This garbage is GAME OF THE YEAR.....

Summary

The video reacts to Mixtape winning Game of the Year at the Australian Game Developers Awards. The game, developed by Beethoven and Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive, is a musical adventure about rebellious teenagers in the 1990s and their coming-of-age experiences.

Gameplay and story

The central criticism is that Mixtape offers little challenge or meaningful interactivity. Dr. Disaster says its skateboarding sections can play themselves and points to a kissing minigame as one of the few moments with direct player control. He argues that a game should allow for the possibility of failure to distinguish it from a film or other passive experience.

Asmongold says he is not opposed to story-focused games in general, but considers Mixtape’s story clichéd and overly polished. He describes it as a sanitized, privileged take on teenage life, while acknowledging that some details reminded him of his own experiences. He rates the game around five out of ten.

Asmongold also criticizes the soundtrack for omitting several bands he associates with the era, including Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Tool, Iron Maiden, Dio, Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Reviews and sales

The commentators contrast professional reviews with player reception:

• Dr. Disaster cites about 143,000 Steam sales, based on VG Insights, and suggests that even matching those sales on other platforms would leave total sales below 500,000.
• The discussion cites an 85 OpenCritic score, an 86 critic score on Metacritic, and a 5.9 Metacritic user score.
• The game was also reported to have a “Very Positive” rating on Steam.

Both commentators question how critics’ awards and review scores reflect players’ preferences. They suggest favorable reviews may be influenced by access journalism, industry relationships, or shared tastes and perspectives. These are presented as their opinions, not as established explanations for the awards.

Awards and nominations

The Australian Game Developers Awards gave Mixtape Game of the Year, Excellence in Art, and Excellence in Sound Design. The game was also nominated for Best Indie Game and Best Soundtrack at the Golden Joystick Awards. Dr. Disaster speculates that it could receive nominations at The Game Awards.

Gamers and sources featured

Commentators: Asmongold; Dr. Disaster

Sources and organizations discussed: Game Rant; VG Insights; OpenCritic; Metacritic; Steam; Australian Game Developers Awards; Golden Joystick Awards; The Game Awards and host Geoff Keighley; Beethoven and Dinosaur; Annapurna Interactive.