The Game Award Nominees Revealed + Call of Duty BLOPS 7 Troubles | Kurt & Lucy Gotcha Covered

Quick Overview

The hosts discuss the Game Awards nominees, with Kurt expressing disappointment that several highly anticipated games like Silent Hill F and Bloodborne were excluded, while Lucy advocates for the inclusion of games like Disco Elysium: The Final Cut and Hades II based on their quality and narrative impact, despite the overall list sparking debate.

Key Points: The hosts discuss the Game Awards nominees, specifically focusing on surprising omissions and surprising inclusions across various categories. Kurt expresses disappointment that 'Silent Hill F' was not nominated, mentioning it was a highly anticipated title, and criticizes the perceived over-representation of certain developers/franchises. Lucy highlights 'Hades II' and 'Disco Elysium: The Final Cut' as games that deserved recognition, pointing out the quality of narrative and design. The discussion touches upon the 20th anniversary of the Xbox 360, with Kurt sharing a story about buying one and the seal being broken, leading to a humorous anecdote about his poor financial decision. Kurt champions 'Red Dead Redemption 2' for its narrative, while Lucy brings up 'Disco Elysium' again, arguing that its narrative approach was more novel than others. The hosts briefly transition to playing 'Mario Kart 64' (Luigi Raceway, 100cc) as a palate cleanser, with Lucy winning the first race. The show concludes by reading through the list of nominees for various categories, including 'Best Narrative' and 'Best Indie Game', prompting final comments from the hosts.

Context: This episode of the 'Kurt & Lucy Gotcha Covered' podcast features hosts Lucy James and Kurt Indovina reviewing and reacting to the recently announced nominees for The Game Awards. The discussion centers heavily on which games they felt were snubbed or overrated in categories like Best Game, Best Narrative, and Best Indie Game, often using the nominees list (displayed via on-screen graphics) as a focal point for their debate.

Detailed Analysis

The episode immediately dives into reacting to the Game Awards nominees, with Kurt expressing strong feelings about the announced lists. Kurt is immediately critical of the 'Most Anticipated' category, pointing out the absence of 'Silent Hill F' (0:01). He later argues that certain games that were nominated, such as 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 7' (which he jokes about the $80 price tag for) and 'Red Dead Redemption 2' (which he praises for its narrative), were perhaps not as deserving as others. Lucy defends the quality of the nominated games, particularly praising 'Hades II' and 'Disco Elysium: The Final Cut' (0:52), noting the latter's complex narrative structure and its many threads. Kurt humorously recounts a personal story about buying an Xbox 360 on its 20th anniversary (11:00), spending his last $80, only to find the seal was broken, signifying a bad purchase. The discussion then moves to the Best Narrative category (1:28), where Kurt argues that while 'Red Dead Redemption 2' has a great narrative, the way 'Alan Wake 2' delivered its story felt more novel. They also briefly discuss the Best Indie Game category (6:22), with Lucy noting that 'Sea of Stars' was nominated, but 'Hollow Knight: Silksong' was not, leading to discussion about which indie games deserved recognition. To break the tension, they play a round of 'Mario Kart 64' on Luigi's Raceway (37:45), with Lucy winning the first race, leading to celebratory cheering (42:47). The final segment involves reading through more categories, including Best Performance (10:17), where Kurt expresses strong support for Steven Seagal's voice acting in the fictional 'Black Rainbow' campaign, and Best Taco Bell Menu Item (15:38), which Kurt humorously suggests should be 'Chicken Poop' or 'Taco Bell's 'gassy' taco' (39:59). The episode concludes with the hosts thanking viewers and promoting future content.