As 2024 begins to come to a close, it’s time to reflect on where we are and what we’ve experienced to get here. There were good times and bad, and in the realm of video games, some very good times indeed. Some atrocious ones as well, but a lot of good ones. Even with a month to go in the year, The Game Awards has revealed the nominations for the best of the year across gaming.
A complete list of nominees for all categories can be found here. If you want to know more about the top 6 titles vying for Game of the Year, you can scroll down.
We would also like to note SAG-AFTRA is currently on strike for voice actors and movement performers against several video came makers who refuse to sign new agreements.
“SAG-AFTRA congratulates the talented performers whose work has been recognized with a Game Awards nomination, along with the brilliant developers whose creativity and hard work fuel this industry we love so much,” the guild said in a statement. “At this time of celebration, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that thousands of video game voice and movement performers have been on strike for 116 days, following more than 18 months of negotiations which failed to produce an agreement that includes fundamental consent, compensation and transparency guardrails around the use of A.I. We are grateful to all those who have shown their support for our striking video game performers, including the 130 games who have signed interim and tiered-budget agreements, the amazing community of fans and allies, and our union siblings here and abroad.”
The Game Awards will take place December 12th.
GAME OF THE YEAR NOMINEES
“Astro Bot”
“Astro Bot” is the little platformer that could. For all the hate that the AAA game industry gets for churning out homogenized, focus-group tested, cookie-cutter, open world, big-budget nonsense, then you get a game like this. The Astro Bot character has slowly turned into something special for Sony Interactive Entertainment by spinning off from a tech demo for the PS4, to his own Rescue Mission adventure, to a full-fledged 3D platformer. “Astro Bot” brings in all the charm and joy of classics like “Banjo-Kazooie” into the modern day, complete with an insane amount of PlayStation history and character references to find. Its near universal acclaim makes it an easy choice for nomination and a solid choice to win.
“Balatro”
Every now and then, a single person can come up with something so simple yet unique that it blows people’s minds. “Balatro” was developed by a creator who goes by the name LocalThunk, and all he managed to do was combine video poker with elements of roguelike gameplay and deck building. It’s so easy and complex that it seems like sorcery. All you do is try to get the best poker hand possible to earn as many points as you can. The catch is, there are a bunch of modifier cards you can get in your deck that add, multiply, recount, and manipulate the way your score is added together. The more you play, the more joker cards you can potentially unlock to fill your deck up and create better hands. It’s wonderfully complex despite its simplistic nature but it’s immensely fun. For pick up and play purposes there are no other games truly like it this year. Does it deserve to be Game of the Year? Well, that might be a stretch, but it’s a testament to the power of one person’s creativity and that says a lot.
“Black Myth: Wukong”
There are a number of “Dark Souls” like imitators that have come out over the years, but to call them imitators is not entirely fair. Though they can share similar gameplay characteristics, the same can be said of so many other genres outside the system that “Dark Souls” codified. “Black Myth: Wukong” iterates on this with a story that ties into the famous Chinese “Journey of the West” story, and some very in-depth and flexible combat mechanics. It made a fairly big splash when it debuted but didn’t have the staying power of other intense, action heavy RPG’s like “Bloodborne,” or “Elden Ring.” While it may not be completely fair to lump this in with those titles, it still stands as an entry that feels more like it’s here to fill out the list rather than compete for the win.
“Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree”
This feels a bit wrong. “Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree” is not a standalone game in either its plot or its release. It’s a large expansion to “Elden Ring” that is certainly amazing but can you really call it its own game? “Elden Ring” already took home Game of the Year back when it released in 2022. The two extra years of time developer FromSoftware took to release this DLC were not wasted; “Shadow of the Erdtree” is one of the most expansive pieces of additional content to ever be released. It’s right up there with “The Witcher 3” in terms of providing highly substantive DLC that gives more story, weapons, quests, and land to explore. But it really feels like a slap in the face to standalone titles when an expansion gets to compete for Game of the Year; even if it is really damn good.
“Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth”
People were clamoring for years for a remake of “Final Fantasy VII.” Arguably the most beloved and popular title in the decades long franchise, fans did get the remake in 2020, but it was the first of three parts. That title received strong reviews but was criticized for its excessive padding, largely linear progression, and some flaws in the combat mechanics. “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” corrected all these by making combat more engaging in how you switch between characters, opened the world up for large amounts of exploration, and gave players a lot of engaging quests and mini-games to sink a lot of time into. But for whatever reason, possibly its PlayStation 5 exclusivity, the game kind of came and went without making much of a splash. Critics gave it far stronger reviews than its predecessor and those reviews were warranted, it just didn’t seem to resonate with fans as much. There will probably be more people who read this and were surprised to remember this game existed than will find it to be Game of the Year material.
“Metaphor: ReFantazio”
Atlus has been making a name for itself by continuing to refine the success it had with “Persona 3.” That game was a cult hit that made enough waves to break through to western audiences. Since then, “Persona 4” was able to take the series to greater heights only to culminate in the hugely popular “Persona 5.” And you’d think it would peak there. The game combined strong characters with social interaction simulation, strategic turn-based combat, and a banger soundtrack. But “Metaphor: ReFantazio” decided to come in and say, “What if we took everything we learned from ‘Persona 5’ and give it an epic medieval fantasy setting?” The answer to that was becoming the fastest selling game in the history of Atlus as a company and gaining near universally positive reviews. One could make the argument that it’s a bit too iterative of the “Persona” franchise but the change in setting does give it a breath of life that the formula needed. It may be a bit too niche to take home Game of the Year, but its nomination is fully warranted.
