Zelda: Breath of the Wild Won Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards

Deserved.

Sweet!!

I don't think it deserved it, but good job to Nintendo.

It is refreshing to see Nintendo winning awards for quality games that I would recommend everyone play (even though it's mostly BotW that swept the board here).
I'm happy for them. Hopefully this is the start of a wonderful award season for Nintendo.

Nice just 100%ed the game today^^

Keep it up Nintendo. Don't go back to that old and tiring Zelda format. BOTW is the new standard!

So it begins...

'I'm a little relieved that Super Mario Odyssey had only been out for a week when voting ended' Man, Aonuma is amazing. He and the staff deserves it 100%.

Good to see Nintendo being on top again.

Congratulations!

What a year!

Totally deserved imo and my new fav Zelda game after toppling Ocarina!

Zelda deserves awards. But Best Audio? It's a shame smaller titles like Fire Emblem Echoes don't get any recognition, that game had a fantastic soundtrack

Im very happy for Nintendo. Hard work since 19's century.

This has been Nintendo's best year in the history of the company.

I think it's good to see them get a little recognition for it.

@Tsurii Best storytelling.

And to be fair, the game deserves it. It's not perfect by any means, but there's no other game I can think of that came close this year.

Much deserved. Not even a zelda fan yet I loved breath of the wild. Mario fan here and I still think Zelda was the better game

Well deserved. Congrats!

So... is Mr. Fujibayashi related to Sheena? Can he introduce me? :3

Very cool. I still can’t decide between Mario and Zelda on what to vote for in the Game Awards, but it seems most fans (online anyway) are going with Zelda.
As for handheld this year, Metroid Samus Returns, hands down.

Well deserved, I'm of the mindset it probably is the best game i've ever played but I normally like to give more time distance for some perspective on such things.

My game of the year was Splatoon 2, but Mario and Zelda earn second and third place respectively.

Either way, congrats to Nintendo!

Well deserved. Breath of the Wild is the best original game to come out of Nintendo in over a generation, and has totally revitalized the Zelda series. Not flawless, but ambitious and masterful nonetheless.

@DrJoson There's more to a game's audio than just the music. BotW soundscape is a mixture of fantastic ambient tracks and natural sounds (wind blowing, animals skittering through the grass, water flowing in creeks, thunder, etc.) that immerses the player in that world.

BotW's sound design is leagues more nuanced and interesting than pretty much any other game in the series.

@Octane Yep... and it is amazing for Ashly Burch also. She was Great all around. Not been this amazed since Anna Torv in Heavenly Sword.

Story telling is where Zelda fell flat for me. Having most of it behind a picture Easter Egg Hunt Quest was disappointing.

@Octane Nier Automata is WELL worth a look for storytelling.

Great game, not the best Zelda game but the best open world game for years.

For me I'd still go for Mario as my game of the year

Nier wasn’t even nominated? What a crock.

@Tsurii why is that funny? The game is top notch and the story is very good.

Breath of the Wild and Nier:Automata coming out on the same year is unfair. BotW is amazing and I'm glad that it won Game of the Year but Best Audio/Music should have gone to Nier:A

@Indielink I've played it, and I know this is very subjective, but the story didn't grasp me, it didn't really resonate with me. I can see why it's a good game, but it's one of those ''not for me'' game. I do intend to replay the game though, giving it a ''second chance'' if you will.

@carlos82 I felt the same way. I am convinced BotW started as a new IP and along the way got changed into a Zelda game. I think I would have liked Wild more if it was a new IP, because as a Zelda game it didn’t work for me.. The exploration was/is fun and I’m still “seeing the sights” even after beating the Ganon.

300 + staff (!)) wow....

@Mr_Zurkon You feel like that because it is intentionally different. There is no way it started as a different IP. No way. It just doesn't make sense from their structuring, the staff, the timeline, and their disclosure about the game's development.

@dumedum it was too different, IMO, to be have been conceived from day 1 to be a Zelda game and I still have serious issues with certain design choices. Who knows, you could be right, I would love to hear the inside story someday though.

Very well deserved.

Man, from the opening cut scene when exiting the cave.... I knew it was going to be an amazing game! I love the subtle music in the background mixed with the environment, the different approaches to a puzzle. I love the simplistic design with the environment.
I still play it every now and then, but it is always fun. It is a well deserved award for this game.

Apparently, Zelda BOTW won handily. No vote splitting with Mario.

PUBG didn't come anywhere close. Thanks god...

As a Nintendo player since Super Mario Bros. in 1990, I must admit: BotW is the most fascinating game I ever played. I am still amazed by the game. Thank you!

Bravo..!!!

Excellent!

It takes something really special for Nintendo to win a GotY vote in the UK - I don't know if there are even 500,000 Switches sold here yet, and barely any Wii Us. For a Nintendo title to win a public vote in a Sony PlayNation, especially in a year of Nier, Persona 5 and Horizon ZD, it needed to be as amazing as Zelda BotW. Worthy win, even ahead of Odyssey IMHO, and I hope it means the UK becomes an even bigger and better market for Ninty.

Worst and overvalued zedla of all time. Change NPC´s and Remove Zelda out of the Name.

I'm getting triggered!!!!

Supa Mario Odyssey deserved it MOAR!

I demand a recount!

@GC-161 Why is Luigi crying like that for a game he's not in? At most he'd just be a bit upset for Mario.

Well, it's not the actual Game Awards, but Nintendo won the Ultimate Game Of The Ye--

"relying almost exclusively on public votes."

... oh, that's why. Good luck with the actual Game Awards then, what with them being rigged in favor of the usual AAA "multi-but-not-Nintendo-platform" game.

@meleebrawler Because a crying Mario is hard to find. The chubby plumber is always cheerful.

This is the only one I found... he's a baby so that barely counts

Handheld/mobile game of the year - Pokemon Sun and Moon?
I don't even know what to say....
what even... eh...

meh.

Deserved.

I'm not really into awards things, waste of time...no idea what my GOTY would be. Not BotW, though...great game, but...eh...got boring after a while. Couldn't even finish it.

I know BotW can be polarizing because it departed from its traditional form, even though I didn't like it too much I don't have a problem with the award won but I don't think it deserved the audio award.

So many other games released that had far better audio, Nier, Persona 5, even Horizon. Not sure how it won that particular award.

Well deserved. It's a brilliant game that's for sure. Now let's hope it takes away the GOTY trophy home <3

Zelda and Odyssey... It's like picking fine wine... there are no wrong choices!

Just a few more nails in the coffin of the Zelda series' soul. No big.

This both a good and a bad thing. Good because the game is excellent and deserves it,. The Bad is that Aounumoron will think that it was THANKS to him instead of DESPITE him and the next Zelda will be another boring-puzzle-otaku fest like Skyward Sword or Majora's Mask.

Why is this guy still in charge?!

Was there ever any doubt.

Considering the number of game developers raving about this game, we all knew it's the Game of the Year before June.

@KirbyTheVampire ...Then what did?

@Melkac Probably Mario Odyssey. I can't comment on anything else because I didn't play games like Horizon or Persona 5.

@toffeecrit Love your profile picture.

Odyssey didn't win anything?

@Biff_ARMStrong I love Botw but to call the previous games "old and tiring?". I'm sorry but you sir, are wrong.

Awesome. Congratulations r in order. Unfortunately for guys like me, who didn’t like a lot of the design choices that were made here, with such success, most will likely return. Which means I’m not playing another Zelda game. And I like Zelda. Ocarina is still one of, if not my favourite all time game, so I 😭 a little thinking I’ll likely skip another one.

Yes, Zelda won over Mario (though I have to admit I am a huge fan of Zelda, and have not played Mario Odyssey yet)!

Well thank goodness it was Zelda over Mario at least. I don't think either game really deserves it, but I REALLY don't see where the overwhelming praise for Odyssey comes from.

I thought Mario Odyssey was more fun, but I can understand why Zelda won.

@Black_Dragon_Joe Look at it this way, every Zelda is really a critical re-think and overhaul of the design. They may go back to a more OoT-like design again in the future. I love BotW, but damn, if I'm still not looking for dungeons hidden in nooks and crannies...

@Dunan Audio is so much more than just OST. Otherwise I would have agreed with you, although I don't like the OST from NieR.

@Octane When did you stop playing? Because when you 'finish' the game, you're not nearly done yet. For me, best story telling this year. Too bad I don't really like the combat.

@Saego I know. I quit before the first ending. I won't do any side quests in my next playthrough, I think that killed the enjoyment too.

@Octane Did you do the second and third play through? You're missing a lot if you didn't.

@Indielink Not yet, I never even finished the first one.

@westman98 Odyssey had only been out for a week, though. We’ll see what happens once The Game Awards roll around.

@Mr_Zurkon Watch the behind the scenes videos on the Switch. It shows that the team created an 8-Bit Zelda to test ideas for Breath of The Wild. This was a Zelda game from day 1.

Well deserved......1st Zelda game that grabbed me since OoT. For me it was being different I think that helped draw me back in. I got bored part way through the last few and never even tried Skyward Sword.

It was nice to be obsessed with a LoZ game again..........

Well deserved. I'm over 160 hours in now and it's been an amazing introduction to the Switch for me. I keep discovering new things every day. I need to finish it so I can get my life back!

@DrJoson
Best audio encompasses more than just the soundtrack.

@Mr_Zurkon
The story was predictable and became tedious after a while. It was decent for a game, but it was hardly a great story.

I wonder if it is sad or not that X-box got Cuphead as its X-box game of the year. I can play that on Steam.

So do you think Cuphead deserves its Visual Design win

@Lone_Beagle
One can only hope. Don’t get me wrong, there r things that I like, even love about Breath of the Wild. The art direction, for example. The truly open world where u can spend hours just climbing trees... if you’re into that sort of thing, and I’m trying to b positive, so I’ll not touch the stamina bar, or the fact that it rains almost every time u try to climb... 😳. Umm, yeah. Anyway... moving on... this game has received rave reviews from everyone but me. Ocarina got rave reviews from everyone, including me. Majoras mask had a different plot, time travel/loops, but more or less played the same. History will very likely repeat, especially if money can b made; it is business. Which means more weapons breaking when people sneeze and cheap one hit deaths for all, but me. Not interested. Not any more. Mario looks like a lot of fun though. Been watching some videos online. Not sure, but I may be getting it for Christmas.

Man it’s so depressing how much everyone loves BOTW, I just don’t see it. It’s like the Emperor’s New Clothes, everyone sees an amazing game and I just see a collection of gameplay mechanics and structure that I really don’t like. 🙁

@DrJoson I know... what sound in Zelda? was for me the only thing lacking.

The open world mechanics made BotW one of my least favourite Zeldas so it's not the direction I want to see the series go in. It's nice to see Nintendo win so many awards but it's a bad sign for my enjoyment of future Zelda games

Deserved. Will be interesting to see if USUM receive this next year.

@Kalmaro thanks, SOR2 is also one of my all time favr games

@toffeecrit Same, really takes me back.

@KirbyTheVampire what the hell does that mean!! It it

@DrJoson Best audio is perhaps the category that there is the least debate of all that BotW deserves it. I can't recall any other game since Myst & Riven that have used audio and careful nuiances in audio design to help create the world around you. It's masterful and rare.

I would have said Skyrim, but then I took an arrow....nevermind.