Astro Bot Crowned Game of the Year, Proving The Game Awards Is Creatively Bankrupt

I’m not sorry. Astro Bot does not deserve Game of the Year. It might be a fun game, and by all accounts it is, but it’s a blatant Nintendo ripoff. Is this really what we want representing the year’s best game? A derivative knockoff of older titles produced by Nintendo?

I’m not saying that Nintendo had a game this year worthy of GOTY. It didn’t. I thought Echoes of Wisdom, the only game Nintendo released that stood any chance, was a fine 8/10 experience, but it wasn’t the best game of the year. Not even close. But at least Echoes of Wisdom was a new idea in the Zelda series and did something unique. I can’t say the same for Astro Bot.

Just take a look at the blatant plagarisim on display in Astro Bot courtesy of the video below:

This GOTY award would be like if a high school student’s paper, directly lifted off the Internet and written by a certified genius, received the highest grade and honor by the school. Sure, the paper itself was great, but it wasn’t written by the student. Likewise, Astro Bot may be fun, but it isn’t original enough to be worthy of the highest honor of the year.

I have no problem with people having fun with the game, but let’s not pretend it’s innovative. And shouldn’t the Game of the Year at least be innovative?

Sure, all games copy. But Astro Bot‘s whole gimmick is that it’s a Nintendo game on a Sony system. Is that really worthy of Game of the Year? I say no.

I’d be fine if Metaphor: Refantazio won GOTY. I don’t care if Nintendo wins or not (in fact, they weren’t even nominated for GOTY). But The Game Awards were a dreadfully long slog that ultimately ended the night by rewarding a game that’s not original. In a gaming world full of celebrated remakes and remasters (I genuinely rolled my eyes when The Last of Us Part II got another announcement trailer), maybe that’s not surprising.

Astro Bot is not Game of the Year, and I will be ignoring the result that Geoff Keighley shoved in my face.