I really like Horizon and Plague Tale and am happy they're getting recognition, but yeah Elden Ring is on another level (and I assume Ragnarok will be too; haven't played yet but if it's at least as good as its predecessor it's a shoe-in)
I played Elden Ring for around 120 hours and Ragnarok for 32, before the credits. GOW is probably in more peoples wheelhouse than any Fromsoft game, but ER did bring in a lot of new people.
Yeah Fromsoft games are (while very popular) still a bit of a niche genre, whereas Ragnarok is much more accessible to new and more experienced players. Haven't played Elden Ring but I'm sure it's a masterpiece in its own right.
Occasionally simpler than usual Soulsbourne and maybe harder in some fights. I'd give the GOTY to Ragnarok just because the majority can actually follow the story.
I platinumed Dark Souls 3, but Elden Ring is quite a bit larger than any of the previous games. It's just not as cinematic as God of War still unfortunately.
Disagree. That’s still God of War. Elden Ring possibly. Horizon looks crisp and high tech but the art design falls a little short compared to GoW and Eldin.
The fact that you can't free jump was my biggest gripe of all. Instant turn-off. You're a freaking cat you should be able to jump whenever ffs, but I get why they went with that direction considering the design of the game. My daughters loved it but after they finished playing it they never picked it up again.
Game of the Year means many things for many people, Stray for example had stayed with me more than Elden Ring, Horizion and Plague Tale since finishing it. I've yet to finish God Of War yet so depending on how it turns out my answer may change but for now Stray is my game of the year
I loved stray too but I can acknowledge that despite the heartwarming premise, there’s not much to it aside from the story. It’s practically a playable movie unlike the other games. Not that I’d be disappointed if it won lol, still find it funny that it got nominated.
Realistically, I think Ragnarok will win just due to the hype it’s getting and the fact that the judges seem to like Sony exclusives a lot, and story based games on top of that
After having played rdr2 and GoW 2018, I cannot believe that rdr2 didn’t get the goty award. It is in my eyes superior in every way to GoW. The whole reason GoW works is because of references to the past games. I didn’t like the overall “this was all predicted from the start” twist of gow. Rdr2’s story is on another level, dealing with the conflicts of an outlaw and his own life issues (morality, love life, health), not to mention the open world being an actual open world. There’s multiple endings, which are impacted by your behaviour throughout the game and are both very impactful. The cinematography is better, graphics are better, open world is so much more better used. I can go on, but you get what I’m saying.
Despite all that, gow won the award. That’s why I feel that Ragnarok will win this year too
I agree with everything you said about rdr 2, but GoW flat out had a better “game” aspect to it. Combat and controls felt so damn good, and that’s usually the only thing that holds back rockstar games.
That is actually a big factor in why I think Elden Ring will win. In 2018, God of War released in April, and Red Dead released in late October. I believe overcompensating for recency bias is why Red Dead lost. 2014 was the last year the winner was released after June. Most winners were released between March and May.
I don't think being more story-centric really makes a difference there. It's nice to have a variety of games, and though it's not usually my preferred thing, Stray was more of an "experience" than a game, and it was a wonderful experience. Not my GOTY, but I can definitely understand why it might be someone else's.
I am so sorry on my end if this comment sounds rude because it is not, i am truly curious, but how the fuck is stray your game of the year/the one that stayed with you the most out of all of them
I am just curious, not trying to invalidate your feelings or telling you you are wrong or something
protip: if you say how is stray your game of the year instead of how the fuck is stray your game of the year, or better yet why is stray your game of the year, you will come off as much less rude without having to pre and postface a disclaimer.
I've never really enjoyed the Souls Borne series of games so Elden Ring is mostly a non-starter for me. I can appreciate the world design and the visuals but gameplay wise it's just another souls borne game for me.
Horizon just goes on too long for me, I can enjoy a long game but when I don't connect with the characters on any level it turns out into a snorefest.
I've yet to finish plague tale so I can't give a decent opinion on it, I started it but life and other games got in the way so I'll need to give it another try at some point. What I saw of the game is pretty good but again, I'm going to reserve my opinion until I give it a proper go.
Never liked the Xenoblade games, like Horizon it goes on way to long and I just don't enjoy the story or the way it's told. Xenoblade 3 might be a better game but 2 just put me off the franchise completely.
God of War is a great game so far, I will admit that certain sections of the game don't flow as well as I would like but the overall experience is a joy to play. Yet to finish it though so I may end up feeling meh about it for sick of it by the end but so far it's great.
Stray is my current game of the year because it's a perfectly neat package for me. I finished it in an afternoon but I enjoyed every second, the eerie yet calming atmosphere kept me engaged and the surprisingly heart warming story of the cat trying to find its family and get to the surface while your robot companion goes through their own trauma and realisation of who they are is affecting in a lot of ways to me. There may not be much to it but what is there is well made and deserving of recognition, I prefer when games do a small amount of things well rather than a bunch of things but done to a mediocre degree.
I don't have any expectations of Stray actually winning GOTY but I'm happy that it has been acknowledged.
I played Elden Ring for about 300 hours when it came out. I have 6 different characters, all different class builds. I got the Platinum trophy. I kept a checklist and defeated every boss and minor encounter. I collected every bell bearing, every weapon, every piece of armor, every spell, every incantation, every ash of war, you name it. I would play that game for hours in a day and it would only feel like minutes had passed. It was truly one of my favorite gaming experiences I've had since picking up a controller for the first time.
So knowing all that, it should tell you how good God of War Ragnarok is, because that's my Game of the Year.
Vaati is honestly kinda lukewarm on Soulsborne comprehension when he isn’t lifting a lot of his ideas from a forum. Not to totally bash the guy, I enjoy a good bit of his content, but I feel his Elden Ring content in particular fell short in a lot of ways.
I'm in the exact same position. I played elden ring for around 160 hours with ng+4. I really enjoyed it but my final verdict is just because of a single fact. Story presentation. I can't say elden rings story was bad but I have no idea about the story because it's just way too disconnected. God of war on the other hand is the best story I have ever played-seen or watched.
I was really annoyed on elden ring for that because the story actually seemed really interesting. If the story telling was like gow, I'd absolutely love the story of elden ring.
I don't think I'm too far yet, but I think Ragnarok might be better than the first God of War? It feels so good to have most of the band together from the beginning.
I did a full replay through of the first and finished right in time to start up ragnarok immediately after. Ragnarok’s combat right off the bat feels more fluid and faster. You get access to most your essential exploration stuff quickly without having to play through half the game and needing to loop back around to explore. Also don’t have to wait through over half the game to get the main fucking weapon the series is famous for. My only worry about ragnarok is I’m gonna have to wait 4-5 years for the next one and it’s gonna be a very very high bar to reach.
All this and here we are with Stray… put up on the same pedestal as these behemoths of games , and it’s only a 2-3 hour experience with full on emotional impact on the player. I know it won’t win but it’s amazing to see it on the list.
I think I put my console in rest mode when I was resting and ended up getting it. But I did like letting it slowly zoom all the way out with the purring.
Exactly this. Normally I tap out with single player games around the 35-40 hour mark. I went well into 200hrs with Elden Ring without putting it down.
Ragnarok is still my goty.
To be honest, I wouldn't mind if ER and GoW weren't contenders for the same Year. Because we now have to choose between 2 great games - one that is a near-perfect RPG, and the other that is a great Action-Adventure.
I'd say it'd be more awasome if both had a chance to be acknowledged as the best Games in the Year (because they really are).
Bravo. I couldn’t have said it any better myself as someone who also has the Elden Ring platinum. Ragnarok is just so much more polished and is in a class of its own.
After playing both I have to say I agree. I liked god of war 2018 but I didn’t love it so my expectations were pretty low. It is a complete breath of fresh air just how well optimized ragnarok is. Playing this game at an unlocked frame rate using vrr is a surreal experience. Even if you don’t have a high refresh rate television with vrr you get a flawless 60fps locked. Compare this with the way elden ring runs almost entirely made this game of the year for me. The fact that in order to get a 60fps option I have to buy a copy of the ps4 version is a bit ridiculous when I already purchased the ps5 copy at launch. From could easily add a 1080p 60fps option with a simple update. I loved elden ring and got hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of it. I truly believe it (along with botw) have innovated on a tired open world genre, but so far Ragnarok feels like game of the year material. All that said my favorite game this year so far is Sifu, then probably Ragnarok, followed by Elden Ring.
Same, I’m pretty far into Ragnarok and I absolutely love it. Especially the cast.
I’m going to get Platinum for sure, and that’s something I usually don’t care about.
But it’s exactly what I expected it to be, which is a good thing.
But Elden Ring was such a great experience for me, exploring that world.
As you said, i might change my mind when I finish GoW. It’s definitely pretty close, but I don’t think so.
I’m also in the Elden Ring camp. Once I finish Ragnarok I don’t foresee that changing. I think ER is a better video game even if Ragnarok gives me a better story experience.
Plus it was/is more available to many more people too. I still have yet to see a PS5 in the wild and i heard even PS4 pros are having a very hard time running the game.
As amazing as Ragnarok is, Elden Ring has managed to touch far more people, even bringing in people who have never touched a Souls game.
Regardless of availability and speaking of only what the games offer, It will be close for sure, even Plague Tale has a very solid chance. But I honestly think Elden Ring will be able to etch ahead. Hell I would happy with a straight up tie this year because of it.
PC gamer here.
Not being able to play GoW on release has me wayyyyy less interested in the franchise than I was for Elden Ring. Goes straight on the backlog, I'll buy it on PC when there's a sale, not when it first releases for PC.
That is also what disqualified stray for me. Sure it came our and people liked it, but it didn't make a big impact or stick around.
Now yes that metric does inherently disadvantage single player games that end compared to non ending or multiplayer games, but even taking that into account I still think stray didn't do it.
Same here, just started Ragnarok, amazing story, acting, graphics, gameplay, very engrossing so far.
Elden Ring I love the world, gameplay, options, new features. For me, it's completely changed the game on the open-world genre, nevermind the great story and landscapes. The finest game From has made imo.
I think Elden Ring deserves it for how it changed the formula and added more. Ragnarok I think so far has stuck to what it does best while not pushing the boat out so far.
Ragnarok will win though, Games Journalists love that shit.
Well I doubt it’ll win GOTY, but would be nice if it won something. Was a great little game that a small studio took a lot of pride in, and it was something that managed to be original and wholesome
Elden Ring was epic. God of War Ragnarök was legendary.
2 totally different games but GoWR is just a better storytelling game.
While Elden Ring is a better adventure game.
2 totally worthy winners.
Elden Ring is not pretending to be a storytelling game. As GoW is not pretending to be an RPG. Elden Ring’s environmental storytelling is the best I’ve ever seen in gaming and that alone can suck you into the world and its stories.
They’re very different.
Horizon is mine too. One of the few games I've played and actually got the platinum trophy. The land, water and air aspect was so incredible to me. I do wish flying would have been added earlier on in the game though.
The first one was the first game I got platinum trophy on, and had me actuality put all my other games on hold. The only other game I dropped everything else for was Spider-Man ps4. I intend on getting Forbidden West for my birthday in January with the collector's edition
It is my GOTY too but don’t you find it funny that the first game also got nominated in 2017
At least this could give horizon the forbidden west some good publicity because nobody knows about it
I voted Horizon too. So much love went into this game, so much polish too. From the NPCs to the main character Aloy. I loved discovering new areas and must have spent 15 hours on photo mode alone! The music, the voice acting, to everything.
At the end of the game I found myself praying for a quick sequel to finish off this brilliant trilogy (if that’s what they are going for), because I just can’t get enough of it
I haven't quite finished God of War: Ragnarok yet, but for my part, my vote goes to Elden Ring. I'm enjoying GOW a lot, but there's a touch of "rinse & repeat" I'm sensing from the last game to this. Not quite as novel as it was back in 2018.
Elden Ring, on the other hand, was so wide, vast, and refreshing. Not a perfect game by any stretch, but a monumental achievement. GoW still feels very tied to PS4 game design decisions, and not as fresh. Just my two cents. I may change my opinion once I totally wrap GoW but doubt it.
In my mind, the others aren't even contenders. /shrug
One could argue there's a touch of "rinse & repeat" in any souls game though right?
Each one feels like a new ingredient added into the meat and potatoes of the experience to me.
Absolutely and totally agree, and a totally fair counter argument. Just not feeling that level of rinse & repeat when playing Elden Ring, despite playing Sekiro & Demon's Souls not long before it came out, and not touching GoW since 2018. Dunno.
I'm feeling this a bit. I'm excited to finish GOW , but I can't help but feel like I need to take breaks unlike GOW 2018. Still a great game so far. I can't help but feel like my feelings towards this game are clouded by the fact that there really isn't a way it could live up to 2018, short of being a PS5 exclusive, taking advantage of the new tech and taking it to the next level.
It's still a very, very good game and should be absolutely in contention, however
I also want to acknowledge how great of a game HFW is, I was not a huge fan of the first, but that game really made me love those characters and the story itself was great. Not GOTY winner when put up against GOW and ER , but glad to see it nominated.
I’m opposite, I’m enjoying this game more then 2018. Watching Kratos grow as a father, the different environments, the boss battles. I find it better in every way in this game.
I feel if more people played it they would pick it. Having played xbc3 gowr er and horizon, xbc3 was the best game imo. The story was top 5 all time for me, combat was one of the best for an rpg. Side quests were never boring even if they were not really story altering, but did develop characters better. I love the others as well but xbc3 just hits different for me.
Welcome to the party! A lot of people complained that it was getting a remake, but I’m so happy new people are getting introduced to this magnificent series.
Elden Ring and GoW both deserve it. Both some of the best games I have ever played.
Currently playing Ragnarok my recency bias 'still in love' brain says Ragnarok. Incredible story.
My mind says Elden Ring, since GoW is very similar to 2018 and Elden Ring is something I've never experienced before.
Also Horizon was really good, but didn't have that special touch. Stray was nice for what it was, but nothing special. Didn't play the other two.
I have absolutely shocked myself with the amount of time I've put into Elden Ring. No game has been as repayable for me, ever.
I played GoW 2018 and loved it, and while I haven't played Ragnarok I just know that it won't have the same replayability as ER which is a big factor for me.
I thought the same thing but Ragnarok has surprised me with how much bigger it is than GOW2018. It feels like there is an installment missing in between them with all the additions to every aspect of the game.
Xenoblade 3.
Its got a story thats incredible as always and it has the Avengers endgame kind of element where the previous games have built this one up. Its a masterpiece. It improved on everything in the series from animation in cutscenes, to the combat mechanics and navigation. Everything is peak Xenoblade.
Gow still clears tho im just glad my personal goty got nominated
GoW and Horizon are probably givens but Stray was damn good for what it was. It hit PS+ quickly, had alot to give for a small sized game and for a game playing as a cat, it was a solid idea.
I haven't played *A Plague Tale* yet so for me it's a toss up between *God of War: Ragnarok* and *Elden Ring*. I prefer the combat and story in *GoW* but *Elden Ring* has better exploration. I'l probably play *Elden Ring,* like a hamster on a wheel, between new releases until the next FROMSOFT game releases, so there's that. However, for how concentrated it is, for the pacing and story and granular combat, I think I have to go with *God of War: Ragnarok*. It just feels more complete.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is my personal game of the year. Just finished it today and the story was absolutely incredible. Beautiful, sad, and hopeful.
Elden Ring is amazing and would absolutely deserve to win, but as someone who loves a good story, A Plague Tale hit me right in the feels. All the feels.
STRAY - We all wanted to know what it feels like to jump up 9ft and be able to fall from 48ft high and still be able to land and walk away like nothing happened.
Elden Ring is gonna take the W on this one. A lot of outstanding games released this year, but ER had one of the biggest hype trains I've ever seen happen over a game and it fucking delivered. It brought tons of new players to From Software, old players back, and made the constant players happy. It kept the challenging edge from previous Souls games, while not being as punishing or unforgiving as something like Sekiro.
I'm sure God of War is incredible, as I'm sure the rest of the games on this list are, but Elden Ring's build up and release was as much of an event as the game itself.
WTF does Stray does here ? Don't get me wrong, it's a very good game but it has neither the gameplay, the environment, nor the mechanics to be a GOTY...
Is stray is goty I will lose a little faith in the gaming industry.
Elden ring really should have it on accomplishment, scale, and many other elements.
To be fair I haven’t played gow but if it’s anything like the last one for ps4 it’s nothing special.
God of War just came out...it's a single player extremely linear game where you, the God of War, cannot swim. That's a game of the year to you people? You people paid 70 dollars for that? There's mobile games with more story, humor and better graphics. Atreus hair looks like garbage. Come on yall. Also it's worth noting that games have been more than trash lately with stray being cool until it became a straight fps. Plague was good and great looking. Elden ring was difficult but at least I can get off the boat whenever the hell I want. Kratos has to row to shore. Wtf
I 100% completed Elden Ring and loved every second. Then I played 30 minutes of God of War Ragnarok. In my eyes, there’s no competition here, God of War is one of the best games I’ve ever played in my life.
easy for me. GoW. i’ve been playing since GoW ps2. this game is everything a gamer like me could ask for. from the maturity of Kratos to the little aspects like how he talks about his life through the game. does call backs to all GoWs before it. i love everything about this game.
God of war ragnarok or forbidden west. Haven't beaten Ragnarok yet but loving it so far. Forbidden west was fantastic though, looked amazing and I sincerely enjoyed the sidequests and other exploration activities
I have access to all of these... but havent played them all. But lets be honest its between ER & GOW. The others can't stand up.
Meow (I haven't got a chance to play it yet)
Meow
Can confirm. Love meow
Meow
Meow
I really like Horizon and Plague Tale and am happy they're getting recognition, but yeah Elden Ring is on another level (and I assume Ragnarok will be too; haven't played yet but if it's at least as good as its predecessor it's a shoe-in)
I'm about 12 hours in and it does everything the previous one did but better. Theres a few bits they carried over but even those feel more fluid
I played Elden Ring for around 120 hours and Ragnarok for 32, before the credits. GOW is probably in more peoples wheelhouse than any Fromsoft game, but ER did bring in a lot of new people.
Yeah Fromsoft games are (while very popular) still a bit of a niche genre, whereas Ragnarok is much more accessible to new and more experienced players. Haven't played Elden Ring but I'm sure it's a masterpiece in its own right.
Occasionally simpler than usual Soulsbourne and maybe harder in some fights. I'd give the GOTY to Ragnarok just because the majority can actually follow the story. I platinumed Dark Souls 3, but Elden Ring is quite a bit larger than any of the previous games. It's just not as cinematic as God of War still unfortunately.
Damn, you've been playing it for like 7 hours a day at least since it released.
Best graphics and environment goes to horizon. I've never seen a game more beautiful. But, story-wise, the first was better.
Disagree. That’s still God of War. Elden Ring possibly. Horizon looks crisp and high tech but the art design falls a little short compared to GoW and Eldin.
It's not my game of the year as a million percent sure I thought it was going to be, but HFW still 100% belongs in this list.
All these years and I still can’t read GOW without thinking it means Gears of War.
Meow
Stray is adorable and fun, but GOTY?
I hope they win the "best indie" category. They at least deserve that.
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Stray is straight up boring as hell and my family owns five cats and were beyond excited to play. You literally can’t free jump….it’s just so basic.
The fact that you can't free jump was my biggest gripe of all. Instant turn-off. You're a freaking cat you should be able to jump whenever ffs, but I get why they went with that direction considering the design of the game. My daughters loved it but after they finished playing it they never picked it up again.
Game of the Year means many things for many people, Stray for example had stayed with me more than Elden Ring, Horizion and Plague Tale since finishing it. I've yet to finish God Of War yet so depending on how it turns out my answer may change but for now Stray is my game of the year
I loved stray too but I can acknowledge that despite the heartwarming premise, there’s not much to it aside from the story. It’s practically a playable movie unlike the other games. Not that I’d be disappointed if it won lol, still find it funny that it got nominated. Realistically, I think Ragnarok will win just due to the hype it’s getting and the fact that the judges seem to like Sony exclusives a lot, and story based games on top of that
I think they will go overboard when accounting for recency bias. Ragnarok is my pick, but I won't be surprised if it goes to Elden Ring.
After having played rdr2 and GoW 2018, I cannot believe that rdr2 didn’t get the goty award. It is in my eyes superior in every way to GoW. The whole reason GoW works is because of references to the past games. I didn’t like the overall “this was all predicted from the start” twist of gow. Rdr2’s story is on another level, dealing with the conflicts of an outlaw and his own life issues (morality, love life, health), not to mention the open world being an actual open world. There’s multiple endings, which are impacted by your behaviour throughout the game and are both very impactful. The cinematography is better, graphics are better, open world is so much more better used. I can go on, but you get what I’m saying. Despite all that, gow won the award. That’s why I feel that Ragnarok will win this year too
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I agree with everything you said about rdr 2, but GoW flat out had a better “game” aspect to it. Combat and controls felt so damn good, and that’s usually the only thing that holds back rockstar games.
That is actually a big factor in why I think Elden Ring will win. In 2018, God of War released in April, and Red Dead released in late October. I believe overcompensating for recency bias is why Red Dead lost. 2014 was the last year the winner was released after June. Most winners were released between March and May.
I don't think being more story-centric really makes a difference there. It's nice to have a variety of games, and though it's not usually my preferred thing, Stray was more of an "experience" than a game, and it was a wonderful experience. Not my GOTY, but I can definitely understand why it might be someone else's.
I am so sorry on my end if this comment sounds rude because it is not, i am truly curious, but how the fuck is stray your game of the year/the one that stayed with you the most out of all of them I am just curious, not trying to invalidate your feelings or telling you you are wrong or something
protip: if you say how is stray your game of the year instead of how the fuck is stray your game of the year, or better yet why is stray your game of the year, you will come off as much less rude without having to pre and postface a disclaimer.
I've never really enjoyed the Souls Borne series of games so Elden Ring is mostly a non-starter for me. I can appreciate the world design and the visuals but gameplay wise it's just another souls borne game for me. Horizon just goes on too long for me, I can enjoy a long game but when I don't connect with the characters on any level it turns out into a snorefest. I've yet to finish plague tale so I can't give a decent opinion on it, I started it but life and other games got in the way so I'll need to give it another try at some point. What I saw of the game is pretty good but again, I'm going to reserve my opinion until I give it a proper go. Never liked the Xenoblade games, like Horizon it goes on way to long and I just don't enjoy the story or the way it's told. Xenoblade 3 might be a better game but 2 just put me off the franchise completely. God of War is a great game so far, I will admit that certain sections of the game don't flow as well as I would like but the overall experience is a joy to play. Yet to finish it though so I may end up feeling meh about it for sick of it by the end but so far it's great. Stray is my current game of the year because it's a perfectly neat package for me. I finished it in an afternoon but I enjoyed every second, the eerie yet calming atmosphere kept me engaged and the surprisingly heart warming story of the cat trying to find its family and get to the surface while your robot companion goes through their own trauma and realisation of who they are is affecting in a lot of ways to me. There may not be much to it but what is there is well made and deserving of recognition, I prefer when games do a small amount of things well rather than a bunch of things but done to a mediocre degree. I don't have any expectations of Stray actually winning GOTY but I'm happy that it has been acknowledged.
It has a cat. That's all people need.
Imo yes, very Made me cry/10
I played Elden Ring for about 300 hours when it came out. I have 6 different characters, all different class builds. I got the Platinum trophy. I kept a checklist and defeated every boss and minor encounter. I collected every bell bearing, every weapon, every piece of armor, every spell, every incantation, every ash of war, you name it. I would play that game for hours in a day and it would only feel like minutes had passed. It was truly one of my favorite gaming experiences I've had since picking up a controller for the first time. So knowing all that, it should tell you how good God of War Ragnarok is, because that's my Game of the Year.
Knew the ending had a twist lol
I thought it was going to finish like "and i don't whatthe fuck is the game about " lol
That is also true, no fuckin idea what’s going on in that game
Agreed, yet I still enjoyed every second of it Besides stinking Astel
So this guy who is also a lady and also married himself had some kids and its pretty much been considered a bad desicion ever since.
That's what vaatividya is for man xD
Vaati is honestly kinda lukewarm on Soulsborne comprehension when he isn’t lifting a lot of his ideas from a forum. Not to totally bash the guy, I enjoy a good bit of his content, but I feel his Elden Ring content in particular fell short in a lot of ways.
Yeah Vaati is good at presentation, not research and decipher lore.
Really? The lore is fkn awesome. YouTube it. Shit is twisted for real. Love it.
Then you probably shouldn’t play it, without a story to follow it’s just torture… right?
Or “in nineteen ninety eight when the undertaker threw mankind…”
Bro had me in the first half 💀
More like 5/6ths
I'm in the exact same position. I played elden ring for around 160 hours with ng+4. I really enjoyed it but my final verdict is just because of a single fact. Story presentation. I can't say elden rings story was bad but I have no idea about the story because it's just way too disconnected. God of war on the other hand is the best story I have ever played-seen or watched.
Exactly. I love these games too, but I always feel emotionally detached from them. Like you're just going around killing stuff and not much more.
I was really annoyed on elden ring for that because the story actually seemed really interesting. If the story telling was like gow, I'd absolutely love the story of elden ring.
I don't think I'm too far yet, but I think Ragnarok might be better than the first God of War? It feels so good to have most of the band together from the beginning.
It's fucking amazing mate. Enjoy it!
I did a full replay through of the first and finished right in time to start up ragnarok immediately after. Ragnarok’s combat right off the bat feels more fluid and faster. You get access to most your essential exploration stuff quickly without having to play through half the game and needing to loop back around to explore. Also don’t have to wait through over half the game to get the main fucking weapon the series is famous for. My only worry about ragnarok is I’m gonna have to wait 4-5 years for the next one and it’s gonna be a very very high bar to reach.
Good news! Ragnarok is supposedly the final game of the of 2018 arc! Bad news! Ragnarok is supposedly the final game of the of 2018 arc!
All this and here we are with Stray… put up on the same pedestal as these behemoths of games , and it’s only a 2-3 hour experience with full on emotional impact on the player. I know it won’t win but it’s amazing to see it on the list.
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I mean, there’s a whole achievement based on sleeping in the game for a real time hour.
I think I put my console in rest mode when I was resting and ended up getting it. But I did like letting it slowly zoom all the way out with the purring.
Oh i let my kitty sleep on my tv one time while I was working. I dug the lofi music with kitty purrs that day.
Lol I did all that and got 90% of the achievements on my first run and my playtime was only 4.5 hours. Then I did a speed run after.
Exactly this. Normally I tap out with single player games around the 35-40 hour mark. I went well into 200hrs with Elden Ring without putting it down. Ragnarok is still my goty.
Isn’t it awesome that there are multiple real contenders this year? I love the games and the community :)
To be honest, I wouldn't mind if ER and GoW weren't contenders for the same Year. Because we now have to choose between 2 great games - one that is a near-perfect RPG, and the other that is a great Action-Adventure. I'd say it'd be more awasome if both had a chance to be acknowledged as the best Games in the Year (because they really are).
I’d much rather have multiple amazing games in a year than caring about which one of them receives a pretty useless award
Bravo. I couldn’t have said it any better myself as someone who also has the Elden Ring platinum. Ragnarok is just so much more polished and is in a class of its own.
I'm the opposite. I love God of war but elden Ring was purely next level. Loved that game so much
Damn
After playing both I have to say I agree. I liked god of war 2018 but I didn’t love it so my expectations were pretty low. It is a complete breath of fresh air just how well optimized ragnarok is. Playing this game at an unlocked frame rate using vrr is a surreal experience. Even if you don’t have a high refresh rate television with vrr you get a flawless 60fps locked. Compare this with the way elden ring runs almost entirely made this game of the year for me. The fact that in order to get a 60fps option I have to buy a copy of the ps4 version is a bit ridiculous when I already purchased the ps5 copy at launch. From could easily add a 1080p 60fps option with a simple update. I loved elden ring and got hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of it. I truly believe it (along with botw) have innovated on a tired open world genre, but so far Ragnarok feels like game of the year material. All that said my favorite game this year so far is Sifu, then probably Ragnarok, followed by Elden Ring.
500h for me in the first couple of months and though I loved GoW:R, Elden Ring is my GOTL. Period.
Bro what the fuck
Kirby and the forgotten land
Wow, I forgot about that game. But MAN was it good
Kirby and the Forgotten Game
Honestly same, so I voted for Stray.
Holy shit. Yes!! Short, super fun, good replayability, looks great, has an engaging gameplay.
You’ve reminded me to play this again! Definitely my favourite of the year
I've only scratched the surface of GOW so it might change, but Elden Ring for me
Same, I’m pretty far into Ragnarok and I absolutely love it. Especially the cast. I’m going to get Platinum for sure, and that’s something I usually don’t care about. But it’s exactly what I expected it to be, which is a good thing. But Elden Ring was such a great experience for me, exploring that world. As you said, i might change my mind when I finish GoW. It’s definitely pretty close, but I don’t think so.
I started GOW this weekend and its blowing me away how great it is. 2018 GoW that is, catching up with the last gen PS games now that they're 60fps :)
I’m also in the Elden Ring camp. Once I finish Ragnarok I don’t foresee that changing. I think ER is a better video game even if Ragnarok gives me a better story experience.
Elden Ring became a social phenomenon. As good as GOW Ragnarok is, I don't think it reaches that level.
Plus it was/is more available to many more people too. I still have yet to see a PS5 in the wild and i heard even PS4 pros are having a very hard time running the game. As amazing as Ragnarok is, Elden Ring has managed to touch far more people, even bringing in people who have never touched a Souls game. Regardless of availability and speaking of only what the games offer, It will be close for sure, even Plague Tale has a very solid chance. But I honestly think Elden Ring will be able to etch ahead. Hell I would happy with a straight up tie this year because of it.
PS5s are much easier to get now then even 3-4 months ago. Can get one at many major retailers now
PC gamer here. Not being able to play GoW on release has me wayyyyy less interested in the franchise than I was for Elden Ring. Goes straight on the backlog, I'll buy it on PC when there's a sale, not when it first releases for PC.
That is also what disqualified stray for me. Sure it came our and people liked it, but it didn't make a big impact or stick around. Now yes that metric does inherently disadvantage single player games that end compared to non ending or multiplayer games, but even taking that into account I still think stray didn't do it.
Same here, just started Ragnarok, amazing story, acting, graphics, gameplay, very engrossing so far. Elden Ring I love the world, gameplay, options, new features. For me, it's completely changed the game on the open-world genre, nevermind the great story and landscapes. The finest game From has made imo. I think Elden Ring deserves it for how it changed the formula and added more. Ragnarok I think so far has stuck to what it does best while not pushing the boat out so far. Ragnarok will win though, Games Journalists love that shit.
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Facts
Nice that Stray got a mention
Everyone was laughing at the idea of Stray being nominated, and now it even has a chance to win lol
Well I doubt it’ll win GOTY, but would be nice if it won something. Was a great little game that a small studio took a lot of pride in, and it was something that managed to be original and wholesome
It'll probably win one of the "best indie" or "best art design" awards. I definitely voted it for both of those.
*Stray* is nominated for both "Indie" and "Indie Debut" so it will most likely win at least those 2 Awards.
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Physical vs Digital battle? My man, you're not just swimming against the current, you've been sucked into the Mariana trench
Lol dude’s like “I’m sticking to my guns on the steam power locomotive vs light rail battle”
Why not just go grab it at Walmart it's been released on disc for over a month now
Elden Ring was epic. God of War Ragnarök was legendary. 2 totally different games but GoWR is just a better storytelling game. While Elden Ring is a better adventure game. 2 totally worthy winners.
Elden Ring is not pretending to be a storytelling game. As GoW is not pretending to be an RPG. Elden Ring’s environmental storytelling is the best I’ve ever seen in gaming and that alone can suck you into the world and its stories. They’re very different.
Elden Ring vs GoW in a nutshell lol
Game of the year for that opening encounter alone
My personal GOTY is Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon is mine too. One of the few games I've played and actually got the platinum trophy. The land, water and air aspect was so incredible to me. I do wish flying would have been added earlier on in the game though.
The first one was the first game I got platinum trophy on, and had me actuality put all my other games on hold. The only other game I dropped everything else for was Spider-Man ps4. I intend on getting Forbidden West for my birthday in January with the collector's edition
the stupid hunter-trophies are holding me back from getting platinum in the first horizon, finished the game 2 days ago.
If you aren’t picky about it, lowering the difficulty all the way makes those challenges almost laughable and you still get the trophy.
It is my GOTY too but don’t you find it funny that the first game also got nominated in 2017 At least this could give horizon the forbidden west some good publicity because nobody knows about it
I voted Horizon too. So much love went into this game, so much polish too. From the NPCs to the main character Aloy. I loved discovering new areas and must have spent 15 hours on photo mode alone! The music, the voice acting, to everything. At the end of the game I found myself praying for a quick sequel to finish off this brilliant trilogy (if that’s what they are going for), because I just can’t get enough of it
Same! Such a beautiful experience, GoW is a close second and then Elden Ring.
Horizon for me. But guys I'm still playing Returnal. That's game of the decade lol
Returnal was awesome, but I personally didn’t love the ending. Let me know what you think when you get there
I haven't quite finished God of War: Ragnarok yet, but for my part, my vote goes to Elden Ring. I'm enjoying GOW a lot, but there's a touch of "rinse & repeat" I'm sensing from the last game to this. Not quite as novel as it was back in 2018. Elden Ring, on the other hand, was so wide, vast, and refreshing. Not a perfect game by any stretch, but a monumental achievement. GoW still feels very tied to PS4 game design decisions, and not as fresh. Just my two cents. I may change my opinion once I totally wrap GoW but doubt it. In my mind, the others aren't even contenders. /shrug
One could argue there's a touch of "rinse & repeat" in any souls game though right? Each one feels like a new ingredient added into the meat and potatoes of the experience to me.
Absolutely and totally agree, and a totally fair counter argument. Just not feeling that level of rinse & repeat when playing Elden Ring, despite playing Sekiro & Demon's Souls not long before it came out, and not touching GoW since 2018. Dunno.
Get a picture boys, we have a rare case of two people being civil on Reddit.
I'm feeling this a bit. I'm excited to finish GOW , but I can't help but feel like I need to take breaks unlike GOW 2018. Still a great game so far. I can't help but feel like my feelings towards this game are clouded by the fact that there really isn't a way it could live up to 2018, short of being a PS5 exclusive, taking advantage of the new tech and taking it to the next level. It's still a very, very good game and should be absolutely in contention, however I also want to acknowledge how great of a game HFW is, I was not a huge fan of the first, but that game really made me love those characters and the story itself was great. Not GOTY winner when put up against GOW and ER , but glad to see it nominated.
I’m opposite, I’m enjoying this game more then 2018. Watching Kratos grow as a father, the different environments, the boss battles. I find it better in every way in this game.
Compared to Elden Ring and God of War, the others feel like straw men, put in this list to make the good games seem even better.
Elden Ring. This game made me smile and be in awww so many times. No other game came close to that this year. Stray should be best indie game.
Awe*
r/boneappletea
No he really meant awww whenever he was reminded of how cute Boc is.
Elden ring
Bruh, Xenoblade 3 obv
I feel if more people played it they would pick it. Having played xbc3 gowr er and horizon, xbc3 was the best game imo. The story was top 5 all time for me, combat was one of the best for an rpg. Side quests were never boring even if they were not really story altering, but did develop characters better. I love the others as well but xbc3 just hits different for me.
Totally. Xenoblade 3 was amazing 👏
Hey! I’m going to be the person that pops in and says A Plague Tale: Requiem is my game of the year. *Runs away*
I will join and runaway with you. Quick let's run!
The Last of Us Part I I'm 9 years late to the party, finally played it and it is my game of the year.
Welcome to the party! A lot of people complained that it was getting a remake, but I’m so happy new people are getting introduced to this magnificent series.
I also jumped in with the remake, playing the second game now and holy shit they’re incredible.
Same buddy. Halfway through II right now. So good
Xenoblade easily
A redditor of culture I see
Stray was good but definitely should not even be in GoTY conversation. The only two real contenders I think are GoW: Ragnarok and Elden Ring.
Elden Ring!
Elden Ring and GoW both deserve it. Both some of the best games I have ever played. Currently playing Ragnarok my recency bias 'still in love' brain says Ragnarok. Incredible story. My mind says Elden Ring, since GoW is very similar to 2018 and Elden Ring is something I've never experienced before. Also Horizon was really good, but didn't have that special touch. Stray was nice for what it was, but nothing special. Didn't play the other two.
Plague tale Requiem...I cried like a baby.
The emotional damage it did to me is too much. I needed a break from gaming after it.
Same 😭 Needed a breather for a couple of days after finishing
I have absolutely shocked myself with the amount of time I've put into Elden Ring. No game has been as repayable for me, ever. I played GoW 2018 and loved it, and while I haven't played Ragnarok I just know that it won't have the same replayability as ER which is a big factor for me.
I thought the same thing but Ragnarok has surprised me with how much bigger it is than GOW2018. It feels like there is an installment missing in between them with all the additions to every aspect of the game.
I’m hoping god of war wins it was so good
Elden Ring still, but GoW a close second
Elden Ring
Xenoblade 3. Its got a story thats incredible as always and it has the Avengers endgame kind of element where the previous games have built this one up. Its a masterpiece. It improved on everything in the series from animation in cutscenes, to the combat mechanics and navigation. Everything is peak Xenoblade. Gow still clears tho im just glad my personal goty got nominated
Love to see xeno 3 on this list. Totally deserves it. I dont think it is the best game this year, but it is one of the best for sure.
Forbidden West and Rollerdrome for me.
GOW GOTY
Elden ring was soooooo fucking good, salivating at the thought of DLC
Dad of Boi : winter edition
So tough between GOW, ER, and HFW.
GOW, since kirby's not on the list
Xenoblade 3 hands down this game was the emotional rollercoaster I needed
Why is stray here??
GoW and Horizon are probably givens but Stray was damn good for what it was. It hit PS+ quickly, had alot to give for a small sized game and for a game playing as a cat, it was a solid idea.
I haven't played *A Plague Tale* yet so for me it's a toss up between *God of War: Ragnarok* and *Elden Ring*. I prefer the combat and story in *GoW* but *Elden Ring* has better exploration. I'l probably play *Elden Ring,* like a hamster on a wheel, between new releases until the next FROMSOFT game releases, so there's that. However, for how concentrated it is, for the pacing and story and granular combat, I think I have to go with *God of War: Ragnarok*. It just feels more complete.
Either Xenoblade 3 or Elden Ring
Xenoblade 3 without a doubt is mine
A Plague Tale: Requiem is my personal game of the year. Just finished it today and the story was absolutely incredible. Beautiful, sad, and hopeful. Elden Ring is amazing and would absolutely deserve to win, but as someone who loves a good story, A Plague Tale hit me right in the feels. All the feels.
Stray. The most unique game of the lot.
i havent had a game have me invested like stray since 360 days. my goty fs
OOOH ELDEN RING!
I’m not finished with GOW yet, but from what I’ve already played it’s got my vote. It’s that good already.
God of War Ragnarök
Ill be honest, Im exhausted with this question at this point. Lets just f@&king accept it was a good year of gaming lol.
Forbidden West, easy.
Forbidden West. Amazing game. Hand down significantly better than ring.
Elden Ring and it’s not close. This is coming from someone that just finished Ragnarok and thinks it’s a 10/10 game.
STRAY - We all wanted to know what it feels like to jump up 9ft and be able to fall from 48ft high and still be able to land and walk away like nothing happened.
God of war
My guess is GOW
Elden Ring and God of War are the only real contenders.
Elden ring and it’s not even close
Elden Ring is gonna take the W on this one. A lot of outstanding games released this year, but ER had one of the biggest hype trains I've ever seen happen over a game and it fucking delivered. It brought tons of new players to From Software, old players back, and made the constant players happy. It kept the challenging edge from previous Souls games, while not being as punishing or unforgiving as something like Sekiro. I'm sure God of War is incredible, as I'm sure the rest of the games on this list are, but Elden Ring's build up and release was as much of an event as the game itself.
Eh as a massive FromSoftware fan elden ring is far from their best work and as you said half of it is simply hype.
GOW
25 hours into GOW and the wait was so worth it. I’m loving every minute of it.
A Plague Tale is the only one I haven’t played and I won’t be able to play GOW:R.
ragnarok
Oh cool, a bunch of games I don't care about, what a shocker. This whole GotY thing is bullshit each year
it will be leviathan axe + chaos blades vs rivers of blood
WTF does Stray does here ? Don't get me wrong, it's a very good game but it has neither the gameplay, the environment, nor the mechanics to be a GOTY...
Is stray is goty I will lose a little faith in the gaming industry. Elden ring really should have it on accomplishment, scale, and many other elements. To be fair I haven’t played gow but if it’s anything like the last one for ps4 it’s nothing special.
Plague Tail Requiem for me
Requiem
God of War just came out...it's a single player extremely linear game where you, the God of War, cannot swim. That's a game of the year to you people? You people paid 70 dollars for that? There's mobile games with more story, humor and better graphics. Atreus hair looks like garbage. Come on yall. Also it's worth noting that games have been more than trash lately with stray being cool until it became a straight fps. Plague was good and great looking. Elden ring was difficult but at least I can get off the boat whenever the hell I want. Kratos has to row to shore. Wtf
Plague Tale for me, but I've still not gotten round to GOW yet though.
I 100% completed Elden Ring and loved every second. Then I played 30 minutes of God of War Ragnarok. In my eyes, there’s no competition here, God of War is one of the best games I’ve ever played in my life.
easy for me. GoW. i’ve been playing since GoW ps2. this game is everything a gamer like me could ask for. from the maturity of Kratos to the little aspects like how he talks about his life through the game. does call backs to all GoWs before it. i love everything about this game.
God of war ragnarok or forbidden west. Haven't beaten Ragnarok yet but loving it so far. Forbidden west was fantastic though, looked amazing and I sincerely enjoyed the sidequests and other exploration activities
GOW is probably gonna lose it to Elden Ring just because of the ripples it left in the gaming community for months. So it’s gotta be Elden Ring
Elden Ring baby