With the release of Spider-Man 2, debate about what will win Game of the Year has begun, mostly between Tears of the Kingdom and Spider-Man 2 fans. It’s ridiculous to try to predict what will win when It Takes Two beat Resident Evil: Village in 2021, but that’s beside the point. I’ve played both Tears of the Kingdom and Spider-Man 2, so I’m going to discuss them separately and then compare them based on my overall rating. There will be some spoilers, so you’ve been warned.

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Before I start my personal review, I want to go over some facts: Metacritic gave this game a rating of 93%. It’s $69.99 and available only on Nintendo Switch. It’s a sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was given a 97% Metacritic score. Now onto my opinion.

I played Breath of the Wild in 2019 and loved it, so you can guess I was excited to see a sequel available for preorder. I bought it about a month before it came out and played it as soon as the game card came in the mail. They expanded the map from the standard Hyrule to an underground level called the Depths and a collection of islands in the sky. This opened many opportunities for more armor sets and bosses, as well as new Shrines and cave systems. A repeating character from Breath of the Wild, Master Kohga, was able to make a reappearance after fans assumed he was dead from falling into what’s now known as the Depths.

Tears of the Kingdom introduced a new storyline by using the same memory mechanic from Breath of the Wild to show Link, the main character, what happened in Hyrule before his time. These cutscenes introduced the Secret Stones, which were held by the original champions, the Sages. These stones, when ingested, turn you into an immortal dragon. This brought meaning and mystery to the dragons who have been around since Breath of the Wild, as well as adding a new dragon to serve the story.

With the additions to the map, they needed to change Link’s abilities. Replacing the original Sheikah Slate runes, made mostly for combat, are new, travel-based mechanics called Ultrahand, Fuse, Recall, Ascend, and Autobuild. With the new terrain, these abilities were needed; however, they also allow for creativity for the player, being able to make robot-like war machines and rocket ships to send NPCs and Koroks to space.

This game got an 9.3/10 overall score from me. As a fan of the series, I am a little biased, but the truth is undeniable: the game is good. Even if the game doesn’t win, it’s still an amazing experience and an even greater addition to the Legend of Zelda series.

Spider-Man 2

Again, let me start with the facts. It was given a Metacritic score of 90%. It’s $69.99 and available on PS5. It’s a continuation of Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

I played Miles Morales’ game about 3 months before Spider-Man 2 was available for preorder. After finishing it, I knew I wanted to continue the series. I bought it on preorder and played it as soon as it came out. Here’s my opinion.

They doubled the map’s size and made it accurate to the real city of New York, as well as adding new suits and customizations, equaling out to 225 overall. They brought back several infamous villains and even teased Otto Octavius, who fans have been wanting to make a reappearance since the end of Spider-Man. The G-Serum was also mentioned, which means Green Goblin might be coming back.

The most exciting addition for players is Venom. From the trailer, we knew Venom would be a big part of the story, however fans didn’t expect to be able to play as him. Fast travel had a huge upgrade with players now being able to teleport to one exact location in a matter of seconds. Web Wings were added to the game, making swinging around NYC even more exciting than before. Many side quests were added, allowing players to learn more about what’s going on in the main story as well as relax and take pictures around New York.  This game gets a 9.4/10 from me.

Final Thoughts 

Again, no matter which wins Game of the Year, they are both incredible games. Overall, I think Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had the most developments and additions to their game, making it a longer, more worth-your-money game. However, since it’s so long and leaves the player up to their own devices, it did lose some players along the way. Spider-Man 2 added just enough things to keep the game manageable, and the graphics and story carried the price. It was a 15–20 hour game (main story) but has so many other things for players to do after finishing the story.

So, who will win? I believe, between these two, that Spider-Man 2 will win. Since Tears of the Kingdom came out towards the beginning of the year, hype has died down for it, while Spider-Man 2 is a new release. But again, they are both great games and it doesn’t really matter. It’s also important to remember that these aren’t the only two candidates. Personally, I believe Final Fantasy 16 should be considered when it comes to possible nominees. Games including Baldur’s Gate 3 and Diablo 4 are promising contenders as well, but that’s a topic for another time.