GOTY is difficult for me.
TOTK is amazing but some mechanics overstay their welcome. There is a LOT of rock mining in there which isn't a great mechanic but apparently the director was a big fan.
The enemies while more varied than BOTW are still a lot more repetitive than something like Elden Ring. The building while technically impressive takes so much time that it is usually easier/faster to just use horses and Links abilities instead. Some mechanics are kind of janky like activating the abilities of the sages as are the controls for selecting items.
But recently it literally turned into Super Mario Galaxy for no reason at all and that instantly made it a 10/10 again for me.
However, that sums up the whole experience with the game, you play, get to this 10/10 moment, it falls back to 8/10 busy work and then suddenly another 10/10 moment shows up. Rinse, repeat. Still, just because of all the great stuff and the immense scale and the insane abilities it feels like GOTY.
However, if I look at GOTY from a category by category perspective, Alan Wake 2 wins hands down.
1. Best narrative by some distance
2. Best graphics by some distance (only Cyberpunk 2077 and RE4 can compete)
3. Best art direction (the best rendition of a Nolan-esque Matrix and True Detective / Fincher aesthetic in a videogame ever)
4. Best music (the number of original vocal songs is just crazy)
5. Best sound design (how it didn't win this award at the VGAs is a mystery)
6. Best direction (live action, cutscenes, musicals all perfectly blended together)
7. Best performance (Mr. Door, Alan Wake, perfect performances all around)
But there's one category it doesn't win and that is gameplay. The gameplay is good but not as good or unique as the rest of the game. And that brings me to another game, Resident Evil 4 + Seperate Ways. Because while not as surprising as TOTK can be or as unique as Alan Wake 2 it has near perfect gameplay, combined with nearly the best graphics, direction, sound etc. . And finally there is a game with perfect gameplay too: Super Mario Wonder. Except for the bosses.
TOTK is amazing but some mechanics overstay their welcome. There is a LOT of rock mining in there which isn't a great mechanic but apparently the director was a big fan.
The enemies while more varied than BOTW are still a lot more repetitive than something like Elden Ring. The building while technically impressive takes so much time that it is usually easier/faster to just use horses and Links abilities instead. Some mechanics are kind of janky like activating the abilities of the sages as are the controls for selecting items.
But recently it literally turned into Super Mario Galaxy for no reason at all and that instantly made it a 10/10 again for me.
However, that sums up the whole experience with the game, you play, get to this 10/10 moment, it falls back to 8/10 busy work and then suddenly another 10/10 moment shows up. Rinse, repeat. Still, just because of all the great stuff and the immense scale and the insane abilities it feels like GOTY.
However, if I look at GOTY from a category by category perspective, Alan Wake 2 wins hands down.
1. Best narrative by some distance
2. Best graphics by some distance (only Cyberpunk 2077 and RE4 can compete)
3. Best art direction (the best rendition of a Nolan-esque Matrix and True Detective / Fincher aesthetic in a videogame ever)
4. Best music (the number of original vocal songs is just crazy)
5. Best sound design (how it didn't win this award at the VGAs is a mystery)
6. Best direction (live action, cutscenes, musicals all perfectly blended together)
7. Best performance (Mr. Door, Alan Wake, perfect performances all around)
But there's one category it doesn't win and that is gameplay. The gameplay is good but not as good or unique as the rest of the game. And that brings me to another game, Resident Evil 4 + Seperate Ways. Because while not as surprising as TOTK can be or as unique as Alan Wake 2 it has near perfect gameplay, combined with nearly the best graphics, direction, sound etc. . And finally there is a game with perfect gameplay too: Super Mario Wonder. Except for the bosses.