Is it time an indie game wins GOTY?

[Deleted]

I would think the number of sales and people who actually bought and played the game would have a somewhat large impact on a game being the "Game of the Year", and not just reviews. It doesn't really matter if a game is great, if it doesn't interest or reach more than five people.

But, then again, they give Oscars and whatnot to art films that are seen by no more than five people every year too, so who knows. I think that the award might as well be called "Game of the Year That Nobody Heard of and Even Fewer People Played". GOtYTNHoaEFPP. Rolls off the tongue.

[Edge-]

You keep bringing up sales. When I didn't even mention it in my first point.

Depends on if the Indie Game regardless of score actually sells to a Majority of Gamers.

If an Indie game sells extremely well it would have a much better chance at GotY than a niche game that is only praised by their niche audience.

Because you brought up sales twice, and the first time it was literally your first point.

Sales generally reflect reception.

And it was your first point here, and while it can be true it isn't always. Some poorly reviewed indie games have sold insanely well, and some very well reviewed critical darlings have sold like shit.

My point is sales aren't a relevant data point when we're talking about a games critical reception or its GotY potential.

[Deleted]

> Far cry 5
> tough competition

anyway, plenty of indie games do a rly good job and deserve some kind of year award, but atm we still have a lot of "Best indie game" awards. Indie games tend to be handled as a different category from the start, which makes it hard to get GOTY that seems to mostly be reserved for the triple-A games.
Ofc it's tough to compete against a game with a huge budget, a ton of work hours put into it by a big team and being published by a big company, which helps spread the word out and get reviews from literally everyone. While most indie games tend to rely on peopl spreading the word or from reviews like this to make other people and reviewers discover it. It's hard to find the gems when so many games seem to be comming out.

[Dispraise]

Probably not. It's very difficult for a small indie developer to compete with a AAA company. A handful of people working on a shoestring budget just can't produce what a major publisher with hundreds of employees and several studios can produce with hundreds of millions of dollars.

That is not saying indie games aren't good, compelling, or worthwhile. But they are necessarily judged by different metrics.


As a complete aside, I'd like to call attention to what an ugly mess that far cry 5 promo is, because it's been bugging me for months. The table gathering seems completely detached from the background scenery, like it's just floating there. The characters are rendered horribly. The foreground and table objects look like clip art just thrown on top. Whoever slapped that thing together should feel ashamed of themselves.

[Super Kami Dende]

Because you brought up sales twice, and the first time it was literally your first point.



And it was your first point here, and while it can be true it isn't always. Some poorly reviewed indie games have sold insanely well, and some very well reviewed critical darlings have sold like shit.

My point is sales aren't a relevant data point when we're talking about a games critical reception or its GotY potential.

Sell, as in Market to a majority of Gamers, as the second part of the sentence was about them having a Niche Audience. Sell =/= Sales

An Indie game could have 10/10 critical praise, yet if only 1% of the gaming population even knows it exists it will have a hard time with GotY recognition. Which is the entire thing we are talking about. GOTY. A game isn't GOTY if 95% of the population doesn't even know it exists.

[Putin-Chan]

GOTY means nothing.

[Zeta333]

Red dead redemption is going to be pure microtransaction cancer trash. Rockstar is fucking gone, the company that gave us gta has departed and this company thats only goal is to make more micro transactions is left. I cant wait to laugh at how they ruin the RDR franchise with horse dollars or some stupid bullshit. But if gta is anything to go off, and thier current statements that they dont monetize their games enough it will be fucking garbage.

[Nefarious Tea]

Exactly, under that same flimsy definition CDPR is indy and I don't see anyone in this real world universe describing Witcher 3 as an indy game.

I mean, they USED to be, but made it fucking bigtime with Witcher 2 and 3. All game companies really start out as indie and then either die or get big. (Or get sold to EA which drags them out back and shoots them.)

[hynx]

is it time a woman gets elected president????

depends, is it hilary running? or someone who doesnt have a history of backdoor deals

[Jastall]

I mean, they USED to be, but made if fucking bigtime with Witcher 2 and 3. All game companies really start out as indie and then either die or get big.

Even when making TW1 CDPR was fairly big and well funded for a start-up. I don't think they've ever been indie, they just moved from AA to AAA as game sales and GoG gave them tons of funding.

Anyway, the only GOTY anyone should care about is their own. I don't care who wins an internet popularity content, I care about what I enjoyed playing the most.

[PACOX]

What counts as indie nowadays? People who do their own publishing? Studios that arent part of a network of studios? Games that aren't AAA games?

- - - Updated - - -

Red dead redemption is going to be pure microtransaction cancer trash. Rockstar is fucking gone, the company that gave us gta has departed and this company thats only goal is to make more micro transactions is left. I cant wait to laugh at how they ruin the RDR franchise with horse dollars or some stupid bullshit. But if gta is anything to go off, and thier current statements that they dont monetize their games enough it will be fucking garbage.

We don't agree much but I can see RDR going down like this. Exhibit A: GTA V. The only exhibit you need. They straight up refused to put anymore work into SP GTA V even though any kind of DLC would've made them money, any half ass ports form the MP game would've been praised. The SP is basically high end marketing for MP game. They could've just imported new DLC clothes to the SP and couldn't even do that because it would detract from the MP. Surprised they even allowed free roaming in SP after you beat it...did I just give them an idea for RDR...

[minteK917]

Does goty even matter when average stuff like Dragon age inquisition gets it from half the sites?

[Poppincaps]

Does goty even matter when average stuff like Dragon age inquisition gets it from half the sites?

Blame it on the year not Dragon Age. 2014 was just a weak year for games. I love DA:I but I also recognize that it is a heavily flawed game. Despite that it was definitely the best game that came out that year.

[Tech614]

Blame it on the year not Dragon Age. 2014 was just a weak year for games. I love DA:I but I also recognize that it is a heavily flawed game. Despite that it was definitely the best game that came out that year.

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).

[chrisnumbers]

Yes it's time.
But only if it's the game of the year.

[Jtbrig7390]

Red dead redemption is going to be pure microtransaction cancer trash. Rockstar is fucking gone, the company that gave us gta has departed and this company thats only goal is to make more micro transactions is left. I cant wait to laugh at how they ruin the RDR franchise with horse dollars or some stupid bullshit. But if gta is anything to go off, and thier current statements that they dont monetize their games enough it will be fucking garbage.

You do realize Take Two owns Rockstar and the choices for MT's comes from them right? Even if the online part of RDR has MT's its likely the SP story will still be well worth it just like GTAV was.

[MrKnubbles]

If it's successful enough, sure.

[Tech614]

You do realize 2K owns Rockstar and the choices for MT's comes from them right? Even if the online part of RDR has MT's its likely the SP story will still be well worth it just like GTAV was.

2k does not own Rockstar.

Take Two owns both 2k and Rockstar.

Both operate independently of each other.

[Jtbrig7390]

2k does not own Rockstar.

Take Two owns both 2k and Rockstar.

Both operate independently of each other.

Ya my fault I got the names mixed up.

Ill edit it.

[Jastall]

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).

Inquisition also won the most player's choice awards, but don't let that get in the way of the narrative. Maybe the criteria of what ''should'' be GOTY varies more than one might think. I'll personally take Inquisition, warts and all, over any of the games you listed, and if it makes me tasteless than I'll have fun being tasteless. And don't call me a Bioware fanboy, if anything I'm an Obsidian fanboy and I'm not sure I'd even put Stick of Truth in my top 5.