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Astro Bot wins Game of the Year 2024
Well, I guess that's an internet meltdown avoided by the DLC not winning this year. But it's interesting a 3D platformer just beat a Soulslike action game and two big JRPGs. I think Astro Bot definitely deserves it, it's such a fun and charming game! Of course, this is all just a marketing thing and doesn't really matter.
What frustrates me about AstroBot is the IP is strong enough to exist on it's own...but the last two games have been glorified ads for the Sony brand. I didn't mind it for the free pack-in but charging money for 'Member Berries is not a practice I'm a fan of.
I don't see what's wrong with that. Super Smash Bros. is one of the most beloved series ever and it's basically a celebration of Nintendo. As long as the game itself is fun, what's the harm? It's a mechanically tight platformer with a lot of creative ideas.
The only reason I haven't played it is that I have to buy a PS5, and as a person who likes games like Astro Bot (i.e. Nintendo fan), Sony thinks these aren't really worth their time and resources anymore.
Smash Bros. is a crossover, and always has been. AstroBot was it's own IP - complete with it's own characters, worlds, enemies, etc. - before it was co-opted by Sony Corporate and turned into a Sony IP Showcase.
It's like if Nintendo made a new F-Zero, but turned it into Smash Kart or something. Is it really a new F-Zero at that point?
Astro's Playroom was a game where you literally went inside Sony consoles and collected accessories though. I don't see how it was a leap to incorporate Sony and third party IP.
Astro's Playroom is like the 4th game in the series. The first game released ~10 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv5uI2vlXE8
Prior to Astro's Playroom there were no other Sony franchises present in these games.
The Playroom was literally a tech demo for PS4 hardware. The very first thing you do is go through an elaborate "boot up" of the PS4 DualShock 4 controller and explore its unique features in order to play the mini-games that make use of them. One of the four minigames involves herding bots into a PS4 controller (at 1:07 in that very video). You couldn't even boot up the games without having a PS Eye camera plugged in.
This idea these Team Asobi games were co-opted into a PlayStation advertisement is just wrong. Their games have always been focused on the PlayStation brand. Team Asobi was put together to specifically make tech demos for PlayStation hardware.
I was confused for a moment, but it turns out Astro's Playroom is a different game from The Playroom, though both are, as you say, focused on showcasing PlayStation features.
The series honestly is pretty crap about naming things, they have it about as bad as the Xbox consoles. There's the PSVR1 games "The Playroom VR" and "Astro Bot: Rescue Mission", not to be confused with "The Playroom", "Astro's Playroom" or "Astro Bot", which are not VR games.
I think the only consistency is that the "Playroom" games are pack-ins, while the Astro Bot games are separate purchases.
That's definitely true, but I'd say the series has always been a vehicle for whatever Sony wanted to show off. When they weren't pushing Sony's IP yet, they were pushing the PS4 camera and PSVR1. Astro Bot is the first one they've made that doesn't require an extra hardware purchase besides a PS console and isn't bundled in the console, but people bought specifically because they wanna play a platformer made by Asobi. The IP stuff in Astro Bot is really just collectibles and like 5 crossover levels that serve as a change of pace to the normal gameplay, the normal story levels and the boss fights (90% of the game) are largely the original Astro Bot IP.
Edit: Another aspect of it is that the crossover characters aren't really in the game, it's Astro Bot chracters wearing cute little costumes. It makes sense in-universe that a robot who lives in a Playstation controller and flies through space in a giant PS5 would wear a Kratos costume.
Yeah, I agree. It reminds me of collecting LEGO mini figs in an extremely fun robot game. My kids love identifying the stylized collectible characters, so it adds fun.
Gotta say, I'm usually the first to complain about advertisments being places they shouldn't be, but AstroBot falls extremely low on my "oh god, another ad" meter. It was a well made game that felt like more of a celebration of their console and IP's rather than an ad for them. Just feels like there are bigger fish to fry.
My kids are hooked on Astro Bot. It’s so good! Everything about it is delightful: It’s got great level design, inventive mechanics, an insanely catchy soundtrack. And a technical achievement to boot, it looks amazing and runs silky smooth. I’m really impressed at the way it balances difficulty— it’s generous with hints and checkpoints, yet it rewards skill and has a bunch of devious challenge levels for more advanced players. I love how every inch of the game world exudes charm and personality. Yet (and this is great for my younger one) you can play the whole thing without needing to be able to read. There is some great replay value too, with tons of secrets and collectibles to find.
Definitely deserves it! It's an absolute blast to play, and is one of those rare games that's just a joyful experience at every moment. The vibes are immaculate, the music slaps, and the actual gameplay is extremely well done - I can't think of another 3D platformer not made by Nintendo that reaches this level of quality.
Spyro: Year of the Dragon
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos
A Hat in Time
and pretty much all the Crash Bandicoot games
The only game on that list that isn't old enough to get a driver's license is A Hat in Time, and even that one is almost eight years old. I think it's reasonable to be excited about the release of a modern, high-quality 3d collectathon in an era when they've definitely waned in popularity.
I have fond memories of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot, but Crash especially really has unfortunately not held up well. Even then, I don't think any of these have really come close to the quality of Nintendo platformers or Astro Bot/Astro's Playroom. Still some good games, though, and recommendations are always appreciated!
Full list of winners
Fallout beating Arcane for Best Adaptation is robbery! Ham fisted lummoxes! Uncultured charlatans!!
I wonder what the judging criteria was. If it’s supposed to be a 1:1 creation of the game world then yeah I can see it. But does that make it the better adaptation?
Arcane S2 was quite disappointing compared to S1, it had big pacing issues and the main plotline was rushed. It felt like it was carried by it's art style and visuals for the most part. Fallout was definitely the better adaptation this year.
I actually hadn’t started S2 before I made that comment. Now I’m a few episodes in, woefully eating my words.
Bit bummed that a glorified gambling-simulator won against Animal Well and UFO 50 in the indie categories but I guess that's what you get in a show that's primarily watched for the advertising. Otherwise, I
I don’t think it’s fair to call Balatro a gambling sim. It uses a poker aesthetic, but the developer is explicitly against using it as a gambling sim, so much so that they wrote it into their will that the brand will not be sold off to a casino or a slot machine company after their death. Unless it’s simply not possible to make a game around a deck of cards that uses poker hands to score points without invoking gambling, I think the dev did their due diligence here.
Balatro is a gambling sim as far as Mario kart is a racing sim
Balatro is in no way a gambling sim except in the most superficial sense. It doesn't even have a wagering mechanic. It's a rougelike deckbuilder a la Slay The Spire that happens to be built around a poker aesthetic.
Also, while I haven't played UFO50, I did beat Animal Well and found it to fall short of the hype. It's a good game, to be sure, but it just never felt like it came together into anything more than a collection of disjointed puzzles and chill vibes. Compared to games like Fez or Tunic it just felt half baked, especially in the endgame. I'm not even sure what it is exactly aside from maybe some QoL changes that it needs, but with Fez and Tunic (or even Outer Wilds if you wanna lump that in) the deeper I got into the game's layers, the more enraptured I became with it. With Animal Well, the more I played the more annoyed I got with it.
It must've been the glorified gambling AND animal abuse simulation! Won't someone please think of the quibbles??
I've been calling Astro Bot my GOTY for several months in the weekly thread so I'm glad to see it win. It was my fiance's first game and the first time I got to play a game with a significant other. I was so happy to hear the acceptance speech. Everything about the game is happy and fun, I love it.
The playstation branding works for me since I got over it in Astro's Playroom. I grew up a PC player but PS1 was the first console I had and I think I had every console except PS2. It's fine that they celebrate it imo.
So I only heard about Astro Bot like a day or two ago when I was looking at the nominations. I think I have my finger on the pulse of gaming. Sure I don't play a lot of AAA games, but I like to think I'm at least aware of the big ones. I even have a PS5 (and the rest of the Sony consoles), though I don't play it much.
Yet this game made GOTY and took home a few others! Maybe it's something I'll have to try out.
If you already own a PS5, I'd definitely recommend getting it. It made #1 on Jacob Geller's list for this year too. Everything in it seems really lovingly crafted, it's honestly a very impressive example of executing a good idea at an extremely high caliber.
If you don't want to fork over the cash right away, you can try out the version that should have (?) come with your PS5 called Astro's Playroom. It's functionally very similar. Astro Bot is effectively an expanded version of Playroom with new dynamics and a storyline.
Well deserved; Astro Bot captured the feeling of playing Sly Cooper that I've had trouble finding as an adult.
I'm glad the underdog won and not a souls game as I personally can't stand the genre, but I don't think I'll ever play it without a PC port.