Will the 3DS claim the first GOTY for a handheld?

Well I have a two part question really. Firstly, given the awesome games that the 3DS had this year:

- Fire Emblem: Awakening

- Animal Crossing: New Leaf

- Pokemon X/Y

- Luigi's Mansion 2

- Shin Megami Tensei 4

- Mario & Luigi Dream Team

Can a handheld finally get a GOTY? Surely it deserves it with at least a couple of those games listed.

My second question and point of discussion: Is there too much expectation for a "blockbuster" style of game to get the GOTY? If so, why is this the case? I bring this up because a handheld, despite having awesome games (I'm talking about the PSP too), doesn't seem to ever have a shot at GOTY simply because they don't have the "blockbuster" quality that consoles are capable of. I know this might change in the future when handhelds get more on par with consoles, but should this be the case in the first place? Are we expected to go Hollywood at awards time?

Should Fire Emblem or Shin Megami be overlooked by something like Grand Theft Auto or The Last of Us because it's not as "blockbuster"? Because it certainly feels like the case.

What do you think? Is there an inherit bias for "blockbuster"? Or maybe I'm overlooking something important about the blockerbuster games.

Edit; I thought I'd also mention Zelda: A link between Worlds. No one has played it yet, but it is a Zelda game, so it has potential to be a success.

You make a good point. Hell, my favourite game this gen was on a handheld.
Those blockbuster titles get WAY more time in the spotlight, tho. it's not really about the quality, it's about popularity.

Sometimes you'll get an oddball winning (like Journey last year). But it'll be safe to say that won't happen twice.
My guess is GTAV for GOTY, maybe TLoU.

Thanks to Grand Theft Auto V, 3DS has no chance of getting a Game of the Year unless it was specifically toward handhelds only.

Yeah, regardless of how overrated GTA V is it will obviously win

I like the implication that if these games don't win, it's solely because they aren't blockbuster. Couldn't possibly be because they aren't as good.

Anyways, only competitors with a serious shot of standing up to the big boys are Pokemon, Fire Emblem, and Animal Crossing. Admittedly, probably more portables than ever before. They're wholly different genre but Animal Crossing or Pokemon will kick Fire Emblem off the list so it's really just those two.

I really enjoyed Grand Theft Auto V, but my two main choices for game of the year are Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and Fire Emblem: Awakening. And I'm currently leaning more towards Fire Emblem. That game was better than I ever imagined it would be. I'd love to see it win Game of the Year at the IAA, but just like the Oscars for films the IAA awards popularity over anything else. A Link Between Worlds looks awesome though, I really want to play that.

A handheld game will never win GOTY on GS.

no way, too many good console games this year

@Senor_Kami:

To your first point: I'm not making such a claim. I'm making an hypothesis based on observation. And if it were true, I find it to be a sad fact about the industry.

To your second point: I think Fire Emblem is the most deserved of winning from my list.

Final note: Please take what I'm saying very lightly, it's a huge claim and I've hardly elaborated due to the limitation of this platform (forum based discussion). So please don't take everything I say as is. Be charitable to my claim and think about it's plausibility and implication, and fill in any gaps that I might be missing.

@mrintro: No way? You wouldn't even consider any of those games? Surely you should at least consider them. They're very good games.

Probably not on Gamespot, but I think a couple of those titles sure are more deserving of GOTY than many recent releases. One can hope that GS will award GOTY based on quality instead of popularity and choose Awakening, like they did a couple of years ago when they chose Demon's Soul.

No chance in hell, as much as Fire emblem deserves it relatively few people have played it. GOTY will be the same as usual with all the sheep voting for what ever games big at the time time more than likely either Grand Theft Auto V or last of us.

if this thread proves something is that the sheep are the most delusional of all the factions. I mean, a copy/pasta game like Pokemon winning GOTY? Give me a break!

Fire Emblem Awakening is better than all the exclusives released this year, PC included.

@Gue1:

I'm disappointed you think that way. I'm not saying that they shouldget GOTY, I'm saying that there is the predisposition that these games simply won't get GOTY. And I feel like it's because of the platform it's on and the kinds of games they are - they are good handheld games, not console games - but this shouldn't eliminate them from having a good shot as GOTY. Not necessarily that they should actually win, but they should be in for a good shot at it, and it should be believable that they can win. It seems like this is not the case.

I don't think it's being delusional either - these are games that a lot of gamers enjoy.

Fire Emblem Awakening actually has the highest user score on Metacritic. It should have a chance against Bioshock Infinite, Last of Us and GTA 5. Well, Last of Us is probably off the list since this is Gamespot. Probably Bioshock too, since there is that second opinion. GTA 5 is probably the easiest choice for Gamespot, but GTA 5 is far from perfect. Its flaws are too numerous, especially if you judge it alongside with its online component. Awakening is as close to perfection as it gets in 2013.

Then there is Persona 4 Golden. It's a legendary game because Persona 4 was a legendary game. Still, I think remakes will not and should not receive the title of GOTY, especially it's more of a port to a different system than significant improvements on the original.

It's sad that sheep have to resort to handheld gaming because their console sucks so bad.

It's sad that unjustified detest has barred you from enjoying some of the best games made this year.

Pokemon > Fire emblem

Last year's winner proves that you don't have to be a big game to win GOTY.

Even the Wii had a GOTY so it's not about being a big budget blockbuster game.

@TheKingIAm: I think Mario 3D World has a good shot at winning GOTY. It seems like a dark horse. But my point is exactly that: A 3D mario game on a console can be seriously considered for GOTY, but handheld games don't have the same kind of expectation. It seems unfair.

Also, I posted this in SW because it is suitable for this forum - I considered General Games Discussion, but it didn't seem appropriate. That said, please leave the fanboy stuff out. I know it's a lot to ask for in this forum, but this is a serious question, and I do honestly believe the 3DS had a good year this year, and most people agree. So please leave the fanboyism at the door and add something worthwhile to the discussion.

Cant believe the op makes no mention of the legend of Zelda a link between world's.... :( easily gonna be the greatest game to grace a Nintendo handheld and if executed well, a GOTY contender.

@Gue1: your ignorance never fails to disappoint me, gue.

Forget goty, gs still refuses to give 3ds games AAA.

I'm sure they will when they feel a 3DS game deserves AAA.

Pokemon is the only one that stands a chance, but sadly for it, a very overrated game called GTA came out this year.

@freedomfreak: which will be never

Who knows. Even so, meh.

Lolno. It might have a couple games nominated though (Pokemon, Fire Emblem).

Rofl. As always, your idiocy does not disappoint.

Rofl. As always, your idiocy does not disappoint.

@TheEroica: Sorry, I haven't played the game nor seen enough of it. So I thought I'd mention released games. Even still, there's another contender.

@Lumpy311: Well technically, the sheep proved you wrong considering that the proposition was made by a sheep, not a cow.

Even so, that has hardly anything to do with the topic. I don't see how it's delusional when considering good games for GOTY. Especially when these games are enjoyed by a lot of gamers from all sorts of backgrounds.

GTA V will be GOTY

No, just no

Handeld game wins GOTY is just as sayin' iphone games equal to console and PC games

Not only 3DS, but Vita as well

Rofl

None of those aside from Shin Megami Tensei IV are anywhere near GOTY worthy and the closest thing the Vita and 3DS have had to a GOTY was last year when Virtue's Last Reward only got a nomination.

Pokemon and Fire Emblem.

No to the first on the basis of it not being better than SMT IV and lol at the second one in general.

For clarification, this is my opinion in general and only a small reflection on Gamespot. Those people gave an interactive background GOTY, so lel.

@charizard1605: Do you really think those could beat GTA V or the stupidly praised Gone Home (which will probably sweep)? There is also Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us (probably doesn't stand a chance on Gamespot this year, but nearly everywhere else fell in love with it), The Stanley Parable, Europa Universalis IV, DotA 2, Civ V: Brave New World, Walking Dead: 400 days,

It's be one hell of a year. I didn't even bother listing the 8 scoring games.

Due to Grand Theft Auto V and all the money hatting from RockStar I don't see that coming to fruition. Hey, it could be worse like the Vita's 2013 lineup:

Killzone, Tearaway, Soul Sacrifice

I think the 3DS has too many possible Game of the Year in the Handheld category.

No, I am talking about 3DS games that deserve to be nominated, not ones that I feel will be nominated.

I think there are a lot of overlooked games this year. Handheld games are always thrown out immediately. Pikmin 3 was so awesome yet I doubt anyone will consider it for anything.