We're just two weeks out from The Game Awards ceremony and the nominees have finally been revealed. The biggest category of the night by far is the Game of the Year (GOTY) which has been won by The Last of Us: Part II, God of War and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in previous years.
This year's selection of games has drawn some criticism mainly for the games missing from the list. We've got the breakdown of the 2021 nominees and who we think deserves the win.
GOTY 2021 Nominees
Each year - since 2018 - there are six nominees and they are usually the best releases of that year with very little controversy. However, in the 2021 category, there have been two omissions that have people feeling a little annoyed.
Forza Horizon 5 and Returnal have both been left out of the category. Each game received huge critical and commercial success with FH5 managing to hit an incredible 4.5 million players at launch and a 92 rating on Metacritic. Either way, it wasn't to be for either title and the nominees are as follows...
Deathloop
This PS5 & PC exclusive from Arcane Studios left fans utterly blown away with both its concept and gameplay. It holds an 88 rating on Metacritic and is believed to have performed well commercially.
It mixes a single-player campaign with seamless multiplayer offerings and succeeds on all fronts. Deathloop is the fourth Bethesda Softworks published game to get a GOTY nomination but all previous titles have fallen short of the award.
It Takes Two
It Takes Two is a narrative-driven co-op experience that manages to be both heart-wrenching and warming at times. Its fantastic gameplay mechanics and narrative masterpiece earned it an 89 rating on Metacritic.
The best thing about it being nominated is that we know for sure that Josef Fares will be at the event and we're hoping he's given a live microphone once again to say hello to the Oscars. Just imagine what he'll say if it wins GOTY!
Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread is the most recent release on the list and was 18 years in the making. Its release didn't disappoint as it quickly became a top seller on the Nintendo Switch.
It holds an 88 rating on Metacritic and appears to have players hooked with its longevity thanks to the replayability and peoples desire to go back and complete the game as quickly as possible.
Psychonauts 2
We finally got to play the follow up to the hugely successful Psychonauts this year as the sequel was released back in August. It launched straight into Xbox Game Pass meaning millions of players could play the title on release day.
It built up an impressive 89 rating on Metacritic thanks to its tight and responsive platforming gameplay as well as its humorous and engaging story.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Ratchet & Clank was a blockbuster PS5 exclusive and showed off what the console was capable of. With incredible gameplay and performance, it stunned gamers worldwide and was seen as the first true next-gen experience.
Insomniac Games have a fantastic history of producing top-quality games and that continued here. R&C racked up a score of 88 on Metacritic.
Resident Evil: Village
Now for arguably the biggest third-party title of the nominees. The latest game in the coveted Resident Evil franchise delivered a powerful -albeit short - eight instalment.
It garnered the most mixed reaction among players but still earned a score of 84 on Metacritic. Most negative responses to the game came from those who were unfamiliar or behind on the series recent direction change.