I have given up on GB giving recognition to any RPG games in these sorts of things. Not enough of the staff play those games, as much as those games are amazing. Every year there are tons of great games that the team overlooks for whatever reason, and RPGs are the most prone to it for time reasons.
Games that are hitting my best of year list that I expect to get snubbed are:
Shadowrun: Hong Kong - absolutely amazing game. All the Shadowrun games have been great and this one has a lot more to like there. I think maybe Dragonfall was a bit better, but man this one hits all the buttons that I like in the CRPG genre + cyberpunk.
Divinity Original Sin: EE - if anyone had issues with Divinity OS this pretty much fixed all of them. The writing is better in the back half, the combat is better balanced, and the skills and items are a tad easier to understand. I can see not counting it as a new release, but it did come to new platforms.
Pillars of Eternity - Lots has been said about this game, but again it pushes all the CRPG buttons I want. I loved the combat system, but agree that there are some faults with it. I haven't gone back and played it again after the expansion, but I hear it is great as well.
Xenoblade Chronicles X - Released too close to the end of the year and has some MAJOR problems with party management and music, but the battle system is fun and the exploration is great. If you liked Skyrim exploring, this has better combat and more impressive vistas to see. The JRPG trappings I happen to enjoy, but some might not. PLUS MECHS.
