Shadow of the Erdtree should not be game of the year

[@stonespirehall2998]

There is no logical way...in any shape or form...that This DLC or any other should be Nominated for Game of the Year. ITS NOT A GAME. DLCs are addons/expansions of the base game. Not a separate entity.

[@ReforgeGaming]

an exception was obviously made, and it isn't justified

[@stonespirehall2998]

@@ReforgeGaming totally agreed. I still can't wrap my head around it. It's utter nonsense

[@Sleepgarden]

It's like let's add deleted scenes to the Godfather and nominate it for Best Picture 2025

[@jayhartRIC]

I looked it up and that actually is possible for the Oscars. That is part of the reason I think it shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand.

[@YuGiOhDuelChannel]

You CLEARLY didn't play this dlc if you are comparing it to deleted scenes 🤦‍♂️

[@Sleepgarden]

@@YuGiOhDuelChannel doesn't matter if I have, I don't care, added content should not count unless it's a separate product

[@damons3939]

Can you play the DLC without buying the basic game? If not, how come it can be GOTY? 😅

[@ReforgeGaming]

precisely

[@stonespirehall2998]

@@damons3939 you absolutely cannot

[@ThatGuyHanz22]

dlc’s have won game of the year before and no one gave any criticism until Elden Ring came around, a game that’s been hated for being too hard so of course people are going to be mad about it’s dlc being nominated.

[@firmanawd]

@@ThatGuyHanz22 when?

[@ThatGuyHanz22]

@@firmanawd yeah so uh i was wrong because some dude on youtube said “a dlc has won game of the year before” even tho it won one award, so that’s my bad on that chief.

[@Litoh14]

I find it more offensive that they nominated fucking solitaire over Stellar Blade💀💀

[@Based_Main_Character]

Yeah I'm not even understanding why that game is even a thing

[@rjproduction486]

Stellar blade, Space marine 2, Silent hill 2 remake, Helldivers 2,BUT yeah let's put a fucking solitaire rouge lite in the GOTY contender list!!

[@Sleepgarden]

technically it's poker and as someone who's actually played Balatro...I get it.

[@Based_Main_Character]

@@Sleepgarden it's okay on your phone or something, it's nothing people should be voting for game of the year or anything like that though. It'll be here and gone within a month and no one will ever talk about it again

[@harraldaguilar9164]

BALATRO SLANDER WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@BklynBreedGC]

If this DLC wins. I think we can all agree Geoff, show is more about popularity than anything else.

[@mickpratt8327]

If Golden Joystick Awards could find enough nominees for Expansion of the year as a category then The Game Awards can too. No reason for Erdtree to be nominated for GOTY.

[@ReforgeGaming]

yup, i was shocked how many expansions there were, i take a different approach with my idea in the video tho

[@B-U-T-C-H-E-R]

They definitely should add a new category. Stellar Blade is my game of the year

[@HillyHiJinix]

1) It's not a game 2) The base game already won GOTY 3) See 1 and 2

[@ReforgeGaming]

exactly

[@bobdobbz9334]

1) It is a game. 2) You are correct. Elden Ring already won. 3) Redundant.

[@kbdc]

@@bobdobbz9334 4) can you play erdtree without owning elden ring? (see #5) 5) No 6) therefore, not a game. hope that helps you understand something so simple! 🤡

[@bloodygory]

Not a game right ? Iza movie

[@ThatGuyHanz22]

technically a few dlc’s already won game of the year a few times so i don’t get this hate, it’s clearly just cope i guess.

[@vagabond4576]

Amazing how many fools that thumbs down actually wants a DLC for game of the year. It should be DLC category.

[@likwid_smoke]

Dlc shouldn't be in the running for goty .. that doesn't mean it isn't good. I didn't play stellar blade but I think that game deserves to be nominated. If DLC is going to be nominated no mans sky should be in the running to win goty every year with all the work and updates they've put into that game. Elden ring already won game of the year. If they want to win again make a sequel.

[@YuGiOhDuelChannel]

I am beyond blown away, it just seems obvious to me that shadow of the erdtree is a full new game after having finished it lol, blown away this is controversial, people just must not have played it or finished it to completion and are getting hung up on the "dlc" marker, if from had called this elden ring 2 no one would have an issue with this.

[@ReforgeGaming]

You are correct - if it had been a standalone release not connected to the base game no one would have an issue with it because that would make it a game and not a DLC

[@XinGustu]

Ok so tell where in the definition it says a dlc is a game

[@YuGiOhDuelChannel]

@ReforgeGaming The fact that no one would care if this game was labeled a standalone demonstrates the fact that this "dlc" delivers on everything everyone expects a standalone game would deliver. Nearly any standard dlc would create outcry if a company called it a full standalone game, but Fromsoft could have easily done this without a single issue. So simply because the game requires the use of the standalone game, it can no longer be considered a full game experience? No matter how rich, deep, and complete the content is? That logic makes zero sense lol

[@pacmanonbike6072]

I understand a DLC winning certain awards, such as best Soundtrack or something like that..but by name, it’s not a new Game and thus should Not be eligible for GotY.

[@ReforgeGaming]

yup agreed

[@silver_subaru]

DLC should be its own category in the game awards. i think that goes for all games not just Erdtree.

[@ReforgeGaming]

yup, golden joystick awards just did that

[@enol1466]

Erdtree is mid im sorry. Its not just that it's a dlc, the expansion is NOT as good as it is praised to be

[@raefaelmccoy8152]

This video points out everything I believe that this year’s awards show will not go over well with ppl most especially if it wins great video

[@krispybowgod9656]

Am I the only person who doesn’t give a crap about game awards? Has zero impact on what games I play or enjoy. Just like I never gave a crap about the Oscars etc

[@tenordude4084]

Agreed here. I am of the sort that believe GOTY is only for new games. No remakes. No DLC. Just new games. Sets really bad precedent even as a nominee, but if it wins? Puts the prestige of the event into question in my mind.

[@GMitchell2012]

SOTE was put in that category because to many outlets voted for it. That's why they had to change it last minute. I was told this by two people who voted it in.

[@MapleYum]

I love From games and Elden Ring, but it should not be nominated for GOTY. One of the reasons I haven’t jumped onto the dlc is because i have to get my save file back to the right spot. It is not a standalone game at all.

[@Randommishaps]

100% Agree. I LOVE Elden Ring but Black Myth: Wukong is GOTY for me

[@DonovanGG__]

I completely agree with you on Shadow of the Erdtree. I think the community is spot on with this, but completely off when it comes to Balatro. I really think people need to chill with the Balatro slander, having not even played it. In my opinion, its the game of the year. The critics love it as well. On Opencritic, its lowest review score is a 8/10, with a 100% critic recommendation. For a video game made by 1 person, its a pretty impressive achievement. Its the most “perfect” game to drop in 2024.

[@lonewolf7396]

It shouldn't get GOTY because it's not a game. It's that simple. (This is coming from somebody who's favorite game ever is ER, and that loves SOTE)

[@r1pperuk]

Personally I think Erd tree and Phantom Liberty should have been launched as stand alones. Then this would be a non issue and more people would buy it.

[@skizecraft]

It wouldn't be hard at all just to add a best dlc/expansion category

[@zinthos1952]

Does anyone really want Elden Ring to win GOTY twice? They already got their flowers.

[@ReforgeGaming]

right?!

[@fishgiovaana8441]

I want it to win twice so it can piss people off

[@Christmas_Johan]

@@fishgiovaana8441 this is the best argument for it, other than that going black myth wukong.

[@akudapapua]

The Remakes shouldn't be nominated either. They had their time to shine and didn't get it. No retries.

[@MrWearethechampion]

well i demand justice for blood & wine, and phantom liberty

[@kms311]

As someone who adores Elden Ring, I don’t understand why the DLC got nominated when other DLC’s did not. No consistency there.

[@ReforgeGaming]

yup precisely

[@waynewayne8419]

Name 2 dlcs as good as it.

[@Ntwinzz]

@@waynewayne8419did you forget cyberpunk phantom liberty dlc or GOW vallhalla dlc

[@waynewayne8419]

@@Ntwinzz released last year and the GOW expansion was nothing to write home about really. Extra fun but not much

[@SotNist]

Blood & Wine won RPG of the year in 2016, but it maybe wasn't considered one of the best games that year vs the ones that were nominated or the panelists probably weren't thinking to put it there. Shadow of the Erdtree is tied with Astro Bot for the highest rated video game software of the year. It's also attached to one of the highest rated games ever released, which previously won GOTY. Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty isn't rated nearly as high as either of those and is attached to one of the most disappointing, broken games ever released which received historic levels of backlash. 2023 was also an incredibly stacked year that many were calling "one of the best years in gaming history" so I don't think it was going to knock any of the other GOTY nominations out of the box to be there. Like games. Not all DLC's are the same. What other DLC's were as good or better than the best games of the year in their respective years?

[@mistercat-b43]

haters will hate

[@ReforgeGaming]

nah - dlc gonna be dlc not games

[@jacobgarwood2447]

I think saying its around the same length dlc to phantom liberty, then saying 30+ is similar to 50+ hours is bold. May be just semantics, but that caught me off guard.

[@janwatkins5523]

DLC nominated for goty is ridiculous imo especially when you can't just buy the dlc and start it up you have to play thru 3/4th of elden ring and beat an optional boss before you can even get into the dlc it's a joke.

[@ReforgeGaming]

yup

[@jatwood9648]

New fav conspiracy theory: SotE is only nominated to give the biased game journo judges a big title to vote for besides Black Myth Wukong.

[@SparkySpice0911]

Rebirth is right there

[@justinthomas6617]

Astro Bot, Rebirth, and Metaphor are all better games than Wukong dawg. I loved Wukong, but it doesn’t deserve GOTY.

[@jatwood9648]

@justinthomas6617 That's 100% subjective. You're welcome to your opinion, but please don't portray it as fact. One thing that is a fact is that unlike the games you mentioned, Wukong hasn't been done before.

[@justinthomas6617]

@@jatwood9648 Completely fair, I just doubt that a DLC would get thrown into the nominations just to sabotage the game that is realistically the least likely to win GOTY among the bunch (Wukong is 81 on Metacritic, Astro Bot and Metaphor are both 94 on Metacritic). Most likely, either Astro Bot or Metaphor will take the award.

[@jatwood9648]

@justinthomas6617 Unfortunately, Metacritic is vulnerable to the score being skewed by fake reviews, so I take the acores with a grain of salt. Wukong is a "controversial" game. Whereas Astrobot and Metaphor are not, and they are well-made games. Their scores are probably more accurate than Wulong's. Besides, I called this a "conspiracy theory." I don't believe it's necessarily true, but it is an entertaining possibility.

[@daltonburroughs3811]

After each generation we need a game of the generation award. Elden Ring would be that game. For DLC of the Year, that category should only come around when something like SotE comes out. Its in another class of DLC we rarely see. (The only others I can think of are The Shivering Isles and Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep). There should be another award that also only comes around only when something like SotE releases; a DLC that is better than all the other stand alone releases this year would be applicable to SotE.

[@daltonburroughs3811]

@McaveDweller-v5i I'm curious what you think should have it 🤔🧐. The only other game I can think of would be Breath of the Wild. Before that you really have to go back to Skyrim for such a huge game. (Obviously ignoring the "more popular" games as popularity doesn't mean great. Sure Fortnite is crazy popular but it's because it's addictive to younger audiences who just eat up drip fed "content". Games used to be so good you would play them just for the game, now many games are forced to resort to constantly pumping out content to keep people entertained). Before Skyrim you might be able to argue the original Modern Warfare (MW2 really perfected it but COD 4 was the shift to the modern FPS as we know it). Then going further back Halo CE should be it. It litterally made Xbox and made the modern controls all shooters use now along with perfecting aim assist. On top of that it was just a great game.

[@Broken_Lobo]

If it wins, the TGA will be forever compromised in my mind.

[@ReforgeGaming]

agreed

[@MrMultiPlatform]

LOU2 winnning made every person ignore it and the panel who have 90% of the same have altier motives.

[@Broken_Lobo]

@@MrMultiPlatform it was a masterpiece imo - rivals studied it and determined sony/ND were light years ahead of the competition. Gameplay mechanics still haven’t been bested 4 years later

[@jakelee8789]

I'm a huge souls player and I do not agree with a dlc being a game of the year. Shits crazy man. If anything they should make an award for best dlc or something like that. I love elden ring and shadow of the erdtree dlc but it doesn't deserve GOTY . 😊

[@shivajones108]

If this expansion dlc was like inFamous: First Light or Miles Morales, the nomination would make more sense to me. But alas, we'll have to wait until next year to see if they realized how foolish this decision was.

[@jimlahey9122]

Just give it a dlc category and it wins easily even though its bigger then probably 90% of alle the nominations

[@khaledm.a2254]

Nice thoughts there Lono

[@4videovideo]

I don't think it should be nominated as a game either, but I'd like to know who decided it and why and hear their reasoning.

[@sylmg]

DLC and remakes need to be their own category…. Simple.

[@ReforgeGaming]

so simple

[@SparkySpice0911]

Every sane person agrees

[@Erlaxis]

Shadow of the Erdtree is likely the best gameplay I had this year, but it should not be game of the year. DLC of the year? Sure, easily. Game of the year? Nope.

[@pooger7778]

Am I remembering incorrectly, I thought phantom liberty you did have to play a certain amount of the game to access the dlc?

[@ReforgeGaming]

Nope. You could start a new character at level with loot. I did it.

[@pooger7778]

@ oh that’s pretty cool, I false started that game three times. Then played through it all when phantom liberty came out. Honestly it’s such a great game, I’d for sure play it again!

[@jasonf7983]

[@ReforgeGaming]

thumbs up!

[@milehigh9938]

Surprising that this is an issue. It’s not a new stand alone game. It speaks volumes that the game was so significant that it has changed the conversation. Worth noting. Worth a new category. Not worth GOTY

[@soullessvoid7425]

On every site the GA have declared that dlcs, sequels, remasters and the sort can be GOTY. I dont want to undermine someones work or comment section but opinions should never mean facts when the facts are present

[@ReforgeGaming]

They literally changed the website to allow for DLCs a day or two before nominations went out this year. I’ve covered The Game Awards for years and just last year Phantom Liberty was placed in the ongoing category.

[@XinGustu]

And you can go on the dictionary website and see the definition of goty it says it has to present a game

[@shayspott3]

And how in the fighting category is Multiverse nominated again when it was already in fighting category last year while it was in beta? And won So now that it full release it’s nominated again? How is this a thing?

[@MiyazakisPVPexperience]

The Game Awards fell off almost as hard as the PS5 Pro (sometimes has worse performance/fidelity than regular PS5)

[@ill_fated_omen]

a dlc isn't a game in and of itself, its just a part of one. dlc needs its own category.

[@ReforgeGaming]

exactly right

[@edgybravo4287]

I love Sote more than most people I'm the hardcore of the hardcore when it comes to FS games put in 300+ hours into Sote before it was a month old. It's amazing I would give it a 9.5/10 but that being said it's not Goty. It just doesn't qualify it's not that complicated you need the base game to play it it's a DLC/Expansion. There's an easy fix just make a new category for DLC's it doesn't have to be controversial. Wukong deserves it even though it's not as good as ER it's more worthy because of the circumstances.

[@red0014magnet]

my GOTY. womp womp for u

[@ReforgeGaming]

Lol k

[@Barn80]

A dlc is not a game. It’s that simple

[@spiceking9701]

There is no denying that this expansion was a major success and is deservedly highly praised. However by definition it is not a game, and shouldn't be on the podium for GAME of the year.

[@ReforgeGaming]

bullseye

[@simonealcazar816]

Define video game

[@Gyuribacsik]

1% procent defeated , white light Radahn.

[@simongomes7250]

Can’t wait to celebrate when ER wins lmao

[@rongreenteambaseball240]

Damn the hate for PlayStation is strong @ Lono

[@alexandersmith6869]

Agreed on all accounts

[@troypearce1436]

Guess who won 😏

[@sopor0]

I was like hell no ..Then Sony is buying I'm them Iike HELL YEAH its game of the year all the way! SONY WORLD LEADER!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHHAA

[@collynsmith5432]

I mean its not from softwares fault that there dlc is bigger the most games tbat come out and is better make better games we wont have this issue

[@ReforgeGaming]

i compare it to phantom liberty and time to beat is similar, and yet Phantom Liberty wasn't in the GOTY category

[@collynsmith5432]

​@ReforgeGaming Interesting comparisons

[@Pimptastical]

Great vid!

[@ReforgeGaming]

thank you!

[@liauthy]

cry about it

[@TheZeldaHeart]

If an award show doesn’t have a separate category for expansions, then SotE deserves to be there. It’s still a game regardless of what people say. Calling it not a game is facetious. But there should be separate categories for this type of thing.

[@ReforgeGaming]

facetious would mean im trying to be humorous... the content and category makes it not a game, it is too interwoven with the main game of Elden Ring

[@TheZeldaHeart]

@@ReforgeGaming now to me you are being humorous. In the award show we just watched God of War Ragnorok was nominated for best Expansion. Would we really consider that not a game?

[@noijih]

You just dont get it. It's not a standalone game. You need to play the base game to access it

[@TheZeldaHeart]

@ still a game, and with no other category to put it in, it doesn’t matter if it’s standalone. You can’t just snub some of the best video game media we got this year.

[@jamesford2192]

DLCs should have their own category but at the same time. all prerequisites aside in order to start the DLC. Is it big enough to be considered a whole game in itself? I think yes and I think they deserve the credit for both the scale and quality of their DLC

[@Moori2163]

The precedent was already set with Blood and Wine winning best RPG in 2016. They just clarified the rules last week. Doesn’t mean it’s right though, there’s problems with the categories all over the place. I think the best thing to do is to draw a line under it this year, take on feedback and redefine some of the categories for future years.

[@ReforgeGaming]

eh, RPG category isnt quite the same as GOTY

[@Moori2163]

@ it’s still a game of the year category. You can’t just apply the rules to some categories and not others. And if dlc/expansions are eligible then unfortunately the judges need to judge to that rule set. You might not agree with the rules but that’s a different matter.

[@MrMultiPlatform]

This is 100% false. The rule has always been there, and I pointed this out numerous times in his live streams.

[@simonealcazar816]

That’s not how that works, you have to have enough votes to be nominated in the first place. DLCs were always eligible, Phantom Liberty just didn’t have enough votes to get it. Especially when that year, it had Resident Evil 4 Remake, Spider Man 2, Tears of the Kingdom, Alan Wake 2 and BAULDERS GATE 3. It never had a chance to be nominated. That simply isn’t a good comparison. 3:04

[@abraaomitichon7868]

It is pretty much as you say. It honestly feels bad that a DLC took a place that could be for a new game. and nominations matter for the Dev MORE than wining. This year we have Indie games and JRPGs nominated for GOTY and it shows how more open minded the industry has become. We went from, Turnbased is always bad to understanding the art and good of the system.

[@Vislow]

Sounds like a skill issue

[@ReforgeGaming]

lol

[@XinGustu]

Sounds like you can't handle the fact that a dlc isn't a game

[@Vislow]

@@XinGustu No way you fell for such easy bait

[@XinGustu]

@@Vislow holy how did fall for that 🤦🏼‍♂️ baiter gets baited

[@Vislow]

@@XinGustu I'm the master baiter

[@Soren59]

IMO DLCs, Expansions and Remasters should be in their own category together, and Remakes should just be considered regular games assuming they're qualitatively different from the original game they're remastering in more ways than just a graphical improvement.

[@waynewayne8419]

The best games get nominated. DLC or not no one is touching what it did this year. Blame other companies for not stepping up to the level

[@ReforgeGaming]

lol no

[@HeyZeus95]

The worst part is that it Will win it, otherwise why would they go out of their way to do this stupidity? All just to not nominate Stellar Blade and Space Marine. And they will die before they give it to FF7 Rebirth or any game that was not on All platforms.

[@pixeljauntvr7774]

There have been multiple platform exclusives that have won. Zelda BoTW, God of War, Last of US part 2. Not sure why you think Rebirth or Astro will be any different.

[@HeyZeus95]

@ because after 2020 they have made it a point to not award any exclusive games.

[@PS5GamingHub1986]

Personally I don’t have an issue with remakes being included especially if they’re top tier like RE4 and Silent Hill 2 since they’re essentially built from the ground up and are basically new games anyway. SOTE being included is straight b.s IMO. Doesn’t matter how it scored or how great it is. It’s NOT a new game and is totally dependent on a base game. If it was a spin off or stand alone expansion I’d be fine with that, but its inclusion seems calculated and coordinated. I think Silent Hill 2 and/or Stellar Blade should be up there. SOTE doesn’t deserve the spot, but it’s probably going to win anyway since fan votes count for very little.

[@milehigh9938]

I’m here

[@ReforgeGaming]

my man

[@Dakinekine]

Personally I haven't even played the DLC and I haven't played black myth wukong. I have played atleast 2 hours of the other games that were nominated. Although I personally think black myth wukong should win game of the year based on its stellar performance while coming from a tiny development studio with very few people. It doesn't look like it's going to win and because of that, I think Elden Rings DLC deserves to win based on its ratings, awards, and the fact that it was nominated even though it is a DLC. That says something very special about a game. Why? Because it's literally never happened. You can't say that it shouldn't win because it's a DLC because it was literally nominated. If it wasn't right they wouldn't have nominated it.

[@riderz_13_78]

Guys stop crying over stupid shit it doesn’t matter its a game and Shadow of the Erdtree is bigger and better then any base games currently so get over it or get gud n play it

[@Zhtrik]

Buddy, your attitude is cute, but you don’t need to try so hard. Some of us have been here since Demon’s Souls and we still think this is ridiculous.

[@daltonburroughs3811]

I also disagree with the length. Maybe if you follow a guide it is that fast. But if you go in blind and try to figure everything out yourself you can easily get double the hours out of it that you said.

[@ReforgeGaming]

eh, the straight path is easy to find bro, they literally point where to go next

[@daltonburroughs3811]

@ReforgeGaming yeah I get that, I more so meant finding all the secrets and side quests. Should have made that more clear the first comment.

[@WealthyHomeless]

It does and it should win.

[@Zhtrik]

It’s own category: Best DLC. Don’t worry Homeless, I fixed your sentence fragment.

[@noijih]

I agree, SOTE should not win GOTY!!!

[@pixeljauntvr7774]

Didn't Horse Armour win thr 2006 GOTY awards?

[@themaverick1898]

DLC could always be nominated. That had never changed. Witcher 3 DLC won role-playing game of the year over dark souls 3. Karma's a bitch

[@Zhtrik]

How is it Karma when CD Project Red didn’t release a new game? Karma would be CD Project makes Witcher 4 and it’s a great game but Shadow of the Erdtree beats it for GOTY.

[@themaverick1898]

@Zhtrik Karma for people who didn't want to be upset about it before, but most likely are now

[@Zhtrik]

@@themaverick1898 Okay, I understood. I didn’t play the Witcher 3 until three years after it came out. So I guess, but I think if Blood and Wine won GoTY I’d also say that was unacceptable.

[@themaverick1898]

@Zhtrik well whether acceptable or not is irrelevant now. Due to the fact DLC has won a major award before, it would be unfair to not give shadow of the erdtree, or any DLC the same opportunity if it is worthy of it.

[@Zhtrik]

@@themaverick1898 Now hold on, I think having DLC be in its own category would be better. We could narrow it down a bit, but still. Same goes for remakes, FF7 rebirth should be in this conversation