The PlayStation Blog has held its own Game of the Year awards bracket, with fans awarding 11 out of its 16 available categories to the recent megahit God of War: Ragnarok.
This might be a good moment to talk about Recency Bias.
Recency bias is a problem that pervades many Game of the Year lists. The problem with playing games for a living is that the things you play go in one ear and out the other as soon as your article or content is filed. When it comes time to put an end-of-year list together, the stuff we played most recently is the stuff that often ends up on lists because it’s still floating around in your head.
The PlayStation Blog’s Game of the Year list was curated from votes sent in by players, and it seems recency bias may have played a role here too. Of the 16 categories, each of which contains a Top 4, GoW:R sits atop eleven of them. Not to suggest that God of War: Ragnarok isn’t deserving of many awards, but it’s obliterated categories against games that probably deserved it more.
For instance, I would argue GT7 is a far more deserving entrant for Best Graphical Showcase than the more recent Modern Warfare II, but it doesn’t get a look-in. The same goes for the Best Sound Design field. Best Art Design? God of War again, despite a career-best turn from the From Software art team working on Elden Ring. Indeed, much of the list appears to be God of War leading the pack, with Elden Ring, Modern Warfare 2, and Horizon: Forbidden West swapping the bronze, silver, and gold places amongst themselves.
See below for the full list of winners.
Best New Character
Winner: Thor, God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: Cat (Stray), Odin (God of War: Ragnarok), Malenia (Elden Ring)
Best Story
Winner: God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: The Last of Us Part I, Elden Ring, Horizon: Forbidden West
Best Graphical Showcase
Winner: God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: Horizon: Forbidden West, Elden Ring, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Best Art Direction
Winner: God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: Elden Ring, Horizon: Forbidden West, Stray
Best Audio Design
Winner: God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: Elden Ring, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Horizon: Forbidden West
Soundtrack of the Year
Winner: God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: Elden Ring, The Last of Us Part I, Horizon: Forbidden West
Best Accessibility Features
Winner: God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: The Last of Us Part I, Horizon: Forbidden West, FIFA 23
Best Use Of DualSense
Winner: God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: Horizon: Forbidden West, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Stray
Best Multiplayer Experience
Winner: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Runners up: Overwatch 2, FIFA 23, Gran Turismo 7
Best Ongoing Game
Winner: Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0
Runners up: Fortnite, Final Fantasy XIV, Fall Guys
Best Sports Game
Winner: Gran Turismo 7
Runners up: FIFA 23, NBA 2K23, F1 22
Best Independent Game Of The Year
Winner: Stray
Runners up: SIFU, Cult of the Lamb, Inscryption
Best Re-Release
Winner: Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Runners up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Life is Strange: Remastered Collection, Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe
PS4 Game of the Year
Winner: God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: Elden Ring, Horizon: Forbidden West, Stray
PS5 Game of the Year
Winner: God of War: Ragnarok
Runners up: Elden Ring, Horizon: Forbidden West, Stray
Most Anticipated Game of 2023 and Beyond
Winner: Hogwarts Legacy
Runners up: Resident Evil 4, Marvel’s Wolverine, Assassin’s Creed Mirage
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