Just finished listening to the day 4 podcast, and can't believe this game wasn't even mentioned for best style. The amazing atmosphere, animation and music come together with a really solid game and it wasn't even on the list, left me feeling rather bummed. Personally I'd have given it the win myself, but would have been satisfied if it had been given a mention.

Personally, I'd have nominated it for best music, best style and best story. And it isn't even my game of the year. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that we're talking about something that's even one step removed from opinions here. The guys all have their own take on what prize should go to which game, and with so many folks in the room, for everyone to settle and agree on a single game just isn't very likely to come to pass. And so we're basically talking about "The Compromise 2014" here.

It's also worth noting that they're going through a ton of categories. Some deserving games are going to slip through the cracks. Kentucky Route Zero is a perfect example of a game that deserved to be elevated, but which just wasn't, for no fair reason. It's a shame, but eh, what can you do? GoTY is more about fun than anything else. We probably shouldn't read into it too much.

The whole point of the best style category is that it's exclusively limited to the staff's interpretation of styyyyyyyyyyyyyyle in order to circumvent the whining about the "Best Looking" category.

Sure, opinions vary, and it is all open to interpretations, but c'mon, not even a mention? Just disappointing. Which isn't to say "I demand" anything or what not, but I wanted to bring the game up, especially in relation to the subject. I want people to check the game out, it is most deserving of a look, and much like how Jeff is the trending gamer of our hearts, so too should this game be counted among those with style of our hearts, even if the GB crew completely forgot/dismissed it.

i'd wholeheartedly agree. but it's so subjective- for instance, i get why some of the dudes have such an affinity for Luftrausers- but i find it somewhat one-note (both visually and musically), and it really doesn't resonate with me. the fascist-inspired art continues to also make me feel strange (to be clear- i'm not condemning it, the appropriation of loaded historical imagery always makes me feel strange).

Yes but you know how the bombcrew is suckers for balls out crazy stuff and that will always have one up on everything else.

@fredchuckdave said:

How do you figure? When they were talking about it the category didn't seem to have any definition whatsoever. I thought it was complete filler.

I feel it should have had best style and story but that's my opinion. Totally fine the bombcrew had a different one. Plus consider most of them never played the game

I didn't understand the best styyyyyyyyle category so I'm gonna go with Watch_Dogs for that dope coat.

The lack of animation (and maybe lack of VO too) for the most part kind of frustrated me, but it did well with the overall aesthetic and bleakness of the story. Also wish the SRPG elements were a little more fleshed out.

Got about a third of the way in i think, and need to finish it sometime.

Two points that should be made; one, it's best styyyyyyyle, not best style. This game has more style than styyyyyyyyle. Two, the same knock against Bayonetta 2 being more of the same as Bayonetta one also applies to this game. The multiplayer was released last year, and this years release is more of the same.

This category was created for games like Jazzpunk. So... no not really.

@mosespippy: It was a f2p multiplayer component that featured only a very small portion of the actual game. Hardly more of the same. Unless you want to say that the dialogue, characters, animated cutscenes, additional music, far different battles and scenarios, the travel portions, etc don't matter.

Comparing the multiplayer spin off of the game to the actual game as if it is the same thing does it a great disservice. It would be like judging smash brothers on the wii u entirely on its boardgame mode sans battles and calling it the same as the full game. It is an element, but far from the whole package.

While I love this game and eagerly await the second. I don't feel its style was unique or award worthy. We've seen it before. It has great atmosphere though, just not style.

No. It has great art but styyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyllllllllleeeee is something else entirely.

I don't think Banner Saga has Styyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyle

It looks nice, sounds good and has a consistent direction but it doesn't have STYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYLE

I thought the category was so unclear and nebulous that half of them weren't even clear what it actually entailed and they just kind of chose something no one was happy with but no one could clearly articulate why.

I know exactly what they mean by STYYYYYYYYYYYLE but it's hard to articulate what it is. Something that has an eye striking & unique aesthetic whilst effortlessly being cool is probably the best way to describe it. Something that has such an awesome sense of identity that the whole room screams 'look at me' without it needing to say a thing it's self. Sunset Overdrive for example shouldn't have been nominated 'Best Styyyyyyyle' because it gets on top of a chair with it's fancy outfit and goes 'LOOOOOK AT MEEEEEEEEE'.

Banner Saga doesn't have 'STYYYYYYYLE' because it lacks the cool factor, it's tasteful, eye pleasing but it's not particularly 'stylish' in the 'trendy' sense of the word.

@yesiamaduck said:

By your own definition Wolfenstein: The New Order should have been nominated. That game is stylish.

I don't disagree

That game has STYYYYYYYYLE

I took Best Styyyyyyle to mean the best unifying art aesthetic, in both visual, sound and more nebulous thematic elements.

Nah. They took the rotoscopy stuff from Ralph Bakshi but none of the sexy stuff and none of the really weird stuff. They payed homage to the most boring part of Fire and Ice.

Whatever, this whole thing is a crock since they randomly gave Best Looking Game to Guilty Gear Xrd because everybody shot down everybody else's favourites, so the only thing left was Guilty Gear because Jason has no enemies. Then they basically had to invent Best Styyyyyyyyyle to award the various games that basically had good art design (and bonus if the soundtrack was solid), because those games were randomly snubbed from Best Looking Game for no reason.

Guilty Gear Xrd should win some award for Craziest Innovation Using Unreal Engine, but at the end of the day it still looks like an anime fighter 90% of the time. Something else should've won Best Looking Game.

@yesiamaduck: I would disagree, if Luftrausers can win the category, The Banner Saga definitely deserves mention. It has style, lots of it, just of a different variety perhaps. Ultimately it comes to personal interpretations of what the category means, which is nebulous at best and it is a concession to the best looking category. In that case TBS is as deserving as any title they mentioned.