Most Likely 2023 GOTY Candidates by Metascore, What Are They Missing?

I already did this once, but the scene has changed. This time, I’ll try to use math instead of my prediction radar, as it now seems like it’s fairly safe to start talking about GOTY, given what was just released.

If we’re talking about The Game Awards, the industry’s “sure-fire” GOTY pick these days, this show has six nominees (unless they expand it, and if there’s a year for…). We can try to guess which of the best games of a crazy year will make it to that list. But do it by metascore It leaves some surprising options, which might slip anyway if some of the top-scoring games were overlooked, perhaps due to their genre.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom Tears – 96 – Of all the games on this list, only two feel like they have the potential to actually win. Tears seemed like a sure thing before Baldur’s Gate 3 came out, but I can’t rule out that they might still be bearable. But I doubt it.

2. Baldur’s Gate 3-96 – Favorite. At this point, easily my favorite. A triumphant return to the series and to TTRPGs in general, a sprawling and shocking saga that will be hard to top. 100% guaranteed to make the list, I’d say 90% guaranteed to win, Zelda though.

3. Super Mario Bros. Wonder – 93 – When this was released, it was time to update the list again. Another stunningly elevated Mario offering, this time a 2D adventure rather than a 3D title, but Nintendo juggles those two things expertly, as seen here.

4. Resident Evil 4 – 93 – Capcom has been on fire with Resident Evil lately, and RE4 is no exception with this remake. I don’t know if this would make the list, although I would say it’s more likely than the next option.

5. Street Fighter 6 – 92 – An amazing score for a fighting game, I think this score would probably be overlooked for a GOTY award because It’s a fighting game, fair or not, and should instead be content that wins its own category elsewhere in the show.

6. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – 91 -I think being in a more popular genre helps, and even if there are a few others here that score higher, I think Insomniac will be rewarded with a GOTY slot here easily, even if it’s unlikely to win. He. She He should However, win any “action” category in which this game counts.

So, that’s six slots? What is missing? As you can see, even more Games, many of which would likely make the top six on their own in a different year.

Diablo IV – 91 -I think people forget how well this game was received at launch due to its excellent campaign, and before it had issues with the endgame and live service that have now only been fixed months later. It will be nominated in some categories, but not GOTY. I think Lilith’s VA assistant should be nominated, for starters.

Sea of ​​Stars – 91 – Out of every game here, I’m pretty confident that it could end up being a win in the GOTY slot. We rarely go a year without it some A smaller game is taking over one of those spots and this year, it looks like Sea of ​​Stars might be the right choice for that. Maybe Hi-Fi Rush? Dave the diver?

Cyberpunk 2077: Ghost’s Freedom – 90 – I don’t know exactly the rules here. Phantom Liberty is an expansion but longer than most other games. I guess it can’t be nominated for a GOTY, he’ll have to settle for “Best Continuing Film” or something like that. It must have a set of VA slots.

Final Fantasy XVI – 87 – Wild that the “low” score this year is 87 compared to these others. I know Final Fantasy has a huge fan base, but given its competition, I don’t know that it can get a nomination. I think it’s possible, but I don’t know how likely it is.

Starfield – 86 – In another era, Bethesda’s new flagship game would be a shoe-in for a GOTY nomination, and maybe even a win. Starfield, despite its success for Xbox, has already been overshadowed by many this year. I previously picked him for a nomination but now? After Spider-Man and Mario? I now strongly doubt it.

Hogwarts Legacy – 85 – This will easily be one of the best-selling games of the year, by far, given the wide spread of IPs and the number of platforms it has been released on. But it won’t be nominated for a GOTY, and I doubt it will win whatever “adventure” category it’s in. You should be satisfied with $1 billion in revenue.

Things I don’t even have room for: Armored Core 6, Lies of P, Jedi Survivor, Dead Space Remake, (most likely) Alan Wake 2

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