I make the rules here. And so I will not be predicting or discussing several categories. Maybe I’ll lightning round them at the end. I don’t know.

Game of the Year

Nominees:

Alan Wake 2

Baldur’s Gate 3

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Resident Evil 4

Gubb’s Pick: Baldur’s Gate 3

Most Likely Winner: Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is absolutely deserving of the GOTY title. I can’t remember the last time I was so invested, entertained and impressed by a new release like this. BG3 is lovingly crafted. It has so much to discover and so many ways to approach the gameplay. I see myself playing this for years to come. And Larian Studios has been great about fixing bugs as they pop up. They truly do deserve all the accolades coming their way. 

I played and enjoyed Tears of the Kingdom. But it is not game of the year material. The new mechanics were exciting and enjoyable, but I feel like people forgot that the core mechanics are bland. The elements that didn’t work in Breath of the Wild were not improved upon and still don’t work very well in TOTK. The combat is only marginally improved by the fuse mechanic. The lock-on system is beyond dated at this point. And cooking is still sluggish and uninteresting despite being necessary to stay alive. All that aside, I do think it is the most likely to win if BG3 doesn’t. Prior to Larian Studios surprise success, TOTK seemed to have the win locked down.

I have not played a 2D Mario title in some time. Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks like a joyful little game, but I’m sort of surprised to see it among the other titles. It was just released about a month prior to the announcement of the nominees. Why it’s on this list is beyond me. 

As for the rest of the nominees, I think a win is unlikely. From what I’ve seen of Alan Wake 2, it does look good. But I don’t really see myself playing this for a while. I have not played the original Alan Wake yet (though I do own it and have it installed). And it’s an Epic Games exclusive on PC, and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I pay full price for a game on that launcher. Spider-Man 2 probably would have had a fair chance in a worse year. And even though I’m sure RE4 is a solid game, I don’t think remakes should be nominated. Maybe they should have a category of their own, given that 50% of AAA releases these days are just old games with a fresh coat of paint.

Best Game Direction

Nominees:

Alan Wake 2

Baldur’s Gate 3

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Gubb’s Pick: Baldur’s Gate 3

Most Likely Winner: Alan Wake 2

I’m rooting hard for BG3, but the sheer unlikeliness of a game like Alan Wake 2 does make me want to support it. It’s sort of the underdog in a way. I appreciate that about it. I think if AW2 can’t win GOTY, then it might win Best Game Direction as a consolation prize. That’s not to say that it isn’t deserving. The fact that there’s even an Alan Wake 2 to begin with is sort of remarkable. The game takes interesting risks and I think it should win something of note in a year where BG3 is likely to sweep most of the categories it’s in.

Community Support

Nominees:

Final Fantasy XIV

Baldur’s Gate 3

Cyberpunk 2077

Destiny 2

No Man’s Sky

Gubb’s Pick: Baldur’s Gate 3

Most Likely Winner: Cyberpunk 2077

I think this should probably go to BG3. But I’d also be happy to see it go to No Man’s Sky. What a slap in the face that would be Bethesda. This will probably go to Cyberpunk: 2077. I honestly have had a hard time getting through the slog that is the beginning of that game. But I will say that CD Projekt Red have stuck with it and worked to improve that game. That said, I don’t know how much applause is owed to a company who releases an unfinished, unplayable, buggy mess and finishes it years later. If the accolades are for the DLC, I still don’t really know if that’s worth praise. It’s not like they gave it out for free, it’s half the price of the full game. 

I just think it sets a bad precedent to award studios who release unfinished games. And I know they’re beholden to their investors or whatever. But I’m sick of hearing that too.

And why – WHYYYY – is Destiny 2 here? It takes the wind out of the whole category. I don’t play Destiny, as I am not a masochist. I don’t claim to know much about the game. But I do know that it should NOT be anywhere near this category. I can’t recall who said it, but Halo: Infinite should have that spot. I just got back into it recently and could hardly believe how different it is now. I had a laundry list of issues with that game at launch and they’ve pretty much all been fixed. But it doesn’t get a nod at all here.

Ongoing Game

Nominees:

Fortnite

Final Fantasy XIV

Genshin Impact

Cyberpunk 2077

Apex Legends

Gubb’s Pick: Cyberpunk 2077

Most Likely Winner: Cyberpunk 2077

I don’t think I really care either way. Though I’ve tried nearly everything in this category, none of them interest me. I’m predicting Cyberpunk for it’s unlikely resurgence. But as I said before, I don’t know if that deserves a medal.

Performance

Nominees:

Ben Starr – Final Fantasy XVI

Yuri Lowenthal – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Idris Elba – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Neil Newbon – Baldur’s Gate 3

Melanie Liburd – Alan Wake 2

Cameron Monaghan – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Gubb’s Pick: Neil Newbon

Most Likely Winner: Melanie Liburd

There are a dozen people in BG3 who deserve accolades for their performances. Raphael’s actor comes to mind. But I won’t be upset to see the award go to Melanie Liburd instead. Or Yuri Lowenthal. Or Idris Elba. Just the fact that someone like Idris Elba is nominated in a category like this is wild. Video games as a medium gain more and more respect each year. So it wouldn’t shock me too much to see them award Elba just for the prestige of the ceremony.

Anticipated Game

Nominees:

Star Wars Outlaws

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Tekken 8

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Hades II

Gubb’s Pick: Hades II

Most Likely Winner: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

This category is weird to me. What are the criteria for an anticipated game? Is it purely audience driven? I guess I don’t know enough about the Game Awards. I am always excited for new Star Wars games of any kind. I don’t like Ubisoft, but I do like the idea of spreading the license around again. EA had their chance and squandered it. But I don’t think there is any real hype around that title. I think people are probably a little burned out on Star Wars these days. I know I am.

I think Hades II has the most potential to blow people away. If they can build on the success of the first one, they’ll do just fine. That said, I expect FF will get the win here. People go wild for those games in a way I can’t really wrap my head around.

E-Sports Game

Nominees:

League of Legends

Dota 2

Valorant

Counter-Strike 2

PUBG Mobile

Gubb’s Pick: ??

Most Likely Winner: Counter-Strike 2

I don’t think Counter-Strike 2 should get the award, but I think it will. I’m also not one of these whiny babies who hates Valve for releasing CS2 in the state it’s in. I think it plays fine. It’s CS:GO but with slight graphical and gameplay improvements. It isn’t without a handful of issues. I miss some of my favorite maps like “Agency” and “Train”. I’m confused about the use of both Competitive and Premier modes. But frankly, it feels seamless enough. You won’t catch me on the subreddit making hate comments.

This category is pretty inconsequential to me. I really don’t care about any of the other games on this list except for the fact that I find Valorant to be very boring. It’s like baby’s first Counter–Strike. It feels dulled down and overly flashy at the same time. Let’s give the award to PUBG Mobile just because it would be funny.

Misc. Thoughts

A handful of strange choices aside, the nominees for 2023 are a pretty solid group. I was pleased to see just about no recognition for Starfield. I don’t hate that game. But it does not deserve to be on most of these lists. Reviewers who gave the game 9/10s or higher are out of their minds. I don’t know why we give awards out to E-Sports events or coaches. If someone could fill me in on what an E-Sports coach actually does, I’d appreciate that.

That’s it I suppose. This is some of my laziest work.

Save draft, aaaaaand post. Thanks.