MGF GOTY 2025

[Bread]

Thought this would be a fun little thread to do to crown the forum's first ever official GOTY. Whether it'll be as much of a runaway as the actual GOTY remains to be seen (I suspect I know the answer) but to generate a little bit more discussion, we'll do this is a mini-Eurovision style sort of vote. So what I'll be asking is for you to list your top 5 games of the year. Your #1 game will receive 5 points, your #2 will receive 4 points and so on and so forth.

The Rules

• All games must have a 2025 release date. Games that have an earlier Japanese release date that were subsequently released in the west this year will be allowed.
  
• Games that came out in the west on certain systems (such as PS5) in previous years, that were ported to other systems (such as Switch 2) in 2025 will not be included.
  
• Remakes will be allowed, however remasters by and large will not be included. Any game that sits in that sort of grey area between remaster and remake (such as Oblivion) will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please state your case if you include such a game in your list.
  
• Early access games will not be considered.
  
• Lists can be amended as and when you like. I'll be adding votes to a spreadsheet as I go, so please let me know if you make changes to your list, otherwise it may get missed.
  

If you haven't played 5 or more games this year, you can still list the games you have played in a shorter list, and your top choice will still receive top marks. The following 1/2/3 games however will be adjusted to consider how many games are listed.

I will close the vote on Sunday 11th January at 23:59 GMT. I will announce the results as and when I can be bothered (I should be on paternity leave by then so I may find my online presence to be diminished).

[Bread]

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Ghost Of Yotei
3. Split Fiction
4. South of Midnight
5. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

[Null]

It’s mad but I’ve actually not played a game released this year so I guess I’ll enjoy everyone else’s takes

[black king]

Hmm looking at backloggd, I've played three whole games that released this year. 

So that in mind,

1. Clair Obscur: Exepedition 33
2. MGSΔ: Snake Eater
3. Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remaster. 

My case for TES4:OR is I wanted a longer list than two. I haven't finished it yet, no. 

[NateDog]

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Death Stranding 2

That's all I've played this year. Delta is there but I don't like including remakes or remasters like this.

[Shyne-Bryght]

1. BF6
2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
3. The Alters

[BigBrother]

1. Clair Obscur
2. The Alters
3. Ghost Of Yotei
4. Robocop: Unfinished Business
5. MGS Delta

The Alters was really, really good. Still need to finish it but I'm going to do another playthrough as I sorta screwed it.

[Bread]

UPDATE

I've had a change of heart regarding one of the rules. There will no longer be penalties for incomplete lists. It was probably short-sighted of me to assume that the majority here would have the money/time/desire to play 5 or more games from a single calendar year, and thus it no longer makes sense to me to be awarding reduced points. As a result, the scoring will now simply be 5 points for your #1 game, 4 points for your #2 game et al, regardless of how many total games you list. Naturally I should say that if you've played less than 5 games and you despised one or more of the games you played, you're not obliged to include it on your list.

@NateDog I'm happy to include Delta if you wish? It's a full-on, build from the ground remake, and is therefore worthy to be judged separately from the original Snake Eater imo.

@black king Oblivion Remastered is fine. I've been assured by fans of the franchise that there are enough mechanical, visual, QoL and performance differences that it's a markedly different experience from the original Oblivion.

Would love to get a few more votes for this. If anyone is currently halfway through a playthrough of a game, I'm happy to extend the deadline.

[Dirty Duck]

Would love to get a few more votes for this. If anyone is currently halfway through a playthrough of a game, I'm happy to extend the deadline.

I've expressly tried to start/get further into games I've started before I post my decisions. It's what made me start Silksong after putting it off as I'm playing too many games rn (and I'm very glad for it because I'm enjoying it massively)

[NateDog]

UPDATE

I've had a change of heart regarding one of the rules. There will no longer be penalties for incomplete lists. It was probably short-sighted of me to assume that the majority here would have the money/time/desire to play 5 or more games from a single calendar year, and thus it no longer makes sense to me to be awarding reduced points. As a result, the scoring will now simply be 5 points for your #1 game, 4 points for your #2 game et al, regardless of how many total games you list. Naturally I should say that if you've played less than 5 games and you despised one or more of the games you played, you're not obliged to include it on your list.

@NateDog I'm happy to include Delta if you wish? It's a full-on, build from the ground remake, and is therefore worthy to be judged separately from the original Snake Eater imo.

Thanks but honestly I prefer to leave it out. If we're talking about a remake on a bigger scale then sure, but honestly it's pretty much MGS3 as it was with a refreshed coat of paint alongside some updated shooting mechanics (which don't exactly help the balance of the experience in a lot of places as it makes certain sections trivial).