Sepreth(@Sepreth):Phantom Blade Zero has ended Crimson Desert’s realistic chances at major GOTY awards. Both are outsider AAA titles from China and South Korea chasing the same jury votes. PBZ launched late October with Metacritic scores around 88, with critics locking in on the combat. Crimson Desert came out in March, sold hard, then sat at 77 while relying on updates to stay relevant. One is a focused action game that reviewed cleanly. The other is a sprawling open-world title that never quite convinced critics. That leaves PBZ as the clearer pick for the limited outsider slot heading into awards season.

2026.10.31 21:07

Phantom Blade Zero has ended Crimson Desert’s realistic chances at major GOTY awards. Both are outsider AAA titles from China and South Korea chasing the same jury votes. PBZ launched late October with Metacritic scores around 88, with critics locking in on the combat. Crimson Desert came out in March, sold hard, then sat at 77 while relying on updates to stay relevant. One is a focused action game that reviewed cleanly. The other is a sprawling open-world title that never quite convinced critics. That leaves PBZ as the clearer pick for the limited outsider slot heading into awards season.