Talking Point: Will Hellblade 2 Be A Genuine Game Of The Year Contender This Year?

It's an Xbox exclusive so of course not. No matter how good it is.

I'm guessing No.

There will be newer "fresher" games that will come out between launch and awards season, and I'm sure there is going to be a narrative of "Game's good but it's let down by Xbox hardware".

Which is a shame because the game is shaping up to be very good.

@Lup I agree unfortunately. There is bias against Xbox across the industry no matter what people say. Only Metro has blatantly said it so far but that doesn’t mean other reviewers don’t adopt it too. Depends who is reviewing.

Thing is, this is Xbox’s “poniest” game so far. So really it should review well.

What will confuse things is if the reviewers are unsure if it will come to Playstation eventually. Their minds were almost blown when they had to figure out how to review Deathloop and Ghostwire.

I think it pobably will be a contender. Not because I expect it to be out of the park amazing but because there's nothing else coming up that looks like it will obviously outshine everything else. An 8.5 out of 10 could be a winner this year.

Don't think it will get awards for game of the year. Reckon it will win audio and best performance categories awards

Not sure how this will turn out now that the original creative Tameem left the studio. Probably due to the infamous poor Microsoft management.

First game was a bit overrated just a walking simulator with a few puzzles and poor combat.

Shall we wait till it releases before assessing its GOTY potential? How can you predict something is going to be GOTY based on screenshots, cinematic trailers and the roughly 2 minutes total gameplay we have seen.

I will be happy to play this when it comes out, I really enjoyed the first game. I definitely think this will have a fair chance of a Game of the Year award, it ticks the right boxes for sure.

No idea. I haven’t played it yet!

I don’t think a one on one glorified Tekkan game will be GOTY.
I know I sound harsh, but was so disappointed when it was recently revealed that it was one on one combat only. That also looked like a sluggish type simulator.

This could have been an amazing Xbox title in its own way, like a massive god of war type AAA in its own style to get some much need momentum for the brand.
This game will come then go, with the wind, with the masses in the world not even noticing the game.
Not mainly for the reason above but for absolutely Zero PR and Advertising anywhere really, just like the Xbox brand.
Every month since the release of series x and gamepass the herd say Xbox will do this and that and get better.
Yet another month roles by with another set of poor sales results and little public acknowledgment of the brand.

For someone like me who loved the first game, definitely.

With that said, it's clear ( just like the first one) that is not a game that will be universally liked and that's absolutely fine, people enjoy different things 😉. On the graphics front it's way above everything I've seen this gen so far, so there's that😁.

Too much bias against Xbox in the media.

Seems like the production value is there. If the game and story and top notch I don't see why it wouldn't be nominated.

@cburg
All Xbox needed to do was release some amazing AAA titles in the last 3 and half years.
Where was their TOTK or Mario Wonder.
Where was their GOWR or HFW.

If they had done then the media have something positive to say and the Xbox brand would have had far better and more positive momentum by now from the general public as well. It’s as simple as that.
Games make the console or gamepass and the company brand.

Probably not up for GoTY. Should be good though.

@OldGamer999 Xbox doesn't have anythong on the level of GOW or TOTK but FH5, Halo Infinite, Psychonauts 2, Pentiment, and Hi-Fi Rush are all as good as Mario Wonder and significantly better than HFW. The horizon games are the most 7.5/10 games ever made.

If is anything like the first game which was boredom in it's purest then I hope not! At least let us run in this one and have the option to turn off the annoying voices.

I really just want NT to move away from these depressing games and go back to fast, colorful and exciting action! give us more DmC and Enslaved 😔

Based on history, absolutely not. I'm sure it will look great and the audio will be great. But, Microsoft cannot seem to make a stellar game.

85-94 for score range. It will look stunning, it will run well, it will be praised by critics.

But I think player base won’t rate it quite as high because it’s a very slow game etc. it won’t have the scope of DD2 or rebirth or infinite wealth to name a recent few.

The Xbox bias is nonsense however.

Edit - I do expect it to win visual awards and probably sound awards too.

It will be nominated and winning some awards in certain categories for sure, but winning the GOTY award? I'm not so sure.

It will certainly push tech and that alone makes it interesting for me and I look forward to seeing it.
Not really interested in playing it though, I didn't like the first one and I've seen nothing to suggest this one has any interesting or new gameplay - indeed gameplay may just amount to 4 hours or so from the info we have had so far.
It won't get GOTY because it wont deserve it, not because of media bias.
For those that liked the first one and are eagerly awaiting this, I really hope it delivers for you.

@RBRTMNZ
Forza Horizon 5.
I class as the only in house studio Xbox AAA game. And what a great game it is.
But it’s not enough and that’s the issue I’m afraid.

Let’s face the facts, the game will be amazing, like I’m 99.9% sure it will be a 9/10 experience at the very least, but it’s an Xbox game and people already have a very different expectation.

I’ve read TONS of people expecting Hellblade to be God of War and anyone who played the first game knows this is just not the case, so the game is going to get hate for not being what they expected, get hate for being a rather shorter experience, get hate for being announced 5 years ago, get hate for being a digital-only game, and of course, get hate just for being an Xbox game; none of which affects the game’s quality but you know gaming journalists and the Xbox tax.

@GeeEssEff and yet there’s already people in the comments alluding to the dreaded “Xbox tax”.

@Yorozayu Because it’s real, I admit the concept of it sounds absurd, but it’s true, most gaming journalist have preference towards PlayStation or just dislike Microsoft/Xbox in general, and it shows in both game reviews and journalist opinions basically wishing Xbox was no more, just look at how many of them literally made up rumors about Starfield and other games coming to PS5 and leaving the Xbox platform for dead mere weeks ago.

@Lup Nintendo will release 5 Mario and Mario-adjacent games for the Switch (the games media won't know what to do with themselves), sweeping the GoTY nominations. J/K.

I think Hellblade 2 has a good chance of being (begrudgingly) nominated this year. Xbox will be releasing much of its competition. CoD and Tekken will be silently disqualified. Probably the same for Helldivers 2 and Palworld.

Not a chance of this happening.

@IOI I have seen posts even on this site where people wanted HB turned into something "God of War"-like. As absurd of a tonal swing as that would be.

Which makes me wonder about the other GoW, Gears of War. Yes, it has an action theme for gameplay...but what happens when the graphics are far more realistic (like the UE5 demo shown a couple years ago)? Will the characters still use goofy dodge roll and wall-bounce animations?

@IOI It is not real. Other publishers are putting out games that are better received by critics and audiences alike. That’s the reality of the situation. The “Xbox tax” is copium.

In the end, GOTY shouldn’t mean anything to gamers. It’s all for the devs and publishers. Did you like the game? Cool, onto the next one.

@GeeEssEff While that is entirely reasonable, this happens with every game. TotK was preordained to be nominated and likely win GoTY two years ahead of release, and the media kept up that energy. Mario Sunshine just showed up late and waltzed into the category.

The first game had some cool ideas, but I wouldn't even put it in my top ten for that year. Certainly not above Horizon Zero Dawn, let alone NieR: Automata, BotW, Persona 5, Mario Wonder, etc.

Users allege anti-Xbox bias, but we see game after game come out from Microsoft that ends up disappointing people in some way. Even Halo Infinite, which initially was met with a wave of fan enthusiasm, has been getting roasted the last year or two.

We're left with a scattered assortment of games in genres that don't typically wow critics. Is Forza Horizon excellent? Maybe, but it's a car game. Microsoft Flight Simulator is self-explanatory. Something like Hi-Fi Rush, as well-received as it was, isn't the sort of big release that garners GOTY accolades. Pentiment, Grounded, etc. are all tiny or niche.

Microsoft doesn't enjoy much attention during awards season because they're simply not publishing games that excel and excite the industry.

All that being said, TGA tends to like having big releases from the manufacturers in the final list, so if Hellblade 2 turns out well, it'll probably be on the shortlist. Especially seeing as how this is an off-year for Sony and Nintendo, so there won't be any fan favorite franchises from them on the list.

I think it will score well (90+) but not really be a favorite in the Keighley goty discussion if its even nominated. It is a niche style that trends more towards walking sim. It's not for everyone.

@OldGamer999 Ninja Theory is focused on telling a unique story with Hellblade and it was never going to get turned into Ninja Gaiden (any of the versions). That would be pretty silly and trivialize the theme. Senua is a normal woman (physically) suffering from psychosis, not a cartoon ninja, armored super-soldier or a mythical roided-out god. The premise that she is on a trek of revenge is pushing it far enough.

Xbox has 5+ weeks left advertise HB2; the visuals will grab a lot of eyes.

@theduckofdeath
Well let’s hope it reviews well as I want it to.
And gets Xbox the brand noticed and some momentum.
Because outside of the USA it’s very very quiet momentum wise.

@RexPowercolt Yes, I agree, it could be a contender. As you said, it could be a light year for releases, with MS/Xbox publishing a good amount of the competition. Then consider the technology on display (lifelike visuals, light & sound), along with the mental health theme, the depictions of hallucinations being integral. The team would have paid careful attention to the story because of this responsibility. The previews seem positive on everything, including the combat.

@IOI Agree it will get hate for being digital only exactly like Alan Wake 2 did. It will get hate for being short exactly like Spiderman 2 did. It will not however get hate just for being an Xbox game. Psychonauts 2, hi fi rush, Forza Horizon 5 are just a few examples of Xbox studio games that are adored by critics and players alike. When Xbox delivers it is acknowledged. The Xbox Tax conspiracy has gained traction recently after a year of hugely hyped but fairly average games in Redfall, Starfield and Forza Motorsport. The media wasn’t underwhelmed by these because of bias, they were underwhelmed because they are underwhelming games.

Plus I’m pretty sure the Starfield on PS5 rumours were started by Jez Corden and that guy from XboxEra, who for the most part are known for being pretty pro Xbox. The media train ran with it because it was a huge story in the gaming world and it gained clicks and engagement. If you want to read less stuff about the doom of Xbox stop clicking on the articles and engaging. Enough people do that and the sites will realise the console war content isn’t driving the ad revenue and fingers crossed we see less of it.

@GeeEssEff Isn't that how reviews and awards in gaming are always determined? You always know if it's a 6/10, 9/10, or 11/10 when the trailer launches. The quality of lighting and visuals is what determines the score, modified by a genre factor. You already know everything you need to know to write the review, assign the score, and give it awards.

I'm doing it right now: "An epic story story, bolstered by jaw-dropping visuals. With creative use of lighting the experience rivals or tops the previous generation handily giving us arguably our first true next-gen masterpiece, showcasing the future of what we can expect from the state of the art in games. 9/10, some performance issues, and repetitive gameplay. Nominated: best game. Winner: Stellar Blade."

There, 2024 completed. Now anyone have some 2027 games to review?

@Ralizah I don't think there's an Xbox penalty, for all the reasons you say is true, but I do think there's a Sony/Nintendo bias over even other 3rd party publishers. Strip away flashy visuals and the brand name from most of Sony's games, and most of them have become decidedly average games. I'm preaching to the choir, you already know this. Nintendo makes a mobile game and it's instantly 10/10.

It may not be "anti-xbox" but the games press has a series problem of assigning default media darlings and running with preordained destiny whenever they release a game for fear stepping out of line with consensus opinion.

Honestly, I would be more interested in this game if a disc release would be. But this digital only crap turns me off.

@NEStalgia Eh, no, the majority of Nintendo's releases score in the 80s on Metacritic. Even thoroughly incredible games like Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

There's no Nintendo or Sony bias. There's genre bias. Which is why stuff like Breath of the Wild, God of War, and The Last of Us enjoy so much attention, and why Microsoft's few good games struggle to attract similar attention.

Walking simulator

@Ralizah Define "Nintendo Releases", though. I think the half hearted Pokemon games and sub-single-A stuff drag those averages down, but pretty much ever "major IP brand" release (Mario/Zelda) is just an automatic high score. It's true there's a genre bias, though. TBH, I can't figure out if modern critics are actually gamers or if they're failed film critics that ended up in gaming. They seem to all like one single format of game, the most passive ones that mostly tell a storytime for bed, and have little breadth of experience outside that genre.

In the current anti-Xbox climate, not a chance. The sheer amount of negative bias present today in regards to Xbox is pretty significant and blatantly obvious in many cases. Given, it’s almost impossible to not have some level of bias so I usually forgive most reviewers or writers when I see it, but it’s reached a new level for Xbox, one that can’t be easily ignored.

It will still get good reviews and will most likely win best sound at the game awards, but that will be about it.

Highly unlikely. The game is so short people willl forget it even exists by time game awards come.

@NEStalgia Pretty much everything that's not a mainline Mario or Zelda game. Nintendo publishes quite a number of games across a variety of genres, but the media largely ignores those releases beyond the forementioned games.

3D platformers and action-adventure games are two of the 'approved' genres. Once even a gigantic franchise like Super Mario ventures into foreign territory (strategy games; jrpgs; etc.), there's a lot less interest.

@RIghteousNixon blatantly obviously? Shouldn’t be too difficult to provide examples then. When exactly have reviewers been unfair to Xbox?

@Ralizah Yeah. It goes back to modern critics seemingly not even behind gamers but failed film critics, "media majors" and hipsters. The less game in the game, the more they like it. They judge "art" (which means cinema), not games.

It's sad. It didn't used to be that way.

Although I'll admit there's probably some anti and bias tbh. There's a personal dislike for the brand from many of those hipster types in the same way they'd never review a Samsung product as high as Apple.

These are the people that used to wear Uggs.

@GeeEssEff

I’m not going out and hunting down all of the reviews I have read in recent years so I can find clear cut examples of obvious bias against Xbox. I don’t have enough interest to invest that kind of time into it. If you want to think it isn’t happening…well, you’re certainly entitled to that opinion.

There is no way to prove any of it one way or another. Way too much subjectivity involved with what each person finds to be bias or not. A statement I might find obviously bias, you might not find any bias at all. So it goes with subjectivity.

@RIghteousNixon So you kinda just proved your whole “blatently obvious” statement false by saying it’s all subjective. So really there is no bias….. you just see bias because you, yourself are biased towards Xbox. Nice work.

I don't see hellblade 2 be the game of the year but maybe a games of the year he will probably finish in the top 10 of many players. Hellblade 2 to be the game of the year would ask too much from a niche game experience, it do not remove the fact that it could win the heart of new players being day one on gamepass.

@GeeEssEff

I didn’t prove anything false. It’s a subjective opinion so the entire idea that it can be proven false is a fallacy. And it’s inferred that people are giving opinions in here. That is my opinion and it’s just as valid as anyone else’s, including yours.

Sorry brother, but there is no right or wrong with subjectivity. It’s all just opinion and people shouldn’t have to put IMO in front of everything they say on boards like this when it should just be understood that’s what people are doing, giving their opinions. None of this is objective fact, and that goes for your opinion that there is no bias as much as my opinion that there is. Again, it’s all just opinion.

I can’t prove it anymore than you can disprove it. Again, welcome to subjectivity.

@Ralizah

“ There's no Nintendo or Sony bias. There's genre bias. Which is why stuff like Breath of the Wild, God of War, and The Last of Us enjoy so much attention, and why Microsoft's few good games struggle to attract similar attention.”

I don’t really agree with this as I absolutely think there is bias against Xbox in todays market, but let’s say for a seconds this is true. Sony is renowned for the very type of games you’re describing so if there is a general bias in the industry for those kinds of games then there would be a bais for Sony as a direct result of that. You can’t have one without the other.

In other words, it would be a bias for the kinds of games being made and not for Sony directly, but the end result would still be the same. An overall bias in favor of Sony simply for the kinds of games they generally make these days. And the same could be said for Nintendo.. if there is a general bias in favor of the types of games Nintendo is making, that will result in a favorable bias for those Nintendo games. And the same could be said for Xbox as well, just the opposite resulting in a negative bias.

So what you’re saying is in fact admitting there is a Sony and Nintendo bias out there. You’re just suggesting it’s due to the kinds of games they are making as opposed to any feelings people have for the companies themselves. Bias is bias and the end result is still the same.

Hell no it’s too restrictive maybe if they turned it like a assassin creed god of war style

Not sure what score it would get as the game isn't out yet and I know nothing about gameplay. But it's highly unlikely it'd be game of the year. Tho if it does, then good for them.

It's not my type of game, so I will definitely not buy this game. Tho I did buy the first game because I enjoyed heavenly sword on the PS3. And thought it might be similar.

@RIghteousNixon Ok I will remember to take what looks for all the world like a statement of fact to be an opinion in future. I still think that for something you believe to be so prevalent and obvious you would be able to provide at least one example though. Even if it’s off the top of your head. I can provide examples of non anti-Xbox bias off the top of my head as I have done previously in this comment section: hi fi rush, psychonauts 2, every Forza Horizon, Flight simulator, Gears 1-3, Halo 1-5, Age of Empires 1-4, all reviewed and were received well because they are interesting or did something different or had a solid story but most importantly because they are fun.

I’ve lost track of how many times I have said this in response to the ridiculous Xbox tax conspiracy theory but: When MS make good/fun games they get good reviews. It really is as simple as that. There’s no media cabal out to get the poor little trillion dollar company, they just haven’t been showered with praise recently because they haven’t deserved it. And when I say they haven’t deserved it I mean that in both the quality and quantity of output. If they hadn’t bought Bethesda the only first party games they would have released so far this gen are Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Forza Motorsport and Pentiment. That’s a truly pathetic offering nearly 4 years in but by all means let’s keep pretending it’s the media who are being overly mean to MS and not just MS being a terrible games publisher.

Oh please…. Anyone taking what people say in here on these kinds of topics as fact is living in la la land. All anyone is doing in here, on 99% of the articles being put up here, is giving their opinion. The fact that you need to see an IMO in front of what is OBVIOUSLY someone’s opinion is downright comical. It would be annoying as f**k having to read IMO or in my opinion in front of every single opinion posted on this site. It’s just pure common sense to infer that people are giving their opinions when actually giving their opinions….

As for the rest of your post, you have your opinion and I have mine. And trust me, I think yours is just as ridiculous as you think mine is. Once again, gotta love subjectivity.

And you want an example of what I deem to be a clear case of bias against Xbox? Forza Horizon 5 not being a nominee for GOTY in 2021 for The Game Awards. It had a 92 Metacritic rating and was being praised everywhere. Hell, IGN not only nominated it, it actually awarded it GOTY that year. At The Game Awards, it wasn’t even nominated. You’re welcome to disagree with this all you want. My opinion, this is a very CLEAR cut case of bias against Xbox by The Game Awards. Resident Evil Village was nominated but not FH5, lol. It’s beyond comical

And if I really wanted to dig in and invest the time, I could remember and find many more, but I am not getting into a back and forth over a subjective topic. It’s utterly pointless. I have been gaming since Pong, have no specific allegiance to Xbox and in fact have been gaming longer on Nintendo and PS systems. I know what I have seen with my own 2 eyes over the years and you’re not gonna change my mind anymore than I am gonna change yours. Great thing about subjective opinions, beyond there being no right or wrong, is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it’s no more right or wrong than any other subjective opinion. That’s why it’s best to just agree to disagree.

I do think there's an Xbox bias but mainly because Xbox doesn't release any games that are up to top tier Sony or Nintendo levels and also because of the god awful Xbox one launch.
That has tainted them really badly so most opinions of them are still negative - plus all the "next year will be the year" that comes out with nothing to show for it.
Being an Xbox fan seems like having Stockholm syndrome!

@RIghteousNixon If it's a bias against certain kinds of games, then it follows that it's not a bias against certain companies, friend. Certain types of games sway critics more, and those aren't flight sims or racers. Mario Kart 9, whenever it comes out, could very well be an incredible game, but it would never snag GOTY.

Even putting aside genre preferentialism, though, Microsoft simply isn't developing games that deserve to be included in GOTY lists very often. Of the big three, they're easily the most prone to continually disappointing their base when it comes to big releases. So, yeah, a lack of presence during awards season should be expected.

Story driven game with with great visuals? Well it sure would be in the list if not the winner if it wasn't an xbox exclusive...

@Ralizah is Microsoft making fifa, 2k and football manager? Coz these games are the only kind that makes sense with what you said... Why cant a great Halo game for example win goty? Fps games are what most gamers are playing these days not the story driven movies that some people are playing for 10h and never bother with then again

@Ralizah

And if it’s a bias towards certain kinds of games, it follows that any company that makes more of those kinds of games will benefit from that overall bias and companies that don’t will not, friend.

Again, if there is a bias towards those kinds of games and Sony specializes in those kinds of games, there will be a bias with Sonys games wether it’s indirectly or not. The two simply go hand in hand. Wether it’s a bias towards Sony or just the kinds of games Sony makes is pretty much irrelevant. The bias still exists.

@RIghteousNixon Well, yes, there will be a media bias against companies that publish games in less favored genres for those who make games that Western critics are more likely to be wowed by. God of War is simply going to turn heads more than racers, flight sims, and the like.

Still doesn't mean there is a media bias against Xbox, which implies favoritism aside from quality and type of output.

All you're really saying is that publishers who push out more conventionally popular content will attract more positive attention, which seems like a patently obvious state of affairs.

Popular for who?? If it was just about general popularity, Call of Duty would win every award year after year after year. Most COD games these days don’t even score really high, are almost never nominated for GOTY, and wind up getting a crap ton of criticism online. And it’s been one of the most popular games going for well over a decade.

It’s how popular a game is with reviewers that matters most, not overall popularity. Only a handful of reviewers dictate the overall score a game receives. Most Metacritic scores are compiled from what, 75-100 reviews at most. So 75-100 people working for various gaming sites or publications wind up dictating the overall score a game receives. That score winds up having a huge impact on how a game is generally perceived. And the same goes for selecting what games wind up being chosen for GOTY awards. It’s a small handful of people that dictate such things.

If you think these people are above having biases for companies….well, no offense but thats kinda naive in my book. I’m not saying you’re 100% wrong. In fact, I somewhat agree with you. I think there are biases in the gaming industry for certain genres of games. Where our opinions part ways is that I also think there are biases in the industry that aren’t genre related and are in fact related to what console were talking about. I think it’s a combination of both. Reviewers are not above having personal biases and neither are the people responsible for selecting which games are nominated for awards. I have seen too many things over the years that can’t be explained by just genre bias alone.

And I don’t think it’s a big secret that Xbox hasn’t been the most popular company the last couple generations, for a variety of different reasons. And I for one absolutely think some of that unpopularity has worked its way into the system of reviewing games and choosing which games get selected for various awards.

Hellblade was a relatively short indie game, that was great, and original, but not substantial enough to be a GOTY contender. From what I have heard, this will be similar.