Summary
2024 Game of the Year awards should be as interesting as always, but the fact thatElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreewon’t be in the running throws things off from the start. As the newest experience from acclaimed developer FromSoftware,Shadow of the ErdtreetakesElden Ringplayers to the Land of Shadow, a new area connected to the world of the Lands Between. Although it’s quickly acquired some infamy thanks to anintense difficulty spike compared to the base game, the impressive heights of its design have also garnered plenty of acclaim.
It’s still too early to make most real calls for Game of the Year 2024 front-runners, as plenty of exciting releases still await in the back half of the year. From huge titles likeStar Wars: Outlawsto interesting indie prospects likeHyper Light Breaker, no one should have much trouble finding an upcoming game to enjoy. Among the titles that have been dropped in 2024 to date, however,Shadow of the Erdtreeis one of the obvious standouts, and it will doubtless end up being the favorite of the year for many.
10 Best Video Games Of 2024 (So Far)
2024 has already given us some great games, and the second half of the year will have to deliver some serious hits to beat what has already come out.
Shadow Of The Erdtree Being DLC Knocks It Out Of GOTY
The Huge Expansion Still Doesn’t Count As A Game
Shadow of the Erdtreeis a massive,game-sized expansion forElden Ring, butit’s still fundamentally categorized as DLC rather than a game. Although it’s not impossible that some awards or outlets will be willing to hand it a Game of the Year award, this generally knocks it out of the running for most competitions. The best precedent for aShadow of the Erdtreewin lies in the Best RPG win at the 2016 Game Awards forThe Witcher 3’sBlood and Wineexpansion, but that still didn’t make it into the list for the primary GOTY award.
2024 GOTY Awards Will Have An Obvious Hole
One Of The Strongest Contenders Can’t Contend
It makes sense for DLC to generally be kept out of GOTY awards, butElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreedoes show just how blurred the lines can get. Plenty of standalone sequels are less ambitious and complete experiences thanShadow of the Erdtreeis, with the primary difference lying more in the release model than anything else. Most other major releases of the year so far present more significant shortcomings thanShadow of the Erdtree’s flaws, and if the award ends up going to something less impressive, the somewhat arbitrary nature of the distinction will feel especially silly.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review - FromSoft’s Greatest Hits
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a victory lap for FromSoftware, bringing in elements from past games without losing what made it special.
There are definitely other legitimate contenders for 2024 GOTY awards, especially when it comes to some smaller titles likeAnimal WellandLorelei and the Laser Eyes. It’s worth noting that when looking at some ofMetacritic’s highest-rated games of the year so far - of whichShadow of the Erdtreecurrently occupies the top spot - two of the slots are taken up byThe Last of Us Part 2andHorizon: Forbidden West, which consist of a PS5 remaster and a “Complete Edition” release on PC, respectively. Other expansions, such asDestiny 2: The Final ShapeandAlan Wake 2’sNight Springs, also come high in the rankings but fall under the same situation as Shadow of the Erdtree, which further shows just how sparse 2024 has been for major releases.
Outside these expansions, ports, and remasters, Metacritic’s top 10 games of the year so far are as follows:
92
91
90
89
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
88
87
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
It’s worth noting that several of these titles,Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,Riven,Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, andPersona 3 Reload,are all remakes or reimaginings of acclaimed titles from the past, yet they do qualify for GOTY due to essentially being new titles. All the same,Shadow of the Erdtreeis unquestionably in the discussion as a definite highlight of 2024, and it’s going to be weird to see awards have to awkwardly dodge it because of its status as DLC.Elden Ringalready had its time in the GOTY spotlight in 2022, butShadow of the Erdtreemay never quite get the honors that it deserves as its own experience.
