I think the most likely top winner at the Game Awards will be Astro Bot. It's exceedingly high-rated, highly popular, factually excellent, in proper 3D (an important determinant), and part of a familiar, but not overly familiar, and increasingly beloved first-party franchise that feels strikingly fresh at this moment.
I feel like Final Fantasy fascination is a largely generational thing for the gamer of a certain age who was young when the original version of FF7 came out decades ago and was the hit RPG of a generation that enjoys disproportionate representation on VGC. It's probably not where the kids are today in terms of franchises they keep up. Notice that no Final Fantasy installment has yet won the GOTY while a good number of Western RPGs have at this point, by contrast. Name recognition is an important ingredient to victory at the Game Awards. FF7: Rebirth has built up a sufficient reputation that it still has a slim chance, I think, but the simple fact is that even the biggest in Japanese RPGs simply haven't won the ultimate award at these shows yet.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom can possibly ride in on its brand popularity as part of the Legend of Zelda franchise, the Nintendo name, and general creativity and longevity (important qualities for winning the top award), but I would point out that, fairly or unfairly, it has two definite disadvantages when it comes to what sorts of games win the top award that I think combine to make the big victory unlikely: it's a top-down perspective game rather than a proper 3D title and it centers on a female protagonist specifically rather than optionally. Only one specifically female-centric title has ever won GOTY at the Game Awards to date and it was definitely the most expensive one of its release year: The Last of Us Part II. So, in other words, Echoes of Wisdom would have to make history in a bigger way than either Astro Bot or FF7: Rebirth to win. I would also point out, on top of that, 2017's Breath of the Wild remains the only Legend of Zelda installment to take home GOTY at the Game Awards, so the question then becomes: does Echoes of Wisdom strike you as being on par with the entry that won in terms of rapport?
That's my reasoning. It's not necessarily a total match for my own preferences, but it's what I think is most likely to happen based on the slew of games that are currently available. I think Astro Bot would be a deserving winner. I also think all three of those games would probably be deserving winners. (I'm still playing through Echoes of Wisdom right now, so I don't have a full perspective on the game yet.) But I also think that many deserving contenders released this year are ones that have no chance owing to simple factors like relative or severe lack of name recognition and as such would be lucky to even get nominated, let alone win. That certainly includes a lot of my personal favorites released this year so far, such as 1000xRESIST, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Animal Well, Nine Sols, Senua's Saga, Black Myth: Wukong, and UFO 50. It may be kind of cheating to even mention these next two because they're only in the early access stage as yet, but I'd also add being highly impressed with what's available of Hades II and Ender Magnolia so far. I wish some of those games had a chance too because in a more perfect world, they would.
Last edited by Jaicee - on 29 September 2024
