Ben-DutkaYes, I'm aware that we know very little about this year's Assassin's Creed: Unity .
I know we haven't seen any gameplay and I know that besides the baseline story and setting details, we really don't have much info at all.
…I also know it's coming out in 2014.
Thing is, with all these major game delays, it's starting to feel like Unity could end up being Game of the Year almost by default . I mean, thus far, the only qualifier is really Titanfall , but that didn't exactly score off the charts. It scored well but GotY winners usually at least have Metascores over 90, you know? And now, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt , The Order: 1886 and Batman: Arkham Knight set for 2015, what legit GotY contenders do we have?
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Battlefield: Hardline ? Doubtful. It has been a while since a shooter claimed GotY honors from the bigger sources. The new Uncharted supposedly won't get here until next summer, Halo 5 won't be ready until the end of next year, and Driveclub …? Nah. The two biggest competitors to Unity right now are Dragon Age: Inquisition and Far Cry 4 , both of which have a chance at taking home top honors this year.
However, I think the new Dragon Age has a lot to prove and while Far Cry is great, it's going to have to be pretty darn special to get a ton of critical acclaim. If the developers do their jobs and make the new AC adventure brilliant and memorable (and they've done it before), I say Unity is the front-runner right now.
If Destiny does actually release this year, I give that one a chance to surprise and take GOTY. But yeah, AC I guess is the front runner right now. Of games already out, I'd say it's between Watch_Dogs and Mario Kart 8 but I'd expect one of the Fall releases to top those two.
Are you high?
I expect the unexpected for this year's. I'm thinking it may be one of those games like X-Com, Journey, Demon's Souls, or that zombie game from Telltale games, that just comes from out of no where and impresses a bunch of people.
I think Advanced Warfare has a better shot. Maybe it's time shooters take the spotlight again.
I'd love to see something come out of left field. Something like Child of Light, or Valiant Hearts, or even Alien: Isolation. I get kind of tired of seeing populist, massive budget, but fundamentally uninspiring games being rewarded endlessly.
Cases can be made for AC:Unity, Destiny, Sunset Overdrive, Dark Souls II, Dragon Age III, Middle-Earth. Huh… That list makes it seem like a really good year for open-world games/RPGs, but it's just because there's nothing else coming this year. How dreadful…
Which are those? I mean the uninspired, big budget games that are undeservedly and endlessly awarded GOTY.
Last edited by n/a on 6/4/2014 7:00:32 AM
Didn't mention GotY in that sentence, but I was referring to the various awards handed to the likes of Battlefield, Call of Duty, Skylanders, Ryse, Mario, Assassin's Creed, when there are other, less well-known games that can regarded as just as good in the categories that ^^those have won in historically.
Also, now you mention it, my language may have been a bit too strong, but I do have a propensity to hyperbole when not overly invested in a topic. Also uninspiring =/= uninspired 😉
A lesser known game as good as the last Mario game that was hailed as a masterpiece, Super Mario 3D World? Which is that? And when were Ryse and Skylanders rewarded or awarded anything?
And yeah, I've noticed the trend of verbosity in lieu of,well, facts. lol.
"A lesser known game as good as the last Mario game that was hailed as a masterpiece, Super Mario 3D World?"
Journey, for one. Demon's Souls, for another. The latter won GotY at GameSpot and the former won GotY just about everywhere. I can't really compare them to Super Mario 3D World, but it's not like less popular, less mainstream games never get high honors.
And considering all the subjectivity here, there aren't many "facts" to begin with, so don't try to pretend like you have them all.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 6/4/2014 11:21:26 AM
I know for a fact that Ryse was awarded for best graphics and best new IP at some sites last year, while I've seen Skylanders awarded as best family game, as well as for its "innovation".
Besides what Ben said, I'll add that Rayman Legends could have been a contender last year, as it averaged 90+ but still managed to be overlooked by everyone.
My statements may be a tad extreme, but they can be rationalised. Though you do well at trying to pick holes.
It seems like Ben is more in line with my argument that lesser known games do get their fair share of accolades even with stiff competition from known franchises. Rayman Legends won best platformer and a bunch of others even with 3D World in the same category. But even if 3D World edged it out, 3D World is great and it would deserve to because of that. Both games are amazing.
As far as Ryse winning Best Graphics on a site or two, why not? Have you seen it? The game is gorgeous. Just because it's big budget shouldn't be a knock on it. Im not sure if anyone ever awarded it Best New Ip, in the same year Last of Us dropped, so I will have to take your word for that., I'm sure the games you mentioned, if deserving, will get some nods and awards
In my opinion Assassins Creed has more to prove at this stage than Dragon Age. Everything we've seen from Dragon Age thus far has more than indicated that BioWare has listened, and listened well.
But I agree with Temjin above, that this year we might just see something coming out of nowhere and take everyone by surprise.
There's plenty examples of that happening earlier years, and this year should be particularly well suited for such a release.
Assassins creed Unity has as much a chance at GOTY as the new Madden.
yeah based on said article ben i would be very incline to agree with you and unless wait were u counting destiny well there are nearly as many games gunning for GOTY this year as last i think 2015 will be more like 2013 for GOTY but yeah i think AC has a pritty good chance of getting GOTY this year aless something comes totally out of the blue which could happen but unlikely atm considering its mid year now just about.
happy gaming =)
yeah i fore got dark souls 2, Sunset Overdrive and Middle-Earth:shadow of mordor and actually taking dark souls into account i think AC is out of the running personally and watch dogs too but still hmmm…
happy gaming =)
Last edited by PlatformGamerNZ on 6/4/2014 6:46:21 AM
Ben,
How come Titanfall is the only contender? Infamous SS was released the same time. The Metacritic scores aren't too different.
you're right. And let's not forget Wolfenstein. The best FPS of this generation right now
Unfortunately, the Metacritic averages between SS and Titanfall are significantly different; 86 for Titanfall and only 80 for inFamous. Statistically, that's a very big difference.
Wolfenstein won't be in the running. As well as it's scoring, it'll be seen as "just a shooter" when the year is over.
destiny, obviously!