@obcdexter: Yep, it unfortunately happens a lot. I kind of suspected it. It's only unfortunate because you can't really get what you're trying to say through a thread title all the time.

@white: I'm personally not saying anything. I didn't suggest that it is game of the year material, because I can't judge that yet. I haven't played it. I asked people if it is. I also haven't played Stardew Valley, though I don't have much desire to honestly.

@mysterious0bob: It was a way for me to see how enthusiastic people are about it, and whether they like it enough to say they think it will hold out for the end of the year as one of the best games.

@edgaras1103: Same. Nothing so far this year has been close to what I'd put on the top five, or even ten list. I hope Dark Souls 3 makes that change.

@ntm: I am going to assume Blood and Wine will deliver.

@paulmako: Yeah, I honestly can't think of games right now, though that's not why I asked the question. For me, I guess Uncharted 4 and Deus Ex are the ones I'm excited about most that are off the top of my head. I mean, The Witcher 3 DLC as well, but I don't consider that game of the year material... Oh, okay. Looking at Game Informer's list of games to come out this year that I'm excited about in some manner. Doom; Homefront; Uncharted 4; maybe Dead Island remaster (though I don't consider that as game of the year material either); Mirror's Edge Catalyst; Gears of War 4, and Deus Ex. There are also unconfirmed games, as well as RPG's, such as Final Fantasy, but that's something my brother is more into than myself.

I don't know if there's another game this year I'm even interested in, so maybe.

It's probably going to make my list. Then again, the past years I haven't played ten new games each year. But still, if nothing else blows me away this is at least a top three game. Not beaten it so far (seems like I got a couple of man bosses left), yet I am confident it will continue to be great.
To be honest, even if the game was mediocre I would have given it a pass for its excellent music. Not only is the music fucking great, but the way it is used on each boss is just perfect. Last time I had this reaction to music in a game was either "that one scene in Bastion" or the ending of Journey. And DS3 does it on almost every boss.
And I like the way things seem to be wrapped up more, with all the callbacks and familiar stuff. I can see how that can turn people off the game, but I feel it fits the end of the series in a way.

It'll make my list but not top it. What it needs is a text-based intro charting your relationship with your wife.

@shindig: What is Soulswatch?

Probably, just by virtue of me not being interested in much else. However, I gotta agree with the general consensus here that the Souls formula is getting a tad old with this latest entry. I don't think that's an actual reflection on the game's quality (seems like people here might disagree?), it's certainly one of the stronger titles in the series, but that's where I'm at after five games.

It's bittersweet, I'm glad we got this game, but I'm sad to see the series ending and to see myself kinda wanting it to end. Didn't think I'd reach this point, and I'm not certain there'll be another series that grabs me like this for awhile.

No need to tell them to stop when they already said this was the last one they're doing. They're currently working on a new IP.

Oh, man! Crap. I am level 114 in Dark Souls 2, I did many of the places to about completion. That would be Forest of the Fallen Giants; The Lost Bastille; Sinners' Rise; Belfry Luna; Shaded Woods; Doors of Pharros; Brightstone Cove Tseldora; Grave of Saints; The Gutter, and I just finished Black Gulch, but I've been running around for 30 or so minutes trying to find where the heck I go now. I remember in the quick look Brad was in a place I hadn't even been (when he wasn't even finished with one of the first parts), which I believe is Heide's Tower of Flame. I ran down to the sewer-like are multiple times, wondering how I get that gate open, but I could never figure it out. I assumed it be a place I came back through from another place, so it'd be a shortcut back connecting from one major area to another. I just watched a video of how to get there, and I can't believe I didn't see a lever to pull down all this time... I feel so stupid.

Edit - Yeah... All the enemies here are super weak. I was probably supposed to come here relatively early wasn't I? Feels kind of weird. I like it.

@ntm: Hah, Heides Tower is one of the two very starting areas along with Forest of the Fallen Giants.

@baronsamedi: Yeah. I assume so. That place was nothing. Both bosses (if you want to consider the dragon a boss) died in a few hits, and they didn't take much health out of me either, so while I guarded as usual, I didn't really need to. Well, the dragon did. He killed me as I tried crossing the bridge. I was too slow as his fire burned me three times, but once I got to him, he was done for. I am about to complete another, extremely easy place, which is made even easier now that I got an even more powerful sword that's basically a higher form of what I already had. I'm pretty sure I'm on the boss, if he's behind the white light on the ship, though if not, I keep pushing forward. I didn't want to take the chance yet. I could probably beat whoever's next in this area pretty easily, but I want to upgrade what I can. I'm trying to find that dwarf dude that you can sell weapons too now. He's gone from where he was in there. Something that's different in this game that I only did rarely in Demon's and the first Dark, is that I am going through it entirely naked, so no clothes.

Edit - Shoot. Never mind. I checked, and he's gone to another place in the game. I don't like checking guides for these games, unless there's something I really want to know, like where Gavlan (the dwarf dude) went, or if I get stuck for too long, as I didn't know to pull the lever to get into Heide's Tower (getting stuck is the first time in any of these games though).

Bloodborne was an unexpected game of the year for me last year. It may very well be that Dark Souls 3 is it of this year given how long I can play one of these games (I was still playing Bloodborne right upto DD3 release) and it has been years since I could actually fill a full top 10 list.

Also the few games I am still excited for this year so far is quite low... No Man's Sky is probably it. Al through I often find myself surprised with games that where not on my radar originally...

Yes its more of the same, but it's one of the few games that I really look forward to playing when the kids have gone to bed instead of thinking about what to play..

It's not better than Stardew Valley yet, for me. But I'm not so far. I take my time with these games.

Right now seems for a sure in the top 5. I would say 3 but there are a lot of great games to come out so tough to reserve that spot.

Well, the last few places were somewhat of a breeze. The boss that beat me three times though Mytha, the Baneful Queen due to the poison ground, she was the hardest with what came after Heides. Otherwise it was all quick kills on the first try. It's crazy that I went to the harder places first, I think. They weren't that bad, but now it's even easier it seems. That said, I feel like any time I say or feel this way, I may jinx it (hasn't happened yet, but I'm always waiting), because running up on Old Iron King I think it is, may just prove super difficult. Iron Keep isn't too bad either, but it surely would suck to die with a bunch of souls here. That happened, but I found a shortcut to get to exactly where I need them, and immediately spent them. Okay, I'm going to venture further into the place. I hit the bonfire that leads to Belfry Sol, but went back and went into a room that looked like a trap, so when I have few souls, I'm going to check that room out; it seems like it's where I have to go.

Edit - Nope, the Iron King was a pushover. I'm on the final part I'm guessing? I have to fight Venrick now. There was nothing in Belfry Sol except a few dudes. I guess it's a good place for the covenant, which I am no longer with. Honestly, I don't use them; it's online stuff I think.

poise doesn't even work

I would be surprised if it wasn't top 5. The only things I've played this year that I liked as much were Xcom 2 and Firewatch, and I'm not really optimistic about the remaining lineup of games, especially with Horizon getting bumped.

I love the series, I really liked this one, and it will almost certainly be in my top 10. GOTY though? Dunno.

I'm pretty sure I'm at the end of the main game, but have the DLC stuff to do. I'm fighting Elana, Squalid Queen. She's somewhat difficult, more so than several of the bosses I fought prior. I got her health down 65 percent, but she got me. I'll fight her later again. I would not have been able to find the DLC stuff without looking at the wiki unfortunately.

If Clash Royale doesn't make the top ten I'm quitting video games and moving into the woods to live with the brown bears

It will definitely be in my top ten but I thought Bloodborne was better and that kind of hampered my time with it. I was actually more impressed with Salt and Santuary. I'm not going to say it's a better game but part of the allure of these games is not knowing what to expect and Dark Souls 3 felt like very well worn territory.

I'm also holding out hope for Mankind Divided, I loved the last one and the original a great deal. Is Yakuza 0 getting localized this year? Because that could be GOTY, for me at least.

I will say this.

I have never put more than an hour into any souls game including Bloodborne. They just never grabbed me for some reason.

I just beat Dark Souls 3 and have 28 hours in the game so far... and I plan on playing quite a bit more.

This game is incredible imo. Maybe iit is because I am not burnt out, but there is just something about this one that grabbed me. I fucking love it, and will definitely be in my top for the year.

Well, poise doesn't do anything. So I think it's actually the worst game in this medium's short history.

It's worth noting that since Dark Souls 3 came out in March it'll have more time for people to pick it apart, Dark Souls 2 especially would have gotten a ton of GOTYs if it came out in November, Bloodborne would have gotten more as well. See for reference Bioshock Infinite. It might get a Return of the King style GOTY from a few sources but that's kind of a dumb route to go.

Unless I'm mistaken I believe that a Souls game has never made GB's Top 10 list. Am I correct? Instead of asking if the game is going to make Game of the Year I think it's a better question to ask if a Souls game is going to be snubbed again. Bloodborne didn't even make GB's Top 10 list last year.

If this gets GOTY, it would be a pretty horrible year for games. I could see it in a top 5, but not first place. The game's not bad by any means, but it's far from the second coming some people seem to think. Right now I would probably put it in the bottom with Demons Souls for best Souls game. The level design and bosses are miles better than Dark Souls 2, but the lack of viable playstyle options really hurts the game IMO. The regular fodder enemies are pretty shit compared to previous games as well. If this is your first rodeo I can see why you'd be so starry-eyed, but it's not without some serious flaws.

I can't see this game beating Stardew Valley at this point, or Persona 5 if it comes out.

I love this series, but I have not felt that intense draw with Dark Souls 3 like I did with the other games. It's well made. I just think burnout may be a factor, and the fact that this game borrows so much from previous games only adds to that feeling. What they did change (faster combat, poise less effective, magic strength) has kind of forced less variety in viable builds. It almost feels like a well made, through-the-motions game.

@turambar: Dark souls and Bloodborne both where new ips but they look very much like Demon souls to me.

For me so far, yes. But it's pretty damn early in the year

@golguin: You're correct in a Souls game has never made a GB top 10. Demon's Souls came out before they switched to the top 10 format.

With Dark Souls, only Vinny was that into the series at the time. In fact, Also, 2011 was a loaded year. I listened to that podcast again last year and was surprised it was mostly the Brad and Patrick tandem that kept it off the list. It was one of the final two cuts.

Dark Souls 2 never really got that close. Even though Patrick and Brad were into the series by that point, Patrick and Vinny were both really disappointed with the game.

And then there was Bloodborne, which a lot of the staff liked, but nobody seemed to love. Austin did argue pretty heavily against it as well.

I don't expect Dark 3 to make it to honest, but that depends on the rest of the year. I mean I think I'm about halfway through, and while I really like the game, it feels like a game you're more satisfied with than one you go about holding up as an all-time favorite.

Wow, I am 28 hours in and just a few area's in :p I play these games extremely slowly, exploring every area, farming, etc.. ohyeah and dying lots like a noob :P

it certainly is wayy too early. i love souls, but their format specific and there are some big games coming out this year. what im saying is, its nothing groundbreaking at this point. a wonderful swan song, but wayy too early to say. but for me specifically, i found myself getting kinda burnt out on the grind of these games with the third installment big time. by the end i was ready for it to be over. i even summoned alot in this one, which i never normally do. the bosses were excellent, the score was fantastic, overall its a very fine game, but besides weapon arts, i didnt find there to be anything new with this game, its the same ol souls experience. which is why i loved bloodborne so much, because it strayed away from that format. the thing i liked most about this one was how it integrated art and style of other souls games into it, making it kind of a meta-souls sort of experience.

It'll certainly make my top ten (barring some phenomenal back half of the year suddenly springing up), most likely right around the top too. I'm still trying to settle on exactly how I feel about it, because I think that sort of thing needs time, but it's a stunning end to the series and might possibly be my favourite Souls game. That said, for as much as I adored Bloodborne last year it still only made it to #2 on my list, so I'm not going to say that Dark Souls III is a shoe-in for the top spot yet.

While it's incredibly early, it'll make it into a fair number of lists, sure. But game of the year? Something will have gone terribly wrong when it happens.

On a related note: this year is turning out really weird. It's like that weird transitional period between the PS3 / 360 generation and now. It's almost as if publishers and developers are waiting on the next "generation" before releasing stuff...

Given that we already know DkS 3 is the last Souls game, it's safe to say the new IP is not going to be like the previous titles.

Also, man, the comments in this thread are rather mind boggling. How would Dark Souls 3 being GOTY make this year disappointing if in the same breath, you say that it would easily make your top 5/10 games of the year?

I think it will be in the top 10 for this site (as well as my personal list) but number one? I don't think so.

It was a fantastic game at just the right time but it leaned so heavily on Dark Souls it's hard to consider it as it's own thing. In my mind, that is a factor that will knock a game down a few spots. I value innovation quite a bit and this game--though improving on the Souls formula--didn't have much new for the series. It had some to be sure, but for me not enough to argue for the top spot. At least, not this early in the year.

Dishonored 2 and Persona 5 are both still coming out this year or at least I really hope so, so it's too early to call. Though I am really really digging it so far.
Am I allowed to count Danganronpa 1+2 seeing as the PC release was this year?

I see then it's clearly a tradition that GB will not put a Souls game on the site's top 10 list and by extension will not give one a GOTY. Bloodborne seemed like the obvious choice and yet it didn't even make the number 10 spot. If I remember the fan vote for Bloodborne it took the number 2 spot and Witcher 3 took the number 1 spot. Hell, Witcher 3 barely made it on the list.

@golguin said:

I think the fan vote was 1) MGS V 2) Witcher 3 and 3) Bloodborne.

It is what it is. When you have eight people and ten spots to work with and they try to fit everyone's personal favorites on the list, the spots get eaten up quickly. Life is Strange was the real number ten anyway. I think Austin being so strongly against it making the list is what killed its chances.