Giant Bomb's Game of the Year 2010: Day Five

Don't agree with our choices? Then be sure and listen to our Day Five Deliberations Podcast to make yourself even angrier!

The Northies - Best Performance By Nolan North

Mafia II

It's happened, people. The day has finally come. It's not enough forNolan North to play the leading man in one beloved franchise after another. He wasn't happy when you were merely hearing his voice in every single game you ever bought, ever. One role per game? Forget about it. 

Let history remember this as the year when the Nolan-headed serpent began to devour its own tail, when video game voiceovers folded in on themselves and reality itself began to unravel. We present to you: Nolan North conversing with... Nolan North. 

And the Northie goes to... Mafia II. What else could it be? Our dear Nolan certainly made the rounds in a long list of noteworthy titles this year, but as we so often say around here, it's not the best Nolan but the most Nolan that truly matters.

Runners-up:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Army of Two: The 40th Day, Tron: Evolution, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Singularity, Alpha Protocol, Final Fantasy XIII, Dark Void, Transformers: War for Cybertron, Trauma Team 

Best Competitive Multiplayer

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty 

At first glance, StarCraft II looks an awful lot like StarCraft I, with the same three factions mining the same minerals and vespene gas toward the same end of wiping each other off the map. But it's exactly that time-tested core RTS gameplay that makes this the best multiplayer game of the year. After more than a decade of intensely high-level competitive play, the most essential elements that make StarCraft what it is are practically etched in stone, so instead of trying to fix something that wasn't broken, Blizzard set about subtly refining, streamlining, and automating some of the more mechanical and menial aspects of playing StarCraft, making it accessible to players of any skill level.

And what a range of skill levels this game supports. StarCraft II has already spawned the most lucrative and widely publicized professional gaming tournament in history, with top players mastering ludicrously complex strategies in a game so mechanically dense it seems to defy mastery in the first place. For the mere mortals among us, the newly redesigned Battle.net does a great job of keeping you playing against opponents of like skill levels, so if you just want to turtle in your base and make hydras for 10 minutes before any attacking goes down, you can find others who play the same way. And despite adding a host of interesting new units, Blizzard maintained that finely honed three-way balance between terran, zerg, and protoss--no small feat in itself--ensuring that a whole lot of people will be playing StarCraft II online for a long, long time.

Runners-up:Call of Duty: Black Ops, Halo: Reach 

Best Ending

Red Dead Redemption

It is arguably more challenging to convey a cohesive narrative in games than most other mediums--games are defined by user interaction, and the protagonist's free will (or at least its illusion) can throw a real monkey-wrench in the storyteller's designs. As difficult as effectively telling a simple story, wrapping up the loose ends and finding a satisfying conclusion is a feat that storytellers in all formats struggle with, and this is a huge part of what makes Red Dead Redemption such an accomplishment. Rockstar San Diego crafted a rich, detailed world, filled it with compelling, compromised characters, and found a satisfying arc for its lead character.

But that ending. That thrilling gut-punch of an ending. Righteous redemption and bitter, white-hot revenge all swirling together for an ending that felt earned. Games simply aren't made the way Red Dead Redemption was, and its conclusion wouldn't have worked had it not been for the specific way that the game repeatedly shifts gears leading up to the real ending. Coincidentally, Red Dead Redemption would also have won here had this been the award for Most Endings, with the way it ends, and then it ends again, and then it ends. It's maybe one of the best game endings, ever, which makes it an easy win for Best Ending in 2010.

Runners-up:Bayonetta, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

The "Take a Break" Award 

Final Fantasy 

We're hard-pressed to even define what the name "Final Fantasy" encompasses at this point, but for the purpose of this category let's constrain it to the games that are merely called "Final Fantasy" with a Roman numeral afterward. This year saw the release of the thirteenth and fourteenth installments in that core series; the former was a beautifully produced, underwhelming adherent to outdated JRPG conventions, while the latter was by all accounts a runaway MMO catastrophe so poorly received that Square Enix relieved its stewards of their jobs in the hope of remaking it into something people would actually want to pay a monthly fee to play. It wasn't a great year for games called Final Fantasy, so it's time to take a pause and think hard about what it was that made this series so popular in the first place.

Look, all of us here at Giant Bomb have fond memories of various entries in the Final Fantasy series, but most of those entries came out well over a decade ago. A lot has happened, and continues to happen, in the ongoing evolution of game design since then, but it's starting to seem like Final Fantasy is too burdened by its own lavish production values and momentous legacy to keep up with those modern conventions. What's the answer here? We can't definitively say. Maybe it's time to ditch the expensive full-motion video. Maybe it's time to let a Western studio take a crack at this hallowed franchise. Maybe... no, it's definitely time to drop the Roman numerals and come up with a more creative way to name all these games. Whatever it takes, we just want Final Fantasy to surprise and excite us again, but only after it takes some time off to regroup and come back strong. 

Runners-up:Guitar Hero, WWE SmackDown!

Best PlayStation 3-Only Game

God of War III

Kratos pulls no punches in this, his PlayStation 3 debut, which also wraps up the mad Spartan's trilogy of heavenly murder with all the inventive blood lust and blinding rage players have come to expect from the franchise. God of War III is a God of War game through and through, and while it's a franchise whose feel is oft imitated, this was a vivid reminder that no one knows how to sadistically murder a god like Kratos.

Visually stunning, with a sense of scale that few games have the nerve to play with and the kind of finesse that reminds you of what's running under the hood, God of War III makes good on much of the promise of its franchise and its platform, making it our choice for Best PlayStation 3-Only Game for 2010.

Runners-up: Heavy Rain,  

Sports Champions

Don't agree with our choices? Then be sure and listen to our Day Five Deliberations Podcast to make yourself even angrier!
 

The Northies - Best Performance By Nolan North

Mafia II

Best Competitive Multiplayer

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty 

Best Ending

Red Dead Redemption

The "Take a Break" Award 

Final Fantasy 

Best PlayStation 3-Only Game

God of War III

 better categories than yesterday, at least

Bringin' it for the 5th day in a row

Fuck yeah

Sweet North on North action!

At first I was shocked (SHOCKED) that God of War III won PS3 GotY, considering how much of a damn disappointment that game was (though, that may just have been me).  Then, I remembered that console exclusives are a thing of the past.

Where is the soulja boy award if you drink and get drunk or smoke and get high?

I agree on all accounts....great!

Kinda surprised Heavy Rain didn't get best PS3 game, but then again, not so much after yesterday's podcast wherein Ryan said that he didn't like the story-twist stuff and plot holes.

The Northies makes a triumphant return! God of War III....okay fine. (Still think Heavy Rain is better)
Wonder when Final Fantasy XIII Versus will be their comeback?

5 straight days of podcasts...impressive!

Red Dead Redemption for best ending? If, at a certain point, I'd been allowed to use the multiple sticks of dynamite I had, the ending would have been very different.

I really enjoyed Splinter Cell Conviction's ending, but Red Dead Redemption's ending was Great also.

YUS!

Am I really the only person who liked FF13? I will concede FF14, but not 13, damn it. If you want a crap Final Fantasy, go back just one entry. Yes, to the one that got all the critical acclaim; the one that fits every FF13 criticism more aptly than FF13 itself.

In what way exactly is Starcraft II's ending even worth considering for that category? It's a fucking joke of an ending. 

The Northies runners-up list is fantastic. Why settle on 3, when they're all crucial performances?

" In what way exactly is Starcraft II's ending even worth considering for that category? It's a fucking joke of an ending.  "

"Maybe it's time to let a Western studio take a crack at this hallowed franchise."
 
I've been rather agreeable with most everything said in the awards this year, but to this statement, I can only say "Fuck you."
 
This whole eastern vs. western game development debate has gotten too out of hand.  As much of a piss poor effort that Final Fantasy XIV was (and let's not forget, as an MMO it has little in common ground with any game in the series other than XI), I enjoyed the hell out of Final Fantasy XIII.  It's one of my favorite games of the year.  I'm perfectly fine in seeing what Square Enix cooks up for FFXV.
 
But more than anything, the suggestion that it would take a western studio to do better strikes me as nothing more than foolish rhetoric.  Final Fantasy games are always a venue for experiments from the nature of combat to character progression to narrative structure.  The series is, while still traditional, an antithesis of Dragon Quest, which is unapologetic about clinging to its origins, and yet remains a high quality series to this day.
 
When western studios make traditionally Japanese-style RPGs, there are typically two ways that the developers go about it.  They either build it completely out of irony (lol, see how dated and pointless this is?  lol!!1), or they rip off gameplay from established games almost point for point  (I'm looking at you, The Lord of the Rings:  The Third Age).
 
And then there's just the way that western RPG development has progressed over the years.  Most western games put no true focus into the narrative or the primary character.  Oblivion and Fallout 3 are two of the worst RPG narratives to come out of the past decade.  Sure, they have some fine set-pieces, but Oblivion plays the generic western fantasy card far too often, and Fallout 3's ending was marred by the inability to allow the player to make the intelligent decision (send the super mutant into the highly radioactive environment) only to be retconned later.
 
And don't give me any of that "But Keiji Inafune says Japanese development is dead" crap.  It seems more to me that Inafune's mind has been spiked with westernophilia.  The grass-is-greener mentality that the better development is occurring elsewhere.  Fat lot of good that did for Dark Void and Bionic Commando.
 
(And on the non-Capcom front, Obsidian couldn't code a game that wasn't fucking broken if their lives depended on it.)
 
This has veered crazily into rant territory and I apologize for that.  However, this has been a subject that has bothered me for quite some time.  People seem to think that Japanese development is on a decline, but they can't smell the shit that's being slung from the western side of the ocean.  Leave the development of Final Fantasy to the people at Square.  If westerners really want to make a decent Japanese-style RPG, let them try with their own original ideas and leave the ironic humor at home.

Offtopic: Is it the player or the video? It is all choppy today. Pauses every like 10 seconds. Really annoying.

YAY! The Northies!

" Am I really the only person who liked FF13? I will concede FF14, but not 13, damn it. If you want a crap Final Fantasy, go back just one entry. Yes, to the one that got all the critical acclaim; the one that fits every FF13 criticism more aptly than FF13 itself. "

HERCULES WAS VOICED BY KEVIN SORBO!!!!

Of course they didn't mention the Rock Band series. :P We got two of those this year. 

That is indeed a lot of North.

" Am I really the only person who liked FF13? I will concede FF14, but not 13, damn it. If you want a crap Final Fantasy, go back just one entry. Yes, to the one that got all the critical acclaim; the one that fits every FF13 criticism more aptly than FF13 itself. "

Starcraft 2 rapes those games in every hole...

I hate how they went thru God of War 3 without showing any of the amazing bosses off.

" "Maybe it's time to let a Western studio take a crack at this hallowed franchise."
 
I've been rather agreeable with most everything said in the awards this year, but to this statement, I can only say "Fuck you." "

CL60 deserves a mention concerning the Northies since that's his video.

" @Hailinel: I'll agree with you about FF and Bethesda, but Obsidian, while their games are buggy, are the most exciting things coming out of WRPG's, so shut your mouth :P "

Even thou Nolan North having a conversation with himself is pretty awesome/crazy/money saver, I have to say his role as Vashyron in Resonance of Fate easily topples his performance in Mafia 2. Especially this inner monologue: All we have are raisins.

" "Maybe it's time to let a Western studio take a crack at this hallowed franchise."
 
I've been rather agreeable with most everything said in the awards this year, but to this statement, I can only say "Fuck you."
 
This whole eastern vs. western game development debate has gotten too out of hand.  As much of a piss poor effort that Final Fantasy XIV was (and let's not forget, as an MMO it has little in common ground with any game in the series other than XI), I enjoyed the hell out of Final Fantasy XIII.  It's one of my favorite games of the year.  I'm perfectly fine in seeing what Square Enix cooks up for FFXV.
 
But more than anything, the suggestion that it would take a western studio to do better strikes me as nothing more than foolish rhetoric.  Final Fantasy games are always a venue for experiments from the nature of combat to character progression to narrative structure.  The series is, while still traditional, an antithesis of Dragon Quest, which is unapologetic about clinging to its origins, and yet remains a high quality series to this day.
 
When western studios make traditionally Japanese-style RPGs, there are typically two ways that the developers go about it.  They either build it completely out of irony (lol, see how dated and pointless this is?  lol!!1), or they rip off gameplay from established games almost point for point  (I'm looking at you, The Lord of the Rings:  The Third Age).
 
And then there's just the way that western RPG development has progressed over the years.  Most western games put no true focus into the narrative or the primary character.  Oblivion and Fallout 3 are two of the worst RPG narratives to come out of the past decade.  Sure, they have some fine set-pieces, but Oblivion plays the generic western fantasy card far too often, and Fallout 3's ending was marred by the inability to allow the player to make the intelligent decision (send the super mutant into the highly radioactive environment) only to be retconned later.
 
And don't give me any of that "But Keiji Inafune says Japanese development is dead" crap.  It seems more to me that Inafune's mind has been spiked with westernophilia.  The grass-is-greener mentality that the better development is occurring elsewhere.  Fat lot of good that did for Dark Void and Bionic Commando.  (And on the non-Capcom front, Obsidian couldn't code a game that wasn't fucking broken if their lives depended on it.)  This has veered crazily into rant territory and I apologize for that.  However, this has been a subject that has bothered me for quite some time.  People seem to think that Japanese development is on a decline, but they can't smell the shit that's being slung from the western side of the ocean.  Leave the development of Final Fantasy to the people at Square.  If westerners really want to make a decent Japanese-style RPG, let them try with their own original ideas and leave the ironic humor at home. "

I'm not sure if handing FF over completely to western developers is the best idea, but definitely getting some input from them is would be nice. I only played a bit of 13, but it seemed like such a step back after 12, both mechanically and storytelling wise. Whenever 15, or whatever it's going to be called, comes out I hope they take a hard look at what's going on both in the western market (ME2, Fallout, Oblivion, etc) and their own market (the Persona series) and see what they can do to update a formula that they've pretty much run into the ground.

" Am I really the only person who liked FF13? I will concede FF14, but not 13, damn it. If you want a crap Final Fantasy, go back just one entry. Yes, to the one that got all the critical acclaim; the one that fits every FF13 criticism more aptly than FF13 itself. "

Nolan North's Resolution: Appear in at least one game released every week for the entire year.  That is hilarious, him speaking to himself.  And WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON IN THAT ROF VIDEO!?!?!

 Man, the small clip of Final Fantasy XIII in that video made me really want to go back and play more Final Fantasy XIII.     
 
While I loved FFXIII, I can see it winning the take a break award, but just for FFXIV (which is what they should have used for the video clip). I still can't wait for Versus XIII and whatever else they have in store for that series. 
 
Their complaints about outdated jRPG mechanics makes no sense, really, when you talk about 13. And I really don't understand the hatred for the roman numerals. But let a western developer make a Final Fantasy game? Get out of my face with that. That's one of the stupidest things I've read on this site.

Wow, take a little while to prep and refresh yourselves on controls and make a couple good checkpoints before immediately jumping into the video demonstration of your PS3 GotY pick. Really shortchanged God of War III by fumbling around like this and making fun of it the entire time.

" Wow, take a little while to prep and refresh yourselves on controls and make a couple good checkpoints before immediately jumping into the video demonstration of your PS3 GotY pick. Really shortchanged God of War III by fumbling around like this and making fun of it the entire time. "

" @whatisdelicious said:

" Wow, take a little while to prep and refresh yourselves on controls and make a couple good checkpoints before immediately jumping into the video demonstration of your PS3 GotY pick. Really shortchanged God of War III by fumbling around like this and making fun of it the entire time. "

You must be new here "

I couldn't agree more about Red Dead Redemption. When I finished that game, I just sort of stared at my television for twenty minutes and didn't play another game for a few days. It was such a rare experience and it was executed so damn well. 
 

" @Sharpless:   They're grown men on the internet, and they sling around enough crap at times that it would be hypocritical if they couldn't take some slung in their own direction. "