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[SlimySnake]

What can Microsoft do at this point to garner that GOTY buzz they have been missing for well over a decade now.

The following games from MS studios including ones they inherited from the Activision and Zenimax deals were eligible.

- Indiana Jones
- Avowed
- South of Midnight
- Doom: Dark Ages
- Outer Worlds 2
- Call of Duty Black Ops 7

They had a fairly good year in terms of quantity. Most of these were good to great games. Just not GOTY worthy according to the VGA critics who are mostly made up of critics around the world. Are the studios they have acquired just not capable of making GOTY caliber games? Doom Eternal was nominated in 2020 iirc so they have at least one studio thats capable. And Phil did give them five years. They just failed. He also gave machine games 6 years to make Indy and they still couldnt beat a couple of indie games for a GOTY nomination.

COD Studios are basically never going to see a GOTY nomination which leaves Playground Games and Coalition Games. is there any hope for MS in the near future or do they need to retool? It's not like these games are lighting up the charts either so if they arent winning awards and arent selling well, how can MS afford to keep these studios around?

 

[nial]

Did MS ever think of South of Midnight as a big game?

 

[Gonzito]

Xbox fans trying to explain the reason

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

"Big games"

"Avowed"
"South of Midnight"
The COD that made the least noise in years

what?

The only game from your list to be even considered was probably Indiana Jones.

 

[Hookshot]

Sony announces it's pandering to Japan again and suddenly western games like MS make are snubbed.

Coincidence?

 

[R3TRO]

4/6 are trash

 

[roosnam1980]

 

[Elios83]

How can you be nominated for goty if you only release decent but completely forgettable games?

 

[jshackles]

 

[jmiller180]

4/6 are trash

Curious which ones aren't trash. Indiana and Doom?

 

[RetroGamingUK]

 

[Horseganador]

 

[Seiryu21]

Greatest publisher on earth.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

They've not produced a great game since Gears of War 3

 

[Darsxx82]

It's funny because I've enjoyed most of the games on that Xbox list (and many other third-party games this year) more than most of the nominated games...

 

[R3TRO]

Curious which ones aren't trash. Indiana and Doom?

Indeed

 

[winjer]

None of those could be considered GOTY material.
Several are just plain trash.

 

[Punished Miku]

It's funny because I've enjoyed most of the games on that Xbox list (and many other third-party games this year) more than most of the nominated games...

MS had a crazy year this year, and this doesn't even include Keeper or Ninja Gaiden 4.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Cause they're mid at best. Best game was the oblivion remake.

 

[Montauk]

There is no 'GOTY'. There are numerous GOTYs from many individual yearly awards by various outlets.

I really hate this thing where somewhere along the line a lot of online gamers decided that the singular and definitive GOTY (or any other honour) was that from The Game Awards.

It's just one of them. It's great to see all the different GOTYs from all the varied publications who award them. It's fun and interesting comparing them.

What's not fun or interesting or is bizarrely focussing in on just one awards show.

Sorry, but I fundamentally don't understand why people act like whatever TGA goes for is THE Game of the Year.

You can easily free yourself from this mindset. Nobody bestowed this authority on TGA. I acknowledge their GOTY only the same as I acknowledge any other - no more or less important.

So what you meant OP is that MS didn't have any of their games get nominated for GOTY at The Game Awards, and your title should reflect that.

 

[Artistic]

Interesting.

 

[Seiryu21]

The only way they can win a goty is to buy a studio. It's impossible for them to create something at a higher quality than the rest of the industry.

 

[dgrdsv]

Indiana and Doom absolutely should've been in the nominees list, they are of the exact same caliber as the games which Geoff put on it.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Had to make room for Donkey Kong Bonanza.

 

[rm082e]

Looking at Open Critic, here are the scores I'm seeing for those games:

87 - Indiana Jones
80 - Avowed
77 - South of Midnight
86 - Doom: Dark Ages
83 - Outer Worlds 2
75 - Call of Duty Black Ops 7​

You didn't mention Ninja Gaiden 4, but I would replace South of Midnight with it. Even then:

82 - Ninja Gaiden 4​

I don't doubt some of these will come up as "honorable mentions" on long form podcasts where people deliberate their GOTY picks (I used to love listening to Giant Bomb go through these when Ryan Davis was still alive), but I wouldn't expect any of those to be seriously picked as GOTY. Not unless the nominating body is just trying to kiss Microsoft's ass.

Why is this the case? That's a huge discussion that will just lead to accusations of console waring and getting people banned.

 

[geary]

MS should just give up. No matter what kind of game will release, they are rowing against the river.
You are making fun of the "Xbox tax", but there are some seeds of truth there.
All the hate against the corporation Microsoft, for all the bullshit with Windows, Office, Copilot etc... is affecting the gaming stream for them.

 

[Punished Miku]

You are making fun of the "Xbox tax", but there are some seeds of truth there.

Always has been. Just look at the Steam Machine reveal recently lol.

 

[ProtoByte]

You already know what's happening here SlimySnake .
Microsoft was never a hub for pioneers of game design, or even creatively driven in the way that genre/gen/year defining games require. Their MO for almost 10 years now has been "access". Ie multiplatformism and subscription bait.

With the economics, personnel and pipeline realities forced by this strategy, there is just little to no hope that they churn out a worthy game in a meager year like this one, let alone when things are actually competitive.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Xbox fans trying to explain the reason

Mid - All of the Above

 

[diffusionx]

As Steve Jobs once said, Microsoft has no taste.

 

[AJUMP23]

I think Indiana Jones is a snub. very good game. It should definitely have best story. easily the best story this year.

 

[bitbydeath]

If Indy was third person it might have got more attention, the others are even worse.

 

[SlimySnake]

Indiana and Doom absolutely should've been in the nominees list, they are of the exact same caliber as the games which Geoff put on it.

At the expense of which games?

 

[Topher]

MS should just give up. No matter what kind of game will release, they are rowing against the river.
You are making fun of the "Xbox tax", but there are some seeds of truth there.
All the hate against the corporation Microsoft, for all the bullshit with Windows, Office, Copilot etc... is affecting the gaming stream for them.

come on. Not Xbox tax again

 

[PlayStaytion]

The award is basically an extra step to play what we missed this year cause everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it's pointless to debate.

 

[Dazraell]

Xbox just keeping up with long standing tradition lol

 

[Mr Moose]

Big games like *checks list* South of Midnight.

 

[Punished Miku]

Big games like *checks list* South of Midnight.

Ghost of Yotei and Hollow Knight are in the best OST category over South of Midnight.

Everyone might as well put a bird on their head because their argument is now invalid.

 

[yurinka]

Microsoft published 6 big games this year. None were nominated for GOTY.

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/micr...r-none-were-nominated-for-goty.1690306/#reply
- Indiana Jones
- Avowed
- South of Midnight
- Doom: Dark Ages
- Outer Worlds 2
- Call of Duty Black Ops 7

I think not even MS thinks Avowed, South of Midnight and Outer World 2 qualify aas big games.

Regarding Indiana Jones, Doom Dark Ages and CoD BO7 didn't deserve (like the other ones) to be GOTY candidates because there were several other games that were better.

 

[Mr Moose]

Ghost of Yotei and Hollow Knight are in the best OST category over South of Midnight.

Everyone might as well put a bird on their head because their argument is now invalid.

I don't remember the music in Yotei. It had great sound but forgettable music.
Does SoM have a good soundtrack?

 

[Dr Bass]

MS should just give up. No matter what kind of game will release, they are rowing against the river.
You are making fun of the "Xbox tax", but there are some seeds of truth there.
All the hate against the corporation Microsoft, for all the bullshit with Windows, Office, Copilot etc... is affecting the gaming stream for them.

I'm gonna call BS on this one. If anything, Xbox exclusive games score higher than they should, and you can see this by just singling out the scores the Xbox centered sites give the games. Even the "regular" outlets overrate them. Proof? Halo Infinite is utter garbage. I played it at release. There is no way that game is more than a 6, and it scored very well, and I think even won NeoGAFs "GotY" contest that year. All because of Xbox fans sandbagging the voting.

Sony and Nintendo exclusives likely get a bit of a bump too (looking at you AstroBot) but nothing like what we see on the Xbox side where the desire to see exclusives be successful is stronger than the actual exclusives being delivered.

 

[Punished Miku]

Does SoM have a good soundtrack?

It's at least a nominee, no question. Very unusual OST with music playing a huge role in the game.
Ninja Gaiden 4 I would put in the OST category as well, easily.

Anyway, I don't really care. I just think these awards are a joke.

 

[playbignbox]

Yeah, it's not a big deal if they're good games; I, at least, enjoyed Doom and Indiana Jones. I plan to play Ninja Gaiden 4 soon.

 

[Sanepar]

They make good games not great games besides Forza Horizon. It was like that and It Will be like that. I don't think they have nothing to dispute goty but have good games.

 

[DeepEnigma]

It's at least a nominee, no question. Very unusual OST with music playing a huge role in the game.

Anyway, I don't really care. I just think these awards are a joke.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Lesbos Tree Sisty

 

[Gilgalaad]

What can Microsoft do at this point to garner that GOTY buzz

 

[Denton]

I finished the first three.

Indy - 8.5
Avowed - 7
South of Midnight - 7

Yeah, none are GOTY material.

I think inXile and Playground could make GOTY nominee, maybe Obsidian if they rehired Avellone and all the rest that made New Vegas and were given proper budget.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

While I don't give a crap about GOTY but in this case I'll agree since besides a new Fallout, new Elder Scrolls, and to a lesser extend a new Halo than nothing else Microsoft does is worth anything good.

 

[xrnzaaas]

They don't deserve it. And including Avowed and OW2 in the best RPG category just shows there aren't that many other titles from this genre... or that most people don't care about indie RPGs.