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Easily the most deserving of the title, Game of The Year, The Witcher 3 takes the award for 2015! Probably one of my favorite releases of this year, CD Projekt Red won multiple awards for their fantastically crafted game and couldnt be more deserving.

Let us know what you think of this decision in the comments below!

 

[darklink28]

lol. The Witcher 3 was a mainstream choice but honestly not GOTY. and this is just TGA GOTY; there are hundreds of "GOTY" awards given out annually.

Xenoblade Chronicles X (beaten it btw) is a better choice, but, it comes out tomorrow. And it's way larger than Witcher 3, not buggy at all, just as engrossing, and super fun. Witcher 3 is a good game but honestly the GOTY choices were not very good.

 

[Xzi]

lol. The Witcher 3 was a mainstream choice but honestly not GOTY. and this is just TGA GOTY; there are hundreds of "GOTY" awards given out annually.

Xenoblade Chronicles X (beaten it btw) is a better choice, but, it comes out tomorrow. And it's way larger than Witcher 3, not buggy at all, just as engrossing, and super fun. Witcher 3 is a good game but honestly the GOTY choices were not very good.

I haven't played Xenoblade Chronicles X, but The Witcher 3 set a new gold standard for action RPGs. It's the living, interesting world that Bethesda has never quite achieved. It's also the most technically impressive game of the year. Monolith and Nintendo can only stretch the capabilities of last-gen hardware to a limit. Especially given that generation of console hardware had already overstayed its welcome.

Bottom line: The Witcher 3 isn't just the mainstream choice, it's also the obvious choice. It will probably receive GOTY awards from the most different sites/reviewers this year.

 

[Ericzander]

I'm so pumped to play this game. I read all the short stories of Geralt the White Wolf in anticipation. After I finish the Nathan Drake Collection I'll speedrun through The Witcher 1 and 2 and then be ready to take on this bad boy.

 

[Reploid]

I haven't played Xenoblade Chronicles X, but The Witcher 3 set a new gold standard for action RPGs. It's the living, interesting world that Bethesda has never quite achieved. It's also the most technically impressive game of the year. Monolith and Nintendo can only stretch the capabilities of last-gen hardware to a limit. Especially given that generation of console hardware had already overstayed its welcome.

Bottom line: The Witcher 3 isn't just the mainstream choice, it's also the obvious choice. It will probably receive GOTY awards from the most different sites/reviewers this year.

It maybe be good, but why it can't be worse than Xenoblade X, that almost nobody have played yet? I remember when Mass Effect 3 was RPG of the year, even though it was poor triquel, while Xenoblade 1 had better gameplay and story (not visuals of course), but finished only as RPG number two.

 

[Imparasite]

yes indeed The Witcher 3 deserved GOTY 2015 Hurra Hurra But people always a bitterherbs about it because they cant finish the witcher 3 game lol noobies ahahaha

 

[Foxi4]

I'm so pumped to play this game. I read all the short stories of Geralt the White Wolf in anticipation. After I finish the Nathan Drake Collection I'll speedrun through The Witcher 1 and 2 and then be ready to take on this bad boy.

Get the audiobooks, they're excellent and really put you in that "slavic fantasy mood" which is distinct from western D&D-style fantasy settings. Highly recommended!

It maybe be good, but why it can't be worse than Xenoblade X, that almost nobody have played yet? I remember when Mass Effect 3 was RPG of the year, even though it was poor triquel, while Xenoblade 1 had better gameplay and story (not visuals of course), but finished only as RPG number two.

Xenoblade had an awful, predictible story and stereotypical, copy-paste characters (Dunban = Jesus/Yoda/Obi-Wan, born with a gift, suffers for everyone, falls with his Monado-shaped cross so that the angsty teen could take his place; Shulk = young and angsty teen thrown into an unexpected adventure, least likable and obnoxious, ergo prime material for a JRPG protagonist, see: Cloud Strife, Squall Leonhart; meat-head friend I forgot the name of = as himself; Love Interest Woman = obvious target practice dummy for drama effect, dies but not really, it's all bland and textbook-simple), gameplay-wise it was a typical grind, it didn't even come close to Mass Effect 3, let alone The Witcher 3, I suspect X is the same - bland JRPG mush. I fell asleep after 4 hours, the game had no direction whatsoever. The first 15 minutes as Dunban are great, then you switch to Sulking Shulk and immediately throw the game away because nobody wants to be Shulk, not even Shulk.

 

[Maximilious]

The Witcher 3 was a mainstream choice but honestly not GOTY.

I seldom play a game to completion anymore due to how many games I already have, and Witcher 3 is one I'm still playing to this day. I find myself doing all of the side quests and getting every question mark on the map just to find more to do. This came at a time I was ready to re-up my WoW subscription after about 6 years of not playing and this game quenched that thirst after mere minutes of playing. To each his own, but seriously outside of how the horse mechanics work this game is definitely deserving of the title for 2015 from many sources.

On a side note, I'm glad to see Mario Maker was in the running. A game so simple but yet so much fun it made it to the running.

 

[dimmidice]

personally witcher 3 bored me to death. combat system was nothing new and was downright obnoxious.

 

[Foxi4]

personally witcher 3 bored me to death. combat system was nothing new and was downright obnoxious.

Compared to equivalents in the genre (Dragon Age, Skyrim) it was fluid and graceful, it made fighting feel like a ballet as compared to random bashing "until you win". I loved it, it really put some weight behind every connecting hit and made combos a blast. My only complaint was the way you select signs, but alas, controllers have only so many buttons, so I could understand the choice of the Mass Effect-y wheel over fixed buttons.

 

[dimmidice]

i loved skyrim. the combat was basic but at least it wasn't obnoxious. witcher 3's combat system just bored AND annoyed me.

 

[Foxi4]

i loved skyrim. the combat was basic but at least it wasn't obnoxious. witcher 3's combat system just bored AND annoyed me.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Combat in Skyrim is basic and I can appreciate that, my problem is that it feels rigid. You're like a Rock'em Sock'em robot repeating the same swing over and over for effect. The Witcher 3's combat, although more difficult and harder to master, offered fluidity and finesse, it felt more natural to me. That said, as I mentioned above, it's a matter of taste - both games are good for different reasons.

 

[Maximilious]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Combat in Skyrim is basic and I can appreciate that, my problem is that it feels rigid. You're like a Rock'em Sock'em robot repeating the same swing over and over for effect. The Witcher 3's combat, although more difficult and harder to master, offered fluidity and finesse, it felt more natural to me. That said, as I mentioned above, it's a matter of taste - both games are good for different reasons.

It reminds me a lot of Assassin's Creed with the parry's and such. The skill select is fairly cumbersome leaving me more to only use quen mainly with other skills only as needed. I really love the alchemy and bestiary parts of the game, researching how to more efficiently take out a type of monster and using potions or blade oil on them. And the investigation for Witcher contracts is really awesome as well, make you feel like a true hunter. I could go on, but that's what really stood out to me in the gameplay. Visuals stand for themselves.

 

[dimmidice]

. You're like a Rock'em Sock'em robot repeating the same swing over and over for effect. The Witcher 3's combat, although more difficult and harder to master, offered fluidity and finesse,

that's funny. i felt exactly the opposite way. in skyrim i have tons of options to choose from. it's in witcher 3 that i felt like i had virtually no options. oh enemy does A? then i better do B. etc etc. i honestly completely hate the combat system of all of the witcher games. skyrim's might not be amazing or anything but it works for the game. i'm usually a big fan of RPGs (FF, skyrim, pokemon, tales, suikoden, mass effect, etc etc) but witcher 3 (and 1 & 2) just didn't do it for me :/

but yeah different strokes for different folks. that's why i started my first post with "personally".

It reminds me a lot of Assassin's Creed with the parry's and such.

same here. and i LOVE black flag. one of my favorite games. but the combat is ass (imo) in black flag (and the other AC games) too.

 

[Ericzander]

Get the audiobooks, they're excellent and really put you in that "slavic fantasy mood" which is distinct from western D&D-style fantasy settings. Highly recommended!

That's a good idea. Noted. I'm also watching The Hexer series on YouTube, which I know people shit on... But I actually like it. I like it the same way that I liked the Adam West Batman series. It's a little campy, but it's still good with the budget that it had. I know that I could technically just jump into The Witcher 3 without any lore but luckily I'm invested!

 

[Foxi4]

That's a good idea. Noted. I'm also watching The Hexer series on YouTube, which I know people shit on... But I actually like it. I like it the same way that I liked the Adam West Batman series. It's a little campy, but it's still good with the budget that it had. I know that I could technically just jump into The Witcher 3 without any lore but luckily I'm invested!

Keep in mind that nothing in The Hexer is canon - it mixes and matches stories with little regard to chronology, filling in the gaps with completely made up stuff. Still, I liked it too, it's just an alternate version of the legend.

 

[Ericzander]

Keep in mind that nothing in The Hexer is canon - it mixes and matches stories with little regard to chronology, filling in the gaps with completely made up stuff. Still, I liked it too, it's just an alternate version of the legend.

Yeah beforehand I looked up differences on the wiki. Seems like they take a lot of liberties (there is no Witcher code, etc.) but it still introduces me to the characters and it incorporates the books in a different way. They picked a perfect actor for Geralt too. But since I already read the short stories I'm interested in how it's all added. Besides, Geralt has no memory in the first game. This won't stop me from reading the novels, but it'll be in addition to it. Excited to meet some of the bigger characters soon.

 

[FAST6191]

"Get the audiobooks"
Can I watch the film/TV miniseries instead?

Anyway changed the title for, if nothing else, GBAtemp does also have its own game of the year awards ( http://gbatemp.net/threads/gbatemp-game-of-year-2015-round-1.403798/ / http://gbatemp.net/threads/gbatemp-game-of-year-2015-round-2.404938/ ).

Edit. As for Skyrim combat vs the world. Can I also suggest some here play some other games like this that come out of Europe (and possibly Russia), Risen would be a good example but you also have things like Venetica. More active combat does seem to be the order of the day in games like them.
I am drawn to wonder why games so often shake out that way, maybe I will blame board games/table role playing games.

 

[chavosaur]

Good point, I didn't think about that.

 

[Lord M]

What i think... hero without personality, no original and unique... "movie" gameplay as all new gen games lol
And for a few rpg elements even win Rrg section... this year game award was a joke; people are bad!
For me Fallout 4 or MGSV deserved to win, but not this one!! (honor to Fallout 4 that even in next-gen have the dear HP bar lol)