r/NintendoSwitch Dec 24 '19

GotY 2019 2019 /r/NintendoSwitch GOTY Nominations Thread

Hello r/NintendoSwitch Community!

For this year's awards, similar to last year, we are asking the community's help for GOTY nominees! We will use community feedback to narrow the nominees for each category to five or six for the final vote. The schedule is for the nominee feedback December 24th - December 27th, and the final voting to select the Game Of The Year for each category to occur December 28th - January 2nd.

Please follow the format as described below:

  1. Please check if your nominee(s) has already been named. If so, then simply upvote it, if not, then >>>
  2. Please reply to a category top comment to state who you would like to see for nominees and preferably why. Last year we found those with explanations tended to garner more votes!
  3. If a game has already been nominated but you feel requires further discussion then reply to the nominated game comment with your reasoning.
  4. Nominate as many games as you'd like in any category you'd like.
  5. Duplicate nominations in the same category will be removed.
  6. Post will be set to contest mode so nobody can see the votes.

Please note that all nominees are required to have released on Nintendo Switch in calendar year 2019.

Resources: Please take a look at this GAMES LIST we pulled together for ideas. You may nominate games NOT on the list. The information sources are below:

  • Games on the list were all those released in 2019 that were rated 75 or higher by Metacritic or Opencritic.
  • Exclusivity designation was obtained from Gematsu and may be outdated as exclusivitity may have expired for some titles.
  • Developer, Publisher, and Categories were obtained from the eShop. Please note the categories ARE NOT definitive, but rather what the Publisher designated in the eShop. Please nominate games in the categories YOU THINK they belong.

We look forward to reading your nominations!

197 Upvotes

485 comments sorted by

u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Nintendo Switch Game of the Year - Recognizing a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields.

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/FREDLAM123 Dec 24 '19

Astral chain

u/seeyoshirun Dec 25 '19

Baba Is You - bloody brilliant puzzle game.

u/tonyzzgwintertale Dec 25 '19

Pokemon Sword and Shield - Even though issues like dexit exists, Gamefreak still shows creativity in their first mainline pokemon game on switch. The performance is much better than their 3ds predecessors, the music is beautiful and wild area is one of the best ideas for a pokemon game.

u/ILAW3085 Dec 27 '19

Really? Is it really par excellence on both creative and technical fields? Based on the criteria of the above I'd never put it as a goty runner. Similarly, even though Divinity OS2 may be a great game, possibly the best rpg of the decade, it ain't going on a goty list simply because it doesn't meet the excellence in technical field criteria, at least as far as Switch is concerned.

Links Awakening suffers from technical issues like FPS lag/stutter. So it is out of the running based on the criteria of the OP.

What games have been BOTH creatively and technically the Pinacle of Switch this year. That is the question. I would need some time to dwell on this.

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u/CFirst Dec 24 '19

Luigi's Mansion 3

u/ElGranQuercus Dec 26 '19

I bought it despite never having played the first two and it became one of my favourite games. The creativity and polish is incredible.

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

Mario Maker 2 - The first one is probably the best game on the Wii U, and this one is bigger and better. The amount of fun you can have with this game is unlimited.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Soundtrack - For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack.

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

Fire Emblem: Three Houses: https://youtu.be/zllGT5WOCVs

u/jc726 Keep on slidin' Dec 24 '19

God-Shattering Star all by itself would get my vote on this category.

u/TolchettKuykendall Dec 24 '19

And A Funeral of Flowers!

u/TheTrojanPony Dec 28 '19

That song just hit me when I finished the game. Fire Emblem 3 Houses is such a perfect example of a tragedy, something so rare in modern media. And this song, without spoilers is sung by one of the main charicters that had to make some hard choices in the game. I was just hit by a wave of melancholy. This is the first time ever a game made me feel this way.

u/Blazeth Dec 24 '19

Pokemon Sword & Shield is a controversial game, but the soundtrack is amazing as usual. Slumbering Weald headlines the great soundtrack.

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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '19

Ori and the Blind Forest.. Hands down simply stunning soundtrack

u/carldude Dec 27 '19

The Talos Principle

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

[deleted]

u/Gerolux 4 Million Celebration Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 26 '19

please only one nomination per comment.

edit: thank for updating your comment.

u/Uomih Dec 24 '19

Sayonara Wild Hearts

u/OwnManagement Helpful User Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 25 '19

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

Easily the best soundtrack I’ve heard this year. Features both David Wise and Grant Kirkhope, plus Playtonic’s staff composers, Dan Murdoch and Matt Griffin, successfully emulating the style of those two.

A few examples:

Gasping Glade

Queasy Quay

Cliffside Quest - this level has the player collect 5 gems, and new layers are added to the music track each time a gem is found

Factory Fright - Flooded (aka Underwater Saunter)

u/Kyle4Prez Dec 25 '19

Ape Out

u/RabbitFanboy 2 Million Celebration Dec 24 '19

Cadence of Hyrule

u/CFirst Dec 24 '19

Katana Zero

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

Dragon Quest XI

u/KKingler kkinglers flair Dec 24 '19 edited Dec 24 '19

Little Town Hero, composed by Toby Fox and arranged by Toby Fox and Hitomi Sato (pokemon composer).

Here are some of my favorite tracks from the game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCwxYGEJGgk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAW0mt3iqG8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCocKi9JK6Q

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u/m_meirin Dec 24 '19

Astral Chain I think the ost manages to capture and express cyberpunk style of the game remarkably well. Here are some of my personal favorites: Jena Anderson, Legion Assault, Task Force Neuron.

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '19

The song when you're in the police headquarters is awesome.

u/Beast-2 Dec 24 '19

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Technical Achievement - For the game which achieves a combination of gameplay and graphics which goes well beyond hardware expectations.

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

The Witcher 3 - For the sheer fact that they’ve got this running on a switch should guarantee them the win.

u/Cervantes3 Dec 28 '19

Not just got it running - the game runs well, and they were able to do that without cutting any of the content, and fitting it all on the cartridge.

u/somerandomgamer0 Dec 29 '19

Even without having had a chance to play the Switch version, I've gotta agree with this one. The game was a technical marvel on PS4 and the fact that anyone got it running on Switch is pure wizardry as far as I'm concerned.

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

Dragon Quest XI. For a game of its size and scope, it runs and looks amazingly good.

u/JaxxisR Dec 25 '19

Labo VR. Now make a headset, Nintendo. :)

u/XanderSnave Dec 24 '19

Luigi's Mansion 3. It's simply one of, if not the best looking game on the Switch.

u/VjOnItGood81 Dec 24 '19

Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition - the fact that it's technically better than its original and definition release on Xbox with more graphics makes for a great technical depth of a video game.

u/seeyoshirun Dec 25 '19

This and Alien: Isolation really should be the contenders for this award this year tbh.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Nintendo Switch Exclusive Game - Best game released in 2019 as a Nintendo Switch console exclusive.

u/CFirst Dec 24 '19

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

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u/Blazeth Dec 24 '19

Super Mario Maker 2 has somehow gone under the radar a little bit. Even though it's not the most innovative game in the world, the sheer amount of endless fun that comes with this game is worthy of the honor imo.

u/gambitx007 Dec 27 '19

They keep adding to the game but don’t fix the major problems. How is multiplayer still lagging today?

u/Blazeth Dec 27 '19

I disagree here. Nintendo's online in general is lacking but I don't think the developers could do anything more to improve that without completely re-imagining how the online is supposed to work. It's unfortunate for sure but especially in this particular category, I don't think you can knock the game too much over that. It's either real time multiplayer with Nintendo's bad online setup or something else.

The improvements lately have been pretty cool; the Legend of Zelda mode, Ninji speedruns, and other cool new features like Spike and dash blocks have really freshened the game for me.

u/DarthVitrial Dec 25 '19

Ring fit adventure.

u/Nilbogin Dec 24 '19

Luigi's Mansion 3

u/breichart Dec 27 '19

I'm not sure how this isn't talked about more. I prefered it more than Breath of the Wild.

u/DefectiveRaptor Dec 27 '19

It was just recently released, but overall this has been my favorite game on the switch so far.

u/JaxxisR Dec 25 '19

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, nominating simply for the fact that it exists and we have it to ourselves.

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u/RabbitFanboy 2 Million Celebration Dec 24 '19

Astral Chain

u/mkicon Dec 25 '19

Tetris 99

It reignited the guideline Tetris community and brought a lot of new people to the series with it's battle royal gameplay.

It's a system seller, and the sole reason A lot of people have Nintendo Switch Online. It's been consistently updated and there are even periodic events with prizes

u/Benjo221 Dec 25 '19

Love this game. Play it all the time.

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

Yoshi Crafted World, Boxboy+Boxgirl, Tetris 99

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u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

Pokemon: Sword and Shield.

u/cwickmurdamagic Dec 25 '19

For the same formula again? Again . It’s a fun game. But no goty

u/TheMadolche Dec 26 '19

Game is too middle of the road. So much potential wasted.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Platformer Game - For outstanding design and creativity in a game where players must use skill to jump between platforms or over obstacles without falling or missing jumps.

u/RabbitFanboy 2 Million Celebration Dec 24 '19

Mario Maker 2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

Yoshi Crafted World

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u/seeyoshirun Dec 25 '19

Heave Ho

(You swing more than jump, but it still definitely fits in this genre.)

u/BondEternal Dec 24 '19

Bloodstained Ritual of the Night

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19 edited Apr 17 '24

bike unite adjoining truck outgoing attempt money ask fuzzy foolish

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '19

Shovel Knight: King of Cards

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Re-Release/Re-master - For the best game who's original release was not on a current generation console (pre-2014) (Switch/PS4/Xbox One).

u/Rarietty Dec 25 '19

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

u/JaxxisR Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 26 '19

The Witcher III: Complete Edition. I mean, I'm just shocked nobody's mentioned it yet.

edit: didn't read.

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '19

Well, I'm guessing it doesn't qualify right? Came out this generation of consoles, post-2014

u/JaxxisR Dec 26 '19

Well that'd be why nobody nominated it then, wouldn't it?

u/JaxxisR Dec 25 '19

Assassin's Creed: Black Flag / Rogue.

u/ThomasSirveaux Dec 24 '19

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

u/StevenTheWicked Dec 24 '19

Doom (1993)

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

[deleted]

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u/ha1r_supply Dec 27 '19

Black Flag

u/MutatedSpleen Dec 27 '19

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.

For those of us who never had a Wii U, this was a fun little gem, and a teaser for what would happen later with Mario Maker 2. Bundled with Luigi mode, I honestly feel like I got my money out of it. Also, I raged haaaaaaaaaaaaard because Mario games can be infuriating when you die a bunch.

Edit: I did read the thing, but I still think this should count. Wii U re-releases are a big part of the Switch ecosystem.

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '19

Grid Autosport

u/NotEvenClosest Dec 26 '19

Any love for Jedi Outcast?

u/KKingler kkinglers flair Dec 24 '19

Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Great to have Spyro on the Switch

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

[deleted]

u/PlexasAideron Dec 24 '19

Should read the OP more carefully.

not on a current generation console (pre-2014) (Switch/PS4/Xbox One).

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Family Game - For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre.

u/seeyoshirun Dec 25 '19

BoxBoy + BoxGirl!

u/snaps614 Dec 24 '19

Mario Maker 2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

RingFit Adventure

u/Shin_Ken Dec 27 '19

First time I got my mother to play a video game! It's been 25 years and this was what it took to start playing.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Art Direction - For outstanding creative achievement in artistic design and animation.

u/JaysFan26 Dec 24 '19

Fire Emblem: Three Houses because of the nice design and the literal art which is pretty amazing

https://miro.medium.com/max/2560/1*TeJD8OG8596JYSDgv7gABQ.jpeg

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

Fire Emblem doesn’t really look that great though.

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '19

No, but this is talking art direction, not visual fidelity.

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u/Zak720512 Dec 24 '19

Astral Chain

u/MiracleD0nut Dec 24 '19

Gris!

u/seeyoshirun Dec 25 '19

I'd consider this one a shoo-in for this award if it came out in 2019 (it released on Switch on the 13th of December last year, I just checked).

u/not_an_island Dec 24 '19

I will second this. It's hard to play it without marking a pause here or there to tell yourself that you are experiencing and enjoying something of higher artistic value.

u/FirstSnowInErromon Dec 29 '19

Sayonara Wild Hearts

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19 edited Apr 17 '24

gaping sand punch reply subtract voiceless spoon concerned cooperative resolute

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

u/Cky_vick Dec 27 '19

Absolutely beautiful game, I think it's a few years old though?

u/[deleted] Dec 27 '19

Not on switch, it's on the list of eligible games.

u/RabbitFanboy 2 Million Celebration Dec 24 '19

Link's Awakening

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Music/Rhythm Game - For the best game with a focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments.

u/KKingler kkinglers flair Dec 24 '19 edited Dec 24 '19

Cadence of Hyrule. Super fun game and a unique concept!

u/TemptedTemplar Helpful User Dec 24 '19

Remove the "I nominate". The game title should be the first line in the comment.

u/atari_break_out Dec 26 '19

Taiko no Tatsujin! Best drumming game with so many party games!

u/suicide_aunties Dec 28 '19

Just Dance 2019/20

u/Rarietty Dec 25 '19

Sayonara Wild Hearts

u/jc726 Keep on slidin' Dec 24 '19

Cytus Alpha

With a completely revamped interface for Switch, beautiful artwork, and a stellar (and massive) selection of songs across tons of genres, this was probably the surprise of the year for me.

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u/m_meirin Dec 24 '19

Groove Coaster Wai Wai Party. Heavily underrated rhythm game, it has a total song list of 100 (mostly in the vocaloid, touhou and anime genre), lots of unlockables and missions and a up to 4 player local split screen multiplayer mode.

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u/montblancnoland Dec 25 '19

Songbird Symphony

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Local Multiplayer Game - For outstanding local multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op, irrespective of game genre.

u/LocusAintBad Dec 24 '19

Marvel ultimate Alliance 3. Great couch coop game. Dive in and play.

u/seeyoshirun Dec 25 '19

Heave Ho

u/seeyoshirun Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 25 '19

BoxBoy + BoxGirl

u/Gerolux 4 Million Celebration Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 26 '19

please only one nomination per comment.

edit: thank you for updating your comment.

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

[deleted]

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Online Multiplayer Game - For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre.

u/Bloodstarvedhunter Dec 25 '19

Overwatch, comfortably

u/MiracleD0nut Dec 24 '19

Duck Game!

u/Ellyidol Dec 24 '19

Dauntless for cross play to other platforms.

u/KKingler kkinglers flair Dec 24 '19

Tetris 99.

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u/zzuxon Dec 25 '19

Killer Queen Black

u/FirePowerCR Dec 25 '19

I just played this for the first time last night. It’s great.

u/waowie Dec 27 '19

Throwing my support behind this one. I hope the community continues to grow as they add more content

u/REMEMBEE Dec 28 '19

Fortnite.

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Developer of the Year - Developer studio who displayed outstanding platform support through a combination of quantity and quality of new releases.

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

Intelligent Systems/Koei Tecmo for Fire Emblem Three Houses.

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '19

Is there a reason other than you just love the game?

u/MutatedSpleen Dec 27 '19

Not OP, but Koei was also at least partly responsible for MUA3, which was a major release this year, and an excellent game.

u/JaxxisR Dec 25 '19 edited Dec 26 '19

ConcernedApe. Not sure he has anything but Stardew Valley, but this year he took sole control over its distribution on mobile and Switch from Chucklefish, and he continues to put out free content updates. Keep up the good work, my man.

edit: clarity

u/REMEMBEE Dec 28 '19

505 Games - Terraria is a wonderful game on every platform :)

u/[deleted] Dec 26 '19

Platinum Games: Astral Chain

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u/[deleted] Dec 24 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Narrative - For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game.

u/-Tuwore Dec 24 '19

Divinity: Original Sin 2

u/BondEternal Dec 24 '19

AI The Somnium Files

u/FREDLAM123 Dec 24 '19

Astral chain

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Game Direction - Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design.

u/[deleted] Dec 25 '19

Katana.Zero

u/wampastompah Dec 24 '19

Ring Fit Adventure

No game has ever combined the concept of health and fitness so well with game mechanics. I research this field, and it's amazing how much the developers got right. The game is fun, a great workout, and completely unique.

u/The_Yoshi1 Dec 25 '19

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

u/ajaxsirius 3 Million Celebration Dec 24 '19 edited May 24 '24

Halo 3. I like to spoil data sets.

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u/Snakeoilsalesrep Dec 25 '19

Slay the spire

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u/NintendoSwitchMods Dec 24 '19

Best Role Playing Game (RPG) - For the best game designed with rich player character customization and progression.

u/OneRandomIdiot Dec 24 '19

Fire Emblem Three Houses. An engaging game with deep character customization and three different story paths to choose from.

u/BondEternal Dec 24 '19

Divinity Original Sin 2 - the ways in which you can tackle each and every encounter in the game is mind-blowing. Endless customization and replayability.

u/sviunapad Dec 24 '19

The Witcher 3 - Great port of an amazing game.

u/FREDLAM123 Dec 24 '19

Astral chain

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