Certainly: it’s gotta have zazz.
It’s tough to tell this early out. I personally didn’t even have a clear pick for 2011 (though everyone assures me that honor was snatched and spoken for by Skyrim). Given the handful of contenders already confirmed for release this year, I think Bioshock Infinite makes a strong case for itself. Assassin’s Creed III looks ripe for GoTY status, though the series hasn’t truly knocked me on my ass since the second installment.
It’d be too goddamn easy to say Resident Evil 6. My bias for that series is ironclad, clouding my judgement. (But I secretly hope RE6 decimates the competition – we need a win again after trudging through the shitty streets of ORC.)
I actually think I’d prefer to see a new IP take home GoTY. Having a sequel top the charts every year only forces the market to do more of the same. Maybe the next game of the year is still waiting to be revealed at, say, E3 or some such venue. So I guess what I’m getting at is that I hope Ninja Gaiden III gets game of the year.