Well, it happened. The game of the year nominations are in, and I’m sure they will stir up some both hyped and upset people as they do every year. Geoff Keighley announced via a stream on the official Game Awards YouTube channel that among the categories announced were things like action game, accessibility, sound design and plenty of others. But the big one that everyone was looking forward to was, of course, game of the year.
This will be the 10th anniversary of the Game Awards, and whether you are a fan of the it or not, it is hard to deny that it has become the biggest gaming-centric event of the year. With adjustments made year over year to deal with fan and industry feedback, the 2024 Game of the Year award eligibility options have been slightly altered.
The nominations for Game of the Year this year are as follows:
Astro Bot
Balatro
Black Myth: Wukong
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Metaphor: ReFantazio
The two standouts for me are Balatro and Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree. Balatro being a poker rougelike is an unexpected choice from where I sit, but its 90 on Metacritic speaks for itself. The other interesting choice is the Elden Ring DLC Shadow Of The Erdtree. The announcement over the weekend that DLC would be eligible this year kind of set the gaming world ablaze and now we see why that rule was added.
While I’m not totally against remakes being in at the is point, I think DLC should have its own category, and remasters should be off the table as they typically add nothing new in terms of content.
The Game Awards will take place on December 12th 2024 and be streamed worldwide.
What are your thoughts on the nominees this year? Comment below.
