Nintendo will dominate GOTY awards with 3 games; MK World, DK Bananza, and Metroid Prime 4. Has this ever happened before?

mario kart will win racing/family game likely, maybe will be a filler spot for the goty in some places.

dk bonanza I feel like I missed something big because during the presentation it felt like 7/10 launch window filler

metroid prime 4 looked VERY uninspired at its presentation, and I say it as a fan of the series, so i don't see it anywhere near the discussion.

in the end it will be expedition 33 and deservedly so
 
I am English, I do not speak highly of the French. The game is that good. Story, casting, music, everything.
It's probably a nice changes from the usual final fantasy that's for sure. I'll look into it when i feel like playing turn based rpg. It's turn based right?
 
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It's disappointing compared to 8. The open world is pointless as there really isn't any incentive to collect anything or do the P switches, as there isn't a viable reward for doing so. It's pointless, and clear that it was done as an afterthought.
Remember. You're talking to a zealot here.
 
Man, the Switch 2 hate is strong as fuck around here, which makes the record braking sales, player engagement and press engagement the most fun to read about here.

The tears, the saltiness, the tantrums... I'm laughing so much at some of the takes here that my sides hurt.

I love this place 😂❤️
 
It is a better more robust version of this style game.
They are litteraly not the same game system and not the same approach to the vast genre that is RPG.

Maybe the game is more "robust" because it's the 3rd game that applies and give perfection to an already well rounded system that have been trained and tested for years (Divinity Original Sin is 11 years old) which itself is mainly based upon the not so known Father of all that is RPG, Dungeons and Dragons ?

And maybe this had to do with Larian being 450 people internally while Sandfall is 35 + contractors ?

Apples and Oranges but BG3 is a great game though :messenger_winking:
 
I wouldn't immediately dismiss the chances the MP4 and DK Bananza being GOTY contenders since they aren't out but MKW has zero place in that discussion. It's worse than the previous entry, and the open world, like many other games, gets in the way of the races.

Never played E33. Is it as good as people say? I don't much care for turn based combat.
 

There is a lot to unpack why i still don't care about goty awards as they do not provide a realistic view.
First of all, users always vote for their fav franchise/game in most cases. Not always by the best game in general.
Second, when a game exists on multiple platforms, it reaches a bigger userbase compared to exclusive game.
While i did read about the userbase is just a small % of the vote count, but how would that work? You have reviewers like ign that are mostly review any console/brand. But how accurate are they? Like , maybe the one who is fan most of playstation will lead in the this decision. Another thing to keep in mind is that there are also playstation only reviewers and pc only reviewers which both will prob vote for the same game.

I think a game like astro bot which in my opinion is deserved, is rare.
On the other hand, like if god music did win over xenoblade 3 is a complete joke.
 
They are litteraly not the same game system and not the same approach to the vast genre that is RPG.

Maybe the game is more "robust" because it's the 3rd game that applies and give perfection to an already well rounded system that have been trained and tested for years (Divinity Original Sin is 11 years old) which itself is mainly based upon the not so known Father of all that is RPG, Dungeons and Dragons ?

And maybe this had to do with Larian being 450 people internally while Sandfall is 35 + contractors ?

Apples and Oranges but BG3 is a great game though :messenger_winking:
I don't need the explanation spin excuses.
Both are similar but one is better and offers vastly more in it's experience.
 
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Man, the Switch 2 hate is strong as fuck around here, which makes the record braking sales, player engagement and press engagement the most fun to read about here.

The tears, the saltiness, the tantrums... I'm laughing so much at some of the takes here that my sides hurt.

I love this place 😂❤️

Wait….haven't I seen posts of you doing exactly what you are laughing at in other threads?

Will Smith Reaction GIF
 
I don't need the explanation spin excuses.
Both are similar but one is better and offers vastly more in it's experience.
As it seems you didn't play the other game (or a couple hours at best) and you clearly don't know what you're talking about, I think we can safely stop our discussion here.

It was not meant to be excuses but context and explanations.
Things that you're clearly lacking given that you don't know shit about what you're talking :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 
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Just because they may be fun, they won't win GOTY. Too much competition. MK World is more of the same (with a shallow free roam), Metroid Prime 4 we know little about....so why call it GOTY? Would you have called 'The Other M' a GOTY months before it came out? DK Bananza will likeley be fun and may get some votes, but too shallow and kiddie to get GOTY.
 
Not happening this year when we just got this gem:

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Characters, story, soundtrack, art direction... everything is top tier in this game



OST:



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As I said it's also beautiful (I'm not on my PC right now so don't have access to all my screenshots but anyway):

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This game is a 9.5/10. And I always have reservations when I see something like Clair Obscur with dithyrambic reviews. But this time it's totally deserved.
 
Mmm, it could happen, but seriously doubt it.

MK World sits at 87 in NC and has mixed reception, Metroid don't see it groundbreaking, Bananza may have a good shot this is a distinct possibility.
 
Everything is possible but this year is particularly loaded.

I wish I felt the same way, this year has been so dull this year. Clair Obscure is everyone's standout and it's easy to see why, even if it isn't my cup of tea. I'm struggling to think what my favorite game is this year. Mario Kart World is probably taking the default position of Pirate Yakuza (which I only put a few hours into), but I'd hardly call either game shout from the rooftops great.
 
I wish I felt the same way, this year has been so dull this year. Clair Obscure is everyone's standout and it's easy to see why, even if it isn't my cup of tea. I'm struggling to think what my favorite game is this year. Mario Kart World is probably taking the default position of Pirate Yakuza (which I only put a few hours into), but I'd hardly call either game shout from the rooftops great.
I was talking in general, not specifically about my taste.

Even if someone doesn't like kc2 or e33 they have to admit that they are some fine piece of software.

I personally hope crimson desert to be great and my goty.
 
GOTY winner (one with most GOTY awards) will either be Mario Kart World, DK Bonanza, or Metroid Prime 4

The other two will get 2nd and 3rd place consensus

Has this ever happened before where a company dominates GOTY awards with 3 games?
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I was talking in general, not specifically about my taste.

Even if someone doesn't like kc2 or e33 they have to admit that they are some fine piece of software.

I personally hope crimson desert to be great and my goty.

Well, I'd say in general we've seen a lot of talk about this being one of the best years in gaming ever and it always makes me do a double take. Most of my excitement has come around re-releases (Lunar, Suikoden, Capcom FC2, THPS3+4). I'm not saying there are no good games, your example of KCD2 is a good one. We also got the follow-up to Undertale and it seems to have almost zero buzz, especially here. My hopes lie with Pathoogic 3, not that it will garner much attention.
 
This GOTY talk is kind of meaningless in the overall picture, especially for Nintendo games, where Western critics always preferred Sony games for media awards.

In 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons should've won over TLOU Part 2, but sales metrics fortunately were there to tell the real story between those two games.

2020
TLOU part 2 - 10 million units
AC New Horizons - 47 million units
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I guess there's precedence for iterative sequels winning GOTY. Out of those 3, I'd have go with DK since it's a fresh take on the series.
 
This GOTY talk is kind of meaningless in the overall picture, especially for Nintendo games, where Western critics always preferred Sony games for media awards.

In 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons should've won over TLOU Part 2

Babe, wake up. Xbox tax 2.0 just dropped, the Nintendo tax.
 
Why are those games such sure fire nominees and no games like Split Fiction, Expedition 33, Monster Hunter Wilds, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, etc? Hell even possibly Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2 and others to be released.
 
This GOTY talk is kind of meaningless in the overall picture, especially for Nintendo games, where Western critics always preferred Sony games for media awards.

In 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons should've won over TLOU Part 2, but sales metrics fortunately were there to tell the real story between those two games.

2020
TLOU part 2 - 10 million units
AC New Horizons - 47 million units

McDonalds sells more meals than probably most restaurants out there. Is it the best food? Taylor Swift is the person that's selling the most albums in the music industry. Is she the best musical artist? The MCU is the biggest franchise with the biggest box office in history. Is it the best movie franchise in history?

In what way did Animal Crossing brought anything forward in the videogame industry? What did it do that we don't see in countless mobile games? We're still talking about certain choices in terms of gameplay elements from TLOU, voice acting, sound design, level design in certain sections of the game. The divisive plot that's still triggering GAF with PTSD to this day every time the game climbs a chart. It's also halfway through a tv show on HBO.

Also, those sales for the game are outdates as hell.
 
McDonalds sells more meals than probably most restaurants out there. Is it the best food? Taylor Swift is the person that's selling the most albums in the music industry. Is she the best musical artist? The MCU is the biggest franchise with the biggest box office in history. Is it the best movie franchise in history?
To add to this, Animal Crossing New Horizons also hit right when people were being locked down, had nothing but time, and were looking for any kind of escape from the dreary real world where we were being constantly told we had to isolate from friends and family or risk getting a doom virus.

I honestly don't believe ACNH would have sold as much if not for its timing relative to world events.
 
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To add to this, Animal Crossing New Horizons also hit right when people were being locked down, had nothing but time, and were looking for any kind of escape from the dreary real world where we were being constantly told we had to isolate from friends and family or risk getting a doom virus.

I honestly don't believe ACNH would have sold as much if not for its timing relative to world events.
I mean that's also the reason why Switch sold as much as it did.
 
Fun fact: Mario Kart World is the 17th highest reviewed game of 2025 on OpenCritic.com:


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It's no match for Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Opencritic is not the be all end all but usually Nintendo would perform very well there. I see they've lost some favoritism, perhaps due to not giving out free Nintendo's to journalists.
 
Mario Kart even getting a nominee would make GAF exhaust the salt mines of the Earth.
But as fun as that would be, it's not going to happen.
 
Honestly, there's a world where none of the 3 Nintendo games crack 90 and the GOTY list is something like - Exp 33, KCD2, DS2, Split Fiction, and an indie title
 
DK Bananza will probably snag a nomination for GOTY at this year's TGA. As for MK World and Metroid Prime though? I'm not so sure, especially with stiff competition from Expedition 33, Split Fiction, and Kingdom Come 2. Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei will probably get a nomination as well. So that's your 6 GOTY nominations, maybe swap one out for the indie game darling of 2025.
 
Im a huge Nintendo fan and am enjoying my time with MK World but i dont think its GOTY standard. Bananza and MP4 we will see, but I think they have less chance of being GOTY tier than MKW did pre launch
 
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