The Witcher 3 vs. Fallout 4: The Fight for Game of the Year

Jo from GamersFTW writes: "Undoubtedly the two heavyweights of RPGs this year, the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Fallout 4 have both done incredibly well sales wise and have brought fans many an hour of game to play. There is also no doubt that they will both be in the running for Game of the Year. But which game stands out the most?"

[SmallestSteph]

Great article! Really good points

[MyDietEqualsGames]

This years goty is going to be very hard to pick, BB, TW3 and FO4, all three are very strong and deserve it for various differing reasons. This might be the first time since giving a crap about goty, that I lean on 3 games simultaneously.

Anyone else feel the same?

[nyctophilia13]

I hear you, but Bloodborne is a masterpiece. Easily GOTY for me.

[Army_of_Darkness]

The witcher 3 cause it's always more fun killing monsters with a sword! I know blood Bourne does the same, but I haven't played it yet so it's tw3 for me.

[BG11579]

I'm also on BB side, but got to be realistic, TW3 is going to win best the game of the year. If there is a prize for the best new IP, I expect BB to win it.

[BiggerBoss]

@army. Yeah you def need to play Bloodborne, the combat is way better than in the Witcher.

[thekhurg]

Bloodborne and Witcher 3 are the only two that should have a shot.

If Fallout 4 takes any then it's a joke.

[Anthotis]

No way a game that's last gen in every way like Fallout 4 should even be considered.

[nX]

Bloodborne beats both in terms of gameplay. Witcher has the best role playing, Fallout the exploration but nothing this year came close to Bloodborne's combat.

[Bansai]

Platinum Trophy in MGSV, Bloodborne and Witcher 3, my pick? The Witcher 3, hands down.

Fallout doesn't even compete.

[Bahamut]

I love Bloodborne, but The Witcher 3 has to be the winner. The game is one of the best I have ever played. Fallout 4 is good, but it's an easy #3.

[garrettbobbyferguson]

Witcher 3 and Bloodborne easily deserve it over Fallout 4. Why that game is even nominated goty is beyond me. But I guess that's what a big enough marketing campaign will get you.

[t-hall785]

nope. rise of the tomb raider
hands down

[FATAL1TY]

Bloodborne is the true Game of the Year

Downgrade of the year: The witcher 3

Bughesda: fallout 4

[Mykky]

Why are people forgetting MGS? Honestly I think the battle stands between TW3, BB and MGS. FO4 is awesome but I don't think it is good enough to compete with the other three. The other three games set each their own new standard for how good games could be. Gameplay in BB, Stealth in MGS and scope -including world and meaningful side quests- in TW3.

[thereapersson]

@ FATALITY

Yep

[thorstein]

Bloodborne because it released as a complete game and the gameplay was solid. It had very, very few bugs.

Whereas the other two (though great games) had too many bugs to really be considered GOTY.

[Alexander1Nevermind]

Why can't all 3 win. I loved Bloodborne and the W3. I can't put Fallout 4 down. 3 excellent games.

[mikeslemonade]

If you don't think Bloodborne is goty then your blind. Witcher 3 and fallout 4 are generic wrpgs. Bloodborne is a more fresh experience. It looks good too. Witcher 3 has clunky battle controls and Fallout 4 is bland.

[Fusion_Ninja]

I get full well that Fallout 4 is the 'fashionable game to bash on' right now. That said, I'll bet most of you here saying FO4 is "a joke" and "shouldn't even be considered for GOTY" have NOT played it, plain and simple.

Spend five hours with FO4, actually playing the game rather than reading ill-informed opinion pieces and sensationalized generalization on 'teh internetz' and tell me it doesn't deserve consideration for GOTY.

I spent a lot of time playing all three games mentioned here.

Bloodborne: Fun for a couple weeks, but gets very repetitive, very fast. And yes, I understand it's supposed to be challenging- but personally, that's not the primary motivator for me to play a game in the end. After I put it down this spring, I never played it again.

The Witcher 3: Graphically impressive, interesting systems in place, great voice acting, and awesome side quests. However, the hugely hyped "world" itself is mostly empty outside the main city/town activity hubs, and the main quest is a tedious rinse and repeat of "find Ciri! Find Ciri! Find Ciri!" I found the mechanical experience very similar to Dragon Age: Inquisition in many ways.

Fallout 4: Everything I loved about Bethesda's Fallout formula, pumped up for the new generation. From twitch gun handling, to character progression, to dialogue, to the sheer density of world content, to the outstanding quests (main AND side) to the insane level of weapon and armor customization, and the new robust settlement building mechanic, FO4 is leaps and bounds beyond its predecessor. Yes, load times can be crappy and the visuals are not cutting edge, due to the aging engine. Regardless, Fallout 4 has me more obsessed and immersed than any game has in years. GOTY indeed.

[starchild]

The Witcher 3 and Bloodborne both have excellent combat, but I think The Witcher 3 wins in most other ways, from narrative and characters to world-building and overall depth--not to mention better graphics and sound.

[WellyUK]

Bloodborne a fresh experience? It's a souls game but faster... It's good game and is worthy of GOTY but it's not fresh or new at all. So stop making crap up.

All 3 are good enough to get a GOTY.

[UnHoly_One]

Well said, Fusion_Ninja.

I don't get the Fallout hate, and I equally don't get the Witcher love.

Witcher was so boring and repetitive. You start with every spell, and only gain a slight alternate version of each as you go along. It's like the combat never changes and you're still fighting the exact same fights after 100 hours. It's so terrible. It is easily the worst game I bought this year.

Fallout on the other hand captivated me for 150 hours until I finished it, and then I immediately started over with a new character, different build, and totally different style of play. I'm 50 hours into this new character and I still can't stop playing it, and I'm still finding and seeing new things. This time around I'm focused on stealth and have a lot of the "luck" skils as well. It's a totally different experience.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course. I see the attraction of the world and the characters in Witcher, and in that regard I totally get it. But the gameplay was so horrid I couldn't get past it.

Whereas Fallout has taken every waking moment of my time for over 3 weeks and I'm still not even close to bored with it, and already planning my third character.

[Christopher]

I feel like a really sad and depressing looking guy who is the only one protesting holding a sign saying "Pillars of Eternity is the best RPG, and game, of the year".

[thekhurg]

Pillars was absolutely great - but GOTY material? Really?

I think it should absolutely be nominating in place of Fallout 4 - but I'm having a hard time trying to justify it winning.

[Christopher]

***Pillars was absolutely great - but GOTY material? Really? ***

Abso-freaking-lutely. The best RPG of the year.

Better story, better characters customization, better NPCs, better impact from your choices. About the only thing it didn't do better was "appeal to the mass market by being an action-focused game" since instead it was a strategy game.

[nX]

What's so great about it, what have I missed?

[MadLad]

Pillars of Eternity was incredible.

Allowed for a level of interaction and depth that you simply can't achieve when trying to develop a believable 3D world; what with all the bells and whistles that are expected with it.

What's the better game overall?
This or Witcher 3?

That's up to players to decide.

But the fact it isn't up for game of the year is a crime.

[sullynathan]

because Pillars isn't the best rpg of the year, most polished obsidian game ever? sure. best rpg? no.

Obsidian made a Baldur's gate clone, they need to go back to the drawing board for Pillars 2.

[starchild]

Pillars of Eternity was excellent. Definitely one of the best RPGs for me.

[Spenok]

Very good article bringing up very good points about both, however it's unfortunate he decided to take the cowards way out and not pick one, even if for himself.

Personally I'm going with The Witcher 3. It was just too amazing with SO much fan service it can't be denied.

[andyo13]

I think everyone is forgetting how good metal gear solid 5 is.
I think the witcher and fall out should get game of the year for their genres. But not overall game of the year.

[WellyUK]

no people realize it was badly overrated.

[Bigpappy]

These award things are just a collection of opinions, and should NOT be taken so seriously. In the end, we will all have our own GOTY.

For me personally, a Souls (Bloodborne) game could never be my GOTY. To me they are to focused on combat, where as Games like Skyrim, Fallout and to a slightly lesser extent Witcher 3, are far more complex and immersive. So Fallout for me feels more like I am wondering (living) in the world and making the choices that make me fell more like it is my story and less about leaning fighting patterns and hitting the right button on time.

Having given my opinion, I totally get that many people don't want what I want out of a game. I can appreciate that people have more fun with combat challenges of BB, or the immersion and amazing felling of a great driving game like Forza6,or the trill of stealth and exploration of ROTTR. To each their own. This is why so many games are sold, and most gamers don't buy the same popular games.

[starchild]

Very sensible comment.

[Realms]

THE WITCHER 3 IS GOTY 2015

[callahan09]

Why do they only mention 2 games? I mean, why frame it as which of these two is the game of the year, when really they're asking "Which open world fantasy RPG from 2015 is better?" Metal Gear Solid 5 and Bloodborne are my top 2 games of the year. Not sure which one, or either, is *THE BEST* game of the year, because it's so damn subjective. I just know which games I had the most fun with and for me it is those 2, for others it probably is The Witcher 3 or Fallout 4 (which honestly probably are my #s 3 and 4 this year, great games!). For others still, it might be something else entirely. Halo 5? Until Dawn? I'm sure plenty of gamers would go with Call of Duty. Different people enjoy different games to different degrees. For me, Bloodborne is easily my favorite game of the year. I'm playing Dark Souls again right now, and it is striking to me how much worse of a game in terms of its level designs and mechanics it really is compared to Bloodborne in my opinion. Bloodborne took the formula that they've been building since Demon's Souls and have made by far their best version of it to date. The level/world design is just stellar. Bloodborne has nothing "unfair" ("cheap") in it, while still remaining intensely challenging.

[candystop]

Read here folks. Probably the only comment worth reading in this thread!

[Shillmeister]

People will say they love one over the other - heck I'm one of them, Witcher 3 for me personally - but both of these games show what can be done when developers take their time and work hard for the fans. Both games and developers can only be commended for this!

[seanpitt23]

I enjoyed fallout 4 but it wasn't the step forward I was hoping for witcher 3 blew me away and it beats fo4 in just about every category.

[joab777]

When I played TW3, I felt the same way. My only issues were the difficulty being too easy and the crafting being made obsolete by diagrams.

Fallout 4 is different though. It's like you set out and just simply explore. They are different and both deserve recognition. TW3 benefits from having moved to open world, thus a bigger leap in improvement over 2.

That said, I feel like Bloodborne deserves to split the rewards too. They all get GotY for me, A,B,and C.

[Omegasyde]

Agree the wolf/griffin gear made it the obvious go to.Even bear and cat were awesome

[nitus10]

For some reason I could never get into the Fallout series even though I loved Oblivion and Skyrim (Still playing).

The author (Joanne Paul) states the following "The Witcher, it must be said, appeals to the fantasy lover in me and I enjoy the creatures and magical elements of it". I do think that is one of the main reasons why I prefer some RPG's over others.

I have not got a PS4 yet but when I do The Witcher and Bloodborne are at the top of my to-do list. Two other games are interesting to me, one is Dragon Age - Inquisition and the other is Elder Scrolls and unfortunately on-line only is a real turn off for me.

I have played Dragon Age - Origins and while I did think it was an excellent game I felt there was something lacking or I did not really like and unfortunately this has coloured my view on DA - Inquisition.

[bloodybutcher]

You should definitely try da:i. Even though it gets repetitive, it's a good game with not-too-bad combat and it looks great.

[forager]

I really loved Dying Light though:(

[NerdBurglars]

hard games to compare really. even though they are both RPGs they are completely different

[Yukes]

Have to respectfully disagree. Yes they have completely different worlds, but they're still subject to the same criteria that one would look at when assessing the merits of an RPG - narrative, quests, world aesthetics, gameplay mechanics, etc.

[LTwriting]

I get where you're coming from with the whole "same criteria" thing, but that kind of thinking doesn't really work. I get that it -should- work, but it just doesn't and trying to make all games meet a certain criteria just doesn't do justice to the games themselves. Not to mention the fact that if all RPG's (or whatever genre) had to fulfill a certain amount of criteria to be considered "good" or considered a part of their respective genre, it would quickly homogenize that genre and then all games would be bland and feel the same.

It happened when CoD became popular. Suddenly all the other FPS makers out there tried to replicate what CoD did and unsurprisingly, lots and lots of bland and crappy FPS games came out.

I, personally, love the Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 to death. I played them both way, way, way too much (still working on my 2nd run through fallout), but they just aren't even close to comparable. They're both actiony-type-RPG's (yes, you can argue to what level they should be considered RPG's - if you're into that kind of argument), but at the end of the day they're just two drastically different games.

That said... if we were to judge all RPG on a set Criteria, let's say, The Witcher 3, then after a while all the big RPG's to come out would play and feel a lot like the Witcher 3, which would be awesome for about... I dunno maybe a game or two? Then we'd start to suffer from Assassin's Creed Syndrome where everyone is just tired of the same old game rehashed and rehashed.

[MadLad]

I don't feel that Fallout 4 much falls into the RPG category anymore.

Set protagonist with an already created back-story, dialogue which boils down to saying yes, or sarcastically saying yes, and character building that allows for player to be a jack of all trades, expert of everything at the end of it all.

Fallout 4 is just a sandbox action game.

Even Witcher, which is based of a character of a book line, allows you to alter the personality, to a point.

[MadLad]

4 disagrees.

Nothing in the way of pointing out how I am wrong.
.. Am I sensing butt-hurt?

[Fusion_Ninja]

I am one of those (now) eight disagrees; I'll be happy to state in clear terms why this is the case.

1) Your argument is that FO4 isn't an RPG because the protagonist has a 'created back-story'...news flash: MOST RPGs, from Final Fantasy, to Dragon Age, to Mass Effect to The Witcher have detailed back-stories. You note as such at the end of your comment regarding the books/ancillary lore that Geralt is based on. The Witcher's back story is actually far more rigid than most RPGs; if you haven't played the other two games or read any of the literature, it's actually harder to get into the world, politics and characters of The Witcher and know what the hell is going on.

[SPOILER] The fact that Fallout 4's main protagonist wakes up 200+ years after being frozen, only to witness their spouse murdered, their infant child kidnapped and the world as they know it completely decimated/altered, makes for the IDEAL role-playing experience. When my wife began her character's turn, many of her initial choices and NPC interactions were fueled by the shock, bewilderment and hurt she felt from witnessing her character's experiences up to that point. It didn't matter that her character was a "wholesome family woman with a law degree" before the bombs dropped. Now she was a ruthless, ass-kicking, name-taking individual out for vengeance. When I started my turn, I took a more pragmatic approach to matters and my turn/choices have been vastly different than hers as a result. I would say this is role-playing at its essence.

2) Your dialogue synopsis of FO4 is way off-base, if I'm being honest. And I'm going to say it: you either have NOT played the game and are basing your 'observations' off hearsay and 'teh internetz', or if you have, you clearly haven't been paying much attention or effort to the system's nuances. Dialogue choices absolutely DO NOT boil down to asinine "yes", "sarcastic yes" or "no". I would argue that conversations in FO4 are deeper than any title in the series since FO2, or ANY BethSoft title to date. What you're forgetting (or don't know?) is that the character's "four response choices" only apply to one specific portion of any conversation; most conversations allow you to reply multiple times over the course of the dialogue, choosing from four replies at each point along the way. Quite often, these choices include shades of skepticism, intimidation, bewilderment, snark/sarcasm, anger, agreement, dismissal, bemusement and other emotional, strategic, and logical choices. Plus, there are a TON of Charisma speech checks along the way, more than I've experienced in any other FO game (including New Vegas).

3) The character building & progression system in FO4 is one of the deepest in any video game ever, of any genre. It's actually far harder to be a "jack of all trades" than in FO3 or even New Vegas. For starters, you only begin with 28 points to spread across your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats and can only access perks once you've unlocked the required tier depth on a given stat track. What I assume you're referring to is the fact that FO4 has no level cap. Well, considering that you'd need to hit Level 264 to unlock every S.P.E.C.I.A.L. tier and every rank of every perk, I don't think the majority of players are going to be a "jack of all trades" at the end of the game.

Fallout 4 is very much an RPG. A full array of morally grey choices (often at cross-purposes), one of the deepest character customization/progression systems in any video game, the ability to build elaborate housing settlements to re-purpose and run (or neglect) as the player sees fit, a looting and gear customization system that is pure RPG fan service, and a deep, varied choice of companions...

[MadLad]

Fallout 4 has the depth of a puddle but, eh.

[Fusion_Ninja]

I love it...you specifically brag how you've been downvoted, yet no one's "pointed out how you're wrong." I then do so, in a very articulate, detailed manner; your reply is "Fallout 4 has the depth of a puddle".

My work here is clearly done.

[DarkOcelet]

With all the missteps Fallout 4 has, its hard to think its my GOTY.

If i have to choose between Fallout 4 or Witcher 3, i would definitely go with Withcer 3.

[joab777]

The issue is comparison to previous entries. How would we feel if they were both original IP's? If we didn't compare them to their predecessors or Skyrim for example.

I love them both. But come from amazing devs. Very tough. And BB too.

[DarkOcelet]

Sorry, but we have to make the comparison. If we didnt, then a game like Call Of Duty should get 9.5/10 every year then but it doesnt because we have been there and we have done that.

Look, i love the both too, i never said they were bad but the removal of the RPG mechanics that were trivial to every single Fallout game was not a good idea.

Witcher 3 took the formula that made Witcher 2 successful and expanded upon it without reducing or dumbing down its quality.

But in the end, i am happy that both games were made because those two games have both excellent quality and quantity and i wish to see more game like those.

[nitus10]

I do agree with you but many don't as well and really both are right.

In addition to both Fallout and The Witcher 3 being RPG's, Fallout is SciFi set in a post apocalyptic world while The Witcher 3 is Fantasy set in a medieval world.

R{G players usually prefer one game world style over another although that is not to say that a Fantasy game lover won't play and enjoy a SciFi game and vice versa. Personally I do think the Final Fantasy series has tried to merge these two sub categories with varying success.

[madmonkey01]

personally i think its left to witcher 3 or bloodborne.

[Bahamut]

Yep, close call, but I really think The Witcher 3 should bring it home. And I love Bloodborne, but the Witcher 3 man... That game is truly special.

[JJShredder]

Witcher 3 for sure. While there are other good games that have come out this year, not giving CDPR the recognition they deserve would be a disservice to gaming IMO.

For me, it's the company philosphy, free DLC and the appropriately priced and timed Expansions that really put it over the top.

Also, a single side quest, The Bloody Baron, had more story alone than most other games released.

Should be an easy choice.

[Paytaa]

And you are 100% in line with me. CDPR are the most morally correct AAA devs right now in my opinion and they should receive the limelight for that along with releasing one of the best games ever made.

OT: The Witcher 3 for me hands down. I love Fallout but The Witcher 3 deserves it. CDPR deserves their moment.

[ApolloTheBoss]

No contest I'm afraid. Witcher 3 takes the crown. In terms of amazing side quests.

[Ken85]

Why are you saying no contest when it actually is one. They didn't randomly pluck Fallout 4 for no reason. You sound like youve only played the Witcher.

[ApolloTheBoss]

I played both, and I'm telling you my personal opinion, that the Witcher 3 is my GOTY. To eqch his own though. I don't know if you played both, and I'm not saying Fallout 4 isn't good, but if you know a good rpg when you play one you'd choose the witcher.

[Kalebninja]

I liked the Witcher 3 more than fallout but for the game awards I'm going for Metal Gear Solid 5.

[sullynathan]

Fallout 4 is not an rpg, stop calling it once.
It has less chance to win goty than all the higher scoring games

[WellyUK]

wtf is it then. It has more in common with an rpg. Just because it actually has decent gun play this time it doesn't turn it into a shooter... It's not the best RPG but it is an RPG.

[sullynathan]

There's a thing called open world fps, fallout 4 fits right in there. Just like far cry and Crysis.

[BiggerBoss]

If you compare Fallout to Far Cry, you can clearly see that Fallout is an RPG

[sullynathan]

@BiggerBoss and why would that be?

[frostypants]

Witcher 3 isn't an RPG if FO4 isn't. It's an open world action/adventure game. It's adult Zelda.

Both could somewhat be described as such, but Fallout 4 at least let's you decide who you want to be. In TW3, you are Geralt. You *will* fight with 2 swords and a little magic, and you only expand on those pre-defined abilities. It fails the most basic requirement for a western RPG. Which is fine. Just don't claim it's one.

[sullynathan]

I don't think you believe the drivel you typed.
Reread this tripe and reevaluate your comment.

[thekhurg]

LOL what?

[frostypants]

Just callin' it as I see it. I think you two are blind and/or haven't been gaming for very long if Witcher 3 impresses you beyond a very superficial level. It's a very polished, beautiful, well programmed (and to some people well written) but utterly monotonous game. Sorry if you can't fathom it.

[MyDietEqualsGames]

Wut? It has the basic rpg formulae!

You cant say its not an rpg and mean that as a serious fact filled statement.

[frostypants]

I just explained exactly how it DOESN'T. You should try making an actual counterpoint.

[frostypants]

I'm waiting... 5 disagrees and no one can make an educated argument. Well, I win...bye!

[PreAtaric]

Fallout 4 is an rpg. Stop saying it isn't. Can't believe you compared it with Far Cry and Crysis. O.o

Bloodborne is easily my GotY though.

[Fusion_Ninja]

So an RPG has to be a turn-based, table-top affair with folks rolling D20s with piles of rule books sitting around?

Dude, "open-world shooters" like Far Cry owe their existence to the template set by Fallout 3 back in 2008. Most shooters (open world or not) don't hold a candle to Fallout 4's depth/size of world, character customization & progression, moral choices, dialogue system and nuances, elaborate settlement building...I could go on and on.

If you spent five hours playing Fallout 4 (which you clearly have NOT), you'd be singing a way different tune.

[sullynathan]

lol, nice assumption there. Gothic is an rpg that is neither turnbased, table top or has d20, Same for mass effect, dragon age origins and Wiedźmin.

Even worse that you think Far Cry somehow owes anything to Beth-Fallout game when Far Cry started in 2004. Both Far Cry and Far Cry 2 released before Failout 3.

Moral choices in Bethesda's games are garbage. "HATE NEWSPAPERS", stupid karma system in Failout 3, choices not mattering. The settlement crap was disappointing and an obvious throwback to Minecraft. The dialogue system in this game is garbage.

Fallout 4 is garbage. It's not an rpg and I doubt you know what an rpg is either. Stop being a stupid bethesda shill.

[Fusion_Ninja]

I get it...you're angry. You used the word "garbage" three times and resorted to calling me names. Yelling louder doesn't make your point any more valid. You call me a Bethesda shill, yet it's painfully obvious you've spent next to no time actually PLAYING Fallout 4. You're all "vague generalized examples I read on the internetz" or "it sux it's garbage" to make our points. You use one specific example ("Hate Newspapers") to errantly generalize the entire dialogue system in FO4, which includes over 13,000 lines for the main protagonist alone. You bring up Fallout 3's karma system, which has NO RELEVANCE to FO4, where your choices matter hugely. You call the "settlement crap disappointing" because of YOUR ignorance and unwillingness to learn how the mechanics work. How is that the game's fault?

I've been playing RPGs since the original Dragon Quest on the NES. Fallout 4 IS an RPG, whether you like to admit it or not.

I should also clarify my point from above- I was referring to Far Cry 3 and 4, which are essentially near-exact iterations of one another and feature character progression/perk systems and world map 'discovery' mechanics that are undeniably influenced by Fallout. You're obviously correct about the timeline of the series. My apologies for not being specific. The first Far Cry in particular was a much different game- different developer, et all.

[sullynathan]

@Fusion
Again, you have failed to refute my points. unlike you, I actually refuted what you typed.

Having lots of dialogue for the main character means nothing. The "HATE NEWSPAPERS" is a great example of Bethesda's writing skill and how bad the dialogue system is. What did you want me to use? "Sarcastic" instead? The fact that it is only 4 dialogue options every time?

Your choices do not matter heavily, why even lie?

If you truly believe that Far Cry 3 & 4 were influenced by Failout 3 instead of Assassin's Creed then you are truly mistaken. Hell, the fact that you somehow think Failout 3 was the first game to have the whole crap about "location discovery" or even a perk system makes me question your claim that you have been playing rpg's for so long.

[Fusion_Ninja]

@sullynathan

You never made any articulate points to begin with...your original point was "Fallout 4 is not an RPG, stop calling it one." I refuted it with broad examples that you didn't like, so you resorted to "garbage, garbage, blah, you suck!"

Again, "Hate Newspapers" is a two-word prompt. You character doesn't actually say, "ME HATE NEWSPAPERS RAAAH." You want a detailed rebuttal of your "point"? Here: Your dialogue synopsis of FO4 is way off-base. You clearly haven't been paying much attention or effort to the system's nuances. Dialogue choices absolutely DO NOT boil down to asinine "yes", "sarcastic yes" or "no". I would argue that conversations in FO4 are deeper than any title in the series since FO2, or ANY BethSoft title to date. What you're forgetting (or don't know?) is that the character's "four response choices" only apply to one specific portion of any conversation; most conversations allow you to reply multiple times over the course of the dialogue, choosing from four replies at each point along the way. Quite often, these choices include shades of skepticism, intimidation, bewilderment, snark/sarcasm, anger, agreement, dismissal, bemusement and other emotional, strategic, and logical choices. Plus, there are a TON of Charisma speech checks along the way, more than I've experienced in any other FO game (including New Vegas). I've been playing the game for over 60 hours- probably a lot longer than you- and can tell you with certainty: the dialogue system is GREAT.

Choice matters a great deal, from factions at cross-purposes, to companions, to pivotal points in the main story, to small, seemingly inconsequential side quests. Not lying. You just haven't played it, or barely skimmed it.

Let's cut to brass tacks since you're splitting hairs here; the whole Ubisoft/Assassin's Creed open-world obective RPG-lite shtick that is common place in the legacy content in every one of their modern games has been influenced heavily by Bethesda Softworks, going back to Morrowind which basically redefined, set the gold standard for open world games in the 21st century. That better?

[sullynathan]

@Fusion
First sentence you're already outlying another problem in the dialogue wheel of fallout 4. The dialogue wheel should not be showing "HATE NEWSPAPERS" if the character isn't saying just that. Did you even read my comment? That's what I pointed out.

There you go again giving Bethesda undue credit. No one was influenced by Morrowind except Bethesda themselves. They didn't set any gold standard for open world when gothic 2 and GTA 3 superseded them in that department while releasing in the same time frame.

With the charisma checks you highlight another problem, the game removed checks of other kind and only replaced them with infrequent charisma checks.

Yet the factions and choice in general is handled far worse than new vegas and past fallout games. Minute men asking you to join them after first quest? Brotherhood Paladin dance trying so hard to make you join them? Being part of multiple factions that are even against each other and even being a high ranking member in all of then. All flaws that shouldn't still be there yet still exist.

Once again, you've shown your clear misinformation and bias towards Bethesda, even to the point of ignorance and lying. Morrowind setting an open world standard for the 21st century? Please.

[Fusion_Ninja]

Boy, oh boy. How do I break this down so you'll understand? When choosing dialogue options in Fallout 4, you are given short prompts *reflective of the essential emotive/verbal content you'll express*. In other words, it requires a modicum of abstract, deductive reasoning on the player's part- which you either apparently lack, or are unwilling to 'hang with'. Again (Groundhog Day, anyone?!) with the "Hate Newspapers" prompt, you are given the option to *express your dislike of the press* if you so choose. Why is this so hard for you to believe? An NPC representing a newspaper is fired up, dealing with an ignoramus, corrupt town mayor, and trying to curry favor with a new face to bolster her stance. It's perfectly reasonable to consider the player character may not give two s*%ts about the press, or newspapers. You're given the option to state as such. That's it, plain and simple.

"No one was influenced by Morrowind but Bethesda themselves." If you REALLY believe that's true, you're in a laughable state of denial. Please do a cursory Metacritic search for Morrowind reviews...go ahead and Google Morrowind's influence on modern open-world RPGs. Don't take my word for it. Morrowind was a game changer. Open RPG worlds of that density, visual detail, cohesion and interactivity hadn't been done prior to Morrowind, period. No one's arguing that GTA III was a huge achievement for its time. But it was also primarily a driving/action game; you couldn't pick up every object or book in a room or have a detailed conversation with every single NPC in the world. There wasn't a layered armor system or painstaking character stat/progression system in place. Furthermore, Morrowind's graphics stomped all over GTA III; objective fact.

Charisma checks are "infrequent"? I come across them in every 2nd or 3rd conversation; even characters I'm interacting with for "Miscellaneous" quests often offer one or more speech checks. And speech checks SHOULD be based on your *ability* to speak, not your level of expertise in another area. I was always pissed in FO: NV when my speech skill was high, but I was locked out of dialogue because of low points in explosives or repair...what's the friggin' point? The art of character dialogue is about the ability to convince/persuade someone of something, not to necessarily be able to display the credentials. Think about real life: Do salespeople and politicians really know the details and hard facts about half of what they're 'selling'? Of course not; the successful ones get to where they are through their charisma and persuasiveness.

The Minutemen are desperate. You come to the rescue and prove your worth in their time of need. Why wouldn't they want your help? You can essentially ignore them (or any faction) if you like. I basically ignored the BOS after my first interaction with the Paladin; he hasn't been on my jock about joining up since. Furthermore, if you make an enemy out of the BOS, you reap the consequences real quick. Yes, Fallout 3 had the very black-and-white stuff like "Blow up Megaton, or don't!" and Obsidian improved dramatically in that department with NV. With FO4, I feel BethSoft listened, learned and seriously stepped up to the plate in this department. IMO, choice is huge in FO4 in many ways, big and small. Factions being at cross-purposes is a great feature; something that's been sorely missing from Bethesda games since Morrowind (which I'm the first to admit). You obviously disagree- that's fine.

Regardless of your personal feelings about BethSoft and their games, they've influenced everyone from BioWare, to Notch to CDProjekt Red. Dragon Age: Inquisition and The Witcher 3 were both heavily influenced by Skyrim. Don't take my word for it. LOOK IT UP.

[sullynathan]

Yup, they influenced Bio but you ignore how Bio obviously influenced Bethesda.

I'll just leave a bunch of youtube videos for you to see how wrong you are because your replies are not stimulating my brain. Cut your bugthesda bias out.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[franwex]

Honestly I wasn't too impressed with neither. Not that they are bad at all, I think the hype train just didn't deliver.

[Dark-Funeral]

The witcher 3 for sure,, the story, world, music and characters,, it is the GOTY for me

[DivineAssault]

Witcher wins to me.. New everything in that game.. Fallout is good but it looks too similar and something feels dated about it..

[Xavior_Reigns]

Between those two... TW3, but overall Bloodborne takes my vote.

[Ginpachi-sama]

Bloodborne>>>

[dumahim]

The Witcher 3 is the better game, but I'm having more fun with Fallout.

[frostypants]

This is exactly the logic I don't understand. The better game is what is the most fun. That's why you play games.

It's like saying you think blue is a better color than yellow, but you like yellow better.

I feel like some people WANT TW3 to be the better game because they admire the devs of that game and want to reward them for their effort, but are conflicted by the fact that there are games they like better (while some others legitimately do prefer TW3).

The "best" game is the one you enjoy playing the most. Don't over analyze it.

[MadLad]

We finally agree on something lol
At least to a point.

But I believe there is a conversation to be had for an overall package.
I just think Witcher offers a lot more in terms of story telling and world building.
It requires a bit more of the player in terms of preparation and learning about the enemies.
At least in the harder difficulties, where the developers wish for players to partake in.

The difference between a fun experience, and an engrossing one.
A game doesn't necessarily need to tickle the pleasure centers of the brain in order to be satisfying to those taking part.

And then, at the end of it all, I, personally, just feel the gameplay is better even then.

[yeahright2]

Not necessarily. I can have more fun playing a game like Mario Kart, but still see the last of us as superior. I'd argue that titles like the last of us and bioshock etc. don't really aim for "fun" It's more about story, characters, conveying a message, immersion and such. Mario kart is a ton more fun than the last of us, but I'd not rank it above a game like Witcher for my choice of which game is better.

TLDR: fun is just one factor when looking at which game is better.

[sullynathan]

That's not how logic works. I can have more fun with say ride to hell redemption because it is a dumb game but it doesn't mean it will become better than a Fallout new vegas.

[garrettbobbyferguson]

@Sullynathan

This. Reminder to everyone, children used to have fun with literal cow feces. That doesn't stop it from being feces.

[nitus10]

There is a difference between what some people consider a better game yet the same people can have more fun with a similar but different game. Sounds weird so I will give you an example.

I have two fantasy RPG's one is called Skyrim and the other Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. I would say Skyrim is the better and deeper game with great and immersive gameplay yet KoAR is great fun and a blast to play.

As for enjoyment I got similar enjoyment out of both of the above games.

Another example are the Final Fantasy games of which I have played FF4 through 8 then 10 through 13-2. Graphics aside I do prefer FF12 over the others but I still did enjoy all of those games.

I fully agree with your statement but I think the following is also suitable. "A game is good if you enjoy it, don't over analyze it". Note how I basically said something similar but with slightly different words.

[dumahim]

When I say Witcher is a better game, I mean it was better built. Better overall presentation, graphics, voice acting, writing, much more modern game engine, etc... But it doesn't matter how well the game is built when it comes to fun. But I don't necessarily think fun is the be all end all. I think Bethesda dropped the ball in quite a few areas, especially when it comes to the explaining things.

Ultimately, I think CDPR deserves the award for their hard work and polish they put in to making the game.

[kubo909]

I love both Witcher and Fallout, but the choice between those two is pretty easy for me.
The witcher has better graphics, better looking humans, better dialogues, better side-quests, astonishing twists, incredibile main story and you really have impact on this world. While fallout also has good graphic, decent main story and sometimes really good sidequests its still below witchers level. I love them both but while Bethesda did great job, CDPR did amazing work, and they are mine GOTY

[frostypants]

Fallout 4 wins in the most important category: gameplay. The actual performing of those quests is 10x more exciting in Fallout 4, because so much more unscripted stuff is happening in the world. Sure, your decisions have a bigger impact on dialogue in TW3, but that's just a static decision tree...which is cool and all, but not as mind blowing as people make it out to be.

Witcher 3 is a better story-driven game, but it's not a better RPG. Whether or not it's the best overall game depends on whether you prefer open-ended RPGs (FO4) or story-driven adventure games (TW3).

[MadLad]

It can't be an RPG if it doesn't allow you to role-play any real specific character.

For any argument that Geralt is already a pre-defined character and you can't really role play him, I remind people, as for Fallout, you are always a soldier, looking for his son, and you may or may not choose to search directly for him, or be an asshole and do as you wish beforehand.

Witcher 3 gives choices that impact the story. You may be the same character, but you can change the entire tone of that character.

Fallout is just a pre-defined empty slate, where your only real choices are to, or to not, take missions, and assigning perks that make weapon types more powerful.

They have removed almost everything that made Fallout an RPG.

As per combat, you the leveling does require you to build Geralt to a certain style of your choosing. Fallout, now, is a jack of all trades, eventual expert of everything.
There's almost no choice involved, thus it's a weak RPG, at best.
Not an RPG at worst.

And PoE beats them both in the RPG department anyway. Simply in a less flashy way, which is why it's not up for GotY, despite being one of the most critically acclaimed of the year.

[nix]

No love for Bloodborne?

[djplonker]

Fallout 4 and the witcher 3 were great but bloodborne and rocket league are better in my opinion.

Rocket league would probably get my vote if I had to pick one.

[frostypants]

It would send one hell of a message to pick a game as relatively simple as Rocket League...that FUN is the most important thing. But many will stupidly count RL out simply BECAUSE it's so straightforward, no matter how brilliant the execution was or how addictive it is.

[Scrivlar]

I get where you're coming from but for some reason I couldn't vote for it. I think it's because it's similar to Fifa in the way I can pick it up anytime and play it for hours, But I know it's not my best game, If that makes any sense?

[djplonker]

@scriv

Yeah rocket league is a bit like fifa BUT the other goty contenders are more similar to others

The witcher 3 - an open world version of the witcher 2 and very similar to dragon age inquisition.

Fallout 4 - literally is just more of fallout new vegas and fallout 3 to a lesser extent.

Bloodborne - just a more action orientated dark souls.

Not that I didn't love all the games above I just think rocket league is alot more unique.

[Relientk77]

Witcher 3 for me

[Officialxandr]

Both were phenomenal to me! My first Fallout game and also my first Witcher game.

[lastking95]

People sleeping on tomb raider

[frostypants]

And Bloodborne.

And Rocket League.

And probably some others.

[frostypants]

Got bored of Witcher 3 after 15 hours.

Have put 50 hours into FO4 and still going strong.

Easy to pick the winner for my part.

[MadLad]

So you keep saying.

And again.
And again.
And again.

At the end of the the day, you're entitled to your opinion. I am of the opinion that even the side content is better written and, most importantly, is of more interest, that most of the major content Bethesda was able to muster up for Fallout 4.

[frostypants]

And you keep stating that opinion.

And again.
And again.
And again.

At the end of the the day, you're entitled to your opinion. I am of the opinion that even the side content of FO4 is more fun than most of the major content CDPR was able to muster up for Witcher 3. Because the fundamental mechanics of that game were tiresome.

[MadLad]

Two to tango.
Agree to disagree lol.

[Two-Face]

Fallout 4 is decent, but streamlined and gets boring fast. You know a game is boring, if you miss the previous Fallout games, and start playing them instead of Fallout 4. I played 30 hours of Fallout 4 and could not take it anymore. I went back and replayed Fallout 1, and my god how streamlined Fallout has become.

[DanteVFenris666]

Streamlined is good. Why would I want a bad interface that makes it seem "hardcore" but actually just a terrible user interface. Than one that helps me automatically.

The only other thing I could see is removal is removal of the skills. Which pretty much do what the damage increase perks do. Their still their. And in my opinion the new perk system is great

[bloodybutcher]

Got bored of FO4 by just looking at gameplay trailers.

Playing TW3 second time after ca. 150hrs on my first playthrough.

Easy to blah blah blah.

[ninsigma]

Why only these two?? Or did you just pick the two big rpg games of the year that usually have high tension conversation around them about which one is better so that you can get clicks?? Thought so.

There's way more to consider than those two games. Ori, bloodborne, until dawn and tr for starters. All great games that are worth a look in.

[Scrivlar]

I know a lot of people thought The Witcher 3 was brilliant but I thought it was balls, Graphics, 10, gameplay, 6. It did have some good quests but some pretty boring ones too and I struggled to get immersed,Sorry peeps. BloodBorne or Fallout 4 for me.

[BiggerBoss]

I agree. The graphics and the open world in TW3 are phenomenal, I just don't find the game very fun to play.

[starchild]

And I found almost everything about Bloodborne bland and shallow, aside from the combat. And even that gets repetitive and boring after a while because it's really the only hook.

I guess we all look for different things in games.

[DanteVFenris666]

I agree. Not having as much fun as fallout. But the story was a lot better in witcher 3.

They both have their strengths and weaknesses. For some to be saying their is no contest is a bit bias. Their ignoring the flaws of one or the other

[MadLad]

Fallout 4 really doesn't stand a chance.

Witcher raised the bar for open world, while Fallout 4 played it safe, at best.
Took a few steps back for the series, at worst.

The western RPG has been best realized, at this point, by a moderately sized indie studio out of Poland.
Bethesda and the like? They finally need to step up their game.
There's obviously budding new talent out there looking to push the envelope.

[yeahright2]

Witcher gets my vote. Though to be fair, try as I might, I just don't like Bethesda's games. I get that others love them, just not for me.
But yeah, Witcher all the way. I don't think any other game even came close for my money.

[silkrevolver]

Between MGSV, Bloodborne, Witcher 3 and Fallout 4, I don't really care which wins GOTY.
MGSV is mine, but I understand those who would disagree.

[soul-assassin-]

dying light :)

[smolinsk]

Absolutely yes, dying light is the best game and the best surprise of the year.

If not dying light then fallout 4, witcher is all to scripted and a cheating open world. No other companies can make a world feel living then Bethesda.

[Mykky]

When did "scripted" become bad? TLOU is almost the definition of scripted, yet it is making the list of one of the best games ever made. Cheating open world? what do you mean?

[Poodlejamas]

both were great in their own right.Fallout 4 for the gameplay, weak story though.
TW3 for the great story and overall polishness of the game but weak gameplay imo.

[Sokol]

Bloodborne takes the crown of GOTY for me personally, truly amazing experience, especially the DLC which is tough as nails on ng+ :) Witcher 3 was a great experience but from pure game play perspective Bloodborne takes the crown this year.

No matter how many times I die in keep coming back for another round.

[bleedsoe9mm]

i'd split them both and give it to tomb raider

[Nucler100]

Bloodborne was better than both for me. Only game I could say I had no problems with. The only minor issue that was there was fixed immediately. (Load times)

From story, to design, to gameplay.. It's all just amazing. The Old Hunters DLC adds even MORE value to the game.

Easily, without question, my GOTY.

[starchild]

The crappy framerate drove me nuts.

Anyway, The Witcher 3 was by far the better overall game to me. I enjoyed the combat in both games, but the Witcher 3 has a richer world, more depth, better characters and narrative, as well as better graphics and sound.

[TomRL]

Wow, an article about Fallout vs the Witcher and the guy manages to say little-to-nothing. The Witcher 3 is better, but this guy is acting like they are both equal in quality, only that they cater to a different audience.
I think the Witcher 3 is the stand-out game this year. MGSV was very hit and miss and with massive structural issues, and Fallout 4 carries all the problems the previous games had and is generally mediocre. Oh and we all know how Batman went.

[InTheZoneAC]

no one cares about pc issues

[Back-to-Back]

Fallout 4 by a metric mile. Witcher 3 has zero main stream appeal. It released and after Fallout its been forgotten.

Week 1 Witcher 3
1.1m

Week 1 Fallout 4
3.0m

[InTheZoneAC]

mainstream appeal is irrelevant

we're talking about which game is better

[bloodybutcher]

Ooh, 1 week and 1.1 million equals zero mainstream appeal. Ok, got it.

[ScaReCrow90]

Unfortunately you may be right. Fallout might win. But that just makes this type of thing irrelevant as mainstream is always more popular but not because its better.

[bomajed]

by your logic Call of Duty will be GOTY every year!

[Tales RPG addict]

I have Witcher 3 for PS4. What a fun game, but as for Fallout 4 i've yet to play a Fallout game. I'll be enjoying the underrated Xenoblade Chronicles X tomorrow.

[aLiEnViSiToR]

The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt GOTY 2015

[adaminoregon]

As someone that played both, I have to give it to Witcher 3. The graphics and loading times were much better than fallout. Fallout was barely an upgrade from a game that came out years ago. Fallout does a horrible job explaining settlement building. Witcher had a ton of free updates and fixes for issues. The Witcher developers didn't just sit on their behinds and think that their good reputation would be enough. They continued to work on the issues the game was having. Both were great games but I think Witcher is the winner.

[InTheZoneAC]

settlement building is easy. I don't play other "builder" games, but it seems like they explain everything you need to know and leave the rest for you to explore to "expand" on your settlement...

[Fusion_Ninja]

All due respect to your opinion, gotta disagree. I spent a lot of time with both games as well. On console (PS4), any graphical superiority in TW3 over FO4 is negligible at best. Calling FO4 "barely an upgrade" either means you haven't spent much time with Fallout 4, or you haven't played Fallout 3 in a long time...EVERY aspect, from visuals, to shooting & gun handling, to weapon, armor, food, chem crafting/customization, to dialogue, to character progression, to settlement building is a MASSIVE improvement over its predecessor.

You complain about the complexity of Fallout 4's settlement building, yet TW3 did not have a storage chest for weeks after release...a simple storage chest. Think about this.

[Savsky]

Bloodborne.

[1noobgamer]

WOW... I cant decide between the 2. Both equally amazing!

[TheMadDutchman]

i give it to witcher for getting rid of loading screens , and that might put a bomb under them to build a new engine

[Ashunderfire86]

Its a very hard pick for game of the year. I do love Fallout 4, Bloodborne, and Witcher 3! But I got to go for Witcher 3! The side quest are the best in any RPG hands down! The graphics is shockingly great for a massive open world game, absolutely nothing can come close to that, not even GTA 5!

[MadLad]

Less of a fight, more of a Witcher beheading Fallout and dragging around the carcass in the streets for show.

[bomajed]

never have I read a more accurate description

[esmittystud101]

Bloodborne is my Game of the Year as well. I have The Witcher 3 but there 118 hours of dialogue didn't out weigh Bloodborne's combat system in my opinion. I have never been so hooked to a game in my life than I am with Bloodborne. Its really that good.

[ScaReCrow90]

Well apart from talking to people theres also combat and stories and exploration to take into account for the Witcher 3. You clearly must not like games that actually tell a story along with good combat and action.

Bloodborne is exactly like souls. Please accept. Yes its faster paced but thats a natural evolution of the game.

[esmittystud101]

I'm just more of a combat driven RPGer, thats all. I just feel really distant from the fight in The Withcer 3. I can never get a finisher to activate right. I do the same double fist on sword 360 degree spin swing like 15 times in one fight.

I made it about half way on The Witcher 3. I will finish it one day. I guess really what it boils down to, Bloodborne challenged me this year to the point where I had to actually think on my own and there were servere consequences for my actions in the game. No GPS, no map, no objective list, no good manual save. The Witcher 3 gives me my last six auto saves and a manual save to go back and change decisions if I mess up. Its one of many open world games out today that walk you through the entire game and there are no consequences for anything, especailly if you can just go back and change a situation with an old save file.

Plus I think From Software's level design is outstanding. How the map design connects with the story and its characters. There detail in there maps and characters are way ahead of any other designer I have in my game collection. Item placement is always key, you think its just a pickup when really its a pickup to get you to look at something or relize whats going on in an area. Another high point is when I look in the distance at structures and then relize, I was actually there at one time in the game, and I remember where it was and how to get there. Other games map design just feels like they didn't put the effort From Software puts in theres.

[Warshade]

The witcher 3 is my game of the decade atm. lol

[WickedLester]

Bloodborne should be GOTY IMO. It was fantastic.

[InTheZoneAC]

IMO you need not say IMO because you are already stating your opinion, but with that said IMO you need to say IMO before or after every opinion you make.

Just IMO, don't be mad.

[ScaReCrow90]

unfortunately you kind of have to make sure you mention its your opinion. Sometimes people will take things as facts instead of opinions.
In my opinion anyways.

[InTheZoneAC]

I like both games and Fallout is Fallout.

With that said I'm going to give the nod to Witcher 3, even though I play Fallout more.

I have never played Witcher before, so maybe I give it the nod since it did so well feeling like a "new" game.

I don't know what else to say because both are great games and Fallout 4 is everything I hoped it could be. Maybe if I already knew about Witcher and EXPECTED it to be something great I might go in favor of Fallout.

Hey, if you could split the award to two games then go for it. Both games deserve it and no other game this year comes close, when comparing gameplay, visuals, sound, value, replayability, etc..

edit: guess you can say Bloodborne should be considered, but to me these other two offer MORE. Bloodborne is great in what it does, but if you prefer those types of games over these two I'd understand.

[FranzKafka]

The choice is obviously between Bloodborne, The Witcher 3, and MGSV. Fallout gets Overhyped Game of the Year ¬¬" Suffering with major framerate issues in some random dungeon in Cambridge as I type this.
Also a honorable mention to Life is Strange, Her Story, Undertale and every other great indie game.

[TrevZ_514]

An i the only one who thinks bloodborne is the GOTY 0.o

[Mykky]

If you read the comments you are gratefully not. Bloodborne was fantastic! Though my GOTY goes to TW3.

[REDGUM]

Neither of the above article. Bloodborne is my choice for GOTY.
Fallout 4 isn't all that much different from fallout 3. Looks better but thats about it.
The whicher 3 looks better than the last installment but is essentially the same game.

Bloodborne on the other hand. ..... I've never played anything quite like it before. The sounds, gameplay, graphics, artwork etc are all standout things and sets this game apart from the rest in my opinion.
The only negative about this game is that it was released on just one platform. Had it been released multi platform we wouldn't be having this discussion!!!

[FranzKafka]

Yeah, Bloodborne deserves at least Best Art Direction for its awesome world and atmosphere. It could lose to The Witcher 3 or Ori & the Blind Forest, though.

[ScaReCrow90]

Bloodborne isnt really any different from the souls game apart from a graphical point of view.

Ori deserves best Art Direction in my opinion. As well as biggest surprise. Ori is the most fun ive had all year. Except for Witcher. But Witcher was overwhelming in scope.

[ScaReCrow90]

How is The witcher the same as its last intallment but bloodborne different from souls??

Let me point out the differences.
Witcher 2 is linear Witcher 3 is open.
Witcher 2 combat is stiff Witcher 3 is much improved and fluid.
Witcher 2 has few side quests. Witcher 3 tons of side quests and meaningful stories.
Witcher 2 you control only Geralt. Witcher 3 you control 2 characters

Big difference from the last game. You'd have to be high to not see it. In fact Im thinking you havent even played The Witcher 3 or 2.

Bloodborne.
From the menus to leveling to pickups to enemy behavior and boss mechanics and pvp and absolutely everything except the combat pace and rythym is exactly the same as a Dark Souls. Dark Souls 3 will essentially have the same kind of combat pace as bloodborne which basically makes bloodborne identical to a souls game.
Improving the fighting mechanics does not equal completely different game.

[esmittystud101]

You couldn't be more on key.

[lucas0150]

Fallout 4 FTW. The game has

- Fallout 3.5 graphics.
- Erratic framerate.
- Near completely recycled combat system.
- Stiff animations for people and monsters alike.
- Awful, omnipresent bugs and glitches.

Please let it be Bloodborne, The Witcher 3, or MGSV (which I haven't even played), but I know which one simply doesn't deserve it.

[Fusion_Ninja]

And from the bullet point comments you obviously stole from around the internet, it's perfectly clear that you haven't played Fallout 4 OR MGSV. Rather, you'd prefer to inform your opinion of FO4 on sensationalized, ill-informed internet ranting, because it happens to be the 'fashionable game to hate on' right now.

Maybe play Fallout 4 for a few hours and see for yourself, rather than making poor assumptions based on 'teh internetz' raging.

[--bienio--]

Witcher 3 for me and like I see for most of us;) good choice guys!!

[Yetter]

I love em both but Fallout 4 for me

[BitbyDeath]

Until Dawn for me

[Yobo5]

I think it should be down to Bloodbourne or Witcher 3, simply because they had the least issues and most fan service. They ooze quality where as other games this year just seemed stingy with low quality content and cosmetic focused season passes or rushed, and I'm saying that as someone who's not even into that genre of games.

Just look at what they put in the game: https://www.vg247.com/2015/...

Vs this, which is becoming more common:
http://i.imgur.com/fRIRAJz....

[sdplisken]

Bloodborne is mine hands down
Witcher will win just because it isn't an exclusive tho

[ScaReCrow90]

Witcher will win because its better in my opinion. Exclusivity has nothing to do with it. Played and beat both.
No reason to return to bloodborne Id rather wait for dark souls 3 for my next souls fix.

[ScaReCrow90]

Between bloodborne and Wichter 3?

Bloodborne does nothing new except evolve the fighting mechanics. Its another souls game at heart but a lot easier.

Witcher 3 improves upon open world rpg and stroytelling. Combat is fun but easily exploited. Still very well done and an improvement from the previous ones. Side quests and their stories are well done and some are more then awesome. Free dlc and the 10$ expansions offer what no games are offering lately and should be commended.

[Snappy]

I love bloodborne and i love the witcher 3 but i also love fallout 4 and also life is strange. There is only one way to find out FIIGGGHHTTT

[benji101]

neither of these games should win. Fallout 4 is a mess and witcher 3 is boring and a story mess in the second act. I mean how any one can complain about the story in MGsV and not notice how bad the whole Second part of the wild hunt actually is is beyond me... Run here.. run here... run here... Run here... run here... run here... 20 hours... later.. get a boat... run here... some crappy combat.. all the good voice acting was in the first chapter...sorry...

[PistolsAtDawn]

Witcher 3 was an amazing game....I loved it, but GOTY for me is either Fallout 4 (although I haven't finished it yet) or Halo 5...with RotTR in a close 3rd.

[benji101]

What is amazing about the Novigrad part of the game?
The Bloody baron was amazing.. but Novigrad was torturous.
I almost stopped playing the game on multiple occasions.
For me, apart from the bad design and story telling with Skull face in MGSV Metal gear had a better story and that is saying something because it was a rushed mess in the final act.

Witcher 3 story

Gotta find Ciri, tell me where Ciri is!
No, do these pointless tasks for me and maybe I will tell you..
OK!

Choices matter... not.

The first act pulls it off fine but when it asks you to repeat that exact same pattern 3 times... and with weaker and weaker characters. Kiera is more interesting than Tris, Tris is more interesting than Yen...

[Germany7]

Still prefer Fallout 4, but my goty is Bloodborne.

[hangdang]

GOTY for me is Bloodborne and it isn't even close

[iNFAMOUZ1]

fallout 4 duh

[trywizardo]

I will make it easy ,the witcher 3 have better story , graphics , gameplay and world .
you're welcome

[Fusion_Ninja]

I played a LOT of Bloodborne, Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 this year- I enjoyed my time with all three games; but Fallout 4 is GOTY, hands-down.

While I understand that each is entitled to their own opinion, I also firmly believe that FO4 has a target on its back because it's the "fashionable game to hate". I bet a lot of folks commenting are 'informing their opinions' of Fallout 4 from internet hearsay and generalizations, rather than actually playing the game for themselves.

[crazychris4124]

Just won Game of The Year on top of best RPG and Dev of the Year

[kingjohnm]

other contenders to me could b forza 6 or Halo 5, but my goty has to be tw3 I think

[mahmoods26]

This is my basic issue with Fallout 4, it doesn't have a deep story. It has a teaser for a story but not a story in itself. The best example I can give for this is an instance in the middle of the campaign. You basically have to complete an objective and can ask any of the factions to help you. But you can't ask the brotherhood of steel. Why? Because they won't even talk to you unless you join them. If you don't talk to them they become instant enemies later on. There is no care, no attention to detail. The game is no longer about the journey it's about shooting things. Also the sidequests in Fallout 3 boil down to go here shoot the thing, bring the other thing back, get the reward.

The Witcher 3 on the other end has an amazing story with branching paths and loads of sidequests. Yes, it has fetch quests as well but they're smartly done and every quest shows you something new. Plus, I'll take rock trolls over a deathclaw anyday.

[smolinsk]

Yeah but when you have an open world game like the witcher and then be that scripted, that's a waste in my book. By cheating open world, I mean you load on to the different pieces of the map, takes away some of the feeling of being free. Fallout 4 just have so much more freedom and the unpredictable world is second to none.

[josephayal]

witcher 3 meh

[ASBO-5]

Yeah it's really not a contest, FO4 is waaaaay to good and waaaaaaay to big to not win GOTY.

[majedx9]

Bloodborne didn't win??!
maby they should puts illuminati signs in the game.

[Azzanation]

Not sure about Fallout 4, I would say its between MGS5 and W3. In my own opinion W3.

[Nilla_Nate]

I'd give it to Witcher 3 because Fallout 4 is buggy as hell with an outdated engine.

[victorMaje]

The Witcher 3

[Many-hat5]

Gonna take a slightly different perspective on this.While I have played and enjoyed, both TW3 & FO4, my vote goes to TW3.For me, the deciding factor is passion ! Clearly, CD project Red have dedicated and passionate developers who care about their product, even if it doesn't always goes to plan.So rare to find that level of commitment in a mega dollar grossing industry. FO4 on the other hand, while a fantastic and hugely enjoyable game just doesn't smell of that same dedication to me. It could be said, that FO4 is simply FO3 in higher rez. Same assets used,but with a extra bling thrown in. Now that would be a unfair,but I do feel that,in a industry awash with cheap HD remakes,yearly iterations of once great IP's -looking at you Halo 5,COD and brethren(Just my opinion),and developers so arrogant and passionless about gaming, they believe whatever they say must be correct and to hell with the players who disagree. In this world, any developer that takes the trouble to include a map in the box has to have my support.Remember the days when you could sit for an hour just reading the manual and admiring the artwork therein, even before the disc went in the slot? Ah, but that's another story. TW3 above FO4, if only for the passion.

[Maxor]

Beth games without fans content is nothing. That's the problem with Fallout 4 right now. They simply need to PC gamers to make their games for them.

[yuukiliu]

Witcher 3 for me.

[UNKLE]

Its easy...
Witcher 3: optimized very well on every platform revolutionary technologies in the game, also mostly bugless game, gameplay fantastic, even a non-fanboy can love his game, its clearly not only made for them, they not doing only fo money, they doing it wih passion with a little dev team.The battle system is very good improved pretty much.

Fallout4: idiot BUGFEST, like every Bethesda game are they even test the game before release? unoptimized shit on every platform with this technology all consoles should run the game 1080p/AA and stable 60 fps, this game clearly made for fallout fanboys, gameplay is nearly same as fallout3, Bethesda doing fo this money and fanboys.

Bloodborne: same shit like demon souls,dark souls with better graphics and a little improved gameplay, and horrible physics, clearly made for demon/dark souls/ps4 fanboys, nothing to see here move along...and overhyped game.

I would choose witcher3

[Stokedup]

There's been some big hitters this year, but for me its The Witcher 3. The world is so much more crafted and detailed compared to fallout and Skyrim (I know the latter isn't this year but it's a good comparison)
The sidequest were taken to a new level even though they did slightly dull down towards the end.
The one thing I don't want to see is Metal Gear Solid 5 getting GOTY, and I am a massive metal gear fan I rate the past games as some of the best ever made but MGS5 was truly overhyped because of the love for Koijima and the love for the franchise overall from fans and critics all over. The truth is, while the main gameplay mechanics are superb, the game is simply far too repetitive and when you do a detailed comparison with MGS5 and The Witcher 3, TW3 comes out on top in pretty much everything from the map variety, the NPC's the side quests, the main quests, the graphics the soundtrack, the immersion, the characters and the character building. I'm not saying MGS5 is bad at any of those aspects but it certainly doesn't do it as good as TW3 does.

[Mr Lahey]

Lol, yeah witcher is a nice rpg and all. But Bloodborne IS the goty! No, it's the game of the generation! It's not even close.

Hell, Bloodborne already have its GOTY edition out in stores, lol!

[MilkMan]

No such thing as game of the year. Best in class, yes. But not game of the year. The silliest indie game could be the goty for some while the best triple A game could also be it. Also take in consideration that while some love shooters, some may hate them, so on and so on with every other genre.
So taking all this information, GOTY is not possible. This is an attempt to pigeon hole gaming into the movie category and try to give awards in that same vein.
Even there those awards fail for similar reasons.

[Tzuno]

Fallout 4 is overhyped apart from combat which is interesting i don't think it deserves GOTY.

[2paclives]

Played all 3. Had fun with each. But BB deserves goty. The came is punishing, rewarding and never boring. It's brutal, melancholic, eerie and just plain awesome.

[KillZallthebeast]

Mindless hate on fallout 4 is unbelievable. Prasing the witcher 3 as a better rpg yet you can maybe do 1/10 as much in it. Don't resposnd I don't want your opinion I just wanted to say how stupid it was to discredit an entire game for no other reason than to be popular on the internet.