The Game Awards will announce the six nominees for Game of the Year later this month, and with the release of God of War: Ragnarök, which is being called a fantastic reimagined saga, it's almost like it's a one-horse race. However, while the new Sony game is completely revolutionary and groundbreaking, 2022 has been an incredible year for new releases, and there are other major GOTY contenders that shouldn't be slept on.
The Game Awards have given the coveted Game of the Year award to everything from tiny independent releases to hundred-million-dollar epics in the past, and there's a lot to choose from this year. Between innovative indie games, legacy games that have lost out several times before, and other goliath AAA releases, fans should be hedging their bets.
Vampire Survivors
FreeMoviesDotArgghh thinks that Vampire Survivors deserves one of the six spots on the nominations list. The Redditor comments, "If they don't put Vampire Survivors on it would be a huge slight in my mind." The newly released game is a fun shoot 'em-up that simply requires players to survive for as long as possible as hoards as monsters attack them.
It's an entertaining game that's reminiscent of simpler and older arcade games, but it's unlikely to be nominated for Game of the Year, let alone win. Vampire Survivors is way too niche as its controls are extremely basic, and it simply isn't innovative enough as it has drawn the most comparisons to Pac-Man.
Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Although it might not exactly be a popular opinion, AdamMasaki believes that Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has every right to win the Game of the Year award. The Redditor clarifies, "Yes I’m being serious, I thought SoP was so fun." The user is overly defensive, as there's no denying that the release, which is an alternate-universe prequel to the original Final Fantasy game, is a ridiculously playable RPG, but it wasn't quite a hit with critics.
Of all the potential GOTY contenders, Stranger of Paradise has the least impressive scores. It isn't the most engaging Final Fantasy game, the characters are one-dimensional, and longtime fans will find the alternate origin insulting. A Final Fantasy game will likely one day win Game of the Year, but it's not this.
Bayonetta 3
2mock2turtle thinks it's only fair that Bayonetta 3 wins the 2022 Game of the Year award. The Redditor suggests, "Bayonetta 2 lost GOTY at the Game Awards and now Bayonetta 3 is coming for her revenge." Bayonetta 2 was nominated for Game of the Year in 2015 but lost to Dragon Age: Inquisition and fans are still reeling from the loss.
However, the reality of it is that while Bayonetta 3 is an incredible hack-and-slash game and has a dedicated and hardcore fanbase, the game hasn't been praised about all that much outside of the fanbase. It's a shame because the gameplay is fast-paced and exciting, and it sees the return of one of the most beloved game characters of the 2000s. Unfortunately, the lack of fanfare might keep it from being a real contender.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Ameliaaltare wants to see Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga take home the coveted award. The Redditor notes, "It actually outsold Elden Ring on a lot of storefronts when it came out. It's still keeping up, actually. It's definitely the second-most popular game ATM." The 2022 Lego game is surprisingly great, as it has a shocking amount of explorations, and the level design is more inventive than any of EA's Star Wars games. But if a Lego game was ever going to win Game of the Year, it would have done so already. And though it's endlessly replayable, it doesn't do anything new in addition to the series' usual gameplay to win GOTY.
However, there's the slimmest of chances that it could get a legacy win. In 2007, Martin Scorsese won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed after never having won an Oscar before. And many speculated it was awarded to him because of his vast filmography, not because The Departed is worthy of it. That could be the case here, as the Lego games have such a huge legacy, but it's extremely unlikely.
Stray
MajaMystic256 thinks that Stray, a game about a cat exploring a walled city populated by robots, should win Game of the Year. In fairness, while the concept sounds silly, a cat is the perfect playable character for an adventure game. The animals have incredible agility, they're flexible, they can reach impossible heights, and, of course, they have nine lives.
The premise and concept are ingenious, and when it came to developing the game, BlueTwelve studio absolutely nailed it. It has a wonderful art direction similar to Half-Life, the gameplay is as fluid as any other game released this year, and it's one of the best indie releases of 2022. The game will most likely be nominated for Game of the Year, but it lacks the broad appeal that previous GOTY winners had, and it's again a little on the niche side.
Tunic
Kjagz33 would love Tunic, an adventure game about a fox exploring the wilderness, to get the Game of the Year award. The Redditor mentions, "I hope Tunic is the indie game that gets the nom. It's ridiculously good and it'd be my #1 game this year if not for Elden Ring."
The game is like a classic fable that's cute and charming, and it's impossible not to be immersed in the world as soon as the control is picked up. And given the adventure game's fantastical and airy nature, Tunic has drawn so many comparisons to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which previously won the award for Game of the Year in 2017, so it could be a dark horse in the race.
Horizon Forbidden West
Helsu-sama thinks Horizon Forbidden West deserves the award more than any other 2022 game. The Redditor comments, "Even though Horizon Forbidden West has some serious gameplay issues, I definitely loved the game, it's visually awesome, and has a great story and really interesting sidequests." When it comes to AAA games taking home the Game of the Year award, Horizon Forbidden West is certainly one of the frontrunners, but even then, it has been muscled out by two other goliaths.
The debate largely revolves around which game will win the award between Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarök. However, Forbidden West still totally deserves to be in the conversation, as it vastly improves on Zero Dawn. Unfortunately, it seems as if each Horizon game was released in years that were stacked with amazing games, as Zero Dawn lost to Breath of the Wild. In any other year, both Zero Dawn and Forbidden West would easily have won.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Lucas-DM wants to see Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which is about two warring nations and follows childhood friends with mysterious powers, take the award home. The Redditor comments, "Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in my opinion. I'm not even close to beating it yet, but so far it's been firing on all cylinders." Whether it's the visuals, the narrative, or the gameplay, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the whole package, and the ambitious game isn't lacking in a single area.
The new game is a huge, sprawling role-playing game that gives Final Fantasy or any other universally-lauded RPG release a run for its money. Not only that, but as it's the final game in the Xenoblade trilogy, that could very well sway voters' decision process, as there'll never be another chance for a Xenoblade game to win.
Elden Ring
Ichkans is one of the thousands who think Elden Ring should win Game of the Year, and until God of War: Ragnarök was released, it was basically a certainty. The Redditor reasons, "Because it's an absolutely astounding game, that for me at least, puts every other game behind it," adding that it's one of the most "interesting open worlds I've ever gotten to explore."
Elden Ring is such a huge game with seemingly bottomless lore, which was written by George R.R. Martin, and that alone gives the game enough authenticity. And gamers can explore the world for hundreds of hours, Even the bosses themselves can take hours. As Elden Ring is part of the Dark Souls universe, it's typically filled with some of the toughest bosses in gaming history.
God Of War: Ragnarök
KatanaLaser says what most are thinking, hilariously commenting, The Redditor hilariously comments, "Last time RDR2 fans were p****d, now ER fans will be p****d." The user is referring to how in 2018, God of War won Game of the Year over the fan favorite, Red Dead Redemption 2. And four years later, it looks like history will repeat itself, as Ragnarök will beat out the fan favorite, Elden Ring, for the same award.
But it isn't like Ragnarök doesn't deserve it, as the excitement of playing the game is on another level, and it has gotten 10s and five stars across the board. However, as it's brand new, the hype could very well die down after a few weeks. Either way, the Game of the Year award is very much a two-horse race.
Source:gamerant.com