Game of the Year: Journey - ...climbing that mountain at the end, being swept left and right by the wind, i never thought i would be this relieved to have someone accompanying me for that last stretch in the cold and snow.
Best soundtrack: Hotline Miami - The music perfectly evokes the neon noir look and feel of the game, its story and the actions of its protagonist.
Most surprising game: Sleeping Dogs - The shooting and melee combat are exciting and spectacular and few games have this much attention to detail in depicting the world they take place in. Crafting an open world game isn't easy and it's the best one since Red Dead Redemption.
Most disappointing game: Mass Effect 3 - The ending was only one more disappointing element of a thoroughly miserable experience. The story, the complete disregard of most characters you met in Mass Effect 2 and the abysmal questing system have all but made it a chore to finish the game.
Oh Journey. I didn't dislike it when I played it, just thought it was very meh and a bit overwrought. Then everyone started heaping ridiculous amounts of praise on it, and now I hate it a little bit.
@Animasta: By "last year" I assume you mean 2011 (I swear, at some point those years just start melting into each other), but going by the convenient 2011 in gaming page on Wikipedia:
Ghost Trick: came out of left field for most people, IIRC.
Magicka: I don't think anyone expected this to be that successful, spawning multiple expansions and DLC.
WWE All-Stars: Surprised most people, I think. "Great, more wrasslin' games..." was the general consensus up until then.
Terraria: One could argue it jumped on the Minecraft bandwagon, but most fans would argue that it's an entirely different beast.
Shadow of the Damned: "Garcia Fucking Hotspur!". It has its faults, but as with most Suda51 games, it has its legion of fans, and perhaps won a few over.
Bastion: We could argue that Giantbomb itself contributed to the hype, but, again, for most people it was a very pleasant surprise.
Limbo: Yeah, well, you know. Limbo.
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet: You could say it came from the shadows and took everyone by surprise. I'll let myself out now.
Dead Island: Incredibly misleading trailer aside, people really liked the melee system. The second half, not so much though.
Driver: San Francisco: Yeah! Driver games, huh!
Saints Row the Third: Love it or hate it, the discussion about this game has been done to death last year.
Renegade Ops: It's Jackal!
Minecraft: I'm not even sure if that should count...
Of course, this all depends on the definition of "dark horse" (for convenience sake, let's limit ourselves to lesser known publishers and titles without an insane amount of publicity being shoved down our throats?). But to be honest, I don't see a big difference between the sheer amount of dark horses in 2010 compared to 2011. Then again: What is Sakura Wars for the PS2 (!) doing there?
Halo 4 - Best Multiplayer, Campaign, Graphics. The campaign was surprisingly touching and actually managed to make an excellent character out of the previously stale Master Chief. Multiplayer is insanely addicting. The music is a departure and introduces really beautiful electronic layers. Graphics are without a doubt the best on the 360 and some of the best this generation, period. Huge improvements in every sense was made to the franchise with Halo 4.
Borderlands 2 - Best Co-op game, DLC - In every single way, this is the perfect "second game". It improves upon essentially everything that was introduced in Borderlands. The DLC (so far) is amazing and the co-op is how the game should be played.
The Last Story - Best RPG and Music. Uematsu is here, I don't think it needs explaining that the music is excellent. Very emotional and beautiful. But as an RPG the pacing is surprisingly great and never gets grindy, and the characters are ALL likeable - when does that ever happen in a JRPG?
The Witcher 2 - Best 2011 game of 2012 - If I could give this the GOTY 2012 award I would but since it was technically released last year it will have to suffice for this category. Mature, dark, and beautiful, with a lot of systems and unique combat.
Best character - Labrys from Persona 4 Arena: Labrys is given a deep back that really helps you understand why the events of Persona 4 Arena happen. Unfortunately I can't say a whole lot because of spoilers, but she does have a great personality and accent.
Best character- Asura from Asura's Wrath: Over the course of the game you will understand why Asura is so pissed off. Their is a reason why this game is called Asura's Wrath and through the 4 acts of it you will see Asura develop into a character you can care about and sympathize with.
2012's 2011 Game of the Year should go to Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective for iOS devices. The touch screen is a natural fit to the game mechanics in play. I would put the story and characters ahead of any of the nominees in the category. The music is pretty hype as well.
My Game of the Year would be X-Com: Enemy Unknown. Not only is it a console friendly take on turn based strategy but it is one of the most manageable and engaging RPGs I've have ever played. The story might not be as polished as the bigger story games this year but it makes up for it with a challenging game that I get enjoyment out of whenever I play it. I sunk more time into X-Com than any other single-player game this year. Also, aliens!
Best Face and/or Neck stabbing goes to Assassin's Creed 3 of course even though this year saw a lot of contenders for this coveted title. Nothing beats a tomahawk to the face.
Best Surprise should be given to Fez because fuck Phil Fish. How dare he make a game so insane!
GOTY - Persona 4 Golden, as above, it's a 2008 game I guess but there's enough content and improvements across the board to add it in as my GOTY, certainly the best RPG.
Most Disappointing - Mass Effect 3, too much streamlining, too much exploration cut out, less conversation options overall.
@Animasta: Yeah, dark horse is hard to define, especially in an age where information is readily available for everyone. But, strictly speaking, from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:
1 a: a usually little known contender (as a racehorse) that makes an unexpectedly good showing b: an entrant in a contest that is judged unlikely to succeed
The inherent problem with everyone regurgitating the same few titles over and over again (Journey, Sleeping Dogs) is that those titles immediately cease to be dark horses: you can't be at the same time little known and discussed multiple times. When everyone agrees that something is a sure winner in some category or another, it stops being unlikely to succeed.
(Pet peeve: Guys, Earthbound. It's a great game, I'm sure, but when thousands of people chime in when people ask for an "under-appreciated classic", or whatever the buzzword is, it frankly stops being an "under-appreciated classic". Seriously, scores of people agree with you. You are (not) alone. And that goes for a lot of games.)
Good god, I'm turning into a gaming hipster...
Anyway, I hope I'm not putting words in @Winternet 's mouth, but the purpose of this thread is reminding the guys of the great games that were released in the first and second quarter of the year, that they might have forgotten. Not just the glut of games released a few months back that they've played recently.
@Gaff: The purpose is to raise awareness to games or certain aspects of a game we feel are worthy of being mentioned and discussed during the GOTY deliberations. So, it's pointless to come here and say "Hotline Miami - Best Music" or "The Walking Dead - Best Story" because we know that's already on the duders' minds, but stuff like "Binary Domain (Cain) - Best Character" or "Krater - Best Music" makes sense to mention.
Best RPG of the Year and Best Vita Game: Persona 4 Golden.
Taking an already Genre defining game and refining and expanding it even further then ever, with new social links that can give brand new endings, and new ultimate persona's for the main cast, combined with the well done characters make for a fun ride.
Best Character: Asura from Asura's Wrath
Taking the traits that made Kratos sympathetic in his first game, and taking them in a new direction to make Asura's Anger more justified then Kratos's, along with giving him truly dickish adversaries (Especially the True Final Boss of Part IV Nirvana) as well as many kind moments seen in his past, show Asura as a one of the characters you can truly care for more then any other.
Best Boss fights and Bess final boss: Asura's Wrath
When the prologue boss is giant space Lava monster from the eartsh core the size of a large continent that can destroy entire battalions of space ships with ease, you know Asura's Wrath has insane boss fights in spades. Special Props goes to the final boss of part IV Nirvana. Just watch for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXpvLnDM15A
The final boss is so big he makes Galaxies look like tiny lights in the sky, throws planets and suns at you, as well as giant lasers. An d that's just his first phase, it get's crazier from there on.
Best Music: Asura's Wrath and Persona 4 Golden
Most Interesting Concept: Asura's Wrath
An Interactive action Anime? That's awesome! And it is!
Seriously, just think about how exciting the prospect of Assassin's Creed III was: Yeah, they had their diversions with Brotherhood and Revelations, but this one is NUMBERED and runs on a new engine; they even made a big deal of saying that they aren't carrying over any old animations. It's the one where we should finally be playing as Desmond, running around a modern-day city, stabbing modern-day Templars, and stopping the world from blowing up. Then they announced that the ancestor's story will be during the American Revolution. What? That's so awesome.
How could that game not be amazing?
Turns out it's pretty easy: Release an unfinished, broken mess where the patch notes (three weeks out) include such gems as "yo, all these missions were way too hard" and "yo, duders kept falling through the map here, here, and here." Make Desmond a total afterthought once again, giving him shit-all to do until one mission that's admittedly pretty crazy and exciting but there's a really dumb plot hole in it---When they asked Desmond to bring them the Apple of Eden, the Templars really never even considered the possibility that he might use it on them? Come the fuck on.---and then his story wraps up in a super unsatisfying, extremely rushed way where the final cut scene of the game is just watching two hologram women argue with each other. That's so dumb.
And Connor... Ugh. They spend half his story complaining about how racist and hypocritical America used to be, but they literally rename him because his native name is just too hard to pronounce and market. Now that's racist and hypocritical. It's just this gross butchering of well-documented historical events, the missions aren't very fun, the combat is boring (yes, the animations are cool, but that's all you're doing: watching canned animations play out), the controls are simplified to the point that it feels like it resents player input, and you barely assassinate anybody. Half the missions are busywork like the awful eavesdropping stuff from the first game (only worse now because they're mobile and instant-fail), and the other half are weird interjections into history wherever it makes the least sense, like having Connor steer Paul Revere's horse or lead troops during a battle in the world's worst RTS.
If nothing else, this game should've been lambasted for all the bugs. Patches were the worst thing to happen to this console generation. It's become an accepted practice for games to release unfinished and get a day-one patch. You can literally just promise Sony and Microsoft that you'll fix the major bugs with a day-one patch and they'll clear you through cert. I want to see more games get taken to task for this crap. Seriously, did you see the Thanksgiving Day patch notes for AC3?
I get that Vinny likes the side stuff a lot, but the core missions are pretty bad, which he talked about on the Bombcast last week. It's a bad game. Yeah, there's still some great stuff in there, but that's all stuff left over from previous games where it was better. For instance, I loved rolling with a crew of Assassins in Brotherhood. Such a fun mechanic. A fun mechanic that they somehow broke in AC3. Just watch as my Assassin recruit fails to kill two random guards for the fourth time:
Come on now. This broken piece of software cost me $60 and has easily been the most disappointing thing I've played this year.
For Soundtrack of the Year, Hotline Miami, Max Payne, and Rhythm Heaven are all really strong picks, but SSX should be in the running too. They made some fantastic song choices that complemented the feel of the game super well. I came to the game with my own custom playlist, but a lot of the included tracks were so good that they ended up in my collection themselves.
I think GOTY should be Journey. The Walking Dead is a close, close second, but I think it mostly has more momentum now because of its prolonged release schedule and because it's fresh in our memories. Journey came out early in the year, but I for one haven't forgotten how much everyone seemed to be talking about it. I think it's one of the clearest visions we've had from a developer, possibly ever. It's a landmark for downloadable titles. It's simple enough for a child to play, and complex enough to write a book about. The music is on the level of a film score. And finally, the multiplayer is both brilliant and daring. They removed the things about multiplayer gaming we take for granted, like voice chat, or even knowing who you're playing with, and somehow translated that into a more meaningful and powerful experience.
While the way the game ends certainly put a lot of people off, the amount of story beats that come full circle in this game, whether it is the choices you made in previous games, or a nod to the series as a whole was one of the most fulfilling and complete experiences I've had all year. I truly believe that this is one of the most underrated stories in games simply due to how it wraps up.
Journey - Game of the Year, Best Graphics
The reason I feel Journey should be considered as a game of the year is simple. It is likely the most revolutionary gaming experience you will ever have this year. So much so that even calling it a game at times feels wrong. Going through the short but memorable experiences in Journey was unlike anything I have experienced in games, period. It's simplistic approach to game design and it's encompassing art and graphical style create an engrossing experience that doesn't let up until the final moments of the game. Something I couldn't say about any other game this year.
Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit - Best Soundtrack
While most may forgo this games soundtrack in favour of the super addicting beats in Hotline Miami, I truly feel like this games soundtrack stole my heart this year. In a tough year of soundtracks across the board I found myself consistently going back to Hell Yeah! just to listen to the music everywhere. Whether it was the awesome boss battle tunes, the menu music particularly the shop music, or even the variety of beats they provide during levels. The amount of variety in the soundtrack as well is mind blowing especially when you consider that all the music at least when it is played during the game fits in terms of tone setting and style.
I'll also give my nod to Skyrim as Best 2011 2012 Game, as well as Sleeping Dogs as Most Surprising Game.
I really hope that doesn't win best music, but it probably will :( FEZ is a fantastic nominee for that category.
Downloadable list this year is really strong: FEZ, Journey, Dust An Elysian Tail (is amazing or so I've heard) and some more I've forgotten. Those three are genuine GOTY contenders.
I just don't want FEZ to be forgotten. FEZ!
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Oh yeah, as far as actual suggestions for the Bomb crew to check out, I recommend Adera on Windows 8/Microsoft Surface for worst voice acting. It's an adventure game, and the main character has the single worse voice acting I've ever heard.
FEZ will win an award, I'm sure. As will Journey... but I don't think it will be music. Though the music in Journey was amazing.
Hotline Miamis music wasn't written for the game unlike Journey and FEZ but my vote goes to ME3 for music.
You can't put Journey in a story telling category, there is nothing to that game apart from nice graphics.
It's a different kind of storytelling. It's not about words and explicit description. It tells its own kind of story in an extremely minimalistic way by giving you just enough details to let you start forming your own story and then leaves you to fill in the gaps.
@Winternet: Ok sorry then. I misunderstood the purpose of the "lobbying" part of the thread. Probably should have read more carefully! Makes sense. Still glad I got out my feelings on the game :)
No other title I've played this year comes close, in retrospect. It manages to use realistic scenarios, units, and concepts really well while blending them into a compelling real-time strategy game. Wargame isn't done there, however, because then it puts all this into a scale that is unlike anything else in the current genre - the maps are huge. Not only can it do all this, but remains pretty accessible, and it has fantastic visuals.
Still the best multiplayer shooter I've ever played, all things considered. The DLC packs have made it all even better, especially Armored Kill. I don't think anything will take it down this generation.
@Bourbon_Warrior: some of it was for hotline miami; jasper byrne's stuff was, as was perterburator's contribution (probably, the song is called miami disco so)
Best Celebrity Endorsement of a Game: Dan Harmon for Prototype 2.
In his blog about getting fired, he says this:
The same contract also gives me the same salary and title if I spend all day masturbating and playing Prototype 2. And before you ask yourself what you would do in my situation: buy Prototype 2. It’s fucking great.
Because Prototype 2 is great, and because nobody called me, and then started hiring people to run the show, I had my assistant start packing up my office days ago.
I really hope that doesn't win best music, but it probably will :( FEZ is a fantastic nominee for that category.
Downloadable list this year is really strong: FEZ, Journey, Dust An Elysian Tail (is amazing or so I've heard) and some more I've forgotten. Those three are genuine GOTY contenders.
I just don't want FEZ to be forgotten. FEZ!
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Oh yeah, as far as actual suggestions for the Bomb crew to check out, I recommend Adera on Windows 8/Microsoft Surface for worst voice acting. It's an adventure game, and the main character has the single worse voice acting I've ever heard.
FEZ will win an award, I'm sure. As will Journey... but I don't think it will be music. Though the music in Journey was amazing.
Hotline Miamis music wasn't written for the game unlike Journey and FEZ but my vote goes to ME3 for music.
At least it can't win best "original" music then, although I don't think that's what the bomb crew name their category. I had another nominee for best licensed music but I've forgotten now...
No one knew what that game was really about. It wasn't just a 2D platformer where you can manipulate the world in 3D. There was all this crazy, intricate puzzles with controller vibrations, QR codes and alien languages. Solving that game with the internet was just unreal. What a cool, unique experience.
My constituents and I have started a super PAC called Free American Gaming Savants and are looking to buy -- err, I mean support and endorse Hotline Miami for Best Voice Acting in a Game this year.
While it can't compete with the likes of Mass Effect 3 and Assassin's Creed 3 in terms of squandered narrative potential (those two games having been built up as the ultimate conclusions to their respective trilogies), Dishonored has a flaccid, underwhelming finale that really flies in the face of what made the rest of the game good. It deserves a mention for that. Also for being totally cool otherwise.
EDIT: Obviously I'm talking about the "Worst Ending" award, of which there are many candidates this year.
While it can't compete with the likes of Mass Effect 3 and Assassin's Creed 3 in terms of squandered narrative potential (those two games having been built up as the ultimate conclusions to their respective trilogies), Dishonored has a flaccid, underwhelming finale that really flies in the face of what made the rest of the game good. It deserves a mention for that. Also for being totally cool otherwise.
EDIT: Obviously I'm talking about the "Worst Ending" award, of which there are many candidates this year.
Yeah I struggled with how anti-climatic the ending to Dishonored ended up being. It's a great game otherwise though, and it's kind of in a weird position where I feel it should be up for some and maybe win an award I just don't really know what category I would put it in. If there was like a Best Level/World Design Award, Dishonored would win it for sure.
Saints Row The Third -for 2012's 2011 Game Of the Year.If Memory serves there was a pretty heated debate about it and Skyrim being number one during last year's deliberations
While it can't compete with the likes of Mass Effect 3 and Assassin's Creed 3 in terms of squandered narrative potential (those two games having been built up as the ultimate conclusions to their respective trilogies), Dishonored has a flaccid, underwhelming finale that really flies in the face of what made the rest of the game good. It deserves a mention for that. Also for being totally cool otherwise.
EDIT: Obviously I'm talking about the "Worst Ending" award, of which there are many candidates this year.
If the crew actually does that award I doubt it'll be ME3. They seemed mostly indifferent to it and didn't get caught up in the out rage.
My constituents and I have started a super PAC called Free American Gaming Savants and are looking to buy -- err, I mean support and endorse Hotline Miami for Best Voice Acting in a Game this year.
Your constituents, apart from the 5000 signatures, have also to present a small explanation behind their choice of purchase -- err, support.
@DharmaBum said:
Alan Wake's American Nightmare - best villain (Mr. Scratch) / best FMV
Alan Wake's American Nightmare - best villain (Mr. Scratch) / best FMV
Same thing. A couple of lines would suffice.
Mr. Scratch is a manifestation of Alan Wake's insecurity, based on rumors he's heard about himself. He torments and taunts Wake throughout the game, often seen via the TV harming random people. I get an almost Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) vibe from the way he behaves, blending the sadistic with the humorous. The FMV television moments are arguably the best thing about the game - something only Remedy could provide.
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