Is it time an indie game wins GOTY?

[Tech614]

but Breath of the Wild good?

That's not hard to accomplish, Ubisoft has been doing it for a decade. They only forgot to add Link to the game and pay Nintendo to call it Zelda for the free +3 ratings boost.

[therealbowser]

That's not hard to accomplish, Ubisoft has been doing it for a decade. They only forgot to add Link to the game and pay Nintendo to call it Zelda for the free +3 ratings boost.

There's a few possibilities here, but I'm going to assume you never played the game, partially out of respect to you. It's also possible you just hate open world games, or maybe you just really hate Nintendo. Given your little quip that seems quite possible, too. I don't like to presume but I mean... you're not exactly masking your disdain for Nintendo, however what it stems from remains a mystery.

As I said previously, you can base games off of any kind of statistic you want. Hell, you can give the shittiest game a 10/10 for not being a franchise you have a grudge against, and another one a 0/10 because you hate Nintendo for reasons. I mean, it's all good.

But if you think that Breath of the Wild is a bad game, or even a subpar game on a critical basis, you're going to need to actually provide reasoning behind that, reasoning that isn't something like "I dislike open world games because they are boring to me" (or, you know, "I don't like Nintendo") if you want to be taken remotely seriously. I'm gonna just go out on a limb here, though, and assume you're not; partially because you never even played the game to begin with. And that's cool, too.

It's really awesome, though, I will add that the only thing you got out of my post was that I liked Breath of the Wild. And I mean that in a way that I'm kind of awed by how single minded you viewed my post when I barely mentioned the game in my post, merely using it as an industry standard to compare to since it was almost the highest reviewed game ever on metacritic and it has won a lot of GotY awards.

[Jtbrig7390]

Eh, Telltale is indie. Some of the people working there have worked for triple A in the past though, but it's very much an indie studio.

And once again as I already explained no they are not a indie developer they are a AA company.

[mercutiouk]

Something like Rimworld?

[Poppincaps]

That would be Genocide mode, which I did mention as an exception, since the normal mode is so easy you are essentially just going through the formalities to get to the meat of the story.

Yeah that is objectively untrue. I've only done the True Pacifist and there was still plenty of combat in the game. You're placing subjective rules onto an objective definition of what a visual novel is.

[Arrashi]

Something like Rimworld?

Rimworld is one of best, if not the best indie games of few past years. Tho alot of that comes to insane community support.

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Ever tried Lisa: The Painful?

Hey, one of my favourite slice of life comedies.

[PosPosPos]

Yeah that is objectively untrue. I've only done the True Pacifist and there was still plenty of combat in the game. You're placing subjective rules onto an objective definition of what a visual novel is.

There are lots of visual novels with minigames out there. I still consider them visual novels, regardless of all the distractions.

[Poppincaps]

There are lots of visual novels with minigames out there. I still consider them visual novels, regardless of all the distractions.

Okay so are Bioware's games visual novels? I mean people mainly play them for the story. Is The Witcher 3 a visual novel?

Just because people play a game for the story does not discount the other aspects of the game. Undertale shares very little with most visual novels.

[Tech614]

There are lots of visual novels with minigames out there. I still consider them visual novels, regardless of all the distractions.

I think you're confusing "visual novel" with adventure games that have VN elements. Danganronpa and Phoenix Wright are not true Visual Novels for example... they're adventure games with VN parts in the gameplay loop. Persona also has heavy VN elements and is clearly not a VN series.

[Darometh]

Has a GOTY even any meaning nowadays? There are so many so-called GOTY awards each year that it lost all meaning or special feeling for me. It's like saying a game won something at E3. Great, like that matters with the shitton of awards they throw out every year. Nothing to it, really

[Jastall]

Undertale is not a visual novel by any sane definition, else we would have to throw every single story-focused game under the ''visual novel'' umbrella which would be hugely misleading and wrong.

[PosPosPos]

I think you're confusing "visual novel" with adventure games that have VN elements.

So basically, your argument is based on splitting hairs and not on any objective standards?

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Undertale is not a visual novel by any sane definition, else we would have to throw every single story-focused game under the ''visual novel'' umbrella which would be hugely misleading and wrong.

A game is defined by compelling gameplay, that stands on its own even if you remove the storyline.

The bullet hell thing is just pretty much slapped on Undertale, that doesn't make it a game, just like if I slapped in a tic-tac-toe minigame into any visual novel and it wouldn't make those games either.

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Okay so are Bioware's games visual novels? I mean people mainly play them for the story. Is The Witcher 3 a visual novel?

Just because people play a game for the story does not discount the other aspects of the game. Undertale shares very little with most visual novels.

If you removed the storyline, does those titles still have compelling gameplay? If yes, it's a game. That makes Bioware games games and not visual novels.

If you slapped on a few puzzles and minigames as an afterthought, it doesn't matter how many - the visual novel is still a visual novel.

If you removed the storyline from Undertale, it wouldn't have any compelling gameplay.

[ddengster]

Rimworld is one of best, if not the best indie games of few past years. Tho alot of that comes to insane community support.

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Hey, one of my favourite slice of life comedies.

Sorry, but I highly doubt builder-focused games will ever be someone's GOTY top lister. They're just not popular enough, artsy enough, or actiony enough. And many of the award judges usually lean towards artsy games even if they play like crap.

[Arrashi]

There are lots of visual novels with minigames out there. I still consider them visual novels, regardless of all the distractions.

Like monstergirl quest which had surprisingly complex combat system.

[Tech614]

So basically, your argument is based on splitting hairs and not on any objective standards?

No, my "argument" is based on facts as someone who reads a lot of VNs in both English and Japanese. It's not even an argument it's telling you you're wrong. There is nothing to argue, you're wrong.

Just seems you're salty you don't understand what a VN actually is you're trying to use that term to discredit a game when it's not even a VN.

Hint: figure out what the word "novel" means then get back. Or don't, no one is going to let you get away with making false statements.

[PosPosPos]

Like monstergirl quest which had surprisingly complex combat system.

I would consider visual novels like that to be RPGs than actual visual novels, if the gameplay is indeed as compelling as you described it to be. (I have never heard of this title before until today)

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No, my opinion is based on facts as someone who reads a lot of VNs in both English and Japanese.

Just seems you're salty you don't understand what a VN actually is you're trying to use that term to discredit a game when it's not even a VN.

That's you projecting your own character flaw on me. Just because I like something(Undertale) doesn't mean I have to lie to myself and others of it's nature(as a VN with a few minigames).

Maybe you and others have this perplexing inferiority complex where you think visual novels are inferior to games so you resort to labeling a VN by any industry standards as a game; I don't know, and can't care to argue over your hair-splitting any further. To me, it's equally as ridiculous and petty as mislabeling a TV drama series as "a series of short movies" because you feel slighted because you think TV drama series are inferior to movies.

[Deleted]

Bayonetta 2 says it wasn't even close to the best game that came out that year.

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Child of Light, The Stick Of Truth, Dark Souls 2, Mario Kart 8, Smash 4, Shovel Knight, Divinity, Sunset Overdrive, Valiant Hearts.

GTFO, it wasn't even sniffing the best game of the year. It won it for the same reason BoTW did, mainstream gaming media has a strong bias toward high fantasy settings. The same reason Skyrim won it over DS, the same reason Witcher 3 won it over Bloodborne(at least this one was a close call). In fact the only times a high fantasy game has not won the stage show GOTY it has either been a Rockstar game or another 3rd person shooter. Literally 2 genres have dominated the award(ignoring the first ever won giving GOTY to madden LMAO).

Its so stupid arguing about thing like this. Its subjective what games you Think are good. Imo botw definitely deserved a win and imp child of light is a boring as fuck game. Mario kart 8? Why? How was it in any way innovative?

[thewallofsleep]

Do people actually care about awards? I couldn't tell you what games won any awards in the last handful of years. The same goes for movies with the Academy Awards and Golden Globes and music with the Grammy's. If people need an award to validate their choice in entertainment, that's a shame. Awards shows exist to sell advertisements and encourage more sales, nothing more.

[Tech614]

I would consider visual novels like that to be RPGs than actual visual novels, if the gameplay is indeed as compelling as you described it to be. (I have never heard of this title before until today)

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That's you projecting your own character flaw on me. Just because I like something(Undertale) doesn't mean I have to lie to myself and others of it's nature(as a VN with a few minigames).

Maybe you and others have this perplexing inferiority complex where you think visual novels are inferior to games so you resort to labeling a VN by any industry standards as a game; I don't know, and can't care to argue over your hair-splitting any further. To me, it's equally as ridiculous and petty as mislabeling a TV drama series as "a series of short movies" because you feel slighted because you think TV drama series are inferior to movies.

Undertale is not a VN.

Chaos;Child is a VN.

The fact you don't see the massive difference means you don't even know what a VN is.

Also I don't like Undertale, and many people on this forum could tell you that if they remembered our conversations about it, just so you realize how hilariously off base your strawman attempt is.

You have no clue what a VN is, don't use terms you don't understand and you can avoid situations like this.

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How was it in any way innovative?

Yea I forgot Ubisoft of the Wild most innovative game ever with Ubisoft towers and Ubisoft repetitive collectibles all over the place.

Oh wait, Ubisoft was doing it for a decade before Nintendo even tried hmmm... Not to mention Ubisoft showed Nintendo their own penis and did it better in the same year in AC Origins that actually has some meaningful side content which is more then I can say about the most overrated game in modern history.

[PosPosPos]

Undertale is not a VN.

Chaos;Child is a VN.

The fact you don't see the massive difference means you don't even know what a VN is.

Also I don't like Undertale, and many people on this forum could tell you that if they remembered our conversations about it, just so you realize how hilariously off base your strawman attempt is.

You have no clue what a VN is, don't use terms you don't understand and you can avoid situations like this.

This reminds me of my billionaire aunt who would fly into a inexorable rage every time her comparatively cheaper salmon roe was called anything but caviar. Doesn't matter that everyone knows she can easily afford either, or that she clearly enjoys salmon roe more than caviar - she insists on her own terms because she thinks she and her precious salmon roe are slighted.

To me, what I enjoy is more valuable than the all the riches and luxuries the rest of the world may value - which means my favorite plate of lemon chicken rice is more valuable beyond measure than all the A5 wagyu steaks in the world.

P.S. My degree is in Computer Science and Game Design(essentially programming, but specifically languages/tools most related to making games), pretty sure I know what the industry standards are better than armchair experts whose definitions of things begins with and ends at their "feels" on the subject.