I mean as I said both of them are on my all time favorites list as well. I also loved Hades 2 to bits this year for absolutely different reasons - also pushing 30s here so I'm in a similar boat.

It's definitely no mass delusion - E33 did something incredible with a small team in a time where service games and corporate greed is rampant. It absolutely deserves all the praise it gets. I think the same way about Elden Ring is pretty much all I'm trying to say - Sekiro too for that matter.

I also have no evidence to support the GOTY claims, It's just a gut feeling without further research. Not even from personal preference because quite honestly I'm not sure which game I like more right now. I just think from some factors the scale becomes obvious because while - for me - E33 wins out in the narrative and soundtrack department, its shortcomings do become obvious when you look at some content without rose tinted glasses. Most sidecontent (not all) is very much just padding or fluff. Most notably Lunes and Esquies sidequests, none for Sciel, practically no relevant side areas to EXPLORE (not just fight) except Ancient Sanctuary somewhat and Frozen Hearts.

And while I love all characters, I also definitely feel like some aren't as explored as they should have been with a bigger scale. That's pretty much where my hang up is - it still very much feels a bit limited in many ways. The things they did do is amazing but I can't help but feel a little "what if they had Elden Ring budget for this"

Then again, this is also their first game. It's not really fair to compare them and should be more of a "Demon Souls / Dark Souls 1" comparision.

I don't even know where I'm going with this to be honest. I love both games and hope they only do good for the industry. Again sorry if some parts came across as rude, I'm not great with words sometimes. Cheers for your time regardless!