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Posted: 11/22/2023 6:31:41 PM EDT
If you vote "Other" please specify which game in the comments.
2023 was a great year for gaming - to me, it's the best year since 1998. My only complaint is that most of the games are sequels or remakes. Very few original IPs. It's also interesting to note that Xbox/Microsoft games are almost entirely absent. Notes: 1) For the purposes of this thread and poll, a remake is a game that has differences from the original beyond updated graphics, sound, etc.; a remaster is just updated visuals, sound, etc. with no difference in gameplay or story. 2) DLC-only releases don't count. Sorry Cyberpunk. 3) Games must be released on at least one of the following: PC, Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch. 4) Only new games. Games that were released in previous years but brought to a new system this year don't count. In alphabetical order, here is a list of games that would at all be finalists in other years, if not outright winners: Alan Wake 2 Armored Core VI Baldur's Gate 3 Dead Space Remake Diablo 4 Final Fantasy XVI Hi-Fi Rush Hogwarts Legacy Lies of P Remnant II Resident Evil 4 Remake + DLC Sea of Stars Spider-Man 2 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Starfield Street Fighter 6 Super Mario Bros. Wonder The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Warhammer 40k Boltgun Here are my thoughts on some of these: Starfield is my pick for GOTY. Issues, for sure, but it is an ambitious game that is greater than the sum of its parts. Also, one of the few unique IPs in a year flooded with sequels. I've commented extensively in the threads here dedicated to the game, so I won't say more. Baldur's Gate 3: if any game can beat Zelda for GOTY it's this one. Yet, I didn't play it. I played Divinity I and II also from Larian Studios, and wasn't blown away. Solid games, but not amazing. I'll probably pick this one up in a few years when it's $20. Armored Core VI: I had an absolute blast with this game. I would say it's too niche for GOTY but for another nominee, Baldur's Gate 3, that appeals beyond its niche. Resident Evil 4 Remake was the clear winner to me until Starfield. The original RE4 is one of the greatest games of all time, and this lives up to the legend. When it gets PSVR2 support (hopefully next year), it too might be one of the best of all time. I was super disappointed with Final Fantasy XVI. The 1st half of the game is a 9.5, the 2nd half is a 6, and the ending is a 2. Zelda would normally be the shoe-in but for Baldur's Gate 3. I'm interested to see how the voting goes. I think it's a phenomenal game undone by the fact that it's mostly a reskin of Breath of the Wild, and made worse by the system of combining items to make better weapons. I got about halfway through, then got bored with it and never finished. Spider-Man 2 gets my award for "Woke Game of the Year." From tired tropes about the superiority of women, token gay relationships, to stupid anti-gun rhetoric, and literally replacing Spider-Man with a diversity hire whose skills and abilities (not counting Spider powers) don't jive with his background. It was mostly fun, but fell into the problem of just being a prettier version of the first game. Also, Spider-Man 1 & 2 ripped a lot off from the old Batman Arkham games, this one added Spider-Man flying like Batman...yikes. Really limited in number of poll options, so we can redo the poll if another "Other" gets a lot of votes. ETA: Special mention to PSVR2 titles Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil 8. If you have disposable income and were wondering about VR, these two games alone justify the purchase of PSVR2. Each is literally one of the greatest gaming experiences in my life. |
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There is absolutely no contest this year. The GOTY is hands down BG3.
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I’ve only played 2 of them. Starfield and BG3
Of the two….hmmmm It’s actually closer than you think. Starfield to me is more replayable long term because of how NG+ changes as it goes BG3 is an amazing game though Wow Man I really don’t know It’s probably BG3 But like I said. Closer than you think |
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TOTK got my vote because I'm biased a bit, but I think BG3 should earn it too. I haven't even played BG3 yet, but from what I understand it met expectations and delivered a title that everyone has been asking for.
TOTK is awesome, but it feels too much like a big expansion of BOTW. |
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I don't think that any of the releases this year have been great. Going with Skyrim, Fallout 3, COD:MW, BOTW, HZD level games - games that are still played and had great stories and action. Skyrim probably tops them all.
However, of the choices, Starfield easily. I think it could have been done better, and I hope that the DLCs make it great, but as is, it is a new universe to explore, game mechanisms were ambitious, and implemented fairly well. Not perfect, but best of the choices. BG3 doesn't appeal to me at all, why turn based combat? I mean, it is 2023. Surely it could have been realtime. Just not for me. |
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Quoted: If I had one more spot in the poll, I would have put Alan Wake 2 in there. I almost added it over Spider-Man 2. View Quote I understand. To expand on my GOTY thoughts, Alan Wake 2 - My GOTY. I love what Remedy is doing. The writing and performances are stand out for me. The way the game uses live action is perfect. I love this style of survival horror so much. While the game has some weaker parts they don't really hang around a whole lot. It's a quick 16-20 hour narrative that I enjoyed a lot. The music is fucking awesome. Armored Core VI - Love ya From Soft, but I thought AC6 was boring. Baldur's Gate 3 - Didn't play it. Will probably win the official GOTY. Dead Space Remake - Loved it. Diablo 4 - Boring. This kind of game just isn't for me. Final Fantasy XVI - Loved it. And it has some really great moments. But the weak points drag it down a lot. The music and performances are amazing. Some of the boss fights scream super high production. I love the very dark tone of the game. Hogwarts Legacy - Boring. Lies of P - Looks amazing but I didn't play it. Remnant II - Boring. Resident Evil 4 Remake + DLC - Loved it. Spider-Man 2 - Didn't play it. But from what I've seen it's so safe and samey that I can't see it. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Boring but I'm so sick of Star Wars I only played it for maybe 20 minutes. Starfield - I love Bethesda and Todd Howard. I get what they were going for and I do think it's an amazing game. But I really dislike the NG+. |
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Quoted: I don't think that any of the releases this year have been great. Going with Skyrim, Fallout 3, COD:MW, BOTW, HZD level games - games that are still played and had great stories and action. Skyrim probably tops them all. However, of the choices, Starfield easily. I think it could have been done better, and I hope that the DLCs make it great, but as is, it is a new universe to explore, game mechanisms were ambitious, and implemented fairly well. Not perfect, but best of the choices. BG3 doesn't appeal to me at all, why turn based combat? I mean, it is 2023. Surely it could have been realtime. Just not for me. View Quote I'm shocked BG3 gets so much broad love despite being turn-based. And an RPG. Based on D&D. In 2023. I kind of want to play it just to see what the fuss is about, but having played the Divinity games also by Larian Studios and not being blown away, I'm not inclined to pay full price for BG3. I liked the Pillars of Eternity games by Obsidian, which came out around the same time, much more than Divinity. |
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Quoted: I understand. To expand on my GOTY thoughts, Alan Wake 2 - My GOTY. I love what Remedy is doing. The writing and performances are stand out for me. The way the game uses live action is perfect. I love this style of survival horror so much. While the game has some weaker parts they don't really hang around a whole lot. It's a quick 16-20 hour narrative that I enjoyed a lot. The music is fucking awesome. Armored Core VI - Love ya From Soft, but I thought AC6 was boring. Baldur's Gate 3 - Didn't play it. Will probably win the official GOTY. Dead Space Remake - Loved it. Diablo 4 - Boring. This kind of game just isn't for me. Final Fantasy XVI - Loved it. And it has some really great moments. But the weak points drag it down a lot. The music and performances are amazing. Some of the boss fights scream super high production. I love the very dark tone of the game. Hogwarts Legacy - Boring. Lies of P - Looks amazing but I didn't play it. Remnant II - Boring. Resident Evil 4 Remake + DLC - Loved it. Spider-Man 2 - Didn't play it. But from what I've seen it's so safe and samey that I can't see it. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Boring but I'm so sick of Star Wars I only played it for maybe 20 minutes. Starfield - I love Bethesda and Todd Howard. I get what they were going for and I do think it's an amazing game. But I really dislike the NG+. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: If I had one more spot in the poll, I would have put Alan Wake 2 in there. I almost added it over Spider-Man 2. I understand. To expand on my GOTY thoughts, Alan Wake 2 - My GOTY. I love what Remedy is doing. The writing and performances are stand out for me. The way the game uses live action is perfect. I love this style of survival horror so much. While the game has some weaker parts they don't really hang around a whole lot. It's a quick 16-20 hour narrative that I enjoyed a lot. The music is fucking awesome. Armored Core VI - Love ya From Soft, but I thought AC6 was boring. Baldur's Gate 3 - Didn't play it. Will probably win the official GOTY. Dead Space Remake - Loved it. Diablo 4 - Boring. This kind of game just isn't for me. Final Fantasy XVI - Loved it. And it has some really great moments. But the weak points drag it down a lot. The music and performances are amazing. Some of the boss fights scream super high production. I love the very dark tone of the game. Hogwarts Legacy - Boring. Lies of P - Looks amazing but I didn't play it. Remnant II - Boring. Resident Evil 4 Remake + DLC - Loved it. Spider-Man 2 - Didn't play it. But from what I've seen it's so safe and samey that I can't see it. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Boring but I'm so sick of Star Wars I only played it for maybe 20 minutes. Starfield - I love Bethesda and Todd Howard. I get what they were going for and I do think it's an amazing game. But I really dislike the NG+. Great perspective. I enjoyed reading it. While my personal score for FFXVI is low, I agree with what you said about it. The actors' performances were great, especially Ben Starr who played Clive. He really carried it, IMO. Alan Wake 2 is on my short list to buy as soon as I have free time again. It looks amazing. |
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only played 2 of these
diablo 4 remnant 2 of the 2 remnant will get to armored core eventually |
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Quoted: I'm shocked BG3 gets so much broad love despite being turn-based. And an RPG. Based on D&D. In 2023. I kind of want to play it just to see what the fuss is about, but having played the Divinity games also by Larian Studios and not being blown away, I'm not inclined to pay full price for BG3. I liked the Pillars of Eternity games by Obsidian, which came out around the same time, much more than Divinity. View Quote There in is your problem. This isn't a Divinity game. The writing, the gameplay, the story, everything is different. Stop treating it like a Divinity game and you'll soon find out it's definitely not one and you'll love it. I like Divinity, but I don't love Divinity. I find parts of the game just get under my skin. The mechanics sometimes just make no sense and it pisses me off. Everything in BG3 just works, and the world is awesome, unlike Divinity. If you don't like RPGs, you won't like an.... RPG. People complaining that it's turn based... it's Baldur's Gate... How anyone can sit there and claim Starfield is anything other than a mediocre, unfinished game is beyond me. It's no where near the polish and depth of BG3. |
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Is it bad that I haven't played any of the games in your poll?
Just based off of what I've read, I think Baldur's Gate 3 has it in the bag. |
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Baldur's Gate 3 is a work of art and has set the bar so high in game design that all other games are now a disappointment.
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Quoted: There in is your problem. This isn't a Divinity game. The writing, the gameplay, the story, everything is different. Stop treating it like a Divinity game and you'll soon find out it's definitely not one and you'll love it. I like Divinity, but I don't love Divinity. I find parts of the game just get under my skin. The mechanics sometimes just make no sense and it pisses me off. Everything in BG3 just works, and the world is awesome, unlike Divinity. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I'm shocked BG3 gets so much broad love despite being turn-based. And an RPG. Based on D&D. In 2023. I kind of want to play it just to see what the fuss is about, but having played the Divinity games also by Larian Studios and not being blown away, I'm not inclined to pay full price for BG3. I liked the Pillars of Eternity games by Obsidian, which came out around the same time, much more than Divinity. There in is your problem. This isn't a Divinity game. The writing, the gameplay, the story, everything is different. Stop treating it like a Divinity game and you'll soon find out it's definitely not one and you'll love it. I like Divinity, but I don't love Divinity. I find parts of the game just get under my skin. The mechanics sometimes just make no sense and it pisses me off. Everything in BG3 just works, and the world is awesome, unlike Divinity. Larian Studios has a pretty long, yet narrow history. Judging a studio by their previous work (especially their most recent work) isn't unreasonable. Both are turn-based, story-driven, Western RPGs by the same studio...but "everything is different." Okay. You (and others) say all these great things about BG3, but I, who knows the studio's history, don't want to pay full price and take a chance that "this one is different." Especially with the woke elements that incentivize main-stream accolades regardless of the game's actual quality. If you don't like RPGs, you won't like an.... RPG. People complaining that it's turn based... it's Baldur's Gate... I was making a general comment that the turn-based genre isn't the most popular these days, and turn-based RPGs even less so. Is the game getting an artificial bump in ratings just because "it's Baldur's Gate"? Baldur's Gate setting + LGBTQ+-/@~ characters is automatically at least an 8.5/10, right? Basic gameplay and a story and it might as well be The Last of Us Part III. |
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View Quote Robocop is getting insane reviews. Just spent $2300 on a mattress so games (and guns) budget is kaput unfortunately |
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Quoted: Have you spent the year just playing Destiny 2? You're missing out. View Quote Naw man, I've been clean on Destiny since April. Feels good. I want to play Starfield but I haven't committed yet because Bethesda. Those games usually become their best like six months to a year after release once the modding community fixes all the things the developers couldn't/wouldn't fix. |
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I found it.
NWO WARS |
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Am I the only person who was not terribly impressed by BG3? The first two acts were pretty solid, but it sort of fell on its face in act 3. Graphically, it's nice, and at least it wasn't buggy like just about every other new game, but I just don't get the hype.
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Quoted: Naw man, I've been clean on Destiny since April. Feels good. I want to play Starfield but I haven't committed yet because Bethesda. Those games usually become their best like six months to a year after release once the modding community fixes all the things the developers couldn't/wouldn't fix. View Quote Starfield is probably their least buggy game ever. |
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I'd give BG3 a try, but I don't like turn based RPGs.
Quoted: Alan Wake 2 is my GOTY. Easily. View Quote |
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I think BG3 did a great job with the mechanics. The story and companions meh at best. After act 1 I killed all the companions I could and use hirelings for a while then quit.
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Honestly, I loved the world design. They nailed that Stephen King-Derry, Maine haunting feeling. And the safehouse/prepper setups had me drooling. |
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Yeah, but I'm pretty sure you just want to see a westerly wind lift Smeagol's loincloth when he's climbing Cirith Ungol. |
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I watched a stream a few days ago of a group of guys playing Lethal Company. I wish I still had my group of friends to play with. I guess it's still "early access" so can't be considered for GOTY, but it looks like it's the most fun game experience I've seen in a long time.
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Quoted: I watched a stream a few days ago of a group of guys playing Lethal Company. I wish I still had my group of friends to play with. I guess it's still "early access" so can't be considered for GOTY, but it looks like it's the most fun game experience I've seen in a long time. View Quote It looks like fun but it's just another Phasmophobia type game. |
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Quoted: It looks like fun but it's just another Phasmophobia type game. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I watched a stream a few days ago of a group of guys playing Lethal Company. I wish I still had my group of friends to play with. I guess it's still "early access" so can't be considered for GOTY, but it looks like it's the most fun game experience I've seen in a long time. It looks like fun but it's just another Phasmophobia type game. |
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Quoted: That game looks like it would be an absolute riot to play with the homies, but that's the only thing carrying that game. As a game on its own it doesn't look very interesting. View Quote It'll be the darling for content/youtubers for a minute. I already watched Wendigoon and Critical's stream. |
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Cyberpunk.
It counts because it's better than starfield by miles and I don't care about ops rules. |
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Quoted: It'll be the darling for content/youtubers for a minute. I already watched Wendigoon and Critical's stream. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: That game looks like it would be an absolute riot to play with the homies, but that's the only thing carrying that game. As a game on its own it doesn't look very interesting. It'll be the darling for content/youtubers for a minute. I already watched Wendigoon and Critical's stream. |
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Baldur's Gate 3 just took GOTY at the Game Awards.
It took the most awards overall, too. |
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Quoted: Congrats Larian. Can't say I disagree with any of the picks. I like that Alan Wake 2 got Narrative and art direction. FFXVI definitely deserved score/soundtrack. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Baldur's Gate 3 just took GOTY at the Game Awards. It took the most awards overall, too. Congrats Larian. Can't say I disagree with any of the picks. I like that Alan Wake 2 got Narrative and art direction. FFXVI definitely deserved score/soundtrack. I can't fairly say which is better because I didn't see the guy who won, but I would have liked to see Ben Starr (Clive in FFXVI) win best performance. Here's the full list of winners in an easy to see format: https://www.ign.com/articles/the-game-awards-2023-winners-the-full-list |
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Quoted: I can't fairly say which is better because I didn't see the guy who won, but I would have liked to see Ben Starr (Clive in FFXVI) win best performance. Here's the full list of winners in an easy to see format: https://www.ign.com/articles/the-game-awards-2023-winners-the-full-list View Quote Agreed. |
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Only 2023 release I played is Street Fighter 6. So I guess I have to vote that.
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A turn based combat game won best of the year? LOL
How many former SIG Sauer lobbyists did some consulting work for Larian Studios? |
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Hogwarts Legacy.
Not for the game itself, but for all the leftist butthurt it generated. |
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