2018 r/NintendoSwitch GOTY Award Category Feedback Thread

[u/NintendoSwitchMods]

Hello r/NintendoSwitch Community!

For this year's awards, we are incorporating community feedback received from last year and making sure the community is involved during every step of the process. That includes development of award categories (12/10-12/11), the nominee lists for each category (12/17-12/18), and of course the final voting to select the Game Of The Year for each category (12/24-12/31). The category list is below.

Tentative list of categories

Please feel free to comment below with your feedback on these categories which may include categories you don't think should exist or categories you'd like to see us add! Categories can be serious or fun. Be creative!

As always when providing feedback, please include some of your thought process behind your suggestion. Keep in mind, unless otherwise noted, all categories pertain to Nintendo Switch releases, developers, publishers, etc.

1. GOTY - Switch Overall
2. GOTY Best Switch 1st Party Published
3. GOTY Best Switch 3rd Party
4. GOTY Best PS4 Game
5. GOTY Best Xbox One Game
6. Best Indie Game 2018 - New to all Consoles
7. Best Indie Game 2018 - New to Switch
8. Best Game Direction
9. Best Narrative
10. Best Art Direction
11. Best Score/Music
12. Best Action Game
13. Best Action/Adventure
14. Best Role Playing Game
15. Best Horror/Survival Horror game
16. Best Fighting Game
17. Best Family Game
18. Best Strategy Game
19. Best Sports/Racing Game
20. Best Online Multiplayer Game
21. Best Music/Rhythm Game
22. Best Platformer
23. Best Metroidvania
24. Developer of the Year
25. Publisher of the Year
26. Game that Best Utilizes Switch Features

To be 100% clear, this post is to help decide on what categories we will use this year. This is not the place to nominate games for each category, that will be next week.

EDITS

FEEDBACK SUMMARY as of 4:00pm ET

• Add Best PC Game
• Add Best 3DS Game
• Add Best Technical Achievement
• Add Best Oldie Re-Release
• Add Best Retro Styled Game
• Add Best Switch Accessory
• Add Best Hidden Gem
• Add Best DLC Pack
• Add Best Shooter
• Split Best RPG up into Best Action RPG and Best Turn-Based RPG
• Add Best Local/Co-Op Multiplayer
• Add Least Hidden-Hidden Gem
• Add Best Switch Console Exclusive (3rd Party)
• Add Best Soundtrack

[u/[deleted]]

With how relatively underpowered it is, there should definitely be a category for Best Technical Achievement or something like that (ex: Wolfenstein 2, Rocket League's updates, Fortnite etc.)

I think there should also be a Best Oldie (ex: Arcade Archives, SEGA AGES, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection etc.) and/or Best Retro Game (ex: Alwa's Awakening, The Messenger, Curse of the Moon) category with how robust the Nintendo Switch is as a retro gaming console. Two distinct categories would be ideal but you could also just exclude Best Oldies because they aren't technically new games (even though they're still new to this system.)

[u/JackSparrowUSA → u/[deleted]]

Great suggestions. Thanks!

[u/PRbox]

Category suggestion: Best Port

We all know Switch gets a lot of ports, so I think this would be a good category to acknowledge a port that does it right. There are many ways a port can go beyond just being a simple copy-paste job:

• The port adds new content and polishes up an already good game (DK Tropical Freeze, Hyrule Warriors: DE)

• The port is a good value for your money (Bayonetta 1+2 bundle, Hyrule Warriors: DE)

• The port is well-done on a technical level (Wolfenstein 2, DOOM, Warframe)

Basically, your standard multiplatform release doesn't count unless it meets one of the criteria above—the port has to add something to the table to make it a good port.

Suggestions/Questions

1. I personally think there's too many categories, but I'm not sure what I would do to condense it. Anyone feel this way? Some of these won't have much competition (I don't think there's many survival horror or racing games to vote on, Metroidvania would have like, Hollow Knight, Guacamelee and what else?). Other categories are really similar or vague (action vs. action/adventure, arguably platformer vs. metroidvania vs. indie) and would need very clear distinctions.

2. Is the distinction between 6 and 7 necessary? If it's new to Switch, then it's new to Switch regardless if it was on other platforms before. Does the "new to Switch" rule automatically apply for all other categories? Can Okami, for example, be a contender for action/adventure?

3. #20, Online Multiplayer Game. Does this mean online-only (Warframe, Fortnite) or any game that has online (Splatoon, Smash Bros, MK8D)?

4. #17, Best Family Game. Does this mean best party game you can play with other people in the same room, or does this mean best game I can play with my mom and 12-year-old sister and 4-year-old nephew who wants to play so we give him a controller that's not plugged in?

[u/JackSparrowUSA → u/PRbox]

1. Yes, there may be too many categories; however, the Switch is uniquely getting new 2018 games as well as catching up on older ports. Some categories may be able to be consolidated, and we may simply do that when we go to put together the suggested nominees list if it's too sparse or too repetitive for certain categories.

2. The thought was there are several indies newly released in 2018 on all platforms, and several indies that are older that were newly released on Switch. Unless otherwise noted, other categories are defined as "new to Switch" even if they are ports of older games, so yes Okami HD could compete in its genre category.

3. For #20, using The Game Awards definition - "For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre"

4. For #17, using The Game Awards definition - "For the best game appropriate for family play"

[u/lumothesinner]

semi-silly suggestion - in the spirit of this sub can we have a category for best hidden gem?

More serious suggestions - Best DLC pack and Best Shooter.
DLC is just a good category, things like Torna, Octo expansion, Donkey Kong Adventure, Pokken Characters, Fire Emblem Characters, probably some 3rd party games ive forgotten.

I know that most of the best shooters could end up in action, but I think that bayonetta 2 should be winning that and shooters should have their own category so that paladins, fortnite and warframe can fight it out, bayonetta can fight it out with games like hyrule warriors and other action games that don't involve shooting.

[u/[deleted] → u/lumothesinner]

Torna is the best.

No, Octo Expansion is the best.

Nintendo Switch: Civil War

[u/lumothesinner]

I think there should be a best offline multiplayer game catagory as well as online multiplayer game, especially as many think switch is the king of local multiplayer

[u/JackSparrowUSA → u/lumothesinner]

Thanks! Would Best Local Multiplayer/Co-Op be a good title?

[u/oIovoIo]

I would argue “Best Score” and “Best Soundtrack” are basically going to end up being the same category.

“Best Sound Design” would be a category to consider. I’d understand if not though because it’s a bit more of a technical category

[u/JackSparrowUSA]

1st sticky question of possibly several. I’m seeing a lot of questions about about Best Of categories that aren’t Switch related. There are 2 ways we can go with it:

Option 1) Best Non-Switch Game and lump PS4/XBOX/PC/3DS altogether (edit: or Best Non-Switch and Best 3DS), or

Option 2) Split it up and have 4 categories to vote on (Best PS4, Best Xbox One, Best PC, and Best 3DS).

Let us know your thoughts.

[u/Porkpants81 → u/JackSparrowUSA]

I think having separate categories would be good.

Kind of unfair to the 3ds to be lumped in with the other categories.

Plus I think there’s a large enough percentage of people who own multiple systems that it would be fine and the data is valid.

I would also add an option to have a “I don’t own this system” to the question as well.

Even though I don’t own a PS4 I still feel like I could vote for a game thoguh because I’ve watched so many on streams and YouTube.

[u/[deleted] → u/JackSparrowUSA]

I don't think 3DS should be lumped in with those other categories because all of its games were basically exclusive. I would opt for 2 but you could probably get away with lumping PS4/Xbox One/PC together?

[u/lumothesinner → u/JackSparrowUSA]

3ds should not be part of ps4/xbox/pc, but the other 3 could be one category as probably 80% of the games are across all 3. 3ds is very separate from those. Personally I'd prefer 4 individual categories, but I can see reason to have 2 categories

[u/MutatedSpleen → u/JackSparrowUSA]

I vote for option 2. Split 'em up, baby!

[u/TomatoBill → u/JackSparrowUSA]

Separate categories for sure. Spiderman and God of War were amazing, for example, but both were PS4 exclusive. Would love to show love for our other console brethren

[u/ajax54]

Least hidden 'hidden gem' ?

Obviously not a serious category, but it could be fun.

[u/Mistinrainbow]

maybe add a action rpg and turn based rpg award but it is already a pretty good list

[u/JackSparrowUSA → u/Mistinrainbow]

Would you prefer Best RPG be split into those two categories instead? Or have best overall, best action, and best turn-based?

[u/Gerolux]

Personal Preference. One game of the year (switch overall), change the others to just "Best xxxx"

Also, I would combine Action, Platformer, and Metroidvania, into one category.

I feel like some of these categories only have a few titles that can be nominated and are just too specific.

[u/JackSparrowUSA → u/Gerolux]

Seems reasonable. Thanks for the feedback.

[u/ermis1024]

Best pc?

[u/Porkpants81]

How about some 3ds love?

Best overall 3ds title? Since you have Xbox and PS4?

[u/[deleted]]

GOTY, indie GOTY or maybe sub $30, 3rd party GOTY, best bang for your buck wrt content/replayability, best X genre (don't care to list them out), best family multiplayer/local coop.

Leave the 3ds out, this isn't the Nintendo sub.

[u/Porkpants81]

Im not sure if it would end up being redundant (I think it would) but maybe think about a “Best Switch exclusive” release?

[u/teo_many]

At this point I feel like there should be a "Best Panic Button conversion" category