Reaction: Looking Back, Xbox Has Had Some Strange GOTY Omissions Over The Years

I don't think Starfield deserves any kind of award. Having played it all the way through and then Ng+ and all the faction quests, it's just a decent game not a great one.

It pains me to say it but, when compared to Bethesda's other RPGs, it's quests and world building were very lacking and I think it's by far their weakest game.

Cant help feeling this article will play nicely into the 'Victim mentality' that seems to be prevalent with many Xbox only gamers, but you cant blame a site wanting more engagement

I wasn't at all surprised to not see a Starfield nomination, as it quite clearly doesn't warrant one, even though I enjoyed the game.
Forza Motorsport is an absolute mess and is best forgotten - and its not a genre that would normally warrant GOTY attention anyway.

Best game from Xbox this year has been Hi Fi Rush. You can make a case for its inclusion in the reckoning, but ultimately its just a beat-em up with knobs on, so in the year where we've had so many glowing games, it doesn't surprise me its not in there.
But it's Xbox's best by far this year imo.

I'm hoping for better things from the new teams to raise the bar and compete with the industries best, and hope we see Xbox games in the conversation next year (please avowed, be good!)

In any other year Starfield may make the cut, but not in this one. 2023 has been absolutely stellar.

Sunset Overdrive was an amazing and fun game. Sad will never be a sequel.

Starfield. Am I enjoying? Yes. Was the game a lot of overhype? Yes. Is it skyrim or fallout in space that feels like a game 20 years old? Absolutely!

Starfield is just your typical Bethesda game from a developer that refuses to update their game engine or invest in a legit Q&A team to test their games. Not saying the game is terrible. Just stating facts.

I'm enjoying Starfield, but with the exception of the ship building & combat, it's mechanically just a watered down Fallout 4. Which makes me more excited for the Series Enhanced update for Fallout 4 instead of finishing Starfield. It's fun, but nowhere near the leagues of most of the other nominees.

@Titntin Really think Forza is a mess? How so? At least from what I've played really enjoyed. Game is definitely not groundbreaking or feels next gen though.

Starfield may not be GoTY but to me it’s more worthy of being nominated over Spider-Man 2 and even RE4 IMO. People may say it’s like older Bethesda games but it’s still a hugely ambitious game. Not all of it was a home run but it’s a game I will spend more time over the years with than SP 2, which is really just more of the same.

RE4 as a remake doesn’t even belong in consideration. Dead Space was just as good if not better of a remake so why isn’t it in nominations? Just leave remakes out of the mix.

In any case, Alan Wake 2 is still by far my GoTY. It does more to advance narrative gaming than any on the list and has blown me away. Amazing game.

FWIW, I also do think you will see Starfield appear on many GoTY lists.

This feels like a bit like a tin-hat conspiracy theory intended to stoke the console fanboy flames.

Sure, Gears of War 3 is a little surprising, but like you said — it was a loaded year. I loved Sunset Overdrive but it wasn’t GoTY material. Forza Horizon 2 as a bit more of the same and racing games are (frustratingly) rarely in these GoTY conversations. Titanfall 1 was a multiplayer-only title that had lots of unrealized potential that wouldn’t happen until TF2. And Starfield was a very divisive game that came out in the middle of one of the best gaming years ever — there simply isn’t room for everyone, and I’m glad they’re not handing out participation nominations to keep every console owner happy.

Maybe, just maybe, a reason that MS hasn’t had a lot of exclusives nominated for GoTY is because they haven’t made many since the 360 days. We just got out of the first-party drought this year, and are still waiting for a flood of exclusives with the same cadence that Nintendo and Sony deliver.

Maybe if Psychonauts 2 wasn’t nominated I’d say you’d have an argument, but it’s clear that Xbox needs more fantastic exclusives if you want them to get more GoTY nominations.

In the end games are supposed to be fun; I would enjoy what you enjoy and worry less about what trophies other games get.

Starfield deserves nothing the other xbox games on this were hard done by not starfield though

Wish you'd touch more on recent years.
Though I suppose there's nothing to touch on.

@GuyinPA75 The conversation around this game is how can be so bad. Just read the Forza forums for a taste of this.
I got to driver level 50 something and gave up on it - it was soulless and joyless to me, so I can see why people are having those conversations. I'd rather play FM7 - its a far better game to me.
If you liked it mate, then enjoy away - I have no hotline to good taste (far from it), so I don't want to spoil anyone else's enjoyment of it
The view appears to be shared widely online, so I don't think my own feelings are way out of leftfield - much was promised and even shown, and simply not delivered. Huge shame as I really wanted to love it, that's why I played for so long before realising I was wasting my time.

Racers aren’t popular enough to win, they just happen to be often amongst the best looking games.

With Xbox recently it’s what do they have that is truly mind blowing, that rivals a Mario, or a Zelda? Or ends up being as polished as what a GoW title ends up like? It’s 2023 and a lot of Starfield was outdated. It is what it is.

Hi-Fi rush can be argued could be in the list, but then again, things like Street fighter, Pikmin, Metroid prime and Hogwarts also missed out on a nomination. Maybe it should have been a shortlist of 10 rather than 6?

It’s most likely going to change again once stuff like fable releases. But can Xbox nail that final 5% of polish? (Stuff like red fall that MS thought would review double digits higher) what’s going on between their internal tests and release to public?

I agree, Xbox doesn't have any great games lately. The best games are to Big Story drive, single player campaign games and Xbox gets none of those. Ever... I have been an Xbox fanboy for years and years and I have lately been playing my PS5 more because the games are better for someone like me who only plays single player story games. Xbox needs to step up and learn from PlayStation on how to make really good single player games.

I don't need awards to tell me what games I should enjoy and what I shouldn't.

That being said, here are a few things I think Microsoft should do though to help:
1) Only announce games that are realistically 6 - 12 months from release.
2) Don't be afraid to delay if the quality isn't there.
3) Shorten the leash a little bit on developer oversight for the more...problemetic (terrible word, but it's the best I got) studios. Let them be creative, but don't let scope creep get out of control. At some point, you have to dial things in.

I have been overall happy with Microsoft's output. Starfield, while I do think it's Bethesda's best game, still isn't for me - the game suffers from one too many distractions and becomes too overwhelming for me to enjoy.

Forza isn't my thing. I played it a little and enjoyed what I played, though.

Redfall just needed more time in the oven, but I liked it. Hopefully that one can bounce back.

Psychonauts II is great! Hi-Fi Rush is great!

Halo Infinite is pretty good. I mean, other than being mostly the same location, it was very much a Halo game with some interesting tweaks.

What I don't want is for Microsoft to be Sony or Nintendo. I want Microsoft to find its broad-appeal mojo again and be different from the others - awards or no awards.

Salty. While it's a good game in its own right, it definitely does not deserve an award. Unfortunately it's come out the same year there has been an abundance for incredible games. And all of those games, Reviewed and are technically and written far better. If this came out last year it would have stood a chance.

@DonaldMcRonald Alan wake is actually sitting on a 94. The 3rd highest on that list of noms. Spiderman is actually the lowest on a 90.

@Kaloudz 100% award or no award, people really should be happy we get all these great experiences.

I enjoyed Starfield well enough, but no WAY it's one of the 6 best games this year. And that's ok.

It is more than clear already that media overall has a bias against Xbox, but people insists that Xbox players are just salty.

It is just a huge coincidence that as soon as Xbox splash its brand on a game it automatically gets trashed by the media.

I have no doubt if Starfield was a PS exclusive it would have been nominated.

No way in hell Resident Evil 4 Remake is a better choice, a Remake of an old game instead of a huge brand new IP.

By the way, the same media who constantly complain about lack of innovation and the game industry always playing safe are the ones nominating Mario, Zelda and all sorts of sequels of estabilished franchises, the exceptions being Alan Wake 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 that despite being sequels presented innovations of some sort.

Mario & Zelda are both great IPs, but coming from the same people who complain about Halo or Gears being 'more of the same' this doesn't makes sense unless you add the bias in the mix.

Hogwarts Legacy was not present at all. Starfield not in Game of The Year is a joke, a big company title (nexon) nominated for best indie game (Let's add COD there too since now we can freely interpretate what indie means).

TGA is a mess. It is not about merit or quality, it is a PlayStation showcase.

They also messed up a with other categories, an esports coach that wasn't coaching the entire year being nominated to Best esports coach.

The list goes on.

It is unfortunate that an event that should be celebrating games for its merits became a showcase of biased journalists who hates on xbox every chance they have.

No mention of Titanfall 2? It's one of the absolute best shooters I've ever played. Incredible game, very spectacular campaign.

@Raffles It wasn’t an Xbox exclusive like the first one.

@awp69 Oh I see, wow, how absolutely bizarre. Until now I had no idea it was released on the PS4

I only played it for the first time recently, and just assumed it was an Xbox/PC exclusive.

None the games you listed deserved nominations which is why they weren't nominated.

@Titntin but lemme guess - SpiderMan 2 deserves to be nominated?

@themightyant Yes, got to be honest, I found the mention of Sunset Overdrive a bit strange. A game like that was obviously never going to be a GOTY contender, not to mention the fact that it didn't review very well as you said.

FH2 on the other hand could have been nominated. It's an excellent game, and did review very well, and was considered to be groundbreaking for the open world driving genre.

I legit don’t think there are any Xbox fans on this site anymore. 😄

Starfield is a watered down version of Fallout in space. If that's your thing, great, it just wasn't mine, nor a lot of others after reading the comments.

@TheGrizMan There are, but we are tired of hearing "Just wait until ______ and you will be amazed!" In the same breath, I can say the same for Sony as Spider-Man 2 is the first 1st party game without a PS4 counterpart.

Forza Horizon 2 is one of the greatest racing titles of all time with considerable post-game depth if you want to do all hundred+ tours. How that missed out on GOTY over tripe like Dragon Age I will never know.

@Titntin give Forza some time. Even GT7 was lame when it launched. It's not a service game, but the additional content acts like it is. I don't disagree with your comments as it does feel a little sterile. I think they are trying to find their way and it is too easy to just do more of the same. I have been enjoying it, yet wish there was more.

@TheGrizMan I wouldnt know about Spiderman 2, I don't play them games (swinging makes me ill).
I have played BG3 though, and Zelda, and I have no beef with them being considered as they are excellent.
I'm also delighted that Sea of Stars is up for the RPG catagory - I played and completed this on Game Pass, and the love that went into crafting that title shines through.
Im genuinely hopeful for future xbox titles mate, I want to see that success as much as anyone, but I wont let desire colour my genuine feelings for whats been served this year. Please dont turn this into plastic box wars, thats so useless and unnecessary.

I don't know how Halo Infinite did not get nominated for Best Ongoing Game. The game has been amazing for a long time now and is still getting better.

Meanwhile they nominate Destiny 2 after poor reception to recent expansions, missing financial targets by 45%, massive layoffs, and a public apology from CEO for the state of the game.

EDIT - it is best community support that Destiny 2 was nominated for. Halo would be a better choice there as well.

Forza Horizon 5 got robbed of a GOTY nominee in 2021. Halo could’ve also made it if it didn’t ship with its multiplayer underbaked.

Otherwise… I don’t think they’ve been robbed much since 2016 or so.

Or are we just salty about Starfield?

I would opine it could be both, Xbox titles being overlooked or omitted over the years and you guys being salty about it 😁.
Its really up to Microsoft and XGS to prove that they can produce GOTY nominee titles, they'll get there eventually I'm sure 😉.

I don't really get all the angst over Starfield's "omission".

This year quite a lot of games that are better than Starfield.

I have over 200 hours into Starfield and I have enjoyed it.

However, it has just as many flaws as it has impressive elements. The more you play it, the more you find it's shortcomings.

I think if you rated Starfield with any type of objectivity, you would have to knock some points off for all it's flaws.

Even though I have a large amount of time invested in it and think it is a good game, I can recognize that it has a lot of problems. In addition to being littered with bugs that seem to get worse the longer you play, it has some serious game play flaws.

On top of that, 2023 has had some truly amazing games. IMO, it shouldn't be a GOTY contender unless that list was very long to being with. I don't see it being a top 5 game in 2023.

@Stnkygrngo Thanks for the encouragement. I will no doubt try it again in 6 months after many updates and I hope it will have found its feet by then!

@DonaldMcRonald R&C I forgot about. Great game! The others I wasn’t aware of. Thanks for that! I’ll check them out if they are on PS Plus

I think you are entirely right with your assessment, @Titntin. Not only does it sound like Starfield does not warrant a nomination for GotY (I have not played it, so I base my comment on the views of those that have), but this year has produced one particularly outstanding game, potentially once in a generation, and so when compared to those, it was never going to be in the running. Indeed, even those that have received a nomination, are only there to make up the numbers because just having Baldur's Gate 3 on the list wouldn't suffice. It gives those developers something to crow about, but I don't think there is much doubt about the eventual winner, and I doubt the other studios think they are actually in the running...

Its because MS are great at putting out 8/10 games but struggle putting out 9's and 10's. Starfield is a great game and Hi-Fi Rush is good fun they aren't at the level of Baldur's Gate 3, TotK, Alan Wake 2 and Mario Wonder. I will say while Spidey 2 is a great game its certainly not GOTY level, solid 8.5 but no way should it be up there with Baldur's Gate 3 or Alan Wake 2.

Shocked Gears 3 didn't get more love though in the day as that's peak Gears and one of the best 3rd person shooters ever made.

It's really sad how media has decided to go againts xbox decades ago and Sony keeps spending money to keep it that way. It's so obvious where the quality games come from and it definedly isn't from Sony. Sony keeps pushing out the most booring and hollow games and all the good ideas in their games (which there isn't many) are copied from other companies. Sony just keeps spending their money to keep media on their side and to make xbox look bad, instead they should try to put little bit of that bloodmoney to make actually good games.

8/10 decent game in a year as packed as 2023. does not net you a GotY nomination, and it shouldn't.
If anything, if Starfield was nominated it would seem bias/suspicious.
What I do feel great about is the praise Hi-Fi Rush is getting. Game doesn't have to be built by Bethesda with unlimited budget to be great

You lost your mind when you wrote Uncharted 3 wasnt worthy of a nomination.

I could think of at least 5 more games that deserved the nomination more than Starfield lol

I personally didn't like Starfield. It played slowly & was dull. All of the Fallout titles are infinitely better and so was Wet (another Bethesda title). Other than Gears of War 2 & Rise of Nations, Microsoft just don't seem to create games of the year for me.

Starfield should have been nominated for Game of the Year. Instead it got snubbed in that category. Instead the only nomination it got was Best RPG.
I feel like Starfield should have been in the nominees for Game of the Year instead of the Resident Evil 4 remake. That remake should have only been nominated in one category that does not exist yet. That category being Best Remake.

Me in September: Starfield is a masterpiece!
Me in November: Starfield is great but wow did BG3 and Alan Wake 2 bring it…

@Onlyboxmatters A comment only a Xbox fanboy could make. Keep games off Xbox? Just like MS pay to keep games off PS, both do it and MS have even paid to make sure you can't wishlist or pre-order the PS5 version of Ark what is pretty damn shady.

xbox is my kind of console. compared to all other platforms its perfect.

but

if phil keeps on buying the industry the world will hate xbox more and more.

@MandoloreShepard agree 💯 A remake/remaster category is needed.

o yea. i like starfield and will end up putting hundreds of hours in it but the main story questline is awful. i never ever want to go through that again. they would have been better off going with discovering a race of talking dino people to fight.

This has been going on for years, nothing to do with starfield.

Not a spiketv doritopope goty nominee (metacritic score):
Ori (88)
Ori WotW (90)
Halo Infinite (87)
Gears 5 (84)
Forza Horizon 5 (92) - literally the highest rated video game of 2021

Worthy of a doritopope spiketv goty nomination:
Death Stranding (82)
Ghosts of Sushimama (83)
Stray (83)

It's a doritopope show, expect nothing less. I'm sure someone will try to educate me that he doesn't personally make the selections, as if he doesn't choose the jury.

The game Awards nominations, as far as I understand, are driven by the reviewing industry voting. It is no secret that a big bulk of the industry focuses on PlayStation, with a disproportionate number of outlets being PlayStation-only. Those wont ever vote for an XBox game, and the pure-xbox outlets are not numerous enough to compensate for that.

Things might had changed a bit when Xbox started delivering all its games also on PC, but I still don't see PlayStation-biased publications (you will have a hard time convincing me some all-platform outlets are not biased when they always request PS copies to review) to give Xbox the credit they deserve, when they deserve it.

Game Awards would be better off (maybe) if nominations were driven by industry developers instead of reviewers that (no offense to anyone here) can often be simply platform fanboys.

@Chuffer I could say the same thing to spiderman 2. Spiderman 2 is just a copy and paste and added a little bit of villains. More over spiderman 2 should be replaced by Hogwarts legacy as it the best selling game for the ps5.

@Banjo- "Xbox site is worse". Well now. Since Xbox finally has the games to compete. People complain for being the monopoly. Sony fans are upset because Sony can't afford to make such big moves like ABK deal. I will bet my winning lottery that these PS fanboys will championing this ABK deal if it were to be bought by Sony

@Belkan Absolutely. All the toxicity comes from them, you don't see Nintendo fans coming here to be toxic. If Sony had bought ABK as you said, they would be on cloud nine. If Hi-Fi Rush was a Sony exclusive, it would be a game of the year nominee and not a "7/10 game that was lucky just because it's on Game Pass."

There are many great games this year, but Sony's games are untouchable somehow, as everyone has noticed by now, including the writer of this article. All the flaws that are associated with each Xbox game don't matter if it's not a game published by Microsoft. Starfield is copy-paste but Spider-Man 2 is awesome.

@Belkan I can't comment on how Spiderman is as I haven't played it and likely never will. Not because i think it's a bad game or anything but anything related to comic book stuff is a massive turn off for me, well that and not having a ps5 😂

Having seen the full list of games up for awards this year it's clear there are some really average games in there. Non inherently bad but a lot of just decent games that really aren't deserving of a flashy award.

I'm just glad my personal game of the year being Armoured Core 6 is up for best action.

@Chuffer I will agree with you. Though VGA could've add more nominees. AC6, hogwarts, hifi, lies of p. There's no harm in adding more.

@DreamlandGem were keeping our discussion very civil and yet pure xbox has come to another attack. And have no choice to defend.

@DennisReynolds " keep off xbox". if that's how sony plays their game okay fine. Then MS has no choice but to buy studios. If that's their business strategy so be it.

@Belkan They both do it and have been since the start, look at the 360 era with MS making sure to keep Bioshock off PS3 for a good while as well keep Mass Effect exclusive for years or getting timed GTA IV DLC. MS are just as guilty and actually do it more and still doing it to this day. As for buying studios yeah Sony bought a very very small handful last gen so MS decided to buy 2 massive mega corps along with endless other studios changing the game. Sony are no angels but neither is MS.

@DennisReynolds we can never be too sure who started the exclusivity. The thing is, that exclusive deals has gone out of hand. And both company has gone to new hights.

@Belkan I can agree with that.

This is just a salty article designed to push the 'us and them' mentality. None of those games mentioned deserved to be selected for GOTY in my opinion. To beat starfields drum for GOTY in any year, let alone this one is desperation. I am completely addicted to Starfield at the moment but it's a 7/10 game with no innovation from the last 3/4 Bethesda RPGs. But it's all I'm really enjoying on Game Pass ATM. Doesn't make it the best game out there this year.
Ideally having a lack of the best games on the system will hopefully push MS to make better quality games. There's a reason Sony and Nintendo are more associated with high quality. Let's not excuse MS. These things come in cycles and it's about time MS had their moment with the best quality games - which has probably lacked since early 360 days.

@BrilliantBill Yes, realistic graphics are liked by most critics and they might also like easier linear games where you just basically watch a film and push forward. There are many factors. As you said, PS exclusives and also Nintendo's tend to be overrated because of the publisher and the hype associated with them. Sony has been very aggressive regarding marketing, more worried about hurting the Xbox player base than taking care of their studios. That attitude is toxic. Nintendo is better at taking care of their own business. I don't like all their ideas, games and customer service but employees are happy and they are successful.

Microsoft has tried to create a wider variety of games and Xbox Game Studios tend to focus on gameplay more. That doesn't mean that I think that all Xbox games are good and I have criticised many of them, even whole studios. I also think that when acquiring studios, they didn't prioritise more traditional genres and forgot to include family friendly philosophy, but lately they are finding a balance. ABK is able to fix that. There were a few Xbox shows years ago where 99% of the titles were shooters, for instance. Most of them were third-party but Xbox didn't offer alternatives at the time.

Regarding top-notch graphics, the best you can find is always restricting gameplay and environment. Example: when playing the last Uncharted game, I was really impressed with the graphics and also the animation but it was all pre-baked and the character could just walk forwards. The Last of Us Remaster Remastered has pre-baked lighting. So yes, Sony Studios have created impressive-looking titles as you said, but it's because they bake barely interactive sequences for their cinematic games.

Finally, third-party games are sometimes underrated. Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider have better graphics and art, at least in my opinion, than those examples. They aren't restrictive and still have top-notch animation, not to mention the better camera and gameplay.

@BrilliantBill Agree mate. There's no reason at all why xbox wont hit all the right beats in the future and produce some uncontested classics, and I'm hopeful we will see it soon.

But just because they are not making award winners, doesn't mean they are not making some fantastic games and the vast majority of my favourite games, many on Xbox, don't win awards, so its not necessary. It does help with capturing mind share of the general buyer though, so shouldn't be dismissed.

Those who bother to read my long rambling comments might know I'm not signed up to 'the cult of Phil', as I often refer to it. But he's worked hard to point Xbox in the right direction and I'm sure him and many of team green would cherish an uncontestable accolade such as a GOTY award, and at this point, they deserve it. I'm sure it will come soon and I will celebrate it!

@BrilliantBill I would partially challenge that claim.
I do believe critics respect and reward graphics and gameplay/game mechanics as separate buckets. And the game being exceptional in either of the two will impress critics. Because looking only at graphics completely ignores Nintendo's return to fame and their recent appreciation and acknowledgment.
My point is, that creating a game that has good/decent graphics and gameplay makes the game good. Nothing sticks out. And that is the field MS has been sitting in for a rather long time. I'm hopeful the trend will change and there has been evidence to support so. But realistically, game in question here, Starfield does a lot decent/good, but is not exceptional at anything. Therefore it is reasonable for it to be treated and considered good (or great as in more than the sum of its parts) but not GotY material.
At least that is my reasoning which I feel applies to a lot of good/great games outside of Starfield, that might not be exclusives and don't have platform enthusiasts in their corner defending them.
(recent Lies of P comes to mind too)

Maybe they should have acquired Crystal Dynamics and not founded The Initiative where every one is an individual wanting to do their own thing?

Why didn't Microsoft get Playtonic on board? Part of Rare is at Rare, part of Rare is at Playtonic and part of Rare is somewhere else, but have they at least contacted them to cooperate and revive an old IP? Nope.

Please, don't hate me We Happy Few fans but why did they acquire studios like Compulsion Games?

Why doesn't they plan game development as a whole? They are letting Xbox Game Studios be completely free. I agree that they should each do their thing but what if every studio is doing the same thing, or they don't know what to do? If I were Phil, I'd say, "Please do this kind of game because we don't have any like it" to a studio/s that I think is capable of. Was that what happened with Fable? Then, congratulations about that.

Their hands-off philosophy is much better than the crunch culture (something that some Sony Studios have complained about), but isn't there a halfway zone where you can tell studios the kind of project you think will benefit the Xbox library and they can make it, instead of letting them remain in chaos for years and needing a third-party to reboot their reboot?

@Onlyboxmatters that the silliest comment i ever read!! Playstation exclusive games widely regarded as best games. They get 10/10 from majority reviews!! Sell anywhere between 10 an 30+ million copies. In last 13 year at least one PS exclusive been nominated for GOTY every single year!! Winning it five time!!!

@Cikajovazmaj Xbox Game Studios have made/published good games but also outstanding games, whether it's the graphics, audio, gameplay or a combination, but many are overlooked by the media, as have been discussed many times. Even third-party games are sometimes overlooked because there is this online obsession with PS and Nintendo exclusives even before they are released and regardless of their quality as video games.

@Pimpernel Well that only goes to show how biased the media is. Xbox gets shafted and Sony's games get a free pass even with their major flaws. This year shows it again with Spider man 2 being in for goty while Starfield is nowhere to be seen. Starfield is the pinnacle of gaming (well there was some minor issues at game launch, but nothing that could spoil the pleasure of playing even in the midlest).

@Titntin so I got on GT7 last night and man, what a game! New features like weekly challenges and slightly more polished AI.

The new update to Forza has really improved the feel of the game as well, but it’s not quite where GT7 is.

They are both great in their own regard, but GT7 has been out for a while, it’s found it’s way. Forza I feel is on the right track to bring the series back. It handles well, AI is much better than the past and the physics are very comparable to GT7 having driven the same cars on the same courses (when available) to compare.

I’m not pushing you to play Forza, but maybe trim that 6 month hiatus down to 2? It’s really starting to emerge as an outstanding entry

@DonaldMcRonald I played through Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart a while back and it’s a gem. You’re right.

Returnal I’m gonna give a shake at over the holiday break next week. Thanks again for the suggestions!

Good reason Xbox Tax was trending on twitter

I'm uncertain as to why folks are salty about this. Starfield is very mediocre. This whole idea that it gets better after hour 100 is a ludicrous design choice. But I found multiple game mechanics fall into poor design choice.

The biggest omission was Forza Horizon 5. 92 on Metacritic which iirc put it at the 3rd or 4th highest rated new game(non port or remaster or DLC) for 2021 yet didn't make the shortlist picked by gaming journalists(who's individual scores make up the MC score). It's the most obvious bias.
As for Starfield its a way off being the best game this year, Sea of Stars, Cocoon, SF6 and Diablo IV all have a better argument to feel short changed.

@EvenStephen7
Alan Wake is not an exclusive, Elden Ring is not an exclusive, RDR 2 is not an exclusive, Witcher 3 is not an exclusive.
It's not about fueling the fanboyism. The facts are there.
What were the criteria that RE4 was nominated ? We all agree that is was an excellent portal. But it still remains a REMASTER-REMAKE call it what you want.
Every year there is an excuse why the XBOX games are not nominated. It's a service game, it's not worth it, you haven't pay for it, it's not AAA and blah blah blah. And now for Starfield the easy-cheesy excuse, 'It's a Bethesda game, we know what it offers, we know it's flaws and so we flopped it'.
All in all I'm old enough to not even blink my eye regarding which game I'll enjoy, either it's a GOY, either it has a metacritic score of 10.

I love Xbox, but… there is a reason Xbox is in 3rd place.

Lack of good quality first party games (or any first party games during Xbox One) has been a massive contributing factor.

They’re trying to rectify this now, but back in the 360 era there were so many unique and exclusive titles only on Xbox. So I think the lack of nominations is just evidence that Xbox lost its way on game development side of things. Rectifying it with acquisitions may give them higher quality exclusives, but overall it doesn’t improve the offerings available, just shifts multi format games to Xbox only.

Now, I do think Starfield should have gotten a nomination. I even think it would have been better reviewed and gotten that cherished nomination if it was multi platform. I think there was some politics in all this. It doesn’t deserve to win though. But hey, that’s just my opinion.

@Onlyboxmatters that really funny. You think Playstation games do well because of media bias but Xbox get bullied by media!!??
So wat about sales, that consumer bias? Playstation massive outsells Xbox because consumer bias?? Post me a single link from reputable source backing up wat you say. I have PS5 an Series X, it fact Playstation exclusive are best games.

@Jey887
I agree with you but to put Resident Evil 4 Remake in there sets a bad precedent. One year in the future we will see most of the selections of GOTY being a handful of remade 15 yr old games and no new entries.