of the business".

Atlus: With both the streaming limitations (esp. the heavy-handed nature of the first communications) and the attack on the PS3 emulator, it could be a contender.

Also, I'm not sure the True End for Persona 5 hangs here in Best Moment - (fairly vague, but tagged for anyone who wants to be completely unspoiled) it's basically a mini-boss rush, and it more or less recreates the ending of Persona 4 (hidden Big Bad claiming to be the will of the people manipulating from behind the scenes, defeated by people cheering on MC). It just felt a little flat to me.

Can't wait for PUBG not to win because of a technicality; it'll be wonderful.

I'm thinking more...

"Man, what a great year for Japan huh? RE7, Persona 5, Nier Automata, Yakuza 0, Zelda, Mario Odyssey... tons of great games, good to see them back. So anyway, PUBG takes it, Destiny 2 takes second, Assassin's Creed 10 spiced up the gameplay well, Horizon was reeaally good too..."

My biggest pet peeve this year has been seeing indie game after indie game coming out and looking quite good, and then they all turn out to be procedurally generated roguelikes. I'd like to see that get some kind of award.

I hadn't given much thought to it, but yeah, given how few of the staff have actually went through much of the myriad of longer games this year the final top 10 could end up being quite a strange one.

I would like to nominate ARMS for Best Music.

I also would like to nominate Beep-0 from Mario + Rabbids for Best New Character.

@dialthedude:
I'll definitely have to add some Night in the Woods to best moment. After enough talk on this thread alone, I'm gonna try and finally finish it this week.

But those Pyre adds are both so good. The moment is a total oversight on my part, really sets everything up so well, plus the music there is amazing. I've finally realized that picking a character is so hard for me at this point, I just have such an appreciation for almost all of them at this point I don't know if it's fair to just pick one.

@sub_o: I actually just finished Beast in the East so I think those are fantastic additions. I just love the absurdity of the sewer fight. But, especially Kuze to new character, thanks for pointing that one out.

@stordoff:

Yea, I feel like at this point they would all fall under PLEASE STOP, and less Hottest Mess for the micro transaction stuff.

And yeah, I can see why that Persona 5 moment could have fallen flat for someone, especially if they played another game in the series, especially 4, as you pointed out. I'd like Persona 5 to get some recognition outside of style/music though.

@redhotchilimist:

Oh god yeah, procedurally generated indies just might be a strong contender for PLEASE STOP this year. Again, I even like a few of 'em, but it just seemed like an over abundance this year.

@darthorange:

Woops! ARMS definitely deserves to be nominated at least!

Also good call on Beep-0, knew they're should be at least one Mario + Rabbids character on there.

Ruiner for best style.

Splatoon 2 in most disappointing (don't @ me)

I hope that the crew would include a "Best Sound" category on top of "Best Music". Games don't get enough praise for their sound design, and highlighting anything from the detailed foot sounds in Zelda to the gunshot percussions of PUBG would be really interesting.

@isomeri:

That's another really good one. You could include Cuphead, like the loading screen sound, Hellblade for sure and probably Pyre for a mix of the voice talent and the little touches

My category submission. Game that made me forget --even if only fleeting-- humanities incredibly bleak outlook.

The Bernie Madoff Award (Most Disgusting Price Scheme/Freemium Model)

WINNER: NBA2K18

The Deja Vu Award (Best Remaster)

WINNER: ?

The Dr. Evil "Zip It" Award (Game Personality Who Most Needs to STFU)

WINNER: Pewdiepie

The "Games Are Good Again?!" Award (Best New IP)

WINNER: ?

@rongalaxy:

Hahaha, way too real, but what games would pop on there? Definitely thinking Breath of the Wild at least.

@therealturk:

Crap, those are some really good names for categories. Especially deja vu and Bernie Madoff, could see that one getting its own category this year.

Breath of the Wild was fucking fantastic, I' say it's best looking (really interesting aesthetic style) and seriously great to play.

I would personally add Madden 18 to the "Best Surprise" category. The Longshot story/tutorial mode works really well and the story and characters feel realistic. It gives you a sense of drama for perhaps the players who are not automatically seen as a first round pick and the challenges of being an athlete/sports professional.

P.s. The Community Spotlight linked me here.

Please stop: Lootboxes, early access games that are basically retail, broken games (mainly cos of ME:A)

@johnlocke:

The Madden love has been really surprising honestly. I'd written it off, but after all the talk I've seen on the site and my own friends, I feel like I need to at least experience the story mode.

@jedikv: for early access games that are basically retail, would be talking about Fornite basically? Sorry, just trying to think of examples.

Arms is not disappointing at all.