TGA 2024 predictions, reactions, nominees, etc.

CriticalGaming

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Probably one of those accursed auto-corrects, but I guess that's not the point here. Really don't know why DLC is doing here. Because now I feel Witcher 3: B & W got done dirty all those years ago
They have a "best ongoing" category. Just put expansions and major DLC's there.
 

Chimpzy

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I'd pick my personal favorites, but honestly, I have only played like 3 games with noms, so I'm voting hypothetically for whatever I actually played, otherwise for whatever I think is the underdog in each category, or at random if I aggressively dont care.

GOTY: Probably Balatro for underdog
DIRECTION: Balatro again
NARRATIVE: SH2 for underdog?
ART DIRECTION: Neva for underdog
SCORE: SH2 for underdog?
SOUND DESIGN: SH2 for underdog?
PERFORMANCE: Random pick. Gonzalez
INNOVATION: POP for underdog?
IMPACT: Indika for underdog?
ONGOING: Random pick. Fortnite
COMMUNITY SUPPORT: Random pick. Helldivers 2
INDIE & INDIE DEBUT: Oh wow, actually played one of these. Animal Well for both then.
MOBILE: Random pic. AFK Journey
VR/AR: Random pick. Hellsinger
ACTION: Random pick. Helldivers 2
ACTION/ADVENTURE: Played Zelda, so that
RPG: Random pick. Elden Ring
FIGHTING: Random pick. Multiversus
FAMILY: Wow, wow wow wow. Played two of these. Zelda and Peach. Zelda is better tho.
SIM/STRATEGY: Kunitsu-Gami for underdog
SPORTS: I guess Tennis is the underdog
MULTIPLAYER: Random pick. CoD
ADAPTATION: Only saw Fallout
ANTICIPATED: realistically GTA6, but I'm a metroidvania boy
CONTENT CREATOR: Random pick. Illojuam
ESPORT: Random pick. LoL
ESPORTER: Voted Aleksib, because he looks the most like he gets shoved in lockers
ESPORT TEAM: Navi, cuz locker dude is in it
 
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Old_Hunter_77

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Yes yes, let's hate on the game awards, blah blah, we're all so cool.

Anyway, the one game in these awards that always interests me is the indy breakout, and it's usually the game that is pretty much guaranteed to win the indy category and is sometimes nominated in the GOTY category. So this year it's Balatro.

It's a game I tried a demo of but the whole roguelike thing is just not for me, the idea of "runs" gives me the runs, hahahahah. My tastes aside, it's certainly a clever game that captured a lot of folks so it's pretty cool.

I think it's stupid for Elden Ring DLC to be nominated for GOTY but it seems so does everyone else so *shrug* I've been ready for the gamer-wide sucking off ER to be over for a while either way, so whatevs.
 

Old_Hunter_77

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Make no mistake, I love the game awards.

Or more specifically, when Gamers who go on about how much they don't care, and it's just a popularity contest anyway, get butthurt when the game they like doesn't get nom'd.
I also unironically like watching them, the way I used to watch the Oscars or the Grammys- with others, taking the piss, but also appreciating the art and entertainment on display.
These last couple of years I live stream/watched along with Escapist->SecondWind and it's a lot of fun. It's just... a thing to do, another piece of entertainment. I usually have something I root for in one or two categories if I feel strongly about it but that's the emotional equivalent of betting $10 on a basketball game where you don't have any particular feeling about either team and just want to spice things up a bit.

I'm also interested, from a kind of production/management/business standpoint, to see how they're gonna respond to the overwhelming criticism of last year's show that had way too many ads. I mean I have defended ads in shows because I like to take bathroom and snack breaks but last year was insane, and I think it included that bizarre chicken game ad with Ken Jeong and a bunch of celebs. So are they gonna make a smaller show with less ads, or lean into it because that's just how the budgeting has to work, or is there gonna be like one half-hour XBox add like a big intermission? Who knows- that is my kind of trainwreck to see.
 
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CriticalGaming

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I will be upset if Vin Diesel doesn't show up to pretend he is capable of doing anything right. Fucker sucks at everything he does, acting, voice acting, interviews, D&D, dude's mind is like a bowl of mashed potatoes.
 

BrawlMan

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I will be upset if Vin Diesel doesn't show up to pretend he is capable of doing anything right. Fucker sucks at everything he does, acting, voice acting, interviews, D&D, dude's mind is like a bowl of mashed potatoes.
Diesel is more than a capable actor, but he doesn't try anymore, outside of one or two other projects. Bloodshot he's pretty good in.
 

FakeSympathy

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Yes yes, let's hate on the game awards, blah blah, we're all so cool.

Anyway, the one game in these awards that always interests me is the indy breakout, and it's usually the game that is pretty much guaranteed to win the indy category and is sometimes nominated in the GOTY category. So this year it's Balatro.

It's a game I tried a demo of but the whole roguelike thing is just not for me, the idea of "runs" gives me the runs, hahahahah. My tastes aside, it's certainly a clever game that captured a lot of folks so it's pretty cool.

I think it's stupid for Elden Ring DLC to be nominated for GOTY but it seems so does everyone else so *shrug* I've been ready for the gamer-wide sucking off ER to be over for a while either way, so whatevs.
I do think it's rather a risk to create "Best DLC of the year" category, because we aren't always guaranteed to have multiple expansion/DLC. I mean for this year the only major ones I could think of are Vessel of Hatred for Diablo 4 and the Shadow of the Erdtree.

The other option is to flood the category with seasonal/content update from live-service games, and the idea urks me
 

Old_Hunter_77

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I do think it's rather a risk to create "Best DLC of the year" category, because we aren't always guaranteed to have multiple expansion/DLC. I mean for this year the only major ones I could think of are Vessel of Hatred for Diablo 4 and the Shadow of the Erdtree.

The other option is to flood the category with seasonal/content update from live-service games, and the idea urks me
There is one category that's like best ongoing game... I think Cyberpunk 2077 DLC won that one. IIRC it by default goes to Fortnite unless something interesting happens like Cyberpunk, No Man's Sky, and this year I think Helldivers would deserve it.

Well I think some of the categories are dumb, like "action" vs "action adventure" and there are categories for streamers and e-sports teams which... ffs, lol. I think the very idea of a "game awards" are inherently silly, and even more so with categories like "best narrative" and "most anticipated" which is literally for games that do not even exist.

That's why I roll my eyes at all the complaints about which games are nominated GOTY. There's way sillier stuff to poke fun of here.
 
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Dreiko

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What even is that belatro thing or whatever. Never even heard of it.


Anyhow, lessgo metaphor, you got this.
 
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Dreiko

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Oh I like deckbuilders. Will give it a look.

My indie game of the year is easily Eiyuuden though. Sucks it didn't even get a recommendation.
 

Drathnoxis

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I will be upset if Vin Diesel doesn't show up to pretend he is capable of doing anything right. Fucker sucks at everything he does, acting, voice acting, interviews, D&D, dude's mind is like a bowl of mashed potatoes.
?? I thought he had dementia and, like, wasn't capable of understanding speech anymore or something?
 

Worgen

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Whatever, just wash your hands.
I predict it will just be full of ads and then I stop caring.
 
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Hades

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I've heard it said there's a slight anti Japanese/eastern game bias when it comes to handing out game awards, but this year they don't seem to have a choice. Its almost a complete eastern game industry sweep with barely a western game to be found. And while we shouldn't put that much stock in the game awards I still wonder if its not a sign of the western industry's deep decline.

Perhaps the western game industry is now going through a similar phase to what the Japanese game industry went with during the 360/ps3 era. Back in those days the marketing strategies of the Japanese companies wasn't working anymore, the devs had lost confidence and were counter productively abandoning what they were good at to appeal to the west. Generally that part of the industry was seen as a laughing stock rather than a measure of quality. This to the extend it was apparently a bit traumatic for Japanese game developers. Its no coincidence that some of Japan's most controversial and worst games came from this era.

But now its the western industry that's in a complete rut. Their marketing strategies aren't working, they're counter productively abandoning what they are good at and rather than being seen as a mark of quality a western AAA game now invites distrust, mockery and skepticism.

Its not even that the market changed and that the companies on both sides of the isle weren't able to keep up either. Back at the time Japanese companies tried westernizing so hard there was still great demand for the games they used to make, the market just wasn't making those games. Same with the western industry. There is still high demand for quality single player games and when they release they tend to succeed. A real sequel to Black Flag or the Arkam games would have been met with great applause, but devs seem all but forbidden from making those games anymore.