General Gaming Just Finished Listening to All 24 hours of Giant Bomb's GOTY 2018 (2nd Year in a Row!) AMA

[Keyser_Soze]

I did this last year, I feel like this year they supposedly trimmed the categories and I think it still managed to be longer. It was mostly just Brad jizzing over how he role-played Arthur in RDR2 and pleading his case why it should win 3 different categories.

Despite that I thought it was weird that when they got to GOTY and...

Spoiler

When they got to Dead Cells at #2 they didn't even talk about it, it was like an automatic #2 for no reason at all.

 

Here's the Full Lists:

 

Best Style

Spoiler

1. Tetris Effect
2. Gorogoa
3. Return of the Obra Dinn

 

Best Music

Spoiler

1. Red Dead Redemption 2
2. Celeste
3. Donut County

 

Best Debut

Spoiler

1. Return of the Obra Dinn
2. Into the Breach
3. Dead Cells

 

Hottest Mess

Spoiler

1. Fallout 76
2. Filip Miucin's plagiarism scandal
3. Questionable workplace practices and Culture in the gaming industry

 

Best Moment or Sequence

Spoiler

1. Athur's last ride / fight in RDR 2
2. Trying to piece the relationship back together in Florence
3. Beating Dead Cells

 

Best Story

Spoiler

1. Read Dead Redemption 2
2. Marvel's Spider-Man
3. Return off the Obra Dinn

 

Best Ongoing Game

Spoiler

1. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
2. Fortnite
3. Destiny 2

 

Best Looking

Spoiler

1. God of War
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
3. Dragon Ball FighterZ

 

Most Disappointing

Spoiler

1. Sea of Thieves
2. Fallout 76
3. Red Dead Redemption 2

 

Best Game

Spoiler

1. Dragon Ball FighterZ
2. Monster Hunter: World
3. Hitman 2
4. Marvel's Spider-Man
5. Return of the Obra Dinn
6. Into the Breach
7. Red Dead Redemption 2
8. God of War
9. Dead Cells
10. Tetris Effect

 

[skillzdadirecta]

RDR2 sure is controversial lol... and

Spoiler

while  God of War is a great looking game, some of the environments and weather effects in RDR 2 blow it out of the water.

 

[Anzo]

I listened as well. Afterwards I went to the site to read the write-ups. Doesn't seem like they even did write-ups this year. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

Does Abby add anything to the conversation?  Or does she continue to bring in non-core games (like the Sims) all the way through?

[Keyser_Soze]

45 minutes ago, Anzo said:

I listened as well. Afterwards I went to the site to read the write-ups. Doesn't seem like they even did write-ups this year. 

 

They have personal GOTY writeups but they don't ever write a site-wide GOTY writeup. At least they didn't last year.

 

33 minutes ago, mikechorney said:

Does Abby add anything to the conversation?  Or does she continue to bring in non-core games (like the Sims) all the way through?

 

Mmm kinda. She certainly wasn't as annoying as last year. I think she's carved in a place. She was mostly like "I like this because it's dumb or bad" saying she wants to play fallout 76 and how she enjoyed Detroit.

[Anzo]

4 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

They have personal GOTY writeups but they don't ever write a site-wide GOTY writeup. At least they didn't last year.

 

 

Au contraire, my friend. They have always had a site-wide write up until this year. 

 

Here are all of the daily write ups from 2017.

[AbsolutSurgen]

28 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

They have personal GOTY writeups but they don't ever write a site-wide GOTY writeup. At least they didn't last year.

 

 

Mmm kinda. She certainly wasn't as annoying as last year. I think she's carved in a place. She was mostly like "I like this because it's dumb or bad" saying she wants to play fallout 76 and how she enjoyed Detroit.

If I hear "it's bad, but in a good way" one more time -- I may lost it.

 

I'm only mid-way through Day 4 -- and so far Jeff and Abby have been a "disruptive influence", although generally Jeff is more quick to acquiesce understand that his opinions are different than the rest of the team.

 

I have been surprised by how few of the team have played many of the "big holiday releases" -- i.e. SoTR, AC:O, JC4, Battlefield V

[Keyser_Soze]

53 minutes ago, Anzo said:

 

Au contraire, my friend. They have always had a site-wide write up until this year. 

 

Here are all of the daily write ups from 2017.

 

Hmm, they're super buried which is why I probably never looked at them or just listened to them anyway.

[Keyser_Soze]

30 minutes ago, mikechorney said:

I'm only mid-way through Day 4 -- and so far Jeff and Abby have been a "disruptive influence", although generally Jeff is more quick to acquiesce understand that his opinions are different than the rest of the team.

 

I kinda feel bad for Jeff, seems like he really liked Donut County and BLOPS 4 the most this year but Brad basically wouldn't budge.

[gamer.tv]

I’m still on day three listening on my walks to and from work 

[AlwaysDyingX]

I'll start listening on my commute tomorrow 

 

[Anzo]

32 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Hmm, they're super buried which is why I probably never looked at them or just listened to them anyway.

For sure. They were generally hard to find, so I’m not surprised they just didn’t do them this year. 😝

[best3444]

3 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

RDR2 sure is controversial lol... and

  Reveal hidden contents

while  God of War is a great looking game, some of the environments and weather effects in RDR 2 blow it out of the water.

 

 

Rdr2 is the best looking game ever, imo.

[skillzdadirecta]

1 minute ago, best3444 said:

 

Rdr2 is the best looking game ever, imo.

It's definitely up there... some of those lighting and whether effects are borderline photo-realistic. Shouldn't have even been a contest to be honest. and

Spoiler

DBZ Z figthers? Really???

 

[Chris-]

It's weird they do so much GOTY content when Jeff has pretty much openly stated that GOTY awards are meaningless, and only seems interested in acting like a devil's advocate the entire time.

[AbsolutSurgen]

1 minute ago, Chris- said:

It's weird they do so much GOTY content when Jeff has pretty much openly stated that GOTY awards are meaningless.

its because it is so popular.

[Paperclyp]

55 minutes ago, Chris- said:

It's weird they do so much GOTY content when Jeff has pretty much openly stated that GOTY awards are meaningless, and only seems interested in acting like a devil's advocate the entire time.

Jeff would also argue that video games are stupid and pointless, but he still enjoys talking about them. 

[Moa]

GB GOTY exists to show what an arbitrary shitshow GOTY awards are and it is a self-fulfilling process that they be a hot mess. It's the time of year when all my favorite gaming journalists gather around the Festivus pole for the airing of grievances and to talk about how much they inexplicably like Destiny 2. I haven't finished day five, but so far I am disappointed by Jeff's acquiescence to Brad's iron-fisted rule, and that Abby has fallen into the Navarro school of highlighting her games but not actually rallying for them to be on the final list. I am particularly disappointed that a game with literally no story managed to place third in best story.   

[Mercury33]

1 hour ago, skillzdadirecta said:

It's definitely up there... some of those lighting and whether effects are borderline photo-realistic. Shouldn't have even been a contest to be honest. and

  Reveal hidden contents

DBZ Z figthers? Really???

 

 

That is by far one of the best and most enjoyable fighters I have ever played. 

 

Edit* oh I see you were commenting in relation to best looking. Yeah odd choice.  

[skillzdadirecta]

6 minutes ago, Mercury33 said:

 

That is by far one of the best and most enjoyable fighters I have ever played. 

 

Edit* oh I see you were commenting in relation to best looking. Yeah odd choice.  

 

Yeah it's fun and great looking in its own right... but third best looking game of the year? No. Just No. I'm literally watching my nephews play it as I type this lol

[TheLeon]

I just don't have it in me to listen to all of these any more. 

[Moa]

"Game of the year is a battle of will, it is not an electoral process" -Brad Shoemaker 2018

 

I'm glad that things are finally getting spicy around Most Disappointing.

[Brian]

Brad is the reason I stopped listening to GB goty discussion 

[Emblazon]

Lol. Most disappointing. GTFO. Reviewers played for one hour week one. 

[Paperclyp]

Brad is dope haters GTFO

[DarkStar189]

7 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

Mmm kinda. She certainly wasn't as annoying as last year. I think she's carved in a place. She was mostly like "I like this because it's dumb or bad" saying she wants to play fallout 76 and how she enjoyed Detroit.

She definitely wasn't as bad as last year. Last year she wouldn't stfu about that Dream Daddy game. I remember being super annoyed. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Abby was much improved from last year.

 

And her hot take on Tetris being #1 was fantastic!

[Moa]

I was really hoping that old man Jeff would show up to let everyone know that the actual best game of 2018,

Spoiler

Donut Country

, needed to be on the top 10 list.

[Keyser_Soze]

5 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

 

Yeah it's fun and great looking in its own right... but third best looking game of the year? No. Just No. I'm literally watching my nephews play it as I type this lol

 

I think it deserves to be there but if anything it deserves to be on best style more than best looking.

[Moa]

Listening to Brad talk about RDR2 in the final discussion has made me really want to play the game in a way that no other video or discussion has.

 

Also, the best-looking category was victimized by the best style category where they pushed DBZ and octopath out by saying they would fit better in best-looking. 

[Keyser_Soze]

4 minutes ago, Moa said:

Also, the best-looking category was victimized by the best style category where they pushed DBZ and octopath out by saying they would fit better in best-looking. 

 

And they got to best looking and said Octopath wouldn't hang.

[Paperclyp]

On 1/6/2019 at 9:05 PM, Moa said:

Also, the best-looking category was victimized by the best style category where they pushed DBZ and octopath out by saying they would fit better in best-looking. 

I wouldn't say that. They weren't saying those games would for sure get a spot in best looking, but felt the arguments being made for them would give them a better shot at making those lists. I don't think Octopath belongs on any end of the year "best of" list, personally. 

[Keyser_Soze]

9 minutes ago, Paperclyp said:

I wouldn't say that. They weren't saying those games would for sure get a spot in best looking, but felt the arguments being made for them would give them a better shot at making those lists. I don't think Octopath belongs on any end of the year "best of" list, personally. 

 

Best combat system?

[Paperclyp]

Also, I almost think it's a good idea they don't put out just the straight up results of the pod, because out of context it doesn't always make sense. 

 

I agree that Abby was infinitely better this year. Last year, she would say the same 2-3 lines about the games she liked. 

 

Alex is probably the one who rubs the the wrong way the most. He has this very mechanical way of putting all of his arguments, essentially: 1. Makes a statement, 2. Comes up with three sentences with vague descriptors, 3. Makes another statement. And I don't usually buy that it's coming from a genuine place. 

 

I get why people don't like Brad's strategy, but he makes this podcast work for me every year. He's very passionate and by far the most prepared and eloquent. When he disagrees with Dan it really entertains me. I really love their dynamic, and I get a kick out of how Brad kind of self awaringly (not a word) plays the "game" more than anyone else. Also, if you don't follow GB all that much and don't like Brad from these pods, just know that he's a genuinely awesome human being. 

[Paperclyp]

Just now, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Best combat system?

I do really like the combat system.