• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

I think it's a bad sign if Neon White is not nominated for a GOTY at The Game Awards

Bragr

Banned
There is a big issue in the music industry that critics aren't listening to music outside the popular artists, which means all the awards at shows like the Grammy's are busted. The critics are completely out of the loop of the music out there.

In movies, at the Oscars, it's similar but not quite the absurdness that you find in the music industry.

In games, it's nowhere near that level yet, but it's getting there. Great games that don't find an audience are regularly forgotten. And the games media is the medium that should curate and highlight such content.

Neon White is a smaller indie game that made some waves and got some great reviews (90 on Metacritic), and some critics are mentioning it here and there, but it pales in popularity to stuff like Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, or Splatoon 3.

God of War and Elden Ring will fight for the GOTY, but what will be the other nominees? in a week or two, we will know.

But if Neon White, a game that has an almost flawless rating on Steam, a game that goes beyond the traditional indie game material (2d-action game) and easily steps into the sphere of classic small studio games like Hades or Limbo, if that game is not nominated, something has gone wrong.

I am not a fanboy (maybe), I had no expectations from Neon White, I played it on a whim. But anyone who played that game knows, it's smart, addicting, and deserves to take its rightful place over a lot of the games with tens of millions in marketing budgets developed by hundreds of people. This is the real deal, and if it's jumped over in the favor of expensive popular franchises, it's a sign of an unhealthy culture in the game's media where the popular titles are beating better games.

The same could potentially be said of Vampire Survivors, even though that is a bigger and more popular title.
 
It reaching GoTY discussions amongst the panel means it left a big enough and long lasting enough impression, like Hades, to elevate it to that degree.

Otherwise it will be nominated under best indie or best trending and if it's under best trending, it will lose to Vampire Survivors.
 

coffinbirth

Member
who-dat.gif
 
Last edited:
Neon White is easily in the running for best GOTY. I tried to tell you all. I think maybe 3 people on this site even talked about it.

Best in class gyro control on par with Splatoon.
Best in class platforming level design.
One of the best OSTs of the year.
Flawless difficulty curve that teaches you how to improve slowly with no tutorials, just expert level design.

Blows away most games this year.

 
Last edited:

Bragr

Banned
Flawless difficulty curve that teaches you how to improve slowly with no tutorials, just expert level design.
Especially this, it's one of the best-balanced games I have ever come across, it feels difficult, but it's also not that hard. It's hard to explain, there are of course some tricky courses, but the game manages to give you a sense of needing to focus and engages you (like the best difficult games do) without becoming annoying or frustrating or hindering your progress. Every platform designer should study how they pulled that off. After playing endless platform games, this felt like a breath of fresh air.
 

GHG

Gold Member
I still need to play this. Apparently there's a very good VR mod as well. Will probably give it a go after I'm done with Plague Tale Requiem and Ragnorak.

You're not getting me anywhere near Vampire Survivors though, would rather return to playing an actual arpg like Grim Dawn.
 

Mozzarella

Member
I think its going to be tough for it to slot in. Why?
1- Because there is other 5 guranteed nominations which are: God of War, Elden Ring, Bayonetta 3, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Horizon.
The last spot is usually reserved for indie games, which Neon White qualifies for.
2- Neon White doesnt have high review count
3- There is 2 anime themed games in the discussion already.
4- I think funny cat meme game will make it instead.
 
Pentiment and Somerville are coming, both I think have a shot to knock Neon White out of any realistic contention in an already pretty crazy GOTY discussion for 2022. Especially Somerville.. Inside and Limbo are incredible, if this game is coming with that kind of energy we are in for a real treat this month.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
at the very least it should get the GOTY award for best soundtrack. If it doesn't i will riot

Edit: oh, but Shredder's revenge exists and that came out this year too..... god damn it
 
Last edited:

Keihart

Member
yeah its cool, but have you played Bayonetta 3?
i'm sorry, i know this is not the bayo OT.

But seriously, pretty good year, lots of cool shit to consider, GOW coming out any moment now too and Elden Ring? wonder if there is even gonna be a slot on most GOTY awards for such a game, i wouldnt even be mad if not since there is so many cool games this year.

Almost as if 2022 pulled a bunch of cool games out of a hat.
giphy.gif
 
Last edited:

StueyDuck

Member
each to their own but i found that art style horrendous (don't like modern anime but not really anime but kinda woke art)
 
Last edited:

BlakeofT

Member
I'll be surprised if anything other than Elden Ring or God of War wins GOTY. Nothing wrong with having your own personal favorite GOTY though.
 
How the ehck do you even have "neon white" that's like me asking someone to put up a "neon black" street light, those can't be "neon" silly names, they are just lights. Only colors can be Neon, some of them.
 
Last edited:

lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
ngl, i never heard about neon light.

So the chances of it being in GOTY is pretty dim.
 

TexMex

Member
It’s fine. Definitely not so amazing that no nomination would suggest the game awards are below board. There’s many other valid reasons for that.

Would take Nobody Saves the World of Cult of the Lamb, Tunic or Tinykin over it for indies this year tho.
 

01011001

Banned
your first mistake is thinking that these game awards mean anything.
we all just watch them for the trailers :)
 

Arsic

Gold Member
Dome Keeper or Vampire Survivors are way better indie titles we got this year. Shit cult of the lamb too, if you’re just focused on the OST side of things so much OP.

Neon was “ok” and loses steam really quickly .
 
Game of the Year awards are a waste of time and energy. Stop worrying what some shitstain on the internet rates a game and decide for yourself. Discuss with others on what they preferred and have actual conversations.

The only time GotY comes up in conversation are when children need validation for their purchase habits or console warriors needing a perceived "win".
 
Realistically, there’s only place for one indie game among the six nominations, and I suspect it will go to Stray or Tunic. Those have broader appeal, and don’t have obvious flaws like the story in Neon White.
 

Thief1987

Member
There surely will be 1-2 indie games nominated for the "representation" sake. Not sure about this particular game, this year has a good amount of very strong indie games.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom