The Game Awards has announced its nominations for its various awards, but all eyes will be on the Game of the Year.

This year, Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom all garnered this year’s nominations. 

Each game earned a spot on this list, but celebration isn’t what we do around here. Did The Game Awards get it right with its nominations for Game of the Year?

This year was stacked when it comes to games. So many could make this list, so narrowing it down to six games can be difficult.

If we go off of Metacritic scores, there are some games that have similar scores to some of the nominations. These include Street Fighter 6, Diablo IV, Sea of Stars, and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.

Many, however, don’t put a lot of stock in Metacritic and its ranking system, which is fair. There are plenty of other games that their respective fanbases may clamor for to make the list. 

These games include Starfield, Final Fantasy XVI, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Lies of P, Octopath Traveler II, and Hogwarts Legacy. Hogwarts Legacy is a tricky one given the controversy surrounding Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling so it’s understandable why The Game Awards may not want to invite that PR storm given how the game didn’t get a single nomination.

Personally, I think the nominations are solid. I do think you could make strong arguments for and against this list with either being valid. That’s the kind of year 2023 was in terms of releases.

I also think there is an argument to be made about whether remakes should make the list and I could go either way on it. 

That said, a remake is different than a remaster as the name implies making a whole new game based on an original while a remaster implies touching up a previous game. This could explain why Metroid Prime Remastered didn’t make the cut. 

At the end of the day, award shows don’t determine what makes a good game and if your personal game of the year isn’t on that list, that’s OK. I do think The Game Awards has tried to provide some sort of recognition for gaming while bringing attention to some of the best from the past year.

That alone makes these lists fun because they allow us all to come together and talk about the year that was in gaming. 

What do you think? Did The Game Awards get it right with its Game of the Year nominations? Which game not on the list would you have liked to see get nominated? Who do you think wins it all? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: Epic Games

The Boss Rush Podcast: The Flagship Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network

The Boss Rush Podcast – The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord. 

New episodes of The Boss Rush Podcast release every Monday morning on YouTube and all major podcast applications like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Patreon supporters gain one week early access. 

Listen on your favorite podcast application or watch on YouTube!
Anchor | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Twitch | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Stitcher | Amazon Music

Follow The Boss Rush Podcast on Social Media: Twitter | Discord | Instagram | Twitch | YouTube | Facebook Group