Key Takeaways
- Black Myth: Wukong is the lowest-rated nominee for The Game Awards’ Game of the Year, with a Metascore of 81.
- Some fans are unhappy with the 2024 nominees, like Black Myth: Wukong, compared to highly-rated alternatives.
- The average scores of this year’s Game of the Year nominees range from 81 to 94, with Black Myth: Wukong standing out as the lowest.
Black Myth: Wukong has been nominated for The Game Awards 2024. Since its inception in 2014, The Game Awards has become one of the most high-profile events in the gaming industry. Creator and host Geoff Keighley recently revealed the nominees for Game of the Year, which include projects like Astro Bot, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and Black Myth: Wukong.
Of the six games contending for the coveted Game of the Year title, one game sticks out for its overall lower Metascore rating. Black: Myth Wukong, released in August, made waves in the gaming community for its next-level visuals, intricate combat system, and addictive story. However, with a total score of 81 based on 91 critic reviews, it may look out of place among the competition.
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With 2024 debuting a stacked roster of highly rated games such as Silent Hill 2, Helldivers 2, and Balatro, some gamers have expressed dissatisfaction with the six-game lineup being campaigned for Game of the Year. For instance, there was confusion over whether Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree was eligible due to being a DLC expansion. Furthermore, considering that Dragon Age: The Veilguard‘s predecessor, Dragon Age: Inquisition, won Game of the Year in 2014, it was shocking to some that the most recent title didn’t receive nominations in any category. Though it has a Metascore of 82, based on 71 critic reviews, this still puts it one point above Black Myth: Wukong.
Interestingly, the highest-rated nominee for Game of the Year was Super Mario Odyssey in 2017. The lowest, before Black: Myth Wukong, was shared by Control (2019) and A Plague Tale: Requiem (2022), scoring 82. Other closely related scores include Annapurna Interactive’s Stray, which achieved a score of 83 in 2022, and Resident Evil Village, which managed 84 points in 2021.
Throughout nearly a decade of The Game Awards, the average score of nominees has varied between 87 and 92 points. For 2024, the scores are as follows:
|
Developer |
Score |
|
|
Astro Bot |
Team Asobi |
94 |
|
Balatro |
LocalThunk |
90 |
|
Black Myth: Wukong |
Game Science |
81 |
|
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth |
Square Enix |
92 |
|
Metaphor: ReFantazio |
Studio Zero |
94 |
As such, this year’s average score is 90.2. Significantly, the highest average of games was in 2023, with games like Baldur’s Gate 3, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Resident Evil 4 receiving rave reviews. Overall, the average score for 2023 was 92.5, thanks in part to crowd-pleasing titles like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which contributed to this high average.
Regardless, though Black: Myth Wukong has made The Game Awards history in a manner that may have been unintentional, it still maintains a passionate player base. Notably, it has the honor of being China’s first Game of the Year nominee and was also recognized as IGN’s “Game of the Year So Far” in a September poll. In addition to these impressive milestones, Black Myth: Wukong made history on Steam, selling 10 million copies in its first three days and boosting Steam’s concurrent player count to 37 million.
The Game Awards will be held on December 12 at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be live-streamed to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and TikTok. Round 1 of voting will be on Monday, December 2, with Round 2 on Thursday, December 5, and Round 3 on Monday, December 9.
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology and based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.
You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past.
As the Destined One, you shall encounter powerful foes and worthy rivals throughout your journey. Fearlessly engage them in epic battles where surrender is not an option.
Aside from mastering various staff techniques, you can also freely combine different spells, abilities, weapons, and equipment to find the winning strategy that best suits your combat style.
