Introduction

Ten years ago, The Game Awards launched and began a revolution in the gaming community for both developers and fans. The event introduced various categories to celebrate achievements, culminating in the prestigious Game of the Year award—where one title is crowned as standing above all others. Naturally, awards often spark debate; people will always have differing opinions about what should win, and that’s understandable. As a gamer myself, I often wonder if what is deemed “the best” is truly that, or if it simply overshadowed others due to lack of word of mouth or other factors.

The Game Awards 2024 was no different. While I saw some well-deserved winners, there were also a few decisions that caused online forums to erupt with disagreement. Here are my takes on the highlights and awards of 2024! Please note that these are my opinions—and while you may disagree, I think we can all agree that this year was an incredible one for those of us who live our lives with a controller in hand.

Best RPG: Deserved

I watched The Game Awards with several of my friends, and we eagerly anticipated each announcement, wondering who would win in their respective categories. Having gone in blind for most of the nominees (unfortunately, I didn’t even get to vote), I wasn’t too surprised by the lineup. After all, I had played about 85% of the games mentioned.

Then the Best RPG category came up, and there it was—Metaphor: ReFantazio—a game I previously reviewed here at SunsetNerdVerse. Despite being up against solid competition, Metaphor took home the award. Even though the spectacle only lasted a few seconds (I wish they had received a physical trophy), I found myself clapping and cheering.

Yes, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was fantastic, but Metaphor resonated with me on so many levels. Even now, I find myself smiling as I play it. Of all the major awards, I felt this one was the most justified.

Incredible and Shocking Trailers

One of the highlights of The Game Awards is the announcement trailers—and this year didn’t disappoint. We saw teasers for a new Virtua Fighter game, a new Onimusha game (this one got me really hyped), and even a new title from the team behind Shadow of the Colossus and Ico, currently dubbed Project Robot. These trailers were shorter, more like teasers than full-length reveals, but I was thrilled nonetheless.

And let’s not forget the big one—Elden Ring: Nightreign, a new standalone DLC. That announcement made me yell way too loud in my apartment! Say what you will about The Game Awards, but the trailers alone are often worth the hype and any minor flaws the show might have.

Game of the Year… Really?

Okay, now for the opinionated part—my thoughts on Game of the Year.

I barely played Astro Bot, but I did enjoy it and thought it had some cool gameplay and themes. That said, never in a million years would I have expected it to win Game of the Year over some of the other contenders. Two stellar RPGs were released this year, along with an incredible action-adventure game (Black Myth: Wukong) and the highly anticipated Silent Hill 2 Remake.

You might notice I didn’t include the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and that’s because I didn’t think it deserved a nomination in this category. However, if that had won instead of Astro Bot, I would have been fine because I genuinely loved the DLC.

But Astro Bot? How?

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying Astro Bot was a bad game. It was definitely a strong title for 2024, but compared to the competition, I don’t feel it deserved to win. After talking to about a dozen people (some of whom praised Astro Bot), I realized I wasn’t alone in thinking this.

Let me know in the comments below which title you feel should have won.

Conclusion

Did I enjoy The Game Awards 2024? Absolutely—especially compared to a few years ago, which was questionable at best. Did I love all the winners, particularly Game of the Year? Unfortunately, no.

Still, The Game Awards 2024 was a great time overall, and I doubt many would argue otherwise. What did you all think of the show? Let me know in the comments below!

—Aaron