Your GOTYs of the past 10 Years compared to VGA GOTYs

[gencid]

So VGAs have come and gone and I feel like the "critics" awards haven't lined up with my tastes for years. I guess it's good that certain games are being recognized, but the entire selection process is questionable. My issue with VGAs is that western developers can use media opinions as check boxes which may contrast with their desire to make the game that they want to make like most Japanese developers do. We can have a long discussion on this, but I will instead focus on making this thread more fun and posting our GOTYs for the past 10 years along #2 and #3 and compare that with the VGAs. For the sake of this thread, remasters will be ineligible for nominations even though many of them are timeless classics. Examples include Wind Waker HD, Metroid Prime Remastered, the Last of Us Remastered and more. Remakes that feel like new games, notably Resident Evil 2, 3 and Final Fantasy VII Remake are eligible for nominations.

2013 - Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

2. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. 3. Bioshock Infinite.

2014 - Mario Kart 8

2. Super Smash Bros for WiiU. 3. Bayonetta 2.

2015 - Bloodborne

2. Halo 5: Guardians. 3. Xenoblade Chronicles X.

2016 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

2. Dark Souls III. 3. Ratchet & Clank.

2017 - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

2. Super Mario Odyssey. 3. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age.

2018 - God of War

2. Marvel's Spider Man. 3. Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

2019 - Devil May Cry 5

2. Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. 3. Gears 5.

2020 - Final Fantasy VII Remake

2. The Last of Us Part II. 3. Resident Evil 3.

2021 - Metroid Dread

2. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. 3. Resident Evil Village.

2022 - Elden Ring

2. God of War Ragnarok. 3. Horizon II: Forbidden West.

2023 - Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

2. Hi-Fi Rush. 3. Super Mario Bros Wonder.

So how do I line up with VGAs? Geoff Keighley's VGAs didn't start until 2014 according to Wikipedia, but I will use Spike Game Awards 2013 to compare for that year:

2013 - Assassin's Creed IV vs Grand Theft Auto V - I haven't played GTA V, but if it's anything like GTA III & Vice City, it would likely be up there for me.
2014 - Mario Kart 8 vs Dragon Age Inquisition - I haven't played Dragon Age Inquisition yet, but I am sure it is a very good game.
2015 - Bloodborne vs The Witcher III: Wild Hunt - While I am sure the Witcher III, which I haven't played yet, is great, I doubt it will surpass Bloodborne for me.
2016 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End vs Overwatch - No disrespect to Overwatch, but single player games > multiplayer games any time & any day for me.
2017 - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild vs Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Xing! My GOTY and VGA's GOTY match for the first time in VGA history.
2018 - God of War vs God of War - 2nd time's the charm. It's interesting how AC: Odyssey was my GOTY for a while, until its never-ending length put it way down in my list.
2019 - Devil May Cry 5 vs Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - The worst From Software game winning the GOTY seems like social justice to Bloodborne & Dark Souls III.
2020 - Final Fantasy VII Remake vs The Last of Us Part II - Does the worst story in Naughty Dog history justify a GOTY? Amy Henig & Bruce Stanley weren't pretend writers like Neil seems to be.
2021 - Metroid Dread vs It Takes Two - It Takes Two looks fun, but I think being multiplayer only is what killed any interest for me.
2022 - Elden Ring vs Elden Ring - I'll be honest, I never played Elden Ring for more than a couple of hours and missed on most 2022 games. But I am sure it deserves the GOTY.
2023 - Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom vs Baldur's Gate III - I am not a fan of PC point & click RPGs, but Baldur's Gate III is probably a great game.

Thanks for staying with me through this trip down memory lane. A lot of great games were released in the past 10 years and most of them weren't represented here. I started the thread thinking I would not align with VGAs for most of the time, however it seems like I did align with the VGAs half of the time. Some of the games that I liked got nominated or got smaller awards regardless and some of the GOTY's in VGAs I didn't have in my list simply because I haven't played them.

Bonus:

My GOTY statistics are as follows:

- 70% of my GOTYs are console exclusives, 30% of them are multiplatform games.
- 30% of my GOTYs are Nintendo games, 30% of my games are PlayStation games and 0% of them are Xbox exclusives.
- 60% of my GOTYs are Japanese originated games and 40% of them are western originated games.

 

[Dante-]

2013

My GOTY - Fire Emblem Awakening
TGA GOTY - Grand Theft Auto V

2014

My GOTY - Bayonetta 2
TGA GOTY - Dragon Age: Inquisition

2015

My GOTY - Bloodborne
TGA GOTY - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

2016

My GOTY - Overwatch at the time, pick would now be DOOM
TGA GOTY - Overwatch

2017

My GOTY - Yakuza 0
TGA GOTY - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

2018

My GOTY - Mega Man 11
TGA GOTY - God of War

2019

My GOTY - Devil May Cry 5
TGA GOTY - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

2020

My GOTY - Ori and the Will of the Wisps
TGA GOTY - The Last of Us: Part II

2021

My GOTY - Metroid Dread
TGA GOTY - It Takes Two

2022

My GOTY - Elden Ring
TGA GOTY - Elden Ring

2023

My GOTY - Alan Wake 2
TGA GOTY - Baldur's Gate 3

So there's only been one time that my GOTY was the same as the one that won GOTY at TGA - Elden Ring. Looking at my selections, less than half of them were even nominated. They were nearly all critically acclaimed but just not the kind of games that are going to get GOTY consideration from the media.

73% of my picks were Japanese games
27% of my picks were Nintendo exclusives
27% of my picks were 2D games
18% of my picks were character action games
18% of my picks were Metroidvanias
18% of my picks were Souls games

 

[Kamurocho_Freak]

2013 - Fire Emblem: Awakening
2014 - Tales of Xillia 2
2015 - Fatal Frame V: Maiden of Black Water
2016 - Final Fantasy XV
2017 - Yakuza 0
2018 - Death Mark
2019 - Resident Evil 2
2020 - Resident Evil 3
2021 - Tormented Souls
2022 - Ghostwire: Tokyo

2023 - To be revealed at a later date!

As far as stats go…

90% of my picks are Japanese.
60% are horror games.
Only 30% are not sequels/prequels.

 

[Redfield64]

2013 - Fire Emblem Awakening

2014 - Dark Souls 2

2015 - Bloodborne

2016 - Overwatch

2017 - Persona 5

2018 - Monster Hunter World

2019 - Resident Evil 2 Remake

2020 - Final Fantasy VII Remake

2021 - Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

2022 - Monster Hunter Rise

As for the TGA winners, using Dante's post above as a reference, the only time my GOTY matched theirs was 2016 with Overwatch.
To be fair, Dragon Age Inquisition came very close to being my pick in 2014, but I played the PS3 version back then that had some issues with framerate drops and crashes, and that brought it down a bit for me, allowing Dark Souls 2 to take the crown.

 

[Redfield64]

Bit of a correction for my 2022 GOTY pick up there.

Monster Hunter Rise originally came out for the Switch in 2021, and that was when I played it. It was the PC and PS4 versions that released in 2022 (I was using Google to remind myself what games released each year).

So here's the following amendments to my list:

2021 GOTY - Monster Hunter Rise
2022 GOTY - Triangle Strategy

 

[1CreditBlades]

2023 - Pizza Tower
2022 - Sol Cresta
2021 - Ghosts 'n' Goblins Resurrection
2020 - Crimzon Clover: World EXplosion
2019 - Shenmue 3
2018 - ZeroRanger
2017 - The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve
2016 - Wild Guns Reloaded
2015 - Crypt of the NecroDancer
2014 - The Evil Within
2013 - The Wonderful 101

 

[-Troopa-]

2013 - Grand Theft Auto V:
GTA V is known for its vast open world and its record-breaking sales. It earned $800 million within the first 24 hours of release and $1 billion within three days, making it the fastest-selling entertainment product in history at that time.

2014 - Mario Kart 8:
Mario Kart 8 introduced anti-gravity racing to the series, allowing players to drive on walls and ceilings. It also featured the most extensive track selection in the series at launch and has become one of the best-selling Wii U games.

2015 - Ori and the Blind Forest:
This game is noted for its hand-painted artwork, meticulously animated character performances, and a fully orchestrated score. It was developed by Moon Studios, a collective of designers from around the world.

2016 - Overcooked:
Developed by Ghost Town Games, a team of just two people. The game gained popularity for its chaotic and cooperative gameplay, requiring players to work together in increasingly complex and humorous kitchens. My wife and I loved playing this, and its sequel, for many years.

2017 - Horizon Zero Dawn:
Horizon Zero Dawn was praised for its open world, story, visuals, combat, character development, and the performance of Ashly Burch as the protagonist Aloy. It's also notable for being one of the few games with a female protagonist that achieved significant commercial success.

2018 - Marvel's Spider-Man:
This game was praised for its web-swinging mechanics, which developers Insomniac Games spent a lot of time perfecting. It became the fastest-selling superhero game in the US and also received acclaim for its narrative and character development.

2019 - Control:
Developed by Remedy Entertainment, known for the Max Payne series, Control is set in an ever-changing building known as the Oldest House. It's praised for its unique, surreal atmosphere and environmental storytelling. I enjoyed the combat and the Jedi-like powers you get to use.

2020 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps:
A sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest, this game expanded on the original's platforming and combat systems. It's also known for its emotionally driven story and improved performance mechanics.

2020 Honorable mention - Hades:
Hades is a roguelike game developed by Supergiant Games, featuring a unique narrative style that unfolds more with each playthrough, integrating storytelling with the repeat-play nature of the roguelike genre.

2021 - It Takes Two:
This game won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021. It's unique for being exclusively a two-player cooperative game, requiring both players to work together with varied gameplay mechanics throughout the story.

2022 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge:
This game is a throwback to classic TMNT games like Turtles in Time, combining retro design with modern gameplay mechanics. It's praised for capturing the nostalgia of the original series while offering a fresh experience. Online multiplayer worked well and is a blast.

2023 - Marvel's Spider-Man 2:
Following the success of the first game, Spider-Man 2 expanded the universe with more characters and a deeper storyline, building upon the critically acclaimed web-swinging and combat systems of its predecessor. This game is the reason I bought a PS5 (again).

 

[MatthewGavin10]

2013
My GOTY - Fire Emblem Awakening
TGA GOTY - Grand Theft Auto V

2014
My GOTY - South Park: The Stick of Truth
TGA GOTY - Dragon Age: Inquisition

2015
My GOTY - Rise of the Tomb Raider
TGA GOTY - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

2016
My GOTY - Overwatch
TGA GOTY - Overwatch

2017
My GOTY - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
TGA GOTY - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

2018
My GOTY - God of War
TGA GOTY - God of War

2019
My GOTY - Fire Emblem: Three Houses
TGA GOTY - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

2020
My GOTY - Final Fantasy VII Remake
TGA GOTY - The Last of Us: Part II

2021
My GOTY - Psychonauts 2
TGA GOTY - It Takes Two

2022
My GOTY - Xenoblade Chronicles III
TGA GOTY - Elden Ring

2023
My GOTY - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
TGA GOTY - Baldur's Gate 3

My GotY was the same as the Game Awards three times.
Nintendo exclusives won my GotY Award five times.
Sony exclusives won my GotY Award two times.
Microsoft published games won once.

 

[Camelsruler]

2013 - Remember Me
2014 - South Park The Stick of Truth
2015 - Mad Max
2016 - Quantum Break
2017 - Gorogoa
2018 - The Missing
2019 - Astral Chain
2020 - Battletoads
2021 - The Good Life
2022 - Pokémon Violet and Scarlett
2023 - Fire Emblem Engage