Texus

@Kairuuu Not likely from this site, which will probably double down on a PS5 exclusive, like they did for Spiderman 2 over BG3.

I agree with PC Gamer mag that gave it their GOTY award. Nothing else was even close.

Looks like Balatro is gonna be this year's BG3. Incredible creativity and innovation passed over for #1 in favor of a fine, but not remarkable well-polished game published by...wait for it... SONY!

Safe and basic huh? Kinda like naming Spiderman 2 GOTY?

Scattered, Smothered, Covered and Chunked needs to be incorporated in some way.

Not like they are an award-winning studio or anything...

Meh, not like BG3 was GOTY or anything. I'm sure whoever takes over the IP will be fine. It was no Spiderman 2.

Maybe they shouldn't have fired so many of the internal employees that worked with Larian on BG3. Hope some of that billion goes towards poaching Larian employees so that they get a ridiculous payday for departing arguably the best house in the biz.

I mean, BG3 is no Spiderman 2, so probably a good call to move on and produce something that isn't just the same ole, same ole thing that is just a wee bit more polished.

@Fiendish-Beaver Well, there is one place that BG didn't win GOTY. Site's initials are PS. Been saying for a while that awarding the fine but hardly game-changing Spidey 2 wouldn't age well.

Balatro. GOTY. Don't screw up the 2024 award too.

Maybe Capcom can pick up the D&D IP rights for BG4, so we can have the microtransactions we've always dreamed of...

@B0udoir Um, not everywhere cough cough. I think those who didn't award it GOTY are gonnaoom foolish in retrospect tho...

Here's hoping that this means Larian can weather the current trend ofayoffs, and maybe even scoop up some talent to be even more ambitious in thier projects.

@naruball as Spidey 2 winning GOTY at Pushsquare.com over BG3 made clear. That's not gonna age well...

I just got a gaming laptop, loaded it up with a bunch of AAA games to see how well it handles top tier graphics... and spent all weekend playing Balatro.

Glad that the award helped give them a voice, not to mention rewarding thier innovation and the fact that it shows what can still be accomplished by relatively smaller studios. As opposed to, say, awarding a safe yet fun game with minimal new and exciting innovations (other than glidermode yawn) made by Sony Mega corporation GOTY instead. But hey, someone's gotta bow down to the corporate overlords.

There needs to be a "I haven't recovered emotionally from my first playthrough yet" option...

... I mean it is no Spiderman 2, a game that will clearly revolutionize the genre for years. As its PushSquare GOTY award makes clear.

BG3 DLC gets rave reviews from Push Square and elsewhere and continues to innovate the genre.

BG3 again doesn't top the GOTY list because Push Square reviewers for whom its genre "isn't for me" can't be bothered to play or appreciate what a groundbreaking achievement it is and vote for a safe, pretty, well-polished game that is made by a Sony studio or is a PS5 exclusive but is ultimately lacking in actual innovation and impact.

Based on the comments about the visuals, does it seem like this wouldn't suffer in terms of visuals and performance on the Switch?

@themightyant

Yes. This points per vote average that you provided shows a very different story (pasted below again so folks don't need to go hunting). And look at the size of that gap between #1 and #2.

Which also makes me wonder why this wasn't pointed out in the article itself. I'm gonna hold off on the conspiracy theory about PS exclusive bias, but as far as best journalistic practices go omitting these important details in the article itself feels like a big fail. Especially in light of the discrepancy between this list and scores and author assessments of these games from Push Square reviews.

1. Baldurs gate 3 - 4.07 points (was #2)
2. Spider-man 3 - 3.79 points (was #1)
3. Alan Wake 2 - 3.43 points (was #5)
4. Final Fantasy 16 - 3.36 points (was #3)
5. Resident Evil 4 - 3.18 points (was #4)

@CJD87 But this is a GOTY list, not a Best Selling Game That's Accessible to a Wide Audience list. Maybe it is worth revisiting what the criteria are for awarding a GOTY award. Personally my criteria don't rank "solid but popular" over "brilliant, likely influential for years to come, redifing the possibilities of a genre."

And don't get me wrong, I finished and quite enjoyed Spidey2, great polish, great art, decent storyline. Do I imagine another playthru? No, I've not even been interested in wrapping up loose ends in side quests.

On the other hand, despite being over 200 hrs in my first playthru of BG3, I am already planning multiple future playthrus. As different origin characters, playing different classes and races, using different gameplay strategies, and then there is the Dark Urge option.

@CJD87

But here is the thing: it isn't choosing one brilliant video game over another. It is choosing a fine, if polished, formulaic game with cookie cutter side quests and otherwise a decent if unexceptional narrative structure that walks you by the hand over a brilliant and revolutionary game that many reviews note may not be topped for a decade that provides exceptional story telling AND true player autonomy to shape the story and really show how at their best video games as a genre can move beyond being a long movie where you mash some buttons and earn badges/gear.

And even as a cinematic-style linear game, Spidey2 is hardly in the top tier. It's no The Last of Us 2, or even God of War/Ragnarok. Even among Marvel properties, while it lacked webslinging around NYC I'd rate Guardians of the Galaxy's storytelling over Spidey 2. But "ohhhh, web wings!"

Time to find a another go-to PS5 game review site, I suppose. If this reflects the judgment of the writers (and to whatever unspecified extent readers). Spidey2 was fun and fine. But a huge improvement over Miles and the first one? Hardly. "OHHH web wings and Venom" does not a GOTY make. Side quests were soo perfunctory as opposed to something unique to look forward in BG3. Bravo for rewarding Team Let's Play It Safe, as opposed to the genre defining game that grabs you and engages players so much more deeply, and in ways that's not just "do some stuff while we walk you thru an extended cinematic experience where your decisions matter little." Even in terms of telling a cinematic story, feels equivalent to mid-tier MCU at best.

Any scoring system or staff that lands Spidey 2 over BG3 is broken.

@Shepherd_Tallon and the playtime on it is no joke. Looong game. But very little sag or need to grind hard.

Every time I come up for air after playing BG3 and peek these lists, I'm a bit shocked to see BG3 not on one.

Spidey 2 was lovely and nicely polished. But for me, doesn't hold a candle in the Cursed Lands to Baldur's Gate. Straight up masterpiece.

Insert YMMV and all other relevant caveats here.

@Shepherd_Tallon in the meantime, I highly recommend Persona. Especially 5 Royal. It was the biggest pleasant surprise for me of any game I played in 2023.

I should be hitting the 200 hr mark later today on BG3. Just a stunning video game experience. To the extent that if I don't see it on a GOTY list, I assume the list maker hasn't played it. Tho of course this could also reflect genre preferences. Truly a stunning achievement worthy of the mountains of praise.

Other favorite games released in 2023 I think of in terms of polish and enjoyment, but weren't quite as revelatory or revolutionary for me. So that would be Hogwarts and Spiderman 2. Both fun engaging experiences with a dash of gameplay magic (webslinging thru NYC for example) thrown in and both are superb extensions of the overall franchise.

As for new to me favorites from past years, really enjoyed both Horizon Zero Down and Persona 5 Royal.

Unfortunately this will leave him more susceptible to lightning damage.