It took a full day, but Control Resonant , with 63 reviews in on its biggest platform, PS5, has settled on what looks to be its final Metacritic score.

While Control Resonant first came in at an 86 Metacritic score, ultimately it’s an 84, with Xbox at an 81 and PC at an 83 with far fewer reviews in. But we usually take the top platform. It’s certainly very positive, but that score places it in 49th place among the year’s releases, from small indie games to big AAA titles to remasters and even some DLC. Obviously it would move up if you’re just counting AAA, but many of those are still above it. Among the heavy hitters are Forza Horizon 6 (90), Pokémon Pokopia (89), Resident Evil Requiem (89), 007 First Light (87) and others.

I have seen many critics and influencers on my timeline say that Control: Resonant is their GOTY so far, and while GTA 6 is obviously still to come, I could see that staying true for many despite its release. Some are even calling it one of the best open-world brawlers ever made, and a masterpiece from Remedy. I’m not quite that high on it, but I can see the argument, perhaps.

This got me wondering if Control Resonant could actually snag a GOTY nomination or even win, despite what is a relatively low Metascore compared to other games that are nominated each year. Going through the history of the awards, there are only nine nominees I can count at an 84 or below in the nominee list:

  • Black Myth: Wukong (2024) – 81 (PC/PS5)
  • Control (2019) – 82
  • A Plague Tale: Requiem (2022) – 82
  • Death Stranding (2019) – 83
  • The Outer Worlds (2019) – 83
  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018) – 84
  • Ghost of Tsushima (2020) – 84
  • Resident Evil Village (2021) – 84
  • Stray (2022) – 84

None of these won. Black Myth Wukong was the lowest, but you can see a familiar name there, Control , with an 82 score. So no, I do not think it’s impossible that Control Resonant , with its 84 score, could land on the list when all is said and done. Possibly substituting in for a higher game like say, Forza and its 90, as genre games are often (unfairly) ignored when it comes to voting for these kinds of things. But if Control Resonant won, that would be unprecedented. Obviously everyone is expecting GTA 6 to be the favorite, but despite 13 years of development, we still just don’t know how it will play out, assumptions or not.

While Control Resonant is not my GOTY (still deciding) I do think it’s worth recommending. Check it out yourself starting next week to see if it makes your own list.

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