RPGWatch - Game of the Year 2022 and Most Promising RPG 2023 Vote

[mbuddha]

These lists get tougher to vote on every year. Not so much because admittedly both lists don't inspire, but more that I rarely play games right when they come out, so I couldn't vote realistically until potentially years later lol. For example I just bought Wasteland 3 on a good sale - I wasn't interested when it came out, as I grew bored with 2, but now it looks interesting to me, and patched up at that.

I voted for Black Geyser as I've played it a bit and it's promising, and I suppose I'm looking forward to Skald Against the Black Priory and Stalker 2.

 

[HiddenX]

Did the poll close early? Says, "Sorry, but this contents has finished and is closed now."

Hi, you have to be a regular Watcher with a minimum of 10 posts, I think.

 

[Lemonhead]

Elden Ring is #1 for me
Close second is Tunic but it wasn’t in the list. It’s a wonderful little gem if you haven’t tried it. Great exploration and puzzles. Wonderful implementation of a game manual that you find pages to in the game world. Amazing music, playing it a second time now on PS5 as I wanted to support the developer with another purchase.
For 2023 I’m looking forward to
1 Hogwarts Legacy
2 BG3 (if it actually releases)
3 colony ship or Avowed, but skeptical of release of these?

 

[JFarrell71]

No reason not to vote for them just because I haven't had a chance to play them yet. I think it's silly that someone would impose such a requirement upon himself.

A mind blowing approach to voting on the best of something. Confirmation bias as an art form. You may think you must voted for the best 3 RPGs of 2022, but you didn't. You voted for the 3 RPGs that most resemble what you think an ideal RPG looks like.

The next sandwich I eat will be the best sandwich I've ever had. Why wouldn't it be? It's just like other sandwiches I've eaten. I know what kind of sandwiches I like. And it's definitely the best one.

 

[purpleblob]

I have a strong feeling this year's GOTY will be none

 

[Stingray]

A mind blowing approach to voting on the best of something. Confirmation bias as a fucking art form. You may think you must voted for the best 3 RPGs of 2022, but you didn't. You voted for the 3 RPGs that most resemble what you think an ideal RPG looks like.

So did you, because even if you played the 3 you voted for, you didn't even try 90%+ of the games on the list. You only played the ones you think looked like your ideal RPG. It's quite possible (maybe even likely) that you would have liked some others on the list more than the games you actually did play.

To avoid that, you'd need to handle it like, say, the Oscars, where you winnow the field down to just a few contenders and then generally expect the voters to have watched (or played in this case) each one.

 

[JFarrell71]

So did you, because even if you played the 3 you voted for, you didn't even try 90%+ of the games on the list. It's quite possible you would have liked some of them more than the games you actually did play.

To truly avoid that, we'd need to handle it like, say, the Oscars, where you winnow the field down to just a few contenders and then generally expect the voters to have watched (or played in this case) each one.

It is true that I'm not voting for the best games out of all of the games that came out, but I am voting for the games I think were the best games out of the ones I *did* play, which is quite different. Personally, I wouldn't vote for a game I played just because I played it and it's "best" by default. If that's where you're coming from, that some people only played 1 or 2 games and that's what they're doing, and I think you are, I get your point.

 

[JFarrell71]

I have a strong feeling this year's GOTY will be none

I didn't play it on computer, but for me Elden Ring is/was a legitimate contender (and winner, in my case).

It was a weak year, though, all around. Most of the major RPG projects either got delayed out of 2022 or were never expected to release yet in the first place. My favorite stuff was RPG-adjacent at most (Vagrus, Citizen Sleeper).

 

[Stingray]

Personally, I wouldn't vote for a game I played just because I played it and it's "best" by default. If that's where you're coming from, that some people only played 1 or 2 games and that's what they're doing, and I think you are, I get your point.

Yeah exactly, I suspect that's how it works for a majority of voters. They only played a small number of games (3 or less) from the list, the ones they thought they would enjoy the most, and unless one of them was a massive disappointment, then those games get their GOTY vote. It's barely any different from just voting for 3 that you haven't gotten around to playing yet.

 

[purpleblob]

I don't vote for games as GOTY if I don't feel its worthy of GOTY. I guess everyone is using different approach

 

[Couchpotato]

No problem but many like me are just picking three games we like to play as already discussed in detail by another member. Elex 2 and Elden Ring might be in the top 3.

Probably by a slim majority of 1 or 2 votes.

 

[SirJames]

I think the approach everyone will be using is realizing Elden Ring is GOTY by far but then voting it in lower because we're sure it'll get enough points anyway.

My number 1.... Hasn't been mentioned yet!

 

[JDR13]

My number 1.... Hasn't been mentioned yet!

Is it that Korean MMO?

 

[Redglyph]

I don't vote for games as GOTY if I don't feel its worthy of GOTY. I guess everyone is using different approach

I also think everyone is. I hesitated to vote "none", but I just voted for the games by order of preference.

The title "GotY" has less and less meaning for me, since those games are often in a bad state the year they're released. But since it's "RPGWatch GotY", I just interpret this vote as "your favourite RPGs this year" just to see the overall preferences in games.

I wouldn't vote for a game I dislike though, even if it's one of the 2 or 3 only games I've played in the list. I'd rather use a "none".

 

[Maylander]

Of the games on the list, I only played ELEX 2, so that was an easy choice.

As for 2023: It's looking like a good year. Quite a few good candidates, so it's hard to decide. I put Starfield first, but that doesn't mean it ends up being the best.

 

[SirJames]

Is it that Korean MMO?

Nope!

(Might move the related rant to that Lost Ark thread I once made)

 

[wolfgrimdark]

... snip ...But since it's "RPGWatch GotY", I just interpret this vote as "your favourite RPGs this year" just to see the overall preferences in games.

I wouldn't vote for a game I dislike though, even if it's one of the 2 or 3 only games I've played in the list. I'd rather use a "none".

That is how I did it. That being said I do sometimes have a GOTY and this year it is Midnight Suns.

On a side note to me GOTY only makes sense on a personal level. I mean Elden Ring will be GOTY for many but I can't stand it myself and would never vote it as GOTY even if it is visually stunning, awesome, and blah, blah, blah.

I understand the idea to vote in a game as GOTY using various objective qualities like most technically advanced, best writing, best visuals, and so on. Much like movie and book awards. I mean they, in general, don't get voted in by personal preference but by a broader objective set of rules. Or so one would hope.

For games, especially here, I go with my personal GOTY versus the industry GOTY if that makes sense. I wouldn't even know where to start using industry standards as I play so few games I would have nothing to compare against. Same with movies and books. I can only go with my personal favorites.

So, for me, GOTY means your own personal favorite game of the year benchmarked against other games you play versus some objective set of criteria used by the industry.

EDIT: I guess that is why you have "editor's choice awards" and "personal/user choice awards" on voting sites for GOTY

 

[Carnifex]

I suspect as, per usual, my votes will be quite abstract and in the minority, I do thank those involved for creating this annual pole and I'm eager to see how it all pans out. This year we're now in looks like it could be robust for new products!

 

[Greygore]

I didn't even notice Avowed was on the list. I would have had to think a little more before voting if I had seen it.

 

[Stingray]

I didn't even notice Avowed was on the list. I would have had to think a little more before voting if I had seen it.

Pretty sure you can change your votes by just re-voting.