With Red Dead Redemption 2 Delayed Who Can Stop Zelda From Scooping All the Awards?

"So if not Red Dead, who could potentially compete with Zelda? 2017 has been a standout year for games so far and we aren’t halfway through it, yet we already have a couple of titles that could give Zelda a run for it’s money, plus some titles releasing later this year that look promising. So let’s look at the candidates."

-Sidearc.com

[freshslicepizza]

Well I imagine Horizon will be a top candidate. If Star Citizen ever came out this year it might have a shot. Don't count on just Zelda for Nintendo, Mario might outdo it.

[generic-user-name]

As good as Horizon is, it didn't seem to get that universal acclaim like Zelda did. Though it's still an amazing title and I hope it fares well in awards.

[AspiringProGenji]

Yeah and remember when GTA V was declared winner in 2013? Which game won more awards in the end?

Hint: the haters' Bane of their existence

[generic-user-name]

@AspiringProGenji

That's a good point, I'm not going to write off any of these games being mentioned but, so far, it seems like Zelda is being pushed as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Remember when Jim Sterling got DDoS'd for giving the game a 7?....7!!

[-Foxtrot]

It deserves more then Zelda at the end of the day...it's a new IP which has a fresh take on the open world genre by a team who have only developed first person shooters.

Zelda BotW is basically just doing things we've seen since...well last gen alone, Skyrim, Witcher, Fallout, even Dark Souls or Dragon Age for example...and yes Horizon isn't doing anything new but for Zelda it should have been doing the things found in BotW in 2011 with Skyward Sword.

Things like dungeons, enemy variety, weapon breakage, stealth is meh, story is not the best from past games. It feels like a step forward but other parts it takes a step back.

We wanted a new IP, we got it and with a nice concept of a ruined world with robo dinosaurs...it deserves a little credit in the reward section rather then "OMG ZELDA 10/10...HERE'S 40 AWARDS"

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

A lot of idiots out there treat a 7 on a 1 to 10 scale the same way they treat a 4 or lower, which is really stupid.
I don't agree with Jim's score, but the whole DDOS thing really was taking things too far, when most gamers these days don't know how to accurately decipher and use a 1 to 10 scale in the first place.

[Gazondaily]

Zelda > Horizon all day every day with ease.

Haven't tried Persona though.

[ninsigma]

Zelda wasn't worth all that praise. It did nothing to deserve being revered like it was. I terms of Zelda Vs Horizon, Horizon was a far better game but overall GOTY, I really just can't call it so far. There's been too many great games released that it's gonna be tough. I'd say both Persona 5 and Nier: Automata will have a good running for goty, more so Persona. With Uncharted: The Lost Legacy releasing in August, will that be counted as candidate seeing as it's a standalone??

[Luucifa]

@Foxtrot "OMG ZELDA10/10... HERE'S 40 REWARDS!"...? why wasn't that the case with Skyward Sword and A Link Between Worlds then? I thought those were Zelda games?

[UltraNova]

My money is on Mario with horizon being 2nd (its a brand new ip, that has to count for something) and Zelda 3rd.

[Altovoltage]

Universal acclaim? Horizon has sold more copies than Zelda

[Sitdown]

Altovoltage
More sales is not always indicative of universal acclaim, and clearly in this regard, the individual was speaking of reviews.

[raWfodog]

Yeah, everyone will have their own opinions on what game(s) they think is(are) better. We'll just have to see which ones actually get the most awards (which is still subjective as its still opinion-based). Anyone saying a game is better/worse than others is only stating their preference, of course.

[Shiken]

@Altovoltage

Actually Zelda's combined sales of WiiU and NS have exceeded Horizon by quite a bit. The NS sales alone are right behind Horizon and the WiiU was reported to sell another mil on top of that. Plus Zelda is still at the top of the sales chartz while Horizon has dropped quite a bit.

Zelda has innovated open world gaming, and deserves any and all awards it gets. Easily game of the generation. I find it funny how some people try to down play it saying other games did the same things Zelda has done, because that could not be further from the truth.

While some other open world games used certain isolated aspects of BotW first, Zelda is the first one to weave everything together and form an execution to how we experience the game unlike anything we have ever seen.

With that in mind however, both are great games and deserve awards thrown their way. While I feel BotW is GotY, Horizon also deserves recognition as well.

[Christopher]

Of course it didn't get the same universal acclaim, it's not a 20+ year old IP that has floated by on name alone for some games in the past and finally made a game this generation worth owning even though it has its imperfections that people choose to completely overlook because it's Zelda.

Personally, I'm hoping for more goodness. I've yet to play Nioh or Persona 5 and I'm still in the middle of Prey as I've been busy playing other games. I'm hoping we still have a few good games coming at the end of this year to put in the GotY category.

[uptownsoul]

@Septic - "Zelda > Horizon all day every day with ease."

I can see why some can say Zelda > Horizon (although I disagree)...But all day every with ease......Stop it!!!

[bouzebbal]

Since when review scores were indicative of how good a game or a product is in general ?
I absolutely hated this zelda game. They should have called it The Legend of the Shrine instead.
On the world is big, ok it is seamless and enjoyable to explore but what's left in the game itself and the main story ? It falls so short compared to previous ones.
I respect people who like it but no matter how much you love it if you are honest with yourself you would understand my point.

Something like NieR deserves top spot this year.

Septic

Lol I did not really expect more than that. Just being yourself that's good to see.

[rainslacker]

Horizon has the advantage of being a new IP, which many can find refreshing. Zelda took a new path to game play, but that may not be enough when weighing all the pros and cons of the candidates.

In any case, it doesn't really matter. Everybody and their brother has to make a blog or article of their GOTY, and I'm sure Zelda and Horizon will "scoop" up plenty of rewards.

I think both are worthy contenders for GOTY. No complaints here.

There may even be other games coming out this year which will do some scooping.

In any case, getting tons of acclaim at release doesn't mean it will get all or even most of the rewards. But no doubt it will get some.

[Hardiman]

Zelda got a lot of that acclaim because it has decades of Zelda nostalgia going for it. It is an amazing game but to think that doesn't play an impact on some critics is silly. For Horizon to do the business it has and is brand new says more to me.

[Shiken]

@Hardiman

Actually the fact that the Zelda has been around for so long along with the delays make it the perfect target for clickbait. The fact that it still scored so high speaks volumes about how good the game turned out to be.

So it is, in fact, the opposite of the point you are trying to make. These days reviewers are looking for anything to get easy clicks. Don't believe me? Look at Washington Post's review for Uncharted 4. (They gave it a 4/10)

So yeah, while Zelda is still a much older franchise, there are those who look to nitpick established franchises to lower the score just to get clicks.

[crazychris4124]

Star Citizen isnt coming out anytime soon. 4.0 update isnt coming until next year and still a hell of a lotta content left after that. End of 2018 at the earliest but I would bet 2019 release.

[DevilOgreFish]

Squadron 42 is the one to be out sooner. with full single player to boot.

[Deep-throat]

Prey alone destroys Horzion... if you care about gameplay. Ubisoft's formula is tired.

[Nyxus]

Like your comments?

[generic-user-name]

@Nyxus

Dayum son.

[Razzer]

Prey is the best you have played this year? Wow....that sucks, dude.

Oh...and you really should try Horizon.

[-Foxtrot]

Prey can't even stick to it's own franchises name...it's a new IP now to stay relevant

[notachance]

guys guys give this man a break, his console hasn't got any decent game yet this year

[bluefox755]

Did you choose Prey because it's one of the only Xbox games this year to get a semi-positive reception?

[SpaceRanger]

Prey? Is the games drought affecting you that bad?

[candystop]

Maybe the guy enjoyed Prey more than the others. Some people have different taste and don't just ride the same bandwagon as everyone else.

[guyman]

Prey doesnt come close to horizon's quality.

And since you went there, there is nothing on xbox one that can touch horizon as well.

[UltraNova]

Candy...just stop.

See what I did there ;-)

[Sircolby45]

Prey? Really? Calling Prey mediocre would have been generous. It isn't even in the same league as Horizon. Also Ubisoft didn't make Horizon....

[snoopgg]

You would of loved scalebound if you like sloppy mess games like prey

[KickSpinFilter]

Prey, dang I deleted that demo after about three hours, does not destroy Horizon at all, son.
Sure it might be a good game for some, but destroys hardly. Challenges more like it.

[UCForce]

Nope. It's more than that. Horizon got gameplay and story. Besides, Horizon is so much better than ROTR in so many levels.

[Profchaos]

Ubisoft didn't create horizon

[objdadon]

Deep-throat1d 1h ago

"Prey alone destroys Horzion... if you care about gameplay. Ubisoft's formula is tired."

There are support groups for people like you😂😂

[DanteVFenris666]

I agree. Most of these people haven't played it and are just downvoting you because... SONY ALWAYS WINS BABY!!!

Fanatics.

Prey was a phonemanal example of extrmley well level design, pacing, story, rpg upgrades, choices. Even though it was a linear game it was more open than horizon in the way it handled objectives. Prey blows horizon out of the water as well as most games this year.

Prey, Zelda, fire emblem echoes and gravity rush 2 have been my most enjoyable games so far this year. I still have a backlog of PS4 games to buy though like persona, nioh and nier

[nowitzki2004]

Prey beats horizon? lmao pathetic child sign off the internet.

[QUIMICOMORTAL]

LOL thats the best you got?

Sucks to be an xbot!

#xbotstarvation

[The 10th Rider]

Mario could easily outdo Zelda.

Super Mario 3D World was anomaly with different gameplay. Super Mario Odyssey is going back to the gameplay that earned Galaxy 1 and Galaxy 2 both 97/100 on Metacritic. Even including 3D World, the series' average metacritic score is like a 95. All they have to do is bring in the incredible level design the series has and throw some originality in to keep things fresh and it'll easily be a 95+.

Outside of that, I don't see Horizon winning many too many awards. I do personally think Persona V should be a contender on the level of Zelda, but I'm not sure if it's mainstream enough to win. I have a feeling that a lot of major sites will ignore it in favor of mainstream titles that didn't garner nearly the same acclaim, especially since Persona V released earlier in the year.

[davand114]

I don't think Horizon is going to stop it but I can see Mario scooping up some of the awards from Zelda. But Zelda right now is the default game of the year.

[Skankinruby]

If Zelda takes goty over Horizon it will be for the same reason GTA 5 took it over The Last of Us, they wanna be a crowd pleaser. Horizon deserves the top spot this year by far.

[The 10th Rider]

GTA V didn't take it over the Last of Us in most cases. The Last of Us won the second most game of the year awards of any game ever (the Witcher 3 winning the most).

[Erik7357]

Lol horizon

[The_Sage]

Lol erik

[cemelc]

Star Citizen, man that game was annouced so long ago that is not even funny

[DarXyde]

Horizon vs Breath of the Wild is what it's looking like. I myself prefer Zelda, but I wouldn't be upset if either got it. They're both outstanding in my opinion.

Though, Persona 5 is my GOTY

[CaptainObvious878]

I believe Horizon should win it by a long shot, but sadly, due to the insane bias and free pass ninty and the zelda name get, it will probably go to botw.

Just look in this thread alone to read some ridiculous notions how botw is the best game ever.

[DanteVFenris666]

I don't know why people praise horizon, it wasn't even the best Sony exclusive I've played this year as well as within critical reviews. Like horizon looked good, had a good story, it was just mediocrely fun to play. Gravity rush was a lot funner. I have yet to play persona and Nier but I have a feeling they will too.

Though supringly I found prey one of my games of the year which was a suprise because it wasn't on my radar at all. Play prey for an example of perfected game and level design. Prey is a tie for Zelda with me. Sounds weird but those are my tastes.

[Nu]

At this point only a Tsunami striking the building where the awards are being held could stop it.

[AspiringProGenji]

Persona 5 wins over both Horizon and Zelda imo. It has 90+ on metacritic and has AAA quality, so it MUST be a GOTY contender and would win if the media wasn't so biased againts non maintream games like this. Hopefully it gets the atention it deserves.

[gangsta_red]

It would be interesting and great if a title like Persona took home some GOTY awards.

[gangsta_red]

*gangsta_red in the far back*

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Silly Mammo]

"You never saw it commminnnng!". If Persona 5 won GOTY

[mcstorm]

I love Zelda bow but I still think my game is Forza Horizon 3 it wont win GOTY but this for me is my GOTY what PlayGround did with this game/still doing is 2nd to none and the best racing game this gen so far for me.

[The 10th Rider]

Forza Horizon 3 released last year.

[mcstorm]

I know that but the GOYA is not Jan 1st to Jan 1st next year its what is brought out in the year since the last aware was given out? I could be wrong but that's what I thought.

[The 10th Rider]

@mcstorm,

Some sites do award based on the space between awards, but I think Forza Horizon 3 released to early to fit into any awards this year.

[Kingthrash360]

Goty awards generally come out around December. Forza:H would have been noticed and mentioned. In fact it won racing game of the year from many sites....even in the gaming awards. Also when's the last time you seen a racing game win goty....or any sports games for that matter.
It's been a tough year for xbox owners....got nothing all year gotta hope last year's games win for this year due to yearly drought.

[mcstorm]

At all above fair enough still stand by it though. If I had to pick a goty for 2017 it would be Zelda botw if I can't include horizon 3. I also agree not often a racing game wins goty that's why I said it for me ide say it was game of the gen so far for me. But we are all different and like difference things and that's why we have a choice.

[conanlifts]

I don't think bias would have anything to do with it if Zelda won. It is an amazing game. Having said that Persona 5 could certainly be a strong contender and worthy winner as well.

[The 10th Rider]

Well, I don't think it would be bias if Zelda won. However mainstream sites often ignore quirky, somewhat niche titles such as Persona. I wouldn't be shocked one bit to see some sites nominate Battlefront, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, or Far Cry 5 over Persona even if none of those games garnered more than a 85 on Metacritic.

[ninsigma]

Haven't played it yet but I'm definitiely going to. I think it could have a really good shot at GOTY.

[rainslacker]

It'll probably win JRPG of the year. Despite Zelda being a JRPG, it still feels more like a WRPG. I don't think any Persona game has ever been nominated for a GOTY by any major publication in the past, much less won said reward.

I'd love to see things like Nier or Persona make it to the ranks though. Bloodborne made it, but it was very western in presentation.

I think niche titles can win though. Remember Journey took quite a few awards back in the day.

[Flipgeneral]

Right on.

Persona 5 is up there with The Witcher 3. After completing those games, both left me sad knowing that my adventure with the cast had come to an end.

A true mark of a great game

[KimikoGaming]

Persona 5 and Horizon: Zero Dawn are both amazing games and overall better than Breath of the Wild. (There are so many issues with BotW and it really doesn't deserve all the perfect scores it is getting).

But face it, BotW's popularity completely trumps both Persona 5 and Horizon: Zero Dawn, and the majority of people who play it seem to think it is a flawless game. So despite Persona 5 and Horizon being better games, it is very likely that Breath of the Wild will win solely due to popularity.

[kindkinesis]

I have played Zelda and Persona 5, and i gotta disagree that Persona 5 is better. Never had a game sucked me in so much as Zelda BOTW.

[generic-user-name]

I think sometimes Nintendo get a free pass. I remember Twilight Princess being raved about but after time, people's estimation of it seemed to lower a lot, though it's 95 on metacritic. I don't know if it's the same story with BotW or not.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

And sometimes, Nintendo games don't get a pass at all.
A lot of people say BotW doesn't deserve the high scores its getting, but at the same time, many of those naysayers rate Zelda lower than it actually deserves to be simply BECAUSE it's a Nintendo game, regardless of its quality as a game overall, which is, in fact, just as great as many of the new IPs that have come out lately.

Some people have their Nintendo goggles on with BotW and don't give stuff like Horizon: ZD fair credit, but there are just as many out there who have their "New&shiny Blinders" on for stuff like Horizon, and fail to give fair credit to other games like Zelda solely because they're familiar.

[bluefox755]

Nintendo ABSOLUTELY gets a free pass. The game had real performance issues upon release, issues that were completely ignored because it's a Zelda game. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game, but it's hard to deny that Nintendo games are held to a different standard than every other game.

[The 10th Rider]

@bluefox755,

Did you play it at launch? The performance issues at release were still very minor. On top of that, while the framerate did stutter in a couple places it was shockingly bug free for such a massive open world game.

Plenty of highly acclaimed games had worse performance issues and still got fantastic scores: Current gen GTA V, Fallout 4 and the Witcher 3, for instance.

Facts just don't support the narrative that it got a pass and you can't provide any proof that what you say is true.

[Imalwaysright]

@ The 10th Rider

They're just buthurt that Zelda has an average score from critics higher than any game on the playstation. The narrative that these sony fanboys came up with that every critic is somehow a Zelda fanboy is beyond ridiculous. Some critics might be but every single one? That is a though pill to swallow unless you're a playstation fanboy that desperately wants to downplay what Nintendo has achieved with the game in favor of Sony's exclusives.

For those wondering, I say playstation fanboys because its mostly well known ps fanboys around here downplaying Zelda.

[The 10th Rider]

@Imalwaysright,

Exactly. Breath of the Wild smashed the record for the most perfect scores awarded. The people constantly claiming bias literally think that the 80% of reviewers that gave the game a 95 or higher are blinded by nostalgia or biased towards Nintendo. There's plenty of people out there like Angry Joe, who doesn't even review Nintendo games and he gave it a 9/10, saying that it's basically a 99/100 but that a few flaws keep him from giving that perfect 10.

The only thing worse is the people who say that Nintendo paid off all the reviewers.

[KimikoGaming]

@Wonderfulmonkeyman

I am far from a Nintendo hater. I have grown up with Nintendo, and Zelda is one of my all time favorite video game series. I was excited as hell for BotW to the point that I bought the switch, a zelda switch skin and case, all of the BotW amiibos, a BotW hat, etc. You would think I was the ultimate Zelda fanboy if you saw me at the midnight launch.

But never before have I been as disappointed with a home console Zelda game as I am with BotW. There were so many issues I had with the game. Not with glitches or graphic bugs or anything, it ran very smooth and was well polished. But the way they designed the game took out a lot of the things I have come to love about Zelda over the last 18 or so years.

It is a good game, and I wouldn't give it something as low as a 6. In my opinion it deserves somewhere between an 8 and an 8.5. Which is still pretty good. But it does not deserve all the perfect scores everyone is giving it. It has way too many issues, and it is far from the best Zelda game.

[Razzer]

I've got many many hours into Zelda and I think it is far from flawless, like most games. It is a great game, but I just had more fun playing Persona and Horizon.

[Yohshida]

1. Persona 5
2. Zelda
.
.
.
.
Horizon

Dont know if its just me, but I found Horizon pretty boring. Its a good game but far from goty.

[guyman]

"Dont know if its just me"

It's you.

[lunatic0001]

I played all three and I will still choose Zelda over both

[Razzer]

Personal 5 > Horizon Zero Dawn > Zelda: BotW

My opinion

[KimikoGaming]

Agreed

[bluefox755]

I agree.

[ninsigma]

Really gotta play Persona! Probably the only game this year that could topple Horizon zero dawn as best game for me. I'd have had it finished by now too only Amazon lost my order and I haven't gotten round to getting again since.

[omarja1405]

I think it's safe to say that most gamers who played all three games will agree with you.

[rainslacker]

I haven't even touched Persona yet. Still want to finish up Horizon(taking much longer than it should due to life), then want to play BOTW, and Nier, along with a couple niche Japanese titles I picked up, then it's back to my backlog.

Hard to put off Persona though. I always loved that series, but I know I'd spend an exceedingly long time with it, and want to let things lighten up for my personal stuff before venturing in.

[badz149]

where would you put Nier Automata though?

[Razzer]

I could easily replace Zelda with Nier in that list.

[Kashima]

Persona 5!

[kindkinesis]

Persona 5 could make a case

[TheGamez100]

Persona 5 wins it for me. Botw my 2nd though.

[TheOptimist]

Sorry, but Nier Automata or Persona 5 are GOTY irrespective of how many awards Zelda wins from the likes of Geoff Keighley.

Top 5 games till now in 2017

5. Yakuza 0
4. Nioh
3. Prey
2. Persona 5 (Only 30 hours in, might capture top spot after I complete it)
1. Nier Automata

[davand114]

Zelda is easily the game of the year followed by persona 5 and who the fuck still watches the game awards? That shit is trash and it gets worst every year. Keighley will most likely try to give Hideo Kojima game of year just so he can make a weird and uncomfortable speech about him.

[maybelovehate]

Nier ahead of Zelda is crazy. Don't get me wrong, it was a good game but not even in the same ball park. Persona 5 is the only competitor but even that is pretty far away.

[bluefox755]

Not everyone likes Zelda.

[maybelovehate]

I don't think anything stands a chance VS Zelda. It is the best game ever made, so it is hard to see any game from this year beating it, let alone all the other years of gaming.

[Razzer]

Wow....you think Zelda is the best ever? Totally disagree with that.

[ninsigma]

It's not even the best zelda game, never mind best game ever.

[WeAreLegion]

Dude, Okami is still the best Zelda game.

[bluefox755]

It's not even the best Zelda game ever made.

[kevnb]

I dont really get worried about what everyone else thinks, the games I like seem to be selling well this year and thats good enough news for me.

[bluefox755]

From Critics? No one will. It's a Zelda game, it was going to get the awards from critics no matter what. Reader/viewer's choice awards may be a different story. Horizon, Persona 5, Nier Automata, all fantastic games, and definite GOTY contenders. For me personally, Persona 5 is the winner easily.

[deafdani]

Skyward Sword came out in 2011 and the majority of GOTY awards were for Skyrim.

So, not necessarily true.

[scarface0121]

Super Mario Oddessy is the only game that could possibly out do zelda this year

[Veneno]

And it very well could win as it is a Switch game and not a last Gen port.

[Antnee534]

Persona 5 was best game th8s year

[Relientk77]

Persona 5 and Horizon Zero Dawn

[slappy508]

For me my top games are
1.Nioh (best for me this gen actually)
2.Persona
3.Nier
4.Horizon
It would be nice to see one of the first 3 who are not as mainstream get some recognition

[Veneno]

Wow is nioh really that good? Better than from software?

[slappy508]

Yeah there's just so much in terms of character development and gear options and so much loot. I also like that the combat is fast paced. I guess it all comes to preference but if you like dark souls 3 or bloodborne you probably will enjoy Nioh

[ThatGuyDart]

I wouldn't say its objectively better, there are some things that the souls games do a lot better than Nioh and vise versa. However I have had more fun with Nioh than ANY Dark Souls game. Bloodborne still trumps them all as a true masterpiece but Nioh can easily challenge any of the Dark Souls games.

[Imalwaysright]

To me, only Persona 5 is on the same level this generation with Bloodborne being a close second.

[DillyDilly]

If South Park comes out this year South Park will win everything

[The 10th Rider]

Not really. It's not even being made by Obsidian this time around. Obsidian are master RPG developers and you can bet that they're the reason the first one turned out so good. The new one could still be good, but I'd be shocked if it eclipsed the first one. The constant delays also don't give me much confidence.

[DillyDilly]

Don't ruin the hype man

[Razzer]

Agree. Ubisoft San Francisco is developing the new South Park. They have done Rocksmith and a few others. No guarantee they are going to knock this out of the park. I'm hopeful it is great as I loved Stick of Truth, but automatic GOTY? Hardly.

[Wolfgang187]

Persona 5 is every bit as good as Final Fantasy 7. It will take a few GOTY awards. Horizon should take a few GOTYs as well.

[drunkenspy007]

Having recently picked up a switch (just to play zelda) I can say it's the best game of the year so far. Horizon is great, but it doesn't have the same depth. What I mean is once I finished HZD in say 30 hours, I had no desire to go back to it. I'm over 30 hours with Zelda and I'm in no rush to finish it. There's just too much to explore and do. And it's far from just another open sandbox world like Skyrim, the game has it's own amazing physics engine that is the best I have seen. I mean, under an overhanging ledge / roof, rain gets stopped by the object, it's not just a visual overlay to give you the illusion of it raining, it feels like a complete and living world.

[WeAreLegion]

Exploring areas that look the same and doing the same things over and over isn't super interesting. That's why I can't enjoy BotW that much.

[Pancit_Canton]

Zelda: BOTW is overrated as hell. There's tons of good games that came out on 2017 that can beat Zelda easily.

[Prince_TFK]

Ton of game? Care to name at least 5 games that are better than BOTW and get the same score this year?

[CrimsonWing69]

Horizon was more interesting in my opinion.

[Vasto]

Zelda will in GOTY hands down.

[Razzer]

Thankfully there are many many GOTY awards given by many different outlets. I imagine Zelda, Persona 5, HZD, Nier, and Nioh will grab the majority. Zelda will certainly get the most.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

I can think of a few games. Persona 5, Nioh, and Horizon Zero Dawn. Still there's a few months to go until awards start coming out and there are potentially 2 more contenders coming, Days Gone and God of War 4.

[DialgaMarine]

It was probably going to do it anyway. Horizon is an amazing game that deserves its share of awards, but it had some actual competition; Zelda just has to be slightly better than the last one, and it's guaranteed boat loads of praise.

[Last_Boss]

I'd like Horizon to take it. The narrative alone is too much for Zelda. It may be open world but it is way to arid for cohesiveness. I wish Zelda had much more meat than what was in the game. If not, I'd go with Neir or Persona.

[zivtheawesome]

You know everybody says that it will win but if you look in the site that counts GOTY awards no winner (it started from 2003) has been from ninendo so TBF i am not sure if it will win even if it got the highest score. It certainly could and has a high chance for it but dont immediately scream that nintendo will 100% win.

[davand114]

Mario most likely.

[SaveFerris]

There are some strong contenders for GOTY, though it looks as if a couple of titles from award winning franchises may not get a look in (Final Fantasy XV, and Mass Effect: Andromeda).

[galmi]

niohniohniohniohniohniohniohni ohniohniohniohniohniohniohniohn iohniohniohnioh

[talocaca]

After putting 80 hours I think it deserves all the awards it can get.

I really loved the climbing mechanic....every wall, mountain and surface is a challenge! And more than anything it was FUN to play.

I never found a single glitch either and loved the overall charm and openness...

[XXanderXX]

No one , cause as of yet their hasn't been any real contenders that have set the industry on a blaze or on fire .

[Razzer]

...on Xbox

[XXanderXX]

NO in General , no game has set the industry ablaze for neither platform .
A few games may have caused a few spark but no major blaze .

There is one game but it has not arrived yet , its Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (PC) .
This game set the industry ablaze just on the subject matter it deals with .

[Razzer]

Hellblade will be on PS4 and PC. Agree...another promising game.

You may not want to acknowledge the great games that have come out so far this year since they are not on Xbox, but it doesn't change the fact that there are several contenders from this crop that will be up for GOTY.

[BlaqMagiq1]

Persona 5 is the ONLY one that deserves all the GOTY awards.

[deafdani]

ALL of them?

Best fighting game = Persona 5
Best racing game = Persona 5
Best first person shooter = Persona 5

[BlaqMagiq1]

Yup you got it

[InKnight7s]

Persona, Horizon will.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

And this is relevant because?
Awards mean even less than reviews.

[generic-user-name]

Then why are hundreds of them awarded? Why do thousands of gamers look up who won? You don't care? Fine, jog on.

[XxINFERNUSxX]

Hmm, Horizon, Zelda and maybe Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Galaxy did win GOTY in 2007, so this will be a good year for games :D

[WeAreLegion]

It will win a majority, I think, but I don't understand it. It's a good game, but I found Horizon both more fun and interesting. I have no idea why people love BotW so much.

[Luucifa]

If you want to understand why people love Botw so much, try watching or reading any of the countless 10/10 reviews its gotten. Reviews usually go into detail about what makes a game good or not. 😂

[Silly gameAr]

What a dumb article.

[generic-user-name]

What a dumb comment.

[PigPen]

Zelda GOTY? I'm fine with that.

[InMyOpinion]

Nier: Automata deserves it the most imo. It's like nothing else released the last 10 years.

[Cartman55125]

Horizon, a brand new IP, sold more copies than Zelda... And Zelda came out on two consoles that were both starving for games. That says something.

[Luucifa]

It says something about install base. Try comparing them by attach rate and average play-time. 😉

[thawind]

Was Zelda BOTW released on Switch and Wii U?

[The 10th Rider]

Horizon released on a Tuesday and sold around 1.83 million it's first five days on the market.
http://www.vgchartz.com/art...

Breath of the Wild released on a Friday and sold around 1.49 in it's first two days on the market.
http://www.vgchartz.com/art...

Where on earth did you find that Horizon sold more copies than Zelda? As far as I can tell we don't really have any other data to go off of. Outside of that we know that Horizon sold 2.6 million it's first two weeks and Breath of the Wild sold 3.84 its first month. By those numbers there's a very good chance Zelda outsold Horizon, and that's even with the Switch version of Zelda being constrained by console supply (Breath of the Wild sold more copies on Switch in March than the Switch itself did).

[Cartman55125]

http://www.vgchartz.com/yea...

[Cartman55125]

But judging by your comment history, you seem to be a Nintendo fanboy. Didn't mean to upset you or your company with the numbers ;)

[The 10th Rider]

According to the source you shared Breath of the Wild sold more . . . It's on two platforms. You even mention in your original comment that Horizon sold more despite Zelda being out on "two consoles", so you were counting Wii U. That makes it 2.7 million for Horizon VS 3.3 million for Zelda. Your own link goes against your claim. And either way those numbers are clearly outdated and only go trough April.

If you're only counting the Switch version then it's sales have been limited by the Switch stock, which is clearly evidenced by the fact that it had over a 100% attach rate.

Also, calling me a fanboy is simply an ad hominem. I own a gaming PC and some Nintendo consoles. I comment predominantly on Nintendo articles because that's what I own. I've defended plenty of Xbox games before, such as Phantom Dust and Quantam Break, despite the fact that I'm not all that interested in them and don't own an Xbox. If I see someone say something that's incorrect I'll call them out on it, regardless of platform. It just so happens I do it more on Nintendo articles because I own a Nintendo system. There's rarely a need to defend a Playstation game on this site. With third parties that I play on PC there's rarely an issue to comment on because people don't usually unreasonably attack third parties.

[Ristul]

Horizon is up there with it, but Zelda will most likely win. So many high quality titles this year though.

[TheOttomatic91]

Horizon Zero Dawn or Super Mario Oddysey also BOTW may be a great game but it sure is hell ain't perfect I think you'll be surprised by the amount of quality that will come out of this year but.

[salazarnaruto52]

Persona 5 > Horizon: Zero Dawn > Nier: Automata > Nioh > Resident Evil 7
Have not played Zelda since I don't have a Switch but I will get one this year. Can't wait to see what all the fuss is about :)

[DreadGara]

Some game from Scorpio will win.

[subtenko]

are you kidding?! these are not the only 2 games in existence.....

[generic-user-name]

Yeah, that must be why there's a list with about 12 others in the article.

[subtenko]

To put it side by side like that in the headline.....

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Horizon Zero Dawn absolutely will give it a run and lets be honest May is just ending. There are still 7 months to go before years end so there is a lot that can still come forward and become the media darling.

[generic-user-name]

No doubt. 2017 is still there for the taking.

[lunatic0001]

The Italian plumber

[Platformgamer]

Who? Horizon, nier, nioh, crash n sane trilogy, cuphead...

[Zjet]

Don't forget Shadow of Mordor....

[generic-user-name]

It got a mention.

[Dan_scruggs]

The real question is why does it need to be stopped?

[generic-user-name]

'Who could beat Muhammed Ali in a fight' is not the same as 'Muhammad Ali needs to lose'.

[BlakHavoc]

I think it's gonna come down to Zelda, Mario, P5, or Horizon. Those are the four I see winning the most GOTYs. My favorite so far tho would have to be Zelda, P5 is an amazing game and one of the best I've ever played. I almost shed a tear when the credits started rolling.

[fritz_alexander13]

The emotional resonance of the story of Final Fantasy XV could garner one or two.

Persona 5, in my opinion, is not good enough to be a contender.

[TheColbertinator]

So far for me its down to Zelda and Persona.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Horizon, Prey, Nioh, Persona, Nier, Mass Effect, Resident Evil 7

[opinionated]

Nioh deserves at least one award. Such a fantastic game and it's my GOTY so far.

[Kitt92]

Not played Zelda yet but played horizon and persona 5 and for me persona 5 would take my game of the year

[Hugodastrevas]

Persona 5.

[Miacosa]

It already seems like all the coverage and talk coming from every major gaming outlets like IGN and GameSpot, etc that this is the case. They play open minded because there is still half a year to go but it would be shocking if they branch out and really look at something else. Some games seem to have a better story experience and tighter gameplay so that might win over outlets who value that over just a good open world exploration. However, its gonna be very hard as lots of love is getting thrown at Breath of the Wild deserved or not.

[Saito]

Zelda is so bland.

[FinalomegaS]

actually read the 170+ comments,

i believe there is this notion that some of these games are on the same level. P5 or HZD should win GOTY, i mean they were in the works and the gamers love them, received great scores.

BUT

I believe LoZ should be awarded GOTD, Will remain a masterpiece for a while.

If you played any of these 3 games for a while and i mean more than 30...50....100++ hours. You know you got your moneys worth.

You know LoZ isn't for everyone but neither is P5 or HZD... The awards will be given out to these 3 but let's be honest LoZ has this magic or some sort of obia xD

[DrierofLeaves]

Persona 5, hopefully (although I adore Zelda too)

[Brash]

Overwatch won last year, so I'm not chalking this up to sense, personally

[Pego]

One game: Puyo Puyo Tetris!

[CoryHG]

Horizon and Resident Evil 7 and Ghost Recon are all worthy. But Nintendo fanboys.

[Raziology]

Horizon: Zero Dawn and Persona 5 are fierce contenders. Link better watch out.

[Snez]

BotW isn't even the best game to have come out this year, it only leaves an extremely good first impression that slowly gets more and more unsatisfied the more time you sink into it.

But that being said it's a Zelda game, one of the most painfully overrated franchises of all time. So of course it's going to scope up every award.

[Daybish99]

Persona 5 says hi

[objdadon]

A multiplayer only game by the name of overwatch got GOTY last year😂 i no longer even take that honor seriously anymore 😂

[Aaroncls7]

Who gives a shit about some awards. Game's freaking great and that the best award TO YOU.

[PistolsAtDawn]

Doesn't look like it right now. There were some other great games this year (three of my favorites didn't score all that well though...at least not GOTY levels). Right now Zelda is hands down the best GOTY though. I would say though that if Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves shape up the way they are looking to...they will get some sort of recognition...however, probably not GOTY even if they deserve it.

[ABBAJESUS]

"And the winner of GAMETRAILERS game of the year award is...winner is sponsored by doritos and mountain dew...Mass Effect Andromeda!"

[Dalailana]

Nintendo's own Mario Odessey will gooble it up.

[Xx_Pistol_xX]

Common now ALL the awards.

[ASBO-5]

Horizon:ZD & Persona 5 say "Hi"

[MrSega]

And who cares about Zelda beyond the nintendo fanboys?

[IIFloodyII]

The one true god and king of all kings.

Knack 2!

[TheGamingArt]

Horizon should win a ton of awards, seriously is this a joke article

[DaleCooper]

A lot of great games this year, but I feel Zelda is amazing with fantastic game design all around. It has depth, but allows a player to learn and progress at their own pace rather than feeling overwhelmed with new systems and long tutorials. The puzzles are great and many offer a variety of ways to solve. The open world is gorgeous and full of life.

I'm not even a big fan of Zelda games, but BotW is still impressing me after over 30 hours of playing. It's going to be really hard to beat it for GOTY.

Persona 5 and Horizon are the other top contenders, but I don't see them taking the majority of GOTY titles from news outlets like I do for Zelda.

[SuperJay182]

For me it's Horizon.
I've been playing BOTW, and I won't deny it's a great game, but I've found it a lot harder to get into then Horizon, and for me the map borders on the too big line (ala Just Cause 3) - even with horses, you could be running for minutes without bumping into anything or anyone.

With Horizon, I was sucked into the story, and actually wanted to read the notes and listen to the audiofiles, no game since ME2 has got me to do that.

[no_ripley]

Remove the great graphics from Horizon - all you have is shallow gameplay.

Do the same for Zelda or Mario games and you still have 100% fun.

Nintendo > Sony + MS