Zelda: TOTK And Mario Wonder Land GOTY Nominations At The Game Awards 2023

It’s probably between Alan Wake 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 but man, I’ve somehow ended up in a year where I haven’t played a single one of the GOTY nominations.

Congratulations on the nominations! Both critically acclaimed games. I am sure the dev teams are proud of their work. Hope ToTK wins.

All the GotY winners for the Game Awards except Dragon Age Inquisition (2014) were released in the 1st half of the year. Seeing as the only nominees in the 1st half of the year this time are RE4 Remake and TotK, I think TotK will win.

Happy to see both games get a nomination! Can’t wait for neither of them to win and for Geoff Keighley to award it to Spider-Man 2 because we all know this show is just an excuse for Sony to pay them off and look as good as possible.

Can't believe Gollum didn't make it

RE 4 is my GOTY but it’s epic to see a 2D platformer in the running.

Odd that you didn't mention any of the other actual Nintendo nominations. Pikmin 4 is probably a lock for best strategy game

Already voted for Tears, hope it sweeps! Sad there isn’t a section for remakes/remasters anymore since I would’ve voted for Prime Remastered. Also when is player’s choice open again?

So I haven't actually played Baldur's Gate, but it is REALLY hard to imagine it surpasses TOTK. TOTK is just, by far, the greatest game ever made for me. I have over 160 hours in it and barely even scratched the surface of Ultrahand. It is just so big and has so many possibilities, and I think it probably deserves GOTY. If something else actually wins, that will be a game I will definitely have to try out.

Congrats for both amazing games

Zelda and Mario both nominated for Game of the Year? What year is it, 2017?

I hope Mario wins this time.

I could see Mario taking the prize elsewhere, but Zelda and Baldur's Gate 3 line up better with what I expect from TGA. Though Tears of the Kingdom might have a hard time just because its the sequel to a game that already swept the awards in its year, and it'll likely have to compete with Mario for votes more than the other games.

Sam Lake showing up on every Jeff event the past year really worked for Alan Wake2

It's only really between TotK and BG3. Those were on a different level in terms of acclaim.

Expecting BG3 to win, but I'll deeply enjoy it if TotK edges it out, if only because of the sheer salty anger that will erupt as a result.

It was also a pretty good game, I suppose, although I'm one of those weirdos who most enjoyed Fire Emblem Engage this year.

Sadly RE4 is basically filler because it’s a remake but the other 5 have a chance totk and bg3 more than the others

It’s only really between BG3 and TOTK, although seeing Wonder nominated is really cool. I’m really interested to see the winners this year, it’s been a great year in terms of acclaimed games

So based off how people are acting here and other places, I'm guessing TOTK won't win and people will be insufferable about the game (apparently) being bad and worse than BOTW. Or it will somehow win and people will throw fits about it not deserving the award.

Definitely gonna try and avoid social media during awards night and the day after lol.

I don't have a GOTY yet but the games I've enjoyed most this year are TOTK and Cyberpunk.

As much as Mario Wonder is my GOTY, I would be more than happy to see it go to the excpetional TOTK!

I think Wonder should get 'Best Game Direction' though because of the whole 'no deadline' situacion as well as everything else that was mentioned in the 'Ask the Developer' interviews

I haven’t played it yet but expect Wonder to win Family game and maybe multiplayer if multiplayer is limited to couch, if it includes online then probably not.

I foresee BG3 as GotY, I liked TotK for 100 hours but BG3 seems a step above. 🤷🏻‍♂️

One of those weird years where I've barely played any of the big games. TOTK wins it more or less by default for me and I haven't even finished it 😅
Would be cool to see Baldurs Gate do it though, I remember when Original sin 2 came out, it sold well and reviewed extremely well yet it wasn't even nominated. I remembered thinking if a game like that couldn't even get nominated, what would a game from that genre have too realistically do to win? Maybe now we'll find out.

My predicted winner: Tears of the Kingdom
My vote: Super Mario Wonder
My game of the year: Fire Emblem Engage

All great games above and all the ones that got nominated deserved it as well.

For me nothing compares to Zelda TOTK this year so obviously my vote goes to that, but I think Baldurs Gate 3 will end up winning, especially as it's also multiplatform meaning more potential voters.

I'm thoroughly enjoying Wonder at the moment. I was actually thinking about holding off on it and picking up a few other games first, but now that I got it, I can't stop playing it. It's way better then I thought it was going to be.

...but I'm doubtful it'll win.

Both are winners, but for me its Tears of the Kingdom. Beautiful game.

And man i hope Nintendo at least gives us a glimpse at Switch 2 (Wont happen lol)

I didn’t expect Mario Wonder to be nominated for GOTY. But that’s nice to see.

Is voting based on a panel as well as public votes? Based on a lot of the podcasts I listen to it seems a lot of people were more into Baldurs Gate than TotK this year, I can see it taking GotY.

TotK is mine by a landslide. I’d hoped Mario Wonder would blow me away (as someone who isn’t a huge 2D Mario fan) and while it’s very good, I’m not sure it’ll even make my top 5 for the year. There’s just something about 2D Mario games that never properly clicks with me in the way that recent platformers like DKC TF, Impossible Lair or Rayman Legends do (I know they’re nearly 10 years old but whatever)

Actually I was expecting final fantasy xvi in the list after all the hype it had. The only game I've played is totk but I enjoyed a lot watching someone else playing spiderman. No matter which wins, all of these games are great.

Wow I can't believe Mario Wonder is actually in the running. Nothing at all against the game, but it's just crazy to see a 2D platfomer of all things go toe to toe against titans like BG3 and Zelda. What a lineup

Lies of P is my personal GOTY and it honestly would've deserved a spot here. The game is amazing at emulating what people say they like about Souls games but without any of the trappings From Soft falls back on without fail.

Sits right alongside Bloodborne and Demon's Souls as another all time favorite of that style of game and it's, in many ways, better than what From Soft created with Dark Souls and Elden Ring. I'm a DS hater tho, f*** those three games (and ER)

@Tchunga I didn’t expect Wonder to be there. I didn’t expect Nintendo to have 2 nominations.

I think either ToTK or BG3 will win tho.

Red fall is my personal GOTY. It was so clearly the best game this year

Really hope TotK wins, just glad to see two Nintendo games here though.

@Tchunga To be fair though Metroid Dread was nominated for GOTY in 2021 so it isn't completely unheard of

All six games nominated are great. Well done for Nintendo for having two nominations again. It honestly won't make a huge difference to them whether they win or lose but I'm sure they appreciate the recognition. Personally, ToTK is the best game I've played this year but I won't mind too much if it loses out. Alan Wake 2 is a technical masterpiece even if the gameplay isn't really up my street. I reckon it's between those two - BG3 may get knocked down due to its slightly buggy Act 3.

Part of me wants Mario Wonder to win because I’m tired of people assuming the only games that could possibly deserve GOTY are massive AAA open world RPGs. 2D platformers get such a bad rap, but they were the foundation of so much of modern gaming and to get one that still pushes the genre forward should be celebrated.

TOTK gets my vote though, and I personally hope it crushes BG3.

i was not expecting seeying Super Mario Bros Wonder been nominated in so many categories

So...did people completely forget about Armored core? I've barely seen anyone talking about that game not being nominated XD

@larryisaman is composed of 90%(media outlets) and 10%(of our votes)

Seems like this is the first year where all the GOTY nominees are sequels with no original IP.

I think GOTY will be between Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur's Gate 3, and I'm okay with either of them winning.

I’m surprised Hogwarts Legacy and Pikmin 4 didnt make it
And prime remastered:(

Nothing for Metroid Prime Remastered, which is a damn shame.

They should make a remastered / remake category because so much games are remasters or remakes.

Oh dear, this will be one of the most interesting awards, probably since 2017. I don't even wanna imagine the reaction to the winner! But, why did Starfield got massively snubbed?
And yeah, once again the best adaptation category will be a tough battle. I would've included Captain Laserhawk, Sonic Prime or even the Nier anime there though.

@UltimateOtaku91 the vote is 10% fan, 90% jury consisting of journalists / critics. So there’s not that much to gain with getting the popular vote

@Vortexeo You know I completely forgot about Metroid Dread lol. I guess its not unprecedented afterall then

HELL YEAH!!! Way to go, Nintendo! Two GOTY nominees. I love that Mario went from over a decade of relatively stale 2D platformers to being a GOTY nomination. Way to go, buddy!

@Giancarlothomaz Ahh right. That’s Baldur’s Gate winning then haha

This is an easy vote for me. Tears Of The Kingdom of course.

Best mobile game always gets a “LOL” from me.

i am of the mind sequels do not win games of the year awards especially when the first game already won it.. now if you did not have another great game like baldur's gate 3 maybe totk would have won it..

i am happy starfield did not get nominated all the hype that game got ..

Those who argue ToTK is cut and paste and say Spiderman 2 should win is ridiculous.

BG3 should win.

Totk for me, but doubtful it will win due to all the love for BG3

I think it's safe to say who gets the prize for "Best Debut Indie Game".

@Jigglypuff439 Pikmin 4 did make it. One for best Strategy game and one for best Family game

I have been hearing incredible things about Baulder's Gate 3 so as much as I love Mario Wonder and Tears of the Kingdom, I'm guessing that one has Game of the Year in the bag. I'm also rooting for Hi-Fi Rush and Pikmin 4 to take home at least one award and for Pizza Tower in best debut indie.

It probably won’t win because the story and side stuff are not good in the slightest, but Engage’s gameplay is some of the best gameplay I’ve seen in an RPG, and managed to get me into a franchise that I don’t think Three Houses would have sold me on the same way.
Nintendo has had a pretty great year in a year where not much has been released, so they should do well here.

@nessisonett
Really? Not saying that sarcastically, just honestly surprised. I would expect it to be between TOTK and BG3 as they were the highest rated and most talked about from what I've seen. I've heard next to nothing about Alan Wake 2 beyond seeing it getting a good score (87 I think? Last I checked?) on metacritic. You think it's one of those that critics hype up more than the communities?

Let's be honest, the real winners this year were gamers. So many excellent games released (and yet to be released). Let's not forget Metroid Prime Remastered also released this year and scored higher than some of those nominated for goty!

Hell yeah. They both deserve all the attention

@Quantaur It’s a game that I’ve only seen universal praise for. TOTK suffers from reusing assets and such, no matter how much it adds, same as Spider-Man 2 and Resi 4 on this list. Alan Wake 2 seems to have blown basically everyone away and it’s also a story-led experience from a dev team that have always made great games that just miss out on these sorts of awards.

I want Zelda to win but I'm pretty sure it'll be Baldur's Gate that does. Haven't played it or anything, but they usually go with a non-tendo title for GotY and that's the one everyone is talking about.

D&D is "bang on trend" this year (lol). NoA recognised this by casting Matthew Mercer, So I wouldn't be surprised if Badur's Gate 3 wins (and will look forward to it on the next console!)

Did anyone else read the title as mentioning ‘Mario Wonder Land’ for a moment or just me? Lol

Did my duty and voted for TOTK down the line. Regardless of what the game awards ends up picking, TOTK is my personal game of the generation, in an interesting bookend kind of way, paired with BOTW debuting the generation for Nintendo Switch.

@eltomo No, honestly TOTK should win. Baldur's Gate 3 isn't that special and it shipped with an unfinished third act.

Still, game awards mean nothing. I've been saying for years how "GOTY" is down to the individual.

Just remember how months or even years later, people wonder how some games even won GOTY awards. Take Skyrim winning in 2011 and now in every list, practically most people say in retrospect that Dark Souls was actually the best game to come out that year.

@Quantaur Tbf Remedy games are really good. They're not actually that hyped up whereas Baldur's Gate 3 just seems to be living on the hype still.

I’m so mad that Bomb Rush Cyberfunk didn’t get nominated for anything

@theoryofeverywhere "barely even scratched the surface of Ultrahand. It is just so big and has so many possibilities"
Ultrahand comment aside this could be used to describe BG3. To be clear i think both TotK and BG3 are pretty much equal but there's something about BG3 that just puts ahead of everything else for me, its a game where you think you done everything only to find out you missed huge chunks of the map or a companion or god knows how many quests. Its a game where the ways of doing many of the questlines feel endless and its a game where a simple sounding quest turns into something far bigger. It also contains some of the best written and best acted characters in gaming who you can't help but fall in love with and miss when you're not playing. Its also pretty damn funny as well with a wicked sense of humour at times. TotK is incredible though and its very much worthy of winning, i'm just happy 2023 contains games of this level.

@NatiaAdamo Pizza Tower RAAAAAHHHH🍕🍕🍕

@Nf157 Bummer to hear that, you're doing yourself a disservice! All of them are amazing

@OwenGamer22 The others were more deserving tbh. Cyberfunk is fine but doesn't stand up to the competitors in any of the categories, even in OST.

They really should have put Octopath in their for OST though

Still have a few games left to play by the end of the year before I make a list of my own. Really wanted to play Baldur's Gate III this year but I decided to put it off in favor of some shorter games I was looking forward to.
This has been a stellar year for games though.

As for the actual nominations the lineup is predictable but I'm surprised Wonder made the list. I do believe some of these picks are just riding on recency bias and likely won't stand the test of time from what I've seen/heard of them. BUT, I won't say definitively one way or the other until I've given them a fair shake myself.

@ItsATM I'm sure they are! I definitely want to get to more of them it's just a question of how 😅

Baldurs Gate 3 got my vote for sure.
TotK is pretty forgettable once you got past the sandbox stuff. The rest of the game is meh and just a repeat of BotW.

Woah! Mario made it to the list! Though I voted for totk as it's the only nominee I've played this year. Hope it wins, it's got tough competition this year!

I played Totk and SMW. I feel somehow that BG3 may be the winner in this since it is on multiple consoles. I hear so much swell for it. I liked Totk but somehow couldn’t see Mario as a contender. It’s just something there that doesn’t strike it.

I’m playing Engage right now. I don’t get what’s so good about it.

The voice acting, story, and character design is so bad that it actually takes away from
The gameplay, which so far feels pretty standard Fire Emblem

@MadmanMike oh it’ll win. The sheer amount of bandwagoning PC fans will do, will make it happen. Not sure if that’s the right word

@Tyranexx it'll definitely be between TotK and BG3, crazy to see Mario and Zelda to duke it out in a year together though.

@nessisonett not one? wtf have you played this year xD I have like 45 hours in mario wonder and 180 in totk both were fantastic and I keep playing them over and over lol

@Ralizah would love to see how salty the totk haters would be if totk wins goty which i have a feelling it well.

@Arcata that one level in wonder climb to the beat was extremely brutal.

@Arcata I don’t really play the Switch much, I mostly played Etrian Odyssey on it. I’m also fairly skint and games are expensive lmao

@nessisonett Oh thats fair. Games are super pricey. I buy Nintendo games but when I buy non Nintendo games I usually get a cheap cd key from g2a for steam games. The other day I got a $40 game for $5 lol

@RiasGremory The one in the special world was really hard lmfao I did it like 20 times before I beat it xD

@RiasGremory Two people on here spring to mind…the slightest whiff of the word Zelda and they’re off. 😂

Yeah, and none of them deserves it. I seriously hope they don't win, it's a kick in the groins to the developers that really made memorable games and games that tries to push games forward and not stay in the same spot.