Elden Ring? Astrobot? Let’s Talk Game of the Year

The nominations for this years Game Awards Game of the Year are out and they’re not entirely what we were expecting.

For starters, Elden Ring is back. Yes, that’s right, Game of the Year winner for 2023 Elden Ring is nominated again. This time, in a move that has raised eyebrows across the web, it’s the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC that has been nominated. More on that later.

Other nominations include Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Black Myth: Wukong, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Balatro and Astrobot. If nothing else, it’s nice to see a good variety. There really is something for everyone on this list.

It says something about this last year that there’s so much obviously missing from it. When you look at a list of big 2024 releases, there are some obvious things missing. Most obvious of all is anything Nintendo. Echoes of Wisdom game seemed a shoe-in for a nomination, if only because it’s Zelda. There’s also been Princess Peach: Showtime and Mario Party, as well as a couple of remakes and remasters.

Now I’m not saying any of them are Game of the Year material. And I’m not saying Nintendo deserves a nomination just for being Nintendo. But they’re obvious in their absence in this category.

Outside of that, Dragons Dogma 2, Animal Well, Helldivers 2, Persona 3: Reload, Silent Hill 2 and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have all been well received by critics and fans.

The problem with conversations like these is that you have to choose what you’d remove. I’ve seen too many people angry about Balatro taking a spot on account of them not having heard of it. It’s an interesting stance to take. But I’ve not had an indie game recommended to me as much for years. It has been very popular.

Game of the Year?

There’s one item listed that is obviously taking up a spot that could go elsewhere. Elden Ring. I’ve seen nobody defend its inclusion.

What is there to defend? A game that has won Game of the Year has been nominated a second time. It seems mostly to generate controversy, which is has done.

It shouldn’t be a major problem. Ultimately, the best piece of gaming content should be the one to win. That stands to reason? The issue is that in a tight year with lots of worthy contenders, Elden Ring might win. Will other ever be nominated? What is that makes it better than Rebirth or Balatro? What is it that makes it better than Helldivers or Silent Hill?

The answer is that it is Elden Ring. And it’s not a good enough answer. Great DLC is released every year. This is the first time it has the potential to cause a major upset at the Game Awards.

There’s one more thing worth discussing about the nominations. Astrobot. While I’m rooting for Final Fantasy Rebirth to take the top spot (it won’t), I was especially happy to see this get a nod. It didn’t sell the best, but it certainly got a lot of acclaim. And while there are good reasons to be sceptical of the Sony cheerleading in the game, it’s also obviously something special. Between this and Balatro, it’s good to see it’s not only the biggest games that stand a chance.