Game Industry Threads
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The Game Awards 2024 Was One Of The Best Ever – How Would You Rate This Year's Show?
At most Game Awards shows, there are always a few big reveals that are easy to get excited over, but this year feels like it was particularly stacked, especially considering how many of the big game reveals at TGA 2024 are going to be coming out in 2025. There are a?ton?of games to get excited about from this show –?The Witcher 4, a standalone co-op?Elden Ring?spinoff with?Nightreign,?Naughty Dog's new game?Intergalactic,?Split Fiction, and?Okami 2?were particular highlights in my opinion, but there was no lack of interesting and surprising reveals. I fell into the trap of believing?Half-Life 3?would be revealed at this year's game awards, but to be honest, the shock of a sequel to?Okami?still hasn't worn off quite yet and I don't know if?Half-Life 3?would have topped it. I didn't play a few of the games that were nominated for awards this year, but the reveals were far, far above average from what we've come to expect from The Game Awards in recent years.?
The Date of the Game Awards Needs To Change
It seems strange to me, and I daresay many others, that we can't just push back the date of The Game Awards by 4-6 weeks, so we can actually include all of the 2024 releases. Looking at the end of this year, while I don't know if they necessarily?would?win over the actual contenders, but games like?Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, STALKER 2,?and?Marvel Rivals?should have been up for consideration. By the time we get to the next Game Awards, it'll have been over a year since those titles came out, which I do think hurts their chances of winning. I'd say pushing the night back to the end of January would give the industry enough time to reflect on the releases of the previous year, then we don't have these weird limbo periods where a game released the previous year goes up for contention.
Got Any Predictions For The Game Awards?
Gaming's night of nights is almost here, which means the best of 2024 are going to be crowned, along with a plethora of new game announcements and updates. Have you got any predictions, wishes, hopes, far-fetched dreams of what'll happen?
I Miss the Media Player Feature From the 3DS
While I'm not sure I'd take advantage of it as an adult, when I was a teenager, I put all of my My Chemical Romance albums on my 3DS so I could listen to them on it. I wish the Switch had more fun features.
I Think Nintendo's 2024 Could've Been Better
With the Switch 2 only a few months away from theoretically being announced by Nintendo, it would make sense that Switch owners would end up with a lackluster year of first-party releases. However, even if we Nintendo fans expect fewer major releases ramping up the next big console launch, that doesn't mean the titles should be mediocre or not as high-quality as Nintendo games tend to be. This year, we got subpar releases like Princess Peach Showtime, Endless Ocean: Luminous, Mario and Luigi: Brothership, and then some ports like Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Luigi's Mansion 2,?and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Of course, the latter aren't bad games by any means, but there just wasn't an incredible, memorable Nintendo release this year. Even Echoes of Wisdom, while a great game, was somewhat forgettable for me and didn't hold a spot in my personal list of favorite Zelda games. For me, if I had to rate Nintendo for 2024, I would give it a solid C. What do y'all think? How much playtime
It's Been A Few Weeks Now, So How Do You Rate the PS5 Pro?
I haven't gotten my hands on the latest Sony console and I likely won't - although I am eyeing off a Portal in the not-too-distant future. But, as someone with a PS5, a lot of the feedback I've been hearing is that it's not so noticeable an upgrade to justify reaching back into my pockets, but PS4/PS4 Pro owners have enjoyed the step-up. What's your assessment of the new Sony gaming system?
Is the Social Media Ban in Australia a Good Move? Would You Want It In Your Country?
As an Australian living abroad, I'm almost embarrassed to say that I had no idea this was even in the works, but I was certainly surprised by the move. As a parent to a toddler, I don't have any experience of what it's like to parent a child who uses social media, but I don't think it should be up to the government to determine my child's usage.? I can certainly see the argument that it will protect our children from online threats, but, if anything, 16 is quite a high threshold. I think it's more justified for kids under 12-13, but you're impeding on their social lives if you're banning teenagers.
Who Deserves the Debut Indie of the Year?
I haven't played every game on the indie debut list, but I'm rooting for?Balatro?to win. I've been hooked to the game ever since I bought it on Switch and would love to see it get a win.
What's Your Favorite Xbox Console?
Xbox isn't as popular as PlayStation in my country so I never had one before my Series X. However, I followed every step of this console after it was announced, and I was so impressed by it that I knew I needed to get my hands on one. I've never had the pleasure to own any other Xbox consoles but I am very fond of my Xbox Series X.
What's the Most Underrated Console Of All Time?
I'm a big fan of the Wii U and will defend it every chance I get. There are various aspects that made me fall in love with the Wii U: HD games looked beautiful on TV, the Wii U Pad was a great innovation and I quite enjoyed it, it had awesome games and remakes, it allowed you to play Wii games, and lastly, it had an awesome selection of retro games on its virtual console.
What GOTY Nomination Made You the Happiest?
I've been playing a lot of?Balatro?lately, and it's so fun and unique. I'm very happy to see that the game is getting the recognition it deserves and being nominated for the most exciting category of The Game Awards.
Do You Think the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack is Worth the Price?
The standard NSO subscription is definitely worth it, especially if you buy a one-year membership. For a single account, I think the NSO Expansion Pack is a bit pricey; if you don't play or already own the?Splatoon,?Mario Kart, and?Animal Crossing?expansion packs, you won't really want to pay extra for them. However, if you split it with a group of eight people, each person will pay $10 per year, which is an amazing deal for everything it includes.
Were the Right Games Nominated for Game of the Year?
We're less than a month away from finding out who will be crowned the Game of the Year for 2024, and the nominees have now been announced. Did they get it right? Let us know what you would change if you could!
Is Game Pass Ultimate Worth Its Current Monthly Price?
Game Pass Ultimate currently costs $19.99/month. I think Game Pass Ultimate is one of the best subscriptions out there because it has a great console and PC game collection and includes awesome perks, such as cloud gaming. Unfortunately, unless you exclusively play games on an Xbox console or platform, I think it's a bit too high, which is why sadly I stopped renewing my subscription. With the new price tag, I'd rather buy a game if I really want to play it.
Should DLCs Be Eligible for Game of the Year?
There have been so many strong DLCs in recent years that have boosted the overall experience of big-name releases like?The Witcher 3,?Cyberpunk 2077, and?Elden Ring, but I don't think it's really fair to include them for consideration for Game of the Year. In my view, the GotY should be a new IP for that year. In saying that, I see absolutely nothing wrong with The Game Awards including best DLC as a category. They deserve their time in the spotlight, just not for the top prize.
What Color Are Your Original Switch Joy-Cons?
My console is a day-one Nintendo Switch, and I have the original red and blue Joy-Cons.
What Version of the Nintendo Switch Do You Own?
I have a day-one Switch. It's handled thousands of hours of gaming and it still works fine. Its fan works overtime sometimes and it's much slower now that it has hundreds of screenshots and games installed on it, but I can't say I'm not happy with it.