I was just focusing on TES, but we can throw Fallout in there as well.

Mass Effect 2 was fantastic! Far superior to the first one. None of them have ever won GotY though. Mass Effect 2 got close, but could only win RPG of the year.

Honestly though, in terms of RPGs, or games in general, Skyrim really has the potential to overcome all. Maybe it's the really devoted fan in me talking, or I just know it's going to be a great game.

No. It all depends whose GOTY awards you are talking about. IGN? EA is huge and will pay to have DA2 take that slot. PC Gamer? They are really hard on games that are ported or don't use a PC's strengths to its fullest. The Witcher 2 may give Skyrim a pretty good run for its money.
If Diablo III comes out, that will take it hands down!

I'm talking the PC version. I don't even know what games are coming out for consoles so I don't know.

We are talking about gaming awards, but for a second you broke from that by comparing Morrowind to Oblivion, stating that Oblivion wasn't much of a follow up. I disagree. Oh, I'll listen to what you have to say, and I'll probably agree with you on a few points, but in the end I'll just make counters to which you will counter as well, to which I will counter back. Not really going to get anywhere.

You'll say Obivion's voices were all the same and how the people didn't have lives, I'll point that Morrowind's non impormtant npc's often didn't even bother to visit their own homes. See what I'm getting at? Both games had issues, but they also had their strong points. We're both going to be very biased to our side, there's nothing wrong with that. However, saying one game was blatently better than the other is not stating opinion, its stating it like a fact. That'll be something I'll react to, because it's my opinion that morrowind isn't as good. You can have your opinion, I"m perfectly fine with that, but saying your opinion as a fact will be something that will sturr up trouble every time.

Now, game's should be considered for what they are...not what came before. Skyrim shouldn't get goty because Obivion and Morrowind came before, it should get it because it's awesome. What came before should mean nothing, what Skyrim is, is what should be considered.

While I'm a huge fan of The Witcher and am looking forward to the sequel, it just doesn't have the following that Skyrim has. Not to say The Witcher won't deserve a GotY award, but Skyrim is just going to overshadow a lot of games (not to mention The Witcher 2 is still PC only). As others have said, the only RPG that is a real contender is Mass Effect 3, mainly because it's the last in the trilogy. Dragon Age 2 will be great, but it honestly should have come out last year. This year, it's just going to get overshadowed by the juggernauts coming out in the fall/winter.

It's not necessarily personal opinions to take into account when predicting what will get GotY, it's the critics.' And it's very definite that Mass Effect 3 will be critically acclaimed, just as its two predecessors were. Whether it will deserve to be is going to be a whole other story...


You never know. Though I too doubt Witcher 2 will sweep more awards than Skyrim, but dark horses have been able to pull through sometimes. Demon's Souls, a then-obscure PS3-exclusive action-RPG with a high difficulty level won Gamespot's Game of 2009, beating out Assassin's Creed II, Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2, and Arkham Asylum.

I haven't played Mass Effect 1 or 2, but I have played Dragon Age: Origins. The characters were interesting, but the gameplay was forgettable, the settings were oversaturated with repetitive enemies, the story was just a typical generic demons vs. good guys ones, the game couldn't have been much more linear, and the graphics... just how did the company that made a game so good-looking as Mass Effect 2 end up making a game so horrible looking as Dragon Age: Origins? I played a Mass Effect 2 demo and it was just beyond what I've seen in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II in terms of graphics. This is probably my inner really devoted fan, as well, though, but BioWare seems to churn out games pretty rapidly and they seem overly forgettable in gameplay, so I kind of view them as failures in the gaming department, and I view them only as "just games" due to their linearity, close release dates, and repetitive/bland gameplay, although that's just how I perceive them. On the other hand, when an Elder Scrolls game appears, it's as if a new experience that will last many hours of sheer immersion and variety is coming into view after a long time without it... and each new game actually does something different from its predecessor. That's just my bias, but what do people see in those BioWare games, anyway?

Moving along...



Yeah, I have a feeling The Witcher 2 is probably going to overlooked. After all, if it isn't on consoles, it's tough to win non-PC based awards like GotY. However I had a really hard time getting into the first one mainly because for a third person game the combat wasn't all that impressive in my opinion.

Ah you are truly missing out on an epic. If you ever get a chance to try it out on PC or Xbox 360, you definitely should (for Mass Effect 1 since PS3 doesn't have it).

Dragon Age: Origins had a good story overall, but BioWare made a mistake in keeping the outdated RPG mechanics and generic fantasy that it evoked. Dragon Age 2 will be much better (the demo rocks). But unfortunately, Alduin is just going to consume it.

One thing to consider also is that BioWare has five different studios. So each of the games is always being made by a different studio with different expertise's. Although they all maintain the core values of story and choices that matter.

Either way, I love BioWare. I have been playing their games since Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and have loved each and every one. Granted I also love Bethesda, as my first TES game was Morrowind back in 2002 on the original Xbox. Both games have impressive track records and their games are always critically acclaimed. They also have two completely different methods of approaching RPGs. BGS is more about giving control and freedom to the player in terms of environment and exploration, while BioWare is more about giving choice and consequence to the player through great story and deep characters. They both have their pros and cons, but they are my two favorite developers in the industry.

Yeah. It took me a while to adjust to the combat at first, but it kind of grows on you. The Witcher 2's combat is completely overhauled though, and will be much more engaging and exciting. It's also probably the most beautiful RPG I have seen to date (not counting Skyrim out yet as it still has nine months before shipping). Overall though, it will just be great to see how in-depth the story gets and to really have a non-linear progression through story.

Everyone seems to be overlooking Uncharted 3. You shouldn't. Uncharted 2 was IGN's 2009 GotY.

The plot certainly sounds intriguing.

Considering we don't even know how skyrim will play and everything we think we know about the game is based on either speculation or loose facts dripped by developer commentary I doubt we can even begin to discuss this.

For all we know folks, this game could flop. I think we need to actually play the game before we discuss something like this.

I heard really good things about Uncharted 2, but as a primarily PC player and some 360 here and there, never got the chance to experience it.

Great game and IGN's 2009 GotY. Uncharted 3 looks even better which is unbelievable. It comes out 11/3 the week before Skyrim. November is going to be full of gaming goodness! Skyrim is definitely my most anticipated but I expect Uncharted 3 to have a big presence at E3 and then contend for GotY.

Have you guys seen the list of games coming out 2011? It's the biggest I've EVER seen.

Not to mention a bunch of games like:

-Mass Effect 3
-Battlefield 3
-The Witcher 2
-Crysis 2
-Diablo III (possibly)
-Portal 2


All extremely, extremely strong competition.

we know one thing its going to be awesome and for everyone who doesn't believe that me and todd and going to burn your house down...just a word of caution

best rpg is a probably. portal 2 looks awesome

but you guys just know that activision will pay these guys to say cod 8 .

Game of the Year from which of the multitude of web sites, magazines, and TV stations that hand out GotY awards? :blink:

I think one would have to be of questionable sanity to think it won't win at least one...

2010's is Red Dead Redemption, for example, while other games won in other categories, while RDR in most.
The main reason for imitators is because GOTY Edition sounds better than Platinum Pack or whatever.

I think there are a few things people are overlooking.

Games that don't really expand on their predecessors (because they choose not to or there is nothing much more to make them better) and/or had their prequels receive GOTY awards very recently e.g. Uncharted 2, Mass Effect 3 will likely be at a disadvantage.

Games that really expand upon their previous installments in many ways, and provide a very improved experience will likely be ahead of those that don't.

This puts Skyrim ahead of many others in my opinion.

If Diablo 3 gets out Q4 this year, couse there is a chance of that to happen and a official statement that they are doing their best to release it this year...

HO-LEE-MOTHER-O-GOD well see Diablo vs. the Dragonborn!

some epochal sheet gonna fall, am tellin ya

I really wish it wasn't like that. Games should be judged by what they are, not what came before. I'd rather have Skyrim win goty, instead of TES. Obviously there should be visual improvements after 5-6 years, but they shouldn't be compared in my opinion. I'll look at Skyrim for what it is, as it stands alone, rather than a sequal. There's a lot more enjoyment to be gained that way, and a lot less disapointment.

True, but I still think GOTY awards are more deserving to the games that have tried to expand further and tried to push the boundaries, than those that have simply said 'if it aint broke don't fix it'.

It really comes down to Bioware and Bethesda and as much as I love both, I will have to say RPG of the Year, Game of the Year and best in-game graphics go to Skyrim for now. until they announce and show what ME3 has to offer.

If history is anything to go by, Skyrim will most likely get GotY.
However, there are quite a few decent games coming out that look to have potential also..

One of my fav's is Uncharted 3, due to be released in the same month..
(Unfortunately i won't be getting it, as i am already getting skyrim, haha!)