I know, people are fucking idiots. I could only give it props for having an interesting story.

This could've been an interesting debate, except the naysaying side seems to have almost no firsthand experience with the game and even less factual argumentation to support the contention that liking Deadly Premonition is wrong. And given that GOTY lists are not meant to be a robotic statement of objective quality, there *is* nothing wrong with placing it on there. Deadly Premonition is a very memorable game with one of the best and most unique stories this year, even if in craft it is shamed by a long list of well-executed (albeit often less memorable and narrative-poor) titles.

" This could've been an interesting debate, except the naysaying side seems to have almost no firsthand experience with the game and even less factual argumentation to support the contention that liking Deadly Premonition is wrong. And given that GOTY lists are not meant to be a robotic statement of objective quality, there *is* nothing wrong with placing it on there. Deadly Premonition is a very memorable game with one of the best and most unique stories this year, even if in craft it is shamed by a long list of well-executed (albeit often less memorable and narrative-poor) titles. "

" @LordAndrew: This is hilarious. You turned " provide 5 reasons as to why it deserves a game of the year " into "you're banned from liking this game in any way". You failed to answer an honest question and instead decided to bear a cross by responding to some imagined attack that the OP didn't even fucking make. Surely this is some meta commentary on Christmas. Brilliant stuff, guy. Anyhow, in other trendslave news, Showgirls is now the new Starship Troopers. Make sure to lambaste anyone who doesn't "get it".  "

" @SethPhotopoulos said:

" You don't have the right to tell people how to feel. "

Do you have the ability to answer his actual question, crossbearer?"

" @ryanwho said:

" @SethPhotopoulos said:

" You don't have the right to tell people how to feel. "

Do you have the ability to answer his actual question, crossbearer?"

You certainly enjoy calling people that. "

" This could've been an interesting debate, except the naysaying side seems to have almost no firsthand experience with the game and even less factual argumentation to support the contention that liking Deadly Premonition is wrong. And given that GOTY lists are not meant to be a robotic statement of objective quality, there *is* nothing wrong with placing it on there. Deadly Premonition is a very memorable game with one of the best and most unique stories this year, even if in craft it is shamed by a long list of well-executed (albeit often less memorable and narrative-poor) titles. "

" @owl_of_minerva said:

" This could've been an interesting debate, except the naysaying side seems to have almost no firsthand experience with the game and even less factual argumentation to support the contention that liking Deadly Premonition is wrong. And given that GOTY lists are not meant to be a robotic statement of objective quality, there *is* nothing wrong with placing it on there. Deadly Premonition is a very memorable game with one of the best and most unique stories this year, even if in craft it is shamed by a long list of well-executed (albeit often less memorable and narrative-poor) titles. "

And you continue to dance around the actual question. Lord of the dance. You seem to think that since opinions are subjective people can't comment on them. Well comrade, the cold war's over, so that's not the case. OP would like dumb people to explain their dumb opinion about how this is the best game of the year. Game of the year is a title, not a list. GOTY doesn't mean "list every game you liked this year". It means list your favorite game. And if this was your favorite game, you got some splainin to do. "

Well at least we can all come together and agree Other M got the number of accolades it deserved. Christmas Miracle.

" Well at least we can all come together and agree Other M got the number of accolades it deserved. Christmas Miracle. "

" Well at least we can all come together and agree Other M got the number of accolades it deserved. Christmas Miracle. "

Nah. I think Persona 4 and DP just happen to the be only low budget gems for their perspective years and its just a coincidence that they're talked about way more than other low budget gems. We're a free thinking people no matter what internet nazis like the OP say! Don't tread on me OP! I'm a wounded animal, I just learned people are allowed to have opinions on my opinion, and my way of processing that is to evoke a fascist status on anyone who thinks my opinion is stupid. Asking me to justify my silly opinion=declaring my opinion is not allowed. Glenn Beck would be proud of this thread.

Jesus Christ. They're called personal GOTY lists for a reason. I have no great love for Deadly Premonition but for the people who do, power to you. 

" For all the "bandwagon" talk I just want to put out there that it's a known psychological effect that people tend to be influenced by others opinions. We are social animals and seek acceptance of others. It's why pretty much every online store you visit has ratings and/or reviews of their products. 
 
Like it or not, if a lot of other people like something, we're all more likely to feel we like it too. It's not a huge effect, but it's big enough that companies are willing to risk bad reviews for the positive effect of a good one. "

" Nah. I think Persona 4 and DP just happen to the be only low budget gems for their perspective years and its just a coincidence that they're talked about way more than other low budget gems. "

" @Dany said:

" So bad it's good? "

So bad its still bad ..... 
  "

To each his own, ya know? It's like a cult movie... who can really complain? If you see the community talking about it as one big joke instead of legitimate approval, then I s'pose it would be getting kinda old. But I really love the game for its quirks. Not saying that's a reason to be GOTY... 

" Asking me to justify my silly opinion=declaring my opinion is not allowed. "

" @SethPhotopoulos said:

" You don't have the right to tell people how to feel. "

 So fucking dramatic. "

" Nah. I think Persona 4 and DP just happen to the be only low budget gems for their perspective years and its just a coincidence that they're talked about way more than other low budget gems. We're a free thinking people no matter what internet nazis like the OP say! Don't tread on me OP! I'm a wounded animal, I just learned people are allowed to have opinions on my opinion, and my way of processing that is to evoke a fascist status on anyone who thinks my opinion is stupid. Asking me to justify my silly opinion=declaring my opinion is not allowed. Glenn Beck would be proud of this thread. "

You don't get it. I can't fault you for that. 
 
It's not a joke. 

" @jakob187 said:

" @turbomonkey138: Do you enjoy shitting on people's opinions this much?  Seriously?  So you don't like the fucking game.  So you don't hold it on some high platform.  Guess what?  You...nor anyone else...is the end-all be-all of the world of opinions.  There are people that genuinely do like the game, and not even in a "so bad it's good" kind of way.  The game had interesting characters and a crazy but awesome story to tell.  Was the gameplay broken?  No.  It just didn't handle greatly.  I mean, for fuck's sake, the GB crew was able to make it through the entire game, so it must mean the game is playable.  Yes, it got a LOT of attention around here because of the ER.  Whatever.  I don't give a fuck about the ER, and if anything, the ER introduced MORE people to the game.  The fact that Ignition even ENDORSED the fucking ER was goddamn excellent, as it meant that they appreciated someone showing their game for what it was.  The game, in and of itself, is an ironic piece of programming, but more than anything else, it also happens to be a game made by a Japanese guy with a budget company.  I can easily name 30 budget titles off the top of my head that are beyond terrible (Darkest of Days and Jurassic: The Hunted are the two big ones that pop into my head right now).  Deadly Premonition is unique in that it's a game that can hold up AGAINST big budget titles.  One of the biggest problems that me and my crew faced when we were reviewing games was whether we should hold budget games on a different platform of review scaling than big budget games.  Why should a budget game be faulted for subpar controls when the fucking money isn't there to make the game they want?  Someone gave these guys a chance to make the game they wanted, and whether everything was pristine or not in terms of physical gameplay is difficult to judge when we don't know the inner workings of a development studio.  In the end, though, I can think of plenty of big budget titles that came out this year that had more bugs (Halo: Reach, Fallout: New Vegas, Red Dead Redemption), more bad controls (Army of Two: The 40th Day, Medal of Honor, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II), and less interesting stories and concepts (virtually any fucking FPS paste-and-copy or God-of-War-clone) than Deadly Premonition had. It's something that holds the same level of storytelling and quirk as something like fucking Metal Gear Solid.  Personally, Metal Gear Solid is fucking terrible.  If anything, I don't understand how people can PRAISE those fucking games yet frown on something like Deadly Premonition.  Shit, the first Mass Effect had terrible gameplay, to the point that I would put it on par with Deadly Premonition in many respects.  Nonetheless, Metal Gear Solid and Mass Effect...since they are made by big budget companies that carry heavy names with them like Kojima and BioWare...will have FAR more fans putting on blinders and acting like they are the greatest thing since sliced bread and scented goddamn toilet paper. Is it going to ACTUALLY win any Game of the Year awards?  Probably not, because it's been a hefty fucking year.  However, trying to shit on peoples' parades simply because YOU think the game is bad is getting more fucking annoying than people saying that they love Deadly Premonition. It's a double-edged blade that you walk on, and moreover, it's best to just stop trolling this shit.  Seriously, it pisses people off when you have to shit on a game that it's obvious millions of people like.  LITERALLY!  How many units has that game pushed?  They did better with Deadly Premonition than most big budget companies can do with some of their titles.  Part of it was curiosity, but the reason it's so goddamn difficult to find in a used game store...surprise surprise...is because people LIKE the game! "

You have opinions... I have a opinions... they have opinions "

Haha. 
 
This thread is funny.

If I were choosing a game of the year that would best represent Giant Bomb, I would choose Deadly Premonition. So much of the community's love and even the success of that game (its cult status) was encouraged here. I watched the endurance runs, I played the game, and it wasn't the most amazing thing in the world. But it was Deadly Premonition, and for me that was enough. That being said, it wasn't the best game I played this year. Since the list is for best game overall, I can't say DP is number one.
 
I'm typing this after making my 2010 list, with DP as my #6. It, like Persona 4, is a game I will have fond memories off and it deserves a spot for that, at least to me.
 
If it somehow makes the top 5 or even top 10, I think that is just as fitting as any other game released this year.

Not sifting through 12 pages but GOTY? No. Top 10? Sure. If you can get past the last gen graphics and poor controls, the game's narrative is really good. For me, at least in single player games, that's the aspect that has to hook me and makes me want to keep playing.
 
Look at Heavy Rain. It's hardly a game yet the way it's presented and the story it tells is really well done.
 
Maybe it's just me over-valuing a games story, but I have Heavy Rain at 6 and Deadly Premonition at 7 on my best of 2010 list.

Its not my GOTY but it stuck with me in a way that most games don't thats all.

" Not sifting through 12 pages but GOTY? No. Top 10? Sure. If you can get past the last gen graphics and poor controls, the game's narrative is really good. For me, at least in single player games, that's the aspect that has to hook me and makes me want to keep playing.  Look at Heavy Rain. It's hardly a game yet the way it's presented and the story it tells is really well done.  Maybe it's just me over-valuing a games story, but I have Heavy Rain at 6 and Deadly Premonition at 7 on my best of 2010 list. "

" @C0V3RT said:

" Not sifting through 12 pages but GOTY? No. Top 10? Sure. If you can get past the last gen graphics and poor controls, the game's narrative is really good. For me, at least in single player games, that's the aspect that has to hook me and makes me want to keep playing.  Look at Heavy Rain. It's hardly a game yet the way it's presented and the story it tells is really well done.  Maybe it's just me over-valuing a games story, but I have Heavy Rain at 6 and Deadly Premonition at 7 on my best of 2010 list. "

So if you took the game out of DP it would be a good game? "

It doesn't deserve GOTY, but York's nominaton for best character, and Life is Beautiful's nomination for the music are both COMPLETELY 100% deserved.

" @SuperSambo said:

" @C0V3RT said:

" Not sifting through 12 pages but GOTY? No. Top 10? Sure. If you can get past the last gen graphics and poor controls, the game's narrative is really good. For me, at least in single player games, that's the aspect that has to hook me and makes me want to keep playing.  Look at Heavy Rain. It's hardly a game yet the way it's presented and the story it tells is really well done.  Maybe it's just me over-valuing a games story, but I have Heavy Rain at 6 and Deadly Premonition at 7 on my best of 2010 list. "

So if you took the game out of DP it would be a good game? "

This one had me thinking. No, at the most basic level, DP is not a good game. But if you look into the components that make up the game, is it not possible for some areas to shine? Maybe it speaks to how highly I thought of the narrative that I'm willing to overlook all the game does wrong and list it as one of my favorite gaming experiences of the year.  Damn though, you do have me thinking about taking DP and Heavy Rain off my GOTY list now. "

I mainly put it on my GOTY list to spite haters like you, OP. What are you gonna do about it, huh?
 
Okay, serious answer. There a lot of different ways to look at game of the year. Some just look at objective quality and polish, and if that works for you, great. For me, I think about it how I might think of my favorite music or TV shows of the year. Not all of them will be equal in quality, but that doesn't matter. The barometer I'm using is "What had the biggest personal impact on me?" For ME, no other game released in 2010 surpasses Deadly Premonition in that regard.
 
It's an insanely unique package. What it may lack in technical prowess it more than makes up for in charm. Now you may be thinking "But charm isn't a quantifiable term! You can't base GOTY on some vague emotion you have!" To this I say... Oh, can't I? I wasn't aware a list of personal favorite games had a set of strict rules I have to follow. I could put every game I liked in 2010 under a microscope and scrutinize every flaw they have, but you know, that takes some of the fun out of video games for me.
 
Deadly Premonition is far from perfect. It looks like an up-converted PS2 game. The controls are floaty and fairly inaccurate (but as someone who just played it again on Sunday, I maintain the controls aren't completely unplayable like a lot of people say. just a bit loose). The map is laughably inefficient and unhelpful. But a lot of the criticisms I've seen in this thread (stilted animation, repeating music. low budget voice cast) are part of the charm for me and makes me like it MORE, not less. Even if it is unintentional. Combine that with one of the most unique stories and main characters I've ever seen in a game (yes, I've seen Twin Peaks. York and Cooper are similar, but far from identical. Same with the story's climax.), a colorful cast of supporting characters, and tons of things to do for a $20 game, and you have my favorite game of 2010.
 
It's no Uncharted 2, but... That's kind of the whole point. Games like Uncharted 2 are big Hollywood summer blockbusters, Deadly Premonition is the low budget independent film. Are you also going to try and tell me that independent films are garbage, and that people can't put them on a top 10 list? If so, that's horribly narrow minded.

My opinion:
Story and unique characters and quirks = good
 
The actual 'game' part = bad
 
It all depends on the type of gamer you are. If you are mostly a competitive gamer who likes multiplayer and pwning noobs then this is not your game. If you are a more cerebral gamer who likes puzzles then this is not your game. If you are a creative gamer who likes to 'play' with their games (mario galaxy, mine craft, little big planet) then this is not your game. 
 
This leaves the last type of gamer - story driven gamers. I myself am a story driven gamer but I still need polished mechanics to enjoy them otherwise I'll just read a book or watch a good film. 
But there are obviously enough story driven gamers who value the story/narrative/characters enough to overlook the poor mechanics/gameplay. This is why they like Deadly Premonition. 
 
If anyone says they like deadly premonition for the 'gameplay' then they are CRAZY mofos.

Definitely one of my favorite games of the year, among Rock Band 3, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Super Meat Boy, Castlevania HD, Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2, etc... 
Probably top 3.
DP became cult classic for a reason, it has lots of things going for it, even if the gameplay isn't out of this world or graphics won't blow you away, there is a lot of depth in it if you go look for it, - you'll be rewarded.

The only reason I was super interested in DP was York/Zack. I didn't care about the zombies, or any other character, but York/Zack as so..weird! Brad shouldve paid more attention to the story while he played the game...

" My opinion: Story and unique characters and quirks = good  The actual 'game' part = bad  It all depends on the type of gamer you are. If you are mostly a competitive gamer who likes multiplayer and pwning noobs then this is not your game. If you are a more cerebral gamer who likes puzzles then this is not your game. If you are a creative gamer who likes to 'play' with their games (mario galaxy, mine craft, little big planet) then this is not your game.   This leaves the last type of gamer - story driven gamers. I myself am a story driven gamer but I still need polished mechanics to enjoy them otherwise I'll just read a book or watch a good film.  But there are obviously enough story driven gamers who value the story/narrative/characters enough to overlook the poor mechanics/gameplay. This is why they like Deadly Premonition.   If anyone says they like deadly premonition for the 'gameplay' then they are CRAZY mofos. "

" @ShadowMountain said:

" My opinion: Story and unique characters and quirks = good  The actual 'game' part = bad  It all depends on the type of gamer you are. If you are mostly a competitive gamer who likes multiplayer and pwning noobs then this is not your game. If you are a more cerebral gamer who likes puzzles then this is not your game. If you are a creative gamer who likes to 'play' with their games (mario galaxy, mine craft, little big planet) then this is not your game.   This leaves the last type of gamer - story driven gamers. I myself am a story driven gamer but I still need polished mechanics to enjoy them otherwise I'll just read a book or watch a good film.  But there are obviously enough story driven gamers who value the story/narrative/characters enough to overlook the poor mechanics/gameplay. This is why they like Deadly Premonition.   If anyone says they like deadly premonition for the 'gameplay' then they are CRAZY mofos. "

Flawed logic.  There are people who enjoy all kinds of games without the need to hate on any particular genre or title despite its deficiencies because there are redeeming qualities to be experienced.Also if you are a skilled player who can easily accommodate to controls and mechanics of a game - it's no longer "unplayable" and DP's controls were perfectly fine, you just had to adjust to them (finished DP on hard without using any continues). If you have watched Brad playing it during the ER days, you have an example of a guy who's either not very good at games (quite possibly since he's almost always first to die in various quick looks) or he's stressed and messes up more than he should because he knows he's being recorded.   I suppose it all comes down to your personal skills but controls aren't "unplayable", they may feel archaic - all you need to do is to adapt to them. "

" But it's in no way so bad as call the game "bad". What is a "bad" game anyway? "

I just started playing and I've found the moving and shooting to be fine so far. Wish me luck on the driving.

" @ShadowMountain said:

" My opinion: Story and unique characters and quirks = good  The actual 'game' part = bad  It all depends on the type of gamer you are. If you are mostly a competitive gamer who likes multiplayer and pwning noobs then this is not your game. If you are a more cerebral gamer who likes puzzles then this is not your game. If you are a creative gamer who likes to 'play' with their games (mario galaxy, mine craft, little big planet) then this is not your game.   This leaves the last type of gamer - story driven gamers. I myself am a story driven gamer but I still need polished mechanics to enjoy them otherwise I'll just read a book or watch a good film.  But there are obviously enough story driven gamers who value the story/narrative/characters enough to overlook the poor mechanics/gameplay. This is why they like Deadly Premonition.   If anyone says they like deadly premonition for the 'gameplay' then they are CRAZY mofos. "

Flawed logic.  There are people who enjoy all kinds of games without the need to hate on any particular genre or title despite its deficiencies because there are redeeming qualities to be experienced.Also if you are a skilled player who can easily accommodate to controls and mechanics of a game - it's no longer "unplayable" and DP's controls were perfectly fine, you just had to adjust to them (finished DP on hard without using any continues). If you have watched Brad playing it during the ER days, you have an example of a guy who's either not very good at games (quite possibly since he's almost always first to die in various quick looks) or he's stressed and messes up more than he should because he knows he's being recorded.   I suppose it all comes down to your personal skills but controls aren't "unplayable", they may feel archaic - all you need to do is to adapt to them. "

If the game was just a little more coherent and playable, it wouldn't be on anybody's radar. Internet fads :/

What's worse; be recognised by it's shittyness, or be completely forgotten by the mediocre value?

The shooting is decent at best, and the driving is terrible. But what makes Deadly Premonition shine is its characters and the story. It's quirky, but it's one of the best that came out this year. I put Deadly Premonition in high regard. And the $20 starting price makes this game a value. The story mode is longer than most $60 games as well. 
 
Deadly Premontion is bad in terms of gameplay, but everything else about it is great. I was hoping for York to win Best Character. What about you, Zach?

" If the game was just a little more coherent and playable, it wouldn't be on anybody's radar. Internet fads :/ "

I like how it is so hard to fathom people legitimately enjoying this game and liking it more than all the 'blockbusters' that came out.
 
I knew about and beat the game long before Giant Bomb did Endurance Runs (in fact, I never watched the ERs, but I have lurked the forums at some point after). I found out about the game through 360achievements posting a few screens and announcing it was only $20. My friend got the game before I got a chance to, brought it over and I played the intro and I got hooked and my girlfriend got me it shortly after.
 
I went in with the "lol so bad it's hilarious" mindset, but I came out of it genuinely loving my experience with the game.
 
People exaggerate the hell out of the problems with the controls. Are they bad? Yes. But they could be worse. The auto-aim is terrible, so I stopped using guns and started using melee weapons (specifically, the wrench) and that made the action/otherworld sequences easier to deal with. And upgrading the car (and getting the Radio) make driving much more bearable.
 
Likewise, I never really had a problem with the map (it does get confusing, but after going through it enough, I understood essentially where everything was, and I had no problems).
 
The graphics are inconsistent, yes (some of the graphics are really good and others are not so much. This also goes for textures and other things with the models, like mouth movements being worse for some characters). The music is inappropriately placed. Yeah, there's a lot of really poorly done things (which, if I am not mistaken are mostly done on purpose, outside of combat and the map not allowing to zoom out better).
 
But to call the game bad is ridiculous. It's not. It's a great game. The gameplay itself is nothing special, but the world, the story and the characters are so beautifully written, if you give them the time of day rather than writing them off as stupid or 'too quirky'. It really is 'a great movie'. Like Metal Gear Solid before it, and for some, the Final Fantasy titles. I legitimately enjoyed the game. I intend to continue to play and enjoy the game. It is one of my favorite games of all time, and it is easily my favorite game of 2010 for any of my consoles. Not because it was more fun, or looked better or any of that. But because of the experience I had. I play a lot of games, and I enjoy them, but most of the games I play through are fun while they last, and then the experience generally doesn't make me go "OH MAN, CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY IT AGAIN". I just go "Alright. Now I wait for DLC and move onto the next game in my backlog". Deadly Premonition, I could NOT wait to play through it again. And after I finished it, I wanted to play again, but I took a break to finish some of my backlog and got more games. 
 
I still want to play it again. And the only thing stopping me is that I have too many unfinished games and I technically finished DP. But I -will- go back, because I loved everything about it. And I'm going to enjoy it even more because it's been a while. It is actually driving me nuts, not playing it again. 
 
So when I say it's my GOTY for 2010, I'm saying it honestly. I love Deadly Premonition, and I loved it before it was 'cool' or a 'fad' as some of you want to pretend it is for everyone. God forbid it's not Red Dead Redemption (which I love) or Mass Effect 2 (which I haven't played) or something.