YES! THE FACT THAT I GOT TO EXPERIENCE WHAT OG FANS GOT TO EXPERIENCE BACK 1997 WAS INCREDIBLE! I was absolutely emotionally demolished by the end of the game
For 2023, I think we can make an argument that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the GOTY according to most meaningful metrics. And in a year filled with superb games - including a mainline Zelda - it was quite a feat.
@@the_sigil4340 it definitely did new things, and was significant. Though personally I preferred TotK in every way. That said, I wouldn’t knock BG at all for winning GOTY in a lot of the shows
I totally agree with significance over success. Eight months later, I am still thinking about FFVII Rebirth. And I am playing Metaphor which is making think about my GOTY choice. However, I am still going to go with Rebirth in the end. That game has an enormous impact on me and still continue to do so.
Over the 4 games mentioned for GOTY, I've only played rebirth and wukong, planning to play metaphor next month. Out of the 2 GOTY potential contender, I still believe rebirth should win. Here's my reasons: 1) Just like prof mentioned, rebirth has retained its significance and relevance ce despite 9 months had passed. Wukong just got released not too long ago, this is also unfair for it. 2) Rebirth told its deep story and lore superficial enough for people to understand the plot and deep enough for player to feel for the emotions. Wukong has its deep and philosophical story and lore, however it's a 400 years old story and it's audiences has been highly concentrated in Asia. This means some of its deeper message and philosophy tied heavily onto Asian culture, taoism&buddhism and it's way of story telling. Wukong did try to translate that story well enough to be understood elsewhere, but the results at least for me, has not been that good. 3) Both rebirth and wukong has great gameplay and music. However, on the technicality side of things, I find rebirth runs better. Since I played both games on the ps5, it would be fair to judge both games on the same platform. Rebirth runs exceptionally well on ps5, even in a chaotic battle where particle effects are running rampant, it maintains a smooth experience for me. Wukong on the other hand doesn't run very well on ps5. The game drops frame significantly enough to be noticed, sometimes I wasn't even doing anything and the frames starts dropping. The game also crash on me multiple times whenever there are alot of particle effects. It crashed on me several times during my fight with yellow loong. It could run very well on a powerful PC, but that's my experience on a ps5. All being said, both rebirth and wukong are great games, but my vote is going to rebirth.
I largely agree with you. Of course the game needs to be good, but to me it also comes down to not only significance, but "scope and execution." Rebirth is simply not a game that should exist, nor is a game that should have been possible to make (especially in just ~4 years). A compelling long story, interesting/large open world, awesome combat, with consistently great AAA presentation throughout in almost every facet? It's a crowning achievement for this year in gaming. Now if Rebirth was an 8 or 8.5/10 then I am not saying it should win on those characteristics alone, but the fact that it really is a 9.5 or 10/10 for most people makes a huge difference. There's so much more I want to say on this subject but I'd be here all day lol.
Compelling, interesting thoughts mate! Totally agree with your points absolutely. Love the idea of considering looking back on the year a few years from now what game would have a lasting impact on the mind Tho I think Helldiver 2 is also part of the convo. It has the impact, the fun, the popularity and also developed by a small team etc Tho for me it’s obviously indubitably Rebirth hands down
Another great video, for me it's either FF7 Rebirth, Like a Dragon IW, or Metaphor Refantazio as my favorite games of the year so I'll be happy with any of them given the spotlight at the game awards as nominees and potentially winners. I hope Rebirth wins though, it was such an amazing experience.
A game may have a major social impact by someone's arbitrary metric, but still not be popular. That would detach the awards from the general public, creating an image of "elitism". After all, people crave for heated online discussions and just want to bet in a horse's race. I think the awards should have more objective (or professional categories) where actual experts in the field would have the final saying, and then, let the main "game of the year" category be the popularity contest it is now. Everybody would be happy, knowing their favorite game won the category that "matters". One thing to keep in mind is that the awards is, by the end, another means for advertisement. It is supposed to be the ultimate review. Years later, people will look back and see "cool, elden ring won" but the question remains "why?" if we had better categories, we could make a more informed decision. "best music, best storytelling? top5 environment, combat, inovation? sold!"
Considering the way GOTY awards are given and especially the way Keighley's TGA works, its very clear rebirth is the frontrunner and games like Wukong and metaphor have zero chance at actually winning the top award. The reason is the TGA is 90% voted by the press, so in order to predict the winner you have to look at the way the gaming press looks at games and the outlets that get a vote: majority western, heavily favor single player games and the more outlets actually reviewed the game, the better. Meaning widely liked games with high MC scores (ideally 90+) with a large number of reviews logged in have the highest chances.. IMO this year there's 2 games that fit the bill and have the highest chances, and those are rebirth and astrobot. Sales numbers are less important for this prediction, which is why hogwarts legacy had zero chances, and why wukong has virtually zero chance this year. For me it's still rebirth, but as I advance on it, I feel like it's probably gonna be metaphor. IF dragon age gets really high reviews (which i doubt), it could steal it at the end.
Looking at the best rated games so far this year, the only games to me of notable significance are Balatro and UFO 50 which have done fantastic new things in the indie space. Metaphor and Black Myth are the only real AAA games I see that have done notable things in the AAA space with Black Myth being a standout big release from China. Metaphor, so far as I have seen, is just a repackaged Personalike which is a good game style but I don't see it moving the needle the way Rebirth did. Dragon Age, theoretically, could come out and if they are ABLE to modernize legacy Bioware and get their respect back, that could be a winner as well. IDK. Personally off rip I'd vote in order: FFVII: Rebirth Black Myth: Wukong UFO 50 (Tentative on how Dragon Age is, and I've never played Wukong or UFO 50 lol)
Idk, the expansiveness of rebirth really hurt the pacing imo. The urgency is robbed by all the side stuff. As a result I still feel like the original is still a way better presented version of that same story, even though it has quirks of its own. I like the remake games, but I don't think they're even close to having the cultural relevance of the og. Atlus' Metaphor is more deserving of GOTY since its a new ip and actually pushes the JRPG genre forward. They're also a really passionate studio that consistently make bangers. Atlus deserves way more mainstream attention than Nomura and co do at this point.
While I do disagree about the pacing (my 175 hour first playthrough felt just right lol), this comment shows why I think this is such a good conversation to have. You make really compelling points. I’m excited to play metaphor!
FF7 Remake had a profound effect on me in 2020 and my GOTY FF7 Rebirth also had a profound effect on me and so it is my GOTY I have played games for many years Kupo ❤️ and to me nothing comes close
The GOTY conversation makes me feel like a crazy person. Astrobot is more or less a perfect game. If it has flaws, they're negligible and unimportant. Metaphor Re: Fantazio is everything I've ever wanted from an Atlus RPG. A perfect marriage of gameplay systems, world building and character development and if reviews are to be believed (I haven't finished it) it also contains a meta-narrative on the nature of storytelling itself, while having mature and nuanced takes on modern social issues. Incredibly profound and I firmly believe it will end up ranking above the Persona series for me, which already has multiple entries in my all time top 10. Rebirth... I still can't believe it exists. The ambition and execution is so far above anything I've seen outside of a Rockstar project, it's made me reconsider the power and impact of video games as a MEDIUM. The fact that I can have these types of realizations in my 30s after playing games my entire life is just... I don't have the words. There are some INCREDIBLE games that came out this year, but it's not even a conversation for me, much less a debate.
@@MyWorldIsSquare I tend to agree about rebirth (my favorite game, maybe ever), even though I think part 3 is where FF7 will get its flowers. But the way we think about GOTY really needs some reconsideration.
To me, it should be Rebirth. No question. The problem is a matter of business lol. Does playing Rebirth make someone want to buy more stuff or does Rebirth make the customer think and speculate about Rebirth. FFVII is a deep and wonderful game. Therefore, it is at a disadvantage lol. If I'd have to gamble on it, I'd say Astrobot. I don't know a thing about Astrobot, but I know it's advertising says 'buy me! I'll be fun and I won't work your brain too hard!' In the long run, VIIR series will be the most impactful because of it's content, and because it is state of the art!
I completely agree! And we will speculate, discuss, break down, and theorize even more about the story after part 3 comes out. We will get some answers, but we'll have a million more questions. The train never stops!
@@profnoctis do you think after R-series is done, that they would ever give us that Fifth Chapter of Loveless after Dirge? I truly love the way they are doing the remake, but a part of me wants something more adult, when the characters are older. If not, I still love that old mystery of what happened after.
You’re so on the money with the LOTR example, hoping that in 2028, the trilogy really “gets its flowers” as you say. With that said Rebirth standing on its own is still an unbelievable game, haven’t stopped thinking about it since February, and for me, that’s rare.
I think we should just have 3 games of the year this year. AstroBot should be game of the year, Metaphor should be game of the Year and Rebirth should be game of the year and possibly decade.
i dont think ff rebirth is goty for me. I was pretty sure it was for the most of the way. Maybe i did too much side stuff but now at 80h and at acient temple or whatever where you need to turn gravity. the game is getting pretty thin. I am mostly just spamming few same moves and really just hoping this game ends soon lol
@@profnoctis Any story, regardless of what part its in can have cohesive storytelling. Even a solid beginning, mid, end arc. See Lord of the Rings pt 2. Just because this is the middle of the story doesn't mean we should lower expectations.
@@McLovinYoMuffin I think part 2 of a story that is yet unknown is always problematic. Two towers was largely known, though some might have ire with the eowyn/arwin triangle. empire strikes back was slammed for being subversive when it came out. Now it’s lauded as brilliant. So I think rebirth is exactly what it needs to be to set up for the final act.
@@profnoctis The Empire Strikes Back has a real ending that works, which doesn't try to play with fans' expectations, which doesn't show cowardice. The end of Rebirth sucks because it was made with the sole aim of creating an emotional payoff... which will take place in part 3 which I see coming miles away. It's nothing satisfactory, I'm tired of seeing this kind of narrative tool which consists of thwarting people's expectations. This kind of narrative device which is generally cheap can work, if it is done well in the novels, films or television series not in a trilogy like Rebirth you have to wait 3 or 4 years to see the sequel. People will no longer give a damn in 3 or 4 years. Another problem with the ending is to make people be patient which is not a bad thing in itself, to make people talk to each other about what happens next and also to make them theorize. Except that there's no point in theorizing in a vacuum, what's fun about theories is that you can share it with other fans and above all, when you theorize about it, you're really entitled to a slim chance of being right about what is coming, except that in this case it is a chimera, an illusion it is a complete waste of time, because I strongly suspect that nothing will change. If at least the creators of the trilogy would have chosen to leave Aerith alive, I could see the interest in theorizing about what is coming because it would have really opened doors to several possibilities. Here with the ending we are dealing with red herrings, with transparent materia and false ambiguity.
@@NP-ip3nj big disagree on the quality of the remake games (and I say this as I love the 1997 version). But that wasn’t really the point of my video either 😂
I'm a simple man. When I hear "Rebirth for GOTY," I create 10 new accounts and subscribe with all 10.
It really is such an amazing game. The possibilities For part 3 scare me it's so good and I'm only talking about gameplay right now.
@@LordofChaosSet 💯 It's one of the best (if not the best) combinations of action and strategy I've seen implemented in a game. Period.
YES! THE FACT THAT I GOT TO EXPERIENCE WHAT OG FANS GOT TO EXPERIENCE BACK 1997 WAS INCREDIBLE! I was absolutely emotionally demolished by the end of the game
YES! JOHN EASILY DESERVES BEST PERFORMANCE! THAT MAN WAS PHENOMENAL IN REBIRTH!
For 2023, I think we can make an argument that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the GOTY according to most meaningful metrics. And in a year filled with superb games - including a mainline Zelda - it was quite a feat.
@@the_sigil4340 it definitely did new things, and was significant. Though personally I preferred TotK in every way. That said, I wouldn’t knock BG at all for winning GOTY in a lot of the shows
I totally agree with significance over success. Eight months later, I am still thinking about FFVII Rebirth. And I am playing Metaphor which is making think about my GOTY choice. However, I am still going to go with Rebirth in the end. That game has an enormous impact on me and still continue to do so.
Yeah rebirth really has staying power
Significance over success ! Whew! Good one and totally agree
Also did you have a mako infusion you have the eyes like you did. Maybe square decided to give you one because of all your great videos?
Lol people say this about my eyes so much. I’ve never really noticed before lol
Some… interesting takes here. I like it
@@eanderson9599 I aim to please. Or to tick off. Either way, thanks for watching
Over the 4 games mentioned for GOTY, I've only played rebirth and wukong, planning to play metaphor next month. Out of the 2 GOTY potential contender, I still believe rebirth should win. Here's my reasons:
1) Just like prof mentioned, rebirth has retained its significance and relevance ce despite 9 months had passed. Wukong just got released not too long ago, this is also unfair for it.
2) Rebirth told its deep story and lore superficial enough for people to understand the plot and deep enough for player to feel for the emotions. Wukong has its deep and philosophical story and lore, however it's a 400 years old story and it's audiences has been highly concentrated in Asia. This means some of its deeper message and philosophy tied heavily onto Asian culture, taoism&buddhism and it's way of story telling. Wukong did try to translate that story well enough to be understood elsewhere, but the results at least for me, has not been that good.
3) Both rebirth and wukong has great gameplay and music. However, on the technicality side of things, I find rebirth runs better. Since I played both games on the ps5, it would be fair to judge both games on the same platform. Rebirth runs exceptionally well on ps5, even in a chaotic battle where particle effects are running rampant, it maintains a smooth experience for me. Wukong on the other hand doesn't run very well on ps5. The game drops frame significantly enough to be noticed, sometimes I wasn't even doing anything and the frames starts dropping. The game also crash on me multiple times whenever there are alot of particle effects. It crashed on me several times during my fight with yellow loong. It could run very well on a powerful PC, but that's my experience on a ps5.
All being said, both rebirth and wukong are great games, but my vote is going to rebirth.
I’ve GOT to play wukong
Love your approach to GOTY
Preciate it!
I largely agree with you. Of course the game needs to be good, but to me it also comes down to not only significance, but "scope and execution." Rebirth is simply not a game that should exist, nor is a game that should have been possible to make (especially in just ~4 years). A compelling long story, interesting/large open world, awesome combat, with consistently great AAA presentation throughout in almost every facet? It's a crowning achievement for this year in gaming. Now if Rebirth was an 8 or 8.5/10 then I am not saying it should win on those characteristics alone, but the fact that it really is a 9.5 or 10/10 for most people makes a huge difference. There's so much more I want to say on this subject but I'd be here all day lol.
Great points. I do think a game needs to be in that 9-10 range, but it’s gotta have that next level, special sauce. For me, rebirth hits it
Compelling, interesting thoughts mate! Totally agree with your points absolutely. Love the idea of considering looking back on the year a few years from now what game would have a lasting impact on the mind
Tho I think Helldiver 2 is also part of the convo. It has the impact, the fun, the popularity and also developed by a small team etc
Tho for me it’s obviously indubitably Rebirth hands down
Another great video, for me it's either FF7 Rebirth, Like a Dragon IW, or Metaphor Refantazio as my favorite games of the year so I'll be happy with any of them given the spotlight at the game awards as nominees and potentially winners. I hope Rebirth wins though, it was such an amazing experience.
Rebirth has my vote but it’s gonna be tough!
I feel like it will, though it does have some completion though
Rebirth is fire but Silent hill is the best game we have gotten this year now that dragon age has pretty much tanked
I still need to play that one
A game may have a major social impact by someone's arbitrary metric, but still not be popular. That would detach the awards from the general public, creating an image of "elitism".
After all, people crave for heated online discussions and just want to bet in a horse's race.
I think the awards should have more objective (or professional categories) where actual experts in the field would have the final saying, and then, let the main "game of the year" category be the popularity contest it is now. Everybody would be happy, knowing their favorite game won the category that "matters".
One thing to keep in mind is that the awards is, by the end, another means for advertisement. It is supposed to be the ultimate review. Years later, people will look back and see "cool, elden ring won" but the question remains "why?"
if we had better categories, we could make a more informed decision.
"best music, best storytelling? top5 environment, combat, inovation? sold!"
Considering the way GOTY awards are given and especially the way Keighley's TGA works, its very clear rebirth is the frontrunner and games like Wukong and metaphor have zero chance at actually winning the top award.
The reason is the TGA is 90% voted by the press, so in order to predict the winner you have to look at the way the gaming press looks at games and the outlets that get a vote: majority western, heavily favor single player games and the more outlets actually reviewed the game, the better.
Meaning widely liked games with high MC scores (ideally 90+) with a large number of reviews logged in have the highest chances.. IMO this year there's 2 games that fit the bill and have the highest chances, and those are rebirth and astrobot. Sales numbers are less important for this prediction, which is why hogwarts legacy had zero chances, and why wukong has virtually zero chance this year.
For me it's still rebirth, but as I advance on it, I feel like it's probably gonna be metaphor. IF dragon age gets really high reviews (which i doubt), it could steal it at the end.
@@Morden97 recency bias is a real thing. I just want us to think in terms of significance rather than just success
That said, it’s probably always and forever Rebirth for me. But I do think we need to elevate the conversation
Looking at the best rated games so far this year, the only games to me of notable significance are Balatro and UFO 50 which have done fantastic new things in the indie space. Metaphor and Black Myth are the only real AAA games I see that have done notable things in the AAA space with Black Myth being a standout big release from China. Metaphor, so far as I have seen, is just a repackaged Personalike which is a good game style but I don't see it moving the needle the way Rebirth did.
Dragon Age, theoretically, could come out and if they are ABLE to modernize legacy Bioware and get their respect back, that could be a winner as well. IDK.
Personally off rip I'd vote in order:
FFVII: Rebirth
Black Myth: Wukong
UFO 50
(Tentative on how Dragon Age is, and I've never played Wukong or UFO 50 lol)
@p0rtugalVII UFO 50 is such a great concept, it really needs to win something. I hope more indie studios take a similar approach
Pretty solid list I’d say. I like your reasoning
I could have sworn I was subbed to this channel....huh....well...am now!
Welcome aboard (again?) lol
Idk, the expansiveness of rebirth really hurt the pacing imo. The urgency is robbed by all the side stuff. As a result I still feel like the original is still a way better presented version of that same story, even though it has quirks of its own.
I like the remake games, but I don't think they're even close to having the cultural relevance of the og. Atlus' Metaphor is more deserving of GOTY since its a new ip and actually pushes the JRPG genre forward. They're also a really passionate studio that consistently make bangers. Atlus deserves way more mainstream attention than Nomura and co do at this point.
While I do disagree about the pacing (my 175 hour first playthrough felt just right lol), this comment shows why I think this is such a good conversation to have. You make really compelling points. I’m excited to play metaphor!
FF7 Remake had a profound effect on me in 2020 and my GOTY FF7 Rebirth also had a profound effect on me and so it is my GOTY I have played games for many years Kupo ❤️ and to me nothing comes close
Same
Concord = GOTY
Based
its wukong. no more arguments
Lol maybe so
I can see that
The GOTY conversation makes me feel like a crazy person. Astrobot is more or less a perfect game. If it has flaws, they're negligible and unimportant. Metaphor Re: Fantazio is everything I've ever wanted from an Atlus RPG. A perfect marriage of gameplay systems, world building and character development and if reviews are to be believed (I haven't finished it) it also contains a meta-narrative on the nature of storytelling itself, while having mature and nuanced takes on modern social issues. Incredibly profound and I firmly believe it will end up ranking above the Persona series for me, which already has multiple entries in my all time top 10.
Rebirth... I still can't believe it exists. The ambition and execution is so far above anything I've seen outside of a Rockstar project, it's made me reconsider the power and impact of video games as a MEDIUM. The fact that I can have these types of realizations in my 30s after playing games my entire life is just... I don't have the words.
There are some INCREDIBLE games that came out this year, but it's not even a conversation for me, much less a debate.
@@MyWorldIsSquare I tend to agree about rebirth (my favorite game, maybe ever), even though I think part 3 is where FF7 will get its flowers. But the way we think about GOTY really needs some reconsideration.
Metaphor's poor localisation disqualifies it from GOTY discussion.
@@NP-ip3nj think so? I haven’t played it yet. People seem to really be popping for it though!
@@NP-ip3nj cope lil bro, only you and woke grifters think that
@@profnoctis Atlus games have great localization, don't listen to this guy. Most people whining about localization don't even speak Japanese lmao.
To me, it should be Rebirth. No question. The problem is a matter of business lol. Does playing Rebirth make someone want to buy more stuff or does Rebirth make the customer think and speculate about Rebirth. FFVII is a deep and wonderful game. Therefore, it is at a disadvantage lol. If I'd have to gamble on it, I'd say Astrobot. I don't know a thing about Astrobot, but I know it's advertising says 'buy me! I'll be fun and I won't work your brain too hard!' In the long run, VIIR series will be the most impactful because of it's content, and because it is state of the art!
I think once part 3 comes out, it’s gonna be a whole new conversation. This game will have done things no other has
I completely agree! And we will speculate, discuss, break down, and theorize even more about the story after part 3 comes out. We will get some answers, but we'll have a million more questions. The train never stops!
@@ETHomerin it really doesn’t lol
@@profnoctis do you think after R-series is done, that they would ever give us that Fifth Chapter of Loveless after Dirge? I truly love the way they are doing the remake, but a part of me wants something more adult, when the characters are older. If not, I still love that old mystery of what happened after.
You’re so on the money with the LOTR example, hoping that in 2028, the trilogy really “gets its flowers” as you say. With that said Rebirth standing on its own is still an unbelievable game, haven’t stopped thinking about it since February, and for me, that’s rare.
@@eanderson9599 big same
I think we should just have 3 games of the year this year. AstroBot should be game of the year, Metaphor should be game of the Year and Rebirth should be game of the year and possibly decade.
Honestly
i dont think ff rebirth is goty for me. I was pretty sure it was for the most of the way. Maybe i did too much side stuff but now at 80h and at acient temple or whatever where you need to turn gravity. the game is getting pretty thin. I am mostly just spamming few same moves and really just hoping this game ends soon lol
You’re almost there! :)
Rebirth doesnt deserve goty with its subversive storytelling.
I think it’s hard for the middle part of a story to win anything like that.
@@profnoctis Any story, regardless of what part its in can have cohesive storytelling. Even a solid beginning, mid, end arc. See Lord of the Rings pt 2. Just because this is the middle of the story doesn't mean we should lower expectations.
@@McLovinYoMuffin I think part 2 of a story that is yet unknown is always problematic. Two towers was largely known, though some might have ire with the eowyn/arwin triangle. empire strikes back was slammed for being subversive when it came out. Now it’s lauded as brilliant. So I think rebirth is exactly what it needs to be to set up for the final act.
@@profnoctis The Empire Strikes Back has a real ending that works, which doesn't try to play with fans' expectations, which doesn't show cowardice.
The end of Rebirth sucks because it was made with the sole aim of creating an emotional payoff... which will take place in part 3 which I see coming miles away.
It's nothing satisfactory, I'm tired of seeing this kind of narrative tool which consists of thwarting people's expectations.
This kind of narrative device which is generally cheap can work, if it is done well in the novels, films or television series not in a trilogy like Rebirth you have to wait 3 or 4 years to see the sequel.
People will no longer give a damn in 3 or 4 years.
Another problem with the ending is to make people be patient which is not a bad thing in itself, to make people talk to each other about what happens next and also to make them theorize.
Except that there's no point in theorizing in a vacuum, what's fun about theories is that you can share it with other fans and above all, when you theorize about it, you're really entitled to a slim chance of being right about what is coming, except that in this case it is a chimera, an illusion it is a complete waste of time, because I strongly suspect that nothing will change.
If at least the creators of the trilogy would have chosen to leave Aerith alive, I could see the interest in theorizing about what is coming because it would have really opened doors to several possibilities.
Here with the ending we are dealing with red herrings, with transparent materia and false ambiguity.
@@redacewave4353 This is one of the best replies I’ve seen. Its exactly how I feel. Thanks
As long as it's not anything FF7 related, I'm happy. FF7 "Remake" games are so bad, and so disrespectful to the series, they should be banned.
@@NP-ip3nj big disagree on the quality of the remake games (and I say this as I love the 1997 version). But that wasn’t really the point of my video either 😂
I just think the conversation about GOTY should be elevated than just “this was the most recent good game I played this year”