Splatoon defied all the odds, and is truly the surprise of this generation: Nintendo made a family friendly shooter on a dead console, and it sold like crazy. Almost nobody expected this level of success, but no sane person will claim it wasn't well deserved. Splatoon introduced an amazing new control scheme, an ink mechanic that's different from every shooter on the market, and the spectacle of Splatfests. On their first try, Nintendo revolutionized the stalest genre on the market.
Now it's best to note that TGS awards Game of the Year to games from the previous year, like smart people, instead of the dumb ass method of giving out awards for the current year before the year is over. Seriously Keighley, it's called January.
Anyway, to put this into perspective, here's a list of runner-ups that received the Award of Excellence:
- Dark Souls III
- Dragon Quest Builders
- Fallout 4
- Metal Gear Solid V
- Minecraft
- Monster Hunter Cross
- Super Mario Maker
- The Witcher 3
- Yo-kai Watch Blasters
That's a damn impressive list for Splatoon to top.
[Source]
